Cult: Landmark Forum

Watch this expose on the Landmark Forum

Violence begets violence

Article describing the response in Iraq to Saddam's hanging. From the article:
" The current Sunni protests, which appear to be building, could signal a spreading militancy."

Ministry of Silly Walks

Genius skit from Monty Python. Funny!

US health care problem

Read this article to learn about the US health care system and America's conceptions (or misconceptions) about it compared to the single-payer system in other countries.
From the article:
"The United States spent an average of $6,102 a person on it in 2004, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, while Canada spent $3,165 a person, France $3,159, Australia $3,120 and Britain just $2,508. At the same time, life expectancy in the United States, a broad measure of health, was slightly lower than it was in those other countries in 2004, the latest year for which complete figures are available. And the United States had a higher rate of infant mortality."

My understanding: pay twice as much and get the same!

Indiana Jones part 4

Harrison Ford will play Indiana Jones again at age 64. Let's hope Lucas doesn't write the script like he did for the latest Star Wars...

Net Neutrality

Learn more about net neutrality with the guy from the Mac commericals

Bush gives geography lesson

so many of these links

Smart Dog

This dog is more patient than I am

optimize the body

Here's all the things you didn't know you needed

Ethnomusicology Crash Course

Learn about Pachelbell's Canon

Net Neutrality

Like watching Al Gore in An Inconvenient Truth, it was a joy to hear an articulate Ted Kennedy talk about Net Neutrality

Climate Change

I highly recommend the movie An Incovenient Truth. Here's an article that reports on Mt. Kilimanjaro's missing snow

Vegetarianism...is it time for carnivores to convert?

kids with high IQs are more likely to become vegetarians. From the article:

"Recent evidence suggests that vegetarianism may be linked to lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This might help to explain why children who score higher on intelligence tests tend to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease in later life. "


More veggie stuff?
Vegetarians are eco-friendly. From the article:

"Writing in this month's Physics World, Calvert calculates that the animals we eat emit 21% of all the carbon dioxide that can be attributed to human activity. We could therefore slash man-made emissions of carbon dioxide simply by abolishing all livestock."

How can I be a vegetarian? Here's a step by step guide

Music and the heart

If this study on music's ability to change heart rate is cutting edge, then a lot of studies need to be done!

Violent videogames

This study still isn't published in a peer-reviewed journal but it sounds like it was a balanced study on violent video games

Still, more work needs to be done.

From the article:

NEWSWEEK: "Do you think playing violent videogames makes teens more likely to commit violent acts?"
Vincent P. Mathews: "That would be the speculation."

Save on Heating

here are some tips

Micro$oft chief wants a Mac

Micro$oft chief admits he'd buy a Mac computer to protest Microsoft's products...if he wasn't an employee. The article also describes the anti-trust suits against M$ and the billion dollar fines they've paid to the EU for refusing to adhere to the law.

Obama

Let's meet Obama

and talking about terrorism

Terry Tate Office Linebacker

Office Linebacker brings order to the office. Mike, you may need one of these.

how to sit

relaxed!

Marley --Redemption Song

Here's a song of healing

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to remember the Trail of Tears and other atrocities performed by the USA on Native Americans.

From the article:

The Trail of Tears dates to 1830 when President Jackson submitted a plan to Congress to remove the tribes from the Southeast.

Cherokees at the time were very established and "may have lived in better houses" than white settlers, Townsend said.
"We may have been having dinner and soldiers came to our door and took us at gunpoint," Townsend said.

The National Park Service oversees the Trail of Tears. According to a park service handout, "families were separated — the elderly and ill forced out at gunpoint — people given only moments to collect cherished possessions. White looters followed, ransacking homes as Cherokees were led away."

Research was limited when Congress created the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in 1987 in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Historians have since uncovered omissions. There were no routes recognized in North Carolina or Georgia, even though up to three-quarters of the Cherokees likely started from those states. The official trail markers also leave out two major arteries in Arkansas and water routes in eastern Tennessee.


Hard to look at a $20 bill the same way.

Our president, Dell spokesman

Michael Jordan slinging hanes underwear? Fine. George Foreman selling grills? No problem. The president of the USA endorsing TV brands?!? What a new fucking low for this fucking asswipe.

Iran is kicking our ass in stem cell research

Why? Because Jesus said no stem cell research but Mohammad said it's OK (actually, Jesus didn't know what a stem cell was--he was too busy watering down the wine. Let's base our science and technology on a philosopher from 2000 years ago). Who's the backwards country now? Plan to buy your gas, oil, and major medical advances from Iran! And you thought going to the hospital was expensive before.
From the article:

We traveled both to a government run laboratory and a private hospital in Tehran. Men and women were laboring over microscopes and Petri dishes. And all told us things that most scientists in the West would envy. "It's quite open, we can do our work very easily, we don't have any restriction, any problem," one of the country's leading stem cell researchers told me.

The new-found pride is not just about stem cells. It's also about nuclear energy. The fact that Iranian scientists figured out how to enrich uranium without having to do so in a foreign country is a big reason the people and politicians say they won't back down from the United Nations' demands to stop

Musical joke

I got this in an email forward so I'm not sure who to credit as author. Actually, I think I only got half the jokes but those more musically inclined may enjoy it even more:

C, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, but we
don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth
between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is
out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not
sharp enough.

D comes in and heads for the bathroom, saying, "Excuse me. I'll just
be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced
that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices
B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're a minor
and the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight."

E-flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely
shined shoes. The bartender says, "You're looking sharp tonight. Come
on in, this could be a major developement." Sure enough, E-flat soon
takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural.

Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest.
C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution
of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an
upscale correctional facility. On appeal, however, C is found
innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental. The judge rules that all
contrary motions are bassless.

accurate ballot counting

Here's 2 articles on ballot counting in texas and florida. Maybe a Democratic congress can pass laws to make sure votes count. Call your representative in 2007 and demand voting machines have a paper trail.

Colbert speaks up for George W

Colbert helps us understand the difference between Bush I and Bush II

Miracle...or faulty bullets?

person surviving 6 gunshots to head says it's a miracle. I think there's a more logical explanation but I supposed she's entitled to say whatever she wants

Limbaugh

Limbaugh is such a sleaze

Air guitar shirt

Why did I spend all those years practicing guitar? Now I can just buy a air guitar shirt that has some microfilaments in the sleeves. Check out the video link on the page...

...did you check out the video? This shirt is so weak!! I'm glad I learned how to jam because technology is in the dinosaur stage

CASA

canine volunteers help youngsters testify in court. They even swear in. Dogs are great

colbert continues to impress

Check out Colbert singing the national anthem with Hall, part of the new Democrat congress

substantia nigra

yup it really is black
why is it black? it's got pigment. why would the brain have pigment? To help neuroanatomists to name it!

Post your brain questions!

shout out

Gotta give a shout out to Large for his hitting.

Back

Got back pain? Ouch. Hope these stretches and preventative measures can help.

keep track of your representatives

here's a link to help you check in on your representatives

oh hell yeah pt 4 of 4

smoking ban in arizona passes! January: time to hit the clubs..or dive bars

from the article:

Colleen Kirby, 50, said she enjoys smoking and socializing with friends at The Buffet [local dive bar]. Kirby said she's been smoking since age 13 "when I used to steal my father's cigarettes - and he died of emphysema at 67."

maybe that's why we need laws to protect us from these brainiacs

oh hell yeah pt 3

dreams do come true. Democrats win house and senate. That should put a hold on whatever idiot scheme Bush had for the next 2 years.

oh hell yeah pt 2

"Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives for the first time since the 1994"

oh hell yeah!

Ohio has voted: good bye dewine!

what do the people want?

do we live in a facist state with "I'm the decider" telling us what to do or should we consider the outcome of polls

what's a fish, grandpa?

in 50 years all fish will be dead. I recommend anyone interested in studying fish to plan on retiring in 50 years. Actually, if fish go extinct, fish researchers will be the paleontologists of the 21st century.

Evangelical Gay Pride

Looks like the president of the evangelicals has been racking up 3 years of material for confession! He preaches gay sex is wrong but has a three year affair with a male escort. Just the amount of hypocrisy that you'd expect from the church. All these hard line conservative religious types are driven by sexual frustration and self loathing. Why is this news? Normally I wouldn't bother to post this but I thought it was interesting that christians are expanding their gay sex routine from forcing it on altar boys to adults. Also it's interesting that America goes to church to learn about what primitive people thought about sex instead of asking science.
And for the record, Ted Haggard bought meth to enhance his gay sex but "threw it away", he just got a "massage" from the male escort and he goes to Denver to "write". Right...

musical dictionary

nice link for looking up all those funny terms

9/11

heard this 9/11 documentary is a must see

dogs and chocolate

Watch out for your dog (or cat) getting into the chocolate these holidays.

If your animal does get in the Lindt, you could prevent a nasty vet bill by inducing your dog to vomit with hydrogen peroxide. Worked for my friend's dog when the dog ate...don't ask

yawn

rock and roll hall of fame new members. Ever play air guitar to R.E.M.? I didn't think so

like to talk on the phone?

fucking republicans

stay the course

Mitch Hedberg

Get ready for some comedy