Here comes the lawsuits. News broke today that the cervical cancer drug Gardasil may not be as safe as it was represented to be by Merck & Co. Inc. and the FDA.

Right now Merck & Co. Inc lawyers are probably scrambling to protect the company from the lawsuits that are sure to be filed in the very near future. Lawyers will be falling all over themselves to get a piece of this action. If you or a member of your family has received the Gardasil vaccine shot don’t be surprise if you don’t get a letter or phone call from a lawyer.
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Simple houseplants can be the answer to cleaning your air. That’s right, a clean air garden right in your own home.

Gardening has always been popular with a small segment of the population but recent events has made anyone who is paying attention to the news and world events take a closer look at gardening, not just as a hobby but as a way of life.
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The high price of gasoline is having a great deal of influence on the landscape of America, not just in what cars we are now driving but also in our back yard landscaping. People are tearing up large sections of their formally well manicured lawns in order to plant gardens thanks to the food shortages expected this year and the salmonella tainted tomato scare but also to avoid the expense of mowing.

For people who still want a backyard lawn, there is another option to filling up the gas can… push reel mowers. That’s right, the lawnmower of our grandparents is suddenly seeing a wave of popularity again. Not only does it eliminate the trips to the gas station, it gives you a workout.
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Ricki Lake is standing up to the medical establishment on the issue of giving birth at home instead of in a birthing center, hospital, or other type of medical facility. Good for Ricki Lake! I’m with you all the way.

Ricki Lake’s documentary, “The Business of Being Born,” is about the maternity care system. In the documentary Ricki Lake is shown giving birth to her second son, Owen, in her Manhattan apartment bathtub. It seems the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a statement that says the home is not the safest setting for having a baby and names Ricki Lake specifically.
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Salvia seeds are all the rage. There is a certain type of salvia (salvia divinorum) that is basically Mother Nature’s little herbal high. However the college kid and teen crowd needs to understand that just because Salvia is legal most places it can be harmful. Be warned that some states are moving to make the sale of salvia divinorum seeds and plants illegal.

If you are looking for a few herb growing tips this is not the blog for you.
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Ashley Dupre’s “Tutela Valui” tattoo is yet another example of why tattoo removal is becoming big business. Tutela Valui isn’t a bad word or anything of the sorts. What it is now is a constant reminder of a scandal. A scandal involving former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
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Getting over gephyrophobia, or the fear of crossing bridges, is a huge problem for gephyrophobes but that may all change with Energy Psychology. Gephyrophobia gives a whole new meaning to that saying “crossing that bridge when we get to it.”

With all of the recent bridge collapses that have had such devastating results it is a wonder more of us aren’t gephyrophobes.
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Looking for a free sex change operation? Then head to Cuba because Cuba has not only authorized sex-change operations it will offer them free of charge to qualifying citizens. How is that for health-care? How is that for being ahead of the curve when it comes to tolerance and understanding? Kudos to Cuba!
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Lorenzo Odone, who doctors said would die in childhood, has passed away. He lived 20 years longer than expected, mainly due to the dedication of his parents Augusto and Michaela Odone.

Lorenzo Odone’s parent’s battle to save him from a nerve disease was brought into the public consciousness with the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil.”
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Unfortunately Dianne Odell passed away today. She lived in an iron lung for the majority of her life. While she didn’t let it hold her back, she did manage to graduate and write a children’s book, I feel for the life she could have had if the polio vaccine had been discovered just a few years earlier.

Polio didn’t claim Dianne Odell, a power failure did. However we should not forget that science and medical advances are what kept her (as well as many others) alive for years longer than expected.

So here is a big rave for all the people who have worked so long and hard at developing the treatments and technologies that allow all of us to lead much longer and happier lives.

When we reflect on the life of Dianne Odell, please also say a word of thanks to everyone who allowed polio and its devastating consequences to be such a minor worry in our modern world. It is hard to imagine now the fear that the mere mention of the word polio once caused.

There are two polio vaccines in use throughout the world today, and they have nearly eliminated the disease. We owe a debt of gratitude to Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin as well their research teams and the numerous animals who gave their lives to advance the vaccine. The world is a better place due to your work. Thank you.