Founded 1983: Liberal Mindset; Conservative Morality

Page 7 of 42

August 12, 2013August 19, 2018

Venice Grand Finale: The Grand Canal

We clambered on board our ferry keeping in mind that this was the one before last we could catch to reach the airport in time. A huge disappointment as this was a closed ferry with only a small window at the front from which to take pictures from and the rest of the windows were covered in watermarks from the spray caused by other boats.

One advantage though — at this stage we were the only people on the ferry at this time.

Due to this restriction, it really was a flash tour of the Grand Canal — impressions only — having said that it is not possible to walk alongside the Grand Canal and, to my knowledge, there are only two places where you can sit at a restaurant and dine overlooking the water.

Some of the grander hotels have a room with a view and small balconies — heaven knows what their room supplements are! So we were stuck with what we got.

I did manage to capture some of the atmosphere — once again there are some beautifully painted buildings and buildings of amazing proportions and stunning architecture. One cannot help but imagine what Venice was like in its heyday and who created and lived in buildings like this.

Continue reading → Venice Grand Finale: The Grand Canal

August 7, 2013August 19, 2018

Hotel Villa Marcello Giustinian: Rest Days

During the day long drive back to Italy and to Venice we discussed the big question — should we relax and wind down for a couple of days or should we tackle Venice?

We were still not sure quite what we would do when we approached Venice and its well known fragrance assailed our senses — that was not a pleasant smell. We had been warned about this olfactory assault in advance — but to experience it full on was quite nauseating.

This did not lessen as we approached our destination for the next two nights — the rather grandly named Hotel Villa Marcello Giustinian. After checking in and talking to some other guests it was clear that at this time the hotel was downwind of Venice itself and Venice was the place to be.

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May 22, 2013

When Anti-Infant Immunizations Become Childhood Onset Diseases

On February 17, 2012 I wrote an article — When Doctors Fire Patients — that dealt with, among other things, the anti-vaccination efforts of some people — led by debunked semi-celebrity Jenny McCarthy — who believe childhood immunizations cause Autism even though there is, and has never been, any empirical medical proof for that claim. When pressed for scientific evidence, the anti-vaccine believers simply talk about “mother’s intuition” and other nonsense that not only puts their non-immunized children at risk for disease, but the rest of society at risk as well as these unprotected children become certain carriers of diseases that should have been eradicated from the face of the earth.

Continue reading → When Anti-Infant Immunizations Become Childhood Onset Diseases

May 13, 2013

A 30-Year-Old Perfume Poisoning and the Three-Day Sneeze

Is it possible to poison oneself with a spritz from a 30-year-old bottle of perfume? Can one create their own self-inflicted bioterror attack and suffer the consequences for three straight days of full-body sneezing? I am here to testify that it is not only possible, it just happened to me!