dr80085

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• Commented on The Green Flash of the Sun
  I have seen green in the extended sunrise from a plane flying westwards somewhere over eastern Europe. The sun was still far below the horizon, the earth was black, there were very few clouds, and the colours of the sky...
• Commented on The Narc Who Got High: What In The Heck Is The Big Deal?
  "I find it interesting that the politicians that campaign on a platform of morality and the importance of law and order support drug policy that is directly responsible for the sort of things that they're supposedly trying to prevent. Why?"...
• Commented on Treatment of intersexed African athlete appalling
  Organized sports are just games. People decide the rules, then play the game. Nothing says that these rules are forever fixed, or even that you have to play. I think a big part of the problem here is that professional...
• Commented on Ikea is owned by a "charitable foundation," pays only 3.5% tax
  "The Berne Declaration, a non-profit organization in Switzerland that promotes corporate responsibility, has formally criticized IKEA for its tax avoidance strategies." Ingvar Kamprad himself now resides in Switzerland, precisely to avoid tax....
• Commented on Another misshapen frozen treat
  At least the real popsicle didn't have a bite already taken out of it....
• Commented on Fresh Greens: You don't need helicopters to kill wolves
  By every measure there are too many humans for the earth to keep alive in the long term. If you live in a society in which children have a very high chance of living into adulthood (all readers here I'd...
• Commented on Interview with Congressman Barney Frank on his plan to legalize pot
  The Single Convention is often raised as a major legal impediment constraining how much national governments can change legislation towards legalizing drug consumption/possession/sales. Can any legal types out there explain how problematic or difficult it would actually be for a...
• Commented on Tripping "Terminator" arrested
  @ Subheight640 "events like this give acid a bad rep" I agree. We just don't deem attention-worthy all of the events that give alcohol a bad reputation since they're so common. Do a google news search for 'alcohol' and the...
• Commented on Tweet (#2289149847)
  How come I've never heard about a 'mass incident' before? "Discontent with local officials and police in China often leads to mass protests, which can gather size and force with remarkable speed. Mild frustration can turn into fury within minutes."...
• Commented on World's Rarest Insect found on Rocky Spire
  From wikipedia: "The behavior of this stick insect is highly unusual for an insect species. The males and females form some kind of a bond. The males follow the females and their activities depend on what the female is doing....
• Commented on Ex-drug czar John Walters made a fool on CNN
  @84 DragonFrog and @86 Leavinghalfway That's why I prefer getting my news from sites that have user comments. I get so frustrated these days watching tv or reading newspapers, and not being able to argue a point back, ask for...
• Commented on Swine Flu Portraits from Mexico City
  people wearing a mask that doesn't cover their nose makes me laugh. then sigh....
• Commented on Pirate Bay judge had conflict of interest: mistrial?
  My swedish is a bit rusty, but I'm pretty sure "delikatessjäv" doesn't mean "delicious shuffle", as suggested by google translate. Bias is a more accurate translation of jäv though....
• Commented on Sacculina are Pretty Much My Favorite Parasite
  @30 GHEDE Toxoplasma gondii doesn't just change rat behavior. If, like half the population, you're a human infected with T. gondii, you're about twice as likely to die in a traffic accident. That's the same increased risk as having a...
• Commented on Alien hand syndrome masturbation
  Choice parts of the original paper (Ong Hai and Odderson 2000 Am J Phys Med Rehabil): He stated, "my left hand has a mind of his own." He developed a tonic grasp reflex with inability to release. He also had...
• Commented on Woman has developed an imaginary, but useful, third arm
  So cool! The original research paper is from a group of Swiss neurologists - about as trustworthy a source as you can get. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122269076/PDFSTART @Takuan From what I understand, she only had the extra arm while her real left arm...
• Commented on Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air: the Freakonomics of conservation, climate and energy
  I think I'll love giving this a careful read. During earth hour I was getting skeptical, and estimated how much energy was saved by turning off a light-bulb for 1 hour. I was rather surprised it was only equivalent to...
• Commented on Jared Diamond lecture on the evolution of religion
  A summary of what I found most interesting: The idea that struck me the most was that religion can dictate community structure and behaviour, and that changes in religion thereby change communities' behaviours. With variation and selection, you then have...
• Commented on Ayahuasca experience
  From Susan Blackmore interviewing Torsten Passie: http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/journalism/Passie%202006.htm But why, if these drugs have such great healing potential, aren’t they available to use? There are two reasons that are not often mentioned but are quite important. First there are no patents...
• Commented on Wikileaks.de domain-owner's house raided over publication of secret government censorship lists
  I can't believe it! These sites were identified mainly because they were sent in to the Australian Communications and Media Authority by members of the public! Crazy. It does however present an alibi should one want to access restricted (but...
• Commented on Wikileaks.de domain-owner's house raided over publication of secret government censorship lists
  The types of urls on the list are quite interesting. Yes, most seem to be pr0n, but from the names alone most could not be presumed to be k1dpr0n (several specify 18+). Some are top level domain names. Many are...
• Commented on London cops reach new heights of anti-terror poster stupidity
  @149 Makes me want to re-labels all my bottles with a tag that says, "Suspicious Chemical Container". i think i also like it as a t-shirt slogan. although paranoia could be a problem....
• Commented on Legalizing Drugs: The Least Bad Answer
  THC is a bit tricky to synthesize. However, there are plenty of easily synthesized chemicals that tickle the cannabinoid receptors with even higher affinity. There's been quite a bit of fuss recently about "herbal mixes" that in fact contained various...
• Commented on Human-sized human candles
  headless with a flame still burning in my chest. this is beautiful in so many ways....
• Commented on How to Get Free Electronic Goods In Japan
  I was once in need of a new fridge, and was very happy to spot a shiny new one left on the side of the road not far from my home. My housemate and I struggled proudly with it for...
• Commented on Amazon Sells Rape Simulation Game
  I think I've realised why I feel a difference between viewing murder and rape in movies/games/fiction. In the real world, when someone is killed, it's obvious they are dead. Most often there's a body, or otherwise they are unexpectedly and...
• Commented on Amazon Sells Rape Simulation Game
  @18 On your link, Australia ranks third in the world (behind South Africa and Seychelles) in most rapes per person??!! I think differences in reporting of rape cases also plays a pretty major role in these stats. However, Australia is...
• Commented on Linda Hesh's "Bench Project"
  being able to smell my (and others') asparagus pee is my favourite inherited trait!...
• Commented on New Terence McKenna eye/mind candy
  "astonishment is the appropriate response to reality"...
• Commented on The delightful Mardi Gras King Cake
  For some interesting cultural comparisons, check out the pictures of American "King Cakes" and French "Galette des Rois" on the respective wikipedia pages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galette_des_Rois...