- As an avowed friend of stoners, I feel compelled to share anything that might adversely affect my bong-loving friends. So it is with great sadness that I inform you all that, according to results of a recent meta-analysis, psychotic illness occurs significantly earlier among marijuana user suggest. The findings were first reported online in Archives of General Psychiatry. For the study, researchers examined data on more than 22,000 patients with psychosis and found an onset of symptoms almost three years earlier among users of cannabis compared with patients who had no history of substance use. Additionally, the age of onset also was earlier in cannabis users compared with patients in the more broadly characterized category of substance use. "The results of this study provide strong evidence that reducing cannabis use could delay or even prevent some cases of psychosis," Matthew Large, MD, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and co-authors wrote in conclusion. "Reducing the use of cannabis could be one of the few ways of altering the outcome of the illness because earlier onset of schizophrenia is associated with a worse prognosis and because other factors associated with age at onset, such as family history and sex, cannot be changed." So……you’re saying stoners can either put the bong down or risk an early onset of schizophrenia? Oddly, I don’t know how many of them you’ll win over with that argument. Yes, patients of mental health facilities have a high prevalence of substance use, but that isn't going to scare stoners either. The study furthers to findings of previous birth cohort and population studies that have suggested a potentially causal association between cannabis use and psychosis. Attempts to clarify the link between pot and psychosis over the years have typically hit a snag because of variation in methods used to examine the association. By using meta-analysis, Large and his team hoped to overcome that hurdle. They began with a detailed search of multiple electronic databases, which yielded 443 potentially relevant publications. From there, the authors trimmed the list down to 83 that met their inclusion criteria. Those 83 publications all reported age at onset of psychosis among substance users and nonusers. In total, the studies had 8,167 substance-using patients and 14,352 patients who had no history of substance use. In 131 examined patient urine samples, substance use included alcohol in 22 samples, cannabis in 41, and was simply defined as "substance use" in 68 samples. On average, substance users who suffered some form of psychosis were 1.73 years younger than nonusers were. Age at onset was also 2.7 years earlier among cannabis users compared with nonusers. The authors admitted the study’s limitations in that there is a glaring lack of information on tobacco use and its association with earlier age at onset of psychosis, and the lack of data on individual patients inherent in all meta-analyses. I would argue that anyone who smokes cigarettes is already crazy and/or stupid, but that’s just me………
- The situation is becoming more combustible by the second along the shared border of Thailand and Cambodia, where the food and the temperatures aren’t the only things that are smoldering hot these days. The two sides have been doing battle in recent days in a dispute that neighbors and their fences have fought for years all across the world. Whose yard ends where is nothing new, but fighting with guns is a step most combatants don’t quite reach. Gunfire has already been exchanged in this showdown and Thailand accused Cambodia on Monday of refusing to negotiate the dispute that has led to angry clashes near an 11th-century temple. Cambodia’s defense is that only UN peacekeepers can stop the fighting, which began Friday. That seems odd because why could an international peacekeeping force with no direct rights or interest in the dispute do a better job of resolving a conflict than the interested parties themselves? The temple itself, classified as a world heritage site has been heavily damaged during several bursts of artillery fire during the conflict. No one is sure of the extent of the damages, but shooting holes in the very thing you’re trying to take possession of does seem a bit counterproductive. The stone Preah Vihear temple — which is in northern Cambodia, several hundred meters from the border with Thailand — has become in a smaller way what the temple site in Jerusalem is to Jews and Muslims. It has led to nationalistic outbursts on both sides for decades and there have been regular battles over it in the past few years. The current clashes are more violent than any in recent memory, prompting heightened concerns among the other members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In a region known for its stability, exchanges of cross-border gunfire are exceptionally rare. The guns got a reprieve Monday after both sides agreed to an unofficial ceasefire, ending a one-hour skirmish. Since fighting broke out Friday, at least seven people have been killed and dozens more wounded. Thailand seems to be forgetting that in 1962, the World Court determined that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, but in all fairness, that was a long time ago and certain Thai nationalists have never accepted that ruling. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon expressed concern about dangers to civilians in the area if fighting continues. "The loss of life and injuries among both Cambodians and Thais underlines the seriousness of the situation," Cannon said in a statement on Monday.
"Canada continues to urge the two countries to exercise restraint and to address the dispute through peaceful means.” Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva might agree with those words and might even want to pull the plug on the conflict, but he has been excoriated recently ultra-nationalist groups that claim he has shown weakness in his dealings with Cambodia and hasn't done enough to protect Thailand's sovereignty in the border dispute. If he backs down, he loses face and what little credibility he has left in the minds of these extremists and then life could well become infinitely more difficult for him………..
- Oh boy. As anyone watching the Super Bowl become unfortunately aware, Simon Cowell will soon be returning to U.S. television with his upcoming "The X Factor" talent show. The show is basically American Karaoke on steroids – literally. The winner of this glorified karaoke contest will get a history-making $5 million dollar prize. Now, we know that the show will also feature something that gave American Karaoke a decided ratings boost amongst the musically ignorant fools who watch the show: Cowell as a judge. Cowell said on Monday he would be appearing as a judge on the U.S. version of the show when it starts on Fox in the fall of 2011. "Yes, I am," Cowell said on a conference call. "People know what to expect when I am on the judging panels, so I don't think things are going to change. True enough. They expect you and two other people to be judging talentless karaoke hacks as they sing abysmally awful rip-off versions of other people’s songs. They expect you to act like an acerbic ass and even if you’re handing out the "largest guaranteed prize in television history," it’s the same damn show as American Karaoke with a different name. In addition to receiving $5 million more than they should, the hack who wins the show will also sign a record deal with Cowell's company Syco in a joint venture with Sony Music. "This is a guaranteed $5 million, payable to the winner. It will be paid $1 million each year for five years. "It is a massive, massive risk but it is also an incredible incentive. It puts everybody under an enormous amount of pressure. With pressure, you have got to find a star, but I believe I can find a star," Cowell said. If by star you mean some unoriginal, untalented karaoke-er who will sell about 50 copies of their first album and then fade into oblivion, then I’m in complete agreement with that statement. Cowell, who will also executive produce the show he has already piloted in Britain, said auditions would start in Los in Los Angeles on March 27 before moving on to Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, New Jersey and Seattle. In other words, look for no-life-having tools to line up outside arenas in those cities in the hope of becoming the next……whoever won the last AK. X-Factor could turn into an even bigger train wreck because it s minimum age is 12, there is no upper age limit and the contest is open to individuals and groups. Auditions will be held in front of the judges and a live audience, so it’s likely to get ugly – really ugly. "All you can do is to give it a 110 percent effort and do everything to make it the best show you possibly can," Cowell stated. My counter to that? The only good X-Factor is an X-Factor that never makes it to air………
- We have all, at one point in our life, lived next door to a jerk. Maybe this person was harsh to the neighborhood kids and screamed at them for accidentally treading on his or her lawn, perhaps they blasted lout music and held parties raging until 4 a.m. with decibel levels rivaling a U2 concert or maybe they tried to dump their fallen leaves into your yard when they thought you weren’t looking. But when an especially tough time hits, we like to think that neighbors bind together and take on the challenge together. That rule apparently does not hold true in the Chicago neighborhood David Welles calls home. During the third-biggest blizzard in Chicago history, his snow shovel went missing. Unfortunately for the thief, Welles is one of those people you don’t want to steal from. See, security is his business. He owns Tunnel Vision Technology and like any good business owner, he uses the products he sells. That means he has security cameras around his house – lots of them. When his shovel went missing, he scanned his security footage to find out who the culprit was. He discovered a neighbor he did not know had taken the shovel in broad daylight. Making Welles even more furious, he says he would have had no problem if the woman had simply asked to borrow it or returned it after using it. Instead, the woman kept the shovel and ended up bringing Welles’ 2-year-old daughter Mayson to tears because her dad had promised to finish building her igloo and needed the shovel to do so. Once he knew the shovel thief’s identity, Welles had to decide how to respond. Should he contact police and press charges? Or should he get some revenge on the woman personally? I’m proud to say he chose the latter, using his snow blower to move back and forth in an area near the woman’s car, literally burying the vehicles in a ginormous mound of snow. To cap off the plot, he filmed the snow-in and posted the video on YouTube. Not only was the thief left to dig out her car from a mountain of icy winter mess, she also received some quality public humiliation in the process. Welles watched her dig out her car and the process took four hours. The lesson, as always, is either get your own damn shovel or ask before you borrow someone else’s…………
- He may not have been named first-team All-Pro, NFL Offensive Player of the Year or received a single MVP vote, but I’m sure that winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year and the honor he received in Dallas Saturday made Michael Vick feel infinitely better. While in Dallas for Super Bowl weekend, Vick received a key to the city from Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway. And just as you would expect, animal rights activists were furious over the gesture because to them, Vick will always be the scumbag who murdered dogs, bred them to fight and gambled on them. To these kooks, that 2007 felony conviction may as well have happened today. But their outrage did not sway Caraway, who was proud of the decision to recognize Vick. "I gave it to him, sure I did. The wayward children that were there needed to have hope," Caraway said. His sentiments were not shared by all in the city’s government and especially not by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, who made sure he distanced himself from the action Monday. "The action taken was not sanctioned by my office and was not an official ceremonial honor on behalf of the City of Dallas," Leppeter said in a statement. "Official Keys to the City are presented by the Mayor, or an elected official designated by the Mayor, and reserved, on a limited basis, for an elected official of international status. Clearly, this was not the case in this situation and done without my knowledge or approval." The unofficial key ceremony was filmed by local reporter Richard Hunter, who says in the video that he adopted one of the dogs from Vick's home. He then attempts to speak with the quarterback, but Vick does not speak to him. Of course, for animal rights kooks, whether an event is official or not is irrelevant. If anyone, anywhere does not openly despise Michael Vick is a human being and fight him on sight, then they will have a problem with that person and this will hold true for the rest of Vick’s life, unfortunately………….
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