Washing Machine Capsules Poison Kids

Here’s an example of ‘poisonous’ technology:

‘HUNDREDS of kids are being poisoned by washing machine capsules, experts have warned.
Toddlers have suffered burns to the throat, eyes and skin after biting the brightly-coloured tablets. They are packed with concentrated detergents and pose a massive risk for youngsters, the Child Accident Prevention Trust said.
Vibrant packaging also makes them appealing to youngsters, it added.
Calls to health experts relating to accidental poisoning rose by 11 per cent last year, the trust said.
Almost 200 calls named Bold and Ariel Liquitabs. Makers Procter & Gamble warn on packages of possible eye and skin irritation.’ -By EMMA MORTON thesun

WebMD Symptom Checker

Web MD Symptom Checker is an easy to use interactive tool, where you select specific symptoms and it identifies possible causes. Yet, this is the most hi-tech on-line medical tool I ever tried.

Surfer Dude Scientist Shakes Science World

His theory has found both fans and critics in the scientific community:

‘Science needs more people like Garrett Lisi, writes Roger Highfield at the Daily Telegraph. Lisi kitesurfs on Maui, lives in a yurt, snowboards at Tahoe—and has wowed physicists with his “theory of everything.” The surfer dude scientist claims to have solved the biggest problem in physics by finding a model of the universe that works on both the large scale of general relativity and the minute scale of quantum physics.

‘Lisi’s theory, based on an eight-dimensional, 248-point mathematical object called E8 whose equation would cover an area the size of Manhattan if written out in tiny print, has found both fans and critics in the scientific community. But whether or not the theory holds true, Lisi’s unconventional spirit—when he came up with the theory, he had a doctorate but didn’t work in the establishment—offers scientists a maverick role model.’ -Daily Telegraph

25 Chicago Schoolboys Jailed for Foodfight

“They were handcuffed, slammed in a wagon, had their mug shots taken and treated like real criminals.” Doesn’t the police realize that these students with bad records now will probably be scorned in the future?: ‘Twenty-five Chicago students ages 11 to 15 had to cool their heels in jail for 5 hours last week after a food fight at their school apparently got out of hand. The kids face charges of misdemeanor reckless conduct, NBC Chicago reports. Parents are angry that their kids were treated like criminals and worried that a rap sheet will affect college applications.

‘An on-campus police officer witnessed the fracas and called for a backup, resulting in a large police presence—and a large number of arrests. The incident was “unfortunate,” a school official tells the New York Times. Parents think that’s an understatement. “They were handcuffed, slammed in a wagon, had their mug shots taken and treated like real criminals,” says one. Come on, “who hasn’t had a food fight?”’ -NY Times

Boys Pornified from Birth

Some ads even encourages boys to be pheremone-exuding sex maniacs. But at last we have the two female reaserchers on their side:

‘Lyn Brown and Sharon Lamb determined in their 2006 book Packaging Girlhood that our culture conditions girls early on to behave as sexual objects. But what about boys? In their new book, the researchers take a look at the other side of the playground and find that the “stark commercialization of gender” applied just as strongly: boys are told almost from birth to desire sex as much as girls are taught to personify it, writes Marisa Meltzer for Double X.

‘Witness onesies printed with slogans like “Playground Pimp.” Scenes from seemingly innocent shows like Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody have steamy themes just under the surface, while cologne and deodorant marketing encourages boys to be pheremone-exuding sex maniacs. “How,” the researchers ask, “are boys expected to deal with all the messages about being out of control, having body parts that seem disconnected or out of their control, having desire that they are told is boundless?”’ -DoubleX

Six Preventable Veteran Deaths a Day If…

We should also honor ‘the more than 2,200 veterans who were killed by our broken health insurance system’:
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‘Some 2,266 US veterans under 65 died last year because they didn’t have health insurance, a team from Harvard Medical School estimates. Although most vets get medical care through the VA, there are about a million and a half, under 65, who were not wounded and are “too poor to afford private coverage but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or means-tested VA care,” one professor says.

‘Being uninsured ups your odds of dying by 40%, the researchers note. Hence the result: “Six preventable deaths a day,” says a study co-author. “On this Veterans Day we should not only honor the nearly 500 soldiers who have died this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also the more than 2,200 veterans who were killed by our broken health insurance system,” the associate professor says, according to ThinkProgress.‘