Thursday, March 30, 2017

Police say an 'improvised explosive device' was detonated at the Saskatoon Provincial Court House

Members of the Saskatoon Police Service can be seen outside the city's provincial courthouse early Thursday morning, March 30, 2017. At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 police were called to the area alongside members of the Saskatoon Fire Department. A news release from police explained officers are investigating what they believe was the detonation of an "improvised explosive device." (Morgan Modjeski/The Saskatoon StarPhoenix)


Saskatoon police say the call about an explosion at the court house came in after 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.

According to police, some minor damage to the exterior of the building has been reported and there are no injuries...http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/police-say-an-improvised-explosive-device-was-detonated-at-the-saskatoon-provincial-court-house
 

Zoo workers rescued an Ostrich from a Frozen creek.

Your browsing history may be up for sale soon. Here's what you need to know

in San Francisco
Your web browsing patterns contain a treasure trove of data. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA 


A US House committee is set to vote today on whether to kill privacy rules that would prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from selling users’ web browsing histories and app usage histories to advertisers. Planned protections, proposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would have forced ISPs to get people’s consent before hawking their data – are now at risk. Here’s why it matters.

What kind of personal data do internet service providers want to use?

Your web browsing patterns contain a treasure trove of data, including your health concerns, shopping habits and visits to porn sites. ISPs can find out where you bank, your political views and sexual orientation simply based on the websites you visit. The fact that you’re looking at a website at all can also reveal when you’re at home and when you’re not.

If you ask the ISPs, it’s about showing the user more relevant advertising. They argue that web browsing history and app usage should not count as “sensitive” information...https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/28/internet-service-providers-sell-browsing-history-house-vote#comments

Oil begins to fill Dakota Access Pipeline



On Monday, the developers for the Dakota Access Pipeline announced that they had filled the controversial pipeline with oil, readying it to begin operating sooner rather than later.

No start date has officially been announced, but the pipeline is reportedly three months behind schedule thanks to the efforts of Water Protectors who occupied an incomplete portion of the pipeline for ten months.

Protests began in mid-2016 and ending when President Trump signed an executive order giving the pipeline and similarly controversial Keystone XL Pipeline the go-ahead. At its peak, millions were watching closely as police forcibly intervened in the protests and saw as a handful of water protectors were exposed to hypothermia from freezing water hoses, attacked with smoke bombs, and were beaten and arrested en masse by local police...https://trofire.com/2017/03/28/oil-begins-flowing-dakota-access-pipeline/

‘The love of birds’ By Arthur White-Crummey

A cedar waxwing seen nesting, a notable breeding behaviour. Photo credit: Harold Fisher

 Committed birders from across the region converged on Prince Albert last Tuesday for an important briefing. They plan to devote five years of bird watching to the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas.

The volunteers will help survey nearly 7,000 ten by ten kilometre squares across the province, keeping their eyes and ears open to record the abundance of breeding birds...https://paherald.sk.ca/2017/03/29/the-love-of-birds/

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Etta James - I'd Rather Be Blind

 http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558

Eagle Rock

A toddler leading his duck army into battle.

Paris is burning - twitter

...But you guys stop calling me Allah

Deciphering Paskwa pictograph not a simple, fast process: Delbert Pasqua

CBC News
 A pictograph of the Treaty 4 negotiations, illustrated by Chief Paskwa. It is the only depiction of the treaty negotiations from a First Nation perspective. (Royal Saskatchewan Museum) 


Deciphering historical imagery goes beyond conventional book knowledge when it comes to the depictions of the signing of Treaty 4.

The treaty was signed in 1874. Nine years later, Chief Paskwa created a document of his own, in the form of a pictograph, based on what he was told by an interpreter, says Delbert Pasqua.

"[Chief Paskwa] didn't understand them, he had to take the interpreter's word that this is what [the Crown] meant, what they were promising," Pasqua told CBC Radio's Saskatchewan Weekend earlier this week.

Pasqua is a direct descendant of Chief Paskwa and is in charge of deciphering the images that were put to paper.

It involves more than just cross-referencing the images with the written words of the treaty, signed between the Indigenous people living on the land and the Crown 143 years ago...http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/delbert-pasqua-decipher-pictograph-1.4041710

Related: Pictographs of the North American Indians - Gerrick Mallery

Monday, March 27, 2017

Wild Ambience is a collection of pure nature soundscapes and beautiful wildlife sounds from around the world.

A group of professional nature recordists from around the globe have collaborated to develop Nature Soundmap, an enjoyable and interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our planet. Combining high-quality field recordings with the latest satellite imagery, the project brings together some of nature’s most beautiful, interesting and inspiring sounds...http://wildambience.com/

Bob Dylan "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Live at the Newport Folk Festival. 1964)

BobDylanTV

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Rachel Homan first time ever, undefeated, wins gold in Beijing

Rachel Homan wins gold for Canada at World Women’s Curling Championship 2017

  The Canadian Press

Rachel Homan, center, of Canada throws a curling stone in a match against China during the CPT World Women's Curling Championship 2017 (WWCC) in Beijing, China Saturday March 18, 2017. Canada won by 9-3.
(Chinatopix Via AP)

Canada’s Rachel Homan has won gold at the world women’s curling championship.
Homan won 8-3 over Russia...http://globalnews.ca/news/3335283/rachel-homan-canada-gold-world-curling-2017/

 
 
 

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Israel looks to leverage tech in $50 billion medical marijuana market


An employee checks cannabis plants at a medical marijuana plantation in northern Israel March 21, 2017. Picture taken March 21, 2017. REUTERS/Nir Elias

 Israel, a leader in marijuana research and health technology, is attracting international investment as it tries to position itself as a cutting-edge exporter in the rapidly-growing market for medical-grade cannabis.
With estimates that the global market for medical marijuana could reach $50 billion by 2025, the Israeli government is set to allow the local industry to start exporting and projects annual revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Medical cannabis is a relatively new field with no universal clinical standard. Israel aims to fill the void by combining its expertise in agriculture, technology and cannabis-based medicine, said Yuval Landschaft, head of the health ministry's medical cannabis unit (IMCA).

"In the United States, for example, they use recreational marijuana for medical use - that's like making chicken soup when you have a cold," Landschaft told Reuters. "We're the ones making the antibiotics."

The strategy is to create medical-grade cannabis with quality and efficacy ensured along the entire supply chain from cultivation to manufacture and distribution...http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-cannabis-idUSKBN16U1PZ

Friday, March 24, 2017

"Closing Time" by Leonard Cohen

LeonardCohenVEVO

Paola, "I'm sorry, was that a 'Yea'? Try again asshole."

M-103: MPs pass motion to condemn Islamophobia

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Thursday, March 23, 2017 4:10PM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, March 23, 2017 4:46PM EDT

The House of Commons has passed a motion to condemn Islamophobia and have a House committee study how to prevent it.

MPs voted 201-91 on Thursday afternoon, passing the private member’s motion known as M-103. The motion had drawn criticism from some Conservative MPs who said it could stifle free speech. It also sparked heated debate across the country, with protests held in several cities over the past few weeks...http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/m-103-mps-pass-motion-to-condemn-islamophobia-1.3338121

Related:
Late last year a Liberal party backbencher, Iqra Khalid, embarked on a divisive campaign against so-called “Islamophobia” by placing a Private Members’ Motion before Parliament (M-103).

M-103 is not a “blasphemy law” as some on the right have characterized it, it is only a motion. However, it seems to pave the way for more heavy-handed sanctions of expression that may happen to offend certain religious sensibilities. If you believe in free speech, M-103 and its implications need to be understood because it is extremely flawed and opens the door to ugly and divisive identity politics that do not belong in an institution like the Parliament...http://dogmawatch.com/index.php/2017/02/19/islamophobia-motion-m-103-divisive-identity-politics-and-why-you-should-care/ 

See also...Motion 103, also known as M-103, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The complete guide to spring cleaning your computer

By David Nield 

 
 


                You don't need a broom to clean up your computer

If you want to keep your house clean, you need to dust it regularly; if you want your car to run well, you should service it annually; and if you want your computer to stay speedy and responsive, it needs its own maintenance—a digital spring clean.

We're not just talking about wiping down your keyboard, but also about clearing up the digital clutter inside your system, including apps you don't use, junk files that are taking up room, and more. Here's how to get started...http://www.popsci.com/spring-cleaning-your-computer

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

A return for the fans' sake Ortega returns to music with a stripped-down sound


 By: Erin Lebar

There’s a song on country singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega’s brief but beautiful new EP, Til the Goin’ Gets Gone, called Final Bow — "I get so tired of the rat race, chasing my tail like a hound, I’ll sing one last song for old times’ sake before I take my final bow," she croons on the track.

The lyrics full of resignation become even more powerful when Ortega explains the emotion behind them was genuine. When she penned Final Bow, she really thought it would be the last song she ever wrote and that it would never be recorded...http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/a-return-for-the-fans-sake-416790294.html

Lindi Ortega

Tommy Robinson is down at Westminster

Attack in London - Twitter

Sarah McLachlan - Angel [Official Music Video]


Sarah McLachlan will headline a live event at Rogers Place on July 1 tied to the Canada150in150 project. (CBC) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/sarah-mclachlan-edmonton-1.4034756
NettwerkMusic

Onondaga Lake photo exhibit highlights birds that have returned to shoreline

A bald eagle perches in a tree near Onondaga Lake. This photo, by Greg Craybas, is part of an exhibit, "Images of a Restored Habitat," at the Honeywell Visitors Center on the lake shore Saturday and Sunday. (Special to Syracuse.com)

  By Glenn Coin

 Syracuse, N.Y. -- A wildlife photography exhibit this weekend will feature shots of birds that have returned to newly restored areas along Onondaga Lake...http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/onondaga_lake_honeywell_bald_eagles_birds_photography_exhibit.html

Destroyed by ISIS, ancient winged bull to rise again in London

Iraq’s National Museum in Baghdad holds two ancient Assyrian human-headed winged bull statues. (File Photo: AP) 


Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Japan in first civilian evacuation drills preparing for North Korea nuclear attack

By
Japanese children take part in the evacuation drill. Reuters


About 100 people, including 44 schoolchildren, took part in various exercises in the coastal town of Oga on Friday.

The move was aimed at fine-tuning a possible future evacuation of the area in the event of a ballistic missile attack on its citizens, after Kim Jong-un intensifies his sabre-rattling with more missile tests.

During the exercises local residents were moved to a number of shelters, including a public hall, a junior school as well as other centres around the city...video[express.co.uk]

Inside North Korea: Forbidden photos taken inside Kim Jong-un's secretive state

Mr Huniewicz evaded his minder's watchful eye to take these photographs, which give a unique glimpse into North Koreans' everyday lives.                        Picture:                    Michal Huniewicz/Exclusivepix Media

Photos here>>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12191241/Inside-North-Korea-Forbidden-photos-taken-inside-Kim-Jong-uns-secretive-state.html?frame=3593115

Goldfish with custom-made 'wheelchair' gets back in the swim

A "wheelchair" made from aquarium supplies keeps the goldfish upright. Taylor Dean 
 
Wheelchair users will tell you it isn't always easy to get around in one on earth, so propelling one underwater would seem impossible. But a lucky little goldfish is doing just that.

Taylor Dean of San Antonio has a YouTube channel of educational animal videos, and last week, her friend Derek (he prefers his last name not be used) shared an ingenious invention with her. Derek, who works at San Antonio's Aquarium Designs, recently helped a goldfish who was suffering from swim bladder disease, a common ailment that prevents aquarium fish from staying right-side up...https://www.cnet.com/news/goldfish-wheelchair-diy-swim-bladder-disease-cute-animals/

"There's still unfinished business. I want a ring. Plain and simple." Joshua Adam Donaldson

Monday, March 20, 2017

"Monday, Monday" by The Mamas & The Papas

OscarOsR

Russian Sub Fires Cruise Missiles at Islamic State

12 Stories of Celebrities Rescuing Dogs That Will Melt Your Heart




Tom Brady — Fluffy The reigning Super Bowl MVP had another reason to celebrate in February— the first anniversary of welcoming their adopted dog, Fluffy, to the household. Last year, Brady introduced Fluffy to the world in the best way possible— this video.
 
When you think of celebrity dogs, one image that may come to mind is a pure-bred pooch in a diamond-encrusted collar poking its head out of a purse. But Hollywood has taken huge steps away from that trend. Instead, celebrities are promoting pet adoption over pet breeding by heading to their own shelters and rescuing their own fur babies. These guys are real rags-to-riches stories— many of these pups were rescued from kill shelters or had previous disabilities that made waiting for the right home a long endeavor...http://www.menshealth.com/guy-wisdom/celebrity-dog-rescues/slide/1

The Mysterious Knights Templar Rabbit Holes

By MessyNessy

...In Shropshire, England, on the estate of an historic English estate, a series of rabbit holes leading into what’s being speculated as a possible 7oo-year-old secret Knights Templar cave network, has the obscure-hunting interweb going a little gaga. Of course, there’s one obvious explanation– Rabbit Templars!
But with the obvious aside, I did some digging of my own to entertain a few of the facts, which can often be hard to come by when a story is going viral. So here’s what we know…http://www.messynessychic.com/2017/03/09/heres-what-we-know-about-the-mysterious-rabbit-holes/

Caters Clips

Saturday, March 18, 2017

"Walk a Mile in My Shoes" by Joe South

WaywardSandyFindsHome

"Don't It Make You Want to Go Home"

murphicus

Bears are bigger killers than thought, gruesome video footage reveals

By Joshua Rapp Learn

The scenes start out innocently enough, often with a springtime stroll through Alaska’s Nelchina River Basin. But without warning, things turn grim: tableaus of blood and gore, usually with an unlucky caribou calf at the center.

Such is the video footage collected by scientists over 3 years from cameras strapped around bears’ necks, offering the first “bear’s eye view” of life in this bucolic but harsh reserve. One of the team’s main findings: These bears kill a lot more than we think they do. A whole lot more...http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/bears-are-bigger-killers-thought-gruesome-video-footage-revealsScience Magazine

Incredible pictures take home underwater wildlife awards

by Jack Peat
 Bronze in Over/Under category – Alex Suh from the US. Great White Shark off Mexico.

From a charging great white shark to sunlight streaming into a sinkhole these are just some of the amazing prize winning underwater pictures in a worldwide competition.

More than 5,000 pictures were entered for the underwaterphotography.com contest across 17 categories – from above water, to wide angle,sharks and even underwater fashion featuring models.

Pictures range from a sperm whale with its mouth open warning off a diver to a turtle reflected in another diver’s mask on the Great Barrier Reef...http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/environment/incredible-pictures-take-home-underwater-wildlife-awards/17/03/

Immigration is a privilege not a right

Nigel Farage: "This young generation that scream the word 'fascist' have now become the fascists themselves."

Friday, March 17, 2017

The Leshan Giant Buddha: Largest Stone Buddha in the World

                                                                 Leshan Giant Buddha with tourists (Wikimedia Commons)

Not far from the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China, sits the Leshan Giant Buddha statue. Carved into the side of Mt. Lingyun, the colossal statue is over 1,300-years-old and is considered to be the largest stone Buddha in the world, and by far the tallest pre-modern statue. The site attracts millions of people every year, including Buddhist pilgrims, making it something of a sacred destination and an ancient wonder of the world.

 

A statue honoring Maitreya


The Leshan Giant Buddha statue (also known as Dafo), is located to the east of Leshan City and sits at the junction of three rivers; the Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River.  It faces the sacred Mount Emei with the rivers flowing below its feet and depicts a stout, smiling monk, calmly sitting, resting his hands upon his knees with heavy-lidded eyes gazing across the river. The statue is believed to be Maitreya, a Buddha and disciple of Sakyamuni, who is thought to have been the founder of Buddhism, symbolizing brightness and happiness...http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/leshan-giant-buddha-largest-stone-buddha-world-003398?nopaging=1


Unique friendship..

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Happy Birthday James!

"Blizzard Problems?" Give the Celebrity Dachshund a call.

Barn yarn: Retirees knitting sweaters for chilly chickens

By Rodrique Ngowi | AP

In this Wednesday, March 8, 2017 photo, “Prince Peep,” a rooster native to Malaysia, wears a sweater at Fuller Village retirement home in Milton, Mass. The sweater was one of many knitted by a group of women in the retirement home for chickens in a neighboring nonprofit education program. (Steven Senne/Associated Press)

MILTON, Massachusetts — Sweaters for chickens? It sounds like a joke, but a plucky group of retirees in suburban Boston has hatched a plan to keep poultry warm during the New England winter.

The unusual project began after members of a knitting club at Fuller Village, a retirement home in Milton, Massachusetts, heard about the hardships that some chickens suffer this time of year.

Certain breeds shed their feathers and grow new plumage in the winter months. Others imported from tropical climates just aren’t suited for the wintry conditions.

Organizer Nancy Kearns said the project benefits birds kept on a neighboring estate known as the Mary M.B. Wakefield Charitable Trust.

“I don’t think in my wildest dreams I ever thought anybody made sweaters for chickens,” said Barbara Widmayer, 76, who started knitting when she was 15 years old...https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/barn-yarn-retirees-knitting-sweaters-for-chilly-chickens/2017/03/13/cdd960ac-07ab-11e7-bd19-fd3afa0f7e2a_story.html

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Canadian Crooner Michael Bublé Pulls Out Of Junos

by


Singer Bryan Adams and comedian Russell Peters will co-host the Juno Awards next month. They replace Michael Bublé, who takes a professional break to dedicate himself to his son Noah, suffering from cancer.

Bublé also did not appear on the Brit Awards, which took place on February 22nd.

A few days after announcing his withdrawal from the Brit Awards in early February, Bublé had given news of his son, who was making good progress in his cancer treatments...https://www.eontarionow.com/entertainment/canadian-crooner-michael-buble-pulls-out-of-junos/320

George E. Creed

Monday, March 13, 2017

Iditarod dogs reach checkpoint without their dozing musher

BECKY BOHRER
 This Thursday, March 9, 2017 image taken from video provided by KTUU-TV shows veteran musher Linwood Fiedler in Ruby, Alaska. Add sleep to the long list of hazards in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race after a dog team arrived at a checkpoint without a musher. Fiedler fell asleep and toppled off his sled. He told Anchorage television station KTUU that he had been fighting to stay awake. (KTUU-TV via AP)...https://www.yahoo.com/news/iditarod-dogs-reach-checkpoint-without-dozing-musher-231450641--spt.html

Paris mayor to spend 1.5 million euros for ‘war on rats’

by AFP
   

Paris (AFP) – The mayor of Paris said Sunday the city would spend 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) to rid the French capital of rats and install more public ashtrays to clean up the city’s streets.

In an interview with Journal du Dimanche weekly, Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveiled a 10-point plan aimed at making cleanliness a “priority”.

The measures include increasing the number of sanitation workers and health inspectors, expanding the hours for garbage pickup, and urging restaurants and buildings to provide more ashtrays at entrances and exit points.

Municipal workers collect more than 150 tonnes of cigarette butts every year in Paris.

“We already allot 500 million euros a year for cleanliness and waste management…and the situation has improved,” she said. “But it is clear that Paris is not yet perfectly clean.”...http://www.breitbart.com/news/paris-mayor-to-spend-1-5-million-euros-for-war-on-rats/

Related: Streets of Paris

Face of a dying Nation - Backup

Invasive Wild Pigs Are Spreading Across The United States


By Robert Martin
    A new study predicts that invasive wild pigs could soon be a major problem from coast to coast.
   The study published in The Journal of Applied Ecology this week found the United States' wild pig population is steadily growing and predicts that the animals could inhabit most counties in the continental U.S. within three to five decades. Researchers developed a model for the study that examined the pigs' expansion from 1982-2012. Looking at where the pigs started and where they are now, the study's authors hoped to make accurate predictions as to where they may go next.
   Wild boars are most concentrated in the southern half of the country where more than 6 million pigs are spread across 35 states. The study noted that climate change could play a large role in their next move...https://weather.com/science/environment/news/wild-pig-boar-population-united-states

 Related: Wild boars terrorize Islamabad, Pakistan's capital

Saturday, March 11, 2017

The New Journalism – Balancing What You Say with What They Hear

                                 Photo Credit: Yaniv Nadav / Flash 90 [jewishpress.const-israel]

by Paula R. Stern
    Canadian journalists - Paul Workman and Orly Halpern came to Maale Adumim. They filed their report - well, that's probably a compliment. What they filed wasn't really so much of a report as their opinion, their agenda. I wrote about it here.

What was clear about the CTV show was that it was misleading - intentionally so. It did not represent facts on the ground, historical accuracy, or what I said during the four hours I spent with them.

What's nice is that the story has been picked up in a variety of places...

IsraellyCool - CTV Guilty of Picture Abuse

The New Journalism - Balancing what you say with what they hear

Honest Reporting - CTV News Report an Anti-Israel Diatribe

Jewish Press

A Canadian citizen filed a protest with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC). Honest Reporting of Canada filed a complaint as well. Both of these required CTV to respond to the complaints.

I also filed a complaint.What's not nice is that CBSC has refused to accept the complaint I filed with them because, not being a Canadian citizen, I didn't have the opportunity to see the video broadcast live...never mind the fact that it was videotaped LIVE right before my eyes.

I have requested that CBSC honor my complaint and investigate. From what I understand, they might be able to request the full video that was taken before it was cut to smithereens by the Workman/Halpern team. I have requested this video twice - both times I have received simplistic responses like they don't know if the video has been deleted, that it is in Toronto, that they don't have an update...http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.ca/

See also...CTV and the “Uncontrolled Pen” Against Israel

Dr Hook, "Sylvias Mother"

Ronja´s Dr Hook Channel

Trump administration to host 68-nation meeting on ways to ‘accelerate’ destruction of ISIS

President Donald Trump gestures as he passes Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, following his address to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ** FILE **

  - The Washington Times - Thursday, March 9, 2017 

   The Trump administration will gather 68 foreign ministers from around the globe this month to figure out a more efficient strategy for decimating the Islamic State group.
   The State Department confirmed Thursday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. allies will meet March 22-23 to “accelerate international efforts to defeat ISIS in the remaining areas it holds in Iraq and Syria and maximize pressure on its branches, affiliates and networks.” Coalition forces will also discuss ways to handle the ongoing humanitarian crisis playing out in Syria and Iraq as a result of the terror group’s presence in the region.
   “It’s an opportunity for Secretary Tillerson to lay out the challenges that are facing the coalition moving forward,” acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Thursday, Voice of America reported. “We all recognize that we have seen progress in defeating ISIS on the ground … how do we leverage that success?” he said. “How do we build on that success?”
   The meeting will take place less than one month after President Trump told a joint session of Congress that he would take “strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism.”
   “As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS — a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs,” Mr. Trump said Feb. 28. “We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.”...http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/9/trump-administration-to-host-68-nation-meeting-on-/

The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous



... AA truisms have so infiltrated our culture that many people believe heavy drinkers cannot recover before they “hit bottom.” Researchers I’ve talked with say that’s akin to offering antidepressants only to those who have attempted suicide, or prescribing insulin only after a patient has lapsed into a diabetic coma. “You might as well tell a guy who weighs 250 pounds and has untreated hypertension and cholesterol of 300, ‘Don’t exercise, keep eating fast food, and we’ll give you a triple bypass when you have a heart attack,’ ” Mark Willenbring, a psychiatrist in St. Paul and a former director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told me. He threw up his hands. “Absurd.”

 Part of the problem is our one-size-fits-all approach. Alcoholics Anonymous was originally intended for chronic, severe drinkers—those who may, indeed, be powerless over alcohol—but its program has since been applied much more broadly. Today, for instance, judges routinely require people to attend meetings after a DUI arrest; fully 12 percent of AA members are there by court order...https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

Related: The pseudo-science of Alcoholics Anonymous: There’s a better way to treat addiction 

See also...Why I Left AA After 12 Years—UPDATED  

Friday, March 10, 2017

Bill Murray unveils new feel-good song ‘Happy Street’


   
       Bill Murray with Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lui Credit: Getty

   A new song has been unveiled featuring Bill Murray on lead vocals. Check out the video for ‘Happy Street’ below.
   The track was recorded for the upcoming album of Murray’s long-tme friend and the former ‘Late Night With David Letterman’ musical director Paul Shaffer.
   ‘Happy Street’ is an old-school, feel-good, sing-along that starts with Shaffer approaching Murray to discuss how he’s just “loving the way that I’m walking baby”, before celebrating all the simple wonders of the world and looking on the bright side of life. It comes with an animated video that shows the pair and the rest of the world living in perfect harmony...http://www.nme.com/news/music/bill-murray-unveils-new-feel-good-song-happy-street-2008491


RHINO

The Skiing Ostrich

Friendship formed by the most unlikely pair...

Cats an award-winning musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber

UrChatNoir

Stunning wildlife photos from a farmer-photographer

Recently Active Alaska Volcano Erupts Again


   


The Alaska Volcano Observatory is reporting that the Bogoslof Volcano in the Aleutian Islands began erupting at 10:36 P.M. local time Tuesday night, sending an ash cloud as high as 35,000 feet.

The ash cloud is a threat to airlines operating between North America and Asia as ash can harm or even stop jet engines...https://www.thestreet.com/story/14032729/1/recently-active-alaska-volcano-erupts-again.html

  Best Funny Commercial