Clonidine

I appear to be a rare statistic. But then, it makes me question how "rare" 1 out of 100 really is. Or even 1 out of 1000. For those who may not know, I used to take Clonidine, and I had all of these side effects (except not hallucinations that I recall), especially the nightmares...

Side Effects - Clonidine: "Nervousness and agitation, about 3 in 100 patients; mental depression, about 1 in 100; headache, about 1 in 100; insomnia, about 5 in 1000. Vivid dreams or nightmares, other behavioral changes, restlessness, anxiety, visual and auditory hallucinations and delirium have been reported."

I've said it many times, that my emotions simply don't work the same since I stopped taking it. I still sometimes have "clonidine flashbacks," which come with a flood of very vivid memories and the emotions that went with them. It's all so intense, I can't quite manage it. Sometimes it seems that the years since I stopped taking clonidine have all been one long, slow, dull weekend. When I was on that pill, every little thing was Earth-shattering. All of those old emotions still exist, still circulate, attached to the memories of that time. But since then I haven't produced any new feelings of such magnitude. That is probably a good thing... But it has given me a warped perception of significance.

Non-interference by foreigners

I found this via MooreWatch.com, which linked to ChargeMoore.com, a website run by the Ontario Campus Conservatives, who are petitioning the Canadian government to charge Moore in criminal court for his remarks about the recent Canadian elections. Apparently, according to Canadian law, it is illegal for foreigners to express opinions about Canadian politics:

DIVISION 9 PROHIBITIONS: No person who does not reside in Canada shall, during an election period, in any way induce electors to vote or refrain from voting or vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate unless the person is (a) a Canadian citizen; or (b) a permanent resident within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

How fucking unbelievable. Get me out of this psycho country! After living in a "liberal utopia" like Canada for a couple of years, I really have begun to miss things like the 1st Amendment.

Kangaroo Assault

I wouldn't have believed... I didn't believe it when someone told me this story. But here it is, straight from the pages of the infallible Canadian press:

CBC News:Desperate kangaroos attack Australian pets: One Eastern Gray kangaroo attacked a woman walking her poodle last week, and another kangaroo held a golden retriever underwater in a pond until it drowned while its horrified owner looked on.

Japanese police order Yakuza to stop trying to chop off someone's finger...

Mainichi Daily News: "Police have invoked the tough Anti-Organized Crime Law to order a gangster to give up on his intention to force a younger member, who had attempted to leave the group, to cut off one of his fingers, investigators said Monday."