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• President Obama, Keep Your Promise to extend fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law

  We, the undersigned, call upon you to allow the federal government to provide the same health benefits to same-sex spouses and partners of federal employees that other federal employee spouses receive. We promise to support you in this effort, especially in the likely event that right-wing opponents attack you for implementing equal rights for all federal employees.

  Thanks for the tip-off Joe
  
  
• Obama meets with Hate Groups at White House:

  Right Wing Watch reports that a contingent from the nation's most vile anti-gay groups will meet with Obama administration officials at the White House today. [snip] The ostensible purpose of the meeting is to discuss opposition to Obama's abortion policy. Wanna bet they bring up dirty homos too? [snip] It's hard to believe that the Obama administration is willing to legitimize these organizations, both of which are monitored as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

  I think that Obama should meet with these groups. Like it or not, they are legitamate organizations, in that they are very organized and a lot of people listen to them.
  
  This situation reminds me of when Obama came under fire from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., over whether and how to engage rogue nations.

  Last July, asked whether he would meet with the "leaders" of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea "without precondition," during his first year as president, he quickly answered yes.
  
  "I would," Obama, D-Ill., said at the CNN/YouTube debate. "And the reason is this: that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous."

  Simply talking with the leaders of countries or organizations is not the same thing as giving into their demands. It would be good for Obama to sit down with Iran, Syria, North Korea, or domestic hate groups and say, "Look, what's on your agenda just isn't going to happen while I'm on duty, so get over yourself." (Yes, I did just compare the Family Research Council and Concerned Women of America to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-il).
  
  
• Obama Admin To Endorse UN Gay Rights Declaration That Bush Refused To Sign:

  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned.
  
  U.S. officials said Tuesday they had notified the declaration's French sponsors that the administration wants to be added as a supporter. The Bush administration was criticized in December when it was the only western government that refused to sign on.
  
  The move was made after an interagency review of the Bush administration's position on the nonbinding document, which was signed by all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries, the officials said.

  
  

  Previous LGBT:

  
  
  • Gay Wednesday IV - Pope Claims that Condoms in Africa will make HIV worse
    
  • Gay Wednesday III - AZ Student told not to wear Rainbow Wrist Band, and OK Ethics Teacher Fired for Teaching Ethics
    
  • Gay Wednesday II - Gay Allies in US Church and Military, Christianists won't Debate Marriage, God Hates Figs
    

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YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) -- The Vatican defended Pope Benedict XVI's rejection of condoms as a way to stop HIV after international criticism Wednesday that he was weakening the fight against the disease.

France and Germany sharply critiqued Benedict's declaration that distributing condoms "increases" the AIDS problem. The French foreign ministry said the statement could "endanger public health policies and the imperative to protect human life."

Two German ministers said on Benedict's first full day as pope in Africa, a continent ravaged by HIV, that it was irresponsible to reject condoms. The U.N. agency charged with fighting AIDS also spoke out in favor of condom use.

Benedict told reporters on his flight Tuesday to Cameroon that a responsible and moral attitude toward sex would help fight the disease.

• Dan Savage @ The Stranger: Pope to Africans: Drop Dead Remember, kids, there is no morality without religion—and what could be more moral than traveling to the continent hardest hit by AIDS and encouraging your followers to regard condoms as a threat.
  
  
• Joe My God: On the way to sub-Saharan Africa, the most AIDS-ravaged place on the planet, the Pope is telling people that condom use increases the spread of AIDS. How many of Africa's 130 million Catholics will die because of this Pope?
  
  
• TOWLEROAD How does the Catholic Church dare call itself "pro-life"?
  
  
• Canadian Cynic

  You’ll forgive me if I think it’s just the tiniest bit presumptuous for a celibate man in drag to be handing out advice on condoms. I’m just sayin’.
  
  Yours in endless, disdainful giggles,
  LuLu
  
  P.S. Is it just me or does he have the squirreliest eyes? I don’t think it’s just me.

  
  

Previous LGBT:

• Gay Wednesday III - AZ Student told not to wear Rainbow Wrist Band, and OK Ethics Teacher Fired for Teaching Ethics
  
• Gay Wednesday II - Gay Allies in US Church and Military, Christianists won't Debate Marriage, God Hates Figs
  
• Gay Wednesday I - my take on Fountainhead Alleged Gay Bashing
  

(Leave a comment)

• Arizona Principal considers 14 year old's Rainbows Are Gay Wristband to be Offensive:

  When she asked to explain how it was offensive, the principal allegedly said the boy was “putting his sexuality out there.” Behold the offensive accessory:
  
  The ACLU says the principal’s demand “violates Chris Quintanilla’s constitutional rights.” So the group fired off letter to the school district today, citing previous rulings about what kids can wear to school, including a Supreme Court decision 40 years ago that found three students were allowed to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. “It is our hope that the district will now allow Chris and other students to wear or otherwise display messages or symbols expressing their support of LGBT rights,” the ACLU’s letter concludes.

• High School Ethics Teacher Fired for Teaching Play about Town where a Young Gay was Murdered:
  
  From Dan Savage: The Laramie Project, we should note, has been performed by high school students in New Jersey, Colorado, Massachussetts (where school officials had the guts to fend off outraged evangelicals), Michigan, New York, Iowa, and so on.
  

Previous LGBT:

• Gay Wednesday II - Gay Allies in US Church and Military, Christianists won't Debate Marriage, God Hates Figs
  
• Gay Wednesday I - my take on Fountainhead Alleged Gay Bashing
  
• HIV News & Comment from Andrew Sullivan
  

(Leave a comment)

• Methodist Bishop, Gay Ally, Dies at 93:

  Wheatley was known for his sometimes unpopular stances on issues like gay rights and interfaith tolerance. In 1980, Wheatley publicly refused to support a statement by fellow Methodist bishops calling homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching," according to the Los Angeles Times.

• West Point grads form gay support group:

  Thirty-eight graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., came out of the closet Monday with an offer to help their alma mater educate future Army leaders on the need to accept and honor the sacrifices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops.
  
  “Knights Out” wants to serve as a connection between gay troops and Army administrators, particularly at West Point, to provide an “open forum” for communication between gay West Point graduates and their fellow alumni and to serve in an advisory role for West Point leaders in the eventuality — which the group believes is both “imminent and inevitable” — that the law and policy collectively known as “don’t ask, don’t tell” are repealed by Congress.

  Thanks for the Tip-off Joe
  
  
• The Christianists won't Debate Gay Marriage:
  
  The University of Pittsburgh invited Andrew Sullivan to debate former senator Rick Santorum on marriage equality. Santorum declined to engage in any public forum, as did Rick Warren.
  
  
• Jesus Condemned Figs, not Fags:

  Jesus didn't have anything to say about homosexuality—but, as it turns out, he had quite a lot to say about figs. From a flyer handed out at the Westboro Baptist Church's demonstration at the University of Chicago earlier this week:

  I did not know that. Thanks for the tip-off Dan.
  

Previous LGBT:

• Gay Wednesday I - my take on Fountainhead Alleged Gay Bashing
  
• HIV News & Comment from Andrew Sullivan
  
• James Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus On The Family
  

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Rob Stipp, co-founder of the community group West Enders Against Violence Everywhere, said a neighbourhood poll conducted three years ago found gay-bashing, both physical and verbal, is a regular occurrence.

“We were shocked at how many people have had some kind of encounter,” he said.

Herbert said he’d like to see the province institute a dedicated telephone crisis line for people to report gay-bashing incidents.

Hiring a victim services worker to work with the gay community when instances of violence occur would also be welcome.

“Quite often people don’t know where to turn, or who to talk to. They are not sure what their rights are,” Herbert said.

Stipp also asked for more police presence on Davie Street “not only in the evenings, but also in the daytimes so that we have a community here that feels safe.”

Vancouver police spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton said Davie Street is regularly patrolled by officers, but said suggestions on how to improve community safety are always welcome.

Previous LGBT:

• HIV News & Comment from Andrew Sullivan
  
• James Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus On The Family
  
• Congratulations Iceland on your new lesbian Ice Queen
  

(Leave a comment)

Previous (mostly) Youtube Videos:

• STOP, Mormon Time (mashup: MC Hammer+Mormon Beliefs)
  
• Conjoined Crocodiles
  
• 80s synth hits medley
  

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Previous (mostly) Youtube Videos:

• Conjoined Crocodiles
  
• 80s synth hits medeley
  
• FAROFF (mashup: daft punk+seven dwarves)
  

(Leave a comment)

• Homicides in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley in 2009:
  
  uhhh! This is a depressing map. Click to see locations of 2009 homicides and names of victims.
  
  
• BC policy is Dumbing Down public education:

  Teachers complained Sunday that school principals are ordering them to never give zeros when marking class assignments, to accept late work and to allow students to rewrite tests as many times as it takes for them to get good marks.
  
  Such orders are being delivered in many schools around the province by principals who have embraced a program called Assessment for Learning, and it’s undermining teachers’ professional autonomy in the classroom, delegates said at the annual meeting of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation.

• Homeless Crisis Grows in BC North:

  Across northern B.C., the homeless and social workers say there is no affordable housing available and little opportunity to escape the cycle of homelessness and addiction. Predominantly aboriginal and struggling with alcoholism, the north's homeless have been quietly growing in their own communities. But with recession forcing the forestry industry to lay off thousands of workers, many predict the homeless crisis in the north is about to get much worse.

• Carnival Cruise Lines pull out of Vancouver:

  An estimated $18 million will sail out of Vancouver next year after Carnival Cruise Lines decided to shift most of its Alaska cruise business to Seattle, Tourism Vancouver said Monday.
  
  Steve Pearce, vice-president of Tourism Vancouver, said the dwindling economy worldwide seemed to be the reason behind the decision, because most Carnival customers are from the United States and flying in and out of Seattle is cheaper for them.

• Jewish Canadians on Suppression of Criticism of Israel:

  This statement was rejected by both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail (as an op-ed). Please help this important statement get into broad circulation - pass it on to your networks (faculty, community, MPs, university presidents, unions, etc.). You might also write to the papers, expressing your dismay that they have chosen not to publish it.

  OK Chrystal, I'm generally opposed to the suppression of criticism. So what is the issue?

  Over 150 Jewish Canadians signed a statement expressing their concerns about the campaign to suppress criticism of Israel that is being carried on within Canada. The signatories include many prominent Canadians, including Ursula Franklin O.C., Anton Kuerti O.C., Naomi Klein, Dr. Gabor Mate, and professors Meyer Brownstone (recipient of Pearson Peace Medal), Natalie Zemon Davis, Michael Neumann, and Judy Rebick.
  
  The signatories are particularly concerned that unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism deflect attention from Israel's accountability for what many have called war crimes in Gaza. They state that B'nai Brith and the Canadian Jewish Congress have led campaigns to silence criticism of Israel on university campuses, in labor unions and in other groups. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff unquestioningly echo the views of these particular Jewish organizations.

• Military Coup in Madagascar:
  
  Yesterday:

  Gunfire, believed to be shots into the air by celebrating soldiers, was heard in Antananarivo today as the army of Madagascar forced armored vehicles into one of the country's many presidential palaces in an apparent military coup. Madagascan President Marc Ravalomanana, whose I Love Madagascar party controls an overwhelming majority of seats in the National Assembly, was not in the palace and is said to be taking shelter in another palace six miles (10 km) from the site.
  
  "The President of the Republic, the National Assembly and the Senate, and the government are removed from their duties," announced declaration signed by opposition leader Andry Rajoelina which also said new elections would be held within two years. Earlier in the day, Rajoelina, the former mayor of Antananarivo and head of the Tanora malaGasy Vonona movement, had called for President Ravalomanana to be arrested, rejecting the President's offer of a plebiscite on his rule. The occupation of the palace follows a long chain of events which includes Mr Rajoelina's January 31 declaration that he would "run all national affairs" of the country. Mr Rajoelina has been publicly supported in turn by the self-proclaimed chief of staff of the Army.

  Just in case you missed it, the president's political party is called the I Love Madagascar Party. That's some pretty good marketing. Who are you gonna vote for? Not going to vote for the I Love Madagascar Party? Why not, don't you love Madagascar?
  
  Anyways, today:

  Leadership in Madagascar is unclear as Madagascan President Marc Ravalomanana announced his resignation in favor of a military committee headed by Vice Admiral Hyppolite Ramaroson, only to have that resignation rejected by the Admiral, the military and opposition political groups. Admiral Ramaroson joined other military leaders in saying they would back opposition leader, former Antananarivo mayor and former DJ Andry Rajoelina.
  
  Mr Ravalomanana attempted to hand power over to the heads of the military, given the tasks of discussing and drafting constitutional changes, rather than transfer power to Mr Rajoelina. After the resignation was announced to the opposition, four Army generals and a head of the church were detained for reasons unknown. The true extent of the Army's loyalty to Mr Rajoelina is unclear, as reportedly the military refused to arrest President Ravalomanana despite orders from Mr Rajoelina.

  So it looks like there may still be some love for the I Love Madagascar Party. Boy, some days the good news just keeps on coming eh? If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go eat a barrel of ice cream and sit in the bathtub for about 14 hours.
  

Previous Politics:

• Encourage Jack Layton to call for Drug Law Reform
  
• Debaptism Certificate is Gaining Popularity
  
• "Black Market" protest against VPD, Western Premeires join to fight gangs, and should Obama care what GOP think on gays
  

(Leave a comment)

• Maldives plans to become the world's first carbon-neutral country:

  Mohamed Nasheed, the leader of the Maldives, has announced that the country will become carbon-neutral within a decade by completely switching to renewable energy sources.
  
  "We aim to become carbon-neutral in a decade," he said.
  
  "Climate change threatens us all. Countries need to pull together to de-carbonize the world economy. We know cutting greenhouse gas emissions is possible and the Maldives is willing to play its part," Nasheed said, adding that he hopes his plan will serve as a blueprint for other countries.

  By the way, I totally knew that the Republic of Maldives is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between Minicoy Island and the Chagos Archipelago, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean and didn't have to look it up.
  
  
• Will the International Economic Slowdown mean The End of Recycling?

  as a result of the current financial crisis, recycling centers aren't generating enough money any more, costing the city and county governments much-needed cash. Since October, demand for manufacturing materials like aluminum, cardboard, and plastic have dropped precipitously, and so have prices. Aluminum, the most profitable material for the New Jersey recycling centers, was selling at $2,100 per ton back last July, but by January had dropped to $944 per ton, as big buyers like Anheuser-Busch lowered their bids to reflect current market values. Plastics, cardboard, and paper have all seen a drop in demand as well, both because of the lack of new construction projects, and also—most startlingly—as a result of China's economic slowdown.

• Hot Girl Reports on Backyard Chickens in Vancouver:
  
  In response to my previous post about Sick Farms, greenstorm talks about the benefits of raising chickens in the city. When I ask her for her sources, she explains her experience with permaculture and suggests a couple of books.
  
  Recently, Vancouver City Council approved backyard chicken coops. That's good news for Vancouverites who want to raise their own cluckin' food.

  Previous Environmental News:

  
  
  • Painting Parliament Blue for to promote World Water Day
    
  • Our Sick Farms, Eat Less Meat, and What Cities are Going Green?
    
  • Electric Cars in BC
    
  
  

(Leave a comment)

(Leave a comment)

• Cake of Resignation:
  
  This is all class. 100% sugary diabetes-inducing class.

  Today I gave a two week's notice of my intent to resign. The letter was written in frosting on a full sheet size cake. The cake was delicious and it was well received.
  "Dear Mr. Bowers,
  
  During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim.
  
  However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.
  
  Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27.
  
  Sincerely, W. Neil berrett"

  Thanks for the tip-off
  
  
• In Thailand, two crocodile siblings were born conjoined:
  
  Click the image to go to the video. Help me out with my Asian history/geography. Has Thailand replaced Siam, or is a different name for the same country? Are these crocodiles, in fact, Siamese Twins?
  
  This video prompted me to check up on Abigail and Brittany Hensel, a pair of conjoined twins in Minnesota who share almost an entire body. They appear to be a two headed person. However, they are two distinct people. I had read about them as children and am happy to learn that as adults they seem to be doing just fine. There are links to pictures in the Wikipedia article if you're interested.
  
  
• Indian doctors save boy impaled on iron rod:
  
  Some reports say the surgery was five hours. WARNING: picture of boy with iron rod through torso.
  
  Some reports say the surgery was three hours. WARNING: also picture of boy with iron rod through torso.
  
  I think anything short of 12 hours is miraculous. 3 to 5 hours means that the surgeon would have had time to squeeze in a couple of more surgeries that day.
  
  Surgeon's Spouse: Hi sweet-falafel, how was your day.
  
  Surgeon: Oh, it was good. I performed an appendectomy, took out a little girl's tonsils, and removed a five foot iron rod from a boy's ribcage.
  
  The story reminds me of another Falling On Fence story which did not turn out so well. WARNING: gruesome imagery.
  

Previous Series of Tubes Stuff:

• Abandoned Detroit Schools Photo Article
  

Previous (mostly) Youtube Videos:

• 80s synth hits medeley
  

Previous Interesting (to me) News:

• 21 Year Drug-Trafficking Suspect caught due to Stupidity
  

(Leave a comment)

The NDP has nothing to lose. With its current polling numbers, the party will be decimated in the next federal campaign. Taking a stand against drug prohibition could transform the next federal election because Layton would get lots of coverage from antiprohibitionist journalists, including Dan Gardner and Ian Mulgrew, just to name a couple. The news media employ scores of libertarian-minded commentators and reporters who will love this idea.

In 1970, then-federal NDP leader Tommy Douglas took a stand against then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s draconian imposition of the War Measures Act to deal with two political kidnappings. Douglas was vilified, but history has vindicated his position.

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation wasn’t afraid to call for universal pensions, universal health care, and unemployment insurance—all of which are mainstream concepts today.

The NDP is at the crossroads in 2009. Does it back the status quo on illegal drugs—which amounts to a death sentence for scores of Canadians in the coming years—or will it take a risk by seeking longlasting solutions, even if those solutions rile our American neighbours?

Layton should forget about those provincial NDP dinosaurs—they're beyond hope when it comes to developing imaginative policies—and get on with the job of serving the country.

Dear Mr. Layton,

Congratulations on your recent vindication involving Canada's involvement in Afghanistan. I admire the courage you displayed in 2006 when you stood up to blind patriotism and offered an alternative view. I hope that now the party of Tommy Douglas will earn my vote by taking a stand against conventional thinking and offer Canadians a real choice in the fight against gang violence.

As you may know on March 5th, The Economist, a journal that has backed conservatives such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, made the argument that "Prohibition has failed; legalisation is the least bad solution".

You may also know that an Angus Reid poll shows B.C. residents strongly support a series of proposed justice reforms to curb gang activity and nearly two-thirds also back the legalization of marijuana.

This is not really surprising given the success and popularity of Insite, the first legal supervised injection site in North America.

Even though there was opposition to Insite when it was proposed BC politician, businesses, and residents admitted that the "injection drug epidemic" was not going to be solved with prisons, but instead with pragmatism and compassion.

I'm no anarchist. I don't believe that all laws should be eliminated, but with frequent stories of drug related murders, I am eager to see new solutions where traditional strategies have failed. I believe that a majority of BC residents are also ready and looking for a Canadian party to offer true opposition to the American style "War on Drugs".

Please Mr. Layton, please give Canadians the chance to choose pragmatism over prison.

Thank you,
[your name]

Previous Politics:

• Debaptism Certificate is Gaining Popularity
  
• "Black Market" protest against VPD, Western Premeires join to fight gangs, and should Obama care what GOP think on gays
  
• Aetheist bus ads, Buddhism criticism, and speaking of Islam on International Womans Day
  

(Leave a comment)

Previous Moose Toons:

• comically improbable
  
• impulsively inattentive
  

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• In the UK, the The National Secular Society has come up with a pseudo-official Certificate of Debaptism. Click the image to embiggen.

  The society's president, Terry Sanderson, says the certificate is not designed to be taken too seriously, and he suggests displaying it in the loo.
  
  However, he says, it has now been downloaded more that 60,000 times, and has taken on a life of its own.
  
  "The debaptism certificate started out as a kind of satirical comment on the idea that you could be enrolled in a church before you could talk, but it seems to have taken off from there.
  
  "People are beginning to take it seriously.

  Thanks for the tip-off Joe My God
  

Previous Politics:

• "Black Market" protest against VPD, Western Premeires join to fight gangs, and should Obama care what GOP think on gays
  
• Aetheist bus ads, Buddhism criticism, and speaking of Islam on International Womans Day
  
• Speaker reads the Riot Act, what does it mean to refuse a motion, and what does a sheriff do anyways?
  

(Leave a comment)

• What is stupider, that you can be arrested for pointing a laser pointer at a police officer, or drawing police attention to yourself when you're on the lam for drug trafficking?

  A 52-year-old man who allegedly avoided drug trafficking charges in Massachusetts for 21 years by living a quiet life in rural Virginia was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail Friday after his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court, prosecutors said.
  
  Elias Efremidis, who most recently lived in Front Royal, Va., was brought back to Boston on Thursday to face the 1988 charges, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.
  
  Efremidis's life on the lam ended recently when he shined a laser pointer at police in Virginia, police said. As officers prepared to charge him for that offense, they realized his true identity and contacted Suffolk prosecutors, law enforcement officials said.

  Thanks for the tip-off Daily What
  

Previous Interesting (to me) News:

• Celebration of Lights, Astronauts Evacuated, Man Goes Over the Falls, and Harper Cuts Apostraphes
  
• Barbie the Doll was based on a prostitute
  
• The Canadian Protesters Should Recite some old 'Wayne and Shoe-ster' Material
  

(Leave a comment)

• When you were a child, did school officials threaten to add incident reports to your permanent record, branding you a miscreant for life? How would you feel about learning that those records, along with textbooks, personal affects, and even the school itself would end up rotting away?

  In the last half-century, Detroit lost more than half its population. Those leaving the city were mostly white people who fled to the suburbs. As a result, the tax base was destroyed and the black population that remains has had to govern a 139-square-mile city with limited resources.
  
  With an aging infrastructure built for twice the existing population, the school district has to shut down and vacate school buildings every year. In 2007, the school board awarded a contract for securing, cleaning and removing supplies from closed schools to a Philadelphia-based company with ties to school board members. However, the work at many closed schools was simply never done.

  I must admit, I have a kind of ghoulish fascination with abandoned places, and I found James Griffioen's photo article to be hauntingly beautiful.
  
  

Previous Series of Tubes Stuff:

• Avatar Lurve
  
• I know it's in bad taste ... but I can't resist
  
• ScratchTastic Intertubuals Roundup - Tuesday March 03/09
  

(Leave a comment)

• Painting Parliament Blue:

  The Council of Canadians joined with a coalition of national and local water advocacy groups illuminating the Peace Tower with a spectacular projection of blue light, and offered a toast to public water to highlight the need for federal action to support Canada's public water resources and services. The March 12 event kicked off a series of "Paint the town blue" actions taking place across the country to mark World Water Day (March 22, 2009)

  
  

Previous Environmental News:

• Our Sick Farms, Eat Less Meat, and What Cities are Going Green?
  
• Electric Cars in BC
  
• Bottles Water, Bioenergy, Enabling Technology, Anti-Coal Protests, Futuristic Artwork
  

(Leave a comment)

• Downtown Eastside women’s group to hold “black market”:

  This Sunday [March 15] from 1 to 3 p.m., Power of Women to Women, a social-justice group associated with the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, will host a “black market” outside the Vancouver police station on Main Street, between Hastings and Cordova.
  
  The afternoon of “illegal vending” is being organized by Power of Women to Women in order to protest the increase in ticketing in the neighbourhood, as well as to commemorate the International Day Against Police Brutality.

• BC, AB, SK premiers unite to combat gang violence:

  the three governments have informally agreed to unite behind demands for a package of amendments.
  
  The first calls for the elimination of the "two-for-one" provision under which time spent in pretrial custody is doubled and applied against an offender's sentence.
  
  Another seeks to update wiretap provisions, some dating back 35 years, that don't allow police to keep on top of emerging technology.
  
  The provinces are also expected to agree on a call to reduce paperwork that can delay trials. They want defence lawyers to have to justify the disclosure of material as relevant to the case at hand.

• In the wake of Alabama Killing Spree, how does the American meadia handle the issue of Gun Control? Answer: they don't

  Two extraordinary killing sprees were in the news this week, one in Alabama and one in Germany. But when covering the U.S. massacre, the press won't mention gun control. Literally. A search of Nexis uncovered almost no references to "gun control" in any print or television reports about the Alabama shooting rampage, which was powered by military-style assault weapons, and which left 11 people dead.

• President Obama is in a Tight Spot, or is he? Several American Bloggers say NO (also duh):
  
  According to the New York Times, President Obama is in a tough spot over whether to provide health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of federal court employees in San Fransisco.

  Now, Mr. Obama is in a tough spot. If he supports the personnel office on denying benefits to the San Francisco court employees, he risks agitating liberal groups that helped him win election. If he supports the judges and challenges the marriage act, he risks alienating Republicans with whom he is seeking to work on economic, health care and numerous other matters.

  
  
  Reactions?
  
  
  • Dan Davage @ The Stranger:

    And, gee, if the Republicans in Congress have demonstrated anything over the last few months, why, it's their willingness to work with Obama—particularly on the economy. What a shame it would be if Obama suddenly moved on gay rights, alienated the GOP, and brought a screeching halt to the bipartisan bonhomie that has characterized his first 50-odd days in office. Jesus.

  • John Aravosis @ Ameriblog:

    As for the NYT offering the straw man that if Obama helps gays achieve their civil rights, it will tick off Republicans who won't help him with the rest of his agenda. Here's a news flash. Republicans aren't helping Obama with his agenda one iota. In fact, they're voting en masse against it. The fact that Obama were to refuse to help gay and lesbian Americans achieve the same civil rights granted to his generation just decades ago would not somehow inspire Republicans to somehow vote for his agenda. It's not going to happen. Ever. And the sooner Democrats get over this romantic notion of "If we just play nice with the Republicans, they'll stop being mean to us," the sooner we can move on and fix this country.

  • Barbara Morrill @ Daily Kos:"So let me get this ... ahem ... straight: if the President honors his campaign pledge to "fight hard" for gay rights, he will alienate Republicans? And what would that look like? My guess is, exactly like the past 52 days."
    
    
  • Andrew Sullivan @ The Daily Dish:"So the moderate position on gay couples is no rights at all? If you want to know why Bauer has lost every real battle in this fight, those ugly, callous words will give you a clue."
    
    
  • Susie Madrak @ Crooks and Liars:"So far, Obama seems to be more interested in keeping Blue Dogs and Republicans happy, and my guess is, that won't change - especially on this hot-button issue. Here's hoping I'm wrong!"
    
  
  

Previous Politics:

• Aetheist bus ads, Buddhism criticism, and speaking of Islam on International Womans Day
  
• Speaker reads the Riot Act, what does it mean to refuse a motion, and what does a sheriff do anyways?
  
• Vancouverism, Canadian Image, Anti-Terrorism Legislation, and More Filibustering
  

(Leave a comment)

• Our Sick Farms, Our Infected Food:
  
  OK, it's not our sick farms and food because this story from Scientifc American is about American (duh) agriculture, but how much American grown food to you pack in your trunk, eh?

  Agriculture has fueled the eruption of human civilization. Efficiently raised, affordable crops and livestock feed our growing population, and hunger has largely been banished from the developed world as a result. Yet there are reasons to believe that we are beginning to lose control of our great agricultural machine. The security of our food supply is at risk in ways more noxious than anyone had feared.

  
  
• Animal Rights Groups ask Vancouver to recommend Cutting Down on Meat:

  A group of animal-rights organizations is asking the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team to recommend that residents reduce their consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs.
  
  “Our current meat-centric diet is entirely unsustainable,” states the letter delivered today (March 11) by the organizations to the team.
  
  The letter was signed by Liberation B.C., the Vancouver Humane Society, Humane Society International Canada, Earthsave Canada, and the Lifeforce Foundation.

• What Are Cities Doing to Go Green:

  Best described as a loose association of cities focused on sustainability, the emerging “green cities movement” encompasses thousands of urban areas around the world all striving to lessen their environmental impacts by reducing waste, expanding recycling, lowering emissions, increasing housing density while expanding open space, and encouraging the development of sustainable local businesses.

  Sorry, the article doesn't mention Vancouver, but has some interesting news about what's happening in Curitiba, Brazil; Rekyjavik, Iceland; and Portland, Oregon.
  

Previous Environmental News:

• Electric Cars in BC
  
• Bottles Water, Bioenergy, Enabling Technology, Anti-Coal Protests, Futuristic Artwork
  
• R-r-r-roll Up the R-r-r-rim bad for the enviR-r-r-ronment
  

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• 10 reasons people like Buddhism and 5 reasons they do not:
  
  Over the past year and a half I have read a lot about Buddhism. Those readings have helped me recognize some of my inconvenient tendencies and have also helped me approach many situations in a calmer and more constructive way.
  
  However, I am not a Buddhist and I doubt that I ever will be. There are some Buddhist concepts that I do not agree with. For example, karma. I cannot accept that people deserve to suffer, especially for something that they did in a past life. To me, the idea of karma is akin to an Evangelical Christian saying it's your fault that you have a disease; God is punishing you for your sins. Also, karma and reincarnation require a Judeo-Christian God who not only exists, but also cares about what happens to you and is hung up with the idea of justice. I see no empirical evidence that there is such a being. My aetheism toward Christianity also applies to Buddhism.
  
  
• Aethist Bus Ads come to Ottawa:
  
  Speaking of atheism,

  Atheist ads will be running on Ottawa buses.
  
  Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.
  
  City council voted 13-7 yesterday to allow ads, which read: “There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life,” on OC Transpo buses.
  
  Humanist Association of Ottawa member Simon Parcher called the decision a great victory for all Canadians who care about free speech.

  The story also includes news of protest by Life Christian Academy principal Mike Karpishka and 40 of his students. Canadian Cynic is having none of that! WARNING: NSFW due to salty language.
  
  
• Daring to utter the I-word on International Women's Day:
  
  Sorry feminists, I'm almost a week late on this one.

  On International Women's Day, what crossed my mind was the Violence Against Women exhibit I had walked past in the lobby of the Central Library on Dec. 6th, and the photos I had taken there but never found time to post. The exhibit marked the anniversary of the murder of 17 women at L'ecole Polytechnique in Montreal by Marc Lapine but was intended to raise awareness about violations of women everywhere.
  
  The women hosting the display had posted an assertion on one of their billboards that they believed it was important to identify themselves as "feminists" in a public space.
  
  They were willing to use the F-word in public space but apparently not the I-word. The fact that the shotgun murders of these 14 women was at least partially a product of the misogyny of Islam is one that has been largely censored by feminists as well as the mainstream media in Canada.

  I must admit, I did not know that. Thank you Downtown Eastside Enquirer for filling me in.
  

Previous Politics:

• Speaker reads the Riot Act, what does it mean to refuse a motion, and what does a sheriff do anyways?
  
• Vancouverism, Canadian Image, Anti-Terrorism Legislation, and More Filibustering
  
• Incredulous Bloggers: Monetary Incentive for Hospitals and Vague Warnings of National Security Risk
  

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• Akiko's green patch needs help. Could you help please?
  
• Jhayne is working late today. Could you please help at Jhayne's green patch?
  
• Your green hands are needed at Lisa's patch. Please could you help?
  
• Drea's green patch is being talked about. Would you like to compare notes?
  
• We hear you have a green thumb. Samantha's patch could do well with your visit.
  

Previous Series of Tubes Stuff:

• Avatar Lurve
  
• I know it's in bad taste ... but I can't resist
  
• ScratchTastic Intertubuals Roundup - Tuesday March 03/09
  

Previous (mostly) Youtube Videos:

• FAROFF (mashup: daft punk+seven dwarves)
  
• Dwarfed Punk (mashup: daft punk+seven dwarves)
  
• Watcharama (mashup:watchmen+futurama)
  

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• Disabled Man wins Human Rights Case against Vancouver Firm:

  A Vancouver firm has been found guilty of contravening the B.C. Human Rights Code by dismissing a disabled worker in order to prevent his joining a union, which would have protected him against such arbitrary dismissal.

  Apparently the thinking was, we'd better illegally fire him now, or else we won't be able to illegally fire him later.
  
  
• Times Square Suites:
  
  I took some pictures of Time Square Suites at the corner of Robson and Denman today while walking. I often see old-timey cars in this area and I got one in one of the shots without even knowing it. Click on images to see larger pictures.
  
  
  

Previous Disability News:

• Interesting Ableism Insight from Pandragon
  

Previous Personal Stuff:

• I'm a-freud to love
  
• Just Some Photos I took today because the light was nice
  
• update on my lack of a social life
  

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• Scientific American Reviews Why You Are Not Your Brain:

  Alva No, a University of California, Berkeley, philosopher and cognitive scientist, argues that after decades of concerted effort on the part of neuroscientists, psychologists and philosophers "only one proposition about how the brain makes us conscious ... has emerged unchallenged: we don't have a clue." The reason we have been unable to explain the neural basis of consciousness, he says, is that it does not take place in the brain. Consciousness is not something that happens inside us but something we achieve it is more like dancing than it is like the digestive process. To understand consciousness the fact that we think and feel and that a world shows up for us we need to look at a larger system of which the brain is only one element. Consciousness requires the joint operation of brain, body and world. "You are not your brain. The brain, rather, is part of what you are."

  
  
• Harvard Scientists Create Ribosomes -- Cell Protein Machinery

  Ribosomes are bodies inside of each cell that take the instructions from DNA and use them to create the proteins encoded by specific genes. Proteins are critical to forming the body’s structure, including muscles, bones and tendons, and are also critical in its daily functioning, through enzymes, for example, which control metabolism.

  
  

  The advance breaks a 40-year period with little progress in artificial ribosome creation, Church said. The last significant work in this area was done in 1968, when researchers assembled an artificial ribosome, but in an unusual chemical environment rather than an environment in which protein synthesis normally occurs, as Church and Jewett did.
  Church and Jewett expected creating the artificial ribosome and getting it to produce proteins would be the toughest steps in making an artificial cell. They were amazed, Church said, when the task was accomplished in just a year.

  
  
  
• Hospital Fire Thwarted and other headlines from Canadian Medicine:

  When an elderly female patient allegedly ignited her oxygen tank's tubing using a cigarette lighter, the unnamed hospital worker put out the fire with an extinguisher and turned off the woman's oxygen tank, then evacuated 15 patients. He was treated for smoke inhalation, reported the Abbotsford News, but no one else was injured in the incident.

  Unnamed Hosptial Worker eh? I bet I know who it was:
  
  
  

Previous Medical News:

• Say Sayonara Pancreatic Cancer
  
• HIV News & Comment from Andrew Sullivan
  
• Today in Canadian drugs, man
  

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• Speaker to House of Commons: I Will Turn This Car Around!

  In a move his communications director, Heather Bradley, described as "very rare," Mr. Milliken sent a letter to the House leaders of the four parties expressing his concern over some MPs' statements and stressing that "personal attacks" in the Commons are not permitted.
  
  "I intend to halt at an early stage any trend in this direction," he wrote. "As such, I am writing to advise you that I will vigorously enforce the authority given to me ... to cut off Members, if, in my opinion, improper statements are made.

  Thanks for the tip-off Warren Kinsella.
  
  
• Harper Refuses to Implement War Resistor Movement. What does that mean exactly?

  As you know, in June 2008, Parliament passed a motion calling on the government to stop all removal proceedings against US war resisters, and to implement a program to allow them to apply for permanent residence status. On February 12, 2009, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration reaffirmed this motion. This motion is also supported by a clear majority of Canadians.
  
  However, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney have refused to implement the motion

  When I first read this story, I thought what does it mean to not implement a motion? What an excellent chance for me to brush up on my Political Science.
  
  In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a formal proposal that the assembly (the government) take certain action. In this case, the motion was made by the Canadian Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
  
  On June 3, 2008, the Parliament of Canada voted 137 to 110 in favor of the recommendation. So basically, the members of parliament said, Do it dude. Let the war resisters stay! Make Love not War!
  
  So why didn't it happen then; why didn't Harper do what the parliament told him to do?

  the motion is non-binding and the victory was bittersweet as the government is likely to ignore it.
  
  "We're worried that (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper might not follow the advice of a majority of the members of the House of Commons who voted today," NDP Leader Jack Layton told reporters yesterday.
  
  "He has had a tendency to turn his back on the message of peace that so many Canadians would want to bring forward and the welcome that they would want to offer to those who have expressed this particular courage."

  So apparently the PM can ignore democracy, at least sometimes. I think I'll add this topic to my Big List of Things that Confuse Me right under What's up with Confidence Votes?
  
  BTW, Wikipedia has a good summary of the War Resistors Support Campaign, in case you want to catch up on this issue.
  
  
• B.C. Govrn. Service Employees' Union want to take pressure off Metro Van Police by allowing sheriffs to take over routine duties like traffic patrol and serving warrants:

  Dean Purdy, chair of the union's corrections component, says the move would free up police officers for more serious criminal investigations, like the gang task force.
  
  Purdy says Alberta moved to the new sheriff model in 2006 and it has proven quite successful.
  
  He says sheriffs can be trained much quicker than police officers and that there are substantial cost savings to taxpayers.
  
  The union believes the move would also address sheriff recruitment issues, by providing expanded job opportunities and responsibilities.

  What is a sheriff anyways? Does a Vancouver sheriff tell you to get out of town by sunset and not to show your flea-bitten mug in these parts again because this town ain't big enough for the two of us?
  
  According to the Sheriffs of British Columbia Website, sheriffs provide "civil law enforcement and court services".

  Deputy sheriffs are trained at the British Columbia Justice Institute where they receive the practical skills and expert knowledge required to perform their duties in a professional manner. The nine-week curriculum covers an extensive array of subjects that include prisoner escort procedures, report writing, criminal and civil law, firearms training, self-defence, driver training, prisoner searches, first aid, courtroom security, and infectious disease control.

  BCSS responsibilities include court security, plan high security trials, transport prisoners, manage juries, serve court-related documents, execute court orders and warrants, and assist with coroner's court.
  
  So yeah, they sound qualified to direct traffic to me. Rock on BC sheriffs.
  

Previous Politics:

• Vancouverism, Canadian Image, Anti-Terrorism Legislation, and More Filibustering
  
• Incredulous Bloggers: Monetary Incentive for Hospitals and Vague Warnings of National Security Risk
  
• Get Your Protest On: Tar Sands, Housing Strategy, and Ban Bush from Canada
  

Previous LOLs:

• all of my LOLs on one page
  

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• Keg Steakhouse saves Celebration of Light Fireworks:
  
  I CALLED IT ! I can't link to it, because I never wrote it down, but when I heard that the Celebration of Lights was going to be canceled this year because of lack of funds I knew that someone would step forward to provide the funding. This has happened before.
  
  In 2001 (at that time event was known as the Symphany of Fire), new anti-tobacco-advertising legislation prevented major sponsor Benson and Hedges from sponsoring the event. The city and other sponsors, mainly HSBC took over and the event was rechristened the HSBC Celebration of Lights. HSBC is still a major sponsor, but now that the Keg Steakhouse has saved the day perhaps HSBC will have to share billing. Maybe from now on the event will be called the HSBC/Keg Assault on the Senses event.
  
  
• Space debris threatened International Space Station; Astronauts temporarily evacuated:
  
  Hey, remember last month when two satellites collided in orbit creating a field of debris. At the time, NASA stated that the debris field probably would not pose a risk to the ISS because the collision occured at a higher orbit. However, the crew of the space station was briefly evacuated to a Russion capsule in preparation for a possible collision with debris. The collision didn't happen and the crew was only evacuated for about 10 minutes.
  
  The Station itself can execute a collision avoidance maneuver and has done so on eight occasions. This time however, the debris was not detected early enough for the station to be moved.
  
  
• Man survives plunge over Niagra Falls:
  
  There was no barrel. He was unprotected. In fact, he was so unprotected that he didn't even have clothes on when he was rescued from the icy water. It's not clear whether he was naked to begin with or if he lost his clothes during the fall.
  
  In October of 2003 Kirk Jones of Canton, Michigan became the first identified person to survive a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls without a flotation device. He survived the 16-story fall with battered ribs, scrapes, and bruises.
  
  In both cases, it has not been reported whether the falls were suicide attempts. Jones claims that it was a "spur of the moment act".
  
  In 1960 an unidentified seven-year-old boy also survived the fall after the boat he was in capsized upstream. He was rescued by the famous Maid of the Mist boat tour.
  
  
• Harper government cuts apostrophes:
  
  The Hook theorizes that the Harper Government has fired their web editor after finding several uses of Canadas _________ as opposed to Canada's _________ on the Canada's Economic Action Plan website (now with apostraphes).
  
  It's not like me to defend anything Harper, but since I'm a bit of a grammar geek I'll point out that leaving out the apostraphe is sometimes grammatically incorrect, but only by convention. Apostraphes are not necessarily good; they're just common. And they're becoming less common every year.
  
  It doesn't surprise me that whoever wrote the content for the action plan webpage left out apostrophes because a web page is a form of electronic communication, and electro-communications increasingly disregard the apostrophe as inconvenient and not necessary for understanding. If someone sent you a text message with the phrase Ill be there soon, as opposed to I'll be there soon, you would understand the meaning of the sentence wouldn't you.
  
  To get a little zen on you, let's remember why grammar exists to begin with. The idea is to write in a way that will be understood by your intended audience, not necessarily to follow a strict set of rules. Like the Rules of Acquisition, English grammar is more of a set of suggestions that has gotten some misleading marketing attached to it. Splitting infinitives is just fine. Go ahead and end a sentence with a preposition. Those rules come from an attempt to make English more like Latin, which it clearly is not.
  
  Finally, I'll point out that there is already a case in English were we do not use an apostrophe when adding possession to a word. Can you guess what the case is? Its usage is quite common.
  

Previous Interesting (to me) News:

• Barbie the Doll was based on a prostitute
  
• The Canadian Protesters Should Recite some old 'Wayne and Shoe-ster' Material
  
• Uterus Didelphys Birth in Michigan
  

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• Will 'Vancouverism' replace urban sprawl? The Tyee:
  

  Residents of urban centres are victims of suburban sprawl, even if they rarely step outside city limits, finds a report by the Canada West Foundation (CWF).
  
  That’s because when cities expand away from the urban core, it means more money from taxpayers and a greater impact on the environment.
  
  Robert Roach, director of strategic policy and research at CWF said in a press release, “Urban sprawl is neither required nor desirable.”

  
  
  
• Canadians out of touch with their own global identity:
  

  The project named Canada’s World, was co-sponsored by the Globe and Mail, CBC and a collaboration of individuals, organizations, foundations and academic institutions. It asked 100,000 people across the country how they feel about Canada’s role as a global entity, project spokesperson Shantini James said.
  
  Sylvester said the goal of the research "is to develop a new vision for Canada based on who we are now as a country, not on who we were 50-years ago."
  
  “Many Canadians still believe that Canada is a global peacekeeper and influential middle power, these notions are outdated and bear little resemblance to our current reality,” read a press release by Canada’s World.

  
  
  Here's my two pennies: I feel that sometimes Canadian progress is held back by the idea that Canada is a world leader in some areas such as the environment, education, crime rate, livability, and especially health care. Of course in the Canadian perspective "world leader" means compared to the United States, not Europe. It seems that the news is slowly getting out there that Canada is actually a significant polluter per capita, and the education and health care systems need a major overhaul. Let's take the blinders off and not practice the kind of self delusion that we accuse Americans of.
  
  
• Conservatives want to extend police and judicial powers with controversial anti-terrorism bill:

  
  Last night Justice Minister Rob Nicholson gave notice the Cons will reintroduce extraordinary police and judicial powers from the Anti-Terrorism Act that would :
  
  1)Give police the power to make preventive arrests, without a warrant, of anyone authorities fear might commit a future terrorist attack, and
  
  2)Give judges the power to compel testimony at secret investigative hearings from anyone the authorities think might know something about terrorism, or risk jail.

  
  Alison @ Galloping Beaver wonders against whom will these powers be used, if passed? "Olympics 2010 protesters? Native activists? Some poor schmuck at a fat camp? And so soon after our honourable mention in the UN report on human rights abuses too".
  
  
• More Fillibustering:
  
  
  That CSI Macro that I posted yesterday (yes, I'm aware of the double sunglasses) reminded me of a particularly LOL Fillibuster Cartoon from November of 2006. Click the image to see the whole thing.
  
  Speaking of Fillibuster Cartoons, This week's post references an article written by conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer in last week’s Washington Post.
  
  Krauthammer writes of Obama's proposed education, environment, and healthcare reforms, as the “greatest non sequitur ever foisted upon the American people.” and continues “the causes of the collapse of the financial system does not include the absence of universal health care, let alone of computerized medical records. Nor the absence of an industry-killing cap-and-trade carbon levy. Nor the lack of college graduates.”
  
  Greatest Non-Sequitur? Hello? Bush - Social Security?
  
  So it seems that Obama is a politician after all, using a crisis to achieve non-related goals. Of course, his non-related goals don't seem to involve starting an illegal trillion dollar war in order to upstage his father.
  

Previous Politics:

• Incredulous Bloggers: Monetary Incentive for Hospitals and Vague Warnings of National Security Risk
  
• Get Your Protest On: Tar Sands, Housing Strategy, and Ban Bush from Canada
  
• Minimum Wage, Federal NDP, Lester Pearson, and Israel Cynicism
  

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• BC hospitals to receive cash for doing their job:
  
  From the Peace Arch News: "The busiest four hospitals in the Fraser Health region will start earning cash bonuses for every emergency room patient they discharge or admit quickly."
  
  Temujin @ Dust my Broom does a spit take:
  

  So let me get this straight. We have a publicly funded, state-run monopoly on health care in this Province. Doctors are not allowed to directly charge their patients for any services rendered, and patients are forced to pay into the Medical Services Plan in BC regardless of whether they want to or not. The consumer (patient) has no choice but to pay for the health services provided by the monopoly (the state), because the government does not allow for direct competition for medical services. Health care in a for-profit system is "baaaaaaaad", but cash incentives from unwilling taxpayers is good?

  
  
  
• Uh, there is no emergency bunker for the Canadian PM, but you can stay in my mom's basement Mr. Harper
  
  reneethewriter @ Canada's World has a piece about how the Mexican government's war on drugs is affecting Canada. The title of the post reflects one of her sources, the Globe and Mail article Mexico's drug war becomes Canadian security issue.
  
  Both the post and the article are very readable, and do certainly make the case that what happens in Mexico affects Canada; however, I'm not seeing about Canada's national security other than assurances from the RCMP and CSIS. I don't want to dismiss these organizations, but I'm not getting how this is a national security risk.
  
  Are Mexican drug lords going to attack Canadian military bases? Is some kind of terrorism going to result from this situation? Does Canada need Tommy Douglas' grandson to save us? Certainly there's an increase in voilent crime, but frankly throwing around the term "national security risk" sounds a little Threat Level Orange to me.
  

Previous Politics:

• Get Your Protest On: Tar Sands, Housing Strategy, and Ban Bush from Canada
  
• Minimum Wage, Federal NDP, Lester Pearson, and Israel Cynicism
  
• The Economist: Prohibition has failed; legalisation is the least bad solution
  

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