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John Ratzenberger is now my new hero, here's a comment he made at the Scott Brown rally - PS - I'm still laughing:

"This isn't the Democratic party of our fathers and grandfathers. This is the party of Woodstock hippies. I was at Woodstock — I built the stage. And when everything fell apart, and people were fighting for peanut-butter sandwiches, it was the National Guard who came in and saved the same people who were protesting them. So when Hillary Clinton a few years ago wanted to build a Woodstock memorial, I said it should be a statue of a National Guardsman feeding a crying hippie."

How about that patrice cormier hit on Mikael Tam? And this little pr*** was Canada's Captain at the world juniors? I'm almost glad now that Canada lost, we didn't deserve to win if we put a little s*** like this in with the big C. And it comes on the heels of two similar, vicious hits during the world juniors.

For Chrisssake's, Tam was on the ice convulsing after the hit - he stopped breathing for 30 seconds, and apparently has a broken jaw and severe concussion. I hope his career ended right there with that hit.

watch the video:

Action at 15 seconds

'His career' being Cormier's, not Tam's.

Horse Of The Year

Rachel Alexandra, 130 votes vs. 99 for Zenyatta.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=4837854

A worthy champion, although if I had a vote it would have gone to Zenyatta. She showed up when it mattered the most in the Breeder's Cup and won at the classic distance of a mile and a quarter, something Rachel Alexandra has never done.

Anyone know what the penalties are for Dion if Elections Canada ever quits giving him extensions to pay back his leadership race debts?
It seems the loans are deemed to be contributions if the deadlines are finally enforced.
But then what?
Does the lender become guilty of over contributing?
Or is the penalty on the borrowing candidate?
Or both?
What are the actual penalties?
I found a bit on it in the Elections Act in section 497, but law isn't my strong point.
Could Dion theoretically end up in the slammer?
Would he be cell mates with the guy who lent the money to him?
Does the party get fined?

One can dream......

If there are no penalties then you could cook up any kind of loan deal you wanted and it would in reality be an over contribution.

Some fantastic photos at the Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/fire_and_ice.html

I also enjoyed the phot series on New Years celebrations around the world.

And if the series on Haiti 48 hours after doesn't persuade you to open your wallet and give what you can to the relief efforts...you probably don't have a heart.

Over thw Waves from Louis George 1962. Watch for tempo upbeat at 1:47. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WjvJwtPLyg&feature=related ***
Great one Vit. That's soul music.

Aye, laddie.

I know many here are not fans of Jon Stewart (nee Leibowitz), but tonight's show (Monday) was pretty funny. Commenting on the Massachusetts senate race, he notes that if the Dems lose, they'll have a 59-41 majority in the Senate, to which he added "Which is a larger majority than George Bush ever had while he was doing whatever the f*** he wanted". Later he observed "It's not a case of the Republicans playing chess, and the Democrats playing checkers. It's a case of the Republicans playing chess, and the Democrats are in the nurse's office because they glued their balls to their thighs again".

Pretty sure you'll be able to view the clips on comedynetwork.ca shortly, or tomorrow's reruns during the day.

Globe, Saturday, Jan. 16.

A British Columbia appeal court sided with Insite, the place where addicts can come in with their drugs and shoot up under medical supervision, ostensibly to reduce overdoses and the possibility of HIV-AIDS infection. The federal government had wanted to close the place down, citing the laws against drugs.

This decision is really appalling, and the feds should appeal to the Supreme Court (not that I have any faith that the highest court would overthrow it, but there are principles involved).

The Globe produced a particularly fatuous editorial supporting the decision. The feds "tried to fight a so-called drug war on the backs of the most addicted population in Canada", it whines. Boo hoo. One of the legal challengers had been addicted for 38 years, and the average for Insite "clients" is 15, the editorial notes. So how is Insite helping them to stop, rather than encouraging them to continue? Would the government set up an analogous site for smokers?

There is a parallel with medical marijuana, says the Globe, since courts have ruled people can use it to alleviate cancer pain. But there's no medical benefit from heroin. No parallel at all.

The Globe calls "obtuse" an argument by the feds that exempting the addicts from the criminal law would be like requiring an exception "from the law of theft for kleptomaniacs" or "from the impaired driving laws for alcoholics". It notes that the Vancouver police refer addicts to Insite, then asks whether the cops ask kleptomaniacs to steal something or give alcoholics their car keys, as if these comments are supporting its argument when actually they support the opposing position.

National Post, Jan. 16, same story (and better, more detailed writeup).

The Post notes that judge Carol Huddart, in her reasons, wrote that the federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of controlled substances at Insite cannot supercede a provincial initiative on health care, because the doctrine of "interjurisdictional immunity" applies in this area. Judge Anne Rowles agreed, while judge Daphne Smith dissented. The latter decided that "federal paramountcy" applied instead.

May we inquire as to the principles regarding when "interjurisdictional immunity" applies and when "federal paramountcy" applies, if there are any? The Supreme Court of Canada is the body that has to untangle the mess. Unfortunately, it is fond of quoting "principles" involved in situations like this without ever being clear as to what they are or where one might find them. In the 2007 Health Services Sector case, for example (in which it finally conjured up a "right" to collective bargaining by badly misinterpreting freedom of association), it spoke about the "principles" involved when the Court wishes to overturn a previous decision. What are these principles? Where can we look them up and read them for ourselves? No answer given.

Ironically, the original judge who decided on the Insite case, Ian Pitfield, rejected "interjurisdictional immunity" in his reasons. He decided that some sections of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act were inconsistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and allowed Insite to remain open pending final disposition of the case.

The Post notes that Insite received a temporary injunction under federal law in 2003 to exempt it from the drug laws. This should be all one needs to know to conclude that the feds take priority.

The story concludes by noting that judge Rowles wrote that there is "not any serious debate about the need for Insite as a health-care facility". This is a political statement –- the legislature can opt to close it down if it wishes, and ought to do so, to save beleaguered taxpayers some money. Similarly, judge Huddart wrote that "contrary to claims made by the Government of Canada, Insite is not considered controversial". And black is white and up is down.

Personally, I don't think drug use or even trafficking should be illegal, and I certainly don't think anyone, users or Insite staff, should be charged for running afoul of drug laws. What I strenuously object to is the use of tax dollars as an enabler for drug addiction in the phony guise of "health care", and the hypocrisy of one level of government encouraging and enabling an activity that is (rightly or wrongly) illegal, not to mention the divergent attitudes towards various bad habits. This decision is an absolute disgrace, and worst of all it undermines public respect for the rule of law.

Over at Dust My Broom; "Soldiers With Guns".
*** http://dustmybroom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13229:soldiers-wiith-guns&catid=98:liberalism-is-a-mental-disorder ***

Toronto Sun, Wednesday, Jan. 13, Alan Shanoff.

"You have no legal obligation to inform a prospective employer that you are pregnant and employers are not allowed to ask female job applicants if they are pregnant."

Termination or refusing to hire a female because she is pregnant or might become pregnant is a "human rights" violation. He notes that a woman may not wish to disclose pregnancy as it may hurt her chances of being hired. On the other hand, the boss won't be happy when he finds out his new employee is pregnant. Shanoff says there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

The specific case he details is that of a woman awarded $35,700 by an Ontario "human rights" tribunal because she was fired on the day she started work when the employer found out she was four months pregnant. The tribunal awarded her all the salary she would have made until the due date plus all the EI she would have obtained during maternity and parental leave, plus $15,000 for "loss of dignity".

This of course is a disgrace. The only human rights violated here are those of the employer, and the right is called freedom of association. The so-called right not to be discriminated against is bogus in these circumstances. Ditto "dignity", which is not a legal concept and which should be eradicated from the law.

It might not be difficult to discern that a woman was fired for being pregnant, but how on earth can it be determined whether an employer refused to hire someone because she is pregnant? But then, objectivity is not the forte of the "human rights" crowd.

Sadly Shanoff, who is usually pretty sensible, vigorously defends this garbage. "I don't think they'll make the same mistake again", he says. Assuming they're still in business.

It takes resources to train employees and to temporarily replace those who are absent, resources that a struggling business might not have. The whole point of all this "human rights" nonsense is to add an additional burden on employers, with the dual intention of putting them out of business and herding as many people as possible onto the welfare and unemployment handout rolls. Then the leftists can claim that capitalism has failed and that the state will provide for its "victims". And, as usual, genuine human rights like freedom of association get lost in the shuffle.

- - - - - - - - - -
Star, Saturday, Jan. 16.

Pool breastfeeder gets apology.

A Newmarket pool owner will make a $2,000 donation to a women's shelter and post signs allowing breastfeeding in and around the water, after a case went to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

Some pointed out when the story broke in Oct. 2008 that health ministry regulations prohibit food and drink in and around pools, so the owner had no choice but to act as she did.

The story this week says the owner has made eight requests over the 15-month period asking for clarification of the regulation. No response to date.

Globe, Saturday, Jan. 16: Cancer studies face national funding crisis.

Also Globe, Thursday, Jan. 14, Margaret Wente: This country is falling apart. Crumbling infrastructure. Not actually new "news".

Various newspapers, ad nauseam over the months and years: Education underfunding. Health care underfunding. Affordable housing underfunding. Justice system underfunding. Blah blah blah.

This is the natural result of socialism, of course. A private producer must be efficient, because if it isn't, the customer will take his business elsewhere. The economy concerns trade by individuals for mutual benefit, and business profits are made when the consumers' standard of living rises –- a win-win situation. Governments though can rely on coercion, including setting up their activities as a monopoly and covering losses through taxes, so they can ignore the need to be profitable and use resources wisely. But as Ayn Rand was fond of saying, reality always avenges itself. Governments that waste resources are a drain on the economy, whether through inefficient enterprises or through the regulators, agencies, boards and commissions that produce nothing of value at all. (The justice system is by its nature what the government is there for. But all the other things can and should be private operations.)

And note that despite all the "underfunding", there always seems to be enough money for sex change operations for prison inmates, there's always enough for bogus "human rights" complaints, there's always enough to give to lunatic fringe activist groups who tell the government why it isn't living up to some ideal of "social justice".

And there's always enough for governments to sue each other:

Star, Dec. 29: Cape Breton Regional Municipality mayor John Morgan says his fight for more equalization dollars is not over, even though the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his case against the province earlier in the month.

Globe, Jan. 12: New Brunswick threatens to launch a lawsuit over delays to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear station unless Ottawa agrees to cover the province's related costs.

Various newspapers, Jan. 16: the Insite case that I already posted about, feds versus B. C.

Today (if my eyes didn't deceive me): Newfoundland is suing Quebec over Churchill Falls. Again.

Your tax dollars at work.

National Post, Jan. 16, letter, Catherine Swift, president and CEO, CFIB. Subject: the Ontario NDP's idea of a provincial Ontario Retirement Plan.

Swift says the only reason that party leader Andrea Horwath's examples (OMERS, OTPP, HOOPP) work is because they are heavily tax-supported, and "these are dollars that those private sector taxpayers do not have to put away for their own retirement" [emphasis mine]. She also points out that they are invested in exactly the same places as RRSPs and other plans, and notes that the OTPP lost 23% in the recent market meltdown, much like everybody else. She concludes: "There is no financial or social justification for our two-tiered, reverse-Robin Hood pension system". And I conclude as always that there are no special insights that government officials have with regard to economic or any other matter. Freedom is good, coercion is not.

Of course, two tiers are horrible when it comes to health care. But when it comes to favouritism for public employees' pensions, not so much.

nv53 - re your last post - I'm losing my lunch!!

No mention of Teddy Pendergrass or his music?

Precision Prediction
The Doomsday Clock is not a credible gauge of the nuclear threat.

By Keith B. Payne

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NWI2MTlkMmM2Yzk5ZDBkNGRlNTM0Njc0MThjYzlkZjU=

worth repeating for those who may have missed it:
speaking of things pentagon and war, nixon was a republican, right?

look what has become of his 'war on drugs'. closely related to the reagan era simplistic 'just say no'

3w.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-waves-white-flag-in-disastrous-war-on-drugs-1870218.html

pay particular attention to the part about the aircraft used in the CIA black ops. that's right, where they crash whilst transporting tonnes of cocaine, ya, that part.

Fundamentalist Muslims Rape, Marry Children In Free World

http://thecanadiansentinel.blogspot.com/2010/01/british-muslims-now-forcibly-marrying.html

...all with the consent of the childrens' parents, and, apparently with the consent of the governments of these Free World nations, including that of Britain.

Children as young as nine years old are being submitted by their parents for rape and marriage.

strange photo of mars

http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=100113-mars-illusion-02.jpg&cap=This+new+image+of+Mars+taken+by+NASA%27s+Mars+Reconnaissance+Orbiter+shows+an+optical+illusion.+What+appears+to+be+trees+rising+from+the+Martian+surface+are+actually+dark+streaks+of+collapsed+material+running+down+sand+dunes+due+to+carbon+dioxide+frost+evaporation.+The+image+was+released+in+Jan.+2010.+Credit%3A+NASA%2FJPL%2FUniversity+of+Arizona.+

Iggy, pardon me, Mr Iggy has a new persona.

Jello man

nbc pays 40 million for a half hour blunder.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100119/ent_leno_tonight_100119/20100119?hub=EntertainmentV2

trees on mars. the fantastic astromony picture of the day.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/

Washington Putz circling the bowl...

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/post-apocalypse

O's Stalinist-Communist Tactics

"wreckers and saboteurs standing in the way of Hope."

"Hope* is charming, lively, blue-eyed wench, & I am always glad of her company, but could dispense with the visitor she brings with her, her younger sister, fear*, a white liver'd-lilly-cheeked, bashful palpitating, awkward hussey that hangs like a green girl at her sister's apron strings & will go with her whithersoever she goes."
(Letters of Charles and Mary Anne Lamb)
...-

"Double Down"

"The Politico reports its sources indicate that President Obama will up the ante if Scott Brown wins the Massachusetts Senate seat. There will be no retreat, no watering down of the agenda."

"The strategy will be a militant campaign to blame all future problems on the past administration by casting the Republicans as the architects of disaster and the protectors of the banking industry: wreckers and saboteurs standing in the way of Hope."

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/

Hannah Allam, Rarely used flying bomb strikes new targets in Iraq

U.S. troops stationed at an outpost in southern Iraq heard a chilling whistle, and then a 60-pound airborne bomb punched through a concrete blast wall and sent shrapnel flying, wounding three Americans.

Explosions are commonplace in Iraq, but this was no ordinary attack. The U.S. military said Friday that militants who launched the Jan. 12 attack on a joint U.S.-Iraqi compound used an unusual weapon called an IRAM, for Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munition. Sometimes called “flying IEDs,” IRAMs are a potentially deadlier incarnation of the garden-variety Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq and Afghanistan – they’re short-range projectiles that catapult toward unsuspecting targets...

Richard Owen, Renato Brunetta tries to force mamma’s boys and girls to leave home

They are known as the eternal adolescents, young men and women who live in the family home while having their underwear washed and pasta cooked by their devoted and — until now — unquestioning mammas and papas. But now Italy is attempting to force its vast generation of bamboccioni (mother’s boys and girls) to find their own way in the world.

A government minister who admits that his mother made his bed for him until he was 30 years old, is demanding a law obliging young Italians to leave the parental nest at 18 to stop them from becoming hopelessly dependent on their parents...

Here is a Real Headline Catcher from CTV.ca

"Cabinet shuffle gives new jobs to 10 Tories"
ctv.ca

Gives new jobs to 10 tories??? Uhhh
who does ctv think he(harper)will give the cabinet jobs to? Ignatieff Liberals? Layton NDP'rs? Elizabeth May?
Give your head a shake CTV of course the cabinet is going to be made up of Tories When it is the Tories who are the ruling party.

Voodoo Doodoo: Defending chastity.
...-

"Wyclef Jean defends his charity, payments to self, says mistakes made"
http://www.newswatchcanada.ca/
...-

"Glaciologist demands apology from Pachauri for 'voodoo' remark

India's senior-most glaciologist V K Raina today said the chief of the UN climate body should apologise to the scientist fraternity
for dubbing their work on melting of Himalayan glaciers as "voodoo science".

Raina's demand comes even as the UN body, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) headed by R K Pachauri, deliberates on retracting its statement on Himalayan glaciers
melting.

"The IPCC had dumped our report that the glaciers have not retreated abnormally. Now, with the truth out in open, the IPCC should dump its own report which was based on mere speculation," Raina told PTI."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/Glaciologist-demands-apology-from-Pachauri-for-voodoo-remark/articleshow/5477796.cms

Not normally a big fan of twitter, but the Herald's reporter with the AthaB's shore party has some pretty gripping stuff.

http://twitter.com/Stephen_Maher__

He's done it again.. He sure isn't backing down on his hard line stance and one has to appreciate his belief in the rights of his native countrymen.
A breath of fresh air to see someone lead. I wish some leaders would step up in Canada & USA

Australian Prime Minister does it again!!

This man should be appointed King of the World.. Truer words have never been spoken.

It took a lot of courage for this man to speak what he had to say for the world to hear. The retribution could be phenomenal, but at least he was willing to take a stand on his and Australia's beliefs.

Whole world Needs A Leader Like This!

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..

Separately, Rudd angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote:
'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.. Take It Or Leave It.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '

'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'

'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'

'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'

Wish I had a link for the above but it was a forwarded email from my mother in-law.

@nv53:

> This of course is a disgrace. The only human rights violated here are those of the employer, and the right is called freedom of association.

What a dishonest and moronic statement! It belongs in the same crowd who screams that Canada needs immigrants because it is aging. No, we need more children and you are standing in the way of Canada returning to sustainable human policy. You are clearly an enemy from my point of view.

Free:

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/howard-muslim-speech.shtml

Great links and comments.

RE: the hockey hit.
Definitely elbowing with intent: 10 min misconduct
Probably charging, maybe not: 2 min minor

I believe we should not penalize because of the result of the action, but because of the action. JMO

The fact is, that player was crossing center ice with a head of steam and his head down. This is a dangerous thing to do and it is taught as a no-no from the first time a hockey player puts skates on. Unfortunately whether it's hockey or football people are going to be gravely injured or die. Especially in hockey where they are playing at super human speed. This is unfortunate, but it is the case none the less.

It's my opinion that today’s equipment, the large number of teams(especially pro) and the prohibition on fighting contribute to the chippier play we see today. When you're wearing armour, and you don't see the same team very often you are not held accountable for your actions, therefore we see more outrageous hits year after year.

I'm not the only one who defends Judeo-Christian virtues!

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/01/martin_luther_king_and_today.html

KB

Colbert and Stewart are very funny. And yeah, Dems and libs are pu$$ies.

Re pregnant women: In the real world, employers definitely consider the fact that a woman is in her child bearing years to be a negative attribute. This is an interesting topic. Intuitively my gut tells me that society should not be on the hook for a woman who chooses to have a baby.

"Fundamentalist Muslims Rape, Marry Children In Free World"

The silence from feminists on this and many other women's issues is deafening. I bet they're out in droves supporting Coakley today.

C.MacDonald

LUV it, I think some type of military service might do the same thing. Not mandatory enlistment, but perhaps something in mandatory high school to springboard you to a military career.

You don't get it bryanr, "It's not fair" as Dion put it. First PMSH appoints Conservative Senators and now this. "Oh the humanity!"

Free, we need that link! I'll look now. Oh yeah, I guess he's lucky he's not Dutch.

There is a big pool of cold air building over Russia now. By Saturaday it will be -61 (wind chill -70) degrees C in Oymyakon, Rusia. Eventually that air has to move out and is going to cause cold weather somewhere else in the world.
http://espanol.wunderground.com/global/stations/24688.html

ty aaron

BREAKING NEWS: Baby Isaiah gets reprieve as judge asks for more time

Updated: Tue Jan. 19 2010 11:54:35

Melissa Dominelli, ctvedmonton.ca

A city judge has decided she needs more time to consider the arguments in the case of an Alberta family battling Alberta Health Services (AHS) to keep their son on life support.

This means that baby Isaiah James May will not be disconnected from his ventilator Wednesday afternoon as originally planned by AHS and the Stollery Children's Hospital.

Madame Justice Michelle Crighton ruled Tuesday morning in an Edmonton courtroom she will come back with her decision on Jan. 27th after hearing from an independent expert in the emotionally-charged issue.

The lawyer for the May family wants the hospital and health authority to delay their plans for 90 days. Alberta Health Services told the court they are willing to wait only 30 days....

"The diagnosis is unchanged; your son suffered severe anoxic brain injury at birth and has irreversible brain damage. There is no hope of recovery for Isaiah," the letter stated.

It went on to say, "Accordingly, it is with sadness that we are advising you that your treatment team will discontinue mechanical ventilation support to Isaiah after 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 20, 2010."

Isaiah's mother Rebecka May stated in court documents that her son has continued to grow since his birth.

May said medical staff informed the family that "Isaiah would not grow." But the woman noted that Isaiah has "continued to grow since his birth and now weighs ten pounds eleven ounces."

May also mentioned in documents that her son's pupils dilate, his eyes open daily, and he moves his hands, arms and feet with "increasing frequency."

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100119/edm_battle_100119/20100119/?hub=EdmontonHome

"Story of Newton's encounter with apple goes online

LONDON – It always falls down. That's how the apple helped Isaac Newton.

An 18th-century account of how Newton developed the theory of gravity was posted to the Web Monday, making the fragile paper manuscript widely available to the public for the first time.

Newton's encounter with the apple ranks among science's most celebrated anecdotes, and it can now be read in the faded cursive script in which it was recorded by William Stukeley, Newton's contemporary.

Royal Society librarian Keith Moore said the apple story has resonated for centuries because it packs in so much — an illustration of how modern science works, an implicit reference to the solar system and even an allusion to the Bible.

When Newton describes the process of observing a falling apple and guessing at the principle behind it "he's talking about the scientific method," Moore said.

"Also the shape of the apple recalls the planet — it's round — and of course the apple falling from the tree does indeed hark back to the story of Adam and Eve, and Newton as a religious man would have found that quite apt."

The incident occurred in the mid-1660s, when Newton retreated to his family home in northern England after an outbreak of the plague closed the University of Cambridge, where he had been studying.

Stukeley's manuscript recounts a spring afternoon in 1726 when the famous scientist shared the story over tea "under the shade of some apple trees."

Stukeley wrote that Newton told him the notion of gravity popped into the scientist's mind as he was sitting in the same situation.

"It was occasion'd by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood. Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground, thought he to himself ... Why should it not go sideways, or upwards? But constantly to the earth's center?" Stukeley wrote. "Assuredly, the reason is, that the earth draws it. There must be a drawing power in matter."

Stukeley's account on the Royal Society's Web site joins notes from Newton's 17th-century scientific rival Robert Hooke — documents that were lost for several hundred years before their recent discovery in a house in England.

Users can flip through both documents using the same page-turning software used to browse Leonardo's sketches and Jane Austen's early work on the British Library's site.

The Royal Society, an academy of scientists founded in 1660 to discuss and spread scientific knowledge, is marking its 350th anniversary this year by putting more than 60 of its most important scientific papers online."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100119/ap_on_sc/eu_britain_newton_s_apple

http://www.royalsociety.org/turning-the-pages

Sir Isaac more than dabbled in alchemy:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newton/

I got the DVD from the local library.

O'aux armes Quagmire.

O's Haiti Voodoo War: the year 2010.

"Alain Joyandet admitted he had been involved in a scuffle with a US commander in the airport's control tower over the flight plan for a French evacuation flight."
...-

"US accused of 'occupying' Haiti as troops flood in

France accused the US of "occupying" Haiti on Monday as thousands of American troops flooded into the country to take charge of aid efforts and security.

The French minister in charge of humanitarian relief called on the UN to "clarify" the American role amid claims the military build up was hampering aid efforts.

Alain Joyandet admitted he had been involved in a scuffle with a US commander in the airport's control tower over the flight plan for a French evacuation flight."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7020908/US-accused-of-occupying-Haiti-as-troops-flood-in.html

Taber(G&M) has an interesting take today on Rona Ambrose & Denis Coderre.
"Fallen stars rise again for Tories & Liberals"

*Note her comments on how Coderre has been working with the Govt on the Haiti case.

Funny story in today's Nationa Post.

Publisher seeks poetic protests

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=2457322

Funny though, the publisher is not too proud to accept grant money from the Canadian Council for the Arts. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

http://tinyurl.com/ybfxrnh

Type in Mansfield and check it out.

$38,100

Mansfield Press TORONTO ON Trinity–Spadina 38,100

Al Gore's Weather (AGW):

Gore was a bogeyman? In his own mind.

OTOH, the sob and his cronies amassed a fortune on their Hope, Fear, and Fraud.

"The IPCC has to do a lot of answering on how it reached the 2035 figure, which created such a scare."
...-

"India criticises UN warning on Himalayan glacier melt

India has criticised the UN panel on climate change saying its grim warning about melting Himalayan glaciers was not based on "scientific evidence".

In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the chances of Himalayan glaciers "disappearing by 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high".

But this projection has since been questioned and on Monday the IPCC chief said the panel would review the figure.

Indian environment Minister Jairam Ramesh called for an explanation.

He said that the IPCC must account for how it reached the 2035 figure.

'Vindicated'

"The IPCC claim that glaciers will vanish by 2035 was not based on an iota of scientific evidence," the Hindustan Times newspaper quoted Mr Ramesh as saying.

"The IPCC has to do a lot of answering on how it reached the 2035 figure, which created such a scare.""
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8467480.stm

"Globe jumps the gun in online map goof

In a premature online Dewey beats Truman moment, boston.com today posted an online map of Massachusetts voting results declaring Attorney General Martha Coakley the winner of today’s special U.S. Senate election.

Whoops."

"There’s only one problem, guys - the polls are open until 8 p.m.

“It was a test on a tool and it meant nothing. I don’t know how these things happen,” said the executive assistant to the editor of boston.com. The editor, David Beard, has yet to return a call to the Herald.

The boston.com map called the race for Coakley 50 percent to state Sen. Scott Brown’s 49 percent. Independent Joseph L. Kennedy, no relation to the Kennedy clan, comes in last with a mere 1 percent.

Ouch.

The bogus map shows Coakley capturing most of eastern Massachusetts all the way to the tip of Cape Cod.

Brown was big, in the Globe’s wish map, taking the North Shore.

The map is now down - at least until the real results come in after 8 p.m.

UPDATE: Bob Powers, vice president of communications for the Globe, blamed the goof on the Associated Press. Here’s his statement:

"AP was testing an election data feed to its Massachusetts clients. During corresponding tests at our end, the feed of AP’s hypothetical test data was inadvertently posted for a few minutes on a single subsection page within our site. As soon as the error was discovered, it was removed. We regret the mishap.""

http://bostonherald.com.nyud.net/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1226731
(screen grab here)

MSM in Canada/US are ignoring AGW's Pachygate. Why?
...-

"IPCC did not consult me; relied on press interview: Hasnain

The controversy over the IPCC observations on
melting of Himalayan glaciers by 2035 took a
new turn with glaciologist Syed Hasnain
contending that he has never mentioned the time in his research papers which the UN body had included in its climate change report.

He also said that he was not even consulted by the IPCC for including his research papers in the report.

"I am unnecessarily being dragged into the controversy. The IPCC did not even consult me or ask me for my research papers for inclusion in the fourth assessment report," Hasnain, a Fellow with The Energy and Resources Institute, said.

The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), headed by Rajendra K Pachauri, has triggered a controversy with claims that the Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035 due to global warming.

The Indian government had questioned the finding last year and come out with its own report doubting the glacier melt at the pace the IPCC had predicted.

The IPCC findings were based on Hasnain's interview to "New Scientist" magazine in 1999 which were used by Murari Lal who had edited the chapter on glaciers for the IPCC report."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/IPCC-did-not-consult-me-relied-on-press-interview-Hasnain/articleshow/5477806.cms