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Harvard Study Confirms Fluoride Reduces Children’s IQ
August 14, 2012 — xanthippaThis is not the first study – but a follow up one that confirms earlier findings:
‘A recently published Harvard University meta-analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded that children who live in areas with highly fluoridated water have “significantly lower” IQ scores than those who live in low fluoride areas.’
It’s not the only problem with fluoride – it has also been demonstrated to cause childhood bone cancer. (That is why, ever so quietly, fluoride was removed from children’s toothpaste…)
And, perhaps most ironic finding of them all is that too much flouride actually increases – yes, increases – the probability of getting cavities!
Yes – you read correctly: a little bit of fluoride reduces the incidence of cavities – but more than a little bit, and the cavities are more frequent than they would have been with no fluoride at all! Plus, you get all the side-effects…
Of course, fluoride is also used as prescription medication to reduce the function of the thyroid – making people more tired, sluggish, fat and, yes, apathetic…
Now, we can add ‘making us dumber’ to the list of side effects this government-enforced medication-in-the-water scheme is causing….it sounds like ‘the government is putting poison in my coffee’ line is not ‘Paranoia’ after all!!!
Michael Geist: CETA Update, Part Two: ACTA Provisions Are Still Very Much Alive
August 13, 2012 — xanthippaMichael Geist warns that despite its rejection, ACTA provisions are still very much alive and may be imposed through other mechanisms…
RIM lays down for the Indian government
August 3, 2012 — xanthippaOnce upon a time, RIM, the maker of Blackberry, was known for excellent security in communications.
So much so that unscrupulous governments sought to ban it – lest they not be able to spy on their citizens.
Now, RIM seems to have rolled over and decided to let governments trample over its users’ civil liberties:
‘RIM recently demonstrated a solution developed by a firm called Verint that can intercept messages and emails exchanged between BlackBerry handsets, and make these encrypted communications available in a readable format to Indian security agencies, according to an exchange of communications between the Canadian company and the Indian government.’
RIM had originally built its reputation – and marketshare – based on the security the encryption it put all messages through provided. Its encryption was so secure, governments that would like to monitor their citizens’ communication threatened to shut them out of their marketplace.
Hence the flop.
Without this enhanced security, however, there is little to elevate their product over cheaper or ‘sexier’ smart phones.
This, therefore, is a serious gamble on the part of RIM: will access to the Indian market permit them to grow, or will this latest corruption of the security of its communications be the last nail in their coffin?
July 28, 2012 — xanthippa
Here is a professor of international law, explaining the terms that regularly crop up with respect to Omar Khadr.
This is important, because legal terms are narrow in their scope and if we don’t understand them correctly, we cannot have a meaningful discussion on any topic these terms refer to.
BBC: Female Genital Mutilation In The UK – a hidden world July 2012
July 24, 2012 — xanthippa
Of course, all genital mutilations of a minor ought to be prosecuted.
We need to speak up and make this known to our authorities everywhere: the right of a person to hold views (religious, cultural or whatever) stops short of the body of another human being!
Passing laws to protect children is important: upholding these laws is no less so.
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 