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Can You Go to Canada If You Have a DUI?
Almost 7 years ago, while going through some personal issues, I made a terrible mistake and ended up being convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) in the State of California. It was a dark period in my life, but I have moved on and learned my lesson. This spring, however, my intoxicated driving conviction […]
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What’s Wrong With Secret Donor Agreements Like the Ones George Mason University Inked with the Kochs
Posted May 27, 2018 by guest
By Alexa Capeloto, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera acknowledged this month that his school gave the Charles Koch Foundation “some influence” over hiring and evaluating faculty as it accepted millions of dollars for its free-market research center, the Mercatus Center.
This news rankled the academic world, but it perhaps didn’t come as a surprise. Many scholars saw this as just the latest revelation of strings-attached giving with an ideological slant — another encroachment on the sacrosanct idea that teaching and research at universities, especially public ones like George Mason, must be immune from outside influence.
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#823 When you finally figure out what was making that horrible smell and get rid of it
Posted May 27, 2018 by Anonymous
Okay, a few years back my eleventh grade Chemistry class began with Ms. Serevetas handing out textbooks. A small woman wearing big glasses and a big labcoat, she just introduced herself and then began calling us up, one by one, to the front of the room. It was the first day so nobody had the […]
The post #823 When you finally figure out what was making that horrible smell and get rid of it appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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10 Families Bring First Ever ‘People’s Climate Case’ Against the EU
Posted May 26, 2018 by guest
By Olivia Rosane, EcoWatch. Reposted with permission from EcoWatch.
Ten families from Fiji, Kenya and countries across Europe who are already suffering the effects of climate change filed a case against the EU Wednesday in a bid to force the body to increase its commitments under the Paris agreement, AFP reported.
The “People’s Climate Case,” as it is being called, challenges the climate policies of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, saying they will not reduce emissions quickly enough to stop rising temperatures from disrupting the plaintiffs’ lives. While an increasing number of communities and individuals have taken fossil fuel companies and governments to court over climate change in recent years, this is the first such case to be brought against the EU as a whole.
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Saturday Stories: American Anti-Semitism, Forgotten Palestinians, And On Being Smaller
Posted May 26, 2018 by Yoni Freedhoff
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| Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner, murdered by Rasmea Odeh in her bombing of a supermarket in 1969 |
Karen Bekker, in The Forward, wonders why American anti-Semitism is no longer publicly disqualifying.
Terry Glavin, in Macleans, discusses how the Palestinians in Syria have all but been forgotten.
Colin Gillis, in Avidly, on being smaller.
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#824 Finding the remote control after looking forever
Posted May 26, 2018 by Anonymous
Look, there it is, wedged way down in the couch cushions the whole time. AWESOME! Photo from: here — Subscribe to my new podcast 3 Books with Neil Pasricha —
The post #824 Finding the remote control after looking forever appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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Indulge Them on Conspiracy Theories, And Deniers Might Just Warm to Climate Consensus
Posted May 25, 2018 by guest
This is a guest post by ClimateDenierRoundup.
A new study in the AMS journal Weather, Climate and Society suggests that there’s an interesting way to soften denier rejection of the consensus on climate change: validate their conspiracy theories.
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Why doesn’t lightning travel in a straight line?
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
Why doesn’t lightning travel in a straight line?
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The sleep deficit puzzle – is it not enough sleep or too much being awake?
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
Not getting enough sleep? Your brain isn’t working as well
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Cancer researcher uses medical nanotech to deliver nutrients to hungry crops
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
Nano-nutrients might be a solution to increasing crop yields
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Great athletes have high performance brains, as well as bodies
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
How neuroscience can help identify the million dollar sports brain
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Dino killing asteroid also took out the trees – and the birds that lived in them
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
The dinosaur killing space rock almost took out the birds as well
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Scientists discover secret polluters may be eroding the ozone layer
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
Scientists discover someone may cheating on the ozone hole treaty
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The landscapes that inspired “Anne of Green Gables”
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
An early summer view from the Lucy Maud Montgomery Land Trust Trail, to the west of Cavendish Beach. (Photo: Nicholas Jay)
Excerpted from The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables: The Enchanting Island that Inspired L. M. Montgomery by Catherine Reid. Copyright © 2018. Used with permission from Timber Press.
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Resonances
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
~The Advocate (Tasmania) January 9, 1934…
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The wheel deal
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
Locals from Uganda’s Kasese District show off a new hand-pedalled tricycle that converts into a wheelchair. (Photo: Bjarki Hallgrimsson)
How an innovative wheelchair is helping improve the lives of Ugandans with disabilities. Part of an ongoing series of stories about innovative projects in the developing world, a partnership between the International Development Research Centre and Canadian Geographic.
Visit the Charting Change website to read “The wheel deal.”
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#825 Overly complicated baby, playoffs, or Oscar pools
Posted May 25, 2018 by Anonymous
Six or seven years ago my friend Alec ran an Oscar Pool. You just filled in a little piece of scrap paper, paid Alec five bucks, and then whoever got the most picks right took home the big $25 pot. Then maybe they celebrated by buying a whole pizza or pre-paying the next five pools […]
The post #825 Overly complicated baby, playoffs, or Oscar pools appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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Opponents Ask Court to Stop Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction in Louisiana Community During Ongoing Legal Battle
Posted May 24, 2018 by Julie Dermansky
Today, residents of St. James, Louisiana, and groups opposing the Bayou Bridge pipeline petitioned a state court to halt construction on the oil pipeline along its final 18 miles. This segment falls in an area known as the coastal zone and requires a special state permit.
The court previously ruled against the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for issuing a permit that did not follow state guidelines and consider if the project had adequate environmental and emergency response plans for the town of St. James in case of a pipeline failure.
Opponents thought the court’s order would bring a stop to construction but that hasn’t been the case. As a result, today’s petition asks for a pause in construction until all the permit’s conditions are met.
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Atlantic Coast Pipeline to Sideline 100 Miles of Construction in Virginia and West Virginia
Posted May 24, 2018 by guest
By Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch. Reposted with permission from EcoWatch.
Builders of the controversial Atlantic Coast pipeline told federal authorities they will delay construction along 21 miles in West Virginia and 79 miles in Virginia until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issues a revised “incidental take statement,” which limits the number of threatened or endangered species that might be accidentally killed or harmed during development activities.
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Kudos (Maybe) To Calgary Police For Handing Out Recreation Passes For Kids’ Good Behaviour Rather than Sugar (Like Here In Ontario)
Posted May 24, 2018 by Yoni Freedhoff
So here’s the story.
Recently I saw a tweet highlighting a new Calgary Positive Ticket campaign whereby Angie Thiessen’s daughter received a coupon redeemable for free access to a Calgary recreation facility because she was “caught” learning to ride her bicycle with a bike helmet.
When the @CalgaryPolice pull over and write a ticket while you’re taking the kids for a bike ride. 😁 Such a great idea – Liv was thrilled! And it had the neighbours calling… #yyc pic.twitter.com/ECQSIRl2yf— Angie Thiessen (@angie_thiessen) April 26, 2018
Fantastic, right? Here’s a longer piece discussing the program.
But then I saw this story about Calgary’s positive ticketing program having handed out 2,350 coupons redeemable for a Macs Milk hot chocolate or Frosty over the course of the past 18 months.
So if the program’s changed (and zero doubt that it should) from targeting kids with free advertising and emotional brand washing for sugar sweetened beverages, then kudos to Calgary.
Here’s hoping!
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10 Tips for Staining a Fence
Posted May 24, 2018 by Anonymous
Today I’m sharing 10 Tips for Staining a Fence. Simple, practical and helpful, and all in the hope that I can help to make the job of staining your own fence, just a little easier! Thank you to CIL Paints for providing the paint for this project. Hello friends! I’m back again to bring you one more outdoor spring idea as part of the Outdoor Extravaganza Hop, hosted by Shauna of Satori Design for Living! This time it’s all about paint & build-it projects. Make sure to scroll to the end of this post to see more ideas from my blogging […]
The post 10 Tips for Staining a Fence appeared first on A Pretty Life In The Suburbs.
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#826 When you didn’t play the lottery and your numbers didn’t come up
Posted May 24, 2018 by Anonymous
I don’t play the lottery very often, but when I do I’m pretty sure I’m going to win. I take pains to ensure all my family members’ birthdays are evenly covered as I carefully color in all the bubbles and then hand my sheet to the convenience store cashier. Kicking cigarette butts and sucking on […]
The post #826 When you didn’t play the lottery and your numbers didn’t come up appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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Koch-Backed and Anti-Renewable Energy Groups Wooing Interior Department Official
Posted May 23, 2018 by Anonymous
Fossil fuel groups backed by the Koch brothers and lobbyists for anti-renewable energy entities have been courting an Interior Department official responsible for energy policy, according to internal documents. Vincent DeVito, a senior energy advisor to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, has received considerable attention from these groups, accepting several invitations to closed meetings and conferences.
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One Year of Andrew Scheer
Posted May 23, 2018 by Liberal Party of Canada
Canadians don’t want a return to the Harper decade. But in one year as leader of the Conservatives, all Andrew Scheer has really done is show Canadians that he wants to do exactly that.
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Every turtle species in Canada is now at some level of risk
Posted May 23, 2018 by Anonymous
Groups of sunning painted turtles are a common sight around lakes and rivers in southern Ontario, but the species faces an uncertain future, according to biologists. (Photo: Alyx Luger/Can Geo Photo Club)
The midland painted turtle, a common sight on the shores of lakes and rivers across southern Ontario, has been designated a species of special concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), meaning every turtle species in Canada is now at risk in some part of its Canadian range. According to a leading reptile biologist, it will take a concerted effort to think in “turtle time” to bring them back from the brink.
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New fishing rules aim to protect Gulf of St. Lawrence right whales
Posted May 23, 2018 by Anonymous
Scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approach a young North Atlantic right whale entangled in fishing gear near Cape Canaveral. (Photo: NOAA Photo Library/flickr, CC BY-SA)
Not since the days of whaling had so m…
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How to Make a Fresh and Fragrant Hanging Basket for your Door
Posted May 23, 2018 by Anonymous
As an alternative to a traditional wreath, try hanging a Fresh and Fragrant Hanging Basket on your door instead! It’s a pretty (and lovely smelling) way to greet your guests. Today I’ve joined an amazing group of blogger friends, and we are sharing 15 pretty summer wreath ideas with you! Thank you to Krista of Happy Housie for organizing. Make sure to check out all the wreath tutorials in the links at the bottom of this post! xo Now that we’re talking about wreaths, this is where I tell you I didn’t actually make one. I really wanted to call this a […]
The post How to Make a Fresh and Fragrant Hanging Basket for your Door appeared first on A Pretty Life In The Suburbs.
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#827 Saying the same thing a sports announcer says just before he says it
Posted May 23, 2018 by Anonymous
Because at that moment you go from a lazy potato chips ‘n’ naps fan laying on the couch in a crumb-covered pile of sweatpants, bedhead, and BO to an insightful sports critic with a sharp eye, quick tongue, and backup second career. AWESOME! Photo from: here — Follow me on Facebook —
The post #827 Saying the same thing a sports announcer says just before he says it appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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How Enbridge Helped Write Minnesota Pipeline Laws Aiding its Line 3 Battle Today
Posted May 22, 2018 by guest
By Logan Carroll
The Minnesota section of Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline accounts for nearly 300 miles of the longest crude oil transport system in the world, and it is failing. The multi-billion-dollar transnational corporation has applied for a permit to replace it. Opposition from tribes in the region and environmental groups is slowing the project, but the process at times appears so tilted in Enbridge’s favor that, watching the court battles and utility commission meetings, it almost feels like Enbridge wrote the rules.
At one point in its application to build the new Line 3, Enbridge listed all the federal and state laws that regulate the permitting and construction of pipelines. Nearly all the Minnesota laws originated in one 1987 Senate bill: S.F. 90.
This bill was accompanied by unprecedented pipeline industry lobbying — led in spending by Enbridge — and included subtle but major handouts to pipeline companies. One such provision imposes a sweeping limit on the public’s ability to oppose new pipelines, including the Line 3 replacement project.
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Columbia University Hires Trump Official and Fossil Fuel Defender as Climate Policy Expert
Posted May 22, 2018 by Anonymous
Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) is a hugely influential policy group filled with heavy hitters from politics and the oil industry. While the center’s home page describes it as “an independent, interdisciplinary, and nonpartisan platform,” its track record shows that CGEP consistently supports the same policies favored by the fossil fuel industry.
And one of its latest moves — hiring former Trump energy advisor and fossil fuel defender George “David” Banks as an expert on “international climate policy” — shows that trend will continue.
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10 interesting discoveries from BioBlitz Canada 150
Posted May 22, 2018 by Anonymous
An infographic showing a few key findings from BioBlitz Canada 150. (Infographic: Canadian Wildlife Federation)
Last year, citizen scientists donned their favourite khakis, polished their binoculars, and set out en masse into wild and urban green spaces to participate in BioBlitz Canada 150, a series of events to record and observe Canada’s species organized by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, BioBlitz Canada and other conservation partners.
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Meet the 2018 Can Geo Challenge National Finalists
Posted May 22, 2018 by Anonymous
This coming weekend, youth from across the country will descend on Ottawa to take part in one of Canada’s biggest student competitions. From May 26 to 28, the 23rd annual Canadian Geographic Challenge will see the country’s brightest young geographers vie for the title of National Champion.
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B.C.’s glass sponges “cough” to unclog blocked pores
Posted May 22, 2018 by Anonymous
A glass sponge reef in B.C.’s Hecate Strait. Researchers have found that these mysterious, ancient animals evolved defensive behaviours to protect themselves from suffocation by excess sediment. (Photo: Sally Leys/CSSF/DFO)
Glass sponges in reefs off the coast of British Columbia “cough” to keep sediment out of their pores, according to new research that is shedding light on these mysterious but ecologically important invertebrates.
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Five questions about “The Terror”
Posted May 22, 2018 by Anonymous
The crew of the The Terror at work on the ice in the series’ first episode. (Photo courtesy AMC)
The tenth episode of AMC’s The Terror brought the outstanding series to a close Monday, but Russell Potter and Stephen Smith aren’t done yet yet.
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Metabolically Healthy With Obesity, But For How Long? And Does It Matter?
Posted May 22, 2018 by Yoni Freedhoff
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| Image Courtesy of the Canadian Obesity Network |
I faced the first question a few weeks ago when I was speaking with a group of medical residents. The latter I’m asking here.
I had presented the EOSS related data that showed the risk of dying with an EOSS score of zero (meaning a person had a BMI greater than 30, but had no physical, metabolic or quality of life related signs or symptoms related to obesity) over the course of 6 years, was no higher than a person without obesity.
The residents wanted to know what percentage of patients with an EOSS score of zero remained at an EOSS score of zero, and moreover wouldn’t there be benefits to trying to work on weight as a means to prevent progression even with an EOSS score of 0?
I pointed out that “working on weight” is fairly meaningless goal, but rather it would be exploring a patient’s lifestyle related to food and fitness and then providing them with guidance on how to improve both that clinicians ought to be doing. More importantly I pointed out that this exploration should be undertaken with each and every patient regardless of their weights.
But it’s a fair question, and there are a few studies looking at this including this one which was recently published in the Journal of The American College of Cardiology.
In it, the authors quantified what percentage of patients with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) went on to develop metabolic syndrome over the course of the next dozen years.
The answer was of the 1,051 patients with MHO at the start of the study, 48% developed metabolic syndrome by the study’s end. Those who did develop metabolic syndrome, unsurprisingly, were shown to have a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (but not of all cause mortality by the way).
All this to say, there’s little doubt that obesity increases the risks of developing various medical conditions, but in my opinion, and as I expressed to the medical residents, weight shouldn’t dictate whether or not a physician explores a particular patient’s lifestyle. Whether a person has an EOSS score of zero, or whether their weight is “normal“, shouldn’t preclude considering nutrition and fitness as important determinants of health.
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#828 Remembering what other movie that guy is from
Posted May 22, 2018 by Anonymous
Smack dab in the middle of the movie’s big scene, it always happens. Everything gets tense for the big courtroom finale or championship football game, and then all of a sudden the defense attorney or opposing coach turns out to be that guy from some other movie and you just can’t stop thinking about where […]
The post #828 Remembering what other movie that guy is from appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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Climate Science Deniers From Around Globe Rally Around Sacked Scientist Peter Ridd
Posted May 21, 2018 by Graham Readfearn
Climate science denial groups from the UK, U.S., and Australia have leapt to support a controversial marine scientist who was fired from his job at an Australian university.
Dr. Peter Ridd, formerly a professor at James Cook University (JCU), was sacked for repeated breaches of his employment’s code of conduct, according to a statement from the university.
Ridd claims that the Great Barrier Reef is “in great shape” and dismisses evidence that human activities including dredging and human-caused global warming have damaged the internationally iconic marine wonder. Back-to-back coral bleaching events linked to record-breaking sea surface temperatures have killed about one third of the reef’s corals.
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#829 Smiling in your heart and thinking of good friends who are gone
Posted May 21, 2018 by Anonymous
I met Chris Kim in September, 2005 in Boston. A tiny Korean guy with thin eyes hidden behind thick glasses under a well-worn and faded ball cap, he looked kind of mousy under awkwardly baggy clothes and behind a soft voice. And even though neither of us drank much, we met at a bar — […]
The post #829 Smiling in your heart and thinking of good friends who are gone appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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Yes, this blog has been awfully quiet lately…
Posted May 20, 2018 by Kathy Shaidle
Come on: I’ve been at this since 2000 — I get bored with it sometimes…These days, you’re more likely to find me on Facebook. Yeah, I know…But frankly, thanks to browser “share” plug ins, it’s just that much easier for me to share stuff on Facebook and add a few comments there. And I’m busy with […]
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#830 Salty salt
Posted May 20, 2018 by Anonymous
You’re here because of salt. Honestly, according to our egghead pals at Wikipedia, salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation of civilization. People figured out that they could take their food with them, and skipped town with a lunch bag to see what was over the hills. Salt affected where roads were built, cities […]
The post #830 Salty salt appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
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Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction Proceeds in Louisiana Community Despite Invalid Permit Ruling
Posted May 19, 2018 by Julie Dermansky
Construction of the Bayou Bridge pipeline has continued in and around the Louisiana town of St. James despite a judge’s ruling that a state agency wrongly issued a permit allowing this oil pipeline to be built without an emergency and evacuation plan for the vulnerable town. A follow-up judgment formalizing the initial ruling came on May 15.
