Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Atheist bus ads in Ottawa - Update
Dawg's Blawg: Atheist ads: fear and loathing at OC Transpo [updated]
Ottawa has joined two other cities--Victoria and Halifax--in an Axis of Benightedness.* The decision has been made: no atheist ads on our buses.
...
UPDATE: (February 18) The Ottawa City Council Transit Committee has met. By a vote of 3 to 3, and for want of a majority, Councillor Alex Cullen's motion to permit atheist advertising on buses was defeated. On the side of the angels--so to speak--were Councillors Cullen, George Bedard and Jacques Legendre. The knuckle-draggers who prevailed were Rainer Bloess, Doug Thompson and Marianne Wilkinson.
The matter is going to the full City Council on March 11.For God's sake Please write to the Ottawa City Councillors and the Mayor, and remind them about the benefits of public debate in a democracy, the problem with OC Transpo's blatant double standards, what century we're living in, etc.
Ottawa has joined two other cities--Victoria and Halifax--in an Axis of Benightedness.* The decision has been made: no atheist ads on our buses.
...
UPDATE: (February 18) The Ottawa City Council Transit Committee has met. By a vote of 3 to 3, and for want of a majority, Councillor Alex Cullen's motion to permit atheist advertising on buses was defeated. On the side of the angels--so to speak--were Councillors Cullen, George Bedard and Jacques Legendre. The knuckle-draggers who prevailed were Rainer Bloess, Doug Thompson and Marianne Wilkinson.
The matter is going to the full City Council on March 11.
Farewell Spider - help raise money for the funeral
Home
If you want to know more, and/or want to donate to help with the funeral costs, visit this site.
If you want to know more, and/or want to donate to help with the funeral costs, visit this site.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Researchers close to decoding what makes viruses so hard to kill
Mad Science: Researchers Close to Decoding What Makes Viruses So Hard to Kill
This week researchers announce that they've created a perfect reproduction of a virus shell (pictured). That's the ultra-tough outer layer found on most viruses that allows them to drill into cells and reproduce.
Americans say "Investigate Bush"
Rumsfeld Knew His Guys Were Torturing People to Death, Which Is a Serious Crime | Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace | AlterNet
Rumsfeld Knew His Guys Were Torturing People to Death, Which Is a Serious Crime
Apple trying to make modifying the iPone illegal
Iphone jailbreaking to become illegal - The Inquirer
APPLE IS TRYING TO MAKE the act of modifying the Iphone operating system to allow the installation of third party software illegal.
...The EFF offers interesting analogy: "Ford might tell us that, for our own safety, all servicing should be done by an authorized Ford dealer using only genuine Ford parts. Toyota might say that swapping your engine could reduce the reliability of your car. And Mazda could say that those who throw a supercharger on their MX5s frequently exceed the legal speed limit.
"But we'd never accept this corporate paternalism as a justification for welding every car bonnet shut and imposing legal liability on car buffs tinkering in their garages.
Cell phones to get one universal charger - finally!
Universal Chargers to Finally Become a Reality - PC World <read for details
An initiative backed by both mobile phone manufacturers and operators will result in a universal charger based on the Micro-USB interface for new mobile phones.
No more bottled water
No More Bottled Water | Got2BeGreen
Many people believe that bottled water is safer than tap water. The fact is that this is simply not the truth. If you are still using bottled water, please read this. It’s a great list of “12 solid reasons to kick the bottled water habit;” put together by the GoodHuman.com. (Thanks GoodHuman.com!)
Still Hell in Gaza
Runesmith's Canadian Content: Meanwhile, It Still Sucks in Gaza <read full post
Funny how the western media has totally moved on from Gaza. And yet, for those who are still in the thick of it, the only difference seems to be the particular flavour of hell they're living in.
Yes, the tanks have retreated and the aerial bombardment has ceased. They're still getting shelled from the sea, bombed by drones and shot at from the border, of course. And the Israelis have suddenly decided that their previous arbitrary 300m "buffer zone" was woefully inadequate and have now arbitrarily expanded it to a full kilometre - all on the Gaza side of the border, of course.
This, in a country that is only 6-7 kilometres wide along much of its length.
Funny how the western media has totally moved on from Gaza. And yet, for those who are still in the thick of it, the only difference seems to be the particular flavour of hell they're living in.
Yes, the tanks have retreated and the aerial bombardment has ceased. They're still getting shelled from the sea, bombed by drones and shot at from the border, of course. And the Israelis have suddenly decided that their previous arbitrary 300m "buffer zone" was woefully inadequate and have now arbitrarily expanded it to a full kilometre - all on the Gaza side of the border, of course.
This, in a country that is only 6-7 kilometres wide along much of its length.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Israeli "neo-fascist" Yisrael Beytenu party wins big in the election
The Disaffected Lib: Israel's Real Arab Problem <read full post
With more voting power garnered by Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beytenu party, we could see the explusion of hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs from Israel.
No liberal democracy I know of since World War II has disenfranchised or expelled its own citizens. - Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek.
With more voting power garnered by Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beytenu party, we could see the explusion of hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs from Israel.
No liberal democracy I know of since World War II has disenfranchised or expelled its own citizens. - Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek.
First hand observations of the aftermath in Gaza
The Israeli smashing of Gaza and international silence | rabble.ca <read Ann's observations.
Ann Wright - a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December, 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is the co-author of the book Dissent: Voices of Conscience. - travelled to Gaza in early February to witness the aftermath of the Israeli attack.
Ann Wright - a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December, 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is the co-author of the book Dissent: Voices of Conscience. - travelled to Gaza in early February to witness the aftermath of the Israeli attack.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Researchers find that words soothe the brain
Words give brain handle on feelings: U.S. researcher | Science | Reuters
"When you put feelings into words, you are turning on the same regions in the brain that are involved in emotional self-control," Lieberman said.
"It regulates distress," said Lieberman, who studies the brain using technology known as functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI, which highlights brain regions as they become active.
Lieberman's findings are based on studies in which healthy subjects lie in an MRI machine and view emotionally evocative pictures, such as scared or angry faces. Study participants touch a button corresponding to a word that expresses that emotion.
When study subjects put feelings into words in this way, the researchers noted increased brain activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region known for dampening negative emotions.
At the same time, they saw decreases in activity in the amygdala, the brain machinery responsible for processing feelings about relationships and emotions like fear, rage and aggression.
Lest We Forget
LeDaro: The Holocaust: Lest we Forget < Full post and videos
We must speak out against this carnage regardless of our religion, nationality or ethnic background. First and foremost we are all human. As the speaker in the first video says, not doing anything in case of extreme need is already an act of evil.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Save yourself! Stop eating food!
Our Food is Full of Crap. Also, Rodent Hair, Mildew, and Bugs. - Boing Boing
In the wake of the peanut butter salmonella scare (caused by rats, roaches, and other awfulness inside the factory), an op-ed in today's New York Times examines the government's standards for acceptable levels of gross stuff in food. According to the writer, you likely ingest up to two pounds of "flies, maggots and mites" each year, without being aware.
In the wake of the peanut butter salmonella scare (caused by rats, roaches, and other awfulness inside the factory), an op-ed in today's New York Times examines the government's standards for acceptable levels of gross stuff in food. According to the writer, you likely ingest up to two pounds of "flies, maggots and mites" each year, without being aware.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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