TNHP Feb 1
27 January 2013 — Dr. Henry Morgentaler became one of my favourite humans decades before the day I actually met the man. The moment of triumph was Jan. 28, 1988, fully 25 years ago, and the Supreme Court of Canada had just decriminalized abortion, largely thanks to him.
I remember walking home to my apartment on Dundonald St. on a cold Toronto night marvelling at the news. I had no money in those days, not a bean. I always feared pregnancy, which never did happen, certainly more by luck than good management.
But I knew that if the worst did happen, I would have succor. Here’s the weird bit. My late father was an ob/gyn. If I couldn’t have found an abortion provider, I would have had to ask my father, who would of course have said yes, but really, there are boundaries one does not wish to traverse. (More)
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Earth blasted by Gamma Ray during Eighth Century
By Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
21 January 2013 — According to a new study, black hole cosmic radiation blasted into the Earth back in the 8th century.
Japanese astrophysicist Fusa Miyake discovered last year clues for the strange event located in the rings of ancient cedar trees that dated back to either 774 or 775 AD.
Researchers teamed together to determine what had caused the surge in carbon-14 in the rings and found no evidence of a supernova, as they had expected.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle references the appearance of a “red crucifix” seen in the skies after sunset, but that took place in 776 AD, which was too late for when the tree rings show the event took place.
Scientists were also able to rule out a CME burst from the Sun, during which solar flares shoot out cosmic rays, sometimes towards Earth.
They wrote in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, instead, black holes may be the culprit behind the carbon-14 isotope surge in the rings. These isotopes are created when intense radiation hits the atoms in the upper atmosphere, which suggests a blast of energy had once hit Earth. (More)
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and other victims of US government persecution
19 January 2013 — In the wake of the tragic suicide of Aaron Swartz, much has already been said and written about what a sympathetic character the freedom and democracy-lover was. There is now a citizen-led petition before the White House calling on President Obama to remove U.S. District Attorney Carmen Ortiz from office. The petition, which has gathered 36,000 signatures so far, asserts that “A prosecutor who does not understand proportionality and who regularly uses the threat of unjust and overreaching charges to extort plea bargains from defendants regardless of their guilt is a danger to the life and liberty of anyone who might cross her path.” (More)
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Beware of American food loaded with mercury
Specially found in processed with fructose junk
'US Food and Drug Administation (FDA) still allowing mercury in your food'
I've been very vocal about this issue since it was originally reported by the Washington Times in 2009 despite little syndication by the mainstream media. The report could not mention brand names for legal reasons (although I wish they would), however it was found that half of all high-fructose corn syrup samples tested contained mercury. It was also found in about a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products in which high-fructose corn syrup is listed as one of the top two ingredients.
You can easily imagine that this includes major soda brands, candy manufacturers, and much more. (More)
'I sometimes still sit bolt upright in the night in terror,
thinking “What if there IS a Hell, and I end up there?"'
*****
“And I’m angry that their religion, which if nothing else should have been a comfort to them in their old age, was instead a source of anguish and despair — because they knew their children and grandchildren were all going to be burned and tortured forever in Hell, and how could Heaven be Heaven if their children and grandchildren were being eternally burned and tortured in Hell?”
The Axis of Resistance
The relationship between Iran and Syria is based on a unique convergence of interests. Iran and Syria resent the US influence in the Middle East, both have supported Palestinian resistance against Israel, and both had shared a bitter common enemy in the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
1. The “Axis of Resistance” (More)
Inter Press Service
But when the oil-blessed region runs out of water, there could be a change in the political landscape, triggering potential conflicts. The world’s future wars, experts predict, will be over water, not oil.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned last year that water shortages contribute not only to poverty but also cause social hardships and impede development.
More importantly, he warned “they create tensions in conflict-prone regions” (Read: Middle East). “And too often, where we need water, we find guns.” (Read: Gulf nations, whose arms purchases, mostly funded by oil earnings, keep skyrocketing).
The lingering economic paradox was perhaps best described by an unnamed Kuwaiti official who once remarked, “Whenever we dig for water, we strike oil.” (More)
'The Flintstones' was not a documentary
Slate Magazine
I mentioned Zack Kopplin, a young man (he’s 19!) who has gone toe-to-toe with creationists in the Louisiana government. He’s been tireless in pointing out their hypocrisy and illegal activities. After I posted that, Kopplin sent me an email where he included links to a couple of must-see videos.
In 2012 Kopplin was fighting a terrible bill to allow supplemental materials to be used by teachers in the science room. The law was specifically targeting things the conservative Republicans in the State legislature didn’t like: evolution, global warming, the usual suspects. Given the Orwellian name the Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA), it was eventually signed into law by the creationist governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, despite being ruled illegal and unconstitutional. (More)
L. Ron Hubbard's Grandson Blasts
Scientology as a Brainwashing 'Cult'
The great-grandson of the founder of Scientology said that the belief system is a “cult” last night on Current TV with Cenk Uygur. Jamie DeWolf, the great-grandson of L. Ron Hubbard, blasted Scientology in scathing terms.
Uygur had DeWolf on to talk about how people get sucked into Scientology. “How do they do it?” asked Uygur.
DeWolf also explained how Scientology specifically tries to rope in celebrities, though they are often “insulated from the nastier aspects of it.” DeWolf said Elvis Presley turned down an offer to join Scientology.
“Is it a case study in how you can gradually brainwash people?” asked Uygur. “I think it’s one of the most brilliant and devious systematic brainwashing systems that’s ever been invented,” responded DeWolf. (More)
Hidden agenda behind the Mali war in Africa
America containing China by 'Fighting' Al-Qaeda
Ben Schreiner is a freelance writer based in Wisconsin. He may be reached at bnschreiner@gmail.com or via his website.
29 January 2013 — The geopolitical posturing over the crisis in Mali, coming as France’s intervention fans out across the region, is no more evident than in the public statements coming from both London and Washington.
As British Prime Minister David Cameron declared, the crisis in Mali “will require a response that is about years, even decades, rather than months.” Backing up such bluster, Britain has reportedly joined France in dispatching special commando teams to Mali, in addition to surveillance drones.
In Washington, the talk of a long war to be waged across the entire Sahel region of Africa has also begun. As one U.S. official speaking on the Western intervention into Mali warned Monday, “It is going to take a long time and time means that it could take several years.”
Such remarks mirror those made by outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (More)
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