Four arachno myths debunked!

Good news - it's as humane to kill an arachno as it is to put it outside, because it'll probably die anyway: and despite urban legends, you're not swallowing the little bastards as you snore away...

Article below from Everett, Washington Heraldnet.com ("S"-word subsituted throughout):

Four arachno myths debunked

By Sarah Jackson, Herald Writer

It's arachno season.

They're all over the garden. They're in the house. Eeeeek!

In honor of this creepy-crawly time of year, we proudly present perhaps the greatest arachno Web site of all time: “Myths, Misconceptions, and Superstitions About Arachnos."

Not only is it easy to read, it also is penned by a local, Rod Crawford, the curator of arachnids at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle. (Is there a more awesome job title?) [Yes ~ arachnono blogger]

Here are a few of Crawford's myth-busters. [NB: caution!! The following link contains images of arachnids] See this link for more.

MYTH: arachnos come into houses in the fall to get out of the cold.

FACT: Those arachnos are already inside your house 95 percent of the time. Also, putting indoor arachnos “back” outside usually kills them, so you aren't doing them any favors.

“House arachnos belong to a small number of species specially adapted for indoor conditions (constant climate, poor food supply, very poor water supply).

“Some house arachno species have been living indoors at least since the days of the Roman Empire.”

MYTH: arachnos found in bathtubs or sinks have come up through the drains from the sewers.

FACT: Sorry, Charlie. “This myth … shows how very reluctant people are to confront the idea that the arachnos in their house live there all the time.

“Modern drains contain a liquid-filled sediment trap through which arachnos cannot penetrate.”

MYTH: An arachno bit me while I was asleep.

FACT: You're more likely to have a case of MRSA. “Skin bumps and sores noticed in the morning are generally caused by nonbite disease conditions.

“Currently MRSA bacteria are among the leading causes of alleged ‘arachno bites.' The minority that are really bites are caused by bloodsucking insects such as fleas, bedbugs, kissing bugs, lice or assorted flies; less commonly by mites or ticks.”

MYTH: You unknowingly swallow an average of four live arachnos in your sleep each year.

FACT: Thank goodness, no. “This very widespread urban legend has no basis in fact. For a sleeping person to swallow even one live arachno would involve so many highly unlikely circumstances that for practical purposes we can rule out the possibility.

“No such case is on formal record anywhere in scientific or medical literature.”

Source: www.heraldnet.com/article/20091019/LIVING/710199829 - at time of posting this article didn't have any arachnid images, however content-sensitive advertising may change that, so click with caution!

I've heard that myth about eating the eight-legged freaks in your sleep numerous times - usually retold by a non-arachnophobe hoping to freak me out. While it never washed with me, I know it troubles some people, so very good to have an authoritative expert laying it to rest!

Man calls for ban on rubber arachnos

The Telegraph picked up on this story, and had to illustrate it with - guess what?

Yes! A big bloody picture of an arachnid.

Wankers.

Anyway, below is the report on the man who's possibly Britain's Worst (or, Best - take your pick) Arachnophobe, from his local paper, the Yorkshire Post - as usual the "S" word is replaced throughout:

Arachnophobia victim pleads for toy arachnos ban
Published Date: 14 October 2009
By Mark Branagan

AN arachnophobia victim is calling for a ban on rubber arachnos being displayed in shops for Halloween – claiming even toy versions could give him heart failure.

John Stafford, 54, of Scarborough, says doctors have warned him that even joke store arachnos could trigger a fatal collapse – and he has already had one brush with death this month.

After seeing some arachnos in a shop window in the town he collapsed and had to be supported by his wife, who thought that he had died in her arms.

Mr Stafford, who is so scared of spying an arachno that he spends October 31 indoors, said: "When I tell shop owners about it they think it's funny, but it's not a laughing matter. I stop breathing and pass out, it's just terrifying.

"My doctor said that my heart is so badly bruised now that a bad attack could be fatal."

Mr Stafford wants shopkeepers to be banned from putting arachno displays in their windows.

He said: "It's just thoughtless – they don't realise the effect they can have on people."

His wife Maria, 44, added: "The other day we saw a window in Eastborough that had some arachnos and I thought I'd nearly lost him. He just slumped and fell against me – I had to hit him with my keys to bring him round."

Several shops in Scarborough have put toy arachnos in their windows, including Thomas the Baker in Westborough.

Manager Sue Barr said: "It's just a bit of fun. I'm a bit shocked to hear about this chap's reaction. We obviously never intended to cause anybody any harm."

Source: warning, the advert on this page is being blocked by my computer, it might carry an arachnid image based on the text, I don't know - yorkshirepost.co.uk. At time of posting there wasn't an image illustrating the story though - for which, credit where it's due.

Poor guy! Even we're not that badly affected - oh, but if you're reading this and having any smart-arsed notions of superiority, just imagine how you'd feel walking home one night, and someone jumps out at you holding a gun and demanding your wallet - would you be any less frightened in that moment, just because it later turns out it was a replica?

Thought not!

The media censor certain kinds of violence and gore from our screens, including in news reports, in case they cause distress, so why not protect us arachnophobes from the thing that causes us so much fear?

And most pre-packaged food these days has a warning it might carry traces of nuts, because of a relatively rare but life-threatening reaction... why can't we be offered the same protection?

Personally I don't think legal bans are in order - we've got enough fucking new laws in this country: just a little common sense, and sensitivity towards those of us who jump at the sight of a tomato stem, or anything resembling an arachno...

After all, it's NEVER about whether the little sods can physically harm us - anyone who tries to preach that old chestnut needs to go look up the definition of phobia - irrational fear.

Anyway everyone here wishes Mr Stafford and his wife all the very best, and hope he manages to avoid all arachnos, both real and fake, for many many decades to come.

In fact hats off to the guy for ever leaving the house: he's showing more courage on a daily basis than most people ever need to find.

What do you think - have you ever had a nasty scare from a fake arachno, and do you think shop-owners should be dissuaded from using these things in their displays around Halloween?

Prove arachnos are scared of conkers & earn £300

This is pretty interesting but I'm going to start off with a word of caution: you REALLY don't want to click on the source link for this article that's at the bottom of this post, it's got a picture of an ugly bastard arachno nearly the width of my 1078px monitor, it made me jump out my skin even though I was expecting it.

Trust me on this one - full story copied below, as usual we've substituted the word "arachno" for the "S"-word throughout.

Prove arachnos are scared bonkers by conkers and earn £300
The Royal Society of Chemistry investigates claims conkers repel arachnos
By METRO NEWS REPORTER - Monday, October 5, 2009

An eminent academic society is looking into whether arachnos are scared of conkers.

The research by the Royal Society of Chemistry was sparked by reports from the public that arachnos suffer from 'conkerphobia' when faced with horse chesnuts.

Apparently leaving them on window ledges or near doors deters arachnids from scuttling in.

To try and verify these claims, the RSC is consulting biologists, arachno and insect experts as well as offering £300 to anyone who can provide persuasive evidence.

Members of the public are invited to send in photographic or video evidence to the RSC at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, by 31 October.

One theory being developed by the 46,000-member society is that there might be a chemical in conkers which arachnos hate.

RSC spokesperson John Edwards said: 'We have been told by external contacts that conkers do prevent invasion by arachnos. Apparently, they have to be fairly fresh to have their deterrent effect.

'But there are claims on the web – pardon the pun – that arachnos don't like them at all and steer clear.'

The RSC has also launched a new database service called ChemSiper. It's nothing to do with arachnids, providing free access to a database that contains 22 million chemical structures.

Personally I'll skip the £300 if it means mincing about with our eight-legged enemies, but here's hoping some conclusive answers and maybe improved repellent products come out of this research.

Meanwhile think I'll stock up on conkers anyway, can't do any harm...

Source link - WARNING - outrageously humongous picture of one ugly-arsed arachno at the top of the article: metro.co.uk

Would you be that desperate for £300? Tell us what you think, or whether conkers have worked for you!

OT: End to "blogger payola"

While we're not usually fans here of more legislation, this is good news for independent blogs like ours that are putting their own money up to review products in a fair and unbiased manner:

New rules to end 'blogger payola'
By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

US regulators will for the first time crack down on bloggers who fail to disclose fees or freebies they get from companies for reviewing products.

The Federal Trade Commission, FTC, decided to update its nearly 30 year old guidelines to clarify the law for the vast world of blogging.

Offenders could face eventual fines of up to $11,000 (£6,900) per violation.

The updated policy on how advertisers can use endorsements will also apply to celebrities and research firms.

Until now, bloggers had not been covered by the guidelines - something which had concerned consumer groups. They had argued that for a long time that the links between some bloggers and companies were not always totally transparent and clear for readers.

"Consumers are increasingly dependent on the internet for purchase information," said Jack Gillis of the Consumer Federation of America.

"There's tremendous opportunity to steer consumers in the wrong direction."

Full story at: BBC News Technology

00:51 GMT, Tuesday, 6 October 2009 01:51 UK

Dunno about you but the last thing I want to do is spend ages online researching a product or service, trying to find what's best for my needs, only to have my time completely wasted by borderline unscrupulous people who'll say whatever they're told with an eye to a fast buck.

Obviously that's in the States but it's a move in the right direction for anyone searching for honest unbiased reviews online.

What do you think?