A "Scientology" School

There seems to be a lot of hullabaloo about the school that Will Smith and his wife Jada are opening. Because the school uses the study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard some news reports are calling it a "Scientology" school.

My guess is they are calling it that for two reasons:

• Ignorance
• So they can make it sound "Controversial" to "sell more papers"

Neither reason is forgivable. Both reasons are a betrayal of the public trust given to the media and a threat to freedom of speech. Every inaccurate report in the media gives fuel to those who wish to curb that right.

The school does not teach Scientology. So how can it be called a "Scientology School"?

What these inaccurate and misinformed reports do is merely obscure the most effective study methods developed since a Greek philosopher stood before a group of interested students and began to expound his ideas.

Think about it: Our teaching methods have not changed in thousands of years.

2,500 years ago in the Gold Age of Greece there were four primary teaching methods:

• Stand in front of a group and tell them stuff
• Write a book and have others read it
• Get your students together and have them discuss ideas
• Show someone by example how to do something

We are still using these four basic methods today. Modern technology has merely expanded on these so you can video the guy who is telling stuff or showing how to do stuff so he doesn't have to stand in front of the group, you can make the book come to life in a video or a Power Point presentation and your students can video conference so they don't have to be in the same physical location to discuss ideas.

These methods are good methods and have helped us produce our current civilization but what about the poor guy who "just can't get it"? The answers of the existing methods are: "you are stupid" or "you are not smart enough" or "get it or you will fail the class" or "if you fail you won't get that well paid job." or "you will end up flipping burgers for a living" or "you have a learning disability, take this drug so you won't worry about it." These are "blame the student" or "threaten the student" type solutions and are not very helpful.

Study Technology has solutions to those things which stop you from understanding and being able to apply what you are studying. The problems of leaning and education have been solved in Study Technology. That is a bold statement to make, but from personal experience I can tell you that it is a true statement.

For more info on Study Technology:
Study Technology Results and Research Papers
A Workable Answer: Study Technology

What do y'all think? I'd like to get some feedback from people who have used Study Technology. How has it worked for you? What has it enabled you to achieve?

Medical Ethics: Conflict of Interest

Thanks to Jim Gatos for pointing me to this article: Are Perks Compromising MD Ethics?. Here is the video (forgive the ad that it starts with.)



Of course the answer to the question, "Are perks compromising MD Ethics?" is clearly, "Yes!" And it's "Yes!" to the tune of $57 billion a year. That means the drug companies are spending more on corrupting doctors than they are on any other form of marketing.

And consider this: if they can afford to spend $57 billion on perks and "consulting" fees to doctors then how much are they making from these drugs?

Now don't get me wrong, drugs have their place. If a person is dying of cancer and needs a strong pain killer to help make their last few days bearable then I say give 'em the drug. If someone just had a major operation and needs a pain killer then go ahead. But I call it criminal when a doctor prescribes highly addictive drugs such as Oxycodone or Methadone when the patient does not need such dangerous medication and the doctor prescribes them simply because one drug company gives him better perks or more money than another.

That may have been the case in the video and the result was the death of a 12-year-old girl.

I think it's time Congress acted and the proposed law on disclosure of payments to doctors by drug companies should be passed as soon as possible.

What do you think?

The mystery finally solved

For about forty years now there has been a huge mystery surrounding what Joe Cocker really sang at Woodstock. Now at last an enterprising video enthusiast on YouTube has solved this most perplexing conundrum. Listen, watch and be amazed.

I'm a millionaire

In just the last few days I have become a millionaire. I've won 27 lotteries and several people in foreign countries have left millions of dollars to me. Isn't that great!

Somehow they managed to find me via email and just yesterday I even received an email from the FBI confirming that the money from Nigeria was for real and had been delayed because they needed my bank account number and PIN number. Once I supply them with that data the millions of dollars I've inherited will flow like sweat spring water into my bank account.

I just can't believe my luck.

I'm going to spend all those millions on the Viagra that the other nice advertisers have been telling me about and then I'll contact the Guinness Book of Records so they can come and measure my enormously long ... Well, let's not get too carried away here.

Do these spammers really get responses to their ridiculous emails? Does anyone ever fall for them? Is there anyone out there who knows of someone falling for it?

Take your meds - get worse

Another psychiatric drug maker is being sued for billions over side-effects of it "wonder drug". Actually the only "wonder" of the drug Seroquel is that it is still on the market.

The side-effect is diabetes and estimated cost to the company of the litigation will be around $10 billion. There are currently 2,500 cases pending against the drug maker AstraZeneca including suits from three US states.

But is the drug off the market? Is AstraZeneca attempting to make up the damage it has done to all those people who now have diabetes thanks to its dangerous drug? No. They are fighting on to protect their shareholders from loss. Shame that AstraZeneca, like most other drug companies, cares for the almighty dollar more than the health and welfare of the people who use its drugs.

Read the article: Astra CEO in London trial will take stand