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Making Helium Foolproof

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Making Helium Foolproof e-Deliverance Information + Knowledge = Choice June - July Exit International 2010 Making Helium Foolproof In recent months, there have been several reports A faulty tap can allow a slow leak of the gas over of people attempting to use ‘Balloon Time’ Helium a period of time. Clearly, the longer a cylinder is Cylinders for a peaceful death, only to discover stored, the greater the possibility of a leak and the that their cylinder did not contain the stated amount more need for the gas pressure to be checked. of gas (250 litre - small or 420 litre - large). Some people have even found that the helium cylinders To show how the pressure of a Balloon Time were less than full on purchase. helium cylinder can be checked, a step-by-step YouTube film has been produced by Exit and is in- While a low gas volume in a cylinder may be little cluded in this Deliverance Newsletter (and as part more than an inconvenience when the gas is used of the 30 June 2010 update of The Peaceful Pill for the inflation of eHandbook). party balloons, it can cause serious difficul- Note 1: An Exit flow ties and disruption fitting ensures that a when used for a peace- single, small (250 litre) ful death. cylinder contains suffi- cient gas for a peaceful In light of these death. reports, Exit is now issuing the following If the gas pressure is caution. correct, one cylinder is all that is needed. Always check that the Note 2: Recent test- cylinder is full ing by Exit of Balloon Time helium cylinders before use! ‘Exit Helium Pressure Test’ - Now on YouTube at: has found no evidence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bdkZyMQq4Q to support the oc- While the amount of casional claim that the gas has been deliberately gas in a cylinder can be measured by weighing the contaminated (eg. by the addition of oxygen by the cylinder, the small weight difference from full to manufacturer). empty makes this technically difficult. Only very The easiest way to establish that the cylinder is INSIDE small levels of full is to measure the pressure of the gas. A full insignificant cylinder will have a pressure of ~ 1800 kPa (or 1 Making Helium Foolproof impurities ~250psi). Gauges suitable to carry out this test are 2 Chapter Webinar Update were found 2 UK Chapter Mtgs & Webinars available from www.peacefulpill.com in Exit’s gas 3 Vale: Dr Miklos Somogyi analysis. 4 Welcome Annemarie to Exit If the measured pressure 4 Nembutal by Mail - the Online differs significantly from Trade in Barbiturates the above, the cylinder 5 June 2010 PPeH Update should be discarded. 5 Test Kits Provide Peace of Mind 5 Exitorial The most likely cause of 6 Exit Forces Reply to Conroy a cylinder showing less 6 Exit Profile: Vincent Phelan than the full pressure is 7 Nth America Tour Dates a faulty cylinder tap. 7 NZ Tour Dates 8 Exit Store Chapter Webinars Australian Science Festival In May and June, Exit’s Chapter Meeting We- On Tuesday 3 August, Exit Director Dr Philip binars with Dr Philip Nitschke continued to ex- Nitschke will be a guest at the 2010 Australian pand. With Exit’s roving Chapters’ Coordina- Science Festival in Canberra. tor Elaine Arch-Rowe travelling in her RV, Exit has been able to hold webinars with members He will be speaking on his current work con- as far away as Townsville and Cairns in Far cerning the paradigm shift taking place in the North Queensland. Voluntary Euthanasia debate. W h i l e In particular he will technical argue why the ulti- hitches are mate answer to VE still be- lies not in getting ing ironed the imprimatur of out, Dr religion, politics or Nitschke medicine but in the said he be- smart use of science lieves the and technology. t e c h n o l - ogy holds For those who cannot be in Canberra, Philip’s enormous session will be broadcast live-to-air on Austral- promise as ia Talks which can heard on Radio National at a means of Philip conducting the Townsville webinar while on 6pm on Mondays to Wednesdays or by podcast providing holiday recently in Singapore at: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/australiatalks/ m e m b e r s with answers to their end of life technical ques- tions and information on the activities of Exit. Advance Notice - Banned Looking forward, Chapter Webinars are planned Book Forum in Melbourne for London and Dublin (in July, see below) with On Friday 12 August Dr Philip Nitschke will Perth, Hobart and central Victoria to follow. take part in a forum on the history of Banned Watch Deliverance for details. Books at the University of Melbourne. Details to follow in the August edition of Deliverance. Chapter Meetings + Webinars London - Fri 2 July Dublin - Mon 12 July Exit International will be holding Chapter Meetings in London and Dublin in July on the London Chapter Meeting 2nd and 12th of the month respectively. Time: 10am - 12 noon As with all Exit chapter meetings, attendance Date: Friday 2 July 2010 is restricted to Exit members although others (over 50 years) are welcome to join on the day. Venue: The Green Room Attendance is, as always, free. Dragon Hall 17 Stukeley St The Chapter meeting in London will be hosted Tube: Holborn by Lindy Boyd, Lynne Shapiro and Joy God- sell. In Dublin the meeting will be hosted by Dublin Chapter Meeting Tom Curran with Lindy Boyd. Time: 10am - 12 noon Bookings are not required, just come along on Date: Monday 12 July 2010 the day. We look forward to seeing everyone. Venue: Seomra Spraoi Dr Philip Nitschke will attend both Meetings by 10 Belvedere Crt Webinar. Dublin 1 For Australian Chapter Meeting dates, visit: Morning tea will be served at both meetings. http://www.exitinternational.net/page/Chapter+News or call the Exit office on 1300 10 3948 (EXIT). 2. Vale Dr Miklos Somogyi It was with great sadness but also considerable ‘I was attached to it, the machine then relief that Exit learned that Dr Miklos Somogyi transferred me onto a commode. I was died at his hospital in Melbourne in the early untied from the hoist and wheeled above hours on Friday 21 May. the toilet. In recent months, Dr Somogyi’s story had re- ‘When ready, someone wiped my botty ceived considerable prominence when he told and wheeled me into the shower. All this his ‘little saga’ (his words) to The Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne and, then featured in required two nurses, and was a blow to the Australian and New Zealand editions of my dignity! Readers’ Digest. ‘It took me a few days for the facts to sink In some ways, Miklos’ story is all too common. in. I was a cripple. How would I do this In other ways it is absolutely unique and shows at home?’ how exceptional this 73-year-old retired engi- neer/ mathematician truly was. Miklos says that according to his courier track- ing number his Nembutal arrived in Australia 2 days after leaving Mexico. At this point how- ever, it mysteriously disappeared. On 27 January 2010, Miklos rationalised he had nothing to lose so he wrote to the Chief Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police Tony Negus saying that he should either be ar- rested (supposing he had broken the law) or, if not, asking the AFP to release his Nembutal. A spokesman wrote back saying the entire matter was one for the politicians. At this point, Miklos contacted his local MP 33-year-old Kelly O’Dwyer in Victoria. She Philip Nitschke visiting Miklos in hospital a few weeks before his death. responded saying the issue would not be ad- dressed for a very long time. And so Miklos Like many terminally ill Australians, upon was left to die in hospital. He died after two learning of his diagnosis of metastasized pros- days of delirium, with bed sores and his surgi- trate cancer and on experiencing the best and cal wounds seeping. worst of palliative treatment of the disease, in the absence of a law Miklos realised he had Miklos told his story to Exit in the last month of little choice but to take matters into his own his life. Exit has since made a short film which hands. is now available for viewing at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK1yBJhLlkI In October 2009 Miklos, like many others, or- dered Nembutal online from Mexico. He want- Our thoughts go out to his wife, Erika, who is ed an ‘insurance policy’ for when his disease devastated by the loss of her beloved husband. got so bad that death became his preferred op- tion. Describing his toileting, Miklos did not think this day far away. He explained: ‘A brace was put on me to prevent my spine buckling. It dug into my chin and sides, and pressed my spine if it was not correctly applied. ‘Then, with help, I sat on the side of the bed. Someone wheeled in a huge lifting machine. 3. Welcome Annemarie to Exit Exit NZ gets a new face This month, Exit welcomes Annemarie Liesbeth to edition of House and Garden magazine. When not Exit’s office staff. gardening, Annemarie can be found painting or afrikan drumming. Based outside of Timaru on New Zealand’s south island, Annemarie brings her librarian skills to Exit We welcome her to taking responsibility for database coordination. Exit. Annemarie can be contacted on: Annemarie will also be on the receiving end of the Exit New Zealand phone number providing a local Email: annemarie@ point of contact for Kiwi Exit members.
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