An article by Gardiner Harris in the New York Times today, as well as other articles issued by various leading news media, reported that the group ‘Public Citizen’ wants more health warnings about the drug Botox as well as similar drugs, after it was established that at least 16 persons, among them 4 children, died using these drugs. Only one of those patients used the drug for cosmetic reasons - others used it for medical reasons to relieve pain associated with muscle knotting and other unknown complications.

The drug, a neurotoxin that is used to relax muscles and to remove wrinkles, was known to spread to vital organs, Public Citizen says and insists that the drug should come with a far stronger warning label and that patients should be given a letter detailing its risks. Public Citizen filed a petition this Thursday with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA. Julie Zawisza, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said she could not comment while the petition was under review.

Allergan, the maker of Botox, issued a statement via their Executives saying that adverse reactions were rare because many patients who get the drug are seriously ill, it is not proven that Botox causes the reactions. Solstice Neurosciences, the maker of a similar drug, Myobloc, did not return a message for comment.

Botox is approved to treat cervical dystonia, a painful knotting of neck muscles and the procedure requires that doctors inject it into multiple spots on the neck, sometimes relieving disabling pain for weeks or months. However, it is reported that the locations of the injection sites sometimes come dangerously close to the esophagus, causing partial paralysis that can lead patients to have difficulty swallowing and to suffer aspiration pneumonia, caused by breathing in food or liquids.

The director of Public Citizen, which is a health research and advocacy group, Dr. Sidney M. Wolf, states that these deaths might have been prevented had patients been adequately warned of the possible dangers. Presently, labels for Botox and Myobloc mention the issue but not prominently enough, Dr. Wolfe said. According to Dr. Wolfe, patients don’t have a clue about these problems and he insists that “Nobody should die from the medical use of Botox”. Dr. Wolfe gave Britain and Germany as good examples of countries that require drug manufacturers to send letters to doctors warning of the dangers. The European drug labels also have a prominent section titled “special warnings and precautions for use” that warns of the dangers of the spread of the toxin and patients in Europe are also advised and warned to seek medical help if they have trouble breathing, experience dry mouth or have trouble swallowing by receiving a leaflet.

Public Citizen also illustrated the procedures of the Danish Medicines Agency (DMA), which published an analysis of adverse events associated with the products on August 9th 2007. Public Citizen’s petition states that the DMA’s analysis found 600 problems associated with the drugs, and that half of the serious problems associated with the drugs occurred after the toxin spread. The DMA also warned that muscle weakness associated with Botox may be long-lasting, especially among children, the elderly and those suffering serious neurological problems.

According to Public Citizen, the drugs’ manufacturers and others in th USA have reported 658 cases of problems associated with Botox and Myobloc to the FDA.

This fabulous new Cariboo Activity Gym gives your baby child all the excitement and exercise it can handle. Recommended for ages birth through 10 months, it provides a unique activity center for your child that blends beautifully with your home décor. The Activity Gym may be used as a natural play environment on the floor or as a bassinet mobile for any of the Cariboo model bassinets.

From the Chicago Tribune; relayed by the Detroit Free Press freep.com

KECKSBURG, Pa. — The U.S. government says nothing of note happened in this small town in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania on Dec. 9, 1965. A meteor may have passed by, but no alien ship or Russian space probe fell to Earth.

Still, Bill Bulebush, 82, says he knows what he saw, heard and smelled, despite the doubts of the government and others in Kecksburg … Other people said that dozens of Army soldiers and three members of the Air Force showed up, and later that night a flatbed military truck took the object away.

Despite such accounts, the government has been “trying to make it out like we’re a bunch of liars,” Bulebush said.

A lawsuit was filed in December 2003 in the District of Columbia by Leslie Kean, a freelance journalist, with financial support from the SciFi Channel under the Freedom of Information Act. NASA reported that they had no files but proof of their having had files were reported back in the 1990’s.

The case boiled over on March 20 for federal Judge Emmet Sullivan, who had tried to move NASA along for more than 3 years.

According to a transcript of the hearing that day, Sullivan angrily referred to NASA’s search efforts as a “ball of yarn” that never fully answers the request, adding: “I can sense the plaintiff’s frustration because I’m frustrated.”

A settlement, reached Oct. 17, specifies how NASA will make a new search for records. Both sides will be required to report back to Sullivan periodically, starting this week.

Full article

Defense Minister Ishiba Considers Japan’s Options in UFO Attack (Article by Stuart Biggs)

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) — Japan’s Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering how his Self-Defense Forces could respond to an attack by space aliens while adhering to limits on military action under the country’s war-renouncing Constitution.

Ishiba is the second Cabinet member to profess his belief in unidentified flying objects after Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura suggested on Dec. 18 they are the only explanation for “unexplainable” things like the Nazca Lines, pre-Columbian etchings in the desert south of Lima, Peru.

Ishiba said yesterday a Japanese military response, such as those in the Godzilla movie series, would require legal review and said he is studying ways Japan could deal with an attack. Ishiba said his comments represent a “personal view,” and not Defense Ministry policy, according to the transcript of the press conference published on the ministry’s Web Site.

“There are no grounds for us to deny there are unidentified flying objects and some life-form that controls them,” Ishiba said. “Few discussions have been held on what the legal grounds are” for a military response.

Ishiba said that, if the aliens arrived in Japan in peace, a military response would not be legal under the terms of Japan’s pacifist Constitution. He also said he was concerned about communication difficulties if a UFO landed.

Bloomberg link

BBC reported on Tuesday 18th December as follows:

Japan’s chief government spokesman has announced that unidentified flying objects (UFOs) exist.

Earlier, in response to a question from an opposition lawmaker, the Japanese government issued a statement saying it could not confirm any cases of UFOs.

But Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura later told reporters he believed they were “definitely” real.

It is the sort of question politicians dread but, under Japanese rules, are unable to ignore.

A member of the opposition asked the government what its policy was to deal with UFOs.

He said work should begin urgently to try to confirm whether or not they exist because of what he called “incessant” reports of sightings.

The Japanese civil service swung into action.

In a statement it said that should a flying saucer be spotted in the country’s airspace, a fighter would be scrambled to attempt visual confirmation.

But it emphasised that the government was not aware of cases where a UFO from space had been discovered.

link

If you’re looking for a few nice websites that sell cat products, we have a few to recommend:

KittyPod: KittyPod has a few modern looking and environmentally friendly chaise lounges and safe claw sharpening products for your kitty cat - a few shapes and sizes - the products promise your kitty cat a fine time sleeping, yawning, whatever they do in the reclining position.

Pre-Fab-Pets: Pre-Feb-Pets have great modern pet furniture products for kitty cat and dog pets too - of mention is one house inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright - the great American architect of all time. The products, mostly made out of wood such as doggy and kitty wooden lath beds also have a distinct Japanese styled simplicity about them - highly recommended. There are some nice looking throw pillows too for the little ones.

Cats Play: If you’re looking for pet products that are a little less modern and prefer the wrought iron day beds, plush pillows etc., why not check out CatsPlay.com - the look is more regal; if you’re that kind of person who likes to leave millions of dollars to your favorite pet in your will (well, we hope you won’t do that above your kin), then Cats Play is a nice site for you. Victorian, decorative, luxury style. Pet houses, luxury pet beds, pet tents and luxury pet sofas. Both for cats and little doggies. For us, its a little too much plush but there are a great few finds in between such as a corner pet bed, unique cat houses in various colors called the ‘Kat Kabin’, bistro cat feeders and more.

Amazon.com: You can always find a few pet product treasures at Amazon.com - like the Fun Tunnel by Abo Gear as seen in the following illustration:

At One Form Design, there’s this absolutely lovely ‘cat cocoon’, pictured below.

For more products, check out the New York Times article “Good Design - Happy Cats?“

Parallel universes really do exist, according to a mathematical discovery by Oxford scientists described by one expert as “one of the most important developments in the history of science”.

The parallel universe theory, first proposed in 1950 by the US physicist Hugh Everett, helps explain mysteries of quantum mechanics that have baffled scientists for decades, it is claimed.

In Everett’s “many worlds” universe, every time a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits. Given a number of possible alternative outcomes, each one is played out - in its own universe.

A motorist who has a near miss, for instance, might feel relieved at his lucky escape. But in a parallel universe, another version of the same driver will have been killed. Yet another universe will see the motorist recover after treatment in hospital. The number of alternative scenarios is endless.

It is a bizarre idea which has been dismissed as fanciful by many experts. But the new research from Oxford shows that it offers a mathematical answer to quantum conundrums that cannot be dismissed lightly - and suggests that Dr Everett, who was a Phd student at Princeton University when he came up with the theory, was on the right track.

Read the Breibart Article

Nation Master is a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations of the world. The site is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Using the Nation Master form, you can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease.

This is a useful one-stop resource for country statistics on everything from soldiers to wall plug voltages and visitors can also view profiles of individual countries including their maps and flags, use correlation reports and scatter plots to find relationships between variables, and refer to fully integrated encyclopedia with over one million articles. Comes highly recommended.

http://www.nationmaster.com

A crowd of 100 stunned stargazers brought a town centre in Stratford-Upon-Avon in July 2007 to a standstill when five mysterious UFOs were spotted hovering in the sky.

Drinkers spilled out of pubs, motorists stopped to gawp and camera phones were aimed upwards as the five orbs, in a seeming formation, hovered above Stratford-Upon-Avon for half an hour.

The strange episode started just after 10.30pm, when the lights were seen hovering slowly over the town before three of them formed a triangular shape with one positioned just to the right.

A few minutes later a fifth came into view traveling towards the others at breakneck speed before slowing down and stopping a short distance away.

See full article

Watch the video here.

Nora the cat piano player is thrilled to sit with her owners at Raven’s Wing Studio and play piano with her students.

There are a few sequels with a kitty break in between.

Nora the Cat plays the Piano