Death Row Frog

Toady Montana awaits execution

Say Hello to my Little Friend - Toady Montana

Meet Toady Montana.

Toady is part of the new Cuban crime-wave here in Florida and don't let his name fool you.  Toady is ALL FROG.  In fact he's a Cuban Tree Frog, AKA Osteopilus Septentrionalis and his gang is so fearsome, they have a contract on their heads.

Even the Greenie-Tree-Huggers say: "He's gotta go!"

The University of Florida has a hit out on Toady and his pals, with detailed instructions available on their website for a gruesome Benzocaine/Freezer recommended 'whacking'....http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw259

Toady's fate remains unclear.  Seen here in a Dunedin fire pit after his capture, he doesn't seem so fearsome.  In fact, Cuban tree frogs are commonly available in the pet trade elsewhere in the United States. but he skin of Cuban tree frogs secretes a toxic mucus that can burn the eyes and trigger an allergic (or asthmatic) reaction.

Here in Florida, many people have reported that after they first noticed a Cuban tree frog in their yard, they noticed the gradual disappearance of the other frogs, toads and even lizards. That's because Cuban tree frogs are voracious eaters -- and unfortunately they eat Florida's native frogs, toads, and lizards, in addition to insects and spiders.

That is why the kill-on-sight order was issued by 'The Commission'.

Toady keeps insisting that he is a political refuge and that there is Nothing we can do to him that Castro hasn't already done.  Upon apprehension, Toady croaked: "You want to play rough, OK!"

What should we do with Toady??

Honeymoon Island Suicide

According to local witnesses, the body found this morning on the Honeymoon Island Causeway was in fact a suicide.  Horribly, this person hung themselves from the south side span of the second bridge leading to the state park.  An early morning fisherman discovered the body and contacted authorities.

Traffic was blocked for a time in the west bound lane leaving the island.  The The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is investigating.  The park is open today.

A very sad start to the holiday weekend :-(

http://dunedin.patch.com/articles/body-found-along-dunedin-causeway

Out of Gas, Out of Luck!

Driver tries to outrun deputy, runs out of Gas
On Monday, Brian Joseph Condon, 36, of Clearwater Beach was driving 90 mph in a 55 mph zone on U.S. 19, clocked by a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy, according to reports. But when a deputy tried to pull him over, he tried to elude the officer by driving behind several businesses, the report states. One business he neglected to visit was a gas station: Condon was caught when his car ran out of gas. He was charged with felony fleeing and eluding and driving under the influence after he failed field sobriety tests, according to the Sheriff's Office. He was taken to the Pinellas County Jail, where he was held Monday in lieu of $5,500 bail.

[Last modified: Aug 28, 2012 05:47 PM]

Copyright 2012 Tampa Bay Times

Dunedin Study: Dope makes you Dumb!

Young Stoners Run Risk of Lower IQ

Individuals repeatedly diagnosed with cannabis dependence during young adulthood had noticeable declines in IQ scores by age 38, especially when the heavy use started in their teens, researchers said.

A small to medium decline in mean IQ between tests taken on the eve of adolescence and again at age 38 was seen in those diagnosed at least three times with cannabis dependence, according to Madeline Meier, PhD, of Duke University, and colleagues, who reported on data from 1,037 participants in a New Zealand birth cohort.

In the small group of participants who became cannabis dependent before age 18 -- a total of 23 cohort members -- the decline translated to an average of about 8 IQ points, whereas 14 participants who also showed heavy cannabis use but only beginning in adulthood showed only a very small drop in full-scale scores (P=0.02), Meier and colleagues indicated online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers also reported that the size of the mean decline increased with the number of cannabis dependence diagnoses that participants had received in five evaluations conducted from ages 18 to 38 (P<0.0001 for trend).

"Collectively, [the study's] findings are consistent with speculation that cannabis use in adolescence, when the brain is undergoing critical development, may have neurotoxic effects," Meier and colleagues wrote.

Study participants were members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. It attempted to track all children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, from April 1972 to March 1973 starting at age 3. At age 38, the investigators had data on IQ testing and cannabis dependence diagnoses on 874 cohort members.

Besides assessing cannabis use, the five structured interviews in adulthood also elicited information on use of other illicit drugs and alcohol. IQ tests were conducted initially at ages 7 to 13 and again at age 38.

Among participants included in the current analysis, 242 never reported cannabis use in the structured interviews nor were they ever diagnosed with dependence; 479 indicated some use but never received a diagnosis; and 80, 35, and 38 had received one, two, or three or more dependence diagnoses in the adult evaluations.

Baseline mean IQ scores were similar and close to the standardized population average of 100 in these cannabis-use subgroups. However, at age 38, the mean scores had diverged considerably. The change from baseline was as follows (P values not reported):

• Never used, never diagnosed: +0.80
• Used, never diagnosed: -1.07
• One diagnosis: -1.62
• Two diagnoses: -2.47
• Three or more diagnoses: -5.75

Meier and colleagues reported other changes over time in "standard deviation units," in which changes of 0.20, 0.50, and 0.80 should be considered small, medium, or large, respectively.

For participants with three or more diagnoses, the change was -0.38 units.
The researchers also stratified participants into two groups according to whether, at a given interview, they reported using cannabis at least once a week on average ("regular user").

Individuals classed as regular users at least three times in the study also showed the largest declines in IQ between tests (mean -5.23 IQ points, -0.35 standard deviation units, P value not reported), whereas little change was seen in those never reporting regular use.

Similar patterns were seen in IQ subdomain scores.

These small to medium declines were also seen in this participant group in tests of memory, processing speed, and executive function.

Meier and colleagues sought to rule out potential confounding factors, taking educational attainment and use of alcohol and other drugs into account.

When they restricted their analysis to 278 participants who did not get beyond high school, again those with three or more dependence diagnoses showed medium-level declines in IQ (mean -0.48 standard deviation units) whereas those in the never-used, never-diagnosed category had essentially no change (mean -0.03 units, P=0.0009 for trend).

The pattern also held up when the researchers excluded participants with persistent dependence on tobacco, alcohol, and "hard" drugs, and also those with diagnoses of schizophrenia.

However, the strongest relationships between persistent dependence and IQ decline applied to those who began heavy use in adolescence. Meier and colleagues suggested that, actually, the relationship between dependence and IQ decline may be entirely driven by this group.

The 23 participants with adolescent-onset dependence and at least three diagnoses overall showed a mean decline of about 0.53 standard deviation units, compared with a drop of about 0.13 among those with three diagnoses that all came during adulthood (P=0.02).

Nonsignificant trends toward greater declines in IQ were also seen in those teen-onset dependence but fewer total diagnoses of dependence.

"In fact, adult-onset cannabis users did not appear to experience IQ decline as a function of persistent cannabis use," Meier and colleagues wrote.

 They cautioned that their data did not prove that heavy cannabis use actually caused the decline.

"There may be some unknown 'third' variable that could account for the findings. The data also cannot reveal the mechanism underlying the association between persistent cannabis dependence and neuropsychological decline," they wrote.

They also acknowledged that their data relied on self-report of cannabis use, without confirmation from blood or urine testing.

But these caveats did not stop them from speculating on causal mechanisms and the implications of a causal relationship.

Meier and colleagues noted that animal studies as well as theories of neural development during adolescence support a neurotoxic effect of cannabis in the young adult brain.

Moreover, they argued, their findings should inform public health programs.

"Prevention and policy efforts should focus on delivering to the public the message that cannabis use during adolescence can have harmful effects on neuropsychological functioning, delaying the onset of cannabis use at least until adulthood, and encouraging cessation of cannabis use particularly for those who began using cannabis in adolescence," they wrote.

Duke University, in a press release, was even less circumspect in a press release headlined, "Adolescent pot use leaves lasting mental deficits."

Its first sentence claimed that "the persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 has been shown to cause lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory" in the study.

The Dunedin cohort study was funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council. The current analysis was supported by the U.K. Medical Research Council, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the Jacobs Foundation.
No potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Dunedin's Beltrees Street - What Happened?

Is this part of the town's new re-branding?

Just in time for Spring Training?

This poorly spelled graffiti is not the only problem.  It's a symptom of a much larger issue.

Take a look at Beltrees St. and the connecting streets lately.  While there are still many proud and responsible home owners and renters.......   Well, you look!

Picture it in 5 years!

 

I never thought I would see this type of 'Urban Blight' in 34698!