Month: February 2013

Hobby Farms November/December 2012

HF1212_160 I decided that another Magazine Review was due after I found the November/December 2012 Issue of Hobby Farms on the shelf at my local library. I had to read it not because of the lovely beats on the cover, but because of the “Small stock with a huge return” article.

In the end, that did end up my favorite article of the issue, featuring creatures such as the Miniature Zebu, which is a tiny cow akin to a miniature horse in addition to the minis themselves and a number of other small stock options.

All in all, however, the entire magazine was enjoyable. it featured a lot of information on what amounts to my dream way of living. If I had more disposable income for magazines, I’d even consider a subscription, and I think once I get to realize my dream it will become an invaluable resource… But until then, I think I’m going to continue perusing my library’s collection and continue to enjoy the magazine!

Oh! Don’t miss the wonderful question about spring fed ponds on page 20, or the beautiful editorial by Hayden Hainsworth about her life choices that led her to the Hobby Farming lifestyle. There’s a ton of great stuff in this issue, and it’s really worth a read!

News Dump Vol.5

Well… I’m ending up way behind because there have been tons of exciting things to talk about of late. So there’s a series of articles from the last week or so that I really wanted to talk about due to them being interesting, but didn’t find time. At the very least I’m going to share them so that you could read whatever catches your fancy, too.

On Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a fallacy. It has no science that supports that dilution of a substance leads to health benefits. Nor can any ability of “like to cure like” be established in any study of merit on the subject.

This is why I was a little surprised when Doubtful News reported posted an article about the U.K.’s HHS (National Health Service) essentially hiding information about the dangers of Homeopathy and its ineffectuality. In fact, if read this blog post  by Guy Chapman you’ll see indications that the NHS is choosing to ignore evidence they have gathered concerning Homeopathy and is actively repressing it to avoid conflict!

And if that isn’t reason enough for you to avoid Homeopathy, I suggest reading what the Quackometer has to say on the subject. Not only is in effectual medicine, what little evidence they have appears to be rooted entirely in conformation bias. And there’s a monstrous lack of quality control, or even the contents of a package to contain the active ingredient, for something to be labeled a Homeopathic cure!

I have no problem believing that herbs can cure things, that we can find medicine in odd places, or that some things that are difficult to believe might potentially work… But when the science says “no” in such a resounding way you accept it. That’s what Science is for. It helps us sort and understand the world around us. It helps us to do the best to be as healthy as we can.

Science shouldn’t be neutered so a few individuals can make money on quackery.

News Followup: Pope Triggers Doomsday Prophecies!

Photo by The Gaurdian
Photo by The Gaurdian

Earlier today in the Old school News Roundup I featured a Story about how Lightning Struck St. Peter’s Dome.

Well, it’s since come to light courtesy of Discovery News that a 12th Century prophecy states that there will be only 112 Popes before the last Judgement. Did you know that Benedict XVI is pope number 111?

The prophecy itself originated with Saint Malachy, who recorded a list of future popes and made other predictions based on a vision he claims to have received from God. A number of his prophecies have come true, but it’s difficult to rule out causation through subliminal knowledge vs actual prophecy.

Malachy predicts that the next Pope shall be called Peter the Roman and he will be the last of the popes and “feed his flock amid many tribulations after which the city of the seven hills shall be utterly destroyed, and the awful judge will judge the people”.

Pretty dark stuff, eh?

 

Addendum

Apparently I have trouble reading sometimes. I had it pointed out to me that there have been well over 200 Popes. It turns out it actually refers to Malachy’s 112 predicted popes. Benedict is #111 on that list. (John Paul II is also considered #110, though it’s easy enough to match up Popes and Prophecies, so I’d take that with a grain of salt.

 

SOURCES:
Resigning Pope Brings Doomsday Prophecy
FEB 13, 2013 12:12 PM ET // BY ROSSELLA LORENZI
The Papal Apocalypse!
08:56 EST, 13 February 2013 // By DANIEL MILLER, DAILY MAIL

Old School News Roundup

This roundup features news related to things that are old.

  • Wichcraft Belief in Malawi Sparks Violence – FEB 11, 2013 04:28 PM ET // BY BENJAMIN RADFORD
    George Thindawa, Executive Director of the Association of Secular Humanism in Malawi, has launched a 3 year campaign to attempt to stamp out belief in magic and witches through public education in hopes of eradicating violence against suspected magic-doers in the country.
  • Latin a Dead Language? Not Really – FEB 12, 2013 08:26 AM ET // BY ROSSELLA LORENZI
    Knowledge of the “dead” latin language led to Giovanna Chirri getting the scoop on the world when Pope Benedict XVI made his farewell speech in the archaic language.
  • Act of God? Lightning Strikes St. Peter’s Dome – FEB 13, 2013 07:45 AM ET // BY MARC LALLANILLA, LIFE’S LITTLE MYSTERIES STAFF WRITER
    The lightning strike in question came within hours of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation. It is unlikely, however, to have been an act of God due to the fact that locations of religious significance are frequently the highest thing around and thus the thing that is mostly likely to be struck.

Skeptic Magazine Vol.17 No.2

skeptic redesignI got ahold of an Issue of Skeptic Magazine at the Library this week and finally got time to read it. It’s Volume #17 Issue Number 2. I’ve been listening to Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine for awhile now. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give Randi’s magazine a read over.

And I figured it would give me a fun thing to talk about. I turned out to be wrong. Not because the magazine was bad, because it is rather good, but because it’s a dry and serious publication. If you’re going to read it, I suggest that you make yourself ready for some dryer reading. I know I get into kicks where I want to learn something, and this is a great way to learn something.

I had figured the article on Foo Fighters would catch my interest the most, or maybe the one on EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), but I’m pleasantly surprised to have been wrong. There’s an incredibly interesting article by Bruce E. Levin called “Depression Treatment: What works and how we know” going over the effectivity of anti-depressants. As someone who has friends who suffer at the claws of depression, I’m always curious to know what might help them out. I’m shocked to have been taught that the drugs are nowhere near as effective as you would think given the widespread usage! And doctors are largely unaware of this! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see this as a reason for pulling antidepressants from the market, but it does mean that doctors need to approach things carefully, and make sure patients are more aware of the fail-rates with medications with more dangerous side effects.

All in all, I’ll be picking up other issues. It’s always nice to learn something new, afterall. And it’s a rare treat to have things be fully and clearly cited. Citations are good! If you read skeptic you will not be disappointed.

Unless you wanted them to tell you Foo Fighters are aliens and EVPs are ghosts…

DM’s Reading List Vol. 2

I’m going to start numbering these serial posts to make it easier to keep things sorted. I’ve decided to pull more suggested reading for gaming from D&D Insider, my favorite 100% digital publication. One of these is even holiday appropriate!

  • The Dungeon Master Experience: Where’s the Love? by Chris Perkins
    Dungeons and Dragons is about exploring themes and genres and tropes. One trope that is possibly the hardest of all is the romantic sort. In this article Mr. Perkins explores the pitfalls and challenges of love for himself and potentially for other DMs. I found this article particularly interesting because in both of our current home games right now one of the themes that is strongest is the growing emotional loyalty the party members have for one another. He actually applauds what we’re doing as brave, and anytime my Favorite big-name DM calls out something I’m involved in both running and playing, I’m a happy camper.
  • Forging the Realms: How Many Hidden Cults Is Too Many? by Ed Greenwood
    I found this article interesting because in 2 of 2 of our current home games we’ve got hidden cults. I’ve got no clue what Wiley has in the pipes, but I suspect some sort of hidden cult might happen. Though it’s too early to tell much about what He’s going to do, since the game only just barley has characters at this point…
  • The Dungeon Master Experience: The Old DM and the Sea by Chris Perkins
    Mr. Perkins talks about DMing through a series of editions, and talks about the upcoming D&D Next. It’s interesting, but I’m not sure that Next will be for me. It might be 4e from here on out for this Fox.

Critter News Roundup Vol.3

I do love the critters of the world. And they really seem unable to keep themselves out of the news.

  • Japan Whaling On Choppy Seas – FEB 6, 2013 11:08 AM ET // BY KIERAN MULVANEY
    Japan has been whaling “for science” for a long time now, and other nations are finally getting truly sick of it, just like their people are. Australia demanded the removal of Shonan Maru No.2, a Japanese whaling vessel, from their waters in the in the Souther Ocean. They have, apprently, in the past communicated their desires for no whaling in their waters, and this is the first formal public complaint and demand that they have made on the subject. Good on ya’, Austrailia! Even better, New Zealand has joined the legal action they have filed. hopefully they’ll put an end to the “science” whaling that’s being done: Japan has yet to explain why they’re whaling and what research they are preforming.
  • Puppy ‘Klondike’ Born from Frozen Embryo – FEB 5, 2013 02:32 PM ET // BY JENNIFER VIEGAS
    I didn’t realize that this had never been done in dogs, because they’ve done it in cattle and a few other species for so long. There are theories that this technology could be used to increase the numbers of rare breeds, but I’m more interested in the implications for wild canines that are critically endangered, such as the African Wild Dogs.
  • How Smart Is Your Dog? Find Out with ‘Dognition’ – FEB 5, 2013 11:25 AM ET // BY TECHNEWSDAILY
    This is an app. Which personally I have no plans to use. Much like a doting mother, I have no intention learning that either of my babies are anything but brilliant. No, it’s not really a canine IQ test, and chances are I’ll be checking out it when it launches. It’s really a study, wrapped up in an app. Dog owners answer questions about their furry friends.

New Roundup Special Edition: Crap that surprises Kitsu

This roundup is made up of news that Kitsu can’t believe someone had to report. Not because of ridiculousness, but rather because it’s happening at all.

  • How Cocaine and Controversy Mixed With Soda – FEB 4, 2013 08:44 AM ET // BY ROSSELLA LORENZI
    I didn’t watch the superbowl commercials, but apparently their were accusations of discrimination based entirely on a story-based decision, and no one seemed to consider beforehand that there would be a story-based reason in the final commercial for why you couldn’t just vote whatever way you wanted all willy-nilly. Way to assume the worst, people.
  • Women in Paris Can Now Wear Pants – FEB 4, 2013 01:30 PM ET // BY AMANDA ONION
    It’s mindblowing in the modern world that this law, while invalidated by other laws and accepted cultural changes, is still on the books at all. And this news story does not report the removal of the law, only a public statement that the law has been invalidated. Or rather “the implicit abrogation of the order”, because plain language isn’t french enough, apprently.
  • What Causes Early Puberty in Girls? – FEB 8, 2013 09:00 AM ET // BY SHEILA M. ELDRED
    First off, how did I not catch something before now that the new ages for early onset puberty is 6-7 (variation is based on race)? And, how did I miss the story about the nine year old who got raped and ended up giving birth. Just… Holy crap. As if the idea of being a parent wasn’t scary enough… Now you have to worry about pregnant pre-teens?

And down here are a few bonus stories that are too cool to just delete from my feeds, but are edging towards out of date: