This is brilliant... props to Karl for passing it on....
Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The More Things Change
One of the reasons I don't expect a lot from the presidential election south of the border. (thanks and a shout-out to Lila for showing me this...)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Energy Crisis? What Energy Crisis?
Here's an interesting fact:
Each day, the US Air Force hauls 3.7 million pounds of fuel above Iraq and Afghanistan daily to refuel aircraft in flight.
Each day, the US Air Force hauls 3.7 million pounds of fuel above Iraq and Afghanistan daily to refuel aircraft in flight.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
More Wierdness from the World's Oceans
Now that we've seen the Yeti crab, "Giant sea creatures, including sea spiders the size of dinner plates and jellyfish with six-metre long tentacles, have been found by Australian scientists in the deep waters around Antarctica.
Huge worms and giant crustaceans have been filmed during an expedition which
trawled the floor of the Southern Ocean almost a mile below the
surface. Many of the animals could not be identified and are to be sent
to labs, possibly to be classed as newly discovered species."[The Guardian]
the expedition was lead by Dr. Martin Riddle, and found some fascinating creatures:
Brightly coloured coralline, bryozoans and
sponges sit on the ocean floor at a depth of about 600 metres (1970
feet) on the Antarctic continental shelf are shown in this handout
image made available on February 19, 2008. Scientists studying
Antarctic waters have filmed and captured giant sea creatures and an
unknown species of sea life. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Animals known as tunicates which
look like metre-tall glass tulips sit on the ocean floor at a depth of
about 220 metres (722 feet) on the Antarctic continental shelf are
shown in this handout image made available on February 19, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Sponges, gorgonians and lace
corals sit on the ocean floor at a depth of about 400 metres (1310
feet) on the Antarctic continental shelf in this handout image made
available on February 19, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
(all images from the Xinhua website) The CBC's coverage is roughly similar.You can get an idea of what the Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census is up to in this PDF. And the CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life) website has some interesting video footage as well.
We are in the middle of the International Polar Year: "The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009."
There's some video footage here, and the Australian Antarctic Division press release is here.
Huge worms and giant crustaceans have been filmed during an expedition which
trawled the floor of the Southern Ocean almost a mile below the
surface. Many of the animals could not be identified and are to be sent
to labs, possibly to be classed as newly discovered species."[The Guardian]
the expedition was lead by Dr. Martin Riddle, and found some fascinating creatures:
Brightly coloured coralline, bryozoans and
sponges sit on the ocean floor at a depth of about 600 metres (1970
feet) on the Antarctic continental shelf are shown in this handout
image made available on February 19, 2008. Scientists studying
Antarctic waters have filmed and captured giant sea creatures and an
unknown species of sea life. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Animals known as tunicates which
look like metre-tall glass tulips sit on the ocean floor at a depth of
about 220 metres (722 feet) on the Antarctic continental shelf are
shown in this handout image made available on February 19, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Sponges, gorgonians and lace
corals sit on the ocean floor at a depth of about 400 metres (1310
feet) on the Antarctic continental shelf in this handout image made
available on February 19, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
(all images from the Xinhua website) The CBC's coverage is roughly similar.You can get an idea of what the Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census is up to in this PDF. And the CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life) website has some interesting video footage as well.
We are in the middle of the International Polar Year: "The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009."
There's some video footage here, and the Australian Antarctic Division press release is here.
Still Trust Doctors and Drug Companies?
Maybe you should read this blog.Dr. Aubrey Blumsohn savages bad science and drug trials (which appear to often be the same thing), on a regular basis.Very much worth keeping in touch with.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Commercial time!
the UK seems to get some of the best commercials, like this one from Greenpeace UK.
I suppose you already knew this
But I sure didn't. Ian Sample, writing in The Guardian on Thursday, November 30th 2006 (and updated October 11th 2007), writes about the 2000-year-old computer salvaged from a Roman shipwreck that has been reconstructed. Turns out to be a highly sophisticated astronomical calendar "capable of tracking with remarkable precision the position of the sun, several heavenly bodies and the phases of the moon." It is suggested that it dates back to 150-100 BCE and, among other things, can track the irregular orbit of the moon. A truly fascinating story and mind-bending discovery.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Global Warming: Nine Things that Will Put us Over the Edge
Yup. We're screwed.
Global Warming: Nine Things that Will Put us Over the Edge
By Steve Connor, The Independent UK. Posted February 8, 2008.
Irreversible changes
* Arctic sea ice: some scientists believe that the tipping point for the total loss of summer sea ice is imminent.
* Greenland ice sheet: total melting could take 300 years or more but the tipping point that could see irreversible change might occur within 50 years.
* West Antarctic ice sheet: scientists believe it could unexpectedly collapse if it slips into the sea at its warming edges.
* Gulf Stream: few scientists believe it could be switched off completely this century but its collapse is a possibility.
* El Niño: the southern Pacific current may be affected by warmer seas, resulting in far-reaching climate change.
* Indian monsoon: relies on temperature difference between land and sea, which could be tipped off-balance by pollutants that cause localized cooling.
* West African monsoon: in the past it has changed, causing the greening of the Sahara, but in the future it could cause droughts.
* Amazon rainforest: a warmer world and further deforestation may cause a collapse of the rain supporting this ecosystem.
* Boreal forests: cold-adapted trees of Siberia and Canada are dying as temperatures rise.
Global Warming: Nine Things that Will Put us Over the Edge
By Steve Connor, The Independent UK. Posted February 8, 2008.
Irreversible changes
* Arctic sea ice: some scientists believe that the tipping point for the total loss of summer sea ice is imminent.
* Greenland ice sheet: total melting could take 300 years or more but the tipping point that could see irreversible change might occur within 50 years.
* West Antarctic ice sheet: scientists believe it could unexpectedly collapse if it slips into the sea at its warming edges.
* Gulf Stream: few scientists believe it could be switched off completely this century but its collapse is a possibility.
* El Niño: the southern Pacific current may be affected by warmer seas, resulting in far-reaching climate change.
* Indian monsoon: relies on temperature difference between land and sea, which could be tipped off-balance by pollutants that cause localized cooling.
* West African monsoon: in the past it has changed, causing the greening of the Sahara, but in the future it could cause droughts.
* Amazon rainforest: a warmer world and further deforestation may cause a collapse of the rain supporting this ecosystem.
* Boreal forests: cold-adapted trees of Siberia and Canada are dying as temperatures rise.
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Friday, February 08, 2008
No Idea
if this is for real. Lord knows, it sounds like most Canadian Conservative politicians, but who can tell if it's a set up or for real? Judge for yourself (warning, unrestrained laughter or tears may result from viewing this video).
Australian Senator Discusses Oil Spill - Watch more free videos
Australian Senator Discusses Oil Spill - Watch more free videos
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Politically Canuck
According to this CBC story, a prosecutor in Texas is accused of using the word "Canadian" as a racial slur in a 2003 email. The prosecutor wrote in an email, "He overcame a subversively good defense by Matt Hennessey that had some Canadians on the jury feeling sorry for the defendant and forced them to do the right thing."
There were no Canadians on the jury. But there were some African-Americans, and some are claiming the lawyer used the word "Canadian" as a racial slur against them.
The prosecutor defended himself by saying he had been led to believe that were actual Canadians on the jury, suggesting that somehow some Canadian nationals had slipped through the system designed to eliminate non-U.S. citizens as prospective jurors. He also said that other lawyers use the word "Canadians" to describe "liberals."
There were no Canadians on the jury. But there were some African-Americans, and some are claiming the lawyer used the word "Canadian" as a racial slur against them.
The prosecutor defended himself by saying he had been led to believe that were actual Canadians on the jury, suggesting that somehow some Canadian nationals had slipped through the system designed to eliminate non-U.S. citizens as prospective jurors. He also said that other lawyers use the word "Canadians" to describe "liberals."
Monday, January 28, 2008
An Interview with Morgan Spurlock
in the Guardian. this guy bids fair to be as big or bigger than Michael Moore. this time, he's not after Mickey D's, he's after Osama bin Laden.
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Saturday, January 26, 2008
These aren't the droids you're looking for
Check out the CBC website for the news... the RCMP have beaten up another Polish man in Greater Vancouver. I heard it on CBC Radio One.
They have issued a public apology. A couple of plainclothes officers found a man at a bus stop in Langley and mistook him for a fugitive. The Polish man doesn't speak English. They thought he was resisting arrest and beat him up.
Between this and the man who died after being tasered at the airport, well, if I were a Polish mother I'd be pinning a little card to my grown son's jacket, and written on it would be:
My name is_____. I do not speak English. I am not resisting arrest. Please phone xxx-xxxx.
They have issued a public apology. A couple of plainclothes officers found a man at a bus stop in Langley and mistook him for a fugitive. The Polish man doesn't speak English. They thought he was resisting arrest and beat him up.
Between this and the man who died after being tasered at the airport, well, if I were a Polish mother I'd be pinning a little card to my grown son's jacket, and written on it would be:
My name is_____. I do not speak English. I am not resisting arrest. Please phone xxx-xxxx.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Homes cut off by power firms treble in two years
From The Guardian:
Power companies are cutting off heat and light to more than 176 homes
every week, with evidence that disconnections have trebled in two
years.
Power companies are cutting off heat and light to more than 176 homes
every week, with evidence that disconnections have trebled in two
years.
Millions of householders have been stretched to breaking point after average annual bills rose above £1,000.
As a result, the number disconnections and power bill debts is spiralling out of control, according to figures published today.
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Couldn't Put It Better Meself
This from The Tyee:
The tar sands have quickly grown to become the most destructive
project on Earth. Their greenhouse gas emissions are the main reason
Canada's emissions keep rising, the main reason we cannot live up to
international agreements, the main reason we are becoming an
international pariah on the most important issue facing humanity.
By refusing to act aggressively on global warming, Stephen Harper
has ceded the field to the provinces. Some, like B.C. and Quebec have
stepped into this vacuum and given Canadians the action they want. But
Alberta has taken advantage of the vacuum to stomp on the gas pedal,
with exploding emissions from the tar sands being the result.
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Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Going After the Real Power
There is also credible evidence that policies set in Cheney's office
authorized the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody, in violation of
three treaties the United States has ratified, as well as the U.S.
Torture Statute and War Crimes Act. The policies on the treatment of
prisoners emanating from Cheney's office triggered the abuse and
torture, according to Lawrence Wilkerson, former Secretary of State
Colin Powell's chief of staff.
Yup, Cheny's getting closer to being impeached. An international war crimes trial would be better, but there you go....
There's more here.
authorized the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody, in violation of
three treaties the United States has ratified, as well as the U.S.
Torture Statute and War Crimes Act. The policies on the treatment of
prisoners emanating from Cheney's office triggered the abuse and
torture, according to Lawrence Wilkerson, former Secretary of State
Colin Powell's chief of staff.
Yup, Cheny's getting closer to being impeached. An international war crimes trial would be better, but there you go....
There's more here.
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Three From the Guardian
The Myths of Fruit
Fresh fruit is good for us, we believe - so much so that sales of prepared fruit have almost doubled in the UK in the past two years. But are all those ready-sliced apples, mango medleys and 'superfood' smoothies really such a healthy choice? Aida Edemariam investigates
The Farce of Sovereignty
The coalition made
much of bringing democracy to the 'liberated' country by handing the
reins to the Iraqi government. But, as Jonathan Steele relates in this
final extract from his new book, it also ensured that it retained
complete control
Pre-emptive Nuclear Strike a Key Option, NATO told
The west must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try
to halt the "imminent" spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new Nato by five of
the west's most senior military officers and strategists.
Fresh fruit is good for us, we believe - so much so that sales of prepared fruit have almost doubled in the UK in the past two years. But are all those ready-sliced apples, mango medleys and 'superfood' smoothies really such a healthy choice? Aida Edemariam investigates
The Farce of Sovereignty
The coalition made
much of bringing democracy to the 'liberated' country by handing the
reins to the Iraqi government. But, as Jonathan Steele relates in this
final extract from his new book, it also ensured that it retained
complete control
Pre-emptive Nuclear Strike a Key Option, NATO told
The west must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try
to halt the "imminent" spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new Nato by five of
the west's most senior military officers and strategists.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Good Kind of Globalization
Serious worldbeat. You really need to watch this.
This really is globalization at its best. Ideas are thrown up, race around the world, and are re-made into something new and exciting before coming home to blow preconceived notions apart. Sometimes the world has to kick your ass.
This really is globalization at its best. Ideas are thrown up, race around the world, and are re-made into something new and exciting before coming home to blow preconceived notions apart. Sometimes the world has to kick your ass.
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Sunday, January 20, 2008
So I'm having trouble with this...
Okay, so between two and three men AND women out of ten still can't locate the clitoris with both hands, a flashlight and a road map. WTF? And funny, but it's three in ten women who can't locate it and 2.5 men who can't. But the numbers flip and get worse for questions like "[Is] the clitoris ...directly stimulated by (penis-vagina) intercourse [?]"
It would appear that the educational strides made in the seventies and eighties are being rolled (slowly!) back in the nineties and noughts. This information is available, but just having it available doesn't seem to be getting through to three in ten people. Yes, the talk is difficult to have with your kids--that's why publicly-funded sex education works. Professionals aren't as awkward or embarrassed to have The Talk. It becomes just another math lesson.
I remember attending the sex-ed talk at my elementary school with my Dad. We sat there, not talking, while an educator ran through the basics on sex at the front of the gym (lot of parents/kids there that night). The most memorable image was of the man picking up his suit coat from the back of his chair and saying that "the man's penis slips into the woman's vagina like my arm slips into the sleeve of my jacket." 38 years later, that image is as fresh as the day I heard it. A week or so later, I came home from school to find a paperback sitting on my desk--Answers to Teen's Questions about Sex or some damn thing. I read it cover to cover a couple of times (I was a reader after all). So when I saw the "split beaver" shots a friend had sneaked out of his Dad's collection, there wasn't the overwhelming sense of mystery that there might otherwise have been. More like "Oh, so that's what it looks like."
This sort of thing works. Teen pregnancy goes down, sexual health goes up, and with a little work, people talk about things like "where's the clit anyway?" and "you know, that's really not working for me". I love/hate reading about the studies that show time and again that "abstinence only" sex-ed increases the numbers of teens indulging in oral sex (usually female on male) and anal sex, because neither of those violates the basic premise of preserving virginity. Is that really what you want to have happen? I really want to smack some of these parents upside the head and say "sure you have the right to teach your kid about sex--but if you're going to do it, make sure you do it well! Dumb-ass! Otherwise you're making problems for all of our kids!"
In a world of AIDS and with the increasing failure rate of antibiotics, proper sex education is essential for public health. Better training for teachers so they can communicate better with our kids is the only sensible thing to do. Yes, parents need to talk about it, but they need solid, clear education from professionals to back them up and to fill in the blanks they inadvertently leave. More and better sex education is one of the best things we as a society, a community, can do for our children.
It would appear that the educational strides made in the seventies and eighties are being rolled (slowly!) back in the nineties and noughts. This information is available, but just having it available doesn't seem to be getting through to three in ten people. Yes, the talk is difficult to have with your kids--that's why publicly-funded sex education works. Professionals aren't as awkward or embarrassed to have The Talk. It becomes just another math lesson.
I remember attending the sex-ed talk at my elementary school with my Dad. We sat there, not talking, while an educator ran through the basics on sex at the front of the gym (lot of parents/kids there that night). The most memorable image was of the man picking up his suit coat from the back of his chair and saying that "the man's penis slips into the woman's vagina like my arm slips into the sleeve of my jacket." 38 years later, that image is as fresh as the day I heard it. A week or so later, I came home from school to find a paperback sitting on my desk--Answers to Teen's Questions about Sex or some damn thing. I read it cover to cover a couple of times (I was a reader after all). So when I saw the "split beaver" shots a friend had sneaked out of his Dad's collection, there wasn't the overwhelming sense of mystery that there might otherwise have been. More like "Oh, so that's what it looks like."
This sort of thing works. Teen pregnancy goes down, sexual health goes up, and with a little work, people talk about things like "where's the clit anyway?" and "you know, that's really not working for me". I love/hate reading about the studies that show time and again that "abstinence only" sex-ed increases the numbers of teens indulging in oral sex (usually female on male) and anal sex, because neither of those violates the basic premise of preserving virginity. Is that really what you want to have happen? I really want to smack some of these parents upside the head and say "sure you have the right to teach your kid about sex--but if you're going to do it, make sure you do it well! Dumb-ass! Otherwise you're making problems for all of our kids!"
In a world of AIDS and with the increasing failure rate of antibiotics, proper sex education is essential for public health. Better training for teachers so they can communicate better with our kids is the only sensible thing to do. Yes, parents need to talk about it, but they need solid, clear education from professionals to back them up and to fill in the blanks they inadvertently leave. More and better sex education is one of the best things we as a society, a community, can do for our children.
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