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Image: “Are Oral Contraceptives a Significant Contributor to the Estrogenicity of Drinking Water?” by Amber Wise, et. al. at ACS Publications You may have heard the rumor, or even bought into the popular belief, that taking birth control pills is causing high levels of female hormones in the environment, leading to the feminization of frogs, fish, and other aquatic species. If that is true, you might be thin… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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WASHINGTON — The military’s longstanding ban on service by gays and lesbians came to a historic and symbolic end on Wednesday, as President Obama signed legislation repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the contentious 17-year old Clinton-era law that sought to allow gays to serve under the terms of an uneasy compromise that required them to keep their sexuality a secret. Timeline: The Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Congressional Action on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Go to Timeline Blogs The Caucus The latest on President Obama, the new Congress and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. FiveThirtyEight: Nate Silver’s Political…
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Images via Blue Water Satellite Using satellites helps us monitor everything from animal migrations to forest cover to water supply levels. And now Blue Water Satellite has come up with another perfect use — monitoring toxic blooms of blue-green algae in lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Blue-green algae makes news as a foul-smelling killer found everywhere from China to
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Our worst frienemies, the quadrocopters , have decided to act cute for the holidays and play us a merry little jingle. Yes, the guys and gals behind the Flying Machine Arena have put together an airborne robot sophisticated enough to lay down a few seasonal notes on a Yamaha electronic keyboard. And we’re still sitting around debating inconsequential topics like net neutrality — all of human civilization is at stake here, people! Be a good citizen and watch the video after the break to scout out any weak points to this most imminent threat to humanity’s survival. Continue reading Quadrocopter plays the piano, wishes us a happy and complacent holiday (video) Quadrocopter plays the piano, wishes us a happy and complacent holiday (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Court says two security guards attacked before badly beating up Arabs in Jaffa Port
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Holocaust Remembrance Authority reinstates identity of some two-thirds of Jewish victims. Hall of Names director: Every name rescued is victory over Nazis
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Click here to view this media You can tell that all these reporters for right-wing propaganda organs like the Media Research Center spend waaaay too much time watching Fox News and their army of would-be ambush journalists. Because they often try to imitate their betters only to discover that it can seriously backfire on them. Especially when the intended victim is a seriously smart person like Barney Frank. This happened yesterday to a young reporter for CNS (an MRC outlet), as Terry Krepel at Media Matters reports : Apparently feeling confident (and sufficiently homophobic), CNS decided to target Rep. Barney Frank with a question about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – specifically, whether he thought gay and straight soldiers should shower together. This was based on a statement calling for a ban on separate showers from the Pentagon’s report on the impact of repealing DADT that CNS had previously singled out. Frank saw this coming from a mile away. As CNS reporter Nicholas Ballasy slowly got out the words “shower with homosexuals,” Frank let out an exaggerated gasp and responded, “What do you think happens in gyms all over America?” After calling it a “silly issue,” Frank added, “What do you think goes wrong with people showering with homosexuals? Do you think it’s the spray makes it catching? … We don’t get ourselves dry-cleaned.” Frank then turned the tables on his interviewer by quizzing Ballasy: “I know you’re looking for some way to kind of discredit the policy. Do you think that gyms should have separate showers for gay and straight people? I’m asking you the question because that’s the logic of what you’re telling me. You seem to think that there’s something extraordinary about gay men showering together. Do you think gyms should have separate showers for gay people and straight people?” Ballasy wouldn’t answer, insisting that he was “just quoting the recommendation.” Frank responded: “Don’t be disingenuous. You’re quoting those you think may cause us some problems. You’re entitled to do that, but you shouldn’t hide behind your views.” Frank again asked the question of Ballasy, who again wouldn’t answer, trying to change the subject: “So that’s the question you would pose to people who have an issue with that part of the report, the recommendation?” Frank made his point one more time, and that’s where the CNS ends the video. As is often the case with Barney Frank, it is a delightfully thorough humiliation.
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Congratulations, Panasonic , you’re now the adoptive father of two companies, Sanyo and Panasonic Electric Works. We know, the plan’s been all but confirmed since July , but it’s nice to see the deal go through and all the necessary paperwork signed. Both now-wholly-owned subsidiaries (through a share exchange that commenced today) are scheduled to be de-listed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March 29th, 2011, and after that… well, independence was fun while it lasted, eh chaps? Panasonic’s Sanyo and PEW buyout official: subsidiaries for life originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Image: Kew It looks like there’s yet another reason for some holiday cheer this season: Scientists have discovered a new, exotic species of mistletoe in Mozambique. The new mistletoe is rather striking looking — folks might hesitate before pecking beneath this plant, at least before the third or fourth round at the office Christmas party…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Mikael Colville-Anderson is as entertaining in video as he is at Copenhagenize.com. He explains in this TED talk why he thinks bicycle helmets promote a culture of fear, that pedestrians and drivers have far higher rates of head injuries but nobody tells them to wear helmets, and that cycle helmets are a conspiracy by the auto makers to scare people off bikes and into cars. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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