You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2010.
I’m always impressed when goodwill and feces flow freely between neighbours.
“Israeli settlements have been dumping untreated waste directly into a sewage canal that runs through the occupied West Bank, affecting Palestinian villages along its banks.” – See the video here.
It is almost like they are not considering the welfare of people who share the land with them. In any case, it is surely going to advance the peace process and make for a brighter tomorrow in the Middle East.
Not quite the World Cup Trophy.
I bet the last thing you heard from Africa was who won the World Cup. Al-Jazeera reports on the violence that has been ramping up in Sudan after peace talks were suspended.
“Nearly 400 people have been killed in recent clashes between the Sudanese army and Darfur’s main rebel group, according to Sudanese state media.
Most of the people killed – more than 300 – were members of the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem).”
The UN is on the scene but is sounds like they are fighting a 5 alarm fire with a squirt gun.
“United Nations peacekeepers in Darfur confirmed that there were at least two major clashes between the two sides.The under-equipped peacekeepers, with a mandate to cover an area the size of Spain, said they were also investigating reports of a third clash in Daba Tago, near the north Darfur settlement of Mellit.”
Yep, we can continue to ruin Afghanistan and Iraq to the tune of billions of dollars per day, and yet we cannot even keep more than a laughable presence in the Sudan. I am actually quite surprised as Sudan has OIL which makes it much more likely be on Western foreign policy radars.
“Darfur, which is about the same size as France, has been gripped by civil war since ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated government and their supporters in 2003.”
I guess we need to call Bono back into the fray, because it seems unless altruism and empathy are fronted by a rock band, things just do not get done.
I am going to use the discussion points found on RichardDawkins.net as the basis of this feature.
Calilasseia is the author of the post and deserves many rich accolades for assembling so much useful information in one spot. This constitutes an open thread of sorts, please leave your opinions and observations in the comment section.
Enjoy!
[6] Scientific theories are NOT “guesses”.
This is a favourite (and wholly duplicitous) canard beloved of creationists, and relies upon the fact that in everyday usage, English words are loaded with a multiplicity of meanings. This is NOT the case in science, where terms used are precisely defined. The precise definition apposite here is the definition of theory. In science, a theory is an integrated explanation for a class of real world observational phenomena of interest, that has been subjected to direct empirical test with respect to its correspondence with observational reality, and which has been found, via such testing, to be in accord with observational reality. It is precisely because scientific theories have been subject to direct empirical test, and have passed said empirical test, that they ARE theories, and consequently enjoy a high status in the world of scientific discourse. As a consequence of the above, anyone who erects the “it’s only a theory” canard with respect to evolution will be regarded with well deserved scorn and derision.
Another monument to Socialism for the Rich!
The people of Edmonton do not need to fund a new arena. We have an arena that seems to do just fine for watching overpaid athletes chase a rubber disk around while on ice-skates.
This whole hoopla has started because of the Edmonton Oilers owner, Daryl Katz decided that he wants his overpriced jock-shack downtown as opposed to the current site. Katz would contribute to building the surrounding infrastructure as well.
I’m just not sold on the idea. I am leery of having my tax dollars going toward funding sports teams that show little or no loyalty to the town and could possibly leave at any time (that pesky market you know). I do like the idea of adding a ticket surcharge to hockey tickets, because then those who want this monstrosity will be the ones paying for it. It seems to be a more fair solution to recouping the costs for the proposed downtown arena.
As far as reasonable entertainment is concerned lets compare a season with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra:
A B C D E
| Encore & Applause Adult (12 concerts) | $684 | $552 | $432 | $372 | $252 | ||||||
| Encore & Applause Stu/Sen (12 concerts) | $684 | $516 | $408 | $360 | $240 | ||||||
| Encore OR Applause Adult (6 concerts) | $348 | $282 | $240 | $204 | $126 | ||||||
| Encore OR Applause Stu/Sen (6 concerts) | $348 | $264 | $216 | $192 | $120 | ||||||
| Single Ticket Price | $71 | $61 | $52 | $38 | $28 | $20 | |||||
| Ticket fees apply to single ticket purchases | |||||||||||
Or the Opera…
The Edmonton Opera 2010-11 Season
And then of course, the beloved Oilers…
Wow, $1250 dollars for the the worst seats in the house, and that is before transportation and food. What a deal.
Keep in mind that this is for some 40 odd home games of hockey, however it is still overpriced.
Comparatively speaking, you could go 12 symphonies and 4 operas at the highest tier and still come out ahead financially, not to mention a better more cultured person.
This short video is entitled the Crisis of Capitalism, and depicts the recent history of what has happened over here in the Western world. I think it speaks correctly on several of the shortcomings of the capitalist system and is well worth your 10 minuets your time.
I’m going to watch this film, I think you should too.
A better path? I am not sure, but one that deserves serious examination.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
Your opinions…