The Social Poets: Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 28 Feb 2011

The Social Poets: Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 28 Feb 2011 - Choose from world news analysis combined with the best political cartoon opinion, celebrity watching, science and health news, arts, poetry, funny photos, serious photography, funny videos, great satire, awesome food and spiritual thoughts.

Most Popular Posts 2010 at The Soul Calendar

Check out the popular science stories this year that fascinated us like the volcanic explosions and earthquakes.

From Denny:  Thanks for all your support this year! What a year of massive planet wide geologic changes: polar glacial ice caps melting rapidly, high scale earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and around the world, volcanoes spewing lava high into the air in Iceland and Indonesia - stopping air travel. It's been a humbling year for the human race on planet Earth. Floods, blizzards, mudslides, oceans rising, the Earth is changing and we are here to witness it.

Just this December we got to see the first lunar eclipse on a Winter Solstice, the first in almost 500 years.  The next one is scheduled for 2094.  Here in my region of the world we experienced the British Petroleum Oil Spill Disaster.  As usual Big Business and the governments like America and Britain have shafted the locals who have gone bankrupt, personal and business.  The millions of barrels of oil still lurks on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and continues to wash ashore.  There are now light orange alligators found off the coast of Florida.

Here in Louisiana BP's oil spill devastated our fishing industry, killing the oyster beds and safe fishing grounds for everything from shrimp and spillway crawfish to salt water fish.  The fishing industry has declined by 70 percent with no help from BP or our federal government.  Big Business is just plain greedy and refuses to take care of the planet and future generations.

Out of this oil spill disaster has come some interesting ideas of how to clean up future oil spills.  More ideas abound for new types of alternative fuels using the ocean to help produce it.  Humanity can be innovative and creative if we just curb our greed to use our resources faster than we can replace them.

Take a look around.  There are plenty of humor posts too and lots of technology cartoons for a grin.


The Soul Calendar - Wondering about our universe and the universe inside us.

Check out these posts too: Most Popular Posts 2009 at The Soul Calendar


Here's the most popular posts for 2010:

Rare 500 Year Lunar Eclipse Gets Viewed By 1.5 Billion

Popular Funny X-ray Pin-Ups Calendar: Stripped to the Bone

New Years: Funny Quotes, Resolutions Tips, Poems






Funny Christmas Tech Cartoons - 18 Dec 2010

Funny Political Cartoons This Week 30 Jan 2010

28 Awesome Desktop Calendar Wallpapers

Photos and Video: Rare 500 Year Lunar Eclipse

Big Show Geminid Meteor Shower In Winter Sky Tonite and Tomorrow

How Northern Lights Are Created By Sun Flares 

Are These Fossils The Earliest Traces Of Complex Life? 

Giant Asteroid Threatens Earth In 170 Years 

BP Oil Spill Cartoons - 24 July 2010 

Effective Cheap Idea to Clean Up Oil Spill: Treated Cotton Fabric

BP Oil Spill Cartoons - 31 July 2010 

New Tomb Uncovered in Egypt With Colorful Art

Is That A UFO In The Sky Or A Planet? 

Moon Water: Order Up Your Cocktail Today

Neuroscience: Want Your Man to Better Understand You? Try Empathy Nasal Spray 

Cool Earth Day Links, Message From Our Prez 

New Astronomy Photos: Cosmic Rosebud, Winds of Change Black Hole, Orion Nebula

Check Out NASA Images of Devastating Pakistan Floods 

Why Black Holes Burst With Light When Galaxies Merge 

What Do All the Recent Global Earthquakes Mean? 

8.8 Chilean Earthquake 500 Times More Powerful than Haiti

Chilean Earthquake Shortened Earths Day

Icelands Volcanic Ash: Hurting Us And Our Planet? 

Air Jets and Volcanic Ash Dont Mix 

Iceland Volcano Stops the World From Travel 

Come to Iceland: Experience Living With a Volcano in Your BackYard 

Videos: Explain Rare Haiti Earthquake

Now Peru Faces Water Wars From Climate Change

Evidence of the Afterlife: New Book Offers Proof

97 Posts Roundup From All Dennys Blogs 

Last Resort Climate Fix: Geo-Engineering 

What Are The Poisons in Our Food Supply? 

Friday Trivia: 14 Useless Random Facts 

New Finding Under Antarctic Ice: Stinky Greenhouse Gas Ready to Go Boom 

Best Time Waster, Funny Video: Procrastination 

10 Make You Think Surreal Photos 

Funny Tutorial Video: The Busy Desk of the Animator 

10 Make You Think Surreal Photos


How to Survive Allergy and Pollen Season

Big Oil Nixs Competing Aviation BioFuel: NASAs Project OMEGA 

Effective Cheap Idea to Clean Up Oil Spill: Treated Cotton Fabric 

Chilean Earthquake Shortened Earths Day 

Ground-Breaking King of the Lab: Venter Creates Synthetic DNA 

Rare: Super Harvest Moon Occurs On Fall Solstice 

Passionate Volcano Chasers: Photographing Eruptions Around the World 

Video: Check Out the River Monsters Swimming Near You 

Posts Roundup of Dennys 14 Blogs - 27 June 2010 

Funny Thanksgiving Quotes, Video, Cartoons and Food Posts

Gulf Coast Oil Rig Disaster Slammed: Political Cartoons 1 May 2010 

10 Funny Posts For a Laugh - 23 June 2010 

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 5 Oct 2010 


17 Christmas Music and Fun Videos

Mapping Our Complex Brains: Human Connectome Project

Funny Tech Cartoons - 22 Oct 2010 

BP Oil Spill and WikiLeaks Spill Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010

BP Oil Spill and Global Warming Cartoons - 14 Aug 2010

51 Funny Political Cartoons - Sex Scandals, Rove, Obama, Health Care, Tea Party - 27 Mar 2010 

Gulf Coast Oil Rig Disaster Slammed: Political Cartoons 1 May 2010

Funny Political Cartoons Sampler 12 Dec 2009 

Political Cartoons: Iceland Volcano Wrecks World Economy

Check Out This Tripping New Look for the Milky Way



*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

*** Check out Holiday Recipes From Dennys Food and Recipes

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts - my own best as well as links to other spiritual posts from all viewpoints
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 17 Nov 2010

Check out news, opinion, silly political humor and funny cartoons, jokes, recipes, poetry, photography, science, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

From Denny:   The year just marches on, doesn't it?  This is a roundup of the past three weeks of various posts.  Oh, how I wish I had the time to write more science posts as I do enjoy being curious about my world.  If it were not for the tense political times requiring constant attention I'd be off writing about art, science, poetry, lots of food,  photography and total humor.

With all the tough economic times it seems like we all have to stay on top of our politicians to get the very best from them.  These days with so much in flux economically, politically, rogue countries struggling to become nuclear states and the last gasps of terrorist organizations still rearing their ugly little heads, I'm focused on writing mostly news.  Like you, I long for a time when Life is easier and a lot more enjoyable.  Those times will come again.  Try to be patient.  And while you are being patient, keep your foot in the backs of your politicians, making them crystal clear aware of what you voted for is what you expect to be delivered.  Game on! :)

The Social Poets:

House Democrats Reshuffle, Rangel Found Guilty - Find out the latest of who is heading up the Democratic leadership to battle the Republicans for the next two years.

Rising Rage Over Airport Scanners and Pat Downs - Dont Touch My Junk Video and how airport scanners pose a serious public health risk to millions.

American and World Politics Humor - 13 Nov 2010 - Midterm election shellacking, President Bush, G-20 summit, new orange House Speaker and crazy Tea Party cartoons and a cute dancing political cat.

Friday Lite: Latest Late Nite Jokes and Videos - 12 Nov 2010 - Latest jokes about the midterm election shellacking, funny videos, a Cee Lo Green music video from Colbert.

The Heart Remembers: Veterans Day poem Libations Friday On A Thursday - 11 Nov 2010 - Honoring the life of others as well as our own.

Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss Talks About Midterm Shellacking - Check out the interesting stories from history of how other Presidents responded when handed their heads by the voters in a midterm election.

Late Nite Jokes and Funny Videos - 2 Nov 2010 - Comics have fun lampooning the campaign process. Get Dennys Predictions for what happens next into the 2010 election.

Women, And Their Civil Rights, Abused By Tea Party Activists - A conservative Tea Party Rand Paul supporter attacks a MoveOn protester by stomping on her head. What the Democratic Party needs to do to get back the female vote.

American Midterms and World Politics Cartoons - 30 Oct 2010 - Negative campaign ads were never so much fun to lampoon as cartoonists are enjoying this political season.

Jon Stewart Interviews Obama Economic Advisor - Check out the latest from the Obama economic advisor about the state of the American economy.

Americans Lose Jobs Twice As Fast As Immigrants Gain Jobs - In the 2009 jobs report, immigrants gained 656,000 jobs while native-born Americans lost 1.2 million.

Prez Obama Interviews At The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - Check out the class act of the President talking with Jon Stewart.

Why Women Are Not Inspired to Vote Right Now - Find out what is bothering women voters about this midterm election season.

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 25 Oct 2010 - Check out news, political opinion, political humor and funny cartoons, recipes, poetry, funny posts, photography, science, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

American and World Economy Cartoons - 24 Oct 2010 - Check out the national mind and opinions of our economy through the eyes of cartoonists.

American Political Season - 23 Oct 2010 - This sure is a mean - and more competitive than usual - political season.

Friday Lite: Funny Elvira Spoofs I Am Not A Witch Ad - Where Halloween humor meets political humor in America.

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 21 Oct 2010

Roundup of Late Nite Jokes and Videos - 18 Oct 2010 - Check out this week's late night jokes, latest cartoons, funniest video clips from Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.

American Economy and Crazy World Politics - 16 Oct 2010 - To our politicians: the nation's cartoonists are watching you... Check out their latest opinions about the state of the economy, the current election season and world politics.

Chilean Miners Video: All 33 Miners As They Emerged From Mine and More - Listen to rescued miner Mario talk about getting out more Love in the world.

Monday Lite: Roundup of Late Night Jokes and Videos - 11 Oct 2010

American Economy and Crazy Politics - 9 Oct 2010 - Check out this week's latest political humor from the nation's cartoonists. The Tea Party wins hands down on the most talked about this election season.

Poem From God - Libations Friday 8 Oct 2010 - Even God has a sense of humor about how to handle repeated rejection. Take a look.

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

A Poem Of Remembrance - Honoring the life of others as well as our own. A love poem for Veterans Day, a memorial poem.

Numerology: Whats So Unusual About The Date 10-10-2010? - Check out some fun facts about the numberology of special dates and the month of October.

How Do You Fit Into The Universe? - A simple spiritual technique to help train the ego effortlessly.

Inspiring Quotes About Dealing With Rejection - Some great advice from famous people about handling rejection.

11 Inspiring Quotes and Poem About Dealing With Rejection - Check out this mind food when you need to pick yourself back up from rejection.

17 Short Beautiful Love Poems - Enjoy some beautiful short poems about our favorite subject: Love - from classic poets of the past as well as today. Many are perfect for use in a greeting card.

What Do You Feel About Love? - Do you have your own personal definition of Love?

Meditative Moon Photos - The moon continues to fascinate humanity - and creative photographers.

7 Thoughtful Quotes About The Future - Enjoy these reflections upon how we think about our future.

A Healing Spiritual Poem: Waking The Day - Spiritual symbolism is all around us in our daily life, ready to help heal and balance.

Ancient Healing Oil: Sandalwood - Modern technology life can be stressful and counter productive to spiritual growth. Try this essential oil to bring balance into your life.

Dennys Funny Quotes:

Life Is Funny Cartoons - 13 Nov 2010 - Enjoy the cracked minds of these cartoonists today as they explore the lives and thoughts of everyone around them.

Funny Video: Colbert Mocks Bush Memoir Decision Points - Colbert enjoys the presidential memoir - a real page-turner.

Funny Video: Potty Training Your Sloth - Check out real life humor of how to potty train a very slow sloth.

Video: 10 Funniest and Seriously Trippy Cereal Ads - Check out some funny demented cereal ads over the decades - and how your mind has been secretly brainwashed to buy their products as adults.

Funny Video: Jon Stewart Mocks Really Negative Campaign Ads - Lots of voter anger aimed at both political parties, especially from these negative campaign ads choking the air waves every election.

Funny Video: Jon Stewart - How Republicans Prepare to Take Back Power - Stewart supporters oppose Republican takeover of our government.

Funny God Versus Satan Joke: Its All In The Creation - Come get a grin as God and Satan duke it out over who helps or hurts humanity.

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 25 Oct 2010

Funny Work Cartoons - 25 Oct 2010 - When your life does not seem to be quite all together - get a grin to make your day good again.

Funny Video: Scientists Study Drugged Spiders - Check out the crazy antics of these drugged spiders.

Funny Photos: Voraciously Hungry Birds - Check out some startling photos of birds as they catch some unusual finds for their dinner tables - complete with irreverent commentary.

Visual Insights:

Music Video: Cee Lo Green Performs On Colbert Report - Colbert has some fun with popular musician Cee Lo Greene.

Best Of Funny Halloween Cartoons - 26 Oct 2010 - Get a laugh at the cracked minds of some funny cartoonists this Halloween season.

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 25 Oct 2010

Art and Music Videos: Chinese Painting Demo and The Misty Rain of Jiangnan in China - This music video is great for meditation.

Music Video: From Enya - The First of Autumn - Enya pairs some beautiful autumnal photos with music.

Music Video: Classic Happy Song from Belle Stars - Iko Iko - This catchy song will have you dancing in no time, looking silly to the neighborhood - and you won't care 'cause you will feel so good.

The Soul Calendar:

Is That A UFO In The Sky Or A Planet? - Check out the unusual night sky this month.

How Northern Lights Are Created By Sun Flares - Check out 3 video clips of the solar flares and magnetic filament in action as they create the Northern Lights on Earth.

Giant Asteroid Threatens Earth In 170 Years - Crank up the planet asteroid defense system because Earth is expecting an asteroid impact soon - by astronomical time.

Funny Tech Cartoons - 22 Oct 2010 - Get a grin as cartoonists entertain us with their take on the technology of the day and the influence upon society.

Rare: Super Harvest Moon Occurs On Fall Solstice - Check out rare summer-autumn twilight glow that only happens about every 20 years.

Mapping Our Complex Brains: Human Connectome Project - Fascinating new project mapping the complex circuitry of our brains.

Dennys Food and Recipes:

Easy Holiday Pasta From Chef Michael Chiarello - Check out some easy holiday ideas using pasta to make a spectacular and tasty meal sure to impress everyone - 3 recipes.

Fall Comfort Food NYC Chef Style: Braised Osso Buco, Risotto, Salad - Check out how to make Italian comfort food in an hour, all done in the oven - 3 recipes.

Healthy Recipes: Chef Menu Goes Vegan, 3 Recipes - Check out some healthy vegan substitutes from funny chef author of Skinny Bitch Cookbook.

Drink: Chocolate Martini - A chocolate martini, with the glass rim coated with fresh pear and shaved chocolate, for that perfect sip.

Candy: Almond Brittle - The best combination ever invented: almonds and chocolate. Enjoy this chef recipe of a few ingredients.

Chocolate: Chocolate Risotto - Enjoy a rice pudding style dessert made with chocolate.

Chocolate: Beef Stew With Chocolate - This Chef David Rocco is on a roll with awesome savory recipes using dark chocolate as a star ingredient.

Chocolate: Penne Pasta with Chocolate and Anchovies - Another creative food thought from Chef David Rocco.

Appetizer with Chocolate: Sauteed Shrimp Drizzled with Chocolate - Check out this unusual dish employing chocolate as a spice.

Poems From A Spiritual Heart:

A Man In Love - A true story of just how far a man will go to survive when he is in love during war time - a poem story about the struggle for love reunited. A Thanksgiving holiday poem.

The Heart Remembers - Honoring the life of others as well as our own. A Veterans Day or Remembrance memorial poem.

Loving You - How Love heals, nurtures, comforts, and builds trust so a person can blossom into great strength, and, in turn, give to others in their time of need.

The Understanding - We build Peace in our lives a moment at a time - and this is a poem story of how it can start early in childhood as it did for me.

Walk The World - A poem about sharing our life with others - when we are both in need - to receive the greatest gift.

The Mystics Arrive - Who are the true mystics in this generation? How does a person develop into a mystic?

The Interesting Man - Enjoy a little humor with your romance poetry. Men who love women are always working all the angles.

Honoring Ourselves - Are you honoring yourself every moment of your life?

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts - my own best as well as links to other spiritual posts from all viewpoints
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

Rising Rage Over Airport Scanners and Pat Downs

Dont Touch My Junk Video and how airport scanners pose a serious public health risk to millions.

From Denny: John Tyner, age 31 and a software engineer, is facing a $10,000 fine for refusing the full body pat-down security check at a San Diego, California, airport. He is the author of the instantly popular viral YouTube video "Don't Touch My Junk."

Like a lot of people he is furious at the excessive government intervention into his privacy. Think about it. We have one idiot terrorist who loaded up chemical explosives into his underwear and now two million people a day in America have to go through the indignity of the government response to that terrorist act.

How did we get to this? Try the usual suspects. Businessmen saw an opportunity to market their controversial scanner machines to make a serious profit - at the expense of our privacy and health. Health, you say? Yes, health. We only have the word of the scanner machine company and studies commissioned by them from so-called disinterested third parties who make the claim that the machines pose a low risk of cancer.

First of all, most studies these days are done by people of vested interests in the products. Second of all, these are not long term studies over a few years that consider many different ways this product could impact the public health. In short, they are often quick studies meant to give the obvious result: clear the public perception and discredit anyone who protests to the contrary. Spin.

Now comes along a guy who challenges the government's poor response to terrorism. When we have so many other weapons in our arsenal to combat air terrorism, like drug dogs at our disposal, this excessively invasive probe into our most intimate privacy is unacceptable. Most of all, the health risk is far more unacceptable.

By itself the machine may not pose but a low risk to cancer if a person is only irradiated once a year or less. The problem comes from the fact that we are constantly bombarded by radiation in our natural environment every day. When we add man-made radiation on top of that is when we should be considering public health concerns. We get radiated from our microwave ovens and even our grocery produce is subjected to radiation. We experience cosmic radiation during air travel. Then there are magnetic fields from our computers, our TVs, our radios, our washing machines and our cars. Anyway you look at it, magnetic fields and radiation are constant assaults on breaking down our immune systems.





As to the airport scanner machines specifically - especially if the government continues to foolishly invest in this unproven technology and expands use to all airports over this decade - consider the maintenance on them. Growing up in the scientific community there is one thing I learned: machines need constant calibration. How are we to know if these airport scanners are getting consistently calibrated so they don't expose us to more radiation than they are claiming? We don't. We have no way of knowing it. And I can bet the government has not even thought about this obvious vulnerability.

Along comes John Tyner who makes a stink about the process and suddenly these airport scanners, the government's handling of privacy issues, public health and now responses to terrorism are all riveting our focus. Tyner made a video, uploaded it to YouTube and now you find the government suddenly on defense and spin mode.

In the words of your opponents, Team Obama, "Man up!" and quit using this controversial technology. Find another way to examine two million people a day without being so invasive. Besides, have you ever considered what an indignity it is for the TSA folks who have to do these obnoxious pat-downs? Can you imagine the conversation when they come home from work every day?

It probably goes like this:

"Honey, how was your day?"

"Oh, it was great. I got to feel off this great looking blonde today and a gay guy was thrilled at my technique. He told me I had magic hands."

All comedy aside, there are a growing number of voices in the scientific community who are complaining about the radiation risk from these machines. Back in May there were four scientists (U. of California at San Francisco) who wrote the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. They related that the scanners could expose the skin to very high doses of X-rays. That, in turn, could lead to risk of cancer as well as other health problems like birth defects and sterility. The scientists were most concerned for the vulnerable in our society: pregnant women, children, older travelers, those who have weak immune systems. They said there are also no studies as to how repeated exposure to these airport scanners will affect frequent travelers.

We also do not have a long-term study to know how radiating millions of people every day will affect them. Could we be sterilizing our world and not even realize it? Could we be creating unnecessary catastrophic illness in thousands of people? I say, cease and desist, Mr. Obama. Find another way to combat terrorism. Have the terrorists so succeeded in terrorizing us that now we are paranoid? Are we now paranoid enough to destroy ourselves with our technology? Then those terrorists do win. Are you sure you want to give in to that insanity - as well as giving away our quality of life?

This is Tyner's exchange with the TSA officials. Since when did buying an airline ticket take away this many of our rights? Enough is enough. The government, in its understandable need to protect us, really has gone too far. Find another way, Mr. Obama.







*** Photo from a Rapiscan Secure 1000 backscatter X-ray scanner, which can produce cancer-causing radiation, reputed to be at very low levels. photo from johnwild.info


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts - my own best as well as links to other spiritual posts from all viewpoints
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

Posts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs - 18 Apr 2010

From Denny: This Spring weather and the new warm breezes have me outside gardening. Read that as digging up weeds by the armful. :)

Have you ever noticed that the weeds never die during the winter? They always pop back up in early Spring when they know you will find it too cold to go out there and pull them out of the ground.

It's like weeds have some national coalition where they plot and scheme their special strategy each Spring just to get ahead of the gardener. They always grow at triple the rate of your regular shrubs, trees and plants.

Their exuberance is amusing - until it comes time to remove the pesky interlopers from the flower beds. Come to think of it, weeds are a lot like political parties - always a nuisance, always doing something somewhere they should not be doing it and laughing at you the entire time.

I did manage to find some time to write this week. Included here are also some of the previous week that proved to be quite popular that maybe you didn't get a chance to check out.

The new photo post of stellar Spring photos took four hours to research and another two hours to upload and link for the post. Photo posts remind me of a good meal: it can take an hour or more to make and only twenty minutes to devour. :)






The Social Poets:


Whats Happening in America This Week - Political Cartoons 17 Apr 2010

Pollen Storms poem - Libations Friday 9 April 2010 - I just got around to posting last week's poem this week. To keep your sense of humor during the pollen onslaught this season, read on... :)

Top 15 Bestsellers of What America is Reading: 15 Apr 2010


Funny Tax Quotes - Cheeky Quote Day 14 Apr 2010 - Laugh at funny tax quotes and tax cartoons, find out about the Fair Tax idea versus how we collect our taxes now and look at a news clip that breaks down how our tax dollars are used by the federal government.

* Rich bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others. - Oscar Wilde


Roundup of Late Night Comedy 13 Apr 2010

Funny Tax Man Cartoons

Weekly Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 11 Apr 2010

The Social Poets listed: 100 Great Web Sites for Poetry Lovers - This was a happy find to be included on such a great list of company!







Dennys Global Politics:


Clinton Addresses Wingnuts, Wall Street Cries Foul, Radioactive Obama Nominee, Airplanes and Volcanos - News Headlines 16 Apr 2010

Icelands Volcano Stops Air Traffic, Poland Grieves, Utah Earthquake, Obama OKs Gay Hospital Visits, Healthy Chocolate - News Headlines 15 Apr 2010

Thinking Persons Funny Quotes 4 Tax Season

Both Obamas Charm the World, Vatican Squirms, Wall Street Howls Against Reform, Tibet Earthquake - News Headlines 14 Apr 2010

Worlds Nuke Security, Attacking Glenn Beck, Unsafe Meats, More Nuke Plants in America, Boy Scouts Penalized 4 Abuse - News Headlines 13 Apr 2010

Slapping Iran, Toyota Bobs and Weaves, NYC Terrorist Patrol, Pakistans Nukes in Peril, Supreme Court Choices - News Headlines 12 Apr 2010







Beautiful Illustrated Quotations and The Healing Waters:


What Spiritual Tests Develop Good Character And Our Talents? - with over 12,700 views the first day that sure was a happy surprise. Thank You!

Your Dreams: 5 Common Characteristics



Icelands Volcanic Ash: Hurting Us And Our Planet?

Take the Test: Whats Your Sex IQ?

Good News: American Soldier Cheers Others with Magic

How to Survive Allergy and Pollen Season







Humor Blogs:


Those Funny Racy RNC Republicans

More Funny Tax Cartoons to Keep You Laughing

Funny Odd Couples: Cats and Their Weirdo Friends

Outrageously Dumb Criminals: Robbers Called Bank For Money To Go

Funny Surfing Peruvian Alpaca






Food Blogs:


2 Crowd Pleasing Easy Casseroles: Mexican Lasagna, Turkey Tetrazzini

Cooking 4 Men, Teaching Men to Cook 2

Awesome Cajun Barbecued Shrimp — New Orleans Style

Yummy Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Awesome Sauces 4 Louisiana Seafood

New Orleans Recipes: Crawfish Etouffee, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Sazerac Cocktail



Kid Friendly Recipes: Chocolate Quesadillas, Very Best Fudge

Spring Into Grill Season: Mouthwatering Steaks

Chef Rocco Dispiritos Cheap Yet Healthy Comfort Food



Forget the Birds: Awesome Recipes 4 Stale Bread

Flourless Passover Chocolate Cake

Kid Chefs Offer Tasty Recipes 4 Sandwiches Adults Will Like






Visual Insights - photo blog:


Dennys Photo Gallery: How to Know Its Spring

Dennys Photo Gallery: Spectacular Sunrises






The Soul Calendar - science blog:

Air Jets and Volcanic Ash Dont Mix

Iceland Volcano Stops the World From Travel

Moon Water: Order Up Your Cocktail Today

What Do All the Recent Global Earthquakes Mean?

Come to Iceland: Experience Living With a Volcano in Your Back Yard

New Astronomy Photos: Cosmic Rosebud, Winds of Change Black Hole, Orion Nebula



*** Coffee Photo by marfis75 @ flickr


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

22 Interesting Varied Blog Posts, 23 Oct 2009

Photo from Stripes Photography group on StumbleUpon - wonderful photo - if anyone knows the photographer, please pass it along so they can receive attribution...

From Denny: In case you missed a goodie, here are some of the best from all the blogs this past week, enjoy! Thanks for all your support, everyone, and have a great weekend too! XXOO, Denny

Video: Americas Republicans Losing Support Even in Bad Economy

Video: Restaurant Foods Compost Great Wines

Busy Day at The Social Poets, Posts on Dan Browns Book The Lost Symbol and Obama

Video: 2,700 Year Old Mystery Mummy Surfaces at Miami Museum

Video: Meet the Human Calculator

Video: Noetic Science Examines Consciousness

Video: Pregnant Mother Dies of Swine Flu Misdiagnosis

Cool Video: Prez Obama Honored for Nobel in Sand Sculpture

10 Funny Quotes, Late Night Show Funnies, Spiritual Thought of the Day, Why Obama Deserves Nobel Peace Prize

4 Funny Posts and 4 Yummy Recipes

Chocolate, Pecan and Coconut Cookies

Recipe: Velvet Chocolate Cheesecake

Recipe: Fun Halloween Oreo Spider Cookies

2 Easy Basic Brownie Recipes

2 Easy Cake Recipes: Louisiana Praline Toffee Bundt Cake, Southern Livings Popular Praline Cake

Recipes: Make Your Own Cajun Blackened Seasoning for Fish or Chicken!

3 Recipes: 3-Step Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs, Sweet Tangy Slaw, Sweet Potato Roasted Garlic Turnovers

Do You Remember Your Dreams and Know Why It Is Important?

Haiku Style Imagination Quote and Photo

How Do You Know Your Creativity is Art?

How is the Dream Helpful on Our Life Journey?

Why is Joy Important to Cultivate in Your Life?

Video: Britain's 9/11 Adverted, Islamic Terrorists Found Guilty

From Denny: Today Islamic extremists were found guilty of plotting their own version of a 9/11 plot against the British. Will the insanity ever stop?

It does give pause to make a person wonder if a very small gene pool is the reason for this insanity... In Iraq in particular they have been marrying their first cousins and sisters for generations. It's a common practice throughout the Islamic cultures all over the world.

While it may make economic sense to know that the money stays with the relatives, it's bad news on the science level denying a larger and healthier gene pool for offspring. Inadvertantly, they may have been breeding this violence into their cultures. It is sad to see so many lives wasted when they could be doing something positive to build up their cultures.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

An argument against essentialist modes of thinking

From Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality*:

Despite its aura of certitude, classification is never a neutral act. Naming is a form of exercising power, and the ways that things are named often reflect the outlook of the namer.

This makes me think of Foucault's The Order of Things which contains an anecdote that I think well illustrates how our seemingly neutral and sensible methods of classification really are sort of odd and arbitrary:

This passage quotes a "certain Chinese encyclopaedia" in which it is written that "animals are divided into: (a) belonging to the Emperor, (b) embalmed, (c) tame, (d) sucking pigs, (e) sirens, (f) fabulous, (g) stray dogs, (h) included in the present classification, (i) frenzied, (j) innumerable, (k) drawn with a very fine camel hair brush, (l) et cetera, (m) having just broken the water pitcher, (n) that from a long way off look like flies". In the wonderment of this taxonomy, the thing we apprehend in one great leap, the thing that, by means of the fable, is demonstrated as the exotic charm of another system of though, is the limitation of our own, the stark impossibility of thinking that.

Why can't we think that? Does it make any less sense than our own essentialist system of biological classification, which was invented in the 18th Century by a notable racist and based on the then-normal ideal of stratification?

If Lennaeus's method created a tool for modern science, it still used the metaphor of monarchy as a way of framing the order of things. Plants and animals constituted two natural kingdoms (regna naturae). Within these kingdoms, a hierarchy of classes, orders, genera, and species provided categories by which all life forms, plant and animal, were classified. In a world where many still saw hierarchy and inequality as natural, taxonomy provided a tangible ratification of this belief.
[...]
Not only did monarchy supply a defining imagery for understanding nature, but the Linnaean system also validated prevailing inequalities of gender... Even though many plants are hermaphroditic and do not conform to customary definitions of gender, Linnaeus emphatically described plants in terms of their male and female parts, with so-called dominant parts designated male, submissive parts female.

Interesting that this is the same basic system of taxonomy that we learn in school today.

Stephen Jay Gould (yay!) argues that this essentialist paradigm needs to be reexamined, not only because it is incorrect and misleading, but also because of its negative impact on our social organization - for instance the reemerging field of scientific racism (beloved of intellectual bedfellows SDA and IQ fetishist Richard Lynn among others - recently discussed here). He says "Nature comes to us as continua, not discrete objects with clear boundaries".

Essentialism establishes criteria for judgement and worth: individual objects that lie close to their essence are good; those that depart are bad, if not unreal... Antiessentialist thinking forces us to view the world differently. We must accept shadings and continua as fundamental...

The taxonomic essentialist scoops up a handful of fossil snails in a single species, tries to abstract an essence, and rates his snails by their match to this average. The antiessentialist sees something entirely different in his hand -- a range of irreducible variation defining the species, some variants more frequent than others, but all perfectly good snails.

We know what the previous outcomes were of scientific racism: the Atlantic slave trade, the Nazi's "final solution", South African apartheid... certainly these were not the most noble moments in our human history. So why are these theories rearing their ugly heads again?

*By the way, this is a fascinating book. There are several cheap copies at the fantastically huge BMV on Bloor St in Toronto - I got mine for only $4.99

Blue is for Boyz, Pink is for Gurlz - It's Scientifikal

From Bad Science:

This week every single newspaper in the world lapped up the story that scientists have cracked the pink problem. "At last, science discovers why blue is for boys but girls really do prefer pink" said the Times. And so on.

The study took 208 people in their twenties and asked them to choose their favourite colours between two options, repeatedly, and then graphed their overall preferences. It found overlapping curves, with a significant tendency for men to prefer blue, and female subjects showing a preference for redder, pinker tones. This, the authors speculated (to international excitement and approval) may be because men go out hunting, but women need to be good at interpreting flushed emotional faces, and identifying berries whilst out gathering.

There are so many things wrong with this study, most of it covered over at Bad Science. And yes, this is Very Bad Science.

Anyone wanna bet if they found out men had a preference for pink, they would say it's because men are programmed to seek out womens' flushed emotional faces and pink labia? (Don't forget the first law of evolutionary psychology: men are motivated by the desire for sex, while women are motivated by the desire for security). And if women showed a preference for blue it would be because of our innate attraction to blue eyes - really, no foolin'! This is fun. We could play this with every color. Men like orange - quick, what does it mean?

Well, I suppose I should get back to gathering my pink fruits and vegetables (how many pink gatherables can you think of?). And my male readers should go hunt us up some blue meat. No excuses, it's in your genes.

Name this Post

Dutch try to grow enviro-friendly meat in lab

Although it is in its early stages, the idea is to replace harvesting meat from livestock with a process that eliminates the need for animal feed, transport, land use and the methane expelled by animals, which all hurt the environment, he said.

The title for this post just writes itself... Unfortunately I can't choose:

1. Eureka! I've discovered meat!
   
2. Petri Pork
   
3. Ham scam
   
4. Mystery meat
   
5. In the flesh
   
6. Free the lab animals! Um. Well... they're not really animals, exactly.
   
7. Mistaken bacon
   
8. Brings new meaning to "going Dutch"
   
9. Fake n Steak
   

Yes, I know it's weird. Just be thankful I didn't post pictures. I could have, you know.

Smoking & Beef Soon to be Illegal for Men of Breeding Age

"Male reproductive health is in trouble," say two new studies, so urgent guidelines are needed for men of breeding age, just like for pre-pregnant wimmins. In case you'd forgotten:

New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control.

Potential causes for the problems with male reproductive health include carcinogens (like from cigarettes), chemicals (like dioxins), hormones (like from American beef, or milk), and endocrine disruptors (such as found in many plastics). So all men capable of inseminating have a pretty long list of substances to avoid: smoking, beef, dairy products, most personal care products, bottled water, etc.

Details from Grist: Separate studies show chemicals, cigarettes may affect male birth rate :

The percentage of boys born in the U.S. and Japan each year has gradually declined over the last three decades, a new study says -- and pollutants are a possible cause. "Male reproductive health is in trouble," says lead researcher Devra Lee Davis of the University of Pittsburgh, noting that both adult fertility and fetal chances seem to be affected. The study, published in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives, calls the trend "a serious matter" that could be caused by exposure to chemicals like dioxin and mercury; it also points to factors including stress, obesity, and fertility treatments. The true cause, says Davis, is "something we need to find out and act upon." Because a woman without a man -- well, she'd probably be fine, but still. Meanwhile, a British study says smokers are twice as likely to conceive girls, suggesting that nicotine may affect sperm. Yes, smoke gets in your Y's -- but picking up puffing in an effort to determine your child's gender is not recommended.

More info here and here

Ten out of Ten Bears Prefer Beef Fat to Menstrual Blood

They also prefer to dine on corn and garbage. So women, feel free to go hiking at any time of the month.

The death of two menstruating women attacked by grizzlies in Glacier National Park in 1967 apparently prompted the government to print brochures warning women to avoid bear country during periods of active menstruation.

Although some sites, like this one caution "women may want to avoid the backcountry during their menstrual period", there is little or no reason to be concerned about hiking during menstruation.

The examination of factors surrounding hundreds of grizzly and black bear attacks produced neither evidence that supported a causal relation between human menstruation and attacks nor revealed any published records concerning black bear responses to menstrual blood. The U.S. Forest Service conducted a series of experiments (Rogers et al., 1991) which tested the responses of both male and female black bears to human menstrual odors. The first experiment involved the spin-cast introduction of 15 used tampons (in clusters of 5) to adult male black bears foraging in a garbage dump. Each presentation, therefore, gave the bears a choice between the garbage and tampons. If the bears ate (like they did the garbage), closely sniffed, or rolled on the tampons, then they were considered to have paid attention to the tampons. Of 22 presentations, the bears ignored the used tampons 20 times (twice casual sniffs were observed), effectively preferring the garbage in every instance. In a second experiment, seven bears feeding on piles of corn were offered groups of six used tampons. Six of the bears sniffed the tampons and then returned to their piles of corn. A yearling male tasted one of the tampons, quickly dropped it and returned to the corn.

A third experiment placed four used tampons, an unused tampon, a tampon soaked in non-menstrual human blood, and a tampon containing rendered beef fat in the middle of a heavily traveled bear path with the used tampons interspersed among the others. Ten out of ten bears ate only the tampons soaked in beef fat. In a fourth experiment, women on different days of their period accompanied and contacted bears who were accustomed to human interaction and were known to investigate attractive odors. Eleven encounters involved women wearing tampons and one crazy woman wearing clothing through which her menstrual blood was soaking. Of the twelve encounters with the women, the ten bears did not pay any attention to the lower torsos of the women. Another woman wearing external pads during two of her menstrual cycles hand-fed four female bears and walked within two meters of adult male bears during bear mating season and did not receive any attention. Rogers et al. (1991) concluded that the lack of interest of the bears to menstrual odors does not prove that such odors are never attractive to bears (similar experiments resulted in tampon feasts by polar bears lacking attractive buffets); however, menstrual odors essentially were ignored.

(SOURCE)

More references here, here, and here. Original inspiration from a friend who heard about this on a radio programme on CKLN.

More than you'll ever want to know about menstruation from the Museum of Menstruation.

Funny Where You Find Bits of Truth

As the lyrics of one of my favourite songs goes:

"Once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right"

On my way to Edmonton for Christmas with my family, nestled in-between pages and pages of advertisements and "shopping guides", I read a good anti-consumerist article in the in-flight magazine.

The author quotes Roger Scuton who said as a society, we've become very good at "means" (ways to do things) but worse at "ends" (reasons for doing things). Reminded me of a question asked of Richard Dawkins: what can we do about the "why" questions that science can't answer. (Dawkins says those questions are invalid and nonsensical).

In our education system, science and technology are priviliged over liberal arts, humanities, and social science. In reality, though, what is more important for the health, happiness, and fulfillment of all people: figuring out how to build a better, more harmonious and healthy society, or how to build a faster jet or more deadly pesticide?

The Pope of the Chimps

A short story by Robert Silverberg in which researchers teaching sign-language to a colony of chimpanzees inadvertently pass along notions of God and the afterlife.

"It's possible sometimes to be too subtle in your analysis," Falkenburg said. "You're suggesting that these chimpanzees have a theology?"

"I'm suggesting that they may be in the process of evolving a religion," Yost replied.

Can it be?

Sometimes we lose our perspective with these animals, as Mick indicated, and we overestimate their intelligence; but just as often, I think, we underestimate them.

Jump high come again.

I wonder. Secret sacred talk? A chimpanzee theology? Belief in life after death? A religion?

Filed under Literature, Religion, Science Fun

Biofuels?

I hear a lot of people talk about alternative energy as the great saviour of our way of life. Of course, some are speaking about coal and nuclear power. But more environmentally-minded folk include wind and solar power, and biofuels like biodiesel and ethanol.

I think conservation is the #1 priority. I don't think that we can continue to use the amount of energy. Even if we could produce an equal amount of alternative fuels and electricity, that would really only be enough for the current developed world, and it still leaves most people SOL.

I don't think we can produce the same amounts of energy alternatively to match our current usage. Take biofuels. I vaguely remember reading that, because of the petroleum-dependent food production system on which we currently rely, biofuels actually result in a net energy loss. For each calorie of food we consume it requires at least 10 calories of petroleum energy to farm, transport, and process. So why turn fuel-sucking food into fuel?

I decided to investigate a bit more.

This study finds that producing ethanol and biodiesel is not worth the energy, "you use more energy to produce these fuels than you get out from the combustion of these products."

Not only inefficient, but "a humanitarian and environmental disaster", says George Monbiot, presenting a chilling vision, in which "most of the arable surface of the planet will be deployed to produce food for cars, not people." He reminds us that markets respond to profit, not hunger. Those who need food the most are exactly the ones with the least amount of money to buy it, and so the monied person's car will always win out. He reminds us that even today, those who buy meat products have more purchasing power, so grain is fed to animals instead of to starving kids.

Instead of burning soy oil in our SUV's then, what is needed is to drive less and create sustainable production and consumption practices. For example, local organic farming, moderately dense city infrastructure, and significant green belts would not only be much more ecologically sound, but would also result in a higher quality of life than sitting for 2 hours a day in a freeway traffic jam eating a flavour-injected McDonald's burger, even if your car smelled like french fries.

So I say yes to re-envisioning our economy and no to biofuels (except for the few that are using up all that nasty leftover french fry grease: more power to 'em).

Topic: Environment, Food Politics