Dirt can make you happier and smarter

Bacteria can make you happier AND smarter!


Mycobacterium vaccae bacteria are already known to decrease
anxiety, but it might have even more dramatic properties. Recent studies
on mice suggest the bacteria, commonly found in the soils of people's
gardens, also increases intelligence and the ability to learn.

Sigourney Weaver in Red Lights movie

BD Horror News - Sigourney Weaver Signed on for 'Buried' Director's 'Red Lights'

Trailers - Splice, Inception and other goodies

Take a closer look at the worlds of Splice and Inception, plus new hints about Neuromancer

The Last Exorcist - movie trailer

Is Eli Roth's The Last Exorcist scarier than the original Exorcist?

300 wind turbines to add 500 megawatts to Ontario's power grid - maybe.

Lambton County could sprout 300 wind turbines « Wind Concerns Ontario

Hundreds of wind turbines could be built in Lambton County if all the
projects on the drawing board proceed as planned.

When the Ontario Power Authority awarded a new round of contracts to
wind generation projects in April no Lambton sites were on the list.

But a dozen proposals with generation capacity totalling nearly 500
megawatts (MW) in Lambton did make a second power authority list of
projects waiting for Hydro One to open more capacity on the grid.
...

A look at the right-wing Conservatives of North America

Buckdog: Understanding 'Authoritarian' Conservatives
“Conservatives Without Conscience”
by John W. Dean is a worthy read for all progressive thinkers. John W.
Dean was White House legal counsel for President Richard Nixon for
three years but become a key witness for the prosecution in the
Watergate trials. He is a self admitted ‘conservative’.

However,
he was NOT a Bush supporter,
His book, published 4 years ago, provides urgent warnings concerning the
political mind set and aggressive behaviour of the Right-wing in North America.
Continue reading the above link for samples.

Anniversary of a recent coalition government in Canada

Impolitical: Happy anniversary

Bob
Rae writes today about the 25th anniversary of the Liberal-NDP
governing accord in Ontario. Excerpts presented here for historical
reminiscing and well, who cares it's just good educational, timely and
topical stuff in light of the UK events too:

This week
marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Liberal-NDP Accord in
Ontario. The election in early May of 1985 had elected a minority
parliament, with the Conservatives at 50, the Liberals at 45 and the NDP
at 25. The vote split was roughly 37/37/25.
...

Inexpensive tablets on the way - $100 Android tablets

VIA Predicts Stiff Competition for iPad with $100 Android Tablets | Maximum PC

If you're in the market for a low-cost tablet, hang tight, because
several affordable models are on the way, says
VIA's Richard Brown, vice president of marketing at VIA. In an
interview with Bloomberg, Brown said he expects about five different
models ranging in price from $100 to $150 to be available in the second
half of 2010, all of which will sport a VIA processor inside.

All five models will be built around Google's open-source Android
platform, which will play a big role in keeping the overall cost to a
minimum.

...

Atom-sized transistor unveiled - first step towards a quantum computer

Small miracle as atom-sized switch unveiled - Yahoo! News

Conservatives shut down EI services and then deny they are doing so

Angus calls on government to explain cuts to EI services | NDP

OTTAWA – A flat-out denial yesterday by Minister of Human Resources
and Social Development Diane Finley that she is making cuts to 15
Employment Insurance (EI) processing centres in Ontario conflicts with
the facts, says New Democrat MP Charlie Angus (Timmins – James Bay). In
Question Period, Finley denied that a major set of cuts to the centres
is in the works. But Angus says the plans are already well developed.

“Perhaps the minister did not understand the question. We are talking
about cuts right across Ontario to 15 centres for EI including
Brantford, Peterborough, Oshawa, Kenora, Timmins and other communities.”

...

Study shows owning books more important for kid's academic achievement than parents' education level

*Kids’ Brain Food « A Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online

According to a new study published in Research in Social
Stratification and Mobility, owning books is more important than
parents’ level of education or job in predicting their kids’ academic
achievement.

If parents have a college education, their children have a 16%
greater chance of finishing college. But just having lots of books
boosts their chances by 20%. Even a small number of books at home makes a
huge difference. Just 25 books predicts a child will have 2 extra years
of schooling.

...

Six pillars of Canadian foreign policy

Six pillars of a progressive Canadian foreign policy | Briarpatch Magazine - Fiercely independent (& often irreverent) news & views.
These should be rules in our foreign policy.
Read the link!

Harper Conservatives caught on lies about environmental regulations in Canada

Reality check: Harper Conservatives mistruths exposed by leading environmentalist | NDP
The Harper government claims that our regulations are more strict than in the USA. This is not true. Read the link.


Also
http://www.ndp.ca/press/us-laws-on-drilling-safety-are-stronger-than-canada-s

Electric car with body made of battery

Electric car powered by its own body work | GDS Publishing
Swedish carmaker Volvo are to team up with Imperial College London on a
3.4 million euro project to develop a prototype material that stores and
discharges electrical energy, allowing parts of a car's bodywork to
double up as its battery.
...

Harper's Conservatives - new ways to be un-accountable.

Accidental Deliberations: Off message
excerpt:
Does a party whose base is committed to personal responsibility actually
think that there's no problem with making "ministerial responsibility"
referable only to a cabinet hive-mind? And is Jay Hill's extended
waaambulance ride the best pitch for a party which normally tries
to portray itself as strong and in control?

The Public Humiliation Diet - hardcore, but effective.

The Public Humiliation Diet: A How-To
This diet might not be for everyone, but there are some great tips in here.