An anisthetic cream used in conjunction with Viagra was very effective is stamping out erectile dysfunction (ED) according to tests by researchers in Turkey.   The study tested subjects by giving them placebos, Viagra alone, a special anisthetic cream called EMLA alone, and EMLA with Viagra.   The resulrs were best for 77 percent improvement for the cream alone but this was enhanced slightly to 86.4% when the cream was combined with Viagra.   Viagra alone resulted in 55% effectiveness but I believe Viagra is more expensive than the cream so the conclusion is the anisthetic cream is a cheaper, more effective alternative.   But does anyone see a problem with a self-applied cream used to help ED sufferers?

Oh, and lest I forget, the placebo was effective in 40% of all cases.   Early reports show placebo sales have skyrocketed in Turkey.

Americans like to treat their pets like children.   Now there's a product available to help you cart your surrogate child around.   The Happy Trails Plus Pet Stroller, available from Petsmart, is a convenient foldaway stroller for cats and dogs (and other animals) up to 30 lbs.   It even comes in pink!   Possible consequences to the grievous social ill of pet obesity notwithstanding, this is a really cute way to make your pet one of the family!

If we really want to treat our pets like children, the logical next steps are to:

• Make playgrounds exclusively for pets, oh, we already have that.
• Create preschools and schools to send them to during the day, oh, we already have that.
• Invent medicines to tame the hyper active, oh, we already have that.
• Start sporting events for those dogs with a competitive streak, oh, we already have that.

What are the differences between how we treat children and pets, again?

A Norwegian woman thought she was in heaven when beer flowed from her kitchen tap instead of water.   Apparently the guy hooking up the kegs in the bar downstairs managed to mix up the pipes, causing beer to flow from water taps and, you guessed it, water to flow from the beer taps.

This kind of makes me think of those Miller Lite commercials where a few people are freaking out because it is raining and it tastes like their light beer.   One guys runs into a bar and yells to the patrons to come outside because it is raining beer out.   If you don't get this commercial, never mind, go back to your Coors Light.

The lucky woman said about her tap beer, "it tasted a bit odd and was not fizzy."   Unfortunately no members of the press thought to get statements from bar patrons about the quality of their beer.

As an aside, have you ever had a "Ringnes?"   It kind of reminds me of bitter tap water.   Norway is not internationally known as a great place to get beer.

According to politicaldogs.org, France has banned a drink made from artichokes because it does not "eliminate alcohol from the body up to six times faster than normal" as its marketing claims it does.   French authorities are worried that people will drink more while relying on this drink to straighten themselves out before driving.   Courts found that the company could not substantiate their claims even though the company provided its own scientific data showing it could.

Some day, somebody is going to come up with something that will finally get this job done for us!