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Canada allows for legal abortions, thanks to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who yesterday received the Order of Canada. He was instrumental in the fight against the abortion provision in the Criminal Code of Canada; the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that said provision was unconstitutional, as it violated a woman's right under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to "security of person." Morgantaler served time in prison for his trouble but was eventually acquitted. That he received the Order of Canada has of course enraged anti-abortion groups, and has deeply annoyed some pundits.
comment posted at 4:52 PM on Jul-2-08

Bush had Karl Rove. But the original wiretapping President needed brains too. Introducing Kevin Phillips. He predicted the prolonged Republican dominance of Washington 1970-present and advised the Ford and Reagan presidencies. He predicted a more liberal 1990s and when the Bushies killed his party he became uttery disgusted. Recently he spoke about the influence of the christian right, our addiction to oil, and America's debt (public and private) at the University of California Santa Barbara.
comment posted at 4:04 PM on Jun-28-08

Vacations in Alberta's Oil Sands. Courtesy of Greenpeace.
comment posted at 5:15 PM on Jun-26-08

Birthright Israel , funded by the Israeli government and Jewish philanthropists, provides free all-inclusive 10-day trips to Israel for Jewish young adults. The program's goal is to promote Israel along with general Jewish unity and engagement. The blog Jewlicious has a category about these trips. (Scroll down past many promotional entries for the interesting stuff.) Some question its efficacy and results, while some Jews subvert the program. The trips end with a "Mega Rally" featuring entertainment, giant inflatable Stars of David, and speeches by dignitaries including PM Ehud Olmert. Here is video coverage (FLV) of the most recent rally. There is also a satirical Something Awful report.
comment posted at 9:09 PM on Jun-26-08

Behold ACM-R5, the Amphibious Robot Snake. [Via grinding.be]
comment posted at 10:11 PM on Jun-25-08
comment posted at 10:16 PM on Jun-25-08

I was recently persuaded to buy a box of Banrock Station cabernet sauvignon. I just opened it and I must say for me it is a total dud. So now I have an overwhelming amount of this less than tasty wine. What do I do?
comment posted at 2:36 PM on Jun-25-08

A Dispatches documentary Gaza: The Killing Zone shows the shocking reality of seemingly ordinary Palestinians caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Israeli forces. Feels almost like a sci-fi movie about some fictional totalitarian regime. Hard to believe it's their everyday life. WARNING: contains scenes of graphic violence, which you may find disturbing.
comment posted at 12:08 PM on Jun-23-08
comment posted at 3:49 PM on Jun-23-08

The Spertus Museum/Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies has just canceled Imaginary Coordinates due to complaints that some of the artwork (NSFW: nudity, disturbing imagery) in the exhibit had an anti-Israeli slant.
comment posted at 12:00 AM on Jun-23-08

Ugly [single link photobucket post]
comment posted at 11:58 AM on Jun-22-08

The Big Picture from the Boston Globe is like every other compilation of news photos out there except big and awesome. Some (of many) highlights: the upcoming olympics, flooding in the midwest, soccer in the rain, and hiding a lake from the sun. (via Rob Galbraith)
comment posted at 7:23 PM on Jun-21-08

US Traffic & Road Sign Test. Five part, 30 questions each, multiple choice test on US road, highway and traffic signs. Results include inline scoring and explanation of each sign.
comment posted at 9:15 PM on Jun-20-08

NASA Phoenix probe finds evidence of frozen water on Mars
comment posted at 8:09 PM on Jun-19-08

The Milgram Experiment Today? "Students commonly assume that, even if Milgram’s famous experiment sheds important light on the power of situation today, were his experiment precisely reproduced today, it would not generate comparable results. To oversimplify the argument behind that claim: The power of white lab coats just ain’t what it used to be. Of course, that assertion has been difficult to challenge given that the option of replicating the Milgram experiment has been presumptively unavailable — indeed, it has been the paradigmatic example of why psychology experiments must be reviewed by institutional review boards ('IRBs'). Who would even attempt to challenge that presumption? The answer: Jerry Burger, a psychology professor at Santa Clara University. With some slight modifications, Burger manage to obtain permission to replicate Milgram’s experiment — and the results may surprise you." [Via MindHacks]
comment posted at 5:09 PM on Jun-19-08
comment posted at 7:40 AM on Jun-20-08

"We like to play gladiator. You know what I mean? Let two gangs beat each other up without weapons, and the winner gets to deal on the corner. Or, we grab a bunch of muggers, or maybe two crews who steal cars, and tell them, “Okay, you all fight each other — the one still standing gets to avoid jail.” I know: it sounds awful, but believe me, this really works."

Cops tell Freakonomics "the things that cops do to keep the peace that no one wants to know about.”"
comment posted at 8:53 AM on Jun-19-08
comment posted at 9:11 AM on Jun-19-08
comment posted at 10:36 AM on Jun-19-08
comment posted at 3:16 PM on Jun-19-08

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: The Abridged Script [probably contains spoilers]
comment posted at 9:38 PM on Jun-18-08
comment posted at 10:41 PM on Jun-18-08
comment posted at 11:59 AM on Jun-19-08

R.I.P., Arizona Parking Solutions. Guy parks car without displaying his pass. APS boots car. Guy dollies car into his garage and invites APS to reclaim their boots. Or not; their choice: either way, they can't tow, he won't pay the fine, and he really doesn't need to be driving the car. This catch-22 upsets the owner. And eventually APS goes off the deep end, booting nearly everyone's car in the community. The media becomes involved. And we become witness to a business owner suiciding his own business.
comment posted at 8:23 PM on Jun-18-08

I'm Voting Republican. (SLYT)
comment posted at 8:17 PM on Jun-18-08

William Deresiewicz examines the pitfalls of an Ivy League education Apparently, the Ivies prepare you for... mediocrity.
comment posted at 12:49 PM on Jun-18-08

Via The Friendly Atheist and the New York Times, this blog post and this article explain two instances of a very, very unsettling new phenomenon.
comment posted at 3:24 PM on Jun-17-08

Homosexual brain resembles that of opposite sex. As announced yesterday in the Swedish Newspaper Dagens Nyheter, researchers at the Stockholm Brain Institute have published the results of a study conducted using PET scanning showing that homosexual men showed brain similarity with heterosexual women in their amygdala connections, which process certain emotions, as did homosexual women and straight men.
comment posted at 9:57 AM on Jun-17-08

Scanners that see through clothing installed in US airports. Good news! No more testing. Time to roll these puppies out. It's OK though, seriously guys. See we're gonna blur the faces when we look at their sexual organs, so everything's cool. K? Prev.
comment posted at 2:52 PM on Jun-13-08
comment posted at 10:43 PM on Jun-15-08
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comment posted at 8:29 AM on Jun-16-08

Quiz: Who is more homophobic? Religious zealots or Rappers?
comment posted at 11:31 AM on Jun-13-08
comment posted at 2:59 PM on Jun-13-08

To Whom It May Concern: If you are reading this then I can only assume that you have removed the pond under which this note is buried...
comment posted at 2:54 PM on May-31-08

Plural marriage, less publicized, in other faiths: polygamy among Black Muslims in Philadelphia; Rastafarianism; Judaism. Polyandry in Tibetan Buddhism.
comment posted at 7:03 PM on May-29-08

The Perfect Hate Storm: Malkin vs. Rachael Ray and Dunkin' Donuts. The food blog at epicurious, of all places, presents a concise summary of the dustup that resulted when the forces of right-wing punditry ran headlong into the pillars of corporate marketing. If it seems as if there are no winners here (especially since it's not even clear if the scarf in question was a kaffiyeh), at least we can take solace in the fact that no one will be wearing them any more.
comment posted at 10:29 AM on May-28-08

Fly high, little fish!
comment posted at 10:46 AM on May-22-08

An unnerving trend: conventional consumer-goods companies are becoming increasing dependent on making their profits through serving the needs of the military war machine. More dependent on your tax dollar, that is.
comment posted at 8:39 PM on May-19-08

BREAKING NEWS: Kasparov assailed by flying dong. Possible inspiration
comment posted at 8:40 PM on May-19-08

Comrades! Glory once again in the display of Soviet Russian military might at the revitalized May Day Victory Day Parade!
comment posted at 1:10 PM on May-11-08

Europeans Get Drunk to Have Sex. The UK has one of the worst reputations for binge drinking and underage sex but there are striking similarities between countries, a study found. A third of 16 to 35-year-old men and 23% of women questioned said they drank to increase their chance of sex. The study - of 1,341 young people in nine countries including the UK - is published in BMC Public Health. PDF available here.
comment posted at 2:50 PM on May-9-08

Gmail Redesigned is a really slick CSS makeover for - you guessed - Gmail. It uses the Stylish Firefox add-on. (So yes, this is something you would need a computer, firefox, and gmail to care about.)
comment posted at 2:34 PM on May-7-08

Mildred Loving of Loving v. Virginia (1967) has passed away.
comment posted at 3:18 PM on May-5-08

It's Boris. London has elected Boris Johnson as its new mayor.
comment posted at 9:08 PM on May-2-08
comment posted at 3:33 PM on May-4-08

excuse me, i'm going to puke
comment posted at 4:16 PM on Apr-26-08

You are seated amongst thousands of your compatriots waiting for the spectacle to begin. Inside, two bodies prepare for the inevitable fight to the death, for your pleasure. They know it won't be easy, but they are prepared to pay the price. Some are condemned to die, others are slaves fighting for their freedom, and yet others (Christians and Jews) branded as heretics; deserters who have fled the field of battle; and some who are even of noble blood are amongst the many who find themselves in the arena. But, there is one more addition yet, and it has been the subject of much controversy.
comment posted at 11:33 PM on Apr-25-08
comment posted at 11:37 PM on Apr-25-08

A new round of genetic tests has confirmed it: The 'big lizards' of our childhood fantasies were more likely 'big birds.' In fact, they probably even had feathers, and looked more like this than this. Mind blowing, I know, but I guess this demonstrates that, despite what some may think, science really doesn't have a problem admitting that it got something wrong when new evidence comes to light.
comment posted at 2:32 PM on Apr-24-08