Deadpool 2009

With the passing of Michael Jackson it is time to update the deadpool for 2009. There are only 3 competitors in this years competition and Mel has been outstanding.



I'm on holidays and moving............ must post more often.

Nut-job of the Week - No. 6

There was an article in The Sunday Age M magazine (March 15th) titled "Can a common herb really help combat the common cold?" by Paula Goodyer. The common herb is Echinacea. There used to be a copy of this article on the web, but somehow it has now disappeared.

I wonder why it was pulled?

Could it have been because the only studies quoted in the article were one supportive of echinacea being helpful in combating a cold and one not supportive. Good balanced journalism. Maybe the next time The Age reports on, say, whether the MMR vaccine causes autism, they would have a balanced article by mentioning one study showing it does, and another showing it doesn't. Because science works by opinion, doesn't it???? Forget evidence.

How could they forget to mention this study or this one?

No. It's probably more likely they got rid of it because of what Professor Marc Cohen of RMIT said. Here is his testing procedure to determine if the echinacea you buy is legit. This is the relevant extract from the article:

"Some research suggests that an effective extract or tablet will make your tongue tingle when you swallow it" he says. "Another guide is the price - if a product is cheap, it's probably not effective - although a high price is no guarantee of quality."

There you go, check the tingle and the price. Maybe an expensive 9V battery has the same effect! No mention of looking for the mass of active ingredients on the bottle's label. Probably because there is none. That is because the manufacturers do not have to provide evidence for the effectiveness of this supplement. This basically means that anyone could put some echinacea extract in a bottle, jack up the price, and start counting the profits. There is no need for rigorous scientific testing to see if any chemicals in the echinacea can help with colds. Just use anecdotes.

Dr Cohen received his Phd in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering from Monash and has another Phd in Traditional Chinese Medicine, form the Open University for Complementary Medicine. Now I can find Monash Uni easily on the Web, but the other place I can't find. Quackwatch.com says:
"The Open University for Complementary Medicine (in Sri Lanka) has no academic standing and does not provide a proper basis for calling oneself a medical doctor."
If anyone can find any info in this institution let me know. Maybe I can get my PhD from there.

So for those comments, Professor Marc Cohen, welcome to Nut-job of the week.

Nut-job of the Week - No. 5

The line of self help gurus is never ending. Every now and again Oprah has her favourite and they appear on her show. You just know that the cash registers will start ringing and that this latest guru will make a bundle. And of course they do a world tour to cash in on their success. So welcome to Australia, Eckhart Tolle.



I don't care how slowly he speaks, it still doesn't make any sense. Can someone please translate this? WTF?

Just read this line from his book The Power of Now,

The pain-body consists of trapped life-energy that has split off from your total energy field and has temporarily become autonomous through the unnatural process of mind identification.

And people pay money to hear this guy? It'll cost you $165 if you go and see him in Melbourne!!!!

You're on the list, Eckhart Tolle, Nut-job of the week number 5.

Nut-job of the Week - No. 4

I’m back on, having been reconnected to the interwebs. The deadpool is still open for those that want to enter.

It’s time for another nut-job of the week. We don’t have to go far, this week it is that Start Catch the Fire Ministries Pastor, Danny Nalliah.


I like the way he links Victoria’s bushfire with abortion bills being passed in the Victorian government. Those country Victorians must be so evil. Also, he says that god told him back in october that bushfires would come to Victoria. Most of us know the simple equation Summer+HighTemperatures+Victoria=Bushfires. No need for a man with a long beard in the sky.

Here are some of his other views (thanks Crickey.com.au):

Nalliah on multiculturalism: "Like a pressure cooker or bottle of soda water waiting to explode, the simmering racial war will reach its inevitable climax later, if not sooner... The multicultural melting pot has turned into a pressure cooker and it’s now a case of assimilate or implode Australia."

Nalliah on himself: "Pas. Danny has traveled to many countries in Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, USA, Australia and has ministered to crowds of more than ten thousand people. He has seen thousands come into the Kingdom of God during these meetings and many blind, deaf, dump (sic), crippled people healed by the power of God. He also writes in his book of a dead girl who came back to life, when he prayed for her in Jesus Name."

CTF on homosexuality: "Nicola Roxon, and by implication the Prime Minister, has now stated that homosexuality is more important than fatherhood. Along with pandering to homosexual couples by changing laws to normalise what God says, and nature proves, is unnatural, the Labor government is now telling us that if you don’t agree you can have no place in government initiatives."

We have former treasurer Peter Costello trying to distance himself from Danny. But Peter was best buddies, and probably still is, with Danny. Check out his Australia Day message to Catch the Fire Ministries.

How can you turn your back on Danny, Peter? He was one of the few that stood up for you and anoited you as Australia's next prime minister. Surely that was also revealed to Danny via god. Other gods in conversations with their prophets must have crossed lines with Danny's conversation. Heaven really should be looking into their telecommunication problems.

So Danny, welcome to the honoured list that is Nut-job of the Week.

Among the Living: 09 first entries in

Here are the first entries:

Door
1. Patrick Swayze 18/8/1952
2. Christina Applegate 25/11/1971
3. Michael Jackson 29/8/1958
4. Winona Ryder 29/10/1971
5. Steve Jobs 24/2/1955
6. Kent Hovind 15/1/1953
7. Dick Fosbury 6/3/1947
8. Herbert "Herb" Alpert 31/3/1935
9. Patrick G. Duffy 17/3/1949
10. Robert Culp 16/8/1930


ms dodo
1. Peter Falk 16/9/1927
2. Zsuzsanna (Zsa Zsa) Gabor 6/2/1917
3. Bernard Schwartz (Tony Curtis) 3/6/1925
4. Nicolas Sarkozy 28/1/1955
5. Patrick Swayze 18/8/1952
6. Hazel Hawke 20/7/1929
7. Steve Jobs 24/2/1955
8. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) 17/1/1942
9. Ronnie Biggs 8/8/1929
10. Ted Kennedy 22/2/1932