Spring into taser fun - excited delirium and other mythical disorders · Saturday May 16, 2009 by colin newell
When the only tool in your handbag is a wrench, you keep your eyes out for the nuts…
And to explain nutty behavior and unexpected death in taser use, owners of Taser International do what comes naturally – make up a cause of death that does nothing to implicate the energy weapon itself.
Our own RCMP, Canada’s once beloved law enforcement agency, are now “brainwashed” by the manufacturer to justify “ridiculously inappropriate” use of the electronic weapon; zap first, autopsy later.
The makers of the Taser appear to be instructing police in Canada that when they encounter a person suffering from a “mythical” condition that Taser calls “excited delirium,” police have few options other than jolting the person with the controversial electrical weapon.
I guess that this is the upside to using a more typical explosive discharge weapon like the 9MM Glock… which often results in instant death and unexpected gaping wound syndrome.
Excited delirium is not a recognized medical diagnosis. It is a “dubious disorder” created by Taser International and its training Canadian and American police to legitimize it.
The term is also used by the Institute for the Prevention of In-custody Deaths, surprisingly lead by John Peters, an associate of Taser International of Arizona.
John is the go-to guy if you need a professional witness to defend your cop shop against accidental death by over-joltage charges.
Gives extra meaning to the expression… guilty as charged!
Dunno. If some copper is sitting on my head (or neck) after zipping me 4 times with an energy weapon, I am either going to be dead, nearly dead or suffering from entirely pissed off syndrome.
Anyway. What we do know now is that the reputation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is at an all time low… and unless we can bring some of their victims back from the dead… or undo some of their lies, there is little hope that things are going to improve in the short term.
Spring into reflection - pet ownership days gone by · Friday May 15, 2009 by colin newell
Has it been 30 years since I had pets? You know. Come to think of it. Yes.
When I was a kid, I had 3 pets; 2 dogs and a cat.
A black lab. A West highland white terrier. And a street cat.
And like most pets, they were telepathic. But not very good at hiding their superior mental powers.
For instance.
The two dogs would often look at each other. One would raise an eye brow. One would nod. The other would look at its paw. The other, one more nod. And they would both leave the house together… and appear back in time for kibbles.
The cat was in a bit of a pickle, canine relationship wise. It got along famously with the terrier… but not the lab.
The terrier would hang out with the cat, occasionally gesturing and nodding.
Until the lab would show up.
And then the terrier would give the cat an apologetic look – and according to telepathic intercepts that went something like this…
Terrier: Uhm. Dude. Sorry. The lab. Is. One of my kind. And. I need. To chase. You.
Cat: Same as last time?
Terrier: Yea. I. Chase you. I will hold back. You run faster. If you run into a corner. And I catch you. You take a swipe at my nose. And hiss. Make it look good. You go left. I go right. Got it?
Cat. Left. Then right. Hiss. Yea. I think so.
The lab was not so good at reading the cats mind.
More than once it missed the escape cues and ended up with a bloody nose.
I can still hear the cat thinking… “Lab. I am going to swing at you NOW. You pull back. You might get grazed. No blood. Good luck.”
The lab did not like cats much… and did not like the mental interaction. And generally did not listen to what the cat was thinking… so blood generally.
I made a promise as I buried my last pet: Never again.
And I kept that promise. But sometimes, I miss the interaction between domesticated animals.
In the year 2009, I have human interaction and technology – neither of which is 1/2 as interesting as pets. So. If you have a pet that is alive and well. Give it a gentle hug. And remember. If you cannot read its mind, remember this.
It’s reading yours.
Spring into long weekend gas price gouging on Vancouver Island · Thursday May 14, 2009 by colin newell
Synchronized gas price increases on a Canadian long weekend – As reliable as gravity. They come like sunrise. And Spring showers.
And this weekend is no exception.
Every gas station on Southern Vancouver Island raised their prices within minutes of each other – from about 102.9 to 106.9. Snap. Just like that.
But how does this work?
We asked a master mechanic and long time employee at a local Petro-can station.
“Gas prices in Victoria are set automatically… by a supplier in Vancouver. On a system called Viper. It is an auto-dialer. Electronic. Every gas station gets the exact phone call at the exact same time… regardless of the levels in their tanks. This is the way it has been on South Island as long as he can remember. “
They raise the prices. We get screwed. Rinse and repeat.
Petro-can employee continues…
“Tri-mac is the trucking company that delivers the gas… but it is one supplier in Vancouver… at the terminal… that calls the shot. Price fixing? Sure it is. But there is no one in government (or the media) with big enough stones to tackle the problem.”
Free market system at work I guess. More of a racket as I see it.
Anyway. The upside for me? I drive less. Or maybe a bit slower. And smell the roses… if and when they bloom.
With a little imagination we can give the finger to big oil. Boycott one station or another. Pay in buckets of pennies. Walk more. Take the bike. Car pool. Or give up your car entirely if you can.
I did not actually own my first car until I was 40. And I had my license when I was 19. That was my way of sticking it to the man. Nowadays, I actually need a vehicle – with aging parents and all… and actually wanting to live a little.
So. We live with it. Begrudgingly.
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Spring into bad habits - smoking quota in China · Monday May 11, 2009 by colin newell
Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette Puff, puff, puff until you smoke yourself to death. Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate That you hate to make him wait, But you just gotta have another cigarette.
Local government officials in China have been ordered to smoke nearly a quarter of a million packs of cigarettes in a move to boost the local economy during the global financial crisis.
Oh. My. God. I cannot take this in.
Honestly folks. The material writes itself. I just deliver it.
The edict, issued by officials in Hubei province in central China, threatens to fine officials who “fail to meet their targets” or are caught smoking rival brands manufactured in adjoining provinces.
Local schools have been issued a smoking quota for teachers, while one village was ordered to purchase 400 cartons of cigarettes a year for its officials, according to the local government’s website.
China has 350 million smokers. A million of whom die each year from smoking-related illnesses. Despite anti-smoking campaigns, cigarette taxes form a major component of China’s regional tax base.
In the late fifties, cigarette companies hired cargo planes to drop crates of cigarettes over Shanghai (this tidbit from a Slavonic prof at the University of Victoria) – His father was a doctor at the local hospital – and within days the wards were full to bursting with patients – all suffering from nicotine toxicity. The goal of the drops were to establish a beach head in a community… with fresh addicts.
