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Quote: FIFE’S addiction to giving drugs to kids with ADHD will turn a generation into addicts hooked on presciption medication.

Fortunately, that’s the view of politicians who are misinformed.

Science shows that the drugs are not habit-forming.

But yet again, more irresponsible misinformation goes out.

Makes me angry.

I guess you can tell.

Press Releases – Dr. Dennison offers alternative to ADHD Stimulants

Quote: If you or your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, look for an alternative to the medications that are being too readily prescribed.

Sure.

But:

1) Research completely. Media hype is media hype.

2) Follow the money. Is this “alternative” being pushed by people who stand to make money by the increase in customers? Then it’s just as “bad” as the drug companies hoping for more prescriptions…

It’s usually about money. And if it’s not about money, it’s about someone pushing some cause.

Official Google Blog: Personality goes a long way

Quote: We wanted to offer you a way to add some personality to your Google homepage, too, but we had to ask ourselves some tough questions. How do we add personality without taking away from the information? How do we make sure people don’t get sick of looking at the same theme every day?

Today we’re releasing six themes for the personalized homepage that try to solve these challenges: a city, a teahouse (super cute—this one is my favorite), a winter scene, a sky, a beach and a bus stop. All of our themes are dynamic: they change with your own local time of day, current weather conditions or season. If you add the beach theme, for example (changes with time of day), it will ask you for your Zip code and adjust itself to match your local sunrise and sunset times. So if you happen to be stuck in a windowless office, you can at least crack open a cold one and watch the sun set over your desktop.

Themes for your custom Google page?

Awesome!

Alaska Department of Revenue vaporizes $38 billion account – Engadget

Quote: A quick-fingered technician at the Alaska Department of Revenue reformatted a hard drive while handling “routine maintenance work” that contained an account worth $38 billion—yeah, with a B.

And nobody was even reprimanded for this, apparently.

WTF?

Nineteen Tons of Coke Seized off Panama

Quote: A U.S. Coastguard boarding of a suspicious vessel off the coast of Panama led to a record seizure of cocaine – 19.4 metric tons of the drug hidden in two containers onboard the freighter.

19.4 metric tons? TONS????

Jeez!

I was alerted to this because of my Google news search for “panama city florida” – I think it’s amusing, because this provided the final keyword for the trigger:

Quote:: The 14 crew members, all Panamanian and Mexican nationals, were arrested and are being transferred to Tampa, in the southern U.S. state of Florida, and Panama where they will be prosecuted.

D’oh.

A Surge In The ‘Burbs – Forbes.com

Quote: Texas boasts half of the top 10 counties with the greatest population gains in numeric terms. (Maricopa County, Ariz., which includes Phoenix, topped this list.) But in terms of growth—meaning percent increases in population—four Texas counties also made the list: Rockwall and Collin near Dallas, Williamson County near Austin and Fort Bend near Houston. Much of the growth in these metropolitan centers has to do with the prosperous high-tech industry. Dell (nasdaq: DELL - news – people ), for example, is located in Williamson County, and Ericsson (nasdaq: ERIC - news – people ), the North American subsidiary of the Swedish telecom company, is located in Plano, much of which is located in Collin County.

It’s a recurring theme – the DFW Metroplex is just growing and growing.

KOSHER COKE A BIG HIT By RITA DELFINER - Regionalnews – New York Post Online Edition

Quote: Why is this Coke different from all other Cokes?

First, I thought that was rather clever. It’s the obvious joke, I suppose, but I guess I’m easily amused.

Meanwhile, it means COKE WITH SUGAR - not corn syrup!

I’ve got to find some of this!

First visitors step onto canyon skywalk – Yahoo! News

Quote: HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. – Indian leaders and former astronauts stepped gingerly beyond the Grand Canyon’s rim Tuesday, staring through the glass floor and into the 4,000-foot chasm below during the opening ceremony for a new observation deck.

It’s open!

I’ve been hearing about this project off and on for at least a couple of years…

I’d like to go.

Main Line Times – Dallas’ celebration of the arts

Quote: When people talk about Texas, most mean Dallas.

Don’t tell Houston

But pardon me a moment of Dallas pride…

The children drugged for being naughty | the Daily Mail

Quote: Countless children labelled hyperactive are being subdued with drugs like Ritalin. But many experts think they’re just naturally boisterous – and those needless pills are causing terrifying side-effects.

This is just irresponsible journalism.

Attention-grabbing, inaccurate headline – technically hard to argue against, but extremely pejorative… I won’t bother going into it from there, but see this if you’re not convinced yet:

Quote: See related articles …
• Does ADHD really exist?

Come on!

Is is overdiagnosed? Possibly. That’s hard to tell.

People are already afraid about the “drugs” (you’ll notice that’s the word we use for illegal substances – they could have chosen to use “medicine”, which has a positive connotation).

This crappy lack-of-journalism scare-tactic bullshit doesn’t help.

Well… I take that back. It does help sell papers.

I hate my local clinic….

So they send me off to make sure there’s not a clot in my leg—because obviously, that’s life-threatening if there is. That’s not the problem. I call in later to make a follow-up appointment and see what else I need to do to solve the constant pain in my ankle that’s been there for several days already… Nobody knows what’s going on with me. They have no clue. They do suggest making an appointment with the doctor for the following Wednesday, but that’s all they can do. That was Friday (for the original appointment and clot check elsewhere) and Saturday (calling them back).

Now, the visit on Friday was to see what to do about my left ankle, which had been hurting since Monday. They took a glucose reading, and it was very high, so they suspect (very strongly) diabetes. They were wanting to do some bloodwork to test for that and other loverly things; they talked about a “uniboot”; but first I had to be cleared from having a clot, and that ASAP, of course.

I love my local clinic…

So Monday, this morning, I get a call—“Have you gotten the uniboot?”—and my first instinct was to exclaim: “Someone who knows what’s going on! Please please don’t hang up I have questions”...

Come to find out the doctor was in today and saw my chart and inquired.

So all is well; I’m getting the uniboot device as soon as I post this, and Wednesday is fine for a followup – this is basically what they’d have done anyway…

But I spent Saturday and Sunday in pain and wondering what the hell to do next…

ADDENDUM: So as I’m about to post this, I get another call from the clinic. Thanks to beaurocracy… for some silly reason, they can’t act solely as a pharmacy and just give me the uniboot; but they can give it to me as a part of a office visit… so instead of $75, it’ll be that plus a $70 office visit… I don’t know how much these things cost, but my guess is much less than $75… but hey… my initial sentence of this post was just for effect so I could do the “I hate…” / “I love…”—in fact, this clinic is awesome. Well, except for this little bit.. and the call on Saturday—but this is Real Life™, where These Things Happen™. heh.

CITIZEN-TIMES.com: No shortage of column topics to explore, but alas, my time on this page is over

Quote: the diagnostic criteria for ADHD are so vague nearly all of us fit the descriptions

Only to someone who knows nothing about ADHD.

If you go out and read the symptoms of nearly any disease or condition, you’ll find that many of them overlap, and if you have a cold, you might well fit many of them…. does that mean you have any of them? Not necessarily.

Thank goodness we have doctors to do the diagnoses instead of ignorant column writers.

sigh

So every resource I’ve found so far online about ADHD falls within one (or more) of these categories:

– Lots of people saying “ZOMG I haev ADHD!” “OZMG, meee toooo! lollerz!”—I mean, community is nice, and really, I hope this helps them… but… it’s not for me. – Spam sites. Lots of them. – Medical and Pseudo-medical sites that give basics, like “ADHD is a disorder affecting the brain” or some stupid crap… Stuff I know pretty well by now.

Add to all of that that my Google automated search for “ADHD” has thus far turned up articles about how ADHD is overdiagnosed, medication has OZMG horrible side effects and we should warn everyone, with the occasional misuse or some idiot saying “everyone has ADHD” and crap like that….........

I’m beginning to wonder if there’s intelligent life out there…..

The News-Press: Legislature

Quote: Several students who came to Tallahassee this week on behalf of the “Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act,” were told by one lawmaker that they needed psychological treatment because they’re gay.

What the hell? I mean really – what the hell?

I don’t understand people like that.

Well… that’s not quite true. I grew up, brainwashed into Christianity. And there are a lot of Christians out there who aren’t idiots like that—but there surely are a lot of them that are.

I hate stupidity. And that’s just stupid.

WorldNetDaily: Mass media threaten Europe – and America!

Quote: The mass media of entertainment based in Hollywood has infected the Western world with the radical, atheist political correctness that is eating away at the faith and values of entire countries like a terminal cancer.

This is a very amusing bit of nuttery…

When something like 80%+ of Americans self-identify as Christian….

But what should scare you is that I used to be one of the religious nutjobs…

...but I got better.

Charlotte Observer | 03/13/2007 | Mag: Morganton a top retirement town

Quote: Other communities on the list were Natchez, Miss.; San Antonio, Texas; Lafayette, La.; Dothan, Ala.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Georgetown, S.C.; Virginia Beach, Va.; Valdosta, Ga.; Hot Springs, Ark.; and Panama City, Fla.

Natchez and Panama City are, of course, both good retirement communities…

Given the size of each community, I’m surely the only one (besides close family) that would think this is kinda cool to see them both on the same list… heh.

So I suppose I’m spamming my own blog – but hey, I do this for me as much as whoever is reading.

ADHD drug misuse sends adolescents to the ER

I found a little bit of funny in an article discussing misude of ADHD drugs (Ritalin/Concerta and Adderall, specifically). Of teenagers abusing the drugs, some only abused the ADHD medication. But some abused the medication plus something else, an example of which follows:

Quote: For the 68% using on or more drugs in addition to the ADHD medication, 20% reported using alcohol,

Right.

So these einsteins were abusing a stimulant and a depressant.

D’oh!

Plane Stunt Pics – Parachuting From Wings Of Pawnee Crop Duster…

Quote: One of the local farmers had roped in his cropsprayer (on the pics it looks like a Piper Pawnee PA-25) to show off for the benefit of the crowd. Meanwhile a couple of parachutists were in need of a hike up to the right level for jumping, so some arrangement was made to accommodate them on one of the cropsprayer’s trips. Judging by what was to follow, I suppose the pilot of the Piper Pawnee was confident that he had sufficient flight insurance to cover his airplane financing!

Presumably it was quickly established that the Piper aircraft had only one seat in the cockpit – that of the pilot, and the only place to put these guys was on the wings. So they dutifully clambered on top of each wing, sitting facing forwards, and holding onto the wing support strut above each wing.

Couple of nice pics of some STOOOOPID guys…...... nicely done article. I’m shaking my head at the stupidity of the pilot…....

NBC 12 - Virginia News – Woman accused of robbing Richmond Subway—of cookies

Quote: “He was getting ready to pull away and the woman said, ‘Oh I forgot a cookie and I have to go back inside,’” said Cynthia Price of the Richmond Police Department.

The woman returned to the store and asked the clerk for some cookies. When he handed them over, she handed him a note demanding cash from the register and when he refused she took the cookies and ran.

We’ve got a real thinker here…... Oy.

At Least 2 Die In Car Hit By 2 Trains – Local/Florida News

Quote: “This particular person … tried to go against the odds and beat the train across the track,” Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said. “They didn’t bank on two trains coming simultaneously across the track.”

Sad? Sure.

Stupid? You bet.

Dallas high school student sent to Haskell jail for being undocumented | pegasusnews.com

Quote: She has lived in Dallas with her family since she was 5-years-old.

She is an honor student at a Dallas public high school where she is (was) set to graduate in about two months. She has made plans for college after graduation this spring.
Larry James’ Urban Daily
A repository of ideas, resources, commentary and opinions concerning the issues facing low-income residents of the inner cities of the United States and how mainstream America largely forgets or, worse, ignores the day-to-day realities of urban life for the so-called “poor.” Written and edited by the President & CEO of Central Dallas Ministries. Please visit CDM.

She is a great example of the success and accomplishment of one inner city child who grew up in a very poor, but loving family here in inner city Dallas, Texas.

Do I like the idea of undocumented immigrants being here? As a concept, no. I think there are many potential problems.

But these people are…. people. Real people.

Have some of them broken laws? Sure! So have citizens…

It’s stories like this that are the reason I’m uncomfortable with the “deport all them bastards!” attitudes I see from so many…

Utopia MediSpa and Wellness Offers Unique Opportunity to Learn the Facts About Unconventional Treatments for Autism and ADHD Presented by Tampa Bay’s Leading Integrative Doctor, Carlos Garcia, M.D.

Quote: “It is my belief that many children diagnosed with autism or ADHD are suffering from treatable ailments that traditional medicine refuses to recognize.”

Pardon me while I put on my tin foil hat…

I might be more open to believing some of this if it wasn’t for the rhetoric that just makes it all sound fishy and scam-like…

Disclaimer: If it’s legit, and if it helps people, cool. And I hope it is… it just sounds fishy.

The great ADHD myth | News | This is London

Quote: The psychiatrist who identified attention deficit disorder – the condition blamed for the bad behaviour of hundreds of thousands of children – has admitted that many may not really be ill.

So we start out with this hype, but end up with this:

Quote: Mr Graham said: ‘I’ve never met a parent who is happy with the medication. They would all prefer not to use them, but to a man and woman, they all say they can’t believe the change in their sons’ ability to concentrate in lessons.’

The article generally progresses from hype to reality…

Summary: There may be overdiagnosis (possibly upwards of 20%-30%). A handful of deaths (nine since the 1990’s). But yes, it does help those that need it.

Yeah.

So fine – let’s try to figure out how to eliminate the overdiagnosis, but stop this characterization! You don’t know how often I’ve been told “Oh, yeah, everyone has ADHD”. No. No, they don’t.

I’m not “special” – that’s not the point. The point it, Ritalin helps me get stuff done. It’s still not perfect by ANY means, but it helps.

sigh

The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century :: Joey deVilla’s Personal Weblog :: Jackass Quote of the Day: Rob Ford, Toronto City Councillor

Quote: I can’t support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it’s their own fault at the end of the day.

What an ignorant twit.

Which is not to say that the people riding bicycles that don’t realize (or ignore) that they must ride like any other vehicle on the road (i.e. with traffic, not against; following road signs and traffic lights, signalling, etc etc etc) aren’t also either ignorant or jackasses…

Many many drivers out there are ignorant and/or morons…

Bill To Ban Fake Testicles, Vulgarity Dies – Automotive

Quote: Gonads and other doodads

How can you not enjoy an article that begins with the above?