That’s actually not the correct question. The answer to “Is gun control racist?” is no, because if I ask you that question, you assume I mean current modern day gun control efforts in the United States. If anything, gun control is the opposite of racist, give who is most affected by lack of it, ans who most wants more of it, and the nature of the pro-gun lobby when it comes to issues of race.
Continue reading Is gun control racist?
Yearly Archives: 2011
Screw this sexism
The following photograph is a Facebook Peme (Pic Meme, sometimes spelled “peem”). In its original form it had a caption that was sexist and offensive, feeding the idea that girls can’t do math (innately) and also suggesting that a good backup plan for a middle schooler frustrated with academics is sexual self-objectivictoin.
I’ve blogged about this at The X Blog. Here, I’d like to ask you to suggest alternative captions for this photograph. And by “alternative” I mean positive. Or funny but not sexist.
2nd Amendment Violation? Selective Reasoning? Morons On Parade?
Gun nuts are usually inconsistent in their positions. Stoned people are sometimes confused. I can’t wait until the SCOTUS gets this one!
Continue reading 2nd Amendment Violation? Selective Reasoning? Morons On Parade?
Columbus Day
From CC’s diary:
… The Admiral showed cinnamon and pepper to a few of the Indians of that place (it seems from the samples that he was bringing from Castile) and he says that they recognized it; and they said by signs that nearby to the southeast there was a lot of it. He showed them gold and pearls, and certain old men answered that in a place that they called Bohio there was a vast amount and that they wore it on neck and in ears and on arms and legs; and also pearls. Moreover, he understood that they said that there were big ships and much trade and that all of this was to the southeast. He understood also that, far from there, there were one-eyed men, and others, with snouts of dogs, who ate men, and that as soon as one was taken they cut his throat and drank his blood and cut off his genitals. The Admiral decided to return to the ship to wait for the two men whom he had sent and to decide whether to leave and seek those lands, unless the two men brought good news of that which they desired….
Say no more.
“Girls Can’t Do Math”
Look at this picture and ask yourself if it is funny, or if it is … something other than funny:
Punctuation Saves Lives
The Scientist is Dead
The magazine:
Biomedical researchers have lost a respected source of information–and science journalists have lost yet another publication for which they can write–with the news that The Scientist will stop publishing immediately. The news comes just after the magazine celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special issue.
Wow, that was unexpected. In a totally expected sort of way. Story here.
ACLU going after ultrasound law in North Carolina
On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in conjunction with Planned Parenthood Health Systems, Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation, filed a lawsuit against a new North Carolina law that requires pregnant women to receive ultrasounds and be given information about the fetus before obtaining an abortion. The plaintiffs argue that it is unethical for healthcare providers to force patients to listen to “state-mandated ideological speech.”
Free Beer vs. Free Software
OpenSource software is like Free Beer because it is free, but it is free in another way as well: Free as in “Freedom.” Some people are confused about what this means, so I would like to try a new way of explaining it.
Continue reading Free Beer vs. Free Software
You don’t get to ignore the law just because you believe in a particular god
This woman needs to be fired, and, actually, jailed. And stoned maybe.
You know, I get that it’s a tough economy out there. Lots of people are taking jobs that aren’t necessarily optimal, like working at a fast food joint, cooking meth, or making YouTube videos. And not everyone is able to choose a job that is 100% in line with his or her morals, like a vegetarian flipping burgers, an ex-DEA agent cooking meth, or a normal human being making YouTube videos.
Or like a fundamentalist Christian who is a town clerk in New York, where same-sex marriage was recently made legal.
That’s right, there are people in New York who are refusing to approve the marriage licenses of same-sex couples because of “religious freedom.†Here’s one now!
Rebecca Watson has the story, and a video you won’t want to miss.
Genie Scott on The Pseudo Scientists Podcast
And other things….
INTRO: Belinda, Jason, Jack and James. New panelist, James Cooper, TAM 9, Belinda’s Masters studies.
ON THE STREET: Martin Pribble at Think Inc. 2011.
INTERVIEW: Eugenie Scott.
NEWS: Faster-â??â??than-â??â??light neutrinos, Blackmores’ pharmacy deal, secularism in the Israel/â??Palestine conflict.
Are you Mars-curious?
Curiosity is a new Mars Rover that looks like a UFO when it’s all folded up in its space-pod, but looks like a Transformer when it is deployed.
The space travelling robot has been folded up and sealed into its anti-germ container (to avoid letting germs out into the Martian ecosystem, the rover is sterilized and sealed up) in preparation for its launch, which is coming up soon.
According to NASA, Launch Window opens at 10:21 EST on November 25th. Arrival at the planet Mars is expected in August, 2012 .
The main thing this robot is curious about is the presence of microbial life, past or present, on the red planet.
You can keep track of Mars rover missions on the NASA web site, here
Make your donation and relieve your guilt!
You know you want to! This is just one of the many project you can help out:
My Students: Kids love to find out what’s happening inside them! From their blood to their bones, we study the human body. Our health book is a good resource for students, but having a model for them to look at and touch would make connections for those struggling students who are not strong readers.
We are a small, rural school in Minnesota. We have a surprisingly diverse population that comes from many different socio-economic backgrounds. The students are excited and eager to learn. Our students sometimes struggle to retain information. They are like many of us–they learn better by doing, by touching, by experience. Added regulation and less funding makes it more difficult to provide students with experiences.
My Project: I can already imagine the squeals and giggles when the students first see the skeleton and the other human body models! In some students, it will spark an excitement that no one can measure–maybe future doctors or vets. The ability to touch and move pieces will help them connect the pictures we have seen to their own bodies.
This is a gift I can’t give my students without your help. For students who struggle, being able to learn through doing is very valuable. Having these human body models would enrich the learning of the very intelligent students and the students who struggle. When we talk about the ribs, they can actually see what they look like and imagine that in their own body. Thank you for considering our project! hide»
My students need a skeleton and basic models of the human body to enhance our health unit.
Now would be a good time to make your donation!
This is just one of the many project you can help out:
My Students: Kids love to find out what’s happening inside them! From their blood to their bones, we study the human body. Our health book is a good resource for students, but having a model for them to look at and touch would make connections for those struggling students who are not strong readers.
We are a small, rural school in Minnesota. We have a surprisingly diverse population that comes from many different socio-economic backgrounds. The students are excited and eager to learn. Our students sometimes struggle to retain information. They are like many of us–they learn better by doing, by touching, by experience. Added regulation and less funding makes it more difficult to provide students with experiences.
My Project: I can already imagine the squeals and giggles when the students first see the skeleton and the other human body models! In some students, it will spark an excitement that no one can measure–maybe future doctors or vets. The ability to touch and move pieces will help them connect the pictures we have seen to their own bodies.
This is a gift I can’t give my students without your help. For students who struggle, being able to learn through doing is very valuable. Having these human body models would enrich the learning of the very intelligent students and the students who struggle. When we talk about the ribs, they can actually see what they look like and imagine that in their own body. Thank you for considering our project! hide»
My students need a skeleton and basic models of the human body to enhance our health unit.
Teenagers Shooting Teenagers
Since I’ve last mentioned teenagers shooting teenagers with guns by accident, there have been a number of interesting events.
It seems that a 17 year old teenager in Carrick, Pennsylvania was shot by a friend on Sunday, in an apartment next to an elementary school. At first the kid told police that it was a drive-by shooter that got him, but later fessed up. He was not badly hurt, but there is no news yet on if it was Dad’s Gun or some other weapon.
Meanwhile, in Montreal …
Continue reading Teenagers Shooting Teenagers