This morning I pushed R&B out of the bathroom, making sure no limbs were blocking me from shutting the door, locked it, and with a sigh of relief sat upon the lav. At this moment B stood outside the door and said:
'Before, when you wanted to keep a diary, you wrote it in a little book and locked it with a key and hid it under the bed. and nobody even knew it existed. Now you write a blog and everybody knows you're an idiot and your life is totally senseless'.
Pause for laughter.
'Can I start my blog now?'
'NO'
'I know how to do it!'
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Clothes for Quests
It is time to come clean about the clothes we like, R&B and I are unanimous, the clothes from Lord of the Rings. They were never designed to be costumes, but fully functioning clothes for quests.
When I go to heaven, if, after greeting all those I have loved and lost, they offer me the chance to wear Arwen's coronation gown, the one in the green that the designer fell in love with, palest shell pink organza falling from the sleeve and the butterfly crown, I will not be disappointed (as long as I look like Liv Tylor as part of the bargain).
In this life, however, appearing in full glory is reserved for special occasions, such as one's coronation or being invited to Elrond's hall for a banquet.
In the meantime, on to clothes for the everyday quest!
In the film of the Lord of the Rings such clothes are brought to life: functional but never utilitarian, worn torn dirtied and mended, in harmony with the nature of the wearer, the nature of the task and with nature herself. In such clothes we fortify ourselves and amplify the best of our nature, without resorting to vulgar display or unlivable fantasy. No doubt we all have our buttock-proffering skull-obsessed moments, but we distract ourselves from the quest if we pander to them.
Sully forth
In colours of twighlight, forest and field
In forms and fabrics for body and soul
Layered with history, strengthened by time
Strong and supple
To spring into action
Pass swiftly and lightly, all-terrain
Faithful and uncomplaining
Made to endure
Ennobled with emblems
And valiant ensign
Friday, February 12, 2010
Fashion Symbolism
Alexander McQueen was the British designer responsible for the introduction of the descent of trousers and the proffering of buttocks in everyday life.He also introduced the original idea of skull motifs on clothing, and a whole range of suspect symbolism that makes me surprised that the Satanists never sued for copywrite. Perhaps he just wanted us to 'in-your-face' the social taboo of death.
Alexander killed himself at forty, just as he attained, and before he could live out, his full maturity. I am sorry for his suffering.
Whatever the supposed merits for adults, I am sorry a
lso that we followed him and other fashion designers into clothing our children, from toddler to teenager, with symbols of skulls and hellfire. There isn't a childrens' clothing rack in the land that isn't infested.It starts with a cute skull for baby, it progresses to t-shirts for kid
s,masquerading as the cuddly side of horror, the garment on the right is cheerily sold as the 'Terminator skull, a popular scary looking skull, teenage boys especially like this one'. A closer examination of this character reveals that he wears the thinnest veneer of respectability...
Where is this leading to?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Our health, a call to arms
'The world is changed; I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth and in the air. Much that once was, is lost, for none now live who remember it.
It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to Elves, immortal, wise and fairest of all beings, seven to the Dwarves, great miners and craftsmen of the Mountain Hall, nine were given to the race of Man, which above all else desires power, for within these rings were the strength and will to govern each race. But they were each of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring to control all others, and into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all.
One by one the free lands of the Middle Earth fell to the power of the ring, but there were some who resisted, and who fought for the freedom of the Middle Earth...'
(From the film of Lord of the Rings)
The world of health is changed, although some of us might not have realised quite how much.
What were once three separate things, are now merged into one, and the identity of this new one we have not yet fully comprehended.
There is no longer Academic Medical Research as separate from Public Health, as separate from Pharmaceutical Industry, and those bodies which previously existed are now one, inseparable. One National Health Business to Rule them All, itself bound to our national economy, and the rulers and shareholders of private companies may grow rich upon it. The consequences of these changes are grave: it is not only activists, radicals and extremists who know this, for the Government Select Committee Health 4 knows it, for those who know where to read it:
'Thousands died and many suffered because the MHRA (UK regulatory body) failed, because it hastened to defend, licence and market a drug which was flawed.'
And from the Health 4 report we must now understand:
'Pharmaceutical companies will inevitably continue to be the dominant influence in deciding what research is undertaken and conducting that research, publishing it and providing information to prescribers'.
Who is the enemy? We cannot allow ourselves to demonise a 'Big Pharma', to think of it as some external evil element exploiting us for money and power. We cannot simply rail against it, for we have sold our health service to this element, and now we all serve it and rely on it, as workers in health and industry, and as users of the health service, as partakers of the national economy. It's just us, in various roles. And yet, it seems to be taking on a life, a character of its own. In the face of this great power, what can we do? We are each of us called to THINK about our everyday health, what it means to be human, and how we can best be healed.
The Health 4 report outlines some of the drug crimes committed by our National Health Business:
Here is the view of a health professional: '...most people are ill-equipped to make health decisions on their own, without getting information and guidance from a health care professional...people who are uninformed and scientifically illiterate are not capable of making rational decisions about health matters'
So says Harriet Hall, great believer in evidence and science-based medicine (sciencebasedmedicine.com).
But who is to say whether the 'health care professional' has been correctly informed, or even, actively mislead? Who is to say that the scientifically literate are capable enough, or noble enough to make rational decisions about our health?
Responsibility for our health slips from us into the shadow-land of scientific expertise, where only the best-equipped with science dare to go, and where only the strongest survive.
Health as become a battle ground between those armed to fight, armed with specialist scientific knowledge which a neighbouring specialist in a related field cannot hope to understand. Battles between those of high standing, with immaculate command of language, exemplary verbal reasoning skills, courage and determination beyond the reach of ordinary people. The battle ground is rent with the cries and parries
'Where is your source?'
'Not plausible!'
'Flawed research'
'Research invalid!'
Multiple sources are launched, repelled, multiple other sources counter-launched, evidence and interpretations questioned...
...and in the midst of this battle, the truth is hard, perhaps impossible to discern.
When some dared ask if pandemic flu vaccines could become mandatory, the same doctor Harriet Hall replied:
'No such proposal has been made. The Government couldn't do it even if it tried, because there won't be enough doses to go around. That's why they've issued recommendations prioritizing who should get the vaccine first.'
Even as she spoke, legally binding international health regulations were in place, and in force, and once the H1N1 pandemic was delcared in June 2009, Harriet's own Government went beyond a 'proposal', and declared its authority to make vaccines mandatory, in a congress report:
'States and local governments have the authority to initiate emergency measures such as mandatory vaccination orders and certain nonpharmeceutical interventions such as school closures, which may lessen the spread of infectious disease. The International Heatlh Rgulations adopted by the World Health Organization in 2005 provide a framework for international cooperation againts infectious disease threats. The use of these emergency measures to contain the 2009 influenza pandemic may raise a classic civil rights issue: to what extent can an individual's liberty be curtailed to advance the common good?'
Interesting questions, which we have not thought to answer.
But, as the World Health Organisation must reason, only the irrational, the scientifically illiterate would deny that vaccines are our best defence against disease, and any member of the herd who resists threatens the herd immunity and cannot be allowed that freedom.
But what if flu vaccines are not immune from question?
The World Health Organization told us long ago that
'In emergency situation the enjoyment of our individual human rights and civil liberties may have to be limited in the public interest' (WHO considerations in developing a public health response to pandemic influenza 2007).
But we did not notice, as our individual humand rights and our civil liberties were slowly, quietly worn away.
We cannot leave it to others, to some radical opposition to fight our battles, for any group gaining momentum, power, and hardening views is not immune from corruption. As Gandalf said upon being offered the Ring 'No! I would use this ring from a desire to do good, but through me it would wield a power too great and terrible to be imagined'.
There is a movement afoot whose one aim is to destroy anything that is alternative or complementary to science-based medicine, to the International Health Business. 'Alternative' health is in its infancy, it is taking its first steps and is easily toppled, whereas Hard Science is at its zenith, rooted deep in our age of materialism, with the world of media, law and politics at its command. If we do not allow an extended version of health, of human health, our health, to evolve and develop in freedom, it will be crushed. Already national, international and world organisations and regulatory bodies exist which can be influenced to eradicate all we term 'alternative' medicine. It is only a matter of time.
It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to Elves, immortal, wise and fairest of all beings, seven to the Dwarves, great miners and craftsmen of the Mountain Hall, nine were given to the race of Man, which above all else desires power, for within these rings were the strength and will to govern each race. But they were each of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring to control all others, and into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all.
One by one the free lands of the Middle Earth fell to the power of the ring, but there were some who resisted, and who fought for the freedom of the Middle Earth...'
(From the film of Lord of the Rings)
The world of health is changed, although some of us might not have realised quite how much.
What were once three separate things, are now merged into one, and the identity of this new one we have not yet fully comprehended.
There is no longer Academic Medical Research as separate from Public Health, as separate from Pharmaceutical Industry, and those bodies which previously existed are now one, inseparable. One National Health Business to Rule them All, itself bound to our national economy, and the rulers and shareholders of private companies may grow rich upon it. The consequences of these changes are grave: it is not only activists, radicals and extremists who know this, for the Government Select Committee Health 4 knows it, for those who know where to read it:
'Thousands died and many suffered because the MHRA (UK regulatory body) failed, because it hastened to defend, licence and market a drug which was flawed.'
And from the Health 4 report we must now understand:
- The National Health Business is no longer primarily concerned with our health:
- Our Government is in business, it sponsors the health industry
- The expanded unchecked influence of the health industry is against the public interest
- Our national regulatory body is itself competing for business on the international market
- Health industry dominates and corrupts drug research development and prescription
- It is inevitable that industry continue to dominate health provision on all levels
'Pharmaceutical companies will inevitably continue to be the dominant influence in deciding what research is undertaken and conducting that research, publishing it and providing information to prescribers'.
Who is the enemy? We cannot allow ourselves to demonise a 'Big Pharma', to think of it as some external evil element exploiting us for money and power. We cannot simply rail against it, for we have sold our health service to this element, and now we all serve it and rely on it, as workers in health and industry, and as users of the health service, as partakers of the national economy. It's just us, in various roles. And yet, it seems to be taking on a life, a character of its own. In the face of this great power, what can we do? We are each of us called to THINK about our everyday health, what it means to be human, and how we can best be healed.
The Health 4 report outlines some of the drug crimes committed by our National Health Business:
- Clinical trials which fail to indicate the true effects of a medicine on health outcomes relevant to the patient
- Several high profile cases of surpression of trial results
- Selective publication strategies and ghost writing
- Surpression of negative clinical trial findings leading to a body of evidence which does not reflect the true risk-benefit profile of the medicine in question
Here is the view of a health professional: '...most people are ill-equipped to make health decisions on their own, without getting information and guidance from a health care professional...people who are uninformed and scientifically illiterate are not capable of making rational decisions about health matters'
So says Harriet Hall, great believer in evidence and science-based medicine (sciencebasedmedicine.com).
But who is to say whether the 'health care professional' has been correctly informed, or even, actively mislead? Who is to say that the scientifically literate are capable enough, or noble enough to make rational decisions about our health?
Responsibility for our health slips from us into the shadow-land of scientific expertise, where only the best-equipped with science dare to go, and where only the strongest survive.
Health as become a battle ground between those armed to fight, armed with specialist scientific knowledge which a neighbouring specialist in a related field cannot hope to understand. Battles between those of high standing, with immaculate command of language, exemplary verbal reasoning skills, courage and determination beyond the reach of ordinary people. The battle ground is rent with the cries and parries
'Where is your source?'
'Not plausible!'
'Flawed research'
'Research invalid!'
Multiple sources are launched, repelled, multiple other sources counter-launched, evidence and interpretations questioned...
...and in the midst of this battle, the truth is hard, perhaps impossible to discern.
When some dared ask if pandemic flu vaccines could become mandatory, the same doctor Harriet Hall replied:
'No such proposal has been made. The Government couldn't do it even if it tried, because there won't be enough doses to go around. That's why they've issued recommendations prioritizing who should get the vaccine first.'
Even as she spoke, legally binding international health regulations were in place, and in force, and once the H1N1 pandemic was delcared in June 2009, Harriet's own Government went beyond a 'proposal', and declared its authority to make vaccines mandatory, in a congress report:
'States and local governments have the authority to initiate emergency measures such as mandatory vaccination orders and certain nonpharmeceutical interventions such as school closures, which may lessen the spread of infectious disease. The International Heatlh Rgulations adopted by the World Health Organization in 2005 provide a framework for international cooperation againts infectious disease threats. The use of these emergency measures to contain the 2009 influenza pandemic may raise a classic civil rights issue: to what extent can an individual's liberty be curtailed to advance the common good?'
Interesting questions, which we have not thought to answer.
But, as the World Health Organisation must reason, only the irrational, the scientifically illiterate would deny that vaccines are our best defence against disease, and any member of the herd who resists threatens the herd immunity and cannot be allowed that freedom.
But what if flu vaccines are not immune from question?
The World Health Organization told us long ago that
'In emergency situation the enjoyment of our individual human rights and civil liberties may have to be limited in the public interest' (WHO considerations in developing a public health response to pandemic influenza 2007).
But we did not notice, as our individual humand rights and our civil liberties were slowly, quietly worn away.
We cannot leave it to others, to some radical opposition to fight our battles, for any group gaining momentum, power, and hardening views is not immune from corruption. As Gandalf said upon being offered the Ring 'No! I would use this ring from a desire to do good, but through me it would wield a power too great and terrible to be imagined'.
There is a movement afoot whose one aim is to destroy anything that is alternative or complementary to science-based medicine, to the International Health Business. 'Alternative' health is in its infancy, it is taking its first steps and is easily toppled, whereas Hard Science is at its zenith, rooted deep in our age of materialism, with the world of media, law and politics at its command. If we do not allow an extended version of health, of human health, our health, to evolve and develop in freedom, it will be crushed. Already national, international and world organisations and regulatory bodies exist which can be influenced to eradicate all we term 'alternative' medicine. It is only a matter of time.
...but there were some who resisted, some who fought for freedom of the Middle Earth...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Lord of the Rings
I've been putting in a bit of method acting practice as I have ambitions to play an Uruk-hai in the stage version of Lord of the Rings.
I'm an excellent candidate for wearing an over-muscled body suit, throwing my head back, throwing open my mouth, baring my terrible teeth, and releasing from the debth of my being an utterly bestial roar. I've got the shoulder shake down to a tee. Failing that I would like to play Eowyn, the bit where she stands in the hill in Rohan in the floaty dress, but only if she gets together with Faramir at the end. Oh, valiant Faramir. Also valiant Boromir, Aragorn, Legolas, Eomer and in a good light, Elrond, Gandalf, Saruman and King Theodin, how to choose, how to choose?. And the arousing music, the march of the Elves to war: deeply sad, nobly determined, always glorious, the horns of the Rohirrim, the beat of Saruman's army of 10 000, I could go on.
Now, onto more important matters. This book has something to say to every one of us, and here a very important moment:
Frodo, suddenly aware of himself again...free to choose
'And suddenly he felt the Eye. there was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew that it had become aware of his gaze. A fierce eager will was there. It leaped towards him, almost like a finger he felt it, searching for him. Very soon it would nail him down, now just exactly where he was. Amon Lhaw it touched. It glanced upon Tol Brandir - he threw himself from the seat, crouching, covering his head with his grey hood.
He heard himself crying out; Never, never! Or was it: Verily I come, I come to you? He could not tell. Then as a flash from some other point of power there came to his mind another thought. Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the ring!
The two powers strove in him. for amoment, perfectly balanced between their piercing points, he writhed, tormented. Suddenly he was aware of himself again. Frodo, neither the Voice nor the Eye; free to choose and with one remaining instant in which to do so. He took the Ring off his finger. He was kneeling in clear sunlight before the high seat. A black shadow seemed to pass like an arm above him; it missed Amon Hen and groped out west, and faded. Then all the sky was clean and blue and birds sang in every tree.
Frodo rose to his feet A great weariness was on him, but his will was firm and his heart lighter. He spoke aloud to himself. 'I will do now what I must', he said.
As Elrond said to Frodo, 'I think that this task is appointed for you Frodo, and that if you do not find a way, no-one will'
And the Lady Galadriel adds, 'For the fate of Lothlorien you are not answerable, but only for the doing of your own task...'
The only problem is, time is getting on a bit, what have I come here to do?
I'm an excellent candidate for wearing an over-muscled body suit, throwing my head back, throwing open my mouth, baring my terrible teeth, and releasing from the debth of my being an utterly bestial roar. I've got the shoulder shake down to a tee. Failing that I would like to play Eowyn, the bit where she stands in the hill in Rohan in the floaty dress, but only if she gets together with Faramir at the end. Oh, valiant Faramir. Also valiant Boromir, Aragorn, Legolas, Eomer and in a good light, Elrond, Gandalf, Saruman and King Theodin, how to choose, how to choose?. And the arousing music, the march of the Elves to war: deeply sad, nobly determined, always glorious, the horns of the Rohirrim, the beat of Saruman's army of 10 000, I could go on.
Now, onto more important matters. This book has something to say to every one of us, and here a very important moment:
Frodo, suddenly aware of himself again...free to choose
'And suddenly he felt the Eye. there was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew that it had become aware of his gaze. A fierce eager will was there. It leaped towards him, almost like a finger he felt it, searching for him. Very soon it would nail him down, now just exactly where he was. Amon Lhaw it touched. It glanced upon Tol Brandir - he threw himself from the seat, crouching, covering his head with his grey hood.
He heard himself crying out; Never, never! Or was it: Verily I come, I come to you? He could not tell. Then as a flash from some other point of power there came to his mind another thought. Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the ring!
The two powers strove in him. for amoment, perfectly balanced between their piercing points, he writhed, tormented. Suddenly he was aware of himself again. Frodo, neither the Voice nor the Eye; free to choose and with one remaining instant in which to do so. He took the Ring off his finger. He was kneeling in clear sunlight before the high seat. A black shadow seemed to pass like an arm above him; it missed Amon Hen and groped out west, and faded. Then all the sky was clean and blue and birds sang in every tree.
Frodo rose to his feet A great weariness was on him, but his will was firm and his heart lighter. He spoke aloud to himself. 'I will do now what I must', he said.
As Elrond said to Frodo, 'I think that this task is appointed for you Frodo, and that if you do not find a way, no-one will'
And the Lady Galadriel adds, 'For the fate of Lothlorien you are not answerable, but only for the doing of your own task...'
The only problem is, time is getting on a bit, what have I come here to do?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Overtones
'The source - the vocal folds - provides the raw sonic energy, which the filter - the vocal tracts - shapes into vowels, consonants and musical notes '
( Scientific American, 'The Throat Singers of Tuva')
I've been singing a lot recently. Sometimes, and this has happened all my life, the song falls dead from my lips, strangled and swallowed up. At other times, the song seems somehow to engage the surroundings - the air, the water, the walls and the furniture - and is thrown high and wide and back to me.
After a particularly rich rendition of 'There was a Lady' I was reminded of IB's overtone singing. I reminisced and mused about it for some time in front of JC before glancing at him to guage his reaction to this marvel, and perhaps hear his analysis, but was instead greeted by his habitual blank expression.
I did ask IB at the time how he did it and he asked me what I heard and I said I believed he started from an 'r' sound and he said 'Oh, that's interesting, you heard an 'r' did you? ' and after a long pause he said, 'in fact it is more around m and l...'.
Above the plucking of the guitar and the throbbing waves of a vaguely Celtic rolling low sound, composed perhaps of ls and ms, rose four overtones, and they rose as four birds which flew to the roof of the cathedral and shrilled their melody, each tone stacked above the other. Their song was so juicy, so perfectly distinct from the accompaniment below that they could, at any moment have flown off in formation.
'What did you hear?' I said to JC, suddenly curious.
'Ah...something...'
How could he have missed it? How could he hear the distant buzzing of a bee, rather than the chorus of four birds? He told me he was feeling somewhat cut off that night, as he was mentally preparing to go back to work after the Christmas holidays, preparing to be the lone pilgrim in the grim grey world of banking, which I fully understand, but I thought overtone singing was purely physical, and that any who have ears to hear can hear it.
Some time later I talked to a great musician who claimed to be able to do a bit of the old overtones himself, and he said it IS physical, but that some people are more tuned equipment for "hearing" it than others.
( Scientific American, 'The Throat Singers of Tuva')
I've been singing a lot recently. Sometimes, and this has happened all my life, the song falls dead from my lips, strangled and swallowed up. At other times, the song seems somehow to engage the surroundings - the air, the water, the walls and the furniture - and is thrown high and wide and back to me.
After a particularly rich rendition of 'There was a Lady' I was reminded of IB's overtone singing. I reminisced and mused about it for some time in front of JC before glancing at him to guage his reaction to this marvel, and perhaps hear his analysis, but was instead greeted by his habitual blank expression.
I did ask IB at the time how he did it and he asked me what I heard and I said I believed he started from an 'r' sound and he said 'Oh, that's interesting, you heard an 'r' did you? ' and after a long pause he said, 'in fact it is more around m and l...'.
Above the plucking of the guitar and the throbbing waves of a vaguely Celtic rolling low sound, composed perhaps of ls and ms, rose four overtones, and they rose as four birds which flew to the roof of the cathedral and shrilled their melody, each tone stacked above the other. Their song was so juicy, so perfectly distinct from the accompaniment below that they could, at any moment have flown off in formation.
'What did you hear?' I said to JC, suddenly curious.
'Ah...something...'
How could he have missed it? How could he hear the distant buzzing of a bee, rather than the chorus of four birds? He told me he was feeling somewhat cut off that night, as he was mentally preparing to go back to work after the Christmas holidays, preparing to be the lone pilgrim in the grim grey world of banking, which I fully understand, but I thought overtone singing was purely physical, and that any who have ears to hear can hear it.
Some time later I talked to a great musician who claimed to be able to do a bit of the old overtones himself, and he said it IS physical, but that some people are more tuned equipment for "hearing" it than others.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Complete Louse
Detective Inspector Nit Presents
THE COMPLETE LOUSE
Back to school - and it appears, as usual, that our children are not the only ones to be back, as a week or so later a note appears on the school gate:
THE LICE ARE BACK
Oh no.Once upon a time long ago at an infant school far from here, B started school. One week later the inevitable message was hooked up to the school gate: the lice are back. Here is what I did (do not try this at home).
- Stage 1: (thinks) 'Lice? Good Grief. No, it's too horrible to think about. He just won't catch them, that's all
- Stage 2: His head is itching, this is because he has dandruff, perhaps he is allergic to his ecologically sound natural shampoo?
- Stage 3: TOTAL LOUSE DOMINATION they have taken over planet head, this world is now so overpopulated that some lice have been forced to leave and colonise other planets...
- Stage 4: TOTAL PANIC
But all this does not mean that the child cannot catch them again, one month later...
The Louse and Nit Brain Teaser
Mr and Mrs Louse arrive at your child's head to set up home. Mrs Louse is pregnant with 50 eggs (nits) and will lay them at a rate of five per day. When she has finished laying she will fall pregnant again and lay a further 50 nits at the same rate. After that she will die of exhaustion and her husband will die of grief.
The eggs take 10 days to hatch, and the babies then take a further 10 days to reach maturity and be capable of laying their own eggs.
Assuming that none of the babies leave home, no other lice arrive, and nobody treats the lice, how many nits, babies and adults will there be:
- After 10 days
- After 20 days
- After 30 days
- After 40 days
- After 50 days
I scratched my head over this enigma (for perfectly innocent reasons) and R&B were astonished at just how many sides of scribbled out A4 I covered with my calculations, but, correct me if I'm wrong, the results are as follows:
- After 10 days 45 nits and 5 babies
- After 20 days 53 nits, 55 babies and 5 adults
- After 30 days 125 nits, 45 babies and 55 adults
- After 40 days 187 nits 138 babies and 113 adults
- After 50 days 625 nits 250 babies and 125 adults
I am now totally convinced that never again will I inspect my child's head without knowing what nits and lice look like, without my glasses, in the dark, from a short distance with one eye closed and with hope in my heart.
I must search for the truth, and face it.
Three lines
of
Gap please
10 Facts about Lice that you should Know
- Lice only climb off heads in order to reach other heads. They die in less than 2 days if they have no blood. Therefore those that drop off are dead, dying sick or confused, and any with the strength remaining will clamber back to the head immediately. They do not lurk in dusty places for decades like fleas. Further therefore it is NOT NECESSARY OR DESIRABLE to steam clean wash, scrub and disinfect your entire house - the car - the lawn, your neighbour's lawn, the neighbours house and so ad infinitum THANK GOD.
- Little egg, big louse, yes, the truth is contained within the observation LICE HAVE BABIES. Therefore if you comb out a few microscopic red and black dots not visible to the middle aged eye without reading glasses or even with them, frankly, and you mistakenly believe that your child is louse free, a few days later the dots will be old enough to engage in INDESCRIMINATE SEXUAL PRACTICES.
 |
| The Louse family, baby to adult in 10 days |
It is debateable whether or not poisoning with insecticides works, it depends on the rigour of application and whether or not the lice are resistant to the poison, and the most effective poison is a combination of all the poisons and therefore the poison voted most likely to poison your child and our planet (refs available).
- The type of comb and the method of combing is important - see below
- Lice do not like the smell of tea-tree oil and if their backs are rendered sensitive by alcohol it can kill them (clinical refs available).
- Teachers in France dye their hair because lice do not like to live in dyed hair (unverified anecdotal evidence)
- Lice cannot jump THANK GOD
- But they can run pdquick, climb with ease, and love to play hide, but not seek
- They do not drown easily
- Babies up to 10 days old stay on the head where they were born, therefore your child is not likely to give lice to others if you comb twice a week, even if babies are still present.
 |
| Comb with long vicious teeth |
Wet combing with comb that has long ferocious teeth:
Do this as soon as there is a louse alert in your neighbourhood, or after careful checking of your child's head.
GET INTO THE HABIT OF REGULARLY CHECKING YOUR CHILD'S HEAD for small pearly white teardrop shaped 'dandruff' that sticks to hair and can't be brushed off, for red itchy pathes or blood spots especially near nape of neck, for little red or black dots (babies) or sesame seed coloured and sized fast moving beasts.
This technique and keeping it up a once a week as a detection/prevention routine, will save you from having to deal with an infestation. The combing technique alone can get rid of an infestation if done carefully and repeated often. Wash hair once, slather with conditioner, (saves pulling on hair and subsequence screams, and sticks beasts safetly to the goo so they can't escape) comb out the conditioner with the above type comb and wipe every swipe on kitchen roll and dispose of safely. As louse eggs (nits) take 10 days to hatch and a further 10 days to reach sexual maturity, if you do this once a week for several weeks and then from time to time to check that the beasts have not returned, you have a diagnostic tool, prevention and treatment in one good routine.
Electric Comb expensive to buy but easy for spot checks and very enjoyable sadistic killing.
Essential oils: a hopeful spray of lavander oil and a big dose of denial will not help you, but there is some good news about essential oils high in phenols, cetones, exoydes and aldehydes, eg: aniseed, origano, cinnamon leaf, tea tree (the most effective), bergamot, naiouli, eucalyptus, citronella carraway seed and Spanish marjoram. Combined with vinegar or alcohol which weakens the beasts' backs these oils can cause them to die. Ha.
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