The Tenacious Asylum

The Home for Controlled Insanity

Issue #005, Saturday, December 4, 2004

Compiled, edited, and published by Daniel Tourigny

Asylum Wings

From Command Central

Hi all! It's been over a month now since the last issue came out. WTF??? I don't know what happened...life, I guess! But the important thing is that finally you can rest assured that you are, in fact, still checked into the Tenacious Asylum. Remember, too--you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...ha!

There's lots of extreme goodness (as always) in this issue. I discuss the most important story in human history (no kidding!) We've got two new contributors this time around, Matt & Neil, in addition to Jonas & Liisa from last time. TripleD's busy drinking milkshakes with friends while doing final exams, so I'm filling in for him this month. Kick some ass, TripleD!!!

By the way, for those who can't get enough of the Asylum, or if you're a newbie, to read the first issue click here, or for the second issue, click here, or for the third issue, click here, or for the fourth issue, click here.

Look, I could blow smoke up your butt and tell you that this will be even better than the fourth issue. Honestly, I don't know if it is. It sucks actually. Don't read any further. Stop right here.

HA!!! Yeah right...this is the absolute best super-duper crazy issue yet, bar none!!!!! And I haven't even put it together yet...but you MUST read on...but first, you MUST check out this video described below!!! It's NUTS!!!

Real Ghost Sighting Caught on Film (reprinted from Mercola.com)

A bit late for Halloween, but as they say, better late than never. However, this is not a streaming video and to view this incredible video you will have to download a 3 meg file which could be a challenge if you still struggle with a dial up connection. To download the link click below and then on the "download" link.

Warning: Viewing this video may cause stress on your adrenals. If you have heart problems don't watch it, or at least have a cardiologist standing by. Seriously.

This is is a car advertisement from Germany . When they finished filming the ad, the people who made it, noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist.

If you turn up the sound, you can also hear whispering. The ad was never put on TV because the unexplained ghostly phenomenon frightened the production team out of their wits. Watch it and about halfway through (after the car comes from behind the trees) look closely and you will see the white mist coming up from behind the car and then following it along the road!

West Coast Pirate November 13, 2004
Guys I couldn't believe it when I saw it...don't read any more of the Tenacious Asylum until you've watched the video!!!

Ranting and Raving

UPDATE on Last issue's topic: Keep Your Door Locked in Case You Get a Visit from "Mike from Upstairs"

You probably remember that weird story from last issue, about the cops coming to my door, looking for this Bryce character. Since them, I filed an official complaint with the Professional Standards Officer of the Saanich PD about how the officers conducted themselves. I got a call from the PSO, Sgt. Ross Paulton. He was trying to find out if I could help him determine who the officers were. Since I didn't get names or badge numbers at the time, all I could do was give him a description. I assumed they had a dispatch log that would provide details as to who came to my door, but apparently they don't keep track of that! Also, he informed me that there was quite a few officers working on the case and so he would send an email asking them to identify themselves. So far, no takers (big surprise).

Ross went on to discuss the matter with me. He informed me that what they did, although technically illegal, is done all the time by cops. He even admitted to doing it himself on occasion! He said that cops have to get "creative" to catch criminals, which I guess in his mind means breaking the law themselves. He mentioned officer safety was an issue.

Sgt. Paulton wanted to know what I wanted done about the matter. I told him I was none too happy about being scared shitless, and that if it had been an old lady or something they could have been scared to death, literally! I suggested that, if he were to find the officers, he should make sure that they damn well know what they did is not right--they should have taken due care in ensuring it was the right apartment, since they did not have either a search warrant or an arrest warrant. With the exception of changing the entire system, there's nothing much I could ask for, so that will be that unfortunately. Apparently we live in a world that endorses police doing unethical modes of conduct in order to hunt criminals. Sad.

So who was Bryce? I did some digging and found some info. Perhaps not surprisingly this dude had some priors for drug dealing and was very likely doing the same thing again. He had threatened a couple living in another condo unit. His address was similar to mine, but two numbers were inverted so I can see how a mistake could have been made. Anyways, he's been kicked out of the building and I'm sure he'll have no problem finding another place to conduct business. Onwards and upwards, Bryce!

The Contest Winner: Jonas Solberg

Last issue I asked what two things I did wrong. The winner was Jonas...congratulations! As a prize I took him (along with Liisa) to Costco, which I consider my Mecca for cheap and bulk buying.

Special Mention: Anna

I would like to mention the other person to send in a response. She only became a patient a very short time ago, but she's flown out of the gates! Here's what Anna said about the matter:

1. You opened the door.
If they had been honest in the first place, you could have opened the door without feeling threatened, but these guys need to be taught a lesson themselves. They are supposed to be on the side of the non-criminals, being that they are sworn to protect us, get paid with our taxes, etc. It is counter-productive of them to alienate potentially cooperative citizens, and their bosses know this even if they don't.

2. You did not tell them to either state their complaint or come back with a warrant.
Had the call been actually important enough to justifying their ruse, they would not have minded troubling others to issue a warrant. Then, when they realized how stupid they were to mistake you for Bryce's pal, they would think twice about bothering the wrong person again.
If the call was not important enough to warrant a warrant, they would think twice about posing as criminals themselves by putting their thumb over someone's peephole.

The Right Answers

The answers were: 1) I should not have let them in without a warrant; and 2) I should have gotten badge numbers and names.

Remember that folks next time a cop comes to your door wanting in, or if you feel you've been inappropriately handled by the police!!!

This Issue's Topic: A discussion of 

On a cool Monday evening on November 29, Neil, Matt, and myself went to Legends to witness what was touted as ,"The most important story in all of human history." Pretty big, huh? I'm an open-minded person and had heard Michael Horn interviewed on Coast-to-Coast AM speaking of the Billy Meier Contacts, so this was an awesome opportunity to find out more. It was interesting, to say the least!

Who is Michael Horn (left) and Billy Meier (right)? Horn is the authorized American representative for the Meier Contacts, which are a series of published contacts between a one-armed Swiss fellow named Billy Meier and a race of advanced extraterrestrials called the Plejaren. Apparently, the Plejaren chose Meier to be the go-between between them and humanity. They are communicating with him in an attempt to help the human race avert its self-destruction. They are travelers of both time and space, and are around 8,000 years ahead of us technologically-speaking.

Photo & Video Evidence. The presentation went on to show video and photos of their space ships, which look like the typical flying saucer. They looked pretty hokey, but apparently professional debunkers have not been able to reproduce the images and video. There was also some strange sounds played for us, which was supposedly the Plejaren space ship noises.

Proof of truthfulness. Horn spent a good part of the presentation asserting its credibility. He realizes that we've been inundated for years with UFO stories, and many of us no longer believe any of them. They're wild stories, after all. I can't tell you that I'm sold on the Plejaren, but if Horn's claim that several experts--some of whom have backgrounds in security, professional debunking, and a scientist at IBM--cannot refute Meier's claims, then Meier is either a super-genius hoaxer or an alien contactee. You decide.

What do the Plejaren do? The Plejaren use a combination of sophisticated computers and time-travel in order to derive information on the future outcomes that will affect humanity. They started contacting Meier as early as 1942, but it wasn't until 1975, so-called Contact 7, that they allowed Meier to begin communicating what they told him to the rest of the world. The Plejaren tell Meier prophecies and predictions. Prophecies are probability-based outcomes that we have a chance to change. Predictions, on the other hand, are unalterable. So depending on the situation we can hopefully either prepare for or prevent altogether a negative event.

I won't go into all the prophecies and predictions, as Meier has published many documents over the years with a long list of prophecies and predictions that have occurred. You can find out more info yourself with the links at the end of this article.

Principles to live by. While all this information is coming from extraterrestrials, Horn highlights the fact that it isn't who sends the message so much as what is in the message. Whether you believe it or not, the Plejaren have some hearty recommendations for us all:

• become self-responsible

• always be truthful

• perform the work (don't be lazy!)

• treat country as a family--the notion of self-sacrifice

• question authority

• grow spiritually

• turn towards the positive

• be honest & objective in both individual & national self-reflection

Those are some damn good bits of advice, whether or not it's aliens that say it!

Assuring survival. There are several factors Horn states that we need to work towards in order to assure the survival of our species:

• restore genuine leadership

• establish true peace

• abolish the death penalty--you disallow the person from learning lessons in life and completing their path

• end world hunger

• enforce accountability

• preserve the environment

• become aware...we are not alone!

I must agree with all these sentiments! Easier said than done, however.

Policy Issues. In addition to recommendations for the individual, the Plejaren have (general) government policy recommendations:

• enact a Global Combat-Peace Force

• have an International World Court

• stop extracting oil--it leaves empty cavities in the ground that lead to earthquakes

• terminate nuclear plants

• halt illegal immigration

• non-politicization

• abortion--yes, but only until the spirit is "attached" to the embryo (at around thee weeks' time)

My Critique and the Response by Horn

I wrote Horn to discuss with him two matters: the question I asked at the end of the presentation (see below) and a critique of his presentation. He replied back in less than 8 hours!

Dear Dan,

Thanks for taking the time to make such a detailed critique. I will
insert my answers and comments below.

Dear Michael:

 Thanks very much for coming to Victoria. I went with two friends and we were all very intrigued by the presentation. I found its contents informative; we discussed what we saw & heard for quite some time afterward. However I would like to offer you my critique so as to make your future presentations even better!

PSYCHEDELICS & THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Before I start, I want to expand on the question I had for you…you see, I was the person who asked you about psychedelics & the Plejaran view. I must say I was a little surprised that you said they discounted any use...I wasn't sure if that was their view; that you didn’t want to turn off the audience, who were primarily older; or simply your opinion based on your own past experimentation. I would agree with you though that unobstructed use (read: abuse) without taking action on 'insights' discovered defeats the purpose of any beneficial reasons to use psychedelics.

M: It is their point of view that the use of these drugs is not
conducive with real spiritual growth. One could logically conclude
that, if they were so valuable for spiritual growth, those people who
didn't take them would be at some kind of disadvantage, which isn't the
case. The human spirit, and all other aspects of human consciousness,
are fully capable of providing any and all necessary understanding,
thinking, reasoning, etc. necessary to evolve. There are apparently far
more dangers to consciousness than benefits associated with these
drugs.
 

I have very limited experience with using psychedelics myself, with the exception of cannabis. However I have been fascinated by their possibility for expanding human consciousness and accessing more spiritual planes of existence for some time. They are commonly referred to as entheogens when used for this purpose. As you are likely aware, many native tribes around the world use them in 'vision quests', 'spiritual quests', and the like.

M: Just this morning this article appeared regarding cannabis use:
http://rense.com/general60/STUD.HTM
What we call expansion of consciousness and spiritual experiences
related to drug use may not be that at all. Those are vague,
unqualified claims and refer to highly subjective experiences unless
otherwise stated and clarified. For instance, I have no real idea of
what you mean by those terms as you may have an internal reference
point that is very different from my own idea of what those terms mean.
In the course of time, development and evolution many people do many
things and experiment in many ways. That doesn't make using drugs a
necessarily good or beneficial experience for us now. These times
certainly demand an abundance of the most clear headed, unconfused,
completely functional and functioning minds possible. Drug use is
demonstrably counterproductive to that goal.
 

When talking about expanding the human spirit, I would argue that, if used properly under the supervision of a guide, they can very much lead to greater awareness of the universe and our Creator. A couple of books which might interest you on the subject: Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing & Hallucinogenic Powers by Richard Evans Schultes & Albert Hofmann; Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism & Psychedelics by A.H. & Grey, A. Badiner. I would also recommend going to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies http://www.maps.org and the Council on Spiritual Practices http://www.csp.org.

M: Perhaps you can better illustrate your point by expressing the
greater awareness you refer to, regarding the universe and what you
refer to as the Creator, in more specific and detailed terms. By doing
so we can objectively examine and discuss what are otherwise purely
subjective understandings.
 

But I digress…on with the critique!

• Who are you? I cannot remember you discussing who you were or your credentials; your past; or anything beyond that you represent Billy Meier. You spent a great deal of the presentation addressing the believability of the Meier Contacts—one important piece of the topic’s credibility relates to the person discussing it!

M: Unfortunately, the presenter is supposed to be introduced by someone
who does that. I was told that no one could do that, kind of at the
last minute, and I probably should have taken some time to do so. I
guess I was thinking (incorrectly) that people knew enough about me
but, obviously, if no one did the introduction, I shouldn't have
assumed that. I agree that it's helpful for people to know that I've
researched the case for over 25 years, visited with Meier and other
principles (witnesses, investigators, photographers), challenged and
defeated ALL professional skeptics to duplicate Meier's evidence, etc.

• The visual, physical, and aural “evidence”. I must say that, in spite of your claims that experts cannot reproduce the videos et cetera that you showed us, I did not find these pieces of evidence to help with the believability of the Meier Contacts. They distracted from the message you were trying to convey. I remember at one point you mentioned something like, “this isn’t about aliens so much as the future of humanity.” Well, the pictures and videos you showed near the beginning, while they might be real, did not do anything but make me think it was hokey.

M: I think if Meier claims that he is having contact with ETs that
arrive here in space ships it's important to provide us with some
proof. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Meier has
provided five categories of still irreproducible physical evidence, an
unparalleled situation. Since the evidence has been evaluated by
various scientific and technical experts and found to not be hoaxed and
since the top professional skeptics have been unable to duplicate any
of Meier's evidence (as they had claimed they could) I think it's
enormously important that people know that.

Let's keep in mind that this is either the biggest, most impenetrable
hoax (62+ years) or the most important story in all of human history.
(I'm still waiting for anyone to show me a more important story in
comparison.) So, it's not sufficient to simply dismiss the evidence as
hokey without making a case for why you think so. One of the obstacles
to grasping the significance of the evidence is our assumptions as to
how and what it should be, look like, etc. So I think you should
reconsider the logic behind, "Well, the pictures and videos you showed
near the beginning, while they might be real, did not do anything but
make me think it was hokey." If they're real then this is the most
important story in human history...and that just might mean that what
the aliens have to say regarding our future survival might be worth our
consideration.

• Why the Plejaren Contacted Meier. You addressed this point, but also mentioned that the Plejaren attempted to contact the US Government but were turned away. It doesn’t make much sense to me…it sounds as if they attempted to communicate with humanity through the US Government, but that didn’t work so they go to a one-armed man in Switzerland instead? Can you understand how that sounds a little strange (going from one extreme to the other)? I believe you could address that point more thoroughly.

M: No, that isn't what I said. Meier's contacts started in 1942, well
before 1979. He was a two-armed boy, and then a man, up until 1965.
Meier's contacts have gone on for more than 62 years so the offer to
the US was simply one very brief situation along the way and in no way
was ever intended as the main purpose of the contacts. As a matter of
fact, the Plejaren stipulated that Meier was to be their representative
to the US government, a kind of go between person to interact on their
behalf (at least for a while) with representatives of the US
government, specifically at the presidential level. This was turned
down by the US but it didn't stop the contacts.
 

• Proving the copyright dates. So, the claim is that the Contacts were copyrighted at a certain time, so that one could do their own homework to see if what they said came true. But, is it not easy for me, say, to print a document proclaiming the 9/11 attacks, and merely attach a copyright date of 2000? In other words, how can you prove that the documents actually existed in the year of their copyright? Is it registered with some sort of organization that keeps archives of copyrighted documents? Because the most important aspect of believing the Meier Contacts is its ability to predict the future, this is an extremely important topic to address thoroughly.

M: You can print and claim anything you want but it's another matter to
produce a book with a copyright date in it, or documents that are dated
and witnessed and people who have had the documents in their possession
prior to the occurrence of the events foretold within them. For
instance, I gave you six specific predictions (starting with the
invasion of Iraq and ending with the near accident at the Lyon, France,
nuclear power plant). I told you that Meier published them in 1995 and
that I downloaded them from the internet in 1998. More importantly,
they're all in the first edition of the book "And Still They Fly!",
which was published in September 2001...well before any and all of the
predictions were made. Case closed, done deal. And there are many, many
more such items in the case verifiable in this manner.

• Addressing the HOW. You discussed the Plejaren recommendations for what society must do to assure its survival. You did not address the how as much, however (although, on a personal basis, I do recognize you had a slide on Principles to Live By).

  M: You are listing some of them below so it's not how to do it, it's
  the deeper details of how to do it...which are up to us to figure out.
  And there is more material in the case, including regarding these
  matters, than my 1 1/2 hour presentation could possibly cover. That's
  why, again, it's up to us to do the necessary work, research, etc.,
  something that, as you can now see, will require very sober, clear,
  logical and unhindered thinking.
   

  • You said to grow spiritually, but seemed to be aversive to western religion. So where do we seek spiritual growth?

  M: Ultimately we find it through our own efforts, contemplation,
  meditation, thinking, as well as study, a balance of inner and outer
  work. There are truths to be found in all religions and philosophies
  but none of them are completely true, far from it; non-deistic Buddhism
  and Taoism contain some of the elements that are compatible with the
  information provided by the Plejaren. The Plejaren and Meier have a
  great deal of information pertaining to the truth as they perceive it
  regarding spiritual matters, laws, etc. There's an article on the
  Billy's Documents page at www.theyfly.com that gives a nice
  introduction to their point of view.
   

  • You said we need to control the population and get it down to 500 million, but short of causing a thermonuclear war or massive plague, how is this to be achieved? Besides, if the Plejaren support genetic engineering and want to help humanity, can’t we just “invent” our way out of the problem (through ultra-intensive agriculture, ‘free energy’, etc)?

  M: There are many ways to help achieve a balanced population, i.e.
  birth control devices and means, a staggering of births (as indicated
  in a document from www.figu.org). Most importantly is the recognition
  of the scope of the problem and the willingness to do the hard work
  necessary to enact the necessary means by society. Opponents to birth
  control like the Catholic church have a vested interest (so they think)
  in encouraging people to breed uncontrolled so that they have more
  people to fill their coffers, despite the poverty, famine, wars, etc.
  that overpopulation ultimately brings.
   

  • You said we need to stop extracting oil. But, with our dependence, what do we use instead? Even with all of the energy alternatives possible, our entire infrastructure is so dependent on oil that it seems impossible to stop extracting oil until there’s nothing left…by then, hopefully, we’ll have switched most of the infrastructure to alternatives.

  M: If we really recognized the scope of this problem we'd have to be
  abysmally stupid to keep doing what we're doing and not developing
  other technologies and energy sources. So, we're obviously abysmally
  stupid. All parties concerned surely know that, one way or another, the
  day of the last drop of oil will come and certainly we don't intend to
  let everything stop functioning. So, if people who are in those energy
  industries and technologies were willing and interested in bringing new
  solutions into reality now I'm sure it would happen. But greed and
  living strictly for the moment seem to be big obstacles.
   

  • You said we need a global combat-peace force, as well as an international court. Do we not have them already (the UN & the International Court in The Hague)? Do you mean the Plejaren believe we should have a one-world government?

  M: The UN doesn't truly fulfill that role. I don't know about the Hague
  but I do know that when certain countries assert that they can exempt
  themselves from accepted international law this doesn't conform to an
  equal justice for all. The kind of one-world government (based on
  spiritual truth and elevated moral, ethical, economic standards, etc.),
  while desirable, is still a long way off for us.
   

  • Halting illegal immigration—not as easy as it sounds. People immigrate illegally because they seek out better opportunity in their lives; they are usually desperate souls. Unless we help their country of origins become less impoverished, how can the U.S. truly halt illegal immigration without at the same time promoting bigotry and hatred?

  M: The Plejaren have stated that fleeing one's country because of
  religious and/or political persecution, etc. is a justified but
  different matter than when it's done for strictly economic reasons.
  There's absolutely no doubt that it's painful to take on the poverty,
  injustice, inefficiency, etc. in one's country when it is substandard
  but it's the only way to go as far as being self-responsible and truly
  free. Of course, few of us like all the various discomforts inherent in
  challenge and change and, while we may not have those problems to the
  same degree that people in impoverished countries do, we face other
  problems from which we can't run either, just for the sake of
  convenience. People learn by example, through trial and error, etc.
  And, because there's a breakdown in terms of true lawfulness,
  self-responsibility, the willingness to recognize and attend to
  difficult tasks, all of us will be more or less equalized and
  discomforted by the widespread difficulties that will, more and more,
  affect everyone of the planet.
   

  • Finally, things such as ending world hunger, having world peace, preserving the environment, and having more genuine leadership (or what more appropriately should be genuine servitude)—those are things we don’t need aliens telling us in order to know we have to address them…perhaps the Plejaren should offer government policy recommendations on these matters, as they do with the death penalty and abortion.

  M: Well, maybe you and I don't think we need aliens to tell us but
  somebody should be listening. Their information is available to anyone
  who wants it, governments included. And there isn't a major government
  on the planet, certainly at it's higher levels of intelligence, that
  isn't aware of the Meier case.
   

• Questions at the end. I was frustrated by the lack of fairness when question period came around. We had a very limited amount of time to ask questions—I’m sure there were lots of people who had them! You allowed one person at the front to go on and on with his questions/comments. People got up and left, especially when it seemed that you were addressing him and not the audience. I was lucky to get in one of my own questions, but next time I would highly recommend you take charge and allow everyone to have a chance to ask questions, one question per person (going around again if time allows).

M: I had nothing to do, as far as I could tell, with who asked the
questions. I think that some people may have been called on again when
no one else was making it known that they had questions. I wanted to
have as many people ask questions as had them. As a matter of fact, I
stayed for an extra hour just for questions. But I'm truly sorry if I
either didn't see other people raising their hands or who, for whatever
reason, didn't get their questions asked and answered. I was very happy
that there were many questions and interest in the case.
 

• Setting the mood. One small thing…the audience who came to the presentation was open-minded and likely had some belief in aliens—otherwise they would not have come. Prior to your presentation commencing, it would have made sense to play ‘alien’ or ‘new age’ sounding music, instead of the jazz music that was playing. Also, if available perhaps laser-lights and a fog machine for you to walk through would have started things off with a bang!

M: The music was on the house/facility system and not something I
suggested or, honestly, paid much attention to. I don't use any music
or effects to try and set a mood or create a certain atmosphere. While
I hope the presentation is engaging, I'm not very concerned with trying
to "entertain". Using predictable effects like laser-lights and fog
machines would contribute to the kind of entertainment, sci-fi
atmosphere which, in my opinion, would immediately suggest a certain
lack of credibility and not enhance it.
 

Feel free to address any of my questions and comments. I publish a newsletter and will be writing an article on the presentation & the Billy Meier Contacts in the coming days. I will include any comments you wish to send.

Once again, all in all, it was a very informative and interesting presentation. I hope you can use my feedback to make your future presentations even more captivating and informative to the audience.

M: And I hope that my answers are clear and helpful. I am certainly
open to further questions, challenges, criticisms, clarifications, etc.

I really do appreciate that you gave as much thought to the whole
matter as you you did. Getting people involved and thinking critically
is one of the main goals of my work and far more important than
agreeing on everything.

Best,

Michael Horn
 

Sincerely, Daniel Tourigny

Links to know more about the Meier Contacts:

• http://www.theyfly.com --Michael Horn's website

•  http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/Henoch%20Prophecies.html -- A Nexus Magazine article entitled The Henoch Prophecies from the Billy Meier Contacts

What do you think about the Meier Contacts? Write to me and I'll print you comments next issue!!!

Big Brother BlahBlah

George Bush won the U.S. election. Unbelievable. I don't want to tell you what I think of it, but I do want to send you off for a few minutes to have some fun! Go to http://www.imgag.com/product/full/ap/3067907/graphic1.swf and check out the Give Bush a Brain Game. It's fun for the whole family!

Here's the new political outlook in North America...

November was the month when J.F.K. was assassinated. The Onion reprinted the front page of a newspaper from the era...

Canunck Knocks

I want to mention two important stories this time around. First, Pierre Berton died on November 30 at the age of 84. Who was Pierre Berton? Only one of the most influential Canadian writers ever! Some called him arrogant but he always spoke his mind! One of his last televised acts, in fact, was to teach the audience how to roll a good joint--yes, he was a pot smoker! This CBC article talks a little more about Pierre: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/11/30/burton041130.html

Another influential Canadian was Tommy Douglas. Recently, CBC had a contest called The Greatest Canadian. They received thousands of entries and narrowed the nominees to 10 people for the title of the Greatest Canadian. At the end of the day, Canadians voted for Tommy as the Greatest Canadian! Honestly, I hadn't even heard of Tommy Douglas before this special. He's considered the father of medicare in this country, and was Premier of Saskatchewan in the mid-20th century, lasting for five terms before going into federal politics. Many of his socially progressive policies were adopted by mainstream parties of the era. Read more about him at http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/douglas-tommy.html. Right on, Tommy!

Your Brain on Drugs

Parliament is back in session, and the Liberal government has re-introduced the pot decriminalization bill that evaporated when parliament was dissolved for last spring's election. Read about at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1558/a08.html?199961. Is it a good thing? Well, as much as I like it when I hear politicians speak rationally about not burdening pot smokers with a criminal record, the bill isn't very good. Around here, pot smokers are more or less ignored by police. Now, they'll be able to hand out fines. Not much progress for around here, but in places like Saskatchewan that freak out at pot smokers, it's a good thing.

Another aspect to the bill relates to grow-ops. The bill aims to get tougher, attempting to put an end to these neighbourhood nuisances once and for all! Will it work? Of course not! It might make it a little more risky to grow weed, but that will just mean more profits to those people willing to risk growing it. Oh, and there's tons of hydroponic stores to buy your equipment at, and a recent survey shows more people than ever are smoking bud (checkout http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1671/a05.html?199964), so I don't think the bill will do anything to reduce grow-ops.

The Canadian Supreme Court helped the government recently by giving the green-light to infrared technology to spot grow-ops (say, from police helicopters). Apparently the heat emissions from your home aren't considered "private". Read more about it at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1550/a09.html?199960.

Cities are doing what they can to eliminate grow-ops via by-laws. In Abbotsford, for example, you better not be a landlord with a grow-op in the rental property! You'll be fined $10,000, and charged with all police and cleanup fees. They want landlords to "inspect" (read: snoop on) their properties every 90 days or so. Kelowna is thinking about doing the same thing. It's likely to spread all over BC and eventually Canada, because the number of grow-ops is astonishing and only growing. Any economist worth his weight will tell you why--money money money in growing this illegal plant! Read about it at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1480/a14.html?199962.

Do you think marijuana is used just by slackers? The read these two articles: Marijuana Has the Power to Enlighten at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1613/a03.html?199966 and Breaking the Slacker-Stoner Image at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1496/a06.html?199967. They're both very good articles with a different perspective on marijuana use.

Getting to Know You

We have someone new this week in GTKY!!!! Thanks, Jenny!

Jenny Miriam McClelland (aka Jenny Menny or Jenny the Menace)

Age & Birth: 30 years old (gasp!); born in Abbotsford, BC on November 19, 1974

Astrological Sign: Scorpio (Moon in Aquarius, Rising Aquarius) Tiger in Chinese Astrology, born in the hour of the Horse. I'm a 6 in numerology, but a 10 in bed ;-)

Brothers & Sisters: One sister (2 years older than me)

Pets: 1 cat, real bitch of a Birman named Mira (8.5 years)

Currently Lives: With my boyfriend Martin and 2 other roommates in a townhouse in Northwest Calgary. We are renting the basement room, which has an excellent view of the license plate of Martin's car. I think the window is 2 feet by 1. I feel like a C.H.U.D. a lot of the time.

Passion in Life: Sex. It's really that simple with me. If I'm not having sex then I'm probably talking about it.

Background & Education: "I grew up in Abbotsford, which is in the Fraser Valley, then moved to Port Coquitlam (Greater Vancouver) when I was 9.  I was always a bit of a geek in school, and my sister always stole my friends in elementary school.  I had a preference for books and radio, so I credit those two sources of information for being my best friends when I growing up--yeah, I told you I was a geek.

"Things got better in high school because I grew out of my awkward phase and into a pretty decent pair of boobs.  I graduated in 1992, but not before crushing the tender hearts of some of the nerds in drama class.  Then I went to Douglas College in New Westminster and broke more hearts.

"In 1996 I moved to Victoria, after being accepted into the UVic transfer program, where I met Dan through our most excellent friend Neil Comer (a fellow writer.)  The best thing I did with my time there was work at the campus radio station.  I had a pretty good run there, but eventually I had a nervous breakdown (nothing to do with Dan-- honest!) and dropped out with 7 courses to complete on my degree.  (I credit a full courseload, a 30-hour a week job, and too many boyfriends for my downfall.  Take it from me, moderation is the key to not burning out.)

"I thought I'd get a job and ride out my depressive episode, but BC's recession had a way of keeping me unemployed; there were no permanent jobs to be found on Vancouver Island.  I sat around on my ass just long enough to experience the demoralizing effects of welfare on the human psyche.  Then I moved to Alberta, where I was sure I'd suffer further.

"And suffer I did, at least for the first year.  I was in Grande Prairie, which is basically the western armpit of Alberta, population 40 thousand.  The average woman in her late 20's in GP falls into one of two categories.  One: 3 kids, married since she was 18, goes to church every Sunday.  Two: 3 kids with 3 different fathers, and a serious coke habit.  By the time a year had passed, I thought there was something wrong with me.

"But, no, one weekend in Edmonton reminded me I was just city folk, and small town weirdoes didn't know what to make of me.  I began to formulate a plan for escape, and scouted out Calgary before deciding to move here on a permanent basis.  Edmonton may have a better indie music scene, but it's ugly.  I picked Calgary because it's prettier and the weather is better.  I'm now the showroom and production coordinator for an interior design company, a great way to waste my education, as far as I'm concerned.

"I have no regrets about moving to Alberta now.  In Victoria, I was an earth-day kid, protesting rising tuition costs and social injustice and eating tofu almost daily.  As an Albertan, I've been known to say, 'Look at that guy begging for change.  He must be from BC or Quebec.  You're in Calgary, you lazy hippie, go get a job.'  But I am still socialist, whatever that means (actually, it means I don't think I should have to pay for health care in Canada's richest province.)  I'm ten pounds heavier because of that scrumptious Alberta beef, and the fact that I'm not poor and can afford to eat.  I also think I've consumed more alcohol in 2 1/2 years in Alberta than the rest of my life combined.  It's that kind of province..."

Favorite Sports to Watch: Hockey and the Olympics never go out of style with me. I also like watching two people skillfully beat the shit out of each other, call it boxing, tae kwon do, whatever. The rest is stuff that prevents me from being a total sports widow: my ex liked Pro Wrestling, although I never watch any more, I sure appreciate a good cruiserweight match. My current man likes football, so I'm learning how that game works now. Go Patriots!!! (zzzz)

Favorite All-Time TV Shows: Northern Exposure, Justice League, Dukes of Hazzard. Bring back the glory days of David Letterman and the cast of Saturday Night Live from the late 80's and early 90's!

Current TV Highlights: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, Trading Spaces (or any of those design shows on TLC), Chapelle's Show and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I also watch loads of Much Music, Much More Music, and Teletoon.

Favorite Movies: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Donnie Darko, Platoon. I minored in Film Studies, but I'll leave it at that since my music category is overkill.

Favorite Music: Where do I start?  I'm a rock and roller at heart, with punk, psychobilly and indie tendencies, but I'll listen to anything that appeals to me, including lounge, hip hop, classical and electronica.  My favorite bands are: The Amazing Royal Crowns (NOT Royal Crown Revue!!), The Beastie Boys, Big Black, The Breeders, Broken Social Scene, The Clash, The Cramps, The Cure, Dead Kennedys, Primus, Weezer, Destroyer, Kyuss, Queens of The Stone Age, Melvins, Mudhoney, The Descendants, Brian Eno, The Fall, Fly Pan Am, Fugazi, Fu Manchu, Hawkwind, The Hard-Ons, Joy Division, JSBX, L7, Led Zeppelin, Massive Attack, Modest Mouse, Mogwai, The Monks, Nomeansno, The Pixies, Plaid, The Primrods, Quickspace, Radiohead, early Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, early Stereolab, The Stooges, The Strokes, Supergrass, The White Stripes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  Some good indie Canadian bands I've seen lately that are worth checking out if they come to town: Circle the Wagons (Nelson) The Doers (Vancouver) The Dudes (Calgary) The Junior Panthers (Saskatoon.)  There's lots more but I should stop here, obviously music is very important to me.  If it is important to you, you will go out and get at least one album from each band listed above.

Favorite Web Sites: http://www.tickle.com (personality tests), http://www.astrolabe.com (free chart wheels), and http://www.ebay.com or http://www.ebay.ca (type in the search word fetish!!!)

Hobbies & Interests: Writing, reading, hand-sewing patchwork quilts, astrology, going to shows/concerts, long walks, hiking, playing bass, interior design, gardening, smoking good weed, drinking good red wines and liqueurs, and of course, sex.

Favorite Books: The Bible.  No, I'm joking, though I am very fond of the book Ecclesiastes; if you haven't read it, it's probably the shortest and the most compelling, unless you're into the crazy Revelation stuff that schizophrenic John wrote.  Fiction: Kurt Vonnegut Jr's "Welcome to the Monkey House," Daniel Dafoe's "Moll Flanders," most early Stephen King epics, anything by John Irving.   Non Fiction: Carl Sagan's "Cosmos," Robert Anton Wilson's "Prometheus Rising," and "The Happy Mutant Handbook," which is a collective effort.  Kid's books: the Harry Potter Series, Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time," and "When the Tripods Came/ the White Mountains/ the City of Gold and Lead/ the Pool of Fire," by John Christopher.  And I'll mention the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, since you're all privy to my inner geek at this point.

Favorite Saying: "People obey reason, not arbitration." (That's my quote--wisdom I channeled one day.) Another oft-blurted out phrase: "Explore the option of abstinence? I'll be celibate when I'm old and ugly and no one wants to fuck me."

Final Thoughts: "Don't feel bad dumping friends or lovers who are constant deadweight, go with quality over quantity if you want to avoid
obligating yourself to emotional vampires.  Fuck platitudes and people who don't know how to listen.  Casual sex with friends or roommates usually leads to very complicated emotional dilemmas.  Do a periodic clean sweep of possessions to avoid needless clutter of quasi-nostalgic and sentimental items; memories and photographs suffice.  Starting life over again from scratch in a new city is a great adventure, unless you're a codependent chickenshit who expects everything handed to you.
 

Web Site of the Week

Mercola.com

http://www.mercola.com

This is an awesome website if you're interested in being healthy. Dr. Joseph Mercola's web site is chalk-full of good health info. He believes in natural health medicine, and that eating right is one of the keys to staying healthy. He gives lots of info on things to avoid. He has an awesome newsletter that everyone should subscribe to!!! Check it out!

Word of the Week

Peregrinate verb to travel from place to place; to journey. peregrination noun a wondering about. peregrinator noun

Dan’s Book Club

Molecules of Emotion: The Science of Mind-Body Medicine by Candace B. Pert, Ph.D. (1999)

I want to go back to a non-fiction work this time around. I haven't read it yet, but it's my book club selection because my friend Neil bought it for my birthday! It's about this scientist's evolution from a conventional scientist to one who uses her fair share of complimentary and alternative medicine. It looks at the link between the human consciousness and how it affects the body, and vice-versa. It provides scientific credibility to the mind-body link, and looks at the nature of emotions. It's meant for the layperson to read, meaning it's friendly to the average reader. The science is presented within a journey of Candace's life work. This is a great read for anyone who wants to know themselves better. I can't wait to read it!

Neil's Book Review by Neil Comer aka Real Deal

Neil knows this literature stuff better than I do, since he took writing at UVic. It's a lot more thorough than my book reviews...thanks Neil!

Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo (2003)

TV Land Radio Land!!!

Coast to Coast AM

Oh my God!!! This is the best radio show ever!!!

Before this show I thought Loveline with Dr. Drew and Adam Carola was the best thing on the radio. But this show blows it out of the water! I only discovered it back in May, when I was living in a secluded cabin in the wilderness and the only media I could receive was the trusty old radio. I've listened ever since, every night I can, for four hours each night...I'm hooked for life!

If you're into anything fascinating and cool, then this is the radio program to check out. It happens to be America's number ONE late-night talk show, and I know why. I would call this show "alternative media". They talk about everything, from Aliens to the latest medical research to cybernetics to time travel to secret societies to ancient history to spirituality and on and on and on!!!

The guests are awesome. The content's fascinating. It will blow your mind!!!!! YOU MUST CHECK IT OUT...forget sleeping at night--C2C AM is where it's at!!!!

When and where is it on? In Victoria, it's every night at 12am on CFAX 1070 AM. The show actually goes live at 10pm from Los Angeles (or wherever they're broadcasting from that night), but in Vic we get the last two hours tape-delayed. That's right boys and girls, it's a four hour show! But don't worry, if you can only catch the first little bit before you fall asleep it's better than nothing, that's for sure!

Go to http://www.coasttocoastam.com for more info on broadcast affiliates, content and more.

Music Mania by Matt Fischer aka Troy Ounce

This week we've got a guest writer for this section. Thanks Matt!

Encore by Eminem (2004)

Alright Danny T I know I’ve been tellin ya I’d write some shit for the Asylum for a while so here it goes. I’m gonna do a little review of the new Slim Shady aka Marshall Mathers aka Eminem album, Encore. However before I get into that I’d like to acknowledge the death of a giant in the rap world Old Dirty Bastard died recently, as of this article from unknown causes. Also some bitch took a swing at Dr Dre at the Vibe awards and was awarded for his efforts by being stabbed by a member of the G unit. Suge Knight was present at the show so the attack on Dre probably was Suge sending a message out to his old business partner. Watch the Death Row documentary and you’ll know what I mean. Always drama in the rap world, hopefully P Diddy catches a bullet this time if another war breaks out in the rap community.

So anyway let’s get into the review. If you are easily offended, quit reading about now; remember it’s a review of a rap album so there might be some colorful language. So here we go…there’s 20 songs on the album and 3 bonus tracks on the bonus CD. First off if you pick up the album buy the version with the bonus CD, I’ll get into the reason for that in a minute. Since there is so many motherfuckin’ songs like every rap CD you buy I’m not gonna review every song. I’ll start by talking about the songs you’ve already heard on radio and MuchMusic: Just Lose It and Mosh. I thought both songs were weak but the video for Just Lose It with the Michael Jackson shit was pretty funny. Mosh was a political tune and video (shockingly against Bush), which just didn’t hit the mark. Now the song Em shoulda released is the reason to purchase the album version with the bonus CD, a song called We As Americans. In addition to having a dope beat it has the best line I’ve heard in rap in years, “I don’t rap for dead presidents, I’d rather see the president dead”. But as he was investigated by the CIA when they heard those lyrics, and the state of censorship in the US, putting the song out as a single would have been pointless, which really fucking sucks.

So let’s proceed to the main album now and I’ll tell you all about my fave tracks. We’ll start with track 3, Never Enough featuring guests Fifty Cent, and Nate Dogg who seems to be on every fucking rap album these days. They phase Nate's vocals and he sounds like that fucking Decepticon from Transformers who has the tape deck in his chest. Next up we got Yellow Brick Road which samples a George Clinton tune and features Em talkin’ about coming up in the game. Then we get Little Toy Soldiers which samples some tune from the 80’s and features a cool drum line with Em rappin’ about some shit he went through battling Ja Rule, another rapper who could do with a stray bullet. Then we got a few songs Puke and Crazy in Love dealing with Em’s ex wife or bitch, Kim. He lyrically slices her up like how Freddy Kruger does Nancy in Elm Street 3. The man is just a master lyricist; one of the best ever in the rap game. Finally, a couple more recommendations for all y’all inmates, Ass Like That and Rain Man. These are a couple of comedic tunes that feature Eminem talking about such diverse topics as gays, Christopher Reeve, Jacko and his Jesus Juice, the Olsen Twins, Jessica Simpson, and Gwen Stefani peeing on him.

So there ya go. I’d give this album a 4 outta 5 I guess. So go pick this shit up if ya like Rap music, Em, or just wanna be entertained. Next issue I’m gonna review the new Eric Burdon album and tell you all about seeing Megadeth over in Vancouver. Anyway keeper real I’m outta here.

Product Placement

 Liberty Farms' Kefir: The Other Drink Russians are Famous For

Aside from vodka, who'd had thought the Russians would invent another awesome drink to export to the world. Alas, this one's not alcohol-injected and it comes out of an animal's breast, but that's pretty good too, no?

Kefir is not very well-known in these parts, but it should be! It's been made since ancient times in Russia. Liberty is the first company I know of in Canada to produce kefir. It is similar to yogurt, only more runny. It's basically milk that's been fermented with what are known as kefir grains. The resulting taste is somewhat sour, but Liberty offers fruity flavours to mask the taste's strength. You can add it to cereal; I like to mix 1/2 cup of kefir with two raw eggs--the flavours and textures complement each other quite nicely. Adding some vanilla-flavored protein powder to the mix is a great option too.

Although it's an acquired taste, I certainly acquired it! So why would I recommend Kefir over, say, yogurt or another milk-based product? Because it's so damn good for you!!!

Why is kefir so good for you? Because it's considered a probiotic. Read Dan's Learning Centre to find out more. You can go to http://www.liberte.qc.ca/html/kefira.asp to read more about Kefir.

Where do you get kefir? In Victoria, I've found it at Lifestyle Markets and Save-on-Foods. If your grocery store doesn't carry it, ask them to! You can also make kefir yourself from regular milk, and can find kefir starter kits at Mercola.com, the website mentioned earlier.

Go to http://www.liberte.qc.ca/html/mondea.asp to checkout Liberty's other dairy products, many of which are organic!

Dan’s Learning Centre

 Probiotics: Bacteria Buddies

I've just recommended kefir, and not you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about probiotics. Let's be clear first...not all bacteria are created equal. There's many many many kinds of bacteria, most of which are harmless. Some are not. When you see products advertised as "anti-bacterial" they usually refer to the pathogens that can make you sick. Although you certainly don't want pathogens contaminating your surroundings, anti-bacterial products overused lead to super strains of pathogens, which are even harder to kill. I would recommend that unless you have a bad immune system, stay away from most anti-bacterial products--they do more harm than good.

Probiotics are the opposite of pathogens. They're your little buddies. You know what? We have more bacteria in our 40-odd feet of intestinal tract than we have cells in our bodies...no kidding! They're damn important to our health. You know when you get sick and your doctor gives you antibiotics? Well, that not only kills the bad bacteria but the good guys as well. It weakens your immune system even further and leads to diarrhea. Yuck!

Your body has a nice little family of bacteria that help digest foods. But you know, everyone needs a friend. Probiotics come from the outside world and add to the population of your gut's healthy bacteria. The thing is, if you stop consuming the food containing the bacteria, they will eventually die off and not be replaced. So be sure to take probiotics regularly!

Where do you find probiotics? Milk-based products, mostly. Kefir has lots and lots of bacteria. Yogurt and cheese have some, but not much. Milk has almost none. They're all killed off during pasteurization. The best source of bacteria, apart from kefir, is supplementation. I used to take acidophilus pills (one form of probiotics), but the acidophilus were freeze-dried--not exactly happy healthy bacteria! Each dosage had over 5 billion, yes billion, bacteria in them at the time of production, but it's a scam--the bacteria need to be alive to work!

So this company in Laval, Quebec named Bio-K+ developed what is an award-winning probiotic, called, appropriately enough, Bio-K+. Each little container has over 50 billion bacteria, all alive! Oh my God, that's a lot of bacteria! In my opinion (and in many reviewers' opinions too) it is the best probiotic on the market.

Why do I recommend probiotics? Science is finding there's all sorts of great reasons to take probiotics. Here's just a few:

1. Enhanced intestinal health. Aids with diarrhea, intestinal health, constipation, gas, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers, neutralizing side-effects of antibiotics, candida albicans, and Chron's disease.

2. Improve digestion. Aids in absorption of nutrients, production of digestive enzymes & vitamins, and reduction of lactose intolerance & food allergies.

3. Strengthen the immune system. Aids in anti-viral & anti-cancer activity, increases the activity of antibodies, and inhibits pathogenic bacteria.

4. Reduction of blood cholesterol. Improve HDL/LDL ratio, reduction of total cholesterol, and reduction of triglycerides.

Where do you get Bio-K+? Anywhere that sells supplements should have them...just be sure they're kept refrigerated!!!

Go to http://www.biokplus.com to find out more about Bio-K+ and the health benefits of probiotics. I can't recommend them enough!!!

Master-debating: Question of the week

Last Week's Question: Do you get your flu vaccine regularly? Have you ever gotten it? How often do you get the flu (with or without having had the vaccine)? Now that you know about the vaccine's dangers, will stop getting it (if applicable)?

Reponses to Last Week's Question

none

This Week's Question:

What do you think about the pot decriminalization bill currently in the House of Commons?

It's Quotation Not Quote!

 It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop -- Confucius

Kittie Corner

Dangerous inspection!

NASCAR Nellies

It's over folks! The NASCAR season is officially behind us...thank God it's coming back in February '05, because I can't wait to watch some kickass crashes at the Daytona 500!!!

Unbelievably, Nic won the NASCAR pool, beating Mark's team in the finals. Matt won the Loser's Match against me, meaning he gets first pick next near. Arrrgggghhh!!!!

Nic scored a double-wammo, in that one of his drivers, Kurt Busch, won the Nextel Cup Championship. Jamie McMurray came in 10th place and won a cool $1M for being the first person "not in the chase" (the top 10 after 26 races were the only drivers allowed to compete for the championship.) Lest I forget about the other NASCAR series, good ol' Bobby Hamilton won the Craftsman Truck Series, while Martin Truex Junior (Dale Jr.'s protégé) won the Busch Series.

A hearty congrats to Nic, along with Kurt, J-Mac, Bobby, and Martin...keep it up fellas!

Ask Dada Dan

Question: "Dear Dada Dan: I am interested in taking some supplements/vitamins but there are so many out there and I am really poor so I can only afford to take one or maybe two if they are cheap. If you could recommend only one supplement to take, what would it be? What two or three supplements would you recommend taking on my limited budget? Why?" Unhealthy Poor Guy

Answer: "Whoa man, I could write a book on supplements. Currently, I'm taking a multivitamin, a greens powder, a probiotic, flaxseed oil, wild fish oils, grape seed, lycopene, gingko biloba, milk thistle, chromium, selenium, calcium with vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, phosphatidyl serine, b-complex, garlic, glucosamine & chrondroitin. I know, I'm crazy. In the past, when I could afford to, I took even more! But I do have a reason to take each. I've done my homework. Supplements are, however, not all equally important. Each offers a different.

"In order to give you recommendations, UPG, I must know your current diet. Honestly, if you are willing to make changes in your diet and are on a limited budget then I would say to focus your money on buying good food. Buy organic. Buy free-range. Buy wild and not farmed fish. Don't buy anything processed. And for sure, don't buy fast food!

"Since you asked about supplements, though, let's assume that you've got a typical diet. That is, with some goodness but not much goodness. You eat maybe a serving or two of fruits & veggies a day, along with one fish meal a week. Let's also assume you aren't willing to change your diet to eat better foods.

"Here goes, and note that the list is in order of importance to add to your 'typical' diet:

1. Multivitamin. Taking a good multivitamin will supply you with the minimal amount of all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. It will help make up for any vitamin and mineral deficiencies your body might be experiencing. Note that a multivitamin alone will not give you optimal health, but it will assist in preventing poor health. Cost: pennies/day

2. Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) supplements. Scientists are finding out more and more about the importance of healthy fats in our diets. Looking at cultures around the world, in those whose populations eat lots of healthy fats--they live longer and healthier lives. Fats are important for proper brain functioning as well. Unless you eat a fair share of nuts, fish or olive oil on a daily basis, you should definitely take an EFA supplement, such as wild fish oils, hemp oil, or flaxseed oil. Cost: $0.25-0.35/day

3. Greens powder. You will probably want to take this, unless you are eating lots of fruits and veggies every day. A good greens powder (I use Vegge Greens) will provide you with lots of the goodness that is contained in veggies, such as antioxidants, vitamins & minerals, and plant enzymes. It's not as good as the real thing, but it's a pretty damn good substitute! Cost: $1/day

4. Probiotics. I've already discussed probiotics so I'll just say to use them! Cost: $1/day

5. Calcium with Vitamin D. We all know the importance of calcium. It's important for bones and many many other things. You do not want to run short of calcium. I wouldn't recommend drinking as much milk as you need for your optimal daily calcium and vitamin D amount (I don't want to get into why but let's just say drinking pasteurized cow's milk is not the best thing for your body!) Vitamin D is equally important to take as a supplement, because hardly anyone in a Canadian-style climate gets enough sunlight, which is the best source of vitamin D. Forget about this Coral Calcium B.S.--it's a scam, for all I can tell. They simply repackage a product worth a few pennies and sell it for much much more. Oyster shell-derived calcium is just fine. Cost: pennies/day.

6. If you're in school or otherwise using your brain lots. In addition to healthy fats, two other products help with the mind--ginkgo biloba and phosphatidyl serine. They act in different ways, so using both is the best but it's better to use one than none at all (gingko is the cheaper one)! Cost: $1/day total.

7. If you're an alcoholic or druggie. If you're taxing your system's detoxifying centre--the liver--by using a fair share of alcohol or other drugs, you should help this organ by taking milk thistle. It won't beat abstinence, but it's the next best thing! Cost: pennies/day.

"Okay, I think I've listed enough...as you can see, it really doesn't cost much to supplement yourself on a daily basis. Remember though that you're buying sometimes several hundred pills at a time, so be prepared to pay a larger amount up-front.

"Where should you go to buy supplements? My first choice is Costco. It's the cheapest and I'm satisfied that their Health Balance and Kirkland Signature brands of supplements are of good quality. Just don't get your probiotics there, which come in pill form...go for the real live bacteria! Check out Lifestyle Markets, which have much better prices on supplements than other grocery stores. Or go to Your Vitamin Store at Mayfair Mall and talk to my good buddy Todd. He'll steer you in the right direction regarding the best brand to buy for your limited budget.

"I hope that helped!"--Dan

Letters from the Funny Farm

The newest and my most recent favorite Asylum patient is Anna, and in addition to several emails I've received from her regarding the Tenacious Asylum, she sent in the following:

Possible Submissions to the Asylum:

*    More customer service stories (How I got a pair of five year old Doc Martens replaced with a brand new better style, for free; how I got Hertz car rentals to refund the entire insurance premium from a three week rental)
*   An amazingly cheap and effective prevention of imminent colds and flu
*    suggestion for new section: "serendipity." topic: true, really good news. first story:

NEW YORK -- With just 78 cents in his savings account and $44,000 owed to creditors, parking attendant Juan Rodriguez plunked down $1 on a lottery ticket and won a $149 million jackpot.

Rodriguez, 49, of Queens, bought his lottery ticket about one month after filing for bankruptcy. He stepped forward over the weekend to claim his prize. At a news conference, he wore dark glasses and said he was "excited." Asked what he planned to do with his millions, he said, "I have no idea."

According to court papers, Rodriguez had exactly 78 cents in his savings account and nothing in his checking account.

Items compiled from Tribune news services
Published November 24, 2004
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune


*    Getting to know you: Angel Monkey

*    Suggestion for new section: Weird but delicious snacks, different contributors each week. Standards: it has to be weird, original , and truly scrumptious. You can try them all before publication, but also make the contributor argue how it tastes good when it sounds so weird . . .

-A

Oh my God!!! That's too much for my brain to compute right now. I have a strange feeling we should all expect to hear from Anna in the coming issues.

Milkshakes and Friends by TripleD Daniel Tourigny this week!

Drinking Milkshakes and Making Friends in the Tenacious Asylum

I hope you all enjoy being a patient of the Asylum. I know the Asylum enjoys having you as a patient! Together we're making the best newsletter and loyal following in the universe!!!

One side-benefit from publishing the Asylum has been staying in touch with friends as well as people I've met only once or twice. You know when you go to a party and you talk to some really good people...but unless they're a girl (or guy) whom you want to go out with and then ask for their digits, you'll probably never see them until the next social function, which could be God-knows-when. Or, maybe you'll see them more often but only can know them on a very superficial basis.

By publishing the Tenacious Asylum I'm able to have an excuse to stay in touch with any acquaintance I meet at a party or (soon) at work. It sure makes a great conversation starter! If I feel the person would be receptive to being a patient, I don't hesitate to getting their email address. Even if I never see them again, they have left an impression on me and I know I will be leaving an impression on them! If the person so chooses, they can contact me in the future for whatever reason. Or they can be a passive patient and merely read the newsletter, which I'm perfectly fine with :-)

Another good thing about publishing the Asylum relates to staying in contact with far-away friends. Unless you were best friends with the person, the weekly emails turn into monthly emails turn into yearly emails yada yada. Because of the continuing nature of the Tenacious Asylum, I can contact all those people whom I would have no time to contact on an individual basis. I love it!

Milkshakes and friends FOREVER!!!!!!

Do you have a submission for Milkshakes and Friends? TripleD needs your input!!! Email him at [removed by request] I'll make sure your submission is in an upcoming issue of the Tenacious Asylum.

Activists Act

Kleerkut Kleenex

This is a new section. As part of the Asylum's deliberate attempts to make the world a better place, I think we should all pay particular attention to issues in this section that we can all do something about.

This first Act was brought to my attention by our dear patient and friend Liisa...

By going to the website http://www.kleercut.net, you have the option of sending a free fax to the CEO of Kimberly-Clark, to whom you should share your sentiments. If you don't want to write a letter of your own, they even have a pre-written one that you can attach your name to...how simple can it get!

Here's the letter I sent:

Dear Mr. Falk,

 It has recently come to my attention that your Kleenex brand of products contain little if any recycled materials. I find this situation very troubling.

 I am writing this letter in the year 2004. By now, the human race should be well aware of the limited lifespan of resources such as trees, if their unabated destruction continues. By using trees instead of recycled materials, you are contributing to a future--and I will not mince words--devoid of life on the planet...human, plant, or otherwise.

 I can appreciate the competitive business environment you face. I am a businessperson myself. But one of the important aspects of business is to create a vision of the future before it exists. What vision is better--a world with trees or a world without? The answer is obvious.

 Further, by emphasizing a greater content of your products towards environmental sustainability, you will be able to create a pro-active environment for your customers and competitors alike.

 Because you are such a giant in your industry, you set the example for others. If you compete based on image & brand recognition (which I believe Kleenex does), then why not tie in the changes you've made into the advertising campaign?

 There are many many ways your corporation can be pro-active on an environmental front. Think of the longer term, and the impact your corporation has on the environment. By emphasizing the positive points in your marketing efforts, you will be able to take further advantage of the benefits you are creating.

 Sincerely,

 Daniel Tourigny

Come on everybody, take a minute and go to the Kleercut.net website and send your own fax!

Do you have your own issue that you want the Asylum's patients to act on? Let me know!!

Liisa's Reestaurant Reeview by Liisa Nielsen

Noodle Box, 626 Fisgard Street, Victoria

VIHA Hazard Rating: Low

I had to fend for my self one evening; and of course, I can make a killer grilled cheese sandy, but I was needing more. On my walk home from work that evening, I decided to take a different  route, and came across the Noodle Box. Never having eaten there, I popped in, looked at the menu, smelt the food, watched the chefs prepare it, and all of a sudden, I needed to eat the noodles!!! So I ordered the Teriyaki Box, which consisted of Odon noodles, (but they were out of them, so I got fat egg noodles) Asian greens, sweet and mild teriyaki sauce, and for an extra $2 bucks, I got prawns with it. After ordering it, ($9 whole dollars!! what a deal!) the lady told me that there will be a 25 minute wait!! I couldn't believe it! But whatever, I already had it in my mind that I was going to eat noodles. I wandered around the block a couple of times, walked back in only 15 minutes later, and I heard my name being called.
    I got the noodles to go, and they came in one of those awesome little boxes that you see only on TV. After 15 minutes of prancing all the way home with my cute little noodle box, and having this delicious smell waft up from it, I couldn't wait....I no sooner got in the door, when I ripped open my "only seen in the movies"  noodle box (I did actually try to eat out of it, but all the prawns were at the top, and I had mix them in.) The food was delicious! It was well worth the wait. I couldn't have asked for a cuter dinner than the Noodle Box.

Wow Liisa, sounds like you found another diamond gem to tell our patients about! If anyone wants to add their own restaurant review, they can email Liisa at wildestbutterfly@hotmail.com. Happy dining!

Healthy Computing Hoorah Hoorah by Jonas Solberg

LCD Monitors and a BAD Future Shop

I just recently purchased an LCD monitor. I have wanted and needed a new monitor upgrade for a long time and decided that nothing less than a 19" LCD was going to satisfy. So without much knowledge of LCDs I proceeded to go to Future Shop. After much discussion with the sales rep and me stressing that I needed the monitor for games, he advised me to purchase the affordable 19" Samsung 927s. When I got home and  set it up, I found much to my disappointment that the Future Shop rep had lied to me about the capabilities of the LCD. When I played any games or ran any animations it seemed to get very blurry. So blurry it was hard to play games.

What I found out is that this LCD and most cheep LCDs have a refresh rate that was too low, at around 25ms. That refresh rate is not very important if you don't have fast changes on your screen i.e.: doing word processing. But who uses their computer for only word processing?  So I took my monitor back to Future Shop very upset that the sales representative sold me a crappy monitor. I went to Staples and purchased for the same price a BENQ FP937s which has a refresh time of 12ms.  The difference between the two LCD monitors was incredible; so much that I wanted to write this article telling everyone to never buy a LCD monitor that has a slow refresh time.  A refresh time of at least 16ms is important.  Moral of this story never listen to Future Shop sales reps--they are not helpful!
 

Thanks for the advice, Jonas. I have noticed that Future Shop reps are very focused on making a commission. In your case, it appeared the rep was unethical and that may lead to you not going to Future Shop anymore--too bad but understandable. I would recommend writing in with a complaint or at least calling them so that the rep doesn't do the same thing to some poor schmuck. I have had a better experience at the Future Shop when I purchased my mini-stereo system (thanks Jose) and then my TV (thanks Mandu), but for sure, don't just assume the sales rep is looking out for your best interests--they're car salesmen at heart (no offense)!

Do you have a computing question or advice of your own? Just email Jonas at jonasonline@hotmail.com. If your submission's any good (and I'm sure it will be ;-} we'll include it in the next issue of the Tenacious Asylum!

Final Word to and from the Wise

Forget about what I said in Issue 4-- this has been the best issue of the Tenacious Asylum EVER!!! A big thank you to Liisa and Jonas for their contributions. Same goes to our two new writers, Real Deal & Troy Ounce...I expect great things from you, gentlemen! Also, I'm sure we all look forward to what the Asylum's newest patient, Anna, will have to offer. Let's all say a little prayer for our Milkshakes & Friends buddy, TripleD--rock those tests, buddy!

And remember everyone to tell Kleenex they're not being cool when they kill trees to make T.P.

Lastly and most importantly...keep those submissions coming--oh, and that reminds me, I need more people for Getting To Know You!

Until next time, remember to control the insanity! Dan.

PS You saw the ghost in the car commercial right? If you haven't, click here and check it out. If you're not amazed, I will give you one million dollars!