Please comment if you've added me and desire reciprocity. I may not figure out exactly who you are and why you've friended me, so please let me know. If I've added you recently, you need not comment here. This entry also does not apply to those who are already on my mutual friends list, of course! When you post, please explain why you'd like to be friended. A post consisting of the word "Well...." won't do it.

If I don't act to friend you first, I will not friend your journal unless you post here!

Hello, Spambots! I'm on to you!

On May 21st, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California dismissed a complaint filed by Janine Sugawara, who said she had purchased "Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries" because she believed "crunchberries" were real fruit. The plaintiff, Janine Sugawara, alleged that she had only recently learned to her dismay that said "berries" were in fact simply brightly-colored cereal balls, and that although the product did contain some strawberry fruit concentrate, the cereal did not contain berries.

"According to the complaint, Sugawara and other consumers were misled not only by the use of the word "berries" in the name, but also by the front of the box, which features the product's namesake, Cap'n Crunch, aggressively "thrusting a spoonful of 'Crunchberries' at the prospective buyer."

Judge Morrison England Jr. ruled that Crunchberries are not likely to deceive a reasonable consumer. He ruled, in part, "In this case . . . while the challenged packaging contains the word "berries" it does so only in conjunction with the descriptive term "crunch." This Court is not aware of, nor has Plaintiff alleged the existence of, any actual fruit referred to as a "crunchberry." Furthermore, the "Crunchberries" depicted on the [box] are round, crunchy, brightly-colored cereal balls, and the [box] clearly states both that the Product contains "sweetened corn & oat cereal" and that the cereal is "enlarged to show texture." Thus, a reasonable consumer would not be deceived into believing that the Product in the instant case contained a fruit that does not exist. . . . So far as this Court has been made aware, there is no such fruit growing in the wild or occurring naturally in any part of the world." Hee!

The Judge went on to say: "In this case, . . . it is simply impossible for Plaintiff to file an amended complaint stating a claim based upon these facts. The survival of the instant claim would require this Court to ignore all concepts of personal responsibility and common sense. The Court has no intention of allowing that to happen." Hooray! By the way, it seems that the law firm involved in this case also sued the manufacturers of Froot Loops for not including real Froot. ;)

This is nearly as good as the recent Pringles Potato Chip case in England, in which a tax court ruled that there is too much actual potato in a Pringles for the snack to qualify for an exemption under the precise definition of a potato crisp, although the manufacturer was trying to argue that it didn't. I would have sided with Pringles, myself. I don't think those things are potato chips.

I've had friends ask me how on earth I run across some of the things I post in my journal. This item's a good example of the kind of serendipity that sometimes strikes. I was looking in my bookmarks for something else, and ran across a bookmark I'd held onto just because it was downright wonderful. It was the story of Colonel-in Chief Sir Nils Olav, the penguin who was knighted at the Edinburgh Zoo. While re-reading that terrific story, I thought that I'd check to see if there was any more news about Nils Olav, and ended up at a Wikipedia page about him, where I found another endearingly amazing story.

It's about William Windsor, a recently-retired lance corporal of the Royal Welsh battalion of the British Army. Willam served as a lance corporal from 2001 until 2009, except for a three month period in 2006 when he was demoted to fusilier, after "unacceptable behaviour during the Queens' birthday celebrations while deployed on active service with the battalion on Cyprus". He retired to Whipsnade Zoo in May 2009.

The unacceptable behavior involved trying to headbutt a drummer and refusing to keep step during a parade. The Wikipedia entry has some much sadder stories of demoted royal goats and goat majors, and young Billy got off pretty easy, in my opinion. ETA: Here's a link to a picture of William's and his full-time handler, the Goat Major Lance-Corporal Ryan Arthur. I tried posting it directly and it didn't work out.

I like the look of both of them. The new royal goat will be chosen from a herd on the Great Orme Llandudno in June.

OK, thesaucernews, I know you like pulp fiction, so this is for you. I don't know if you like the detective fiction of the Golden Age, but I've mixed the two together anyway, and thrown in a touch of a few other fandoms for spice as well. Here you go. Since this is a present, the post is NOT friends-locked.

Other folks--this is the first fanfic I've written for YEARS, so if you like C. L. Moore and/or Dorothy L. Sayers, have a look. If not, or if fanfic horrifies you, avert your delicate gaze. There's no slash, and only a bit of implied sexual activity. These characters are most certainly not my own, except for Mr. Sharol, the barkeep, and the nasty woman on the corner, and they don't count, anyway.

( Read more... )

If you don't know the work of C. L. Moore, you most certainly should. The story on which part of this fic is based may be read here. For most of the rest, seek out Strong Poison, by Dorothy L. Sayers, and extrapolate, extrapolate, extrapolate!

Two slots are still untaken for specially-created somethings in my post from yesterday.

The British Medical Journal has reprised a popular feature and has published another Medical Myths Debunked article. The authors this year are all from Indiana University School of Medicine. You can read the entire article here, but act fast, because I'm not sure how long it will be available.

Here's a summary in case it's taken down:

Sugar causes hyperactivity in children:
False. At least 12 double-blind randomised controlled trials have shown that sugar, whether from sweets, natural sources, or chocolate, is not to blame for out of control behavior in children. The studies included children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The studies concluded that perceived differences in behavior among children appear to be all in their parents' minds.

Suicides increase over the holidays:
False. There is no epidemiological evidence to support this. Suicide rates appear to be higher in April and May, for some reason. This section is complicated and difficult to summarize. I suggest you read it for yourself.

Poinsettia toxicity:
I'm going to cut and paste here, because this is so impressive. "In an analysis of 849,575 plant exposures reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, none of the 22,793 cases involving poinsettia resulted in considerable poisoning. No one died from exposure to or ingestion of poinsettia, and most (96%) did not even require medical treatment. In 92 of the cases, children ingested substantial quantities of poinsettias, but none needed medical treatment, and toxicologists concluded that poinsettia exposures and ingestions can be treated without referral to a healthcare facility. Another study, looking at poinsettia ingestion by rats, could not find a toxic amount of poinsettia, even at amounts that would be the equivalent of 500-600 poinsettia leaves or nearly a kilogram of sap." The article provides outstanding citations.

Excess heat loss in the hatless:
False. There's a myth that you lose 45-45% of your body heat through your head, and an old Army Field Manual was even printed with this information. It's apparently not true, and you don't lose any more heat through your head than any other part of your body. " Any uncovered part of the body loses heat and will reduce the core body temperature proportionally. So, if it is cold outside, you should protect your body. But whether you want to keep your head covered or not is up to you." Well, I damned well freeze if I forget my hat and gloves, so I'll wear one, thanks.

Nocturnal feasting makes you fat:
False. A common weight loss suggestion is to avoid eating at night. At first glance, some scientific studies seem to support the idea that eating at night add to unwanted weight gain, but careful analysis of one of them showed that the participants were not just night eaters, they were actually eating more meals, and taking in more calories makes you gain weight. Ta-dah! Other studies have found no connection between night eating and weight gain.

Breakfast skipping, on the other hand has been shown to be bad. Regular meals, spaced throughout the day, appear to be the key to overeating.

You can cure a hangover:
False. Another cut and paste. "No scientific evidence, however, supports any cure or effective prevention for alcohol hangovers. A systematic review of randomised trials evaluating medical interventions for preventing or treating hangovers found no effective interventions in either traditional or complementary medicine. While a few small studies using unvalidated symptom scores showed minor improvements, the conclusion of the exhaustive review was that propranolol, tropisetron, tolfenamic acid, fructose or glucose, and dietary supplements including borage, artichoke, prickly pear, and Vegemite all failed to effectively "cure hangovers." While more recent studies in rats show some potential for new products to alter mechanisms associated with hangovers, humans also face risks when using certain "hangover cures." A hangover is caused by excess alcohol consumption. Thus, the most effective way to avoid a hangover is to consume alcohol only in moderation or not at all."

Here's the excellently phrased conclusion to the article:
Conclusions
"Examining common medical myths reminds us to be aware of when evidence supports our advice, and when we operate based on unexamined beliefs. This was not a systematic review of either the evidence to refute these medical myths or of doctors’ beliefs. None the less, we applied rigorous search methods to compile data, and evidence of the prevalence of these medical beliefs is readily available. Only by investigation, discussion, and debate can we reveal the existence of such myths and move the field of medicine forward."

Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2769"

ETA: I've changed my link above to one that's a bit more reader-friendly. Also, here is an abstract of an article about frankincense. It seems it's not as therapeutically useful as has been thought. Still smells good, if you don't overuse it. I've run into far, far too many instances of frankincense overuse in my life. Sigh.

Further editing: I apparently have a free subscription to BMJ. I don't remember how I wangled it. I vaguely remember just asking for one, and getting it. I don't see the link for doing so, however. The first 150 words are free to everyone. Sorry.

My longtime friend, Tom McRae, is a wonderful storyteller. Most of Tom's stories are told in Lowlands Scots. Storytelling's not his only talent. He also builds wonderful little miniature alchemical labs, writes essays about Masonry, and has performed as the great William McGonnagall on stage and radio. He knows entirely too much about poisonous insects, as well. ;)

To my great delight, the folks at Lowlands-L have started a website for their membership, and Tom has a page with links to a lot of his stories and essays! Tom's re-tellings of famous fairy tales, such as Flo White and the Seven Wee Teuchters, Wee Toaty Rid Ridin’ Hewd, Shooie and Gretta, and Jimmie Goldie an The Three Baer Bruvvers will be damned near incomprehensible if you don't understand a bit of Scots, I'm afraid, but if you can follow them, they're both silly and as tough as a peever.

If you can't make out the Edinburgh Fairy Tales, you could try the stories of Cuddles the Crocodile, which are mostly in plain English. Cuddles' adventures remind me an awful lot in certain details of some stories Tom used to relate of the adventures of some monstrous iguanas and geckos who used to haunt his Brisbane home and bother his kitties.

Tom's a good friend and a real hoot. I'm going to unlock this post so that you can link to it if you wish.

As lots of you know, my husband moosl is a very fine photographer. I've posted some of his work here, and you can see more of it at his Flickr site. Next weekend, he's going to be taking part in an art show and sale along with my sister Georgeanne and some of her other artist friends. Georgeanne and her friends have all been professional artists for years, and their work is of very high caliber. You all know how much I think of Moosie's as well.

I know that some of you are still hunting for holiday gifts. This show is a nice opportunity to do some shopping as well as to see some excellent art. Some of the gorgeous items on offer will be less than $10. I happened to see an entire rack of handmade dichroic glass earrings by one of the artists labeled at $10 just two weeks ago, and they're quite pretty.

It's the Golden Koi Christmas Show, December 5, 6, and 7. The participants are:
Clay artist and jewelry maker Georgeanne Carlisle Gass
Gourd artist Cathy Denekere
Photographer Moose Dixon
Fiber Artist and jewelry maker Pat McCandless
Glass artist Linda Warby

ETA: I'm going to post the front of the publicity card for the show at the end of this post behind a cut so that you can see samples of everyone's work.

The show will be held at Golden Koi Studio in Crestwood, MO. The address is 1507 Ridgewood Drive, St. Louis MO 63126.
December 5: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
December 6: 12 Noon - 4 p.m.
December 7: 12 Noon - 4 p.m.

Moose will be there with his work on Friday and Sunday, and I'll be there all three days. Moose will have cards and bookmarks and prints and I still don't know what-all.

You can get more info by emailing me at dakiwiboid@gmail.com, calling my sister at 314-963-0726, or emailing her at georgeannegassart@att.net. If you want to find the address online, use Googlemaps. Mapquest is simply not reliable.

Since someone's asked moosl for an open version of this post, I'm going to unlock it, against my better judgment. I've had a lot of problems with stalkers on my journal. If there are any problems, I will disable comments immediately. Another version of this post is also on stlouis.

A copy of the publicity card for the show is behind the cut. The artists are, from top to bottom:
Georgeanne Carlisle Gass, Cathy Denekere, Linda Warby, Moose Dixon, with Pat McCandless in the left corner. ( Read more... )

Silly Kiwi....

For my sisters (mostly) and brothers who half-killed themselves Tuesday...

"Americans too lazy to sign up will think themselves accurs'd they were not there, and hold their persons cheap when any speak who worked the polls upon Election Day!"

The world is coming to an end. I'm posting two non-friends-locked entries in two days, both as favors to friends.

reannon, aka Elizabeth Donald, is experiencing fifteen minutes of fame today. reannon says the article's mostly accurate, though she never read the Hardy Boys. If you're coming to Archon or are in the area and want to go to a nice party tonight, read the article, and pass it on.

If you like vampire fiction, and want to order the book or read an excerpt, make with the clicky here.

From juniperus:

The Rules: Post info about ONE Supreme Court decision, modern or historic to your lj. (Any decision, as long as it's not Roe v. Wade.) For those who see this on your f-list, take the meme to your OWN lj to spread the fun.

Miranda v. Arizona is my choice. In this landmark decision, The Court ruled that both inculpatory and exculpatory statements made in response to interrogation by a defendant in police custody will be admissible at trial only if the prosecution can show that the defendant was informed of the right to consult with an attorney before and during questioning and of the right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police, and that the defendant not only understood these rights, but voluntarily waived them. In other words:

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?

minnehaha is wondering about how many undecided voters there are around here, and has set up a simple poll to find out a bit more. There's an option for people who aren't old enough to vote or aren't citizens of the U.S., if you are curious to see others' responses. It only takes a moment to fill out, and you'll be adding to the sum of human knowledge.

I popped over there to let her know that I've made up my mind.

browngirl has requested that I make an open post so that she can link to it in her journal. I am happy to oblige, but I'm going to disable comments. Those who are already on my friendslist can comment in the earlier post. I apologize to those folks for the double posting.

I am not joking, my friends. Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is reporting that there is reason to believe that the only two peer-reviewed scientific papers that show that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from cells phones can cause DNA breakage may be fabricated.

Non-members must pay $10 to read the journal article, so I'm going to break my normal policy and reprint all of an entry I found elsewhere behind the cut: ( Read more... )

I am a cynic and a skeptic, of course, but I confidently expect that very few of the people who trumpeted to the world that there is so much scientific data showing that cell phones are bad for your health will pass this information on. A couple of extremely influential and widely-read LJers who hold this opinion are on my friendslist. I challenge them to tell their readers about this news story.

I am ticked. No wonder the Big Read meme seemed so blasted flawed. I noticed this morning that the list someone else had posted in her journal (sans cut) was different from her own. Guess why, dear friends? It wasn't the original.

The original, official Big Read list resides here, at the BBC web site. There is no mention whatsoever at that site of "the average adult has read only six of these books". The Big Read was a search for Britain's BEST-LOVED NOVEL. I have no idea where that comes from. I'm going to unlock this entry so that you may share it with anyone you like.

Herewith is the list and my reactions to it. 1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
( Read more... )

There's finally a revision of the important scientific paper, "A guide to translating scientific papers into plain English", originally from C. D. Graham's A glossary for research papers, from Metal Progress 71, 75 (1957).

The revision was written by T. Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.

I've seen the original list without attribution for years, and I think that the author of the revision deserves credit both for including the source of the original and for his work on the revision. I'm going to make a rare exception by making this post public, in case you want to link to it.

If any St. Louis friends know of people who need cheap/free furniture, please have them contact me.

We have a primitive pine hutch/cabinet, 93 inches tall that we want to give away to anyone who wants to take it. It's got three open shelves and three glassed shelves. We can't get it up the stairs to our new apartment, plus I've had it about 25 years and I've gotten to the point that I'm pretty much sick to death of it. ;)

We also have a beige Broyhill couch we can't get up the stairs either. It's 7 feet long, and is a sort of antique reproduction. It has small stains on and under cushions. They're not very noticeable. We're asking $50 on Craigslist, but if one of you or your friends need a couch and can pick it up by the 31st, we're very open to negotiation. Moose can help you load it all day Monday or on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday or Thursday morning.

If you want either of these pieces, please call me at 314-578-8799. If we can't get rid of the couch by Thursday, we may also be looking for somewhere to store it. We don't mind just hauling the hutch to the dumpster, but it's a very comfortable couch, and we'd hate to see it go to waste. If you can offer basement room or garage room, we'd love to hear from you about that as well.

Pictures of the couch are behind the cut. ( Read more... )