What next, will we be seeing the CEO of Discovery Channel out harpooning whales?
The media conglomerate Discovery Communications used to be known for their earth-friendly offerings. But they’ve just paid millions to Sarah Palin to host a “nature” show, despite her decidedly anti-environmental stance: She vocally advocates for habitat-destroying oil drilling, she denies global warming is a human-caused threat, and she spearheaded a brutal wolf-slaughter program as governor of Alaska.
A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic.
“In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual’s decision whether and when to pray,” Crabb wrote.
On the board? Officer? Opinionated member?
If so I hope you will have a look at this:
Scholarly Societies: Why Bother?
and this:
The American Astronomical Society responds to “Scholarly Societies: Why Bother?”
These ads actually appear on our local TV. Not cable, just regular:
Continue reading Who says Minnesotans don’t have a sense of humor?
… if you take time off from work to do so.
Nice.
Massey Energy told employees that if they miss work to attend the funerals they would be fired, workers said. A Massey worker, who did not give his name because he is afraid of losing his job, said that his coworkers were outraged that they were not given time off to mourn their friends and brothers.
The WSWS spoke to workers and relatives outside a local market. Chuck Smith, an unemployed miner with seven years work underground, said Massey’s decision to force miners to work during the funerals was a calculated move. “What would it look like if a bunch of people wearing Massey uniforms showed up to the funeral yelling ‘damn Massey?'”
Continue reading Massey Energy: “If you attend the funeral of your co-workers, you’re fired”
… Or is he the Congressmember from the Fifth District of Minnesota?
Continue reading The Anti-Christ lives in Golden Valley, Minnesota?
There’s been a flurry of interest on reference managers, and especially Mendeley, so I thought I’d throw up a few links that you will find useful.
Continue reading More on Reference Managers
It is said that the forceps … for delivering babies … was invented by a doctor working in the American Midwest* who used it only to deliver the babies of people to whom he was related. The forceps caused babies who might have died during childbirth to live and may have increased the survivorship of the mothers as well. In this way, inclusive reproductive success of Dr. Forceps increased significantly. Presumably, as more people moved into the region, and still more were born there, and the land was divided up and farmed, competition between farmsteads would have increased. By using the forceps to benefit his own kin, and by NOT using it for others (he was the doctor delivering the babies) or even telling anyone else about it, Dr. Forceps increased his own fitness at the expense of everyone else’s. Hiding this new and amazing technology was probably an effective Darwinian strategy for him.
Continue reading Mendeley: A Reference Manager and More
What was that sound? A hand-cranked railroad cart that needed oiling? An old firetruck with a broken siren? A group of boy scouts with a dying hippopotamus?
No, no, not a hippopotamus. Too artifactual sounding. Too human-made sounding. More like the siren, like an old fashioned air raid siren. And as I listened, not only did it get louder, but I had the distinct impression that it was getting closer.
Check out this report at The Raw Story:
Up yours, scientists.
That’s essentially the message sent by former politician Sarah Palin during a recent speech to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, where she disparaged the work of thousands of the world’s top minds to the delight of a large crowd that laughed, clapped and cheered her on the whole way.