Archives for June, 2009
Death in Iran
Posted by Greg Laden on June 22, 2009 I wanted to know about Iran, and she told me. I was curious, because I had a feeling that there was more to the story than we were getting from the news. There had to be reasons that the students were rebelling against the Shah and pushing for an Islamic Revolution. She explained it to…
On a Mission from God
Posted by Greg Laden on June 22, 2009 Lately I’ve been reading the 19th and early 20th century traveler’s accounts of what is now known as the Western Rift Valley and the Ituri Forest, Congo. Some are written by the famous ‘explorers’ such as H.M. Stanley, others written by scientists on expeditions in the area, and still others by missionaries. Reading these accounts…
Women Segregated on the Basis of Sexual Orientation
Posted by Greg Laden on June 22, 2009 … in a Virginia Prison. Virginia’s largest women’s correctional facility allegedly segregated inmates on the basis of actual or assumed sexual orientation over the past year. Women presumed to be gay were housed in a separate wing, 5D, referred to as the “little boys wing” or “butch wing” by guards at Fluvanna Correctional Women’s Facility,…
Trees matter
Posted by Greg Laden on June 22, 2009 I’ve always lived among trees and gone to the woods for quiet, but it took a change of scenery to discover just how much trees mean to me…. Turns out, it was the trees!
I feel just like Carla Gugino in that movie…
Posted by Greg Laden on June 21, 2009 … where she‘s the scientist attending the crazy Sci Fi conference where everyone is dressed as Star Wars characters. That’s because I’ll be doing something at Skepchickcon Convergence Skeptics Track 2009 All the cool bloggers and some cool non-bloggers will be there, including Pamela Gay, PZ Myers, Rebecca Watson, Masala Skeptic, Bug Girl, Elyse, Carr2d2,…
Canadian Milk Board: Bad but Funny Paleoanthropology
Posted by Greg Laden on June 21, 2009 hat tip: Miss Cellania
King Leopold’s Soliloquy
Posted by Greg Laden on June 21, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. I’m reminded of this work of literature owing to a recent discussion on another post. I like to point this text out whenever I get a chance, and since I’ve got a blog, this is an…
Class Action Status for Race Discrimination Suit Against Eli Lilly
Posted by Greg Laden on June 21, 2009 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is seeking class action status for a 2006 federal lawsuit that accuses drug manufacturer Eli Lilly of discrimination against African-American employees. The plaintiffs include nine current and former employees who allege that the drug manufacturer engaged in pay and promotion discrimination on the basis of…
Flight 103 from Frankfurt
Posted by Greg Laden on June 21, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. Scene: Berkeley, California, April 1986. A bar. Five conference attendees, myself included, grabbing a hamburger and a beer in a fern-bar on or near Telegraph. All eyes are on the TV’s mounted over the bar, where…
Subdue the Evolutionists
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. I had a dream last night that I was in the kitchen cooking Calamari, when several medium sized octopi crawled out of the pot and led me to the basement, beckoning me to come near the…
Human Trafficking Report Issued by US State Department
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 “The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report sheds light on the faces of modern-day slavery and on new facets of this global problem. The human trafficking phenomenon affects virtually every country, including the United States. In acknowledging America’s own struggle with modern-day slavery and slavery-related practices, we offer partnership. We call on every government to…
Great White Sharks
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. The only place I’ve ever seen Great White Sharks in the wild (I’m not a SCUBA diver!) is in South Africa, where you can see them from cliffs, swimming back and forth looking for penguins (and…
More Babbling
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. Admit it. Once you discovered Alta Vista’s Babel software you did this: You entered a phrase to translate from your native language to some other language, then translated it back again to see what would happen.…
Homicidal Fantasies
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. … are probably normal. I remember an HBES conference in which we were subjected to a very boring talk. It was not boring at first. The speaker, a well known evolutionary psychologist, started out by asking…
These two school administrators need to be driven into the swamp with torches and pitchforks.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 Check it out: ATLANTA – A suburban Atlanta principal who resigned during an investigation into cheating on students’ standardized tests was arrested Friday and accused of altering public documents. The school’s assistant principal also turned herself in to local police Thursday night in a case that the head of a state teacher’s group described as…
Notes from Up North
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 The first time I ever caught a bowfin (Amia calva)I was shocked and amazed at this fish. It was green …. really green like beyond fresh water fish green …. with a fancy spot on the upper part of the back of its dorsal fin. And it had one impressive dorsal fin. It was whopping…
Which is funnier, Dogs? or Cats?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 Exhibit A: Exhibit B:
“Towing Jehovah:” James Morrow on Atheists Talk Sunday
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 First, let’s suppose that Jehovah God is real. Good News for the religious, right? Then, let’s twist it a bit and see what happens should Jehovah die. This would cause a major problem for at least the Abrahamic religions. After all, how could we hope for eternal life if the Provider Himself is subject to…
Cronkite Less Ill …
Posted by Greg Laden on June 20, 2009 … than previously reported. The word from his assistant, interviewed earlier today with the report coming out in the last ten minutes or so, indicate that Cronkite is going to be fine. Really old and stuff, but fine. “he is aging. He’s suffering the challenges of age, but he’s not gravely ill. Only God knows…
Pansy Warrior Princess buys a lottery ticket
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2009 Look out baby seal, Look out!
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. This is brilliant. A bunch of Orca, incorrectly known as Killer Whales because, well, they would never kill anything, right? Anyway, a bunch of Orca either trying to eat a baby seal or playing with a…
Important and cool nature and conservation news.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2009 You really must give up seafood from the ocean. Or at least, there is an argument that says this, and you can read it here. Wolverines. I once saw a wolverine in a state that was known to not have wolverines anymore. That was a long time ago and I think they are recognized as…
How do I loathe thee … let me count the ways.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. In an essentially Christian society, we expect governmental or other social organizations to disrespect non-Christian belief systems. An example of this is the widespread positioning of official holidays on Christian holidays, but never unless by coincidence…
Walter Cronkite
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2009 Sadly, we hear the news that Walter Cronkite is gravely ill. Well, not so sadly really, since he appears to have had a great life and in living that life, managed to get quite old. So good for him. I have one Cronkite story (below the fold) and only one, and I’ll tell it to…
Cat Origins
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 Through the filter of time … a repost that may still be interesting to you from two years ago. The NYT is running a piece discussing the domestication of the cat. I love watching wild cats. It is fairly easy to see them in the Kalahari, where the population of cats is almost certainly untouched…
Advanced Firefox Configuration
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 Sean really needs to start using a script, but I’m showing this to you because it does include a couple of nice tips.
Firefox add on for text editing
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 This could change your life. A little.
NASA researching California fault system
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 I just got this massive continental plate sized press release from JPL. Below the fold. – – – – – the fold – – – -
Rape Study Shocks … people who have not been paying attention.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 One in four South African men … said they had raped someone … three out of four who admitted rape attacked for the first time while in their teens. … practices such as gang rape were common because they were considered a form of male bonding. … The research was conducted in both rural and…
Twin Cities Annual Dyke March
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 Which is held in June, not March, is planned for Saturday, June 27th. Dyke and Dyke Allies will meet in front of the Walker Arts Center at 1750 Hennepin (that’s the place with the giant cherry) at 7:00 PM.
, which is now available for the 
