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Tomorrow, October 4th, is World Habitat Day -- a day designated by the UN to bring attention to the sorry state of housing for the world's population. Habitat for Humanity is one of those organizations that's putting sweat to the problem -- not thinking about the problem -- just working to fix it. Check out the link below for more. in reference to: "Every week, more than a million people are born in, or move to, cities in the developing world. As a result, the urban population of developing countries will double from 2 billion to 4 billion in the next 30 years. (Kissick, et al: 2006)   By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)" - World Habitat Day Oct. 4, 2010 - Social Media News Release ( view on Google Sidewiki )

You go to Brampton by the 407. That's why it doesn't take you that long. Cause they have Indian food there. Not because your parents live there? My parents aren't Indian. Your parents are Canadian. Are they? Can I take the 407? If I found a route on how to get there? I have to ask you, because it's a toll route. Because you're the one it's registered under. OK. Because the bill goes to you. So. So, it's common courtesy to ask before you do it. Does it matter what I say? Yes it does. How so? Because ... if you tell me no, that I can't use the 407, I won't use the 407. Oh. If you tell me how much it is, then I can pay you back at least a portion of it. A lot of money. How often do they bill you? Hmm? How often do they bill you? Every a month, or every time you use it? Every month. On average, how much do you pay? Depends. Course, that's why I'm asking you for an average. I don't know, I don't have all my...

War is war, but this isn't war anymore. This is just plain state-sponsored terrorism. I don't understand why the Americans can't see that they will win no friends; not secure the American homeland; and not make the world a safer place. With the release of the top secret US military documents by Wikileaks , the world is getting a little glimpse into shadowy world of special forces operations in Afghanistan. The CIA's Special Activities Division , along with the Army Rangers , Green Berets , Navy Seals , and special operations groups from other countries, including Canada, are waging a covert war to find and kill, suspected terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and who knows where else. Killing the bad guys isn't a problem for me. But killing innocent civilians along the way -- that just doesn't work. And as the History News Network reports , a lot of civilians are getting killed. How many is unknown, because for one, the records for the operations conducted...

My latest Kiva loan has just been given, to the Tanzanite Group of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania -- to be repaid in about 6 months or so. Specifically, my $25 will go to Patricia Mjuni, who runs a pharmacy business, though the repayment is being guaranteed by the Tanzanite Group . Group loans, as per Kiva: In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a group of individuals bound by a group guarantee. Under this arrangement, each member of the group supports one another and is responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. Kiva does not directly manage the disbursement of funds, but rather, leverages field partners. In this case, my loan will be administered by Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd. , a micro-finance company that has been in operation for 4 years now, in Tanzania. They have given out over US$1.2M in loans, and have a return on assets of 2.03% -- coming from interests and fees charged to...

The Patrician, Lord Havelock Vetinari, speaking to the Archchancellors Mustrum Ridcully of Unseen University and Henry (former Dean, UU) of Brazeneck College. "... when I was a young boy on holiday in Uberwald I was walking along the bank of a stream when I saw a mother otter with her cubs. A very endearing sight, I'm sure you will agree, and even as I watched, the mother otter dived into the water and came up with a plump salmon, which she subdued and dragged on to a half-submerged log. As she ate it, while of course it was still alive, the body split and I remember to this day the sweet pinkness of its roes as they spilled out, much to the delight of the baby otters who scrambled over themselves to feed on the delicacy. One of nature's wonders, gentlemen: mother and children dining upon mother and children. And that's when I first learned about evil. It is built in to the very nature of the universe. Every world spins in pain. If there is any kind of supreme b...

Indeed. This is not a protest. This is hooliganism. And I for one have no problem with police taking the bastards wrecking havoc in my city -- taking the ones hiding their faces -- taking the locals and the foreigners who are destroying everything in their paths, and beating the shit out of them. That would be police performing their duty to protect civil society. When violence threatens a civil society, it needs an immediate and harsh response. I'm all for protest. It is what makes a democracy function. I didn't care for the lock downs -- and still don't care for it. But soon as the violence started, I became fully supportive of an equally harsh response from authorities. The fact that these assholes -- anarchists and the like -- came here to destroy my city makes me angry. I'm also angry at the federal government. WTF were you thinking? You hold meetings like this in remote areas, away from easy access. Let's see the anarchists get to Iqaluit. Let...

It shouldn't be surprising that corruption doesn't actually pay for companies -- yet many, do it, despite having ethical policies in place. Greasing the wheel is prevalent -- not just limited to countries where bureaucrats expect rewards to speed the flow of commerce -- not that dealing with regulatory requirements is actually a bad thing, from a public interest perspective, it might be just the right thing to have in place -- greasing the wheel is very much prevalent in developed economies. Just look at the ratio of lobbyists to elected politicians in Washington. Lobbyists provide grease, as a result, businesses get their way with less regulatory impediment. Research however, shows that bribery simply doesn't make sense. Not only does it take a psychological toll on those involved, but it also costs companies more money -- more so in the long term -- and it breeds an environment where delays occur as bribery becomes the norm, and bureaucrats habitually give businesses ...

Is it just me, or is this just way too obvious? It's obvious, but also amazing how many highly paid executive-types are idiots, and just don't get it. It's a balance -- and not just a focus on shareholders. Any executive that focuses entirely on shareholders, to the detriment of customers and employees, should thrown out the window -- the door would be just too polite. Focusing exclusively on the shareholders is short-term, selfish thinking -- one motivated just to please the market, generate short-term shareholder value, to the detriment of sustainable value. An executive that focuses their company solely on shareholders does a disservice to shareholders. It is customers and employees who generate shareholder value. Focusing equally on customers and employees, and in cumulative, more than shareholders, is the only way to get your employees to give more; to innovate more; to be inspired to deliver greater value -- and similarly, to get your customers to buy more from...

C.K. Prahalad died on April 16th, age 68. I didn't even know he had died, until I read it in a recent issue of the Economist. Prahalad was known for his development of the core competency concept -- but will most be remembered for his ideas of the bottom of the pyramid -- and how profit motive could help lift the world's poor from poverty. His ideas have shaped -- and will continue to shape -- the strategies of businesses the world over, and give hope to those in developing countries who aspire for more. in reference to: "He taught the world’s biggest companies to think of themselves anew, as a “portfolio of competencies” rather than as a “portfolio of businesses”. He taught everyone to see the developing world not as an also-ran but as a vortex of innovation and creativity. The world of management theory has more than its fair share of charlatans, but C.K. Prahalad was the genuine article." - Schumpeter: The guru of the bottom of the pyramid | The Economist ( vie...

In November 2008, a worm quietly sounded the geek alarms as it set about to infect millions of personal computers around the internet -- to date, estimated at 6-7 million. It was christened Conficker by MS security staff. It exploited a flaw in MS Windows operating systems -- got into the computer, closed the flaw, and went about replicating itself. It communicates to its home base with an encryption level that is so powerful, it's still in the lab -- and is one of the contenders for a new security standard to be published in 2013. It is part of a powerful botnet that was used only once, in what looks to have been designed to test its viability. Ever since then, it has sat dormant. Waiting. Not much is known about it's purpose or who controls it. What is known however is scary, because there is no way to stop it, and it can be used to cause severe disruption if needed. The good guys put up a good fight, but may have lost to the bad guys on this one -- but no one knows ...

It's all politics, of course. Castro is simply using BP's oil spill in the Gulf for propaganda -- the message being, capitalist societies have ceded the public's interest for private gain -- and if the world stuck to socialist ideals, disasters such as this wouldn't happen. That's all bullshit of course, but, the man does have a point. The pendulum has swung too far in one direction. The reigns have been loosened too much on corporations, and governments need to reassert the public's interest in governing the conduct of businesses. At no time should a corporation's interest ever -- ever -- take precedence over the public's. Corporations serve society, not the other way around. Sadly, society is now hostage to corporations -- especially those that operate in the global theatre. in reference to: "In an opinion piece published by state media on Saturday, Castro said the disaster "shows how little governments can do against those who control...

It's interesting that as Catholics come out in numbers to brandish crucifixes at gays fighting for equal rights in the eyes of the law, similar displays of intolerance are nowhere to be found as revelations surface of the scale of the Catholic church's sexual abuse of children. Hypocrites, that's what you are. in reference to: Argentina's gays celebrate as same-sex marriage comes a step closer | World news | The Observer ( view on Google Sidewiki )

The IWC is proposing to " improve the conservation of whales " by improving "the conservation and management of whale populations and stocks on a scientific basis and through agreed policy measures." What does that mean? Japan, Norway and Iceland will continue to hunt whales, because the IWC can't stop them. An impasse has been reached, and instead of forcing these countries to stop hunting endangered species, the IWC is proposing that whale hunts and limits be administer under its control -- in effect, making it OK for whales to be hunted -- again. Help stop the hunting of whales by adding your voice to the international outcry to stop whaling: http://www.avaaz.org/en/whales_under_threat_11/?cl=550282594&v=6017

I went to the Green Living Show with the family today -- and it was much better than I thought it would be. At the show a few years ago, I was disappointed. A lot of green building products and services -- but not a whole lot more. This year, there was a good balance with the construction stuff, consumer products/services and food -- yeah, food -- and it was good, the stuff I sampled. So good in fact, it passed for lunch, and the probiotics are singing and dancing right now ... "heigh-ho, heigh-ho ...." That being said, there was enough to hold my interest walking through the entire exhibition floor. And after having given up a perfectly working 486 (yeah, I know), and several CD-ROM drives and a ZIP drive, to barter for entrance, I was looking for value. Here are a few highlights. Homestead House Paint Co. -- Canada's only milk paint manufacturer, producing odourless and zero-emission paint. Cycling Painters -- these guys cycle to your place and then paint it,...

Recently, several governments (not the US), including Canada, expressed some dissatisfaction with Google's sometimes disregard for the privacy of its customers. Wired's Peter Kirwin makes the point, that as Google grows, it may become a "regulated quasi-utility." Google, like all businesses, is already a regulated company. To operate in the public sphere, it must be regulated -- including in areas of privacy. But as Google continues to grow, its utility becomes more apparent. Certainly, it can be replaced -- and it does have competitors that fulfill similar functions for the public -- but Google's goal is to be the portal to all information -- public and sometimes private. If Google succeeds, and there's no reason to think it won't, it becomes essential to the functioning of a modern, technologically adept society. Being regulated as a utility at that point, becomes a requirement -- as Google's purpose would no longer be just to deliver wealth t...

What one former slave said in response to his former master's request that he returned to work, after the civil war -- dated August 7, 1865. in reference to: "Here I draw my wages every Saturday night, but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the Negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire." - "There Was Never Any Pay-day For the Negroes": Jourdon Anderson Demands Wages ( view on Google Sidewiki )

Last year, a Saudi law firm launched a lawsuit against the Danish newspapers for publishing cartoon images of Mohammed -- suggesting that the Danes have insulted the heirs of the prophet. Now, the Danes are returning the favour -- suing the prophet's heirs for libel, for all the insults Mohammed has heaped on non-Muslims. in reference to: "The lawsuit demands an apology, and also that the offending passages of the Koran be changed or removed from all publicly available copies of the book in mosques, libraries, etc., by the end of this year." - Gates of Vienna: Suing Mohammed’s Heirs for Libel ( view on Google Sidewiki )

You don't have to love South Park -- in fact, you can hate it -- but if you live in the free world, you should be willing to defend its right to exist. You should be willing to defend its right to offend, as it does with every episode. That's what free speech is all about. Of course, that free speech also protects those that espouse hate, which South Park does not. (In fact, while it offends, the one thing you can't pin on South Park , is hate. It hates not one. It loves everyone equally, cause it can poke fun at them.) So recently, when South Park aired an episode featuring the Super Best Friends -- namely Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Muhammad, Jesus and Sea Man (actually, Semen) -- and censored Muhammad's appearance -- he appears in a U-haul truck, then a bear costume, since it might offend Muslims -- they got some hate directed at them. Specifically, revolutionislam.com got their shorts in a knot, and posted quite the diatribe on their ...

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has gone live, after months of moving into a geosynchronous orbit. Today, NASA scientists revealed "first light" images taken by the telescope. Let me introduce you, folks, to our very own star, the Sun (Latin: Sol). It is much more spectacular than you've ever imagined. in reference to: "With SDO looking on, decaying sunspot 1060 unleashed a minor "B3-class" solar flare. A shock wave issued from the blast site and raced across the surface of the sun (movie). SDO images clearly show magnetic loops and other structures rocking back and forth when the wave passes over them. Eventually, the wave disappeared over the sun's horizon--but the show wasn't over. Four hours after the initial blast, and some 200,000 km away, a massive prominence erupted (image)." - First Light for the Solar Dynamics Observatory - NASA Science ( view on Google Sidewiki )

They may still be "emerging economies" in some books, but that term is so yesterday. If you think the economies of the BRICs were something -- you haven't seen the half of it yet. The rest of the world is coming, and it's not a bad thing. The captains of the first world economies will need a hard reset in their thinking, as colonial thinking will no longer get them anywhere. in reference to: "The United Nations World Investment Report calculates that there are now around 21,500 multinationals based in the emerging world. The best of these, such as India’s Bharat Forge in forging, China’s BYD in batteries and Brazil’s Embraer in jet aircraft, are as good as anybody in the world. The number of companies from Brazil, India, China or Russia on the Financial Times 500 list more than quadrupled in 2006-08, from 15 to 62." - A special report on innovation in emerging markets: The world turned upside down | The Economist ( view on Google Sidewiki )

Wikileaks has obtained and decrypted this previously unreleased video footage from a US Apache helicopter in 2007. It shows Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, driver Saeed Chmagh, and several others as the Apache shoots and kills them in a public square in Eastern Baghdad. They are apparently assumed to be insurgents. After the initial shooting, an unarmed group of adults and children in a minivan arrives on the scene and attempts to transport the wounded. They are fired upon as well. The official statement on this incident initially listed all adults as insurgents and claimed the US military did not know how the deaths ocurred. Wikileaks released this video with transcripts and a package of supporting documents on April 5th 2010 on http://collateralmurder.com . Namir Noor-Eldeen was 22-years-old when he was killed. It is true, in war, accidents will happen. What follows however, shouldn't have been a bending of the truth -- or just plain lies. In this case, it's hard ...

... but the least you can do is make some effort to minimize them. Said effort is apparently lost on the Australian shipping authorities, who allow freight vessels, such as the Chinese coal carrier, Shen Neng 1 , to traverse through the Great Barrier Reef , unescorted and without pilots experienced in the area. That an accident happened shouldn't come as a surprise then. The Shen Neng 1 has ran aground in the Great Barrier Reef, and is currently leaking oil. It's carrying 65,000 tonnes of coal. The worst is probably still to come. in reference to: "Conservationists have expressed outrage that such ships can travel through the reef without a pilot with local expertise. "The state government is being blinded by royalties and their shortsightedness will go down in history as killing the reef," said Larissa Waters, spokeswoman for Queensland's Green party." - Chinese ship runs aground on Great Barrier Reef | World news | guardian.co.uk ( view on Googl...

I don't know what the comment was, but I'm sure it was rude, offensive and insulting. That would be the comment Guy Earle threw at Lorna Pardy, when she disrupted his comedy act in BC. There's conflicting reports from Earle and Pardy, on what was said, and how it got escalated. But, Earle, had his act disrupted continuously by Pardy, who was was with her partner taking in the act. As the heckles continued, Earle verbally went after Pardy. Pardy on her part, didn't shut up, and threw two drinks on Earle. Earle took her sunglasses off her face, and broke them. Was Earle wrong? Was Pardy? Yes, they both were. They both misbehaved. Earle should should have expected as much as a live performer. Pardy for her part, should have shown a little bit more respect for the other patrons, and the other comedians. Where this all goes wrong is with Pardy's suit against Earle and the restaurant owner. She's claiming damages of $20,000, on human rights grounds -- for ...

The fact that the IDF goes around killing indiscriminately when operating in Palestine, is no new news. It happens -- not necessarily widespread -- but it happens. That top Israeli commanders would order their soldiers to shoot certain people on-site, is not new -- heck, Mossad went to great lengths to assassinate a Hamas official in Dubai. This shit happens. Of course, having it happen, and pretending that it's all rumour, is quite different than having proof that it has happened, and that it was premeditated. That's the case right now with an Israeli journalist, Anat Kamm, under house arrest, for reporting on state secrets that would reveal Israeli commanders to have ordered shooting on-site of top Palestinian fighters in the West Bank. There are those that would argue that the publishing of state secrets is a crime -- should be punished, and should be prevented. But, in a practising democracy, where is the line drawn between what the citizens are allowed to know -- and ...

Why do strangers cooperate? Help each other? And practice fairness -- even when there is no direct benefit to themselves? Researchers have long puzzled over this. Is it an evolutionary thing? Or is it cultural? Using behavioural experiments that looked at notions of fairness in relation to a society's economic integration and how much the individuals subscribed to a world religion, a team of researchers have found that the answer may be cultural. Notions of fairness -- that fairness is a good thing, and unfairness should be punished -- was stronger in economically integrated societies. Societies that lacked economic integration, didn't see much need for fairness -- or much need to punish unfairness. The researchers also found that one's propensity for fairness was also strongly linked to a subscription to a world religion. Religion does bring moral codes, and belief in an omniscient god who punishes bad behaviour and doles out rewards for the good, should favour th...

America is unaware of how much of its freedom it has vested in the last few years from public institutions to private corporations, and individuals. Glenn Greenwald just needs to follow the trail -- unravel a not too complicated story, as exampled by Mike McConnell -- a man who moved easily between the government and a corporation, restlessly pursuing a single minded goal: the vesting of American intelligence capability from the government, to corporations. And he has succeeded. The question the public, who pays for all of this, needs to ask is: when does a corporation's self-interest trump the interest of the public it is now charged with serving? The answer is simple. Time and time again, it has been proven -- and it's written into corporate law. A corporation has to service only the interests of its shareholders. Doing anything else, and the management team is in violation of their contractual obligations. And in the intelligence business, peace is not good for busin...

In our first world democracies, the general population nestles under the comfort of apathy, trusting that what our government does, is in our best interest -- in the best interest of our nation, our democracy and the world. Wish that was true. As with most power, the benefits pour to the self-interested -- and caters to the few close our elected officials -- including those elected to serve us. At the end of the day, we're sheep, making the rich, richer -- and the powerful, more powerful, and above the laws that govern the rest of us. That is why, entities such as Wikileaks , exist. In fact, it is one of the few, where the powerful can be challenged and brought to their knees. And you know the powerful self-interest are afraid, when they've declared an open war on Wikileaks. The US government, along with the governments of China, North Korea and Iran -- as well as others, such as Australia and Britain -- are seeking to bring Wikileaks to its knees. Not only have their b...

I love this comment from "anonymous" and I will leave it up here. If it was worth my time, I'd trawl through the server logs to find this little fucker's IP and respond in kind. But alas, I have much better things to do with my time. Still, I'd like to keep this comment for the rest of us still living in the civilized society that is Canada -- a reminder of how fragile our civility really is. A comment like this could be nothing more than graffiti of a delinquent. Or it could be more. We should think of it as more, rather than be dismissive of the dangers that lurk right here in Canada. When Ann Coulter can travel to Canada and be welcomed to have an audience to spout similar hate, we should all be worried. The dangers are real when we tolerate such rants -- give it a platform -- and don't challenge its veracity. To the "anonymous" who responded to my post: I'm assuming you're of European descent, since you refer to my skin colour as a...

With a recent repayment, I was today able to make my 11th loan via Kiva, to help someone in the developing world, help themselves. My loan of $25 was given to Susan, a 24-year-old mother of a 3-month-old baby. Susan runs a business selling spare parts, with her shop open from 7AM - 6PM, every day. Susan lives in Rwanda. Women like Susan give me hope that there is a way for Africa -- long and torturous it may be, they will be able to join the rest of the world with relative prosperity and stability. If you have some time, head over to Kiva and loan a little. in reference to: "With this additional business, Susan will hopefully earn more profits which, in turn, will allow her to start reserving for future reinvestment in her business as well as for the wellbeing of her family." - Kiva - Susan Umuganwa from Rwanda has a loan fundraising on Kiva ( view on Google Sidewiki )

Just when we think we've got a handle on what's going on, along comes some new knowledge that shakes our understanding of it all. NASA scientists have now confirmed findings reported a few years ago, that yes indeed, "dark flow", is real. Using a larger data set of 1,400 galaxy clusters and looking further out, they've been able to confirm that something has been pulling the known universe towards it -- at least to 2.5 billion light-years back -- and most likely, out to beyond the edge of the known universe. in reference to: New Proof Unknown "Structures" Tug at Our Universe ( view on Google Sidewiki )

OK, so they're still LEDs, but this new form of LED is so much better than your daddy's. While very efficient, today's LEDs can produce various wavelengths of light only when they hit the coating of the bulbs that house them, excite the atoms they encounter (usually phosphorus for white light) and of course, lose energy as heat. Not so with quantum-dot lighting. Quantum-dot lighting works by employing quantum-dots (semiconducting material a few nanometers in diameter) of various sizes, that get excited by a light source and radiate wavelengths corresponding to their size. The white light produced by quantum-dots is far superior to current LEDs -- approaching that of full spectrum light. That should be a great selling point for people who simply can't get over the "cold" light produced by today's LEDs and CFLs. On top of being more visually pleasing, quantum-dot lighting is about 50% more efficient than current LEDs. in reference to: Quantum dot - Wiki...

Israel will continue to do whatever the hell it wants in Palestine -- and anywhere else in the world for that matter -- because it can. Because it is the only country in the world that can give America the finger; because America is Israel's bitch. It's simple as that. Israel can continue to use foreign cover to launch assassinations; it can even spy on America; steal from America; and blow up American navy ships; and get away with it, because Israel know it can. It knows it can because it has control over American politicians -- and the American public opinion. It is the only nation that has such a large lobby effort in the US, and the Americans can seem to do nothing about it. The fact that Netanyahu wants no solution to the Palestinian problem that involves returning what it seized from the war -- or for that matter a Palestinian state -- is not news. Israel of course, will pay for this shortsightedness. You only need to look at the demographic changes in Israel/Palest...

The collective "we" that is -- you may not be a moron (although, if you choose to not have a choice, you're a moron in my book). That's the suggestion from Ian Brown in the Globe and Mail, in reference to Canadians apparent preference for Stephen Harper in latest Ekos poll. Apparently, Harper has a "macho, emotional image" which really is a turn-on for the general voter -- who are turned-off by the intellectual image of Michael Ignatieff. Yes, in general, the country is populated by morons. They prefer the man who has no doubts about what he's doing, because that makes them think he does know what he's doing. In fact, 86% of the morons believe that his political decisions are based on reason. WTF is wrong with you people? Courage isn't the only trait needed in a leader -- and I'm using that word liberally in reference to Harper. How about a little intelligence? Intelligence to know that you don't always have all the answers? That ...

Bwah-ha-ha-ha! It's the end of the -- uh -- white Canada? StatsCan has projected that by 2031, the visible minority population will rise to one-third of Canada's population. And that has got the good ole boys and girls raging mad. Forget the wealth these new Canadians generate. Forget that Canada is a country of immigrants. Forget that immigrants will be slaving away to pay for social security when the boomers are out on the pasture. Forget all the facts as to why Canada needs immigration. Facts don't deter from irrational fear of the unknown and change. Just read some of the comments on the CBC article -- and for a good dose of fear, check out this thread in the CanChan (be forewarned -- chans tend to be nsfw). I'm already shaking in my boots -- and as of this moment, I'm avoiding any Canadian city, town or village with a minority population smaller than 10%. in reference to: CBC News - Canada - Minorities to rise significantly by 2031: StatsCan ( view o...

There are over 100 million missing women in the world. In rich countries, as well as the poor; in the educated ranks as well as uneducated; across all religious backgrounds -- women are missing in startling numbers. 100 million. That's like having one third of the American population going missing; our the entire population of Canada being wiped out three times. No only are women the poorest in the world; the most likely to experience violence within their lifetimes; but they are also the largest visible group to which the world wages a quiet war against. It starts with the ancient prejudice -- males are preferable to females in all societies -- for a variety of reasons that are no longer valid today. Family names are passed down through males; inheritance of property favours males; males earn more women; traditional societies expect the parents of females to pay dowry; males are assumed to be the ones who would be capable of taking care of their parents in old-age; males supp...

If you need any more reason to be pissed at the Roman Catholic church, here's another one. The revelations of the abuse of kids by priests in Europe continue. Now, it appears the once future pope, Archbishop Ratty, in 1980, assisted in quietly moving a pedophile within the church's ranks, away for a little bit of treatment to cure his sexual obsession with boys. The treatment didn't work. (Dogma! Huh-yeah! What is it good for? ...) Now I know papal infallibility is just some bullshit the catholic church made up to make their sheep bleat in unison -- and I'm also very much aware that it doesn't mean that the pope can't make mistakes or (gasp!) commit a sin ... however ... let's think critically about this for a moment (if you're religious, don't try this, you'll find yourself incapable of doing this). If there is a god, and said god tolerates pedophiles in his ranks -- and further, lets his future right hand man assist in hiding the abuse -...

British libel law is not working, stifles free speech, yet continues to be practiced. To begin with, the law requires the defendant to prove the truth of their statement -- instead of requiring the defamed to prove it false. You can see where this would lead. Anyone who doesn't like what you say and just sue you for libel -- even if they expect you to win, you still lose, as in the case of Simon Singh. The law considers the defendant guilty, until proven innocent. Further, the law can be used to settle scores in foreign countries. For instance, if a magazine article is published in Canada that reflects negatively on an individual -- said individual could sue in British courts for libel, if the magazine was made available for sale in England -- which only requires online access. It's widely acknowledged that British libel laws stifle free speech. The Americans are considering a bill that would make British judgments on libel cases unenforceable in the US -- and the Europe...

Back in 2003, Black Eyed Peas released the Elephunk Theme on their Elephunk album . Of course, BEP has gone on to other things since then. But the Elephunk Theme -- ever wondered about it? The song samples liberally from a Tamil song -- Unakkum Enakkum Aanandham -- composed by Ilaiyaraaja for the movie Sri Raghavendra . Sample we're told. Listen to the original though, and you realize that it is more than a sample. They lifted the entire Elephunk Theme from the Tamil original. The Tamil original is below -- and you can find the BEP version on YouTube . It's amazing that they get the amount of credit they do for this song, when really, they hardly did anything musically to it, other than a western pop/rap cover. Now -- ever wonder about the female singer that lends her voice to both the Tamil original and the BEP version? Her name is S. Janaki . She's Indian -- Telugu by birth -- but sings in many languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi -- and even Japanes...

What a neat idea! This German standard for energy efficient houses, called passivhaus (passive house), requires an annual heating/cooling demand of not more than 15 kWh/m² per year! The typical house today achieves over 200 kWh/m², while low energy houses achieve somewhere around 60 kWh/m². The passivhaus standard dispenses with conventional heating and cooling sources, and instead relies on the house the heat and cool itself. The cost savings realized here is used to fund the higher than average construction cost of these houses -- however the Germans have now managed to bring the cost of passive houses down to the cost of conventional houses. If this design catches on in a big way, energy consumption could drop dramatically. It does however require some willingness on the part of home builders, buyers and regulators to change conventional thinking. Already, there are estimated to be around 15-20,000 of these houses around. For an idea that makes so much sense, saves money and ...

Yes Americans who like tea parties, you really are stupid, and this woman knows you are. The latest from Palin? On Leno, she admits that she joined Fox News because the "mainstream media is quite broken" -- in that there is too much "opinion interjected in hard news stories." Does she even listen to what comes out of her mouth? Or does she just pinch her nose and daub her lips with tissue? in reference to: "I studied journalism, my college degree there in communications. And now I am back there wanting to build some trust back in our media. I think the mainstream media is quite broken and I think there needs to be the fairness, the balance in there — that’s why I joined Fox." - Think Progress » Palin: ‘I joined Fox’ because there’s too much ‘opinion interjected in hard news’ in the mainstream media. ( view on Google Sidewiki )

What a way to end the Olympics!

As soon as the money comes in, it goes out. I've had enough repayment over the last month to be able to cover another $25 loan to someone in the developing world that needs a helping hand. This time around, I just chose the first person on the list, when I clicked on lend on the Kiva site . Usually, I sort the loan applicants by region and gender, giving to women in Africa. This time around, a woman in Juba, South Sudan , was at the top of the list, and saved me the sorting effort. Agnes, to whom my $25 loan went to, is a mom with three kids and a husband, who is a soldier. She is looking to grow her charcoal selling business, with the hopes of using the additional profits to build a house. The loan is facilitated by BRAC , an NGO based in Bangladesh, operates a microfinance program in South Sudan, focusing on war refugees -- and already has 418 village organizations with more than 14,000 women members. The $25 loan is a drop in the bucket of world's needs, but even whil...

They're Canadians. They're hockey players. This is part of what they do. Of course, I can understand why there may be some people upset. They are, after all, women. So, to those embarrassed by this, I say, go look in the mirror. These ladies are fine examples for girls all over the country.

So I was watching the game with this cutey tonight. She's loves hockey -- and the only thing she feels more emotional about, is her country -- Canada. The following was shouted by this Canadian hockey fan, watching the Russian-Canadian game tonight. It was more interesting watching her than the game. Far more interesting, listening to her. It was distracting as hell. Overheard, and for your entertainment -- and this was only from the middle of the 3rd period, onwards: "Drop dead Russia!" "Shoot the fucking ... emmm ..." -- the Canadians heard and shot the puck. "Doesn't he know not to jinx it, you stupid!" -- a retort at the commentator suggesting that the game isn't over yet (Canada was leading 7:3 with about 7 minutes left). "How stupid can you be to take a penalty now?! Stupid!" -- at Pronger taking a late penalty for holding. "Come on Russia, pull your goalie!" -- never one to settle for a 4-goal lead with 3 ...

McGuinty is playing politics. Right now, the public is rightly pissed at TTC workers, especially after the can of sleeping worms opened up simmering issues with how TTC workers treat their constituents. That is the only reason McGuinty wants to beat on already reeling TTC workers. No McGuinty, this is not a good time for a public debate on the issue of making TTC workers essential to the running of the city. Emotions would get in the way of any debate. On the issue of the TTC being an essential service, I would have to disagree. I am a TTC user. Without the TTC, I would not get to work. I don't have a car. The one hour TTC commute would turn to hell. I would have to car pool; beg for a lift; or work from home. All options I'm willing to take if necessary, but would rather the TTC employees (not union) and the TTC management, settle labour issues by negotiation -- not strike. If it comes to a strike however, it is labour's right to have that choice. And unlike th...

It's never too late to be late, and the Saudis are way fucking late. But it's all part of a plan. King Abdullah is trying to move his diseased society forward, one tiny step, without being lynched by one crazy mullah or the other. The plan has been afoot to allow women lawyers to argue some cases in court -- for the first time -- for a few years now. Of course, before we get all emotional over this announcement, we shouldn't forget that the women are educated in the Shariah justice system. (And yes, I realized that I'm being moronic with that sentence. Add a little bit of oxy if you don't get it.) in reference to: BBC News - Saudi women to be allowed to argue cases in court ( view on Google Sidewiki )

In 1804, Haiti was the first nation to outlaw slavery. That is an amazing accomplishment -- but you wouldn't think so if you knew Haiti today. Today, 10% of the most vulnerable population in Haiti, the children, live a life of slavery. Child slaves in Haiti, known as restaveks , number around 300,000. They come from large homes, where parents can't afford to keep them, to homes of affluent family members. Often, these children suffer abuse at the hands of families they are enslaved to. The practice having restaveks has been around since 1804. Lighter skinned Haitians became the ruling class -- and the darker skinned, poorer Haitians, were made to believe that if they couldn't take care of their children, it was acceptable -- and better for the child -- to be shipped off. This has been a widely acceptable practice around the world -- back in the day -- but it shouldn't be, anymore. The root cause of the problem is large families. It's not uncommon for pare...

It's not socially acceptable to do it, but sometimes at work, I really feel like taking a nap. It's usually right after lunch. I could just crawl up quietly under my desk and snore for a bit. There has been lots of studies that have shown a little nap time would give a performance boost afterward. The latest from Berkeley suggests that a 90-min nap during the day is good for cognitive performance. A nap allows the brain to empty the hippocampus of short-term memories to the pre-frontal cortex for long-term storage. That emptying, allows you to accept additional short-term memories later in the day, to then commit them to memory at night. in reference to: "Dr Matthew Walker, who led the study, reported at the AAAS conference in San Diego, said: "Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness, but, at a neurocognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap." - BBC News - Nap 'boosts' brain learning power ( view on G...

TENTHMIL has a cool timeline showing human impact on the planet for the last 10,000 years. We have been awesome in bringing the planet into our servitude. We've given up our roaming ways, looking for food, and are now producing more food than we can eat, but still manage to starve millions. We're fat cats with every whim and desire easily sated. We eat whales because we can. We hunt sharks for their fins and dump the rest of the body to rot on the ocean floor. We've made gardens in deserts and deserts of our gardens. We rule the world. Our dominance is unquestioned and unparalleled. No other species has accomplished what we have. We are wonderful, fellow humans. As the TENTHMIL points out though, it's all coming at a cost. The price to be paid is not what the TENTHMIL will have you think however. It's not the planet that will pay the price -- or the other species that are still around. Those costs have already been paid and continue to be paid. What ...

Earth is more interesting than most of us know -- and in our short time on this planet, humans have only really scratched the surface in our exploration. Take Lake Vostok for example. It is the largest, but only one, of more than 140 subglacial lakes to be found under Antarctica. Yes, that's right. The relatively unexplored continent, has more that is not explored. According to radar data, Lake Vostok is similar in size to Lake Ontario, only it is below 4,000 metres of ice. The subglacial lakes may be connected via a network of subglacial rivers as well. Because of the pressure and geothermal heat, the water is liquid at around -3 °C. It is also an oligotrophic extreme environment. At that depth, cut off from the rest of the world for the last 500,000 to a million years, organisms that live there have been isolated, to say the least. It's expected that the environment, with oxygen levels 50 times higher than those in ordinary freshwater lakes, would have evolved a un...

Another group I discovered in that Cathay flight, was Tinariwen . Tinariwen is a band of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali. They've gained international prominence beyond the world music community, and have performed in music festivals in Europe and North America. The first song that made me take notice of the band, was Cler Achel . Below is a video of the band performing that song. I also liked other songs from their recent album, including Toumast, Imidiwan Winakalin, and Awa Didjen . To understand the band and their music, you need to understand a little about the Tuareg -- a nomadic people living in the Saharan interior of North Africa. (The name Tuareg comes from early European explorers of the region -- they instead refer to themselves by various other names.) Their nomadic way of life came at an end in the early 20th century due to bloody colonization by the French. When the French finally retreated, like so many post-colonial stories, ...