Updates

I will be in to Amsterdam November 23rd to 26th spreading the word of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ with my fellow gusmacroy and sisters of the Western Convent danlmarmot, cpratt, chrisglass and sinnabor. There willl be much praise for The Lord and I will be bringing my acoustic guitar so I can perform my rap version of Kumbaya for my fellows.

I promised not to whine about work so I'll keep it short. Shit was really fucked up for a while staff wise but it's getting better. I hurt my back from all the lifting which sucks. It's not the weight but the pace which I'm expected to lift and move these things. 30kg is easy to lift in a gym but regularly jerking that shit around all day is hellish. Thanks to my NSAIDs I can cope just dandy while I take my evenings off to rest and heal. Although being all physically active all day is totally toning my shit up.

See? Minimum whining AND I found the silver lining.

"Truth Decay"

It's funny being a third party to a nation's politics. Take the down right furor being expressed over fluoridation of the drinking water in Britain. There are people getting really upset about the prospect and polticizing themselves into silly oppositions. They regard having fluoridated water as being "medicated without consent". Even though they already have chlorine in their water apparently fluoride is some sort of psycho-active drug being administered by the state to control our children! That's what you'd assume by the reactions.

The amount of dis-information found on the internet about Fluoridation is... typical. From "Fluorination Based on Science"

Recently (August 1997), the Institute of Medicine reported on evidence of fluoride's ability to stimulate new bone formation. They have recommended that the adequate daily allowance for fluoride be set at 3.1 mg for females and 3.2 mg for males for adults ages 19 years and older. Fluoridated water will, on average, help provide one-third of the new recommended daily dietary intake level of this age group.

By opposing water fluoridation with an argumentative style replete with subtle flaws and half-truths, the Safe Water Foundation will undermine the best efforts of medicine to guide us to good health.

A successful and often repeated tactic of the Safe Water Foundation is to publish a litany of claims or "proofs" against the safety and benefit of water fluoridation, while impugning the motivation of individuals and organizations that support it.

Fluoridation supporters are then forced into a defense posture where it is impossible to adequately redress all of the allegations in the time or space allowed. This can create the appearance of controversy, where none exists, and lend credibility to their pronouncements no matter how far they stray from reality.

Fluoridation of public water supplies is one of the most studied public health measures in history. Its benefits are so well documented and generally accepted as to not reuire any disclosure of proof here. In our 50 years of experience with fluoridation of public water supplies, no respected scientific editor, scholar, or author has concluded that it is unsafe.

It's really obvious to me why there are notoriously Brittish Teeth here.

1. The unit price of tooth paste is about 2.3x more than in Canada for the same Colgate product.
2. Conservative nannies oppose fluoridation of the water despite overwhelming evidence of it's benefits.
3. Kids eat so many "sweets" here it's obscene.
4. Toothbrushes suck. They're obviously designed for people with advanced gingivitis. I can't brush my teeth for shit with the one I bought.
5. Mouth wash is widely regarded as a desireable and adequate alternative to brushing.
6. Dental floss is an obscure and torturous medical contraption not worth bothering with.

What's most alarming is that public health is generally on par with Canada here in a lot of ways. Perhaps proof that socialized medicine does not lead to better public health without a progressive mindset?

Just another little thing that makes me appreciate being a Canadian.