Note: If you blog, read this post!

If you don't blog, you probably will have no idea what I'm talking about. Sorry, but this public info announcement needs to get shouted as loud as possible.

Blacklist Version 1.5 was announced today. It is, without a doubt, the best anti-comment spam solution I've seen to date. Installs in minutes, no modifications to your blog, and automatic rejection of comment spam from the second you install it.

If you blog with Movable Type, you need this. It is just that cool. And you get to tell off the spammers in your own special way if you wish. Wanna see mine? Click the "Comment" link below and try and send something to me, but use a known "spam" URL or email address. For example, use the anatomically correct phrase for a males sexual organ (rhymes with "weenis") in the URL field. I can't type it directly as that's why spammers do this, to get higher rankings for their sites. Fun!

Rant coming!

From a BBC report on a recent study on the effects of third-party prayer and surgery recovery:

The MANTRA study... involved 750 patients.

Before their operations, they were randomly split into two groups, and half were prayed for by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims.

However, checks revealed they had fared no better than those not prayed for.

Neither hospital staff, the patients, or their relatives had any idea which patients' were receiving prayer, to prevent any chance of the results being skewed.

Sigh. Do you think we'll ever get over these reductionist "body as machine" principles that guide our acceptance of the natural world? Will there ever come a day when we (collectively) realize a persons frame of mind and will to be of a healthy state is a key element of quality health care?

I was reading an article on BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia) from Nigeria of all places. This is very appropriate, as a good friend of mine is currently dealing with this issue. I haven't decided to take him as a client just yet, as I'm not sure he's willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes to get control over this condition.

It's been said that every man, if he lives long enough, will suffer not only BPH, but also develop prostate cancer. I used to subscribe to this philosophy, but have come to realize the need for a modifier in the sentence. Not every man, but every man living the "good life" of western culture will eventually wind up with the condition, and most likely the disease.

I reference the Nigerian article because it comes from an emerging country. BPH is another "disease of civilization" to me, a fact beginning to be recognized in countries that are learning to embrace western culture-- and deal with bad along with the reported good. The following lifestyle choices are well known to increase the general populations trending towards elevated cases of prostate problems:

1. Low fiber, highly processed foods as the staples of diet. Would you like fries with that? Follow the progression of fast-food franchises around the globe and you'll see a trail of illnesses follow close behind.

2. Increased serum cholesterol levels. Too much bad fat and not enough good. Poor digestion, increases stress levels... the causes go on and on.

3. Avoid beer. Sacrilege! Beer, as any aficionado will attest, is a diuretic, putting increased stress on the gland. It indirectly causes increased numbers of prostatic cells.

4. Excessive stress. Even the NIH has studied the effect of stress on the prostate. I can't emphasize enough the toll chronic stress has on the body as a whole.

So here's a quiz for the audience. How many men over the age of 40 can you name who have all three of these increased risk factors for BPH? I tried and came up with "all of them".

Sure, Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is great for BPH. Studies have shown it to be just as effective (if not more so) at treating the symptoms of BPH as the leading pharmaceutical. Other plants, like Nettles (Urtica dioica) and Pygeum (Pygeum africanum) can be helpful as well. BUT... you have to remove the bad habits that lie at the root of the problem or you will not be successful in your treatment. You can't help being 45, but you don't have to eat, drink and live that way any longer, do you? It's obviously bad for your health...

I really try to stay away from politics, as far too many blogs out there seem to be comprised of nothing but. However, sometimes they are just so cute when they are new:

... Clark, the newest Democratic presidential candidate, gave supporters one of the first glimpses into his views on technology.

"I still believe in e=mc², but I can't believe that in all of human history, we'll never ever be able to go beyond the speed of light to reach where we want to go," said Clark. "I happen to believe that mankind can do it.

"Some goals may take a lifetime to reach," he said.

Or longer. Come on, Clarksie! Yes, it may have worked for JFK back in the '60's, but shouldn't you pick something a little more close to home to fixate on? Sure, faster-than-light travel would be great, but what about... Oh, I don't know, over population? Global warming? Over-dependence on fossil-fuels? Poverty? Surely some of those far less challenging efforts might be worthy of some attention?

Gotta get this guy on the phone for my sci-fi and fantasy radio show!