Posts by HAL9000

We live on 3 acres in the Blue Mountains, about 60 miles west of Sydney at about 2700 feet and have been here for the past 20 years. We originally moved here to be able to have a large garden with lots of privacy - which we do have. You can see for about 9-10 miles over the Jamison Valley from the house.

Would not trade living here for the city. Like you we bought rather cheaply, but our property values have skyrocketed as others have decided to move out of the city. One thing though: while we cannot be seen from any public road, the J-Dubs use the aerial photos from the council.....

h9k

59

What is Your Favorite all time Pink Floyd Song ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

when i had a thread a few months ago on your favorite all time groups.

i believe pink floyd finished very high in the ratings.

so, considering there are many pink floyd fans out there, including myself, what is your all time favorite pink floyd song ?

HAL9000

Us & Them - Dark Side of the Moon

But a hard pick !!

34

Scary Songs

by Clam in

jw
friends

did you have a song or tune that used to give you the creeps when you were a kid?

i used to hate sparky's magic piano, while the theme from dr.who used to make me put my hands over my ears.. i've been trying to think of some more .

clam .

HAL9000

Phaedra by Tangerine Dream

Music only, but not recommeded if you are out of it...............

36

new qfr on non-witness weddings

by karvel in

HAL9000

It is the isolate and alienate philosophy of this organisation that I find so abhorrent.

These words sicken me to the depths of my soul.

h9k

4

EPO and Bloodless Surgery

by HAL9000 in

currently a family member is about to undergo serious surgery.

the surgeon indicated that he would like a unit of pre-operative autologous blood to be donated in case of any unforeseen problems.

the (obvious) response was no: the surgery will proceed however.. .

HAL9000

The information that was supplied re EPO was via a DVD ordered in specifically by my relative. I get the impression from viewing it that it was intended for more a professional medical audience than the general populace. It did have the hallmarks of WT publications though - snippets of quotes from articles etc.

I think that a key issue here is that the approach recommended by the WTS (ie use of EPO) is under a real cloud from the USFDA and that people contemplating the use of EPO should be informed as to the risks. While many medical practitioners are up to date on these matters, many are not. An even worse scenario is the use of non-medically provided EPO by an uninformed person (EPO is one of the banned "performance enhancing" drugs and can be obtained by various means)

I'll dig up the DVD and let you know the details in the next day or so (my access to JWD is restricted)

h9k

4

EPO and Bloodless Surgery

by HAL9000 in

currently a family member is about to undergo serious surgery.

the surgeon indicated that he would like a unit of pre-operative autologous blood to be donated in case of any unforeseen problems.

the (obvious) response was no: the surgery will proceed however.. .

HAL9000

Currently a family member is about to undergo serious surgery. The surgeon indicated that he would like a unit of pre-operative autologous blood to be donated in case of any unforeseen problems. The (obvious) response was no: the surgery will proceed however.

A point that needs to be kept in mind is that the WTS has suggested in one of their “Bloodless Surgery” DVD’s that EPO (erythropoietin) can be used to increase hemacrit levels before surgery, thus reducing the need for transfusion. This approach was suggested to one of the medical team who indicated that this was “not on” due to the increased risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Scratch that option.

A little further investigation revealed the following Alert from the US FDA. Please note that unlike the information provided by the WTS this is a full extract from that source.

Information on Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESA) (marketed as Procrit, Epogen, and Aranesp)

FDA ALERT [11/16/2006, Updated 2/16/2007 and 3/9/2007]: FDA is issuing this alert to provide new safety information for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) [Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa), Epogen (epoetin alfa), and Procrit (epoetin alfa)]. Analyses of four new studies in patients with cancer found a higher chance of serious and life-threatening side effects and/or death with the use of ESAs. These research studies were evaluating an unapproved dosing regimen, a patient population for which ESAs are not approved, or a new unapproved ESA.

In another study, patients scheduled for orthopedic surgery had a higher rate of deep venous thrombosis when treated with Procrit at the approved dose. This new information is consistent with risks found in two clinical studies in patients with chronic renal failure treated with an unapproved regimen of an ESA that were reported in November 2006 and are summarized in the data section below.

All ESAs have the same mechanism of action. As a result, FDA believes these new concerns apply to all ESAs and is re-evaluating how to safely use this product class. FDA and Amgen, the manufacturer of Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit, have changed the full prescribing information for these drugs. The new product labeling includes a new boxed warning, updated warnings, and a change to the dosage and administration sections for all ESAs.

I would be curious to know if anyone knows if the Witchtower and Babble Society has provided any update on the potentially serious side-effects of the approaches that they have promoted to those about to undergo such surgery. I suspect not.

Anyone about to embark on this type of surgery needs to be aware of the risks involved and not to be duped by the pseudo-science of the ethically challenged.

H9k

11

Banning Plasma TV in Australia within a year!!!!!

by Es in

jw
friends

just read in one of newspapers that .

most current plasma television sets would be banned from sale in australia within a year under onerous mandatory energy requirements recommended in a report commissioned by the federal government.. .

mmm think there is going to be a few angry aussies out here.

HAL9000

While LCDs are more efficient than plasma, still have a substantial energy use.

Energy efficiency labelling is suggested (like for other appliances) as well as greener TVs - standby is an issue.

I understand that if the sets meet the standards proposed for the EU, there won't be a real problem - it relates to what is on the market now.

h9k

21

AAAARRGH My FIRST EVER lecture... Please, some helpful tips n hints??????

by Kudra in

jw
friends

i know a bunch of you have done lots of public speaking, lectures etc.

this is not my strong point.

i really am interested in your little nuggets of wisdom here; what do you do to reign in a bunch of unruly students and make 'em enthralled???

HAL9000

So glad to hear that it went well.

Wouldn't tell you before your talk, but during the first talk I gave at a conference the bulb in the overhead projector (remember them??) exploded. Loudly.

Near crapped myself, but survived....

It does get easier as you do more though.

h9k

29

What are JW beliefs called?

by RebelWife in

catholics/catholicism.

jehovah's witnesses/jehovah's witnessism?

HAL9000

How about "Spiritual Fast Food" as it is:

1) Generally unsatisfying

2) Not particularly good for you

3) the product of a multinational publishing company