The lengths.

On February 5, 1945, with World War II in its last desperate months, a German train made its way to the city of Linz. Suddenly, Allied planes swooped in, dropping bombs and derailing it. As the train’s cargo—mail bound for several northern Austrian towns—scattered over the area, a second wave of bombers flew in with a strange payload.

Eight mail bags hit the ground around the train with a thud. Inside each bag were 800 propaganda letters, all addressed to homes and businesses along the train’s route and appropriately stamped. When the train was discovered, German postal workers recovered the bags and delivered the letters without being any wiser about their contents or origins.

Operation Cornflakes had begun.

http://www.businessinsider.com/operation-cornflakes-how-the-allies-got-the-nazi-postal-service-to-deliver-their-propoganda-for-them-2012-3

Really??

This is the worst article I've read from the Globe in a long time.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/robo-calls-get-a-grip-were-canadian/article2359578/

Registering a new website?

The Bodog.com case provides a warning that by using popular dot-com (dot-net, and dot-org) domain names, companies and registrants EVEN IN CANADA are effectively opting-in to U.S. law and courts as part of the package. What does this mean?:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1140589--bodog-com-case-sends-warning-to-all-canadian-websites
http://www.slaw.ca/2012/02/06/collateral-damage-innocent-users-impacted-megaupload-takedown/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204616504577171060611948408.html
http://torrentfreak.com/its-official-us-demands-extradition-of-megaupload-suspects-120305/

Bill C-10

I suggest watching this 4-minute video, and if it feels right, call a Senator. That's it. Just leave a message. All the info is in the link below. http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsMembers/Senate/SenatorsBiography/isenator.asp

Bill C-30

Including 12 ways to fix Bill C-30.

Supreme Court rules ISPs not subject to broadcast regulations

A coalition formed by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, Canadian Media Production Association, the Directors Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Canada, had argued that ISPs should be treated as broadcasters.

Money well spent.

If you ever wanted to write your representative, this is how to find him or her:

http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx

The drug industry, in a nutshell

Lu AA12004 is one of the few new (3 in the last decade) anti-depressant drugs about to go to market. They are tested by "Clinical trial".

"If you ask me, this study should have compared the new drug to an SSRI, because they're used much more widely than venlafaxine. ... although there are no fewer than 26 registered clinical trials of Lu AA21004 either ongoing or completed, only one is comparing it to an SSRI. "

http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-antidepressant-old-tricks.html

Pharmacologically, Lu AA21004 is kind of a new twist on an old classic . Its main mechanism of action is inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, just like Prozac and other SSRIs. However, unlike them, it also blocks serotonin 5HT3 and 5HT7 receptors, activates 5HT1A receptors and partially agonizes 5HT1B.


Basically, the main problem with Lu AA21004 was that it made people sick. Literally - 9% of people on the highest dose suffered vomiting, and 38% got nausea. However, the 5 mg dose was no worse than venlafaxine for nausea, and was relatively vomit-free. Unlike venlafaxine, it didn't cause dry mouth, constipation, or sexual problems.


Yeah. This is what a body needs.

Prague

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The last communication before the Eastern Block

"Please have your papers ready..."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ahhh, the traditional exam time posts

So, been on vacation, in reality, for the last couple weeks. But, once again it's exam time, and obviously there some procrastination going on. Among that, there are always a few videos... so let the roll begin!



http://www.ted.com/talks/maya_beiser_s_and_her_cello_s.html

http://www.radiolab.org/2011/may/31/


http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_on_our_queer_universe.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_adams_parrots_the_universe_and_everything.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_saxe_how_brains_make_moral_judgments.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/alice_dreger_is_anatomy_destiny.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_tells_us_why_we_love_cheat.html
Link to her audiobook: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5652331/Why_Him_Why_Her.Helen_Fisher

(The above TED talks all take a bit of time to get going, but they are all GREAT.)

So, I'll leave it at this for now. Anyway, there are tons of pictures and stories being prepared. I'll be traveling until July 9-10th, so there probably won't be (m)any updates until then.