LegendaryLife Blog

I have heard of this several times in the media now, former star turned murderer and coward, Chris Benoit was found in a home with his dead 7 year old child and wife. The medias take… STEROIDS DID IT!

He had problems

Although this is a developing story, based on what I read, it seems this guy had problems for a long time. In 2003 his wife filed for divorce, placed a restraining order against him and to say his job is violent is an understatement. So why the focus on steroids?

Steroids did it!

I am getting tired of the media characterizing steroids as causing “roid rage” which can, within an instant, cause a totally normal person to go on a violent killing spree. It doesn’t work that way! Politicians, in their absolute ignorance will jump on this to put even further resources to stop the steroid epidemic from killing other innocent victims. When ever there is a suicide, murder or violence with steroids at the scene, the media instantly link that as the cause and that’s the end of the story. Pushing the myth that this is an extremely dangerous drug when the opposite is true.

What is steroids, what it does and doesn’t do

Steroids is used not only by bodybuilders, it’s used for wasting diseases to help keep a person from totally wasting away (ei: AIDS, Cancer etc. ) but the media seems to think that only bodybuilders use this to build up their incredible physique. From my talks with various steroid users, this “roid rage” is simply a boost of energy when working out. Those who describe this as violent tendencies had them before, no different then an alcoholic blaming a rampage on a bottle of Vodka. Steroids is simply a scape goat used by people to lay blame on something else for their actions and decisions.

Steroids vs Alcohol vs Cocaine

Oddly enough, the FDA is so concerned about the social impact that steroids can have on society that in the United States, it’s classified along the same hard drugs as Cocaine and even Heroin. Put another way, they don’t mid alcohol being advertised and sold to drunk drivers, they don’t mind tobacco being sold which causes cancer but those damn steroids have got to go! Many countries, wrongly, have also banned the use of recreational steroids. Steroids does screw up your hormonal balance and cause grown men to cry like a school girl when they go off, but the impact of a drunk is far worse on society in my opinion. If followed by a doctor, I think steroids are perfectly safe, many men are on hormone replacement therapy and they aren’t out there killing people!

The Bottom Line

Chris is a looser, plain and simple, I can only hope they place blame on HIM and not steroids.

References

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/06/25/wrestler.dead.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

Every few months it seems a company proclaims to have invented a product that will change the way everybody in the world does something regarding food acquisition. Gone are the days when a revolution was stumbling on an exotic animal while out hunting or seeing some berries different kind of berries.

What does the ikan do?

Well, this revolutionary product simply scans the UPC Code of the items you are about to throw out (hopefully after you consumed it). Revolutionary? Hardly, I have seen this type of technology for several years, usually accompanied by the latest and greatest fridge to hit the market. What is “sorta” unique is that once you scan something, instead of printing out a ticket (you can do that too btw), it that it adds this product to an online shopping cart automatically. For instance, you eat a can of beans, before throwing out the can, you scan it and now you have an online cart waiting for your money to send you the replacement for the can of beans you just ate. Think of it as a “just in time” inventory management system meets the general public.

Wait… there is more!

Going up the revolutionary scale, this product also understands voice command, as most vegetables and fruits don’t come with a UPC Code, you can simply tell this machine “Carrot” and it will add it to your online shopping list. If it doesn’t recognize it, it sends this word or description (if you don’t know what you ate yourself) to customer service to interpret your food item. This is a patented item by the way, I hope they didn’t patent writing your grocery lists on a piece of paper!

Ah, one more thing… this is environmentally friendly!

Now this feature I find rather unique, never heard of such a thing. The ikan doesn’t only record and add your food item to a shopping cart, it also tells you if the item is recyclable! Yes, if you eat a banana, it will tell you that it can be composted… how is that for redundantly cool! They also claim not buying more then you can eat (duplicate products) will save money and the environment. Although this argument is on very shaky ground, in the next paragraph, ikan says it will send you free samples with your order… which to me seems to defeat the environmentally friendly aspect of this system. I also know a banana is biodegradable and getting useless junk in the mail that ends up being thrown out (product samples) wastes time, energy and resources.

What do you need to get started?

Well, you need a wireless home network set-up, computer with internet access and a valid e-mail.

Is this needed?

Although I can see this being a benefit to those with disabilities, notably the blind, seniors and the disabled who can’t make it to a grocery store on a regular basis, I think this product is just another item that should go into the incinerator. The energy used to keep this item functioning (electricity) and simply in the production of this unit is a waste of environmental resources. It says you end up spending less then 10 minutes grocery shopping because this item does everything for you, but add in the time checking your order, “online shopping” for additional items and the cost of simply shipping the groceries to you and quite frankly, you got a HUGE new source of pollution and wasted time. Is having a plane followed by a truck to deliver your 20$ worth of groceries really smart when you can just walk down the street and get the same item (usually on sale)?

The Bottom Line

Stick to a piece of paper and pencil, it will cost less, be more environmentally friendly and best of all, get you out of the house!

References

http://www.ikan.net/

Buzzvia http://crunchgear.com/2007/06/25/ikan-is-set-to-revolutionize-your-grocery-shopping-experience/#comment-293909

Every once in a while, you see a product that makes you think… now, why didn’t I think of that! This is such a product at least to me. Well, it’s what is referred to as a carpet alarm!

Features

Tired of waking up to an alarm clock that is easily forgotten or worse, thrown across the room for disturbing your dreams with a certain celebrity? Well, the Carpet Alarm resolves that problem and more! Designed by Sofie Collin and Gustav Lanberg, the Carpet Alarm forces you to actually get out of bed and stand (ei: put force) onto the carpet to make it shut-up. The farther away from your bed you put this item, the more likely it is to wake you up as you need to move your body that much further away from the bed to turn it off. It also has an internal LCD screen to indicate the time… how cool is that!

The Bottom Line

If you need this product, you need to see a psychiatrist as this will simply be yet another helpful tool that ends up being thrown out the window.

Reference

http://crunchgear.com/2007/06/22/the-carpet-alarm-clock-go-ahead-step-on-it/

http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2007/06/19/carpet-alarm-clock/

There are few tests that cause so much debate as the 60 second HIV test. Gone are the days when you need to wait weeks to find out IF you have acquired HIV Disease and I believe this is a good thing.

Test Details

The 60 second HIV test is just as accurate as the old “up to 3 weeks” laboratory test still routinely performed today. The test comes in a kit called the INSTI HIV-1 Rapid Antibody Test which is manufactured by bioLytical Laboratories and works by detecting the antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 in blood, serum or plasma. INSTI HIV-1 Rapid Antibody Test kit contains the INSTI Membrane Units, sample diluent, color developer and clarifying solution. The nice thing about this test is that it can sense Recombinant HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteins. In case you where wondering, the test cost 8 dollars in Canadian Funds. Heck, I think these should be mandatory when ever you enter into a new relationship as 30% of the people with HIV Disease in North America don’t even know they have it!

60 Second Ramifications

Some people argue that waiting weeks for a test result will make people think twice about potentially exposing themselves to HIV Disease in the future while others say that this in itself is preventing many people who would otherwise get the test, to infect others. I guess it depends on the person facing this possibly life altering test result, if it was me, I would prefer to know right away instead of having three weeks of sleepless nights for what may end up being nothing. No matter your feelings, the advantages are great, especially before making any kind of contact (sexual or otherwise) with a new partner. Sure, it isn’t sexy but hey, neither is the pill regimen that must be taken if you do end up with HIV Disease.

The Bottom Line

Prevention is always the best course of action when faced with a life altering disease.

Reference
bioLytical Laboratories http://www.biolytical.com/

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/06/22/ont-hiv-070622.html

To men, farting is a source of pride, something to be shared and cherished while for women, it’s still a social taboo but regardless of where you come from, we all do it, consciously or unconsciously.

Why do we fart?

If we didn’t fart, our bodies would blow up like a balloon from all the gas (internal and external) that enters our gut. There are millions of chemical reactions happening within you RIGHT NOW by all the cells that make you, well, YOU. All this activity produces gas which your bloodstream takes away from cells and dumps in the most convenient location, be it your lungs or intestines. Another area of gas production is in the intestines themselves, we have billions of bacteria living their entire lives (albeit short) throughout your digestive system. Like anything else in this world that works, gas is produced which your body tries to find the most efficient manner of expelling. You may also be swallowing minute amounts of air which make it down and out as well. The average person farts up to 14 times a day and the longer you hold it in, the more it builds up, hence bigger farts!

Why do farts smell so bad?

This mostly depends on both the type of bacteria in your digestive system and what you ate earlier as different chemical reactions produce different gases. The chemical compounds you are smelling either by your choice or somebody elses are mostly sulfur and nitrogen based. This is why volcanoes smell so bad if you ever get the chance to visit one or happen to be downwind. The reason some farts do not smell is because there isn’t much of these compounds in the fart relative to the oxygen and carbon dioxide expelled.

Is it possible to never fart?

Actually, we fart throughout our life, your body is like an engine and your anus is the tailpipe. Even after we die, we still fart and sometimes our guts even explode since there is no longer a mechanism to expel the gases (known as peristalsis or intestinal contractions) . You may be dead but the bacteria inside of you aren’t… they go into overtime! By the way, women fart just as much as men, they just don’t relish the experience as much.

Why do certain foods make produce more farts?

Gas production is related to the amount of material that you digest but cannot process, this leads to the bacteria inside of you feasting like a Christmas Diner with the resultant fermentation leading to mega farts! For instance, beans have 3 types of sugars that the body cannot process (raffinose, stachiose and verbascose), hence, their ability to exert extra gas relative to other foods.

How can farts be prevented?

As you read earlier, we all fart throughout our lives (and afterlives), as a result, they cannot be prevented. Sure, you may be able to hold one in while your conscious but at the cost of a relationship when you fall asleep.

Why do farts follow you?

Farts do seem to follow you don’t they, well, the reason is air pressure and your clothing. For air pressure demonstrations, the Japanese have a great video which you should watch (click on movie below) while for clothing, they absorb the fart, hence the smell gets slowly released.

The Bottom Line

Nothing wrong with farting, but this view may not be shared by those around you.

Reference

http://www.heptune.com/farts.html

Buzzvia: Lifeleak http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a88_1182467920