Mind Hacks has alerted us to some amazing engineering from Harvard University:

A team from Harvard Medical School are interested in how smoked marijuana affects the brain, but have come to the inevitable conclusion that it's actually quite hard smoking a joint when you're lying on your back being brain scanned.

So the research team put their heads together (!), and realised they needed to design a bong - a water pipe for smoking marijuana - safe to use in an MRI scanner.

This isn't a trivial task. Apart from being free of metal parts that could be affected by the MRI scanner's strong magnet, the device had to be installed and removed within one booked session and also needed to control the smoke.

As well as allowing the person take hits from the bong, the device also had to capture the smoke that was exhaled. Otherwise, the scanner room would get filled with smoke which could interfere with the equipment and affect any participants who took part in other studies that happened afterwards.

But that's not the only excitement this evening in the world of Bongs...

Ok... maybe not for real reals but there are some brain eating amoebas taking over the world. Ok maybe they're not taking over the world but they really (for real this time!) have killed a few people.
According to the AP:

A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die.
Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.

Panic!!! Don't swim in lakes! You will die! Die I tell you! Die!

-via boingboing-

I like science and music so we want to help raise a boat load of money for education through Donors Choose. This is a great organization that...

is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Proposals range from "Magical Math Centers" ($200) to "Big Book Bonanza" ($320), to "Cooking Across the Curriculum" ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.

So help us reach our goal of $1000! Any amount of money is greatly appreciated and you can keep up with the donations on the handy cash-o-meter over there on the sidebar. Or you can come back to this post and click on this little widget:

YT parody of an ad for HeadOn, a supposed homeopathic topical analgesic for headaches that's smeared on the forehead.

The official HeadOn site (I won't link since "the site is for the use of US residents only;" sorry I inadvertently looked and I'm not American, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to) states, "The active ingredients in HeadOn are diluted much more than the minimum required dilution dictated by the monograph of the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States and therefore represent no health risk whatsoever." Yes, and likely no health benefit whatsoever either.

The video HeadOn Auditions is funny too. Check out the original ad if you didn't catch the 2006 internet meme on what's been called the most annoying commercial ever made. There's also a more recent critique in Voice Magazine:

To start with, Florida-based Miralus Healthcare's HeadOn is essentially a tube of overpriced lip balm, and the so-called medical ingredients are contained in quantities of just a few ppm (parts per million). The product is based on "homeopathic" principles, which gives the manufacturer some sort of excuse for selling you a stick of wax.

From the official website:

Hypochondriacs have long had to satisfy their needs for self-diagnosis with medical reference materials written for the masses, but this revolutionary book is dedicated entirely to the hypochondriac's unique perspective on health. The world's worst maladies, conveniently organized by symptom (real or imagined), will ignite even the mildest hypochondriac's fantasy life. We're all going to die of something--why not choose an ailment that's rare and hard to pronounce?

Features:

* Profiles of over 300 deadly diseases

* Organized by symptom for ease of self-diagnosis

* At-a-glance ratings system of contagion, pain, suffering, and death

* Fascinating spotlights on terrifying medical phenomena

I personally like this page about brain tumors the most! Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...

Uhh.... ok. If you're interested in attending this momentous occasion:

Join the MurrFurs as we take on the "USS Republic Klingons" in their second annual Bowling Challenge!

8:00 p.m. Saturday, September 29, 2007

Midtown Bowl
1936 Piedmont Cir NE
Atlanta GA 30324
Near the intersection of Piedmont and Cheshire Bridge Rds

Use Mapquest for directions or call (678) 362-8983

Just like all our bowling events those out of suit are welcome to attend, but if you have a suit please be sure to join in the fun. We will probably go out to dinner afterwards so please plan for that. Hope to see you there!

One would hope that this would be a battle to the death but hey, whatever floats your boat.

-via boingboing-

Can you solve this problem?

Given a human being with an inoperable stomach tumor, and lasers which destroy organic tissue at sufficient intensity, how can one cure the person with these lasers and, at the same time, avoid harming the healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor?

For the solution and evidence from Laura Thomas and Alejandro Lleras (2007) that shows that moving your eyes in a specific way can help you solve the problem, continue reading after the break.

Linguist Steven Pinker visits the Colbert Report.

MMmmmm..... Brains!

Mixed chocolate human mini brains treats with cherries is a set of twelve anatomically correct mini Chocolate Brains. Each brain is 1x1.25x.75"

-via Neatorama-

I think you are. It seems that many fewer people are washing their hands after using the toilet than only a couple years ago. Not only that... people lie about it. Yes you reader - I'm calling you out! I'll bet you don't wash your grimy little hands.

Here's some of the details about this very clearly influential and well done study:

In an observational study sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), slightly over three-quarters of men and women (77%) washed their hands in public restrooms - a six percent decline from a similar study conducted in 2005.

Yet in a separate telephone survey, 92% of adults say they wash their hands in public restrooms.

And yes men are grosser than women ;)

The observational research suggests that women still are much better at publicly washing their hands than their male counterparts: 88 percent of the women compared to just 66 percent of the guys. Compared to 2005, that's a two percent drop-off for the ladies. Men really slacked off - 75 percent were observed washing their hands two years ago.

Ok.. so I have a comment about the men and women thing. Women have to do a lot more touching of everything in the bathroom and spend many many minutes more in a bathroom than men. Men on the other hand don't really have to touch anything except themselves if they don't want to. So perhaps its not really that big of a deal?

The Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest is now accepting submissions for its 2008 prizes. The Neural Correlate Society hosts this fun and popular event now entering its fourth year. Last year's winning illusion will be tough to top!

New this year are the three winners' trophies, designed by sculptor Guido Moretti. The trophies themselves are visual illusions that change shape when you rotate them. Very cool. Click here to see the sculptures' shapes when rotated.

The image above is one of the 2007 entrants, "It's a Circle, Honest!" by David Whitaker. Here's how he created it.

The science blogging survey quickly met its goal of 1000 respondents, and is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Keep an eye on the blogs here to find out when the results are published, but you'll hear for sure if you're subscribed to the ScienceBlogs Weekly Recap newsletter. Find out about the buzzes, most popular posts, best photos, and more. Be current with news and what's hot.

Don't forget to enter the ScienceBlogs 500,000th Comment Contest, open to anyone in the world with a valid email address who leaves a comment before we hit that number. Try leaving one now? Tell me something funny.

I have a project that I could use your help on. Yes... you!

If that didn't get you excited I'm not sure what will ;)

Here's the essentials from the wiki:

Welcome to the Help Steve get his Ph.D. Wiki

This project aims to collect as many distinct scene gists as possible (as a first step - the later steps are classified at the moment!). These are separated into two categories, Scene Gist and Social Gist. A Scene gist is the basic name or category for a scene that does not consist of any humans. You should be able to name the scene nearly instantly as soon as you look at it. For example a jail cell, hospital room or basketball court is a perfect example. A Social gist is labeling what people are doing. For example camping (distinct from just a camp site which would be an example of Scene Gist), Church Service (as opposed to just the sanctuary), etc.

Previous research by myself and others have come up with a number of great examples of all these types of scenes but I believe there are still many more to go! This is where you come in. Read through this list of scene types and add as many as you possibly can without creating overlap. If you don't like the name of one of the scene categories please give us a better one that more people would find to be the most common and descriptive.

There are two separate pages for each of the scene category types. Head over there to check the lists and add your own suggestions.

Scene Gist

Social Gist

If you have a few minutes I'd really appreciate any additions/suggestions you have! Also, if you are interested in the research that I've done with scene gist you can find a publication list and reprints here.

A ground breaking new study from Florida State University has determined that we look at attractive people! Who woulda thought!

But really:

In a series of three experiments, Maner and his colleagues found that the study participants, all heterosexual men and women, fixated on highly attractive people within the first half of a second of seeing them. Single folks ogled the opposite sex, of course, but those in committed relationships also checked people out, with one major difference: They were more interested in beautiful people of the same sex.

Ok.. for reals.. It is a pretty interesting finding that people in relationships look at people of the same sex. Does that suggest that they are checking out their competition?

There is one serious flaw to the study though, I don't think they had any pictures of horrendously ugly people - like this person:

Ugly scary looking people should capture attention much quicker than a potential attractive mate. After all acting on the fear that they are going to eat you or are carrying a disease is probably the most basic of human instincts.

We want your opinion!

This survey attempts to access the opinions of bloggers, blog-readers, and non-blog folk in regards to the impact of blogs on the outside world. The authors of the survey (Shelley Batts, Tara Smith, and Nick Anthis--all of ScienceBlogs.com) are completing an academic manuscript on the impact of science blogging and this survey will provide invaluable data to answer the following questions:

Who reads or writes blogs?
What are the perceptions of blogging, and what are the views of those who read blogs?
How do academics and others perceive science blogging?
What, if any, influence does science blogging have on science in general?

Please consider participating in the survey as an act of 'internet solidarity'! It will likely take 10 minutes, and a bit more if you are a blogger yourself. We thank you in advance.

Click here to take the survey.

P.S. The dog blog cartoon is via Kevin at IQ's Corner.

Get your thoughts out of the gutter, please, Becki's not a porn actress. Becki Moran is fundraising with a plan to ride a rollercoaster called the Pepsi Max Big One as many times as she can in one day. The challenge will benefit Brain Tumour UK. The Big One is 235 feet high with speeds up to 87 mph. (See it in the video below.)

[She says], "I really like rollercoasters and would go on the Big One five times happily but I could be going on around 25 times!

"I wanted to do something locally that would bring attention to the charity as it does such fantastic work.

"Brain tumours are diagnosed in over 18,000 people a year in the UK."

She plans to ride in early October (date TBA) and already has 207.07 of the 1,000 British pounds she aims to raise in sponsorship. You can sponsor Becki via her site Becki Rides the Big One. Read more about her efforts here in a local newspaper, the Blackpool Gazette.

Becki's difficult sacrifice will take place at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

She's not the first to confront a coaster for charity. Last year, the Hungarian advocacy group Darkest Days, Brightest Nights held a rollercoaster marathon to raise awareness of bipolar disorders.

David Amodio responds to The Neurocritic's post about his hot study on [American] political thinking, Neurocognitive correlates of liberalism and conservatism, published in Nature Neuroscience.

While criticism in the blogosphere was mostly based on newspaper reporting (and a Slate article), The Neurocritic examined merits of the study itself. Amodio says,

Though I've generally not worried about the "lay" coverage (how can you argue science with pundits?), it might be worthwhile to respond to a blog that is read by neuroscientists (including myself from time to time).

Check it out if you're interested in detailed, technical, expert opinion with many footnotes and links. Or if not, there's plenty of stuff like this.

Artist Katelyn Sack emailed me earlier to clarify some info. She shares truth:

The post you link to incorrectly states the series is composed of fridge magnets. While I can make prints, magnets, T-shirts, and even baby bubbles featuring any of my artwork, 'Baby, Be A Brain Surgeon!' as featured on The Science Creative Quarterly this Tues., Sept. 11 is oil paint on 4.25" x 4.25" ceramic tiles. You can see my original blog post on the artwork here, and I also list it for sale on my website here.

In her original post, she describes the vision behind her designs. Nursery room decor for a doctor very early in training, the tiles are to be mounted on walls around the baby's cradle.

Training your very own brain surgeon must begin early. The ABCs of neurology should be imbibed with the sunlight of baby's first room.

Baby, Be A Brain Surgeon!

A is for Amygdala

B is for Brainstem

C is for Cerebellum

[etc.]

Mo, imagine these for the baby you and your partner are expecting in March? Way better than fridge magnets.;-) I'll chip in to make it a SciBling baby shower gift, anyone else?

In what sounds like a whole lot of hand waving (but hey! I study vision what do I know!), scientists have 'discovered' that creepy old men running after their daughters friends has led to an increase in life expectancy for human kind. Just think that people like Woody Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman, and Michael Jackson have led to your grandma living a much longer life. Ok.. maybe not M.J. since he likes little boys and they don't have babies but Woody Allen - totally!

Basically...

Human ability to scale the so-called "wall of death"--surviving beyond the reproductive years--has been a center of scientific controversy for more than 50 years, Puleston said. "The central question is: Why should a species that stops reproducing by some age stick around afterward?" he said. "Evolutionary theory predicts that, over time, harmful mutations that decrease survival will arise in the population and will remain invisible to natural selection after reproduction ends." However, in hunter-gatherer societies, which likely represent early human demographic conditions and mating patterns, one-third of people live beyond 55 years, past the reproductive lifespan for women. Furthermore, life expectancy in today's industrialized countries is 75 to 85 years, with mortality increasing gradually, not abruptly, following female menopause.
Grandmother hypothesis

If you want much much much more detail than I've ever seen in a press release head on over to Science Blog for the excruciating details.

And if you want the perfect example of a creepy old man here you go, Family Guy Style!

Since it's short.... here's the entire snipit from The Onion:

BETHESDA, MD--After an extensive six-month study using an electroencephalogram and a finger, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered the section of the human brain that responds unfavorably to poking.

"We found a direct link between this negative effect and our finger pressing on a particular area of the brain," said neuroscientist Matthew Redman Monday, who conducted the study on 12 healthy participants. "After analyzing our data and testing and retesting our subjects, we finally identified this region as the surface area of the brain."

Redman added that science has still barely scratched the surface of this intricate and fascinating organ, though he intends to keep doing so as soon as he receives his grant.

Facing Us is holding a video contest. Submit a personal vignette about a mood disorder up to nine minutes long, or a 30 second PSA. 2D visual art category as well. Cash prizes up to $1000.

Check out this memorial cookbook compiled by survivors of suicide. It's a lovely resource to share in times of distress: memories, poetry and support along with recipes for comforting food.

"Each victim of suicide gives his act a personal stamp which expresses his temperament the special conditions in which he is involved, and which, cannot be explained by the social and general causes of the phenomenon." --Emile Durkheim

Click here if you are in crisis right now. Please.

Congratulations Russia on your great new bomb that is nicknamed the "dad of all bombs" and is four times more powerful than the U.S. "mother of all bombs."

"The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability," said Col.-Gen. Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military's General Staff, said in televised remarks.

However! This isn't the exciting part of this momentous discovery!

Unlike a nuclear weapon, the bomb doesn't hurt the environment

The Dad of all Bombs - now with less tree killing!

We here at Omni Brain would also like to congratulate Putin on dissolving his government. Looks like Russia is in some really good shape!

A group funded by the Royal College of art has created an ice cream dispenser named Dr. Whippy. The good doctor will dispense a prescription for ice cream based on how miserable your voice sounds based on a voice-stress analysis of various answers to questions it asks. Check it out:

I would have given everyone the same amount of ice cream but inserted different amounts of Prozac. But hey - thats just me!

-via boingboing-

Thanks RPM :)

Or why fat smoking republicans are responsible for 9/11.

Do you want to know why you aren't getting comments on your blog? Do you wonder why you manage to piss off everyone you come across?

Your answer is here! in this fabulous new equation that will determine how many comments you get to your obnoxious posts!

a = How many non-overlapping groups you piss off
b = How offensive comment is
c = How stupid/gullible group is
d = How likely group is to do vanity searches on themselves and not be able to restrain themselves from commenting.
e = size of group (note the inverse correlation!)
k = some as of yet unknown constant.

Brian and I are clearly not math studs or anything - so there are probably some horribly wrong problems about this equation (well besides it looking terribly ghetto). We would appreciate any fixes and perhaps a nice new shiny looking equation that isn't drawn in paintshop.

Head over to Mind Hacks for more MRI madness! There you will read about the many examples of all the stupid shit people brought into the room with a big freakin' magnet and ended up flying across the room (and sometimes tragically killing someone). Here at Omni Brain we figured we'd just give you the great B movie about MRI safety.

Wow is that bad!

You saw The Landlord by Will Ferrell now see FCU with Bill Murray.

-via Neatorama-

It's still Suicide Prevention Day in Pacific time, a few minutes left before midnight. The Arctic spans many time zones including this one, but today's events for Inuit suicide prevention are over now. The challenge continues year-round.

Below is a short and timeless video elucidating reasons for suicide (some things transcend culture, like feelings of hopelessness). Kay Redfield Jamison with Charlie Rose on suicide and bipolar disorder, the Johns Hopkins professor of psychiatry interviewed after publication of Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide. Creatively incomparable to that, here's comic book Darkness Calls (cover shown at left).

There is a lot of research (plus a memorial cookbook by survivors), but consider Emile Durkheim's words when pondering deaths. "Each victim of suicide gives his act a personal stamp which expresses his temperament the special conditions in which he is involved, and which, cannot be explained by the social and general causes of the phenomenon."

Click here if you are in crisis right now. Please.

A torture manual created by Psychologists in the 50's entitled, The Manipulation of Human Behavior, is freely available online. Included are these scary sounding chapters:

1 The Physiological State of the Interrogation Subject as it Affects Brain Function 19 Lawrence E. Hinkle, Jr. 2 The Effects of Reduced Environmental Stimulation on Human Behavior: A Review 51 Philip E. Kubzansky 3 The Use of Drugs in Interrogation 96 Louis A. Gottschalk 4 Physiological Responses as a Means of Evaluating Information 142 R. C. Davis 5 The Potential Uses of Hypnosis in Interrogation 169 Martin T. Orne 6 The Experimental Investigation of Interpersonal Influence 216 Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton 7 Countermanipulation through Malingering 277 Malcolm L. Meltzer

From the text:

From the theoretical point of view it is hard to escape the conclusion that a man is best able to give accurate information when he is in an optimal state of health, rest, comfort, and alertness, and when he is under no threat. This would seem to be the optimal situation for interrogation. Any attempt to produce compliant behavior by procedures which produce tissue damage, disturbances of homeostasis, fatigue, sleep deprivation, isolation, discomfort, or disturbing emotional states carries with it the hazard of producing inaccuracy and unreliability.

However, it is often necessary for the interrogator to question people who are experiencing moderately severe effects of illness, injury, fatigue, discomfort, or anxiety. A body of practical experience indicates that relatively reliable information can be obtained from most such people, if the information sought is neither complex nor extensive. The interrogator faces two special hazards under these circumstances. First, the source may have a fairly serious degree of mental disturbance that is not immediately evident and it may escape the interrogator's attention. Second, any informant in a threatening situation is liable to say whatever will please his captors, even though he may not do so intentionally. These ever-present hazards of interrogation are enhanced under adverse circumstances. It may be assumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that the simpler, the briefer, and the more readily verifiable the information that is sought, the more likely is the evidence of the source to be of value.

According to MSNBC:

A small number of companies have linked health factors to what employees pay for benefits, but the practice is expected to grow now that some federal rules have been finalized, spelling out what's allowed by law. Employee advocates worry that other anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act won't cover the person who is 20 or 30 pounds overweight.

I can't think of one legitimate reason why people shouldn't be charged more for living an unhealthy life style. After all, the inflated health care costs are in large part due to peoples unhealthy life choices like smoking, drug use (drinking mainly) and obesity.

I would even go as far as to say that not only private insurance companies, but government supported programs like Medicare should be charging smokers and obese people substantially more. Of course if either the government or private businesses were to charge more for various risk factors they have to financially support programs to eliminate these same factors - which many of them do but perhaps not enough.

How was that rant? Piss anyone off? good good...

I know why I pee on myself but I've always wondered why monkeys do as well. Ok, I lie, I had no idea that monkeys (yeah yeah, I know it's a chimp but monkey is a more fun word) peed on themselves... well, besides this one.

According to News @ Nature, it's all about trying to get laid:

Miller and her team noticed a link between urine washing and attention-seeking.

Alpha males, for example, doubled their urine washing rates when being solicited by females. The researchers think this might be how males encourage females to continue paying attention once they've started.

And in 87% of fights or aggressive incidents, the loser of the battle washed in urine. The team suspects that this is also an attention-seeking behaviour--in this case seeking sympathy. But more research is needed to be sure.

As seen on Mission Street, San Francisco. "God = Delusion"

The nurturing sun over California's Napa Valley warmed the already-sunny mood Saturday at a unique research fundraiser, the Staglin Music Festival for Mental Health. Brandon Staglin has schizophrenia and his family has been diligently fundraising for a cure for 13 years, hosting symposia and concerts at their vineyard. The 2007 event on September 8th raised a record $4.0 million, up from $3.8 million last year. All proceeds go directly to brain science research.

"Ty [Cannon of UCLA]'s announcement [of a $14.6 million grant from NIH for research continuing from work seeded with Staglin funds] and these leveraged grants are another example of the importance of private funding in an era of decreasing public research funding. We now have two categories of funds to track--both direct and leveraged gifts," said Garen Staglin. "We've always realized how important this type of unrestricted funding is to assist these doctors and scientists with their research. We hope that our approach of 'venture philanthropy' will inspire more to do the same."

The combination of direct gifts and leveraged grants in the Festival's history is an awesome $53.0 million.

[Image: statue in front of a taqueria down the highway from the Staglin Family Vineyard, Napa Valley] Director of the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) Tom Insel said, "Most of our investment is in late stage, well-developed research projects that have enough preliminary data to pass peer review. But, we also need early phase studies that may be powered by an innovative idea but lack preliminary data, and we recognize these studies will be vital for future breakthroughs in mental health. Fortunately, the critical need for funding these early phase studies is being filled by philanthropic organizations, such as the Staglin Foundation."

The $250,000 Staglin Family/NARSAD Schizophrenia "Rising Star" research award went to Akira Sawa, M.D., Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Sawa's work involves the DISC-1 gene; when abnormal it may be a risk factor for schizophrenia. He continues to study how other genes interact with DISC-1 and is developing in utero multi-gene knockout studies in mice to do so. As well, he is investigating a potential biomarker screening tool with nasal biopsies of olfactory neurons.

After the science came the swankiness. $500 tickets admitted guests to a reception with wine tastings from over 70 renowned and cult California wineries, and hors d'oeuvres from celebrity chef Richard Reddington. The afternoon was capped by an intimate concert by soul diva Gladys Knight. Those who bought $3,500 tickets stayed on for a starlight dinner in the gardens, created by Chef Rick Moonen who is celebrated for his commitment to sustainable seafood as well as culinary talent. Even those of us merely attending the free symposium had some niceties; my press kit came on a embossed leather flash drive, and there was lots of necessary Fiji water in the heat of the sun.

A boingboing reader visited Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus recently and discovered some absolutely crazy dessert delivery devices... Clown and Horse Brains!

If anyone happens to take their kids to Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus we here at Omni Brain would be eternally grateful if you'd buy us one of the clown heads! (You don't have to send along the accompanying snow cone - the FBI or whoever might think it's some sort of terror device)

Martin Seligman (founder of positive psychology) treats Sigmund Freud (founder of psychoanalysis) in a parody of both approaches to psychotherapy titled Intervention: Learned Optimism.

Bums by Peter Bagge is a great comic e-book (it's short, just four pages) with some of the most all-around rational views on homelessness I've ever read. Includes a description of the Housing First approach (detail shown here). Cool artwork, too.

In Vancouver, BC the InSite safe injection site illustrates a major roadblock in dealing with homelessness: moral judgments and ideology obstructing science and clinical mental health care. A letter published in Open Medicine signed by 134 doctors, scientists, politicians, police members and community workers protests the federal government's reluctance to approve funding and demands a reasonable explanation. The evidence base is clear: InSite prevents deaths, the spread of disease, reduces crime, and leads addicts to treatment. Meanwhile, the government stalls on approving its continued success [seemingly] due to political interference from pigheaded religious types and stupid war-on-drugs rhetoric seeping in from America. A quote from the letter:

Policy-makers may legitimately decide on ethical, moral, political, or economic grounds to severely restrict or even prohibit the use of an intervention, such as Vancouver's supervised injection site, that careful scientific inquiry has shown to have significant health benefits. In these situations, however, policy-makers must provide cogent reasons for their decision and make the basis for their actions explicit and transparent. Such decisions must not be justified by resorting to deceptive claims that cast doubt on the effectiveness of the intervention, or that raise unsupported fears of harmful side effects.

At the same time, physicians, scientists, and public health professionals must be willing to speak out in the public arena when the accumulated body of research evidence clearly supports a health intervention that faces resistance because of entrenched beliefs. As stated in a declaration by Scientists and Engineers for America, a grassroots organization that counts 15 Nobel laureates among its board of advisors, "[t]he principal role of the science and technology community is to advance human understanding. But there are times when this is not enough. Scientists and engineers have a right, indeed an obligation, to enter the political debate when the nation's leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis, [or] put ideological interests ahead of scientific truths."

Vancouver isn't even close to adopting a Housing First approach. BC is continuing the deinstitutionalization of severely mentally ill people with few community supports and no new housing. Homelessness often leads to addiction (and vice versa), not to mention frequent acute care hospitalization. Mental disorders accounted for 52% of admissions for homeless people in 2005-6. (For people with homes the most common reason for hospitalization, at 13%, was childbirth and pregnancy.)

Y'all thought we had a health care utopia in Canada?

[x-posted and slightly rewritten at World of Psychology]
[sorry this isn't funny ha-ha like most Omni Brain stuff; mental health issues seldom are]

Check out these amazing pieces of 3d Fakery in a swimming pool. I'd personally get a 3d shark pool to keep those damn kids out of my yard. Well... at least I would if I were 80 and had a yard with a pool.