I’ve been a heavy-duty cell phone user since late ’98. This kind of story doesn’t give me warm fuzzies.
Study finds cell phones could cause noncancerous tumors
By Nancy McVicar
People who have used cell phones for at least 10 years might have an increased risk of developing a rare brain tumor, according to a study published Wednesday in the international journal Epidemiology.
Once again, I feel compelled to tell you all about a serious mistake in logic and ethics that one of my favorite bands, Brother, has made. You may recall that I have thrice (here, here, and here) pointed to their "Concert for Cures" tour. Well, they now have a whole page dedicated to it, and it's full of misconceptions and misinformation. Let's flood them with corrections.
"'If, as the scientific community agrees, there's a real chance to cure not just diabetes, but Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, spinal injury, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis…and the list goes on, then let's get serious and bring it on', says Richardson. 'And let's not drive stem cell research underground by leaving it to private companies to fund. Let's give scientists in our public institutions the resources they need to make the breakthroughs the world so desperately needs.'"
First, be clear about scope. Are we talking about stem cells in general, or embryonic stem cells in particular? Next, define "real chance". Last I checked, embryonic stem cells haven't done squat and adult stem cells have been showing promising results. Lastly, stop begging the question. This is not merely a matter of whether we support scientific progress or not. It's about whether we want progress at any moral or ethical cost.
Christopher
Reeve
September
25, 1952-October 10, 2004
I didn’t agree with his stance on ESCR, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to someday
see that spinal injuries are repairable. In fact, I very much wanted to see his
spine be restored. I watched his progress with amazement. His recovery by far surpassed
the doctor’s expectations. I was really rooting for him to regain some feeling or
use in his limbs. He struggle was inspirational. God bless you and may you rest
in peace, Superman.
I am here today to go on the record with my bewilderment with opponents of embryonic stem cell research.
Here’s how I understand stem cell research: Fertilize an egg and let it divide a few times. Take the resulting clump of cells and use them to see what kinds of tissues you can grow on command. Repeat until you get something useful. Put cotton in your ears while Christians scream at you for being a genocidal maniac.
So who wants to respond to this?
Here are two addictions that I’m sure many bloggers suffer from.
Yahoo: Internet withdrawal anguishing
By Jim Hu, Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Tobacco companies, drug cartels and Starbucks beware–the Internet may be giving you a run for the money in the addiction department.
According to a study sponsored by Yahoo and advertising company OMD, Internet detox makes people feel emotionally vacant and lost in life. Twenty-eight participants were asked to record their thoughts and feelings during a two-week period of no Net usage. From studying the subjects’ video and written diaries, researchers noticed that two weeks of Internet deprivation affected social lives and left many feeling bored.
Caffeine withdrawal recognized as a disorder
By BJS
If you missed your morning coffee and now you have a headache and difficulty concentrating, you might be able to blame it on caffeine withdrawal. In general, the more caffeine consumed, the more severe withdrawal symptoms are likely to be, but as little as one standard cup of coffee a day can produce caffeine addiction, according to a Johns Hopkins study that reviewed over 170 years of caffeine withdrawal research.
Results of the Johns Hopkins study should result in caffeine withdrawal being included in the next edition of the DSM or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, considered the bible of mental disorders, and the diagnosis should be updated in the World Health Organization’s ICD, or The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.