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So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Andy Dabydeen — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:17:00 +0000

Astrobiologists at the Cardiff Centre have built a model of our solar system travels through our galaxy. Our solar system is on the outer edges of one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way, taking its sweet ole time to complete a complete revolution (around 250 million years, if I remember correctly). But that's not the only movement of the solar system. Apparently, it bounces up and down through the plane of the Milky Way every 35-40 million years -- and with each bounce through the plane, the solar system is exposed to a denser region of the galaxy -- the plane has much more stuff. A bounce through that stuff could lead to catastrophic events -- such as comets colliding with Earth. In fact, the 35-40 million year cycle coincides quite well with mass extinction events on Earth.

Now here's the bad news. We're up for another bounce through the galactic plane -- tomorrow in fact -- so place your head firmly between your knees, it's going to be a rough ride.

Pioneers of the Pacific

Andy Dabydeen — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:07:00 +0000

History tells us that Captain James Cook conquered the Pacific back in the late 18th century. Of course, the peoples he discovered were not really people, so they just didn't count. What was completely lost on Cook was that he was over 3,000 years too late. The Lapita, a people originating from somewhere in the Pacific, conquered the Pacific Ocean in their day, spreading their language, culture and customs to most of the Pacific islands, including Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Easter Island, and Tahiti -- where their influences can still be seen today. Unfortunately, no one knows who they were, how they sailed the Pacific, and why they ventured so far. Read more at the National Geographic site.

Another Reason Why Metallica Sucks

Andy Dabydeen — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:01:00 +0000

What happens when a band comes out against their fans who pirated their music? They're hated to the core of their sold-out souls. What happens when that band contemplates an internet distribution model after years of sucking? They get creamed by music fans for being hypocrites. Who's the band? Metallica. Read more on Wired.

Spying on America's Secrets

Andy Dabydeen — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:57:00 +0000

So what would happen if, a Canadian agent convinced a U.S. Army mechanical engineer to secretly bring classified U.S. national defence documents home, so they could be photographed and sent back to Canada? What if those documents included atomic weapons and fighter jet information? What if the Americans finally found out via an FBI investigation? What would the U.S. government do? Well, for one thing, they'd be pissed. They'd call a news conference and show the world how pissed they were at Canada. They'd feel betrayal that one of their closest allies ... friends ... had come into their house and steal secrets from them. In fact, had they asked, the information would probably have been shared with them. Diplomats would be pulled, and the U.S. would be mad with us for quite some time.

This of course did happen ... the stealing part that is. But it wasn't Canada. It was Israel that did the stealing. And it happened for years. An investigation has culminated in charges being brought against a traitorous mechanical engineer. The U.S. government however, hasn't reacted. That's because this situation involves Israel, and as usual, Israel will be forgiven for their transgressions. Israel can do no wrong because Israel has the entire Arab world arrayed against them, and that very fact is why America will always have a soft spot for Israel, despite their stupidity. America's penchant for forgiving Israel for all wrongs however is also the reason why America will never have credibility in the Arab world -- why it will never bring peace to the Middle East; and why there will be no democracy in Iraq if America has anything to do with it.

Having a Firm Grip on Spending Taxpayers Dollars

Andy Dabydeen — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:18:00 +0000

The UK's Office of Government Commerce (OGC), responsible for government procurement, recently underwent a branding exercise, the culmination of which has resulted in the creation of a logo. Everyone loves a logo, and one that is memorable, capable of surviving the changes in strategy and messaging. An OGC spokesman commented to the Register on their new logo:

"The proposed version, which you have sent over, has been shared with staff, and is now going through final technical stages. It is true that it caused a few titters among some staff when viewed on its side, but on consideration we concluded that the effect was generic to the particular combination of the letters 'OGC' - and is not inappropriate to an organization that's looking to have a firm grip on government spend!"

The logo will indeed be memorable, firm grip and all. Just rotate it 90-degrees clockwise to see why.

Evil Cola

Andy Dabydeen — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:42:00 +0000

What's wrong with Coca-Cola India? They're supplying a toxic sludge to local farmers in Kerala as fertilizer, to placate them for the pillaging of their water supply to create sugar water and profits for Coke's coffers. Coke claims the toxic sludge is good crops, but an independent study revealed that the sludge would be totally useless as a fertilizer.

Disemboweled and Torn Apart for Teaching Girls

Andy Dabydeen — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:29:00 +0000

The world does not need the Taliban. The world does not need Islamic fundamentalists. The world doesn't need fundamentalists, period. They should be killed. Everyone single one of them. Killed -- because if it's not them, it's us. This report from 2006 is a reminder of why the war in Afghanistan got as much support as it did; and why it's still a just war. If George W. hadn't fucked it all up by invading Iraq, the world would have been a different place today. Muslim moderates would have cheered to have the fundamentalists purged from the planet. Instead, George W. succeeded in irking Muslim moderates and turning a war against fundamentalists into a war against Islam. Way to go jackass.

The gunmen came at night to drag Mohammed Halim away from his home, in front of his crying children and his wife begging for mercy.

The 46-year-old schoolteacher tried to reassure his family that he would return safely. But his life was over, he was part-disembowelled and then torn apart with his arms and legs tied to motorbikes, the remains put on display as a warning to others against defying Taliban orders to stop educating girls.

Saying No to Weapons Export

Andy Dabydeen — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:36:00 +0000

Way to go South African dock workers! A Chinese ship docked at a South African port encountered problems when it tried to offload its shipment of weapons destined for Zimbabwe. While there is currently no UN or AU embargo on shipping weapons to Zimbabwe, public interest groups are concerned about the use of those weapons in the political turmoil that is Zimbabwe today. So, dock workers refused to offload the ship, and it had to leave. The ship had on board, three million rounds for AK-47s, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and several thousand mortar rounds. Just what is a country, with no economy, doing, in importing such weapons? And what is China doing, exporting such weapons to such an unstable country?

The Arms industry is huge. The economics of dealing in death just makes for good business. It's startling however, when you start digging into the flow of cash for weapons. The top 20 arms exporters in the world include the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Yes, the body whose "primary responsibility, under the [UN] Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security," supplies the arms to conflicts around the world. Canada is just as guilty as the five permanent members. We rank number 12, and export $10-25MM in small arms. Those very weapons that are handy in ethnic and religious conflicts in developing nations; those very weapons that are light and easy to carry and use by children who supply the bodies in some of those armed conflicts.

The Dirty Truth About Plastic

Andy Dabydeen — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:08:00 +0000

Plastics were making the news this week in Canada, with Health Canada not really announcing much that they haven't already announced. In effect, what Health Canada said this week was, yes, plastics do represent a risk, however, at the end of the day, plastics are so ubiquitous in our environment, that an outright ban due to the risks of chemicals such as Bisphenol A would create a vacuum that would cause more harm than good. And to be sure, the economic ramifications to an outright ban would be tremendous. That doesn't mean that Health Canada made a political decision and closed the door. The door remained open, even if it is just slight. Health Canada label Bisphenol A toxic, and that will now allow the government to regulate the chemical. It's a warning to industry that the days of using human health and the environment as a test bed, are gone.

Will there be changes overnight? Not the dramatic ones that vocal critics of the chemical industry had hoped for. Sure, there were forward thinking retailers who saw the financial risks of still carrying such products -- and they reacted, even to just the rumour of Health Canada releasing findings, but that will not be the end of it. The chemical industry needs to innovate, and that will result in some hits and misses -- but it also represent an opportunity for companies to deliver alternatives and shift the game in their favour.

As much as Bisphenol A is a problem, there are also a slew of other chemicals that are in plastics that remain a potential risk, and these will be examined over time by Health Canada. Verdicts will be delivered. The old ways of industry doing as they please are changing. Consumers are more educated, and a vocal subset are advocating for more transparency and social responsibility. Businesses have to respond. It's a moral imperative. To not respond to this awareness would be unethical. Responses at this juncture will signal whether corporations respect their customers and the environment, or are simply evil.

This month's Discover magazine is also running an article on the Dirty Truth About Plastic. As I said above, phenols aren't the only concern -- so are phthalates and the sheer volume and longevity of plastic. We live in a plastic world it seems, and are slowly getting buried under the stuff. There are viable alternatives out there, so why aren't they being used?

Why do we let this shit happen?

Helix Wind

Andy Dabydeen — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:41:00 +0000

Helix Wind has created a unique, and absolutely cool, wind power generation system for homes and small businesses. The Helix system works in low wind conditions, capturing wind from any direction and funneling it into the turbine. Helix Wind has more details on their site, including techincal drawings that architects and engineers can use to easily integrate Helix systems into their work. From an architectural perspective, the Helix system could be used to compliment a design. You can be the envy of your neighbours in more than one way.

Monsanto�s Harvest of Fear

Andy Dabydeen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:03:00 +0000

There are few faceless corporations that are truly evil. Monsanto is one of them. One must wonder about the people who are the tireless cogs in its machinery -- as they slog away, do they ever wonder about the machine they power? Vanity Fair is running an investigative piece that looks at Monstanso: its quest to control the food supply chain and the destruction of the environment that it is responsible for. If I worked for Monsanto, I think I would breaking glass and diving out of the offices of its highest towers, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Evil.

Not just one ... two assholes encountered this weekend!

Andy Dabydeen — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:09:00 +0000

Two assholes encountered in one weekend. I'm so friggin' lucky. First asshole was found at the Brick Works. I was there on Saturday for the first time to check the place out. I've been thinking of it as a destination for a team event -- getting back to nature sort of thing. For those who don't know the Brick Works, here's a bit of backstory from the Brick Works website -- it's important context.

Evergreen is transforming Toronto�s historic Don Valley Brick Works factory from an underused, deteriorating collection of buildings into a thriving environmentally-based community centre that engages visitors in diverse experiences connected to nature.

Yes, an urban forest -- right beside the Don Valley Parkway. You'd think that the people who frequent the Brick Works would know this. On Saturday, I stopped by for 30-minutes, snapped a few pictures, and left. In the parking lot when I parked, there was a Toyota Corolla, with its lights on, engine running. I thought nothing of it. When I came back to my car, who was there? Yes, same Corolla, engine still running, with the driver reclining back in her seat, reading a book. WTF? Is the concept behind the Brick Works lost to the moron in that car? Apparently so. And so that was when I had my first asshole encounter this weekend. The Corolla carried a license plate BBEC 647 for those who know this person.

My second asshole encounter happened earlier today. I was at the Laureleaf Plaza, which I had walked to to have a coffee at the local Second Cup. It was a nice day, a bit windy, but the sun was out, the clouds were being blown away to reveal a bright blue sky. Out there in the parking lot was another Corolla. The passengers were waiting for a pizza to be ready apparently, and in the backseat was a teen -- not a child -- an older teen or a young adult. The car door kept opening, and this asshole kept throwing trash out into the parking lot. WTF? This is my neighbourhood, and probably this asshole's as well. Why would people do that? No reason needed if you're an asshole. This Corolla carried a license plate AVKX 468 for those who know this person.

With Asbestos, Canada Deals Death to the Poor in Developing Countries

Andy Dabydeen — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:04:00 +0000

You don't have to spend anymore time wondering about the Canadian government. Their thinking is rather limited to the short term and what is economically progressive for Canada now. Take cancer-causing asbestos for instance. Canada is one of the world's largest producer at close to 350,000 tonnes, most of which are destined for South-East Asia and South America. The government (Harper's and previous) actively promotes asbestos as safe to use in controlled situations, and has actively worked to ensure that the Rotterdam Convention, a UN directive to create a list of hazardous chemicals that countries can't export without the importing country's permission, doesn't get passed. Yes, Canada is an international pariah. We're exporting death for profits.

Health Canada warns about the use of asbestos, pointing out that its use is highly regulated by the Hazardous Product Act and its production regulated by the Environmental Protection Act -- but Health Canada tows the government line, and doesn't say the stuff will kill you. In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency has attempted to ban the substance, but has faced stiff opposition from industry.

Who produces asbestos products? Well, you won't find many companies declaring they deal in asbestos. Fibrox for instance, a private company operating in Quebec, speaks only of mineral fiber on their website. There are approximately 2,000 people employed in the asbestos business in Quebec, and to be sure, most are probably equipped for the safe handling of asbestos. In developing countries however, where the poor are a commodity resource, asbestos handling is anything but safe.

Help make a difference, and send a message to the Canadian government -- we need to take a more global outlook on human life and the environment.

Feeding on Yahoo!

Andy Dabydeen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Here's a prediction that will be completely laughable in the near future. Concerning the battle to be the internet giant -- a battle being waged between Yahoo, Google and Microsoft. Yahoo is getting the crapped punched out of it, so it's apparently going to sidle up the online loser, AOL, but outsource its advertising operations to Google. Of course, this is only going to bilk AOL and Yahoo to fill Google's ever increasing do-no-evil coffers -- I guess it isn't evil drain the competition when they down, just Darwinian. Microsoft apparently still thinks it can get a hold of Yahoo's carcass, so they're apparently working on a deal with another deadbeat, News Corp's MySpace, in hopes of joining MySpace, MSN and Yahoo. This of course would extend Microsoft's reach into Yahoo and MySpace, and hopefully bring their users into the Microsoft fold.

Naturally, this is all probably very far from the truth.

My prediction: Google will do evil, and Microsoft will become the internet business we all cheer for -- even though we'll never use their services as much as we'll use Google's. This will happen when Balmer leaves the helm. The guy is just too way over the top for anyone to cheer for him ...

... hmm ... what was I saying again?

workFRIENDLY

Andy Dabydeen — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:35:00 +0000

Want to surf the net surreptitiously at work without the boss knowing? Easy! Go to workFRIENDLY and enter the destination URL. Your browser window will be reconfigured to look like the standard MSWord application, and the site will be skinned to look like a Word document. Of course, that takes away the richness of the site, but hey, if your boss is breathing down your neck on the frequency of your browsing, this is one way of dodging the bullet.

My Neighbours Don't Give a Shit

Andy Dabydeen — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Earth Day was yesterday. It was a day for me, to show respect. Respect for the planet we live on, and recognition of the fragile ecosystem that sustains human life. All that was asked to mark the occasion was to turn off non-essential lights for 1 hour. Drop electricity consumption for just an hour. That was all.

So we gathered as a family in the living room, a couple of candles lit, and all the lights off. I even turned off the computer. Yes, I turned off the computer. Those that know me, know I never have the computer off. Last night, it was off. I shutdown.

Apparently I was in the minority. At 8:15PM, I took the camera to the balcony to take a couple of shots at the condo across from us. I went back out at 9:15PM. The before and after are below. WTF people? Were these people simply unaware? Like our PM, dumb-ass Harper, didn't give a rat's ass? I'm at a loss. I don't comprehend. It was big in the newspapers. It was on TV. It was everywhere! What does it take to make these people give a shit?

South Park for Free

Andy Dabydeen — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:15:00 +0000

South Park fans, rejoice. MTV Networks now has every South Park episode available online, uncensored, and for free. This is how media should be available to the masses. And you know what? People will still fork out money for the DVDs.

Give Peace a Chance

Andy Dabydeen — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:24:00 +0000

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) symbol -- now universally known as the Peace symbol -- turns 50 this year. The symbol was designed for the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC), by designer Gerald Holtom in 1958, to be used in a 50-mile Easter march from Trafalgar Square, London, to atomic weapons factory at Aldermaston. The symbol combines the semaphoric signals for the letters "N" and "D" -- representing "Nuclear Disarmament." From its adoption by CND, the symbol spread to the US, then around the world -- with CND never trademarking the symbol -- leaving it free for the world to use.

50 years ago, the symbol was created to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Today the symbol is universally recognized, though its power to provoke has diminished with the loss of the baby boomers idealism. Nuclear weapons has proliferated, and the world is now threatened by rogue states with nuclear enrichment programs; a new found interest in the US to maintain its nuclear prowess; and terrorists looking to make dirty bombs. 50 years, and still, the peace symbol is still so relevant.

Inner Cow

Andy Dabydeen — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:30:00 +0000

This has got to be one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen. Researchers cut holes into the sides of cows and insert an cannula, which allows access to a live animals stomach. These holes are so big, you can actually see what's going on inside -- literally, reach into the stomach of a cow. Cows stomach have millions microbes that aid in digestion, and surprisingly, cannulated cows are usually the healthiest of the herd. You would think that walking around with a hole in your stomach would be bad for you, but apparently not. Some farmers apparently keep cannulated cows in their herd so they can serve as microbe donors to sick cows. Just bizarre.

[Source: Oddity Central]

Public Stupidity in Whitewater

Andy Dabydeen — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:22:00 +0000

So what exactly is wrong with anonymous free speech? If you're a public figure, especially in a position of power, anonymous critique is construed as an open, if faceless, assault. And with great power, usually comes great irresponsibility. Rather than welcome criticism as an opportunity for improvement -- a perspective that any public servant should take when facing heat from their constituents -- most counterattack. That is the case currently being played out in the backwater town of Whitewater, Wisconsin, where John Adams, an anonymous blogger is raining on the stupidity of public officials there. In response, the police chief, James Coan, is using city employees to play detective to unmask John Adams.

Can we say misuse of public resources, folks?

Apparently not, say Coan and his cohorts in government. The the police, the blogger "seems like an anti-government radical." Yes, criticizing the people who work for you is considered radical by some. WTF?

U.S. Lives Worth More Than Others'

Andy Dabydeen — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:11:00 +0000

From Pew Research's Social Values Survey:

Nearly a quarter of American adults (23%) say they mostly (14%) or completely (9%) agree that American lives are worth more than the lives of people in other countries according to the most recent Pew Social Values Survey; those most likely to take this view include white men (30%), persons ages 18-29 (29%) and self-identified conservative Republicans (28%).

You can find the details in the Pew Research's report, Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007 - Political Landscape More Favorable To Democrats. On a totally superficial level however, it seems like younger Americans are leaning more towards the values of Canadians.

Fat Man Revealed

Andy Dabydeen — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:05:00 +0000

Wikileaks has released an early drawing of the "Fat Man" bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki in the closing of the second world war. The drawing had remained censored and not publicly available until this release. There's nothing secret about it, since the design has long been superseded.

Polluting Via Sewage

Andy Dabydeen — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:29:00 +0000

Karen Kidd [PDF] from the University of New Brunswick has done something terrible -- she has poisoned a lake in North Ontario -- to prove a point. The point being, that what we flush down the toilet, or otherwise allow to pollute our water system, threatens to have a horrible repercussions down the food chain.

Kidd, a ecotoxicologist purposely introduced estrogen into a lake in northern Ontario to test the effects on the lake. What her study revealed, was that while algae, bacteria and invertebrates weren't impacted, fishes were. Fishes with smaller body mass was first impacted, leading to the entire species dying off. The the larger fish -- and even the larger fish -- a combination of declining food source, and estrogen poisoning. Estrogen introduced to the lake caused fishes to mature slower; males to become feminized, to the point where sperm production ceased, and egg production started.

Estrogen is dumped into our sewage system as it is excreted from the human body, but is also introduced via artificial sources. Organic compounds widely used in industry, for everything from plastic and epoxy production, to oral contraceptives, are estrogen receptor agonists -- meaning, they act as estrogen by traversing cell membranes and activating estrogen receptors. Unfortunately, many sewage treatment facilities do not remove these chemicals from the waste water, and as Kidd has demonstrated, this can cause severe damage when it arrives in our waterways.

What does Toronto do before we pump waste water back into our waterways? I contacted the city's waste water treatment department last week, but have gotten no response yet.

My Lai Massacre

Andy Dabydeen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:46:00 +0000

Soldiers went berserk, gunning down unarmed men, women, children and babies. Families which huddled together for safety in huts or bunkers were shown no mercy. Those who emerged with hands held high were murdered. ... Elsewhere in the village, other atrocities were in progress. Women were gang raped; Vietnamese who had bowed to greet the Americans were beaten with fists and tortured, clubbed with rifle butts and stabbed with bayonets. Some victims were mutilated with the signature "C Company" carved into the chest. By late morning word had got back to higher authorities and a cease-fire was ordered. My Lai was in a state of carnage. Bodies were strewn through the village.BBC News.

On March 16, 1968, Charlie Company of the American 1st Battalion, swept through hamlets of My Lai and My Khe of Son My village in Vietnam, looking for Viet Cong. There were no Viet Cong in the village, but Charlie Company started a wave of violence, shooting at everything alive. Civilians ran for their lives, and were gunned down. People were herded into an irrigation ditch and shot with automatic weapons. No one was spared. Not even children. When they were finished, over 500 people were murdered.

The American military initially covered up incident. It would take a year and a half later for the story to break, and charges to be laid against soldiers. Of the 26 soldiers charged, only one was ever given prison time -- just four and a half years in military prison. In the court martial, the precedents set in the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crimes Tribunals, were reversed. The results of the WWII war crimes tribunals set the precedent that following orders was not a defence for committing war crimes. The punishment from the war crimes tribunals was execution.

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the massacre -- and I have to ask, what has changed?

Sources:

See a related documentary here.

Clinton Cult

Andy Dabydeen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:17:00 +0000

The Huffington Post is carrying a post by RJ Eskow that examines the Clinton cult. Check it out if you're a Clinton cult member, and reflect. People are going to end up hating you more than they hate the Republicans, and John McCain will get elected ... unless of course ...