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Monday, November 17, 2008
Paranoia may be more common than thought
If you think they're out to get you, you're not alone. Paranoia, once assumed to afflict only schizophrenics, may be a lot more common than previously thought.
According to British psychologist Daniel Freeman, nearly one in four Londoners regularly have paranoid thoughts. Freeman is a paranoia expert at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College and the author of a book on the subject.
Experts say there is a wide spectrum of paranoia, from the dangerous delusions that drive schizophrenics to violence, to the irrational fears many people have daily.
"We are now starting to discover that madness is human and that we need to look at normal people to understand it," said Dr. Jim van Os, a professor of psychiatry at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Van Os was not connected to Freeman's studies.
Paranoia is defined as the exaggerated or unfounded fear that others are trying to hurt you. That includes thoughts that other people are trying to upset or annoy you, for example, by staring, laughing, or making unfriendly gestures.
Surveys of several thousands of people in Britain, the United States and elsewhere have found that rates of paranoia are slowly rising, although researchers' estimates of how many of us have paranoid thoughts varies widely, from 5 percent to 50 percent.
Full story here.
According to British psychologist Daniel Freeman, nearly one in four Londoners regularly have paranoid thoughts. Freeman is a paranoia expert at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College and the author of a book on the subject.
Experts say there is a wide spectrum of paranoia, from the dangerous delusions that drive schizophrenics to violence, to the irrational fears many people have daily.
"We are now starting to discover that madness is human and that we need to look at normal people to understand it," said Dr. Jim van Os, a professor of psychiatry at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Van Os was not connected to Freeman's studies.
Paranoia is defined as the exaggerated or unfounded fear that others are trying to hurt you. That includes thoughts that other people are trying to upset or annoy you, for example, by staring, laughing, or making unfriendly gestures.
Surveys of several thousands of people in Britain, the United States and elsewhere have found that rates of paranoia are slowly rising, although researchers' estimates of how many of us have paranoid thoughts varies widely, from 5 percent to 50 percent.
Full story here.
Woman wins lawsuit over dirty dancing claims
The attorney for a woman who sued the town of Marshall after it banned her from a public dance hall for making allegedly obscene moves has said that the case is finally settled.
Rebecca Willis will walk away with $275,000 from the town’s insurance fund in exchange for dropping her lawsuit. She won’t be allowed back in the dance hall. “I won my lawsuit,” she said on Thursday. “There’s really not much else I can say.”
Willis argued town officials violated her Constitutional rights to freedom of expression and equal protection when they banned her from Friday night dances at the Marshall Depot in December 2000.
The town maintained in court documents that residents complained that she danced in a sexually provocative manner, wearing short skirts while "simulating sexual intercourse with her partner who hunched on the floor." Some witnesses said in affidavits they could see Willis' undergarments and "privates."
The settlement came after the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals over turned a decision to dismiss her lawsuit, saying a jury could conclude that the town dance hall committee tried to single out Willis and punish her with its decision to ban her for life.
The settlement is larger that some wrongful death cases in Western North Carolina, attorneys not involved in the case have said.
Many thanks Debbie!
Rebecca Willis will walk away with $275,000 from the town’s insurance fund in exchange for dropping her lawsuit. She won’t be allowed back in the dance hall. “I won my lawsuit,” she said on Thursday. “There’s really not much else I can say.”
Willis argued town officials violated her Constitutional rights to freedom of expression and equal protection when they banned her from Friday night dances at the Marshall Depot in December 2000.
The town maintained in court documents that residents complained that she danced in a sexually provocative manner, wearing short skirts while "simulating sexual intercourse with her partner who hunched on the floor." Some witnesses said in affidavits they could see Willis' undergarments and "privates."
The settlement came after the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals over turned a decision to dismiss her lawsuit, saying a jury could conclude that the town dance hall committee tried to single out Willis and punish her with its decision to ban her for life.
The settlement is larger that some wrongful death cases in Western North Carolina, attorneys not involved in the case have said.
Many thanks Debbie!
German brothel offers tattoo discount
About 40 men have agreed to a Cologne brothel owner’s offer of lifelong free entry in exchange for getting tattoos of the establishment logo on their arms.
Armin Lobscheid, the manager at one of the city's most famous brothels "Pascha," said he didn’t think anyone would take him up on the offer he put up in the hallway of the 11-story hotel and club that offers a money back guarantee for a myriad of services. But he "learned his lesson" on Wednesday about how far a thrifty john is willing to go. Dozens of men formed a line that night for their "Pascha" tattoo.
One die-hard customer, 46-year-old Herbert Manske, said he didn’t hesitate long to get the six large blue letters tattooed on his arm. "My wife doesn’t mind. I save five euros entry, plus the thirty euro cost of a lap dance," he said. "And apart from that I get free drinks all night and can look at all the pretty girls. She knows that me and my friends go once a month to party in the Pascha.”
Karl-Heinz Daheim, 46, and Peter Schneider, 63, also opted to go for the money-saving deal at the Puff, the German word for brothel. "You have to do something crazy in life at least once," Daheim said.
Armin Lobscheid, the manager at one of the city's most famous brothels "Pascha," said he didn’t think anyone would take him up on the offer he put up in the hallway of the 11-story hotel and club that offers a money back guarantee for a myriad of services. But he "learned his lesson" on Wednesday about how far a thrifty john is willing to go. Dozens of men formed a line that night for their "Pascha" tattoo.
One die-hard customer, 46-year-old Herbert Manske, said he didn’t hesitate long to get the six large blue letters tattooed on his arm. "My wife doesn’t mind. I save five euros entry, plus the thirty euro cost of a lap dance," he said. "And apart from that I get free drinks all night and can look at all the pretty girls. She knows that me and my friends go once a month to party in the Pascha.”
Karl-Heinz Daheim, 46, and Peter Schneider, 63, also opted to go for the money-saving deal at the Puff, the German word for brothel. "You have to do something crazy in life at least once," Daheim said.
'Meh' earns an official place in the Collins English Dictionary
"Meh" - the expression people use when they're feeling bored or indifferent has earned a place in the Collins English Dictionary.
Publisher HarperCollins said the word had been chosen from terms suggested by the public for inclusion in its 30th anniversary edition, published next year.
Head of content at Collins Dictionaries, Cormac McKeown, said the origins of "meh" were murkey, but gained popularity after used in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons where Homer asked Bart and Lisa if they wanted to go on a day trip.
"They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV," Mr McKeown said.
The dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring.
The dictionary's compilers said the word originated in the US, spread through the internet and was now entering British spoken English.
Publisher HarperCollins said the word had been chosen from terms suggested by the public for inclusion in its 30th anniversary edition, published next year.
Head of content at Collins Dictionaries, Cormac McKeown, said the origins of "meh" were murkey, but gained popularity after used in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons where Homer asked Bart and Lisa if they wanted to go on a day trip.
"They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV," Mr McKeown said.
The dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring.
The dictionary's compilers said the word originated in the US, spread through the internet and was now entering British spoken English.
Artist looks to replace lost eyeball with webcam
A one-eyed San Francisco artist wants to replace her missing eye with a Web cam - and tech experts say it's possible.
"I'd always given thought to using cameras to restore sight to the blind," said Dr. William Danz, whose patient, Tanya Vlach, wants the groundbreaking device. "This is a little different, more like James Bond stuff."
Vlach, who lost her eye in a 2005 car accident, wears a realistic acrylic prosthesis, but she's issued a challenge to engineers on her blog: build an "eye cam" for her prosthesis that can dilate with changes of light and allow her to blink to control its zoom, focus, and on/off switch.
"There have been all sorts of cyborgs in science fiction for a long time, and I'm sort of a sci-fi geek," said Vlach, 35. "With the advancement of technology, I thought, 'Why not?'"
The eye cam could allow her to record her entire life or even shoot a reality TV show from her eye's perspective. Vlach said she will let inspiration strike once she has the device.
"There are a lot of ideas floating around...nothing too exploitative," said Vlach. "I don't want to be a spy and infringe on people's rights, and at the same time, there are amazing possibilities."
"I'd always given thought to using cameras to restore sight to the blind," said Dr. William Danz, whose patient, Tanya Vlach, wants the groundbreaking device. "This is a little different, more like James Bond stuff."
Vlach, who lost her eye in a 2005 car accident, wears a realistic acrylic prosthesis, but she's issued a challenge to engineers on her blog: build an "eye cam" for her prosthesis that can dilate with changes of light and allow her to blink to control its zoom, focus, and on/off switch.
"There have been all sorts of cyborgs in science fiction for a long time, and I'm sort of a sci-fi geek," said Vlach, 35. "With the advancement of technology, I thought, 'Why not?'"
The eye cam could allow her to record her entire life or even shoot a reality TV show from her eye's perspective. Vlach said she will let inspiration strike once she has the device.
"There are a lot of ideas floating around...nothing too exploitative," said Vlach. "I don't want to be a spy and infringe on people's rights, and at the same time, there are amazing possibilities."
Eurocrats are now banning moth balls
They have just reversed their ban on knobbly carrots, but now the Eurocrats have a surprising new target – moth balls.
For generations, moth balls have conjured up images of an ageing grandparent’s wardrobe, crammed with rarely-used coats and suits. Now, however, the traditional pungent smell will become a thing of the past because of new EU restrictions on a chemical – naphthalene – of which many of the small, white balls are made. Moth balls have long been used to protect garments from moths and moth larvae.
The new regulations are part of the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals) directive, which regulates chemical use in member countries. The aims of the guidelines is to ensure greater protection of health and the environment.
The Government’s Health Protection Agency supports the restrictions on naphthalene, which is flammable and toxic. A spokesman said: “Its [naphthalene] use in the European Union has now been banned for most applications.” The small number of moth balls that are not made from naphthalene are not affected by the restrictions.
The European Commission last week scrapped bureaucratic “marketing standards” that set precise measurements for the appearance, weight and size of 26 types of fruit and vegetables – including carrots and the Brussels sprout.
However, the notorious “straight bananas” regulation which dictates that the fruit must be “free from malformation or abnormal curvature” will remain in place because “no objections from banana growers, buyers, traders or consumers have been received regarding this requirement”.
For generations, moth balls have conjured up images of an ageing grandparent’s wardrobe, crammed with rarely-used coats and suits. Now, however, the traditional pungent smell will become a thing of the past because of new EU restrictions on a chemical – naphthalene – of which many of the small, white balls are made. Moth balls have long been used to protect garments from moths and moth larvae.
The new regulations are part of the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals) directive, which regulates chemical use in member countries. The aims of the guidelines is to ensure greater protection of health and the environment.
The Government’s Health Protection Agency supports the restrictions on naphthalene, which is flammable and toxic. A spokesman said: “Its [naphthalene] use in the European Union has now been banned for most applications.” The small number of moth balls that are not made from naphthalene are not affected by the restrictions.
The European Commission last week scrapped bureaucratic “marketing standards” that set precise measurements for the appearance, weight and size of 26 types of fruit and vegetables – including carrots and the Brussels sprout.
However, the notorious “straight bananas” regulation which dictates that the fruit must be “free from malformation or abnormal curvature” will remain in place because “no objections from banana growers, buyers, traders or consumers have been received regarding this requirement”.
Albinos living in fear of witch doctors
An unfortunate juxtaposition from yesterday's Guardian website.
Click for full screen view.
Click for full screen view.
Jail warders learn gangsta rap
Prison guards are being given lessons in gangsta rap slang - to fight a spiralling crimewave behind bars.
Lags who mastermind drug and gun rackets from their cells use the street lingo, similar to Jamaican patois, to outwit baffled warders.
And worried Ministry of Justice chiefs are drawing up a list of words to help staff combat crime among inmates.
An insider said: "Increasingly, prison officers are out of touch with jail language. It is like a foreign language to many of them, so some inmates are using it to sort out deals in front of guards."
Justice bosses have issued their gangsta slang index to all prison governors - and ordered them to report any new terms they hear.
A ministry bulletin said: "The language used by prisoners is continually evolving, reflecting street, gang and criminal culture, including terms for drugs, weapons and crimes."
The top ten phrases.
Strap - gun
Five 0 - police
Creps - trainers
Bate - acting suspiciously
Shotter - drugs dealer
Garms - designer clothes
Burned - to receive bad quality drugs
Blanks - drugs of bad, or poor quality
Travel agent - street drug dealer
Champ - a drug user who will not reveal his source
Lags who mastermind drug and gun rackets from their cells use the street lingo, similar to Jamaican patois, to outwit baffled warders.
And worried Ministry of Justice chiefs are drawing up a list of words to help staff combat crime among inmates.
An insider said: "Increasingly, prison officers are out of touch with jail language. It is like a foreign language to many of them, so some inmates are using it to sort out deals in front of guards."
Justice bosses have issued their gangsta slang index to all prison governors - and ordered them to report any new terms they hear.
A ministry bulletin said: "The language used by prisoners is continually evolving, reflecting street, gang and criminal culture, including terms for drugs, weapons and crimes."
The top ten phrases.
Strap - gun
Five 0 - police
Creps - trainers
Bate - acting suspiciously
Shotter - drugs dealer
Garms - designer clothes
Burned - to receive bad quality drugs
Blanks - drugs of bad, or poor quality
Travel agent - street drug dealer
Champ - a drug user who will not reveal his source
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