Friday, April 30, 2010
Tourist joke
Serbian tourist arrives at the Croatian border.
Immigration officer asks him: "Occupation"?
The Serb: "No, no, just visit".
Prenatal Class
The room was full of pregnant women and their partners, and the class was in full swing.
The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe properly, along with informing the men how to give the necessary assurances at this stage of the plan.
The teacher then announced, “Ladies, exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. And, Gentlemen, it wouldn’t hurt you to take the time to go walking with your partner.!”
The room really got quiet. Finally, a man in the middle of the group raised his hand. “Yes?” replied the teacher.
“Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?”
The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe properly, along with informing the men how to give the necessary assurances at this stage of the plan.
The teacher then announced, “Ladies, exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. And, Gentlemen, it wouldn’t hurt you to take the time to go walking with your partner.!”
The room really got quiet. Finally, a man in the middle of the group raised his hand. “Yes?” replied the teacher.
“Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?”
Do Nature Films Deny Animals Their Right to Privacy ?
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Thursday, April 29, 2010
Why can’t a woman be more like a man?
Now, women. This column’s for you, so I’m going to keep it simple. Pitch it low. Words of two syllables, max, I promise. You ladies, it seems, have IQs on average five points lower than men’s. Still with me? Sorry for putting in a number, it was inescapable. Damn, that was five syllables. Hang on, syllable is three syllables. I’m confused now. I blame biology and the tiny brain simpering away inside my pretty little head.
Richard Lynn, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Ulster, is a brave man. In a letter to The Times responding to a lament by Susan Greenfield about the dearth of women in science, the professor came to a stinging conclusion. It’s the stupid genes, stupid.
Women are simply not as clever as men, he wrote. Besides, they have different types of intelligence — men are stronger on reasoning and maths, while women have more verbal intelligence. Thus men are over-represented in the physical sciences and women can make successful newspaper columnists. Gee thanks, Prof.
To judge by the deluge of furious responses from Times readers, women are just a little peeved at the professor’s verdict. Amid the vitriol, however, no one paused to ponder this question: are we more stupid than men? What if the professor is right?
Antonia Senior, continue reading
Richard Lynn, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Ulster, is a brave man. In a letter to The Times responding to a lament by Susan Greenfield about the dearth of women in science, the professor came to a stinging conclusion. It’s the stupid genes, stupid.
Women are simply not as clever as men, he wrote. Besides, they have different types of intelligence — men are stronger on reasoning and maths, while women have more verbal intelligence. Thus men are over-represented in the physical sciences and women can make successful newspaper columnists. Gee thanks, Prof.
To judge by the deluge of furious responses from Times readers, women are just a little peeved at the professor’s verdict. Amid the vitriol, however, no one paused to ponder this question: are we more stupid than men? What if the professor is right?
Antonia Senior, continue reading
Egyptian law gives fanatics free rein
One Thousand and One Nights is a classic collection of Arab folk tales. First compiled in written form in 10th-century Iraq, it derived some of its stories from an earlier Persian collection, which in turn made use of even older tales from India. Though some of the content is a bit earthy, it's part of the world's literary heritage. Or so you might think.
But now a group, Lawyers Without Restrictions, is trying to ban it by launching an obscenity case against officials in the general culture authority, which publishes the work in Egypt.
The lawyers are seeking enforcement of article 178 of the Egyptian penal code, which specifies a fine and two years in jail for publishing obscene material.
The legal action is the latest in a long line of hesba (or hisba) cases brought by private citizens – usually with religious motives, though on occasions supporters of Hosni Mubarak's regime have also instigated hesba cases as a way of harassing its opponents.
Hesba is a long-established (and originally honourable) principle in Islamic jurisprudence. In the words of the Egyptian scholar, Gamal al-Banna, it was "used to promote the good and criticise the bad. Every individual in an Islamic society is responsible for the actions of the society".
More recently, though, it has begun to have the opposite effect, stifling critical thought and debate rather than encouraging it.
The trend began in 1995 when a group of Islamist lawyers succeeded in divorcing Cairo university teacher Nasr Abu Zayd from his wife on grounds of apostasy.
Since then, there have been hundreds of hesba cases against writers and activists, brought by a mixture of publicity-seekers and religious fanatics.
continue reading
But now a group, Lawyers Without Restrictions, is trying to ban it by launching an obscenity case against officials in the general culture authority, which publishes the work in Egypt.
The lawyers are seeking enforcement of article 178 of the Egyptian penal code, which specifies a fine and two years in jail for publishing obscene material.
The legal action is the latest in a long line of hesba (or hisba) cases brought by private citizens – usually with religious motives, though on occasions supporters of Hosni Mubarak's regime have also instigated hesba cases as a way of harassing its opponents.
Hesba is a long-established (and originally honourable) principle in Islamic jurisprudence. In the words of the Egyptian scholar, Gamal al-Banna, it was "used to promote the good and criticise the bad. Every individual in an Islamic society is responsible for the actions of the society".
More recently, though, it has begun to have the opposite effect, stifling critical thought and debate rather than encouraging it.
The trend began in 1995 when a group of Islamist lawyers succeeded in divorcing Cairo university teacher Nasr Abu Zayd from his wife on grounds of apostasy.
Since then, there have been hundreds of hesba cases against writers and activists, brought by a mixture of publicity-seekers and religious fanatics.
continue reading
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
"Decision Points"
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Scandal
One fine, sunny morning, a priest took a walk in the local forest.
He was walking by a small stream when, sitting on a nearby toadstool, he noticed a sad, sad-looking frog.
"What's wrong with you?" said the priest.
"Well," said the frog, "the reason I am so sad on this fine day is because I wasn't always a frog."
"Really!" said the priest, "Can you explain?"
"Once upon a time I was an 11-year-old Choirboy at your very church. I too was walking by this stream when I was confronted by the wicked witch of the forest.
'Let me pass!' I cried, but to no avail.
She called me a cheeky little boy and with a flash of her wand, turned me into the frog you now see before you."
"That's an incredible story!" said the priest, "Is there no way of reversing the witch's spell?"
"Yes," said the frog, "It is said that if a nice kind person would pick me up, take me home, give me food and warmth and a good night's sleep, I will wake up as a boy again."
"Today's your lucky day!" said the priest, and forthwith picked up the frog and took him home.
He gave him lots of food, placed him by the fire, and at bedtime put the frog on the pillow beside him.
Miracle of miracles! For, when he awoke the next morn, there was the 11-year-old Choirboy beside him in bed.
And that, your Honour, is the case for the Defence.
He was walking by a small stream when, sitting on a nearby toadstool, he noticed a sad, sad-looking frog.
"What's wrong with you?" said the priest.
"Well," said the frog, "the reason I am so sad on this fine day is because I wasn't always a frog."
"Really!" said the priest, "Can you explain?"
"Once upon a time I was an 11-year-old Choirboy at your very church. I too was walking by this stream when I was confronted by the wicked witch of the forest.
'Let me pass!' I cried, but to no avail.
She called me a cheeky little boy and with a flash of her wand, turned me into the frog you now see before you."
"That's an incredible story!" said the priest, "Is there no way of reversing the witch's spell?"
"Yes," said the frog, "It is said that if a nice kind person would pick me up, take me home, give me food and warmth and a good night's sleep, I will wake up as a boy again."
"Today's your lucky day!" said the priest, and forthwith picked up the frog and took him home.
He gave him lots of food, placed him by the fire, and at bedtime put the frog on the pillow beside him.
Miracle of miracles! For, when he awoke the next morn, there was the 11-year-old Choirboy beside him in bed.
And that, your Honour, is the case for the Defence.
Basic Instinct
Many years ago, I asked my malamute Phoenix, whether she wanted to drive down Solano Avenue to get some frozen yogurt and she didn't reply with her usual WrrrWrrrooooo and so, convinced she was up to some mischief, I quietly crept upstairs, only to find her puzzling with The Times crossword while listening to CNN. This may surprise some of you. It certainly surprised me. Normally I expect dogs to chew, dig and bark for amusement, not to read a book, enjoy needlepoint, or watch soaps on the television.
Normal, Natural and Necessary
Dogs chew for a variety of reasons but primarily, because that's what dogs do. Dogs chew because it's fun. In fact, the majority of canine investigatory of occupational activities involve using their jaws and paws to chew or dig. For many domestic dogs one of these activities becomes their hobby and just like young boys, puppy and adolescent dogs can become quite fanatical about their hobbies. Chewing is basically a normal and natural doggy behavior, which is also necessary for maintaining healthy gums and clean teeth.
Puppies are especially mouthy and it is often assumed they chew to soothe the irritation of teething — which is certainly true. It is also assumed, puppies will magically grow out of the habit. This is frighteningly untrue. Certainly the puppy's rapacious penchant for chewing will wane as he gets older, but the adolescent dog will still chew for amusement and if you have allowed him to chew inappropriate items as a puppy, then more likely than not, he will continue chewing inappropriate items as an adult.
The truth is, puppies will chew just about anything and everything because they are inquisitive little blighters. Mother Nature made little puppies perpetual chewing machines, so they may learn the difference between sentient living beings versus inanimate objects. When they bite too hard on mum's teats, dinner service is curtailed and when they bite too hard on another puppy's ears or tail, or little children's fingers, they lose a playmate. Thus, the pup learns to inhibit the force of their biting/mouthing behavior before weak puppy jaws develop into the formidable weapons of adolescent and adult dogs.
Ian Dunbar continue reading
Normal, Natural and Necessary
Puppies are especially mouthy and it is often assumed they chew to soothe the irritation of teething — which is certainly true. It is also assumed, puppies will magically grow out of the habit. This is frighteningly untrue. Certainly the puppy's rapacious penchant for chewing will wane as he gets older, but the adolescent dog will still chew for amusement and if you have allowed him to chew inappropriate items as a puppy, then more likely than not, he will continue chewing inappropriate items as an adult.
The truth is, puppies will chew just about anything and everything because they are inquisitive little blighters. Mother Nature made little puppies perpetual chewing machines, so they may learn the difference between sentient living beings versus inanimate objects. When they bite too hard on mum's teats, dinner service is curtailed and when they bite too hard on another puppy's ears or tail, or little children's fingers, they lose a playmate. Thus, the pup learns to inhibit the force of their biting/mouthing behavior before weak puppy jaws develop into the formidable weapons of adolescent and adult dogs.
Ian Dunbar continue reading
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Search for Genes Leads to Unexpected Places
“On the face of it, it’s just crazy,” Dr. Marcotte said. After all, these single-cell fungi don’t make blood vessels. They don’t even make blood. In yeast, it turns out, these five genes work together on a completely unrelated task: fixing cell walls.
Crazier still, Dr. Marcotte and his colleagues have discovered hundreds of other genes involved in human disorders by looking at distantly related species. They have found genes associated with deafness in plants, for example, and genes associated with breast cancer in nematode worms. The researchers reported their results recently in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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A shipwreck containing £5million worth of ancient treasures is being protected by a cage, creating a giant underwater safe, in Croatia.
Little remains of the wooden ship but its cargo of earthenware amphora - ceramic vases - still remain stacked row upon row.
The vases, which originally contained olive oil and wine, are still tightly packed into the cargo hold as they were centuries ago.
Its cargo - one of the best preserved from an ancient wreck - has great historical significance and has an estimated value of £5m on the black market.
Croatian authorities are so concerned about looters plundering the valuable artefacts they have now protected the site - with a metal cage.
The heavy-duty cage features a large hinged door, which is kept locked with occasional access granted for divers under strict supervision.
Underwater photographer Neil Hope, of Torpoint in Cornwall, was among those given permission to dive the wreck.
He said: ''I'm an experienced diver and I've dived wrecks all over the world, but this was the most unique experience.
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Polar Bears Found Rock Climbing in the Arctic
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Chimps Confront Death in Human-Like Ways
The papers, both published in the journal Current Biology, provide rare, intimate glimpses of chimpanzees dealing with death.
For the first study, scientists observed how three adult chimpanzees reacted when an elderly female, named Pansy, gradually passed away in an indoor enclosure at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling, Scotland. The over 50-year-old Pansy had grown increasingly lethargic before lying down on the floor one day after eating.
"In the days before Pansy died, the others were notably attentive towards her, and they even altered their routine sleeping arrangements to remain by her, by sleeping on the floor in a room where they don't usually sleep," lead author James Anderson told Discovery News.
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