text:
Table of Contents
Additional Information
Vitamins, supplements and herbs have long been used by people with HIV to help manage the side effects of their therapies or improve their general health. In fact, studies suggest that almost 70% of people living with HIV and about half the general population use some form of complementary therapy. The most common ones are massage and acupuncture.
Unfortunately, not many of these have been studied in people with HIV. They have not been studied to see how they interact with common medications or whether they add to the overall benefits of anti-HIV therapy. Recently, several reports have questioned the safety of some of these therapies in HIV and other diseases.
The intent of this publication is not to discourage using complementary therapies, but rather to supply some food for thought when making decisions about using them. Promoters of supplements and herbs are often the first to criticize prescription drugs as the products of "big business." However, supplements are themselves part of a huge industry -- with annual sales of around $20 billion. This publication highlights some emerging concerns about using various therapies and addresses ways to limit the possible risks when using them.
A Little Background
Under current law, vitamins, supplements and herbs do not have to be evaluated by any regulatory agency, like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), prior to their sale. All they need to do is assert that the product is "generally regarded as safe." What this means is that studies are not required to show the effectiveness and safety of these products. This leaves the consumer with little or no meaningful information about their benefits or side effects.
Some manufacturers vaguely refer to "studies" in their literature, but these are seldom more than very small, uncontrolled studies. Also, these products do not have to be made according to the same Good Manufacturing Practices established for making prescription meds. As a result, these products vary widely in terms of their active ingredients, and even between batches of the same product. In fact, studies show that some products on the market today contain no active ingredients whatsoever.
Herbal supplements can actually contain dangerous chemicals, like arsenic and lead -- both potentially deadly. Still others actually contain prescription meds. However, the best manufacturers make a serious effort to deliver the real product in the amounts claimed. But due to the lack of industry regulations, there's no simple way to know who is telling the truth.
People should be aware of these things and take measures to reduce their risk of buying contaminated products or ones without active ingredients. They can do this by seeking out reputable sellers. Seek guidance from a trained alternative medicine practitioner, like an herbalist or nutritionist who specializes in HIV, and gather information about the products you're considering. Only taking the word of people selling the products does not guarantee accurate information.
On their packages and even their websites, some manufacturers claim their products have been tested for active ingredients. Do a little research and see what you can learn. For example, some publications, like Consumer Reports and other groups like www.consumerlab.com, sometimes test supplements and list what is found in various brands. Even this, however, doesn't tell you whether you'll benefit from using the product.
Generally, if a company shows integrity in some of its products tested by consumer groups, it's a reasonable sign that they maintain similar standards for their other products. According to researchers who evaluate these therapies, the quality products that undergo evaluation by the manufacturer are, in general, not the ones you'll find at your average grocery store or pharmacy.
Drug Interactions
St. John's Wort (hypericin), a popular herb used for mild depression, has possibly serious interactions with protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI). St. John's Wort is processed in the body by the same enzyme used for processing many drugs, including protease inhibitors and most NNRTIs. This enzyme is called p450, and several diet supplements and herbs have reported effects on it. Depending on how these products interact with p450, using anti-HIV drugs with them could either raise or lower the blood levels of the anti-HIV drugs. Herbs with reported effects on p450 include St. John's Wort, garlic, ginseng, melatonin, milk thistle (silymarin), geniposide and skullcap. For more detailed information on St. John's Wort, read NIH Study Cautions Use of St. John's Wort with Anti-HIV drugs.
At the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) HIV clinic, one woman who started a regimen with ritonavir (Norvir) and then started on garlic supplements developed severe nausea and vomiting, which resolved after stopping the garlic. The garlic may have increased the levels of ritonavir, and thus its side effects. A second case also reported that garlic supplements may have enhanced the side effects from using ritonavir. It is unclear, however, if garlic was increasing the risks of ritonavir-related side effects or if it was the actual cause of them. (see Herbal Side Effects Chart) Subsequently, small single-dose studies of ritonavir and garlic do not suggest a serious herb-drug interaction, but more research is needed.
Garlic may also increase the risk of side effects associated with other anti-HIV drugs. This information, coupled with knowing that garlic has an effect on p450, suggests that until more is known people should use caution when combining high doses of garlic with anti-HIV drugs that use p450. Moreover, people using the supplement with anti-HIV drugs who experience serious stomach problems (diarrhea, nausea or vomiting) might consider stopping it to see if these symptoms lessen.
A group in Pittsburgh has shown that the common herb, milk thistle, also interacts with the p450 enzyme. It may also interact with many drugs used to treat HIV.
A Canadian group has shown that vitamin A supplements (beta-carotene and other retinoids) have an effect on the p450 enzyme. While this was based on test-tube studies, the information suggests that there might be possible vitamin-drug interactions as well. It's then easy to start wondering if food itself may interact with drugs. There are food-drug interactions, which is why certain drugs are absorbed better when taken with or without food.
Grapefruit inhibits the p450 enzyme system and in the early days of protease inhibitors some people drank grapefruit juice together with the older version of saquinavir (Invirase), which was poorly absorbed by the body, in hopes of increasing its blood levels and effectiveness. (The newer version, called Fortovase, has corrected this problem.) However, in general, drinking grapefruit juice with protease inhibitors might increase their blood levels to dangerously high levels and increase the risk of side effects.
Not a great deal is known about food-drug interactions in general. Does this mean that people should stop eating food? Absolutely not! But the point is that we don't know how food may cause various interactions. This underscores that supplementing with vitamins, in pill forms, could carry some risks along with its unknown benefits. The value of good nutrition for overall health is well known; the value of supplementing with vitamins is not. This doesn't mean that people should not use vitamins, but rather it means buyers beware!
An article in The Lancet reports a number of herb-drug interactions that include the following herbs:
- Betel Nut
- Devil's claw
- Garlic
- Ginseng
- Kava
- Psyllium
- Shankhapushpi
- St. John's Wort
- Xiao chai hu tang
- Chili Pepper
- Dong quai
- Ginkgo
- Guar gum
- Papaya
- Saiboku-to
- Sho-saiko-to
- Valerian
- Yohimbine
Talking With Your Doctor
To lessen the chance of herb-drug interactions, experts encourage people to have more in-depth discussions about complementary therapy with their doctors and pharmacists. This may take some getting used to for both patients and doctors alike. Doctors may need to learn to listen and support their patients, in a nonjudgmental way, about using these therapies. And it may very well be the patients who actually drive this learning curve.
However, patients also need to be open and honest about what they're using and considering. One way to capture information about drug interactions and side effects is to record all the supplements you use in a complete drug history. It's also important for patients, doctors and pharmacists to keep up-to-date on the latest drug-herb and drug-vitamin interaction studies.
What About Side Effects?
The biggest myth about complementary therapies is that they're not toxic. Many people believe that because something is "natural" or sold over-the-counter that it doesn't have side effects. To the contrary, many people with HIV experience side effects from complementary therapies.
For example, Chinese herbal remedies that contain deer antler can cause nausea, diarrhea and other stomach upset. One man stopped all his anti-HIV meds to try to determine which had upset his stomach and quality of life. It turned out that when he stopped his herbal therapy (with deer antler), his problems cleared. It wasn't the anti-HIV drugs causing the problems at all.
High doses of vitamin C can cause severe diarrhea. Taking too many B-6 vitamins can lead to a complication that lands one in the hospital and excessive levels of vitamin A can be highly toxic to the liver. These examples illustrate the need to be cautious when adding large doses of vitamins to your diet.
Side effects from using herbs, vitamins and supplements may not reveal themselves immediately. It may take several weeks after starting a therapy for them to emerge. Keeping an accurate record of every therapy you take, including when you start and stop them, and documenting the onset of side effects may help sort out which one is causing the problem. (For a list of herbs with known side effects, read Herbal Side Effects Chart.)
Buyer Beware!
Some herbal remedies contain controlled and possibly dangerous substances banned by the FDA. The FDA readily admits that it doesn't have enough enforcement to ensure that these products stay off store shelves. Media exposés on this topic in California reveal countless tales of people harmed by products that contain lead, arsenic, anabolic steroids and other dangerous substances.
A few years ago a number of Chinese herb supplements to manage diabetes were pulled from the shelves by the California Food and Drug Board. This followed an incident when a person with diabetes was hospitalized after taking one of the supplements. It was tested and found to contain a medication used to treat diabetes. The additional medication in the claimed "natural" product led to an overdose for that person.
To protect yourself, seek reputable sellers, investigate the product and seek guidance from trained professionals. Other resources that may help are ones that address fraud issues, such as state AIDS Fraud Task Forces and Project Inform's publication, How to Identify AIDS Fraud.
There are generally two schools of thought about using vitamins. One is that people should take vitamin supplements in pill form. The other is that people should simply improve their nutrition and increase their vitamin intake through better eating. Likely the best approach for people at risk for vitamin deficiencies is one that lies somewhere between these two approaches.
It's unknown if the body can really use vitamins that are delivered from pills. Some contend that in order for the body to optimally absorb and use vitamins they need to be delivered through better nutrition, in foods where they exist in complex forms which may help the body to better use the nutrients.
Herbal remedies and other vitamins are sold as "food supplements" and do not undergo the rigorous testing that prescription meds do. They're not regulated and may not reveal all of a product's contents on its label. They also may not contain the ingredient(s) listed or the amount(s) claimed. Don't assume that just because something is available over-the-counter or is "natural" that it doesn't have side effects or won't interact negatively with your other meds.
In the U.S. alone, it's estimated that $20 billion was spent on complementary therapies in 2001. The use of these therapies has risen almost 400% in the past eight years, and it's estimated that half the people in the U.S. use them. Currently, the industry has done very little to document the safe and effective use of its products. It's unlikely that it ever will.
The U.S. Government, through the NIH, has established two botanical centers to evaluate these types of therapies. A third center will be funded shortly. Every few years, new discussions are held about whether and how to better regulate the marketing of nutritional supplements and herbs.
There is a great difficulty in evaluating herbs and herb-drug interactions because often the active ingredient in the products and its dose are not known. Although drug interaction studies for medications typically take a matter of a week to ten days, drug-herb interaction studies are expected to take much longer. This is a more expensive process since people will probably have to take herbs for a few weeks before an effect is seen.
Even when the interactions are known for one particular product, it's unclear how they will relate to similar products because of the lack of control over dosing. Because no studies have determined the proper or best dose of many complementary therapies, researchers face another challenge in first selecting the dose of herbs to use in studies. Funding for these studies still remains a problem and a limitation to moving forward rapidly. Many companies that sell complementary therapies are reluctant to fund studies which may reveal their products are not useful, have side effects or have interactions with common meds. This information could hurt their profit margins. Pharmaceutical companies are also unwilling to fund these studies for many of the same reasons, and the FDA does not require them.
Whatever the possible benefits of herbs, vitamins and supplements, there's simply no meaningful information to guide making decisions when using them. Be aware that using them entails some risk. For more information on studies of herbs and vitamins conducted in HIV disease, see below.
Herbal Side Effects Chart
Virtually any herb has the potential of causing side effects. For some, the risks are small and only occur when herbs are used in large quantities or for long periods of time. For others, severe and life-threatening side effects have been seen even at very low doses with a single use. A good herbal practitioner should discuss the potential risks of both side effects and herb-drug interactions with you. However, this shouldn't replace discussing these interactions and side effects with your doctor and pharmacist.
The following is a list of herbs and their known side effects. Those with FDA warnings or heightened safety concerns are highlighted. This list is not comprehensive. If you don't see the herb(s) you may be taking on this list, it does not mean that there are no reported or possible side effects from using them. Many resources exist on the internet and elsewhere providing even more comprehensive information. One such resource is www.personalhealthzone.com.
|Akebia trifoliata caulis (Mu Tong)
Kidney toxicity, kidney failure. This herb contains aristolochic acid. In 2001 the FDA classified it as a Class 1 toxic substance and product recalls were started.
|Aloe Vera (Carrisyn)
Severe diarrhea without proper preparation, must be processed properly. Refrain from ingesting aloe vera plant directly, or use proper preparations.1,2
|Apple seeds
May cause cyanide poisoning and death if consumed in large quantities.3
|Apricot seeds
May cause cyanide poisoning (possibly death) if consumed in large quantities.3
|Asarum sieboldii herba cum Radix (Xi Xin)
Kidney toxicity, kidney failure. This herb contains aristolochic acid. In 2001 the FDA classified it as a Class 1 toxic substance and product recalls were started.
|Astragalus (Huang-chi)
Low blood pressure, low blood sugar and increased urine production. May result in dizziness and fatigue.1,2
|Atractylodes (Bai-zhu, Pai-chu)
Liver toxicity, sedation, dehydration (diuretic), low blood sugar.1,2
|Bitter almond seeds
May cause cyanide poisoning (possibly death) if consumed in very large quantities.3
|Black Tree Fungus
Can inhibit blood clotting and trigger hemorrhagic syndrome.1
|Borage (Borago officinalis)
Liver toxicity.
|Buckthorn Bark (Rhamnus)
Increased bowel movements, diarrhea.3
|Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Neurologic effects, blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, bizarre behavior and speech (including hallucinations), increased urine (diuretic), low blood sugar and may impact estrogen activity.2,3
Kidney toxicity.
|Cassava beans
May cause cyanide poisoning and death if consumed in large quantities.3
Belongs to ragweed family. People with allergies to ragweeds may experience allergic symptoms to chamomile.1
|Chaparrel (Larrea divericata, Larrea tidentata, Creosote bush)
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, skin irritation, mouth sores and may promote tumor growth. The FDA issued a health warning in 1992 and many companies voluntary removed chaparrel from their products or recalled products containing chaparrel. Some may still exist on the market, however.2
|Cherry pits
May cause cyanide poisoning and death if consumed in large quantities.3
|Choke cherry pits
May cause cyanide poisoning and death if consumed in large quantities.3
|Coconoosis (Codonopsis pilosula, Tang-shen)
Low blood pressure.2
Liver toxicity, light sensitivity.
|Comfrey [Symphytum officionale (common comfrey), S. asperum (prickley comfrey), and S. x uplandicum (Russian comfrey)]
Liver toxicity: Vaso-occlusive disease, fatal liver intoxification. In 2001 the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition sent letters to dietary supplement manufacturers advising that comfrey be removed from all nutritional health products due to potentially serious and life-threatening consequences of comfrey ingestion.2,5
|Compound Q (Trichosanthes, Guaiougen, GLQ223, Chinese cucumber root)
Severe neurologic side effects (ranging from dizziness to coma) at very high doses, low blood sugar, induces abortion.2
|Dandelion (Taraxacum)
Excessive gas, nausea and vomiting; skin rashes, allergic reaction; increased urination (diuretic). Diuretic effect is likely no more than what is seen with coffee.2,3
|Devil's Claw Root (Hapagophytum procumbens)
Induces abortion.3
|Dock Roots
Increased bowel movements, diarrhea.3
Skin rash and insomnia. Allergic reaction. May aggravate auto-immune disorders (like lupus).1,2
Heart failure, stroke, increased blood pressure.
|Ganoderma (Ling-zhi, reishi)
Can inhibit blood clotting and trigger hemorrhagic syndrome.1,2
|Garlic (Allium sativum, Dasuan)
Can inhibit blood clotting and interfere with thyroid function. Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, weight loss, loss of appetite and skin rashes have been reported.1,2
Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), liver injury and death. Early symptoms appear to resolve after stopping the herb. Re-starting herb appears to result in immediate return of the problem. The risk or degree of liver injury is not apparently associated with dose or duration of use.5
|Ginseng (Wuchaseng, Siberian, wjuia, ren-shen)
Ginseng is touted the "most abused" or "mis-used" herb. Ginseng Abuse Syndrome (GAS) is associated with its long-term use. Various forms exist. Panax and Eleutherococcus ginsengs produce morning diarrhea, insomnia, nervousness, depression, confusion, skin rashes and high blood pressure. Ginsengs are known to increase effects of some anti-depressants called Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MOIs). Women may experience breast swelling or tenderness and changes in menstrual cycle (amenorrhea) due to impact on estrogen.1,2,3,4
|Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Excitement, loss of appetite and muscle control, diarrhea, labored breath, convulsion, coma and death.3
|Hypericin (St. John's Wort)
May induce sensitivity to light (photosensitivity), resulting in severe rash following sun exposure. May also have interactions with some anti-depressants called Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MOIs). In 2000, the FDA issued a warning about this herb and its interactions with anti-HIV drugs.1,2,3
|Isatis (Pan-lan-ken, dyers' wood root)
Can inhibit blood clotting.2
|Iscador (Mistletoe)
Liver toxicity, seizures, shock, heart failure.2,3
|Juniper Berry
Stomach upset.3
|Kava (Piper methysticum)
Liver-related injuries including hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver failure. In at least four cases liver failure resulting in liver transplantation was required. In 2002 the FDA issued a warning noting that while liver-related injury associated with kava use is low, consumers should be warned of risks. Further, those with liver disease or taking other drugs that affect the liver should be especially careful.
|Kelp (Laminara japonica, Kombu)
Interferes with thyroid function. Goiters.2
High blood pressure, water retention and even serious heart problems.1,2,3
|Life root (Senecio aureo)
Veno-occlusive disease.
|Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)
Depending on the dose, lobeline can cause either autonomic nervous system stimulation or depression. At low doses, it produces bronchial dilation and increased respiratory rate. Higher doses result in respiratory depression, as well as sweating, rapid heart rate, hypotension, and even coma and death. As little as 50mg of dried herb or a single milliliter of lobelia tincture has caused these reactions.5
|Lycium Fruit (Kuo-chi-tzu, gouqizi, wolfberry, false jessamine)
Low blood sugar, mouth sores.2
Adverse effects were published in February 1993, of 48 women identified with serious kidney disease associated with the use of a Chinese diet herbal product containing this herb. Eighteen had terminal kidney failure that will require either kidney transplantation or life-long renal dialysis.5
Very high doses can cause altered mental status, liver damage and death. Fairly small amounts can cause headaches, cramps and nausea.3
|Pau d'Arco
Nausea, vomiting, weight loss and has been shown to inhibit blood clotting.1,2
|Peach pits
May cause cyanide poisoning (possibly death) if consumed in large quantities.3
|Pear seeds
May cause cyanide poisoning (possibly death) if consumed in large quantities.3
|Pennyroyal Oil (Hedeoma pulegiodes, Mentha pulegium)
Has been used to induce menstruation and induces abortion. Has caused death due to kidney and liver toxicity.3
|Peony (Paeonia, Moutan bark, chi-shao, bai-shoa, mudan-pi)
Stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea, depression, low blood pressure, increased urination (diuretic).2
|Plum pits
May cause cyanide poisoning (possibly death) if consumed in very large quantities.3
|Poke Plant (pokeweed, inkberry)
The root is particularly toxic. Can cause severe stomach upset, shortness of breath and death. Children have died from eating the berries.3
|Privet (Ligustrum, Nuzhenzi)
Kidney failure, low blood pressure.2
Alleric reaction, skin rashes.2
|Prunella (Xia-ku-cao, woundwort, allheal)
Low blood pressure, increased urination (diuretic), contractions of uterus, increased bowel movements.2
|Red Clover
Interferes with blood clotting.2
|Rehmennia (Sheng-ti-huang)
Low blood sugar.2
|Salvia (Tan-shen)
Interferes with blood clotting, platelets, tiredness/fatigue, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, increased urination (diuretic).3
|Sassafras Root Bark
Causes cancer and liver toxicity in animal studies.3
|Schizandra (Gomishi)
Depression, low blood pressure, contractions of the uterus.2
|Senna leaves (Cassia angustafolia)
Increased bowel movements, diarrhea.3
|Shave Grass
Excitement, loss of appetite and muscle control, diarrhea, labored breath, convulsion, coma and death. Shave grass may lead to thiamine deficiency with symptoms.3
|Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus edodes, Xiangling)
Can inhibit blood clotting and trigger hemorrhagic syndrome. Skin rashes, low blood pressure.1,2
Adverse effects were published in February 1993, of 48 women identified with serious kidney disease associated with the use of a Chinese diet herbal product containing this herb. Eighteen had terminal kidney failure that will require either kidney transplantation or life-long renal dialysis.5
|Sweet wormwood (Artemisa, Quindhaosu, mugwort)
Allergic reactions, skin rashes, altered mental status.2
|Tang-kuei (Angelica, Du-huo, bai-zhi)
Interferes with blood clotting and platelets, depression, sensitivity to light.2
|Tremella (Auriculariaceae, Bai-mur, white tree ear)
Inhibits platelets.2
|Yarrow (Achillea millefoleum, Milfoil)
Interferes with blood clotting, allergic reactions, skin rashes, sensitivity to light.2,3
|Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe)
Kidney failure, seizures and death. Should also be avoided by individuals with low blood pressure, diabetes, and heart, liver or kidney disease. Symptoms of over dosage include weakness and nervous stimulation followed by paralysis, fatigue, stomach disorders and ultimately death. Certain foods (cheese, red wine, liver) can increase likelihood of side effects, as can concurrent use of over-the-counter therapies (diet aids, decongestants).5
Additional Information
NIH Study Cautions Use of St. John's Wort With Anti-HIV Drugs
A study conducted by the NIH found a significant interaction between the popular herbal therapy, St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), and the protease inhibitor, Crixivan (indinavir). Indinavir blood levels were greatly decreased when the two were used together, greatly reducing indinavir's anti-HIV activity. This can quickly lead to developing resistance to indinavir. People commonly use St. John's Wort as a mild anti-depressant.
St. John's Wort is also likely to have the same effect on other protease inhibitors as well as NNRTIs. People who take these drugs are advised not to use St. John's Wort. Similar problems with drug interactions may occur between the herb and drugs used to treat other life-threatening illnesses, such as heart disease.
One possible limitation of the finding is that it is not clear how it applies to the various forms of St. John's Wort on the market. There is no way of knowing its quality or how much St. John's Wort is actually present in the products. Different brands may have a stronger or weaker effect. Also, the methodology of the study has not been fully described yet.
As this study shows, it's very possible for some herbal and nutritional supplements to lower the effectiveness of anti-HIV drugs or other medications. People who use complementary therapies should always discuss possible interactions with their doctors and pharmacists.
Selenium and HIV
Controversy remains over using selenium in people with HIV. Selenium is a toxic substance that gets spread into the environment through the burning of fossil fuel and other industrial processes. Trace amounts of it is often found in drinking water. Symptoms from consuming too much selenium include brittleness and loss of hair and nails, skin redness, blisters, vomiting, fatigue, neurological defects and damage to the liver and spleen.
Trace amounts of selenium are in the foods we eat. At these low levels, selenium is essential for proper immune function. The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of selenium (all ages and genders) is 55 micrograms (µg). Levels are slightly higher for pregnant (60µg) and lactating (70µg) women. The Institute of Medicine has proposed that the maximum daily intake before causing toxic effects is roughly 400µg for adults.
|Amounts of Selenium in Various Foods
|% Daily Value
|Brazil nuts, dried, unblanched, 1 oz
|Tuna, canned in oil, drained, 3.5 oz
|Beef / calf liver, 3 oz
|Cod, cooked, dry heat, 3 oz
|Noodles, enriched, boiled, 1 c
|Macaroni & cheese (box mix), 1 c
|Turkey breast, oven roasted, 3.5 oz
|Macaroni, elbow, enriched, boiled, 1 c
|Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, 1 c
|Chicken, meat only, 1/2 breast
|Beef chuck roast, lean only, oven roasted, 3 oz
|Bread, enriched, whole wheat, 2 slices
|Oatmeal, 1 c cooked
|Egg, raw, whole, 1 large
|Bread, enriched, white, 2 slices
|Rice, enriched, long grain, cooked, 1 c
|Cottage cheese, low-fat 2%, 1/2 c
|Walnuts, black, dried, 1 oz
|Cheddar cheese, 1 oz
Selenium deficiencies are rarely seen in the U.S., though they have been seen among people on Total Parental Nutrition (TPN), or intravenous nutrition. TPN is sometimes used to treat wasting syndrome in people with HIV. It is standard practice for doctors to check selenium levels in people on TPN and supplement as necessary.
Selenium toxicity has been seen in people using selenium supplements. In one case, high levels led to selenium poisoning in a man using supplements as a way to manage his fatigue. Investigators analyzed the over-the-counter product and found selenium levels of 500 to 1,000 times the amount labeled for each pill. This led to warnings noting that unusual diets and vitamin supplements are the most common causes of selenium toxicity in the U.S.
Several studies suggest that low levels of selenium are related to HIV disease progression. One study of 24 children and another of 125 adults has shown that those with these deficiencies were at a greater risk for disease progression and death. However, it's unknown whether or not selenium supplements would make a difference.
Other studies suggest that HIV needs selenium in order to reproduce. Some have proposed that when HIV uses all the selenium in a given cell, it may leave that cell to find more selenium by infecting other cells. Interestingly, HIV-positive women with low selenium levels have higher rates of HIV in vaginal secretions. Again, it remains unclear if selenium deficiency is a cause or an effect of HIV disease progression and if supplements will help or hurt.
A study conducted at the University of Miami compared selenium supplements (200µg/day) to placebo in 259 people living with HIV (147 men, 112 women). Information about CD4+ cell count, viral load and other parameters were collected at the first study visit and then every six months thereafter for two years.
One component of the study was to evaluate the frequency of hospitalizations among those receiving selenium compared to placebo. Unfortunately, sloppy data reporting leaves results of this aspect of the study completely not interpretable currently.
Additionally, researchers examined blood levels of selenium in 112 HIV-positive women on anti-HIV therapy. They looked for links between selenium levels and the risk for pre-cancerous cervical cells (cervical dysplasia). While selenium levels were lower in women who developed dysplasia, using supplements made no difference in the risk of developing dysplasia. Five women who used selenium supplements and seven on placebo developed dysplasia.
In short, the most that can be concluded from these reports is that it remains entirely unknown if selenium supplements offer any benefit or harm, whatsoever. Risks for cervical dysplasia appear slightly higher when selenium levels are lower, but selenium supplements do not appear to eliminate this risk. This sloppy data reporting is a tragedy. Well-designed research is critical to evaluating the possible benefits (and risks) of selenium supplements.
Vitamin A (Beta-Carotine and Retinoids) and Anti-HIV Drug Interactions
In general, when used at reasonable doses on their own, nutritional products like vitamin A supplements are considered safe. New information suggests that when used with other therapies, including anti-HIV drugs and other nutritional products, interactions may occur that alter a product's effectiveness and safety.
Deficiencies in vitamin A (retinol, beta-carotene) have been associated with advanced HIV disease. It remains unclear if taking vitamin A supplements such as retinoids or beta-carotene helps people with HIV beyond correcting the deficiency. Moreover, questions remain as to whether or not vitamin A supplements cause vitamin-drug interactions.
A team in Canada set out to evaluate whether or not different vitamin A supplements interact with the p450 enzyme. The team evaluated four tablets and two soft gel capsules. All of the tested products had lower beta-carotene content than stated on their labels. One product had ten-fold less beta-carotene than advertised, and most were at least half as much than stated.
All forms of vitamin A (retinal, retinol, retinate and beta-carotene) as well as all the products tested had moderate (45–65%) to strong (65–100%) inhibitory effect on the p450 enzyme. Therefore, these products (and possible other nutritional health products) are very likely to interact with anti-HIV drugs. However, human studies are needed to understand the extent of these findings.
These data suggest that there are possible, real vitamin-drug interactions with potentially harmful results for people taking anti-HIV drugs. Much more information is needed to fully understand the scope of these interactions and their impact on the effectiveness and side effects of therapies. This information would also be needed on how to modify doses of either therapy to reduce the risk of developing drug resistance and increase the chances of benefiting from both.
Vitamin E, Vitamin A and Anti-HIV Therapies
Previous reports suggest that vitamin E levels are decreased in people living with HIV. Also, low levels of vitamin E have been associated with increased risk of disease progression. Researchers in the United Kingdom sought to evaluate vitamin E levels among 33 people before and six weeks after starting anti-HIV therapy. They compared levels to those seen in otherwise healthy HIV-negative people. Those taking multivitamins were not eligible.
Investigators found that before starting anti-HIV therapy, vitamin E levels were lower (21 µmol/l) among people with HIV compared to HIV-negative people (30 µmol/l). Contrary to earlier reports, people with AIDS had slightly higher vitamin E levels (24 µmol/l) than people with HIV who did not have AIDS (19 µmol/l). After six weeks of therapy, vitamin E levels normalized among people with HIV (28 µmol/l) compared to the HIV-negative people (26 µmol/l).
Vitamin A levels were also evaluated. No differences were seen in vitamin A levels either before or six weeks after starting anti-HIV therapy. Moreover, vitamin A levels were in normal healthy ranges, roughly equivalent to those seen in HIV-negative people, both before and after therapy. Further, no differences were seen in vitamin A levels between healthy HIV-positive people and those with AIDS.
This study suggests that for people taking anti-HIV therapy, vitamin E supplements are likely not necessary. Moreover, vitamin A deficiencies were not noted with HIV infection, regardless of stage of disease. It remains unknown if vitamin E supplements will benefit people not on anti-HIV therapy.
Vitamin Supplements and HIV in Women (Implications for Everyone)
Vitamin deficiencies have been seen in people even at early stages of HIV infection. This has led to an interest in using multivitamins, particularly in resource-poor settings and those where malnutrition is a problem. A study in Tanzania, Africa among HIV-positive pregnant women showed that using multivitamins led to fewer deaths of unborn children, increased birth weights and fewer pre-term births.
However, trends were noted that children born to HIV-positive mothers who took multivitamins during pregnancy were more likely to be infected with HIV. Because of this, another study was started in Kenya to examine the impact of using daily multivitamins (or placebo) and evaluate its impact on vaginal and cervical presence of HIV.
The use of multivitamins was associated with slightly higher CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts and no overall changes in HIV levels in the blood. However, it was also associated with increased vaginal presence of HIV, with about ½ log higher levels of HIV in vaginal swabs. The percentage of vaginal cells with HIV was higher among those taking daily multivitamins (31%) than those on placebo (17%). The differences were less striking in cervical cells.
Researchers speculate that using daily multivitamins among women is unlikely to protect them from HIV disease progression and may increase the chances of passing HIV onto others. The results are perhaps more relevant to places where anti-HIV therapies are not available or to those who choose not to use them together with multivitamins. The use of multivitamins was linked to improved markers of immune health (slight increases in both CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts). It remains unknown whether the increased vaginal presence of HIV from using multivitamins would be controlled while using anti-HIV therapy. (The women in this study were not on anti-HIV therapy.)
Another Kenyan study found that vitamin A deficiencies in blood were associated with increased vaginal presence of HIV during pregnancy, increased HIV in breast milk, higher rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission, lower CD4+ cell counts and more rapid disease progression. Four hundred women took either placebo or vitamin A at the dose recommended by the World Health Organization for correcting symptomatic vitamin A deficiencies in women of child-bearing potential. The study found that the supplements had no effect whatsoever on vaginal presence of HIV, blood levels of HIV, or CD4+ or CD8+ cell counts.
These findings held true even among the 59% of women with notable vitamin A deficiencies at the start of the study. They suggest that while vitamin A deficiencies may be associated with poorer outcomes in passing HIV from mother to child and of HIV disease in general, supplements are unlikely to address these problems. As with the other study, this study did not evaluate using supplements together with anti-HIV therapy.
Zinc Deficiencies and HIV
Deficiencies in dietary zinc have been associated with decreased immune function and possibly increased HIV reproduction. Drug users are at particular risk for zinc deficiencies for a number of reasons. These include poor diets, poor absorption of nutrients and poor processing of nutrients by the body.
A team in Florida examined the nutritional and immunologic status of 118 HIV-positive injection drug users. They found that people whose diets included foods with higher levels of zinc showed higher levels of zinc in their blood. This suggests that, in general, improving a person's diet results in more normalized zinc levels.
The study also showed that people with lower zinc levels had somewhat lower CD4+ cell counts and were more likely to have counts below 200. It would be rash to suggest, however, that low zinc levels are the cause of lower CD4+ cell counts and not merely an effect of disease progression. In general this study is encouraging in that it shows that simply improving diet, without supplements, leads to increased zinc levels in the blood and better immune status. Another study is ongoing to see if zinc supplements will result in improved blood levels of zinc and to see if it has any effect on HIV or immune markers.


text:
Sunday, August 31, 2008
John McCain needs a new humor advisor
"The vice president has two duties: One is to inquire daily as to the health of the president, and the other -- and the other is to go to the funerals of third world dictators."
(read it on CNN, if you doubt me! it's in there if you scroll down enough)
This joke is terrible. Can you spot the flaws in the humor? I'll give you a chance to think about it...
(cue jeopardy music...)
Did you get it?
The problem is that he is telling the punchline first. Everyone knows that Vice Presidents go to funerals, the joke is that they want the president to die so they can become president. So it totally ruins the rhythm of the thing to have the funny answer first and the real answer later.
Also, he would be much better off if his list of duties had three, not two, items. I'm not going to get into why I generally am a strong believer in the rule of three, but I am, and given that McCain left off his list the one actual, Constitutional duty of the Vice President I think it is only logical to lengthen the list. So here is how he should say it from now on:
"There are only three things the Vice President needs to do. One is break ties in the Senate. The other is to attend state funerals. And the last is to inquire daily as to the health and well being of the president."
There should be a sly pause before the last item on the list, and it should be said with utter sincerity and concern. It may still be unfunny, but it'll be a lot better.
In any case, it's better than Sarah Palin's answer as to what the Vice President does:
(and if you are wondering, no, I did not just learn how to embed videos. I just only recently thought to actually do it.)
Friday, August 29, 2008
Comic 468: This comic contains all the jokes contained in the empty set
As stated previously, I am very busy these days (only for another week though!) and I was not going to comment on this comic, but then a commenter offered to do my work for me and so how could I say now? Like the two previous guest posts, I don't agree with all of it, though in this case that's because it's at an intellectual level waaaaay above what this blog is usually at. I think its author knows a serious amount about logic and stuff. The author declined to give a name, so I made one up. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the xkcdsucks stylings of Jermane Snappybritches!
#468, at first glance, looks like yet another let's-make-oblique-reference-to-something-intellectual-instead-of-having-a-real-joke comic, which may be mildly amusing but fall short of being funny. However, if you are familiar with logic and set theory this comic isn't amusing, but rather will bug you because of the mistakes it contains. If I were Randall I would draw a graph at this point correlating amusement with knowledge of formal logic, which would make a nice bell shaped curve. I won't though. With that said, here are the comic's problems:
1) #468 seems to be an attempt to wring humor out of a self-referential membership paradox. Famous examples of this sort of paradox are "the barber who shaves every man who does not shave himself, and no others" and "the set that contains all sets which do not contain themselves". If you suppose that the barber does shave himself then that contradicts the claim that he shaves only men who do not shave themselves. And if you suppose that he doesn't shave himself then this contradicts the claim that he shaves every man who doesn't shave himself. The comic seems to be alluding to this kind of paradox, with the idea that "Gödel's" fetish can't be on the list, but neither can it be missing from the list. The problem with all this is that the man famous for dealing with and introducing these kinds of paradoxes is not Gödel, but Russell himself (see, for example, his famous 1908 paper: Mathematical Logic as based on the Theory of Types). And Russell and Whitehead's Principia Mathematica contains rules explicitly designed to rule out the introduction of such paradoxes, again because they were aware of them long before Gödel arrived on the scene.
So why bring Gödel into this? I don't know, and it seems to indicate a misunderstanding on Randall's part. It's true that Gödel threw a wrench into the work begun with the Principia Mathematica, but he didn't do so by raising a contradiction for it. Rather he showed that if every statement or its negation had a proof within the system then a contradiction would result. Therefore he concluded that there wasn't a proof within the system for every statement or its negation. This is a clever use of contradiction, but it does not amount to Gödel posing a devastating paradox for the work of R&W, as the comic seems to be implying. So that's problem #1: what the hell is Gödel doing in this comic?
2) Problem #2 is that there is no real contradiction involved here. In the comic R&W are collecting a list of fetishes, not names for fetishes or expressions of fetishes. And thus "Gödel's" response poses no problem for them. Here's the simplest explanation of why: suppose their list was complete. Then "Gödel's" answer would be a complicated way of saying "nothing". And there is no paradox in that. Now Randall may have realized this; the alt text does say that they found a way to resolve this problem (although this may equally mean that he doesn't see it, since there is really nothing to resolve). But it goes on to imply that they ran into an infinity paradox. Which is also not necessarily the case. The list of candidates for fetishes may be finite. Or they may have reduced their list to one word "everything".
Obviously this is all very nit-picky. And in most cases I wouldn't bother to worry about such details. However, if you want to aim your comic at "intellectuals" you should spend some time getting the details right, just as if you made a comic aimed at mechanics you wouldn't want to confuse the carburetor with the catalytic converter (and I sincerely hope those aren't different names for the same car-part).
If you understood all that you are a smarter dude than I am. I think what the last part means is basically "This Gödel guy has some fetishes. They are either on the list or they are not. Unless he's lying or just changing what he's into to mess with list people, which is not contradicting logic but rather being a douchebag, which is different." If that's not what Jermane is saying there then whatever, it's what I'm saying here.
Seems to me this comic was just Randall's lame way of mashing sex and logic in a way that feels very forced. As I told Jermane in our e-mail conversation, the joke could just as easily been "my favorite food is anything that's not on your list" or "my favorite pizza toppings are anything not on your list" etc. It was like Randall just went "ha ha i will add SEX and it will be hilarious tee hee sex." Also like he just went "Oh man I just finished reading Gödel Escher Bach FINALLY so hey I'll write a comic about it kind of."
Also, just so people know, as far as I am aware all three of our guest posters are, in fact, different people. I am quite sure of this.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Comic 467: 1comic0jokes
1 - Hey hey, just when I foolishly thought he'd already mocked every meme out there, he comes out with another one.
2 - Hey hey, just when I foolishly thought he'd gotten sick of goddamn google search . Dude: It's just a search engine. Relax, ok? We don't all want unscientific studies in place of our comics.
3 - "Cups" should be "cup/cups." With the plural in there, "2 girls 1 cups" is both ungrammatical and inaccurate, as a google search for it brought up, as of this writing, only 2,750 hits. You'd think that maybe he'd make mistakes elsewhere in the chart, not in the key block.
4 - What's the point? There's a
Update: It's tomorrow, and I regret it!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Immediate and Long Term Future
Anyway I figured this is as good a time as any to reflect on the monster I have created here and what its future is.
It's been about 4 months since I started this blog. That means it's been around, oh, approximately 3 months and 28 days longer than I was expecting. I have come to love it in a strange way, and this is emphatically not an announcement about ending the blog. I have no plans at all to end it.
However - I am wondering if there are any changes you would like to see. On my end, it's basically been the same deal - each time there's a new xkcd up, I read it, think about why it's bad, tell myself I should give it another chance, check the forums to make sure I'm not missing something important, and then, usually just before the next one goes up, I write the post. Occasionally some other topic comes up and I write about that.
So there are a few ideas I've had and I am curious which ones you guys think you'd like. For example -
---Branch out - talk about other webcomics more (sort of like the PBF post)
---Mock the forum-dwellers with more regularity - perhaps a weekly post making fun of one commenter in particular
---Go back and analyze some of the older comics, both good and bad
--a variant of that: Intersperse my generally negative comments about the newest comics with analysis of good older ones and why I think they work well
---Tone - meaner? Nicer?
--- More posts from other people
Should I write more? Less? Should I skip the occasional comic that doesn't interest me?
Anything sound good? Or do you have your own brilliant idea?
Basically I am looking for any and all feedback. As usual, put it in the comments or e-mail email@example.com .
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Comic 465: The Amazing Vanashing Talent
Let's say you have a group of 30 nerds who want to watch a movie. These nerds are an eclectic, and varied group. Some of them are easily and deservedly mocked film geeks, most are science and tech geeks, and maybe a few that don't really meet either label other than general nerdery. You propose two movies to watch. One of them is Bonnie and Clyde, a movie that gave birth to Hollywood's Second Golden Age with its radical use of violence, unprecedentedly explicit sexuality, and proposition that two murderous bank robbers could be counterculture antiheroes. The other movie is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, whose politics never went beyond "Nazis...I hate those guys," and pretty much defined campy, popcorn-munching entertainment for Generation X and Yers. I think anyone who reads this blog and those who read xkcd would predict that crowd would choose to watch Indiana Jones by a vast majority. I also think that a smaller but still substantial majority would also agree that Bonnie and Clyde is a better movie. Indiana Jones, however, is safer, and more enjoyable to watch in a crowd (read: easier to make fun of and quote incessantly). This thought experiment is meant to show that, in a group of intelligent, educated people, nostalgia and camp value is more valuable than searching for quality in art. Whether this is predominantly due to postmodernism, contemporary political apathy, or some other cultural factor I cannot say, but it is certainly a troubling thing to think about when you care as much about art as I do.
Randall Munroe is not to blame for this particular trend, but he has certainly taken advantage of our love of nerd nostalgia—dare I say exploited it—for his own reputation and self-aggrandizement. Wednesday's xkcd tackles the Father Superior of nerd geek nostalgia: Star Trek. Make no mistakes about it, despite it classifying itself as "normal" as opposed to "quantum" teleportation, this is still a reenactment of a Star Trek ritual that rivals only a Darth Vader breath in its ability to give nerds boners.
While Randall may have been able to get away with a post like this a couple of years ago, he's exhausted his options here. The post directly preceding Wednesday's was a surface-level inversion of a popular 90s television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (few things are loved by nerds more than anything having to do with the 80s or 90s). Four comics previous to that, he not only used the same joke about popular misconceptions of science due to movies (this time it was Jurassic Park), but continued his trend of spending far too long on an extending story to make a pun that hasn't been funny since the first time he did it over a year ago... The comic right before that one was a Ghostbusters reference. For those who haven't been keeping score, that's 4 out of the 7 previous xkcd posts that have made overt references to beloved nerd pop culture artifacts. And two of the other ones both referred to movie cliches, one with Morgan Freeman sounding comforting (tastefully timed after his automobile accident, may I add), and one using Google Maps for a horror movie cliche. So in actuality, it's really 6 ironic references to pop culture cliches and geek movies/television shows out of the last 7 posts. Any more posts like these, and we may actually want to see the mushy love comics again.
What strikes me about Randall's use of pop culture so heavily of late is how incredibly dated it seems and how out of character it is for Randall. In truth, this kind of humor was already falling out of favor before xckd was even published. Randall got away with it in earlier days because a) his pop culture references were much rarer and b) usually included a twist of science humor that was still fresh at the time (this comic being the classic example). But what's particularly appalling about this recent trend is that in one of the very first xkcd's was devoted to calling out exactly this kind of use of humor. Rereading this comic after the last few weeks of xkcd is like the scene in Citizen Kane when a bitter, older, ruthless capitalist Kane is sent the manifesto claiming to be a people's advocate that he wrote as a young, green, idealist newspaper mogul. But of course, that comes from a sincere movie, so that parallel is likely to go over the xkcd fanbase's head.
Thanks, Esteban. As before, e-mail email@example.com if you want to talk about writing something for this blog. All authors are paid (compliments) handsomely!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Comic 464: All you 4chan readers will LOVE this one!
There are two very different levels on which I would like to discuss this comic. We will begin with the simpler level, which is the individual comic.
Besides the fact that basically no one outside 4chan has heard of a "Bel Air" (so the joke has an even more limited appeal than usual for xkcd) I liked it, more or less. This is basically what a "Reverse Bel-Air" would look like, I suppose. Perhaps I am getting a little tired of Randall's "internet meme" comics which all take the form "Find an internet meme and make it more so." This, or this, for example. I suspect, though, that given an internet meme he hasn't mocked, I could come up with a similar "but more so" comic. Hear that, commenters? The game is on.
Oh also I don't think a reverse bel air would only work once. Depends on how often people around you sing the fresh prince theme song.
If T-Rex wanted to talk about relationships at the end there,
I would have said xkcd was copying him. But he didn't. And
this comic maybe predates Bel Airing anyway.
A much better breakup comic.
Also: This seems as good a time as any to remind you about Fresh McCain of Washington.
Ok here it is - I can't help but notice this is his third comic recently about breaking up. 445 and 449 being the other two (I also can't help but view 458 in this light as well, and, for symbolic reasons, 457 as well...). I hope there is nothing wrong in Randall's life that he wants to talk about.
A Forumite pointed out that there have been no less that 4 relationship comics about a girl named "Megan." They are:
159 - Boy is romantic at Megan
215 - Boy breaks up with Megan
420 - Megan gets married, Boy is sad
439 - Things are "unresolved" with Megan. At least from Boy's point of view.
That last one is perilously close, in time, to 445 and 449. Honestly, when you look at it this way, it does seem to form a sort of story...But I think in the end Randall is not the kind of person who would put up comics so close to his real life. I think he just knows someone named Megan and uses the name a lot.
If we see more sudden sad relationship ending comics, though, we might want to check in and make sure everything is OK.
Monday, August 18, 2008
A Softer World...More Like...a STUPIDER world! ha ha ha ha ha
So the point is, I guess, that xkcd has vastly different expectations for men and women? You have Mr. Hat responding in very different ways to the same statement made by a man and by a woman.
But really the comic is just about Mr. Hat, who, we have established, has finished his transformation from a clever destructive dude to a piss drinking fucktard. So I don't really give much of a shit about him anymore.
The thing is though, for all of xkcd's faults, I really don't see sexism being a problem. I thought that comic 385 was pretty nice. Maybe you guys have some examples of it, but this comic felt like satire but because there's no fundamental element of truth there, it didn't work for me.
In general, by the way, I don't read A Softer World. I find it depressing and not very funny. I do, however, like the xkcd parody of it. Ah, the old days, when I enjoyed xkcd....
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Comic 463: Always Practice Safe Comedy
Vote fraud is, as I said in my introduction to Stanley Sptiz's post, Very Serious Business. It's especially pathetic because an electronic voting machine with a paper ballot trail is a simple and effective way to have the efficiency of an electronic voting system with the accountability of a more traditional method.
But I digress.
When I read this, I felt like there was something off about it. I couldn't quite place it, but something about the delivery of the joke just felt wrong. And in my painful but necessary trip to the Forums (the things I do for you people...) someone posted what was apparently another version of this comic. It looks like this other version was posted first, and replaced by the one up now.
See if you, you budding Humor Analyst you, can tell the difference:
FINE it took me a while to see it too. Look at the third panel: In the new comic, the third panel reads:
"Imagine you're at a parent teacher conference, and the teacher reassures you that he always wears a condom while teaching."
In the original version, it reads:
"Imagine you are at a parent teacher conference, and the teacher reassures you that he cares about student safety. Which is why is always wears a condom while teaching."
For a fun game that YOU can play at home, which of these is better and why?
I would say that the original one is far superior. Its timing is exactly right - the perfectly innocent set up line - "the teacher cares about student safety" - and then a pause, which is actually represented by a little line in between the two sentences, and then the punchline: "so he always wears a condom." It works, you realize that "safety" in the first sentence meant safe sex, not general safety, and then the analogy dawns on you and you laugh at the joke. The analogy, it probably goes without saying, works especially well because both McAfee and condoms are designed to protect from viruses, albeit of different kinds.
The first one is much too clunky and confusing - he wears a condom while teaching. But you don't know where it's coming from; it's too direct.
Of course, both versions of the comic have the wholly unneeded 4th panel explaining the joke to you. "OH I'M SORRY LET ME EXPLAIN IT TO YOU. I WANT TO BE SURE YOU GET THE JOKE." It quite frankly ruins both, because you end up with the punchline in the second to last panel, not the last where it should be, and this extra little nothing tacked on to the end. (the alt text in comic 29 is basically the same deal)
I would say though, that if you cut out the last panel of the better version, you have a pretty good joke told pretty well. The question, of course, is why this was taken down in favor of the inferior one. I GUESS I WILL JUST HAVE TO ASK RANDALL WHEN I SEE HIM.
Comic 463: Special Guest Post
This comic is pretty good. I mean, who doesn't chuckle when they're anticipating under-age rape? Only normally-adjusted adults, and none of them read (or blog about) xkcd anyway. But we can't just settle for "pretty good" and "chuckles" and "rape" and move on with our lives because our blog a mission (see left). Does our friend Randall have a mission? Is he using protection? Is it ribbed or spiraled? This comic helps us look at these tough questions.
The most important thing about "Voting Machines" is that it uses dialog at the thorough expense of any visual humor.
"But Stan," you may ask, "isn't this true of every xkcd? I mean, they're all talking stick figures."
"Huh. I GUESS," I might reply.
"Furthermore," you may continue, "aren't the emphasis on dialogue and the deliberately amateurish art part of the fun, even the satire, of the strip?"
"Well, crap, you've got me there," I might say. But I wouldn't say that because I've got a bigger, rantier point to make.
Indeed, the satire of using stick figures for a comic is pretty neat. Next time you open a newspaper, think about how many of the comics could have their figures replaced by featureless stick-figures with no loss of effect. Consider today's "Pearls Before Swine,"
Fig 1
The early xkcd comics ingeniously comments on this sad state of affairs. The smudgy hand drawn-art and the stick figures devoid of any expression cleverly show what little art is left in today's comic strips.
Fig 2
But we all get into trouble when we forget the joke. For example, I used to deliberately mispronounce "Chipotle" as "chä-pōt-əl" to make fun of people who said it like that. Now, I've just gotten into the habit and look like an ass when I say "Guys, let's hit Chä-pōt-əl," without realizing it.
So it is with Randall. These days, his characters aren't so amateurish and unexpressive that they're a form of statement -- they're just poorly drawn. Like today, they've got some expression (what with the pondering in panel one and the gesticulating in panels two and three), but it (1) doesn't add anything to the comic and (2) weakens the satire. I could point out the weaknesses with this xkcd strip by replacing the characters with early-xkcd characters.
Fig 3
And when you produce the thing you used to satire, it's time for a little soul-searching.
I don't agree with everything he wrote, but it's still interesting. I'll have a post later tonight about the actual text and joke of the comic.
If you are interested in writing something for this blog, shoot me an e-mail - firstname.lastname@example.com
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Comic 462: Another Case Of Deja Vu
But ignoring that as best I can, how is this comic any different from this one?
Answer: While they both involve getting celebrities to voice someone's thoughts, the celebrities are of different races! Also the newer comic has a conveniently placed dick joke.
I would point out that this is the second comic in only the last 11 (11!) that references enlarging penises, and I would speculate as to what that suggests is preoccupying Randall's mind, I would, but I am, shall we say, a larger man than that.
PS - Jeremy Irons reminds me of a wonderful simpsons moment. Allison is a new girl who has joined Lisa's class and is even smarter than Lisa. At first happy to have someone at her level, then jealous of her, Lisa visits Allison at home. To quote from the good folks at the Power Plant:
Ah, comedy...Alison: It's great of you to come over, Lisa. I really want us to be
Lisa: You're a wonderful person.
Taylor: Hi, Lisa, I'm Alison's father, Professor Taylor. I've heard
great things about you.
Lisa: Oh, really? I --
Taylor: Oh, don't be modest. I'm glad we have someone who can join us
in our anagram game.
Alison: We take proper names and rearrange the letters to form a
description of that person.
Taylor: Like, er...oh, I don't know, uh...Alec Guinness.
Alison: [thinks] Genuine class.
Taylor: Ho ho, very good. All right, Lisa, um...Jeremy Irons.
Lisa: [looks with consternation] Jeremy's...iron.
Taylor: Mm hmm, well that's...very good...for a first try. You know
what? I have a ball. [pulls one from his pocket] Perhaps you'd
like to bounce it?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Comic 461: Where Have I Seen This Before?
Then I got this comment on my last post:
- Anonymous said...
You may find this link relevant when thinking about #461: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/08/19/
Jesus fucking christ.
It's the same comic. Basically. And don't say "OOOH well one is google maps and one is yahoo maps" because I will punch you in the face. It's the same comic. Map-making website gives bizarre, mysterious RPG like instructions. The end. That's a damn specific joke.
Obviously Randall Munroe reads PA because he's parodied it before. Twice. I think I can say with a pretty high level of confidence that Randall read this comic. I don't care how long ago, he read it, and he copied it almost identically.
He probably forgot about the original, I'm guessing at most he felt the idea was vaguely familiar and decided he was just being crazy and it was all his. Maybe he entirely forgot about PA's comic. He should still acknowledge the similarities and take his comic down.
I'm serious - copying ideas is a big problem in comedy (I'm looking at you, Mencia! asshole!) and I am willing to accept that Munroe just made a mistake, but it's a bad one, and he needs to correct it.
(as an aside, I am currently a few years into the PA archives, and enjoying it a lot, as someone who is not at all a gamer)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Comic 460: xkcd was also better when it was underground
The problem with all this is that all the female character is saying is that she is bitter that today's new paleontologists are only into it because it is cool (or was, 15 years ago...) and that she was into it before it was cool. The pun is supposed to be that when they were not popular ("underground") they were also literally underground. And that only makes if paleontology is no longer about digging up bones (false, as far as I know) or if the Jurassic Park mania were still going on (certainly not the case). So it all adds up to basically just a tired and lame pun, and it's that kind of pun that gives the others a bad name.
I don't like Randall acting like he's an expert on all sorts of random fields. Obviously he can make plenty of computer science references because that's his thing but to get into details of paleontology seems kind of pretentious to me.
Also, while I respect the stick-figure style randall uses, it gets weird when you can't tell anything about a character - in this case, the characters' ages. Obviously they are older, but the kids they are complaining about look exactly the same in the comic.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Married To The Sea Summarizes What This Is All About
On a related note: Married To The Sea is highly recommended. Especially this one.
Comic 459: HEY LOOK I FOUND TWO THINGS THAT HAVE THE WORD GHOST IN THEM
Is this the first overtly religion themed comic we've seen on xkcd? It might be interesting to see more. As a filthy hellbound atheist, I can say that there is plenty to make fun of in religion (though it would be a very different direction for xkcd to go).
As usual, I didn't think this was all that funny, perhaps because I think using a well known comedy as your own punchline is a bit of a cop out. Basically, at its core, this comic is just a play on the phrase "holy ghost" and the concept of "ghostbusters." I think a more interesting angle on it would be to actually show the capture of the Holy Ghost and what happens next with him and his captors, not just them getting in trouble later. It would have to deal with all the complexities and uncertainties of the concept of the holy ghost (how would you draw him?) but I think it would make it much more interesting and much funnier.
Also, if you want some hilarious awkward religious tension, read the forum thread on this comic. My favorite post was the one that started "It's nice to see so many Christians out there." Yeah, I'll bet you were feeling real lonely, what with Christians only being 75% of America.
Comic 458: Randall Tells You That You Are Not Kissing People Enough
The fact is that people don't do things more than they do things - for example, I currently regret not eating a burrito for lunch. I also regret not eating a delicious sandwich for lunch, I regret not eating several pounds of chocolate for lunch, and most of all, I regret not starting a multimillion dollar computer company during lunch, because I really would have liked that. It's not that people don't kiss each other enough, Randall, it's that people regret things more than they are glad about things they did do. That's why google gives 3 times as many hits for "I should have" as "I shouldn't have."
And anyway what is your point? That people often regret not kissing other people more than they regret kissing them, so you should kiss people more? Thanks for the tip, randall! Any other helpful advice? Because I have some advice for you: Stop writing a shitty romance advice comic, because we don't really care what you have to say.
And anyway, the "kiss people more" idea was already done way better by qwantz, and you can even buy that one on a shirt:
And as to the alt text - "And nothing for 'I'm glad I saw Epic Movie' " I can only say that currently, there are also no results for "I'm glad I read xkcd."
Saturday, August 9, 2008
man I am way behind
I'll be back very soon, and I'll blog on the last three (three!) xkcds as well as that A Softer World comic and all the other stuff you've been sending my way.
apologies again, but I haven't forgotten about this...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A Word On The Perry Bible Fellowship
Hey there, webcomic fans. I have some thoughts today.
The point is that a few months ago, there were a whole bunch of fairly shitty (by PBF standards) comics. For example, this one:
Still not sure on what the point is there - preacher tries to be cool, preacher is clearly lame, preacher gets hurt. O.....k. And up till this point, PBF only very, very rarely missed. It was simply a very high quality comic.
Anyway the point is that after 10 or so fairly lame comics, PBF just stopped. Nick Gurewitch just stopped drawing it. It was getting too hard, he didn't want to always have to be thinking of jokes (not to mention the huge time committment his drawing was) and so he stopped, rather than dilute the quality of his work.
I think of all this because he recenly posted a new comic, apparently the first in five months, and it's just kind of eh (except its third panel, which is terrifying).
I have a lot of respect for the decision to stop. This is what I think xkcd should do. It's tough, because it means admitting that you are out of ideas, but honestly, if we keep getting this "guys you should kiss people!" shit it's basically admitting it anyway.
Anyway I'll leave you with one of the first PBFs, a great commentary on fighting in general:
Monday, August 4, 2008
Comic 457:
It took me a long time to get the joke here, believe it or not. I sort of saw the joke - but it felt wrong, like I was looking at it in a mirror or underwater or something. It didn't make me laugh, and I suspect most people would be hard pressed to say what the joke actually is - is it a comment on the difficulty of bra un-hookings? Is it an idea for a devilish, nerd-friendly product? Is it a nerdy fantasy, "if only I could understand women by going online and reading some tutorials! Tutorials with Java!"
I eventually came to the conclusion that it's basically just a comment along the lines of "bras are a puzzle just like any other one", and, perhaps on a deeper level, that nerds see only the physical puzzle and not the social and psychological one required to get there.
In any case I think it fails because it's too hard to see the point (and again, if you don't think that's the point of the comic, please tell me what is). Rubik's cubes are generally played with as physical objects, but they are entirely mathematical puzzles. That's why they can be done entirely on computers and solved by algorithm. It's really no different than if the cube in the comic were a series of addition problems.
I think he should have taken an actual physical puzzle - something like one of these bad dudes:
That would have been a much closer analogy and made a bit more sense. I mean, those puzzles are supposed to come apart in the end - even when you solve a rubik's cube you are left with the cube in one piece, and so it's not going to help you when you are getting laid. It's just going to be uncomfortable.
And the deal with the wordless comics is this - in this case, it's not a comic. Not by any stretch., It's just a flitter of an idea - something that popped into Randall's head. Most people would take this potentially funny idea and work with it, develop it into more than just a "hey what if this existed" joke - but apparently randall thinks it's fine to post as is, and hey, let's take off for the weekend.
Friday, August 1, 2008
an idea!
vote in the comments, my fine friends...
update: I decided against it! Mostly out of laziness. Perhaps sometime in the future.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
GNOME Zeitgeist
Two months ago, I began working on GNOME Zeitgeist with Seif Lotfy. We were frustrated about usability problems with the current GNOME desktop, and we had several ideas about how we wanted to fix them. Under guidance from Thorsten Prante and Federico Mena-Quintero, we began programming a Python prototype.
Over time, we experimented with different interface designs as well as the underlying architecture. We played around with the journal-like interface that Federico suggested, added support for tagging, and switched to a sqlite database.
Right now, we have a basic architecture in place. From here, we're going to move on to more interesting elements. Over the next two weeks, I'm going to do some work with Seif on implicit tagging and user contexts. Both the backend and frontend have major rewrites planned.
If you have any ideas for Zeitgeist, feel free to drop either Seif or myself an email.
Do you think about integrating with NEPOMUK?
We'd like to integrate with NEPOMUK, but we have a few other project plans that we need to complete first. It's on the long-term TODO list.


text:
Browsing Working papers by Author "Chong, Sabrina"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Chong, Sabrina; Wad, Peter (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Offshore outsourcing of business activities from the Global North to the Global South does not only relocate investments and jobs, but has also brought about new business demands on suppliers activities and their social and environmental impact. The article explores whether, how and why offshore outsourcing transactions between foreign firms and Malaysian firms affect the upgrading of the CSR activities of Malaysia incorporated firms, taking the particular institutional context of Malaysia into consideration. The focus is on recipient country vendors, contract manufacturers or subcontractors and their reception of and strategising about corporate social responsibility. The findings of the study indicate, firstly, that the amount of foreign (sub)contracting influences the CSR strategising of domestic firms while the global value chain position is only conditioning the offshore outsourcing portfolio. Secondly, both the corporate governance of Malaysian affiliate and the Malaysian government play an important role shaping the perception, rhetoric and organisation of CSR activities by firms in Malaysia with a domestic value chain position. Hence, firms in Malaysia are squeezed by international business linkages and the local institutional context. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6757
Files in this item: 1wps-2007_no.7.pdf (420.9Kb)
Now showing items 1-1 of 1


text:
Bachelor of Business Administration
The objective of the Bachelor of Business Administration degree programme is to provide and develop an understanding of how businesses and organizations are operated and managed. The programme covers a range of ski I Is such as team management, personal responsibilities, managing information and providing administrative services. Students are not tested on their memorizing power but on their ability to grasp and apply theoretical concepts to work-related scenarios and case studies.
The training methodology and evaluation procedure is similar to that of an MBA programme. The programme comprises of core management subjects such as Human Resource Management, Finance Management, IT, and Operations Management. In addition to this, the programme draws on a selection of Non Business Courses such as Psychology, International Relations and Business Ethics. This helps build students' perspectives. Students are also trained in soft ski I Is such as public speaking, written communication, etc.
Three summer placements, lasting six weeks each, for FY & SY and four weeks for TY is a part of the degree programme. Students can take up the placements in an field of their choice. The purpose of the summer placements is, for students, to apply the management and leadership theories from the classroom to specific situations in real life.
The BBA programme has been designed to suit the requirement of the modern framework of the corporate world and aims at nurturing and preparing the best management talent for which the demand is great.


text:
You have no items in your shopping bag.
2 Item(s)
Regular Price:
₹ 4,499
Special Price
₹ 2,250
Regular Price:
₹ 5,499
Special Price
₹ 3,849
If you are also a shoe lover, you will know that flat sandals are the most comfortable ladies shoes you can find. They allow your feet to breathe while maintaining a stylish look. This makes them perfect choice for different occasions. Those times are gone when flat shoes were only taken as an option for summer wear. Ladies flat footwear have emerged as a part of the casual, travel-friendly and driven women. A lot of women can be easily seen wearing flats throughout the day.
Despite the love for heels, flat shoes are more practical for day to day routine. This has become the major reason for the introduction of different types of flat shoes in fashion. Availability in different material and color options have made them a prefect wear with your office attire, evening gown or casual wears. You just can't resist their simple yet unique designs and end up purchasing not just a pair but as many as possible. You can transform your look significantly by picking the right flats to go with your outfit and getup. Instead of visiting a number of stores, purchasing flat footwear from an online shopping store will save you a lot of money and time.
The comfort level of these shoes relies on the material they have been built with. These ladies flat footwear are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles that can go along perfectly with your outfit. These flats are a great option to wear at the office but you need to avoid bold colors that may compromise your formal appearance. Another great occasion to wear these flats is at a wedding. You need to stand for a longer period of time in case of such events and for that, you need to prevent your feet from getting bruised or hurt. Flat footwear is a great choice for such social events keeping up to your style and comfort at the same time. You just need to make sure that the color of your footwear matches or contrasts perfectly with your dress.
Apart from these special occasions, you can always sport flat footwear all day long. A lot of branded ladies flat footwear offer a wide variety of comfortable and soft flats that give more breathing area to your feet and reduces the stress over the edges.
Ladies Flat Footwear Tailormade for Your Liking
We understand it very well that finding the right footwear with the right outfit can be a challenging task for a lot of women. That is why footwear companies are experimenting with a lot of new designs to make you find the best ones. Apart from that, you can always go for the custom-tailored option for shoes as per your requirement. Unfortunately, this can cost you a lot of money. Instead of choosing a tailor-made approach, you can easily browse the internet to check the endless varieties and designs of ladies flat footwear and select the one perfect for you. Buying flat footwear from online shopping portals is preferred by a lot of women all across the globe. Strapped or unstrapped, leather or synthetic, whatever your choice be, you can find it easily online. This tailored female footwear are designed specifically while keeping in mind the different occasions a woman needs to wear them without compromising on the style and comfort.
Buy the Luxurious Collection of Women's Flats Online Only at Rosso Brunello
Rosso Brunello offers a wide variety and designs of ladies flat footwear. You can buy your beloved shoes easily at the best prices and on great discounts from Rosso Brunello online shopping portal. All these footwear are built with premium quality materials to ensure that their look and comfort never goes away. This footwear range will lead to the ideal reflection of your style. Get shoes that complement your personality perfectly only at Rosso Brunello.
Please wait ...
By signing up, I accept the terms of Rosso Brunello's Privacy Policy


text:
do not reply to threads that have not been replied to in over three months. this is called necroposting and it is against our policy.Loading editor
Sorry, I didn't know. Won't happen again.Loading editor
Loading editor
Encyclopedia SpongeBobia News - Vol. 1, Issue 2 - August 3, 2014
Hello Encyclopedia SpongeBobians,
I am notifying you all of important announcements at Encyclopedia SpongeBobia.
- What is this?
This is a new notification system in which I will send out announcements to the walls of everyone who has logged into their Wikia account in the past month. The purpose of this is so that users of ESB can have a more direct way of receiving updates. These will be weekly announcments. If you wish not to receive these messages, you can add your name to the opt out list. The announcements and past announcements can also be viewed here.
- Administrator, rollback and chat mod changes
- As of July 5, 2014, JustinOnTheWiki has become a chat moderator.
- As of July 19, 2014, Auron~Guardian has become a rollback and chat moderator.
- As of July 28, 2014, Nicko756 has joined the administration team.
- Important community discussions
- The following discussions need everyone's input. Please give your input. Many of these discussions will be closed within a week. Click on any of the following to go to the discussion.
- Closed discussions
- The following community discussions have closed since the last announcements. Here is the summary of the results. Click on any of the lines to review the discussions.
- All image names for episode galleries are to follow this general format: Help Wanted 001
- Character infobox discussion was broken up into many discussions (see above)
- A system for rating episodes at ESB was accepted, pending implementation. Let us know if you have any ideas.
- It has been decided that the stub length is 1,000 bytes or less.
- It was decided that we should not limit the amount of information in people articles.
- It was decided that all episodes get quoted instead of italicized.
- Social media icons were accepted and implemented.
- A new policy for character names was passed. Click to review the discussion and see the policy.
- Bot user group was accepted and implemented.
- The character hover design feature was accepted.
- Round 2 of the summer background contest ended.
- A show/hide feature for character info boxes is pending implementation.
- The discussion on whether or not to implement article comments did not pass.
- Meeting policies and location were made official.
- The chat policy has passed.
- A discussion in regards to delaying administrative involvement did not pass.
- A discussion in regards to adding a voice output did not pass.
- User/Article of the Month
- JosephHawk is the User of the Month for August 2014!
- Please also participate in nominations for month awards:
- User of the Month nominations need input and you can also nominate someone.
- Article of the Month nominations need input and you can also nominate an article.
- Fanon
- Do you have any fan fiction you want to display? Click here to contribute to the new fanon wiki, Fanonia SpongeBobia.
- Ideas?
- Do you have any ideas for ESB? Click here to give your input. To see a list of prior suggestions and their status, click here.
If you wish not to recieve these messages, please add your name to the opt out list.
To see an archive of previous announcements, click here.Loading editor
Loading editor
Remember when you enter the conversation about what episodes should be banned? Yeah, there is no reason to think NONE of the episodes should be banned. It is an f***ing kids show! What about The Splinter and Face Freeze, the episodes with REALLY disgusting visuals that give many kids nightmares, should they not be banned? What about One Coarse Meal and Are You Happy Now, the episodes where Plankton (OCM) and Squidward (AYHN) attempt SUICIDE, should they be banned? What about A Pal For Gary and Pet Sitter Pat, episodes that focus on torture to Gary, should THOSE episodes be banned? What about Demolition Doofus, Squid Baby and countless others that make fun of somebody getting a serious injury. I mean sure, a piano falling on somebody's head is funny, but that is because most of the time the injury doesn't last long and it can never really happen. But in Demolition Doofus, Spongebob cripples Mrs. Puff, and she reacts by attempting to murder Spongebob. And what about Squid Baby, where they make a head trauma into a joke. How about Little Yellow Book, where Spongebob's privacy is invaded. And might I remind you these were the ones off the top of my head. Don't those sound like episodes that should be cancelled? According to you, no. It is 100% OK by your standards for kids to be exposed to this. It wouldn't be as bad on a show like Family Guy, because that show isn't aimed at kids. Spongebob is for kids. Think about that, and please consider changing your mind. I know I may have been a bit rude, but there are just some Spongebob episodes (over 100) that kids just shouldn't watch.Loading editor
Have you seen other kids shows? All the stuff you mentioned would be considered completely tame by the standards of other kids shows. Tom and Jerry is essentially about a Mouse and a Cat trying to murder each other every episode. Bugs Bunny and Micky Mouse are two other examples which also use some pretty heavy stuff. Those three shows traumatized exactly 0 of the children who watched them, so I think all the episodes you listed are perfectly acceptable as well.
Kids aren't stupid. They are well aware that none of the characters are going to get killed off for real, and that their injuries are only temporary. Even if Squidward suffers brain damage in one episode, he'll still be back to his old self by the next one.
I'm against infringing on Stephen Hillenburg's freedom of speech, and I am against treating children like they're Fabergé eggs who can't handle what their grandparents were perfectly able to handle at their age.Loading editor
Loading editor
Hi, welcome to Encyclopedia SpongeBobia! Thanks for your edit to the How can a Krab be the father of a whale? page.
Please leave me a message if I can help with anything!Loading editor
Thanks for the welcome. I'll be sure to tell you if I need any help.Loading editor
Loading editor


text:
Displaying items by tag: kaufen
Volvo P1800S 1965
Volvo P1800S 1965 for sale
I have managed to find yet another very good Volvo P1800S from 1965.
Exterior: There was a body and paint restoration done back in the 90's. Then the car got new front fenders and new rocker panels and painted again in the original colour. It still looks fantastic today! Some of the chrome parts are new and rest still in very good original condition. Wheels have been sandblasted, painted and fitted with Vredestein Classic tyres. This car sits right in height and gets a lot of attention every time I go driving.
Interior: Still original red leather seats that have been upgraded with headrests that came a few years later on these cars. New door panels and a new carpet make it look nice and fresh inside. All instruments work (not the clock) and they are in stunning condition. Previous owner added a little armrest and this is easy to be removed if you should not like it. However, I have to say after driving a while with this car, it is very nice to have.
Engine: The original B18 engine starts very easily, has a great sound and feels very strong. Carburettors have just been rebuilt, new clutch cylinder and also the brake booster that can be an issue in these cars are working fine. And it is the original brake booster, and not the aftermarket plastic ones. The previous owner had a rear axle from the Amazon fitted and that gives this Volvo P1800 a lower rpm at cruising speed, and this is very nice with today's roads and also it will save you some gasoline. The original rear axle is also available. Otherwise this P1800S gives you a very nice and solid feeling on the road. It is a car I would not hesitate one minute to take for a long road trip through Europe.
History: This Volvo P1800S was sold here in Sweden and was registered for the first tine on the 14th of June 1965. The first owner kept the car until 1973 when Tomas from Stockholm bought it. And Tomas kept the car until 2006 when it moved to Gothenburg area and stayed there until recently. It is a very well documented car with original owner's manual, a nice binder with all collected documents for the car over the years including Technical Control and invoices for parts and service work. The last owner liked to drive this car all over Europe, so it was always well maintained. And my driving experience of this car is far better than many newly restored cars I have had.
Interested? Contact me here
Volvo P1800S 1966
Volvo P1800S 1966 for sale
Exterior: Painted last year in the original white colour. Bumpers are new, and also some of the outer chrome details. New rubber around windows, and in the doors, trunk etc. Wheels were sandblasted, painted, fitted with new tyres and new hubcaps. The car looks very striking on the road and a white car with red interior must be one of the best colour combinations for a Volvo P1800.
Interior: The Volvo P1800 has a completely new interior, new leather, door panels, carpet etc. All instruments work, even the clock is working, and I think I have never had a P1800 with working clock! Still original headliner and dashboard in good condition. Original Volvo seat belts come along with the car.
Engine: The engine has been rebuilt with new pistons and bearings. Most of the brake components are new and the brake servo is working perfectly. A wheel alignment has just been done which makes the car run very nicely and stable on the road. Fires up instantly and gives a very nice and crisp sound through the new exhaust. Very good acceleration and normal sound in gearbox and final drive. Receipts for the engine rebuild available. The car has been driven only a few hundred km after the rebuild.
History: This Volvo P1800S was produced in December 1965 and is year model 1966. The first owner had the car from 1965 to 1982. It was traded in at a dealership that became owner number 2 and then sold to owner number 3 that had the car until 2002 when it was taken out of traffic and came to owner number 4 that left it in the barn hoping the condition would improve over the years. But it did not, so in 2015 the car was sold the owner number 5 that started the restoration and worked on it until July 2018 when I bought it. And it was completed by my mechanic just recently here in April 2019. It just had a Technical Inspection here in Sweden and is ready to drive anywhere.
Interested? Contact me here
Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce
Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 105 1973 for sale
Exterior: The Rosso amaranto is a fantastic colour for the little 105 Bertone coupe. This car was painted many years ago and it is starting to show a little age now. Chrome and glass details are good. At the moment, we have a choice of wheels. The original steel rims or a set of 15" GTA wheels. This car would be described as a daily driver, certainly not a perfect car, but still very solid and presentable.
Interior: The grey cloth interior gives a very nice contrast to the outside colour and a cosy feeling inside the car. No cracks in the dashboard, instruments work, except rev counter.
Engine: Runs very nicely and feels strong. The engine was out of the car in 1997 and has travelled 6,400 km since. Brakes have just been serviced, nice Ansa exhaust system, gearbox and final drive is perfect.
History: Sold new in Sweden and has been in the same family since 1997. Taken trough Technical Inspection in Sweden recently.
Interested? Contact me here
To good to be true!
If it looks too good to be true, it is!
If you have a classic car, it is not very likely it will be stolen. A classic car is very easy to recognize and remember driving down the street. And when a thief is trying to sell your classic car, it is a very big risk that somebody will recognize it.
So instead the crooks have moved inside the cyber world. When you put your car up for sale these days, you receive many strange e-mails and text messages on your phone.
Most of them are very easy to detect since they simply ask some very stupid questions. The first one being if the car is still for sale even though your advertisement was posted 3 min ago! Then it could be you get a text message to write an e-mail to somebody claiming to be very interested in your car.
If you suspect that you have received a scam e-mail when advertising a car for sale just delete it and forget about it. You do not want to intimidate this kind of people.
A few years back I had a Bentley R-Type for sale and a man said he wanted to buy it. He sent me a check and told me to send the car. I took the check to the bank and asked them to ensure me it was authentic. They said yes, we can cash the check, but it could take up to 3 weeks until we are 100% sure.
The buyer wanted me to send the car since I now have cashed his check and the money was on my account. But two weeks later the bank called and said this was a stolen check! The buyer wanted his money back and he was furious and threatened me and my family in many e-mails. I have since received several checks but always just send them back and tell the customer we do not accept checks as a payment.
When you buy a car you should always make sure you get a proper receipt from the seller.
A friend of mine was standing at a show in Italy having one of his cars for sale when a man walked up and claimed it was his car he was trying to sell and that it had been stolen from his house some time ago. The police came and confiscated the car and my friend had to go home to get all documents proving the he had imported this car from America and he was the rightful owner of the car. It was a costly battle in court for him to get his car back.
Use your common sense when searching for the classic car of your dreams on the internet. And when something seems too good to be true. It usually is!
The advertisment above from Blocket says that his gradfather has passed away and he is now selling the his car a 1949 VW Beetle. He says the car was valued to about 600€! I cannot think of any drivable car from 1949 that you can buy for this money and certainly not a VW looking anything like the one on the picture. Interestingly, if you do a google picture search for VW 1949, you will find this very same picture in the first row.
Email from a trusted source
Sometimes I get an e-mail from the website where I advertised a car stating that they have overcharged my credit card and I should click the attached link to claim my refund. Please understand that Microsoft, your bank, eBay will NOT send you an e-mail like this. It just a way to get to your credit card information.