OUTSIDE THE BOX

MEDICAL 

1) Google has just revealed a method for diabetics to monitor glucose Smart contact lenses with tiny glucose-tracking technology will monitor wearers’ glucose levels by tracking it in their tears.

  “It doesn’t look like much, but it was a crazy amount of work to get everything so very small,” said Google Brian Otis in a statement.

  2) Tiny Vehicles For Medical Applications

 Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have constructed swimming bodies that simultaneously meet two requirements: they are small enough to be used in bodily fluids, and they are able to navigate through complex biological fluids. Like tiny submarines they could navigate through the body to deliver drugs precisely to a target location, making it possible to carry out gene therapy in a specific cell.

3) Controlling Genes With Thoughts

Thoughts control a near-infrared LED, which starts the production of
a  molecule in a reaction chamber. ( Prof. M. Fussenegger, ETH Zurich)

ETH researchers led by Professor Martin Fussenegger have developed the first gene network to be operated via brainwaves. Depending on the user’s thoughts, it can produce various amounts of a desired molecule. The inspiration behind the project was a game that picks up brainwaves in order to guide a ball through an obstacle course.

4) VTT Technical Research Centre has demonstrated a technique for generating electrical energy by harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations of the environment and converting it into electricity. These could be used in wireless self-powered sensors and medical implants to replace batteries in application areas such as wearable electronics

 LAST MINUTE "OUTSIDE THE BOX"

 CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

CLICK HERE

It will show you how far from being "outside the box" you are..  (It is a safe link - DudeIWAntThat.com).

Canada In Election Mode

GERALD CAPLAN

The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Dec. 12 2014, 10:34 AM EST

      Canada will have a federal election no later than October 19th, 2015 (the "fixed by law" date).  The general feeling is that it will be earlier than that - possibly in the Spring of 2015. I will try to provide periodic special blogs of FACTUAL information (not partisan and no spin).

     If you haven't been following political activity for the past 9 years in the media, this article in the Globe and Mail might help to get you up to speed in time to VOTE.

Click on the underlined type below.

"If I could shake Harper’s hand, 

this is what I’d tell him"

***

CANADA GOES GREEN and Movie Myths

 CANADA AND THE  ENVIRONMENT
(A Step Back and Steps Forward)

1)  "TAR SANDS" (bitumen, euphemistically referred to as "Oil Sands")

   - The first bitumen  tanker arrives in Sorel-Tracy port on the St. Lawrence River from the tar sands in Alberta. The Minerva Gloria is not only the first tanker of its size to arrive in Sorel-Tracy, but it will also be the first to carry diluted bitumen from Alberta. Its arrival deepens community concern for possible crude oil spills on the St. Lawrence River.

2) Report (Dec. 2014) of Clean Energy Canada:  More Green jobs last year than oilsands

     - There were 23,700 total direct jobs in the green energy sector in 2013,
       compared to 22,340 jobs in the oilsands
    - in the past five years employment in Green Energy increased by 37 per cent with
      investments of more than $24 billion
   - The complete 34-page "Tracking the Energy Revolution" report is available online

3) Energy Market Reports (2014)
       View trends, analysis and statistics by country. ReportLinker.com offers download access
       to top market reports on the Energy Industry comparing energy sources by country.

***

Ridiculous Movie Myths That Turned Out to Be True

Disclaimer: I have taken the link to this article (by Chris Hoffman on December 2nd, 2014)
 from the web site of  How-to- Geek  without checking the veracity of the information.
How-to-Geek deals mostly with electronic and high technology issues. Subscription is free.

                                     1) The NSA Spying on Everybody
                                     2) Your Location Can Be Tracked
                                     3) Webcam Hijacking
                                    4) Hacking Traffic Lights and Cameras
                                    5) Darknet Drug Rings, Arms Trafficking, and Hitmen
                                    6) Hacking Security Cameras and Security Systems
                                    7) Hacking ATMs for Cash
                                    8) Security Backdoors in Encryption Protocols
                                    9) Hotel Key Cards Can Be Easily Hacked
                                   10) Passwords Can Be Easily Hacked

***

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Has A World Champion 

Canadian Corey Gallagher won the First Beer Mile World Championship Race with a time of 5 min 23 milliseconds in Austin Texas. He credits his ability to down a beer in one breath as helpful.
    In a nut shell, the race is 4 laps around a 440 metre track with the requirement of drinking a bottle of beer (355 ml) before each lap.

2014 Manitoba Summer Beer Mile (click for video)

Gallagher's time of 5:01.57 min prior to winning World event in Austin Texas

Google Camels, Insite Drug Injection and Revenue Canada

GOOGLE: "Street Views" Of The Liwa Dessert

 

   Google has become famous for it's wide range of unusual "Street Views" such as mountains, oceans, and volcanoes.

  Not to mention the funny scenes accidentally captured.

   And then there are their amazing  "Time Machine views."

   Somehow, the idea of a camera "viewing" a dessert "street" struck me as funny. Just when I didn't think Google could still surprise me anymore.

The Insite Safe Drug Injection Sites Saves Lives

      There was a flurry of nearly 40 potentially fatal overdose incidents last week in Vancouver. Workers at Insite saved these lives by delivering naloxone (an effective and easy to administer antidote for heroin overdose). Without Insite they would have died. Several Canadian cities are looking to expand the use of a medication that has been shown to save lives by countering the effects of a life-threatening prescription drug overdose.

     There is obviously a need not only for controlled injection sites such as Insite, but also for outreach programs that can deliver naloxone to users who accidentally overdose on faulty prepared heroin wherever they may be. Overdosing is a part of life (or death) for addicts. It is an addiction - not a sin
     The federal Canadian government has made no secret of its dislike of supervised injection facilities. June 5, 2013, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced new legislation for supervised consumption sites in a press release. On the same day, the Conservative Party of Canada initiated a “Not In My Backyard” campaign. We thus have a surreal situation in which a government is introducing a bill to seemingly advance an objective that the ruling party is actively resisting.

OUR CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IN "ACTION"

1) The Charities Directorate of Revenue Canada has cracked down on a small group of 300 nature watchers as the latest group to worry that its charitable status may be revoked because of "political activity". What had they done? They had written a letter to the government concerning the effects of pesticide chemicals on the bee and bird populations. I don't see how this is "political activity" unless the bees are being encouraged to  vote NDP. Or maybe our government is concerned about too much interest in the "the birds and the bees"?

     In 2012-13 a special squad of 15 auditors started to enforce this tax rule on charities, starting with a number of environment groups. It went on to target some 52 charities like social justice and poverty groups, many of them critical of Conservative government policies which they choose to consider as "political activity".
     No group has been de-registered (so no money has been saved), but the audits have been expensive and disruptive for many of the groups which operate on a shoestring. The threat of de-registeration is nothing but bullying.

2) This week Canada Post is beginning the closure of delivery to Canadian homes in favor of "Superboxes". There have been concerns about the whole idea, although it is widely used in the USA. So widely used that Canada is purchasing our Superboxes from USA companies without giving any chance for Canadian firms to bid on the rather lucrative contract(s).

 ***

 (disclaimer)

The following is kind of political but is not meant to be partisan. We are having a Federal Election on October 19, 2015, dictated by LAW (although somehow our last election was held earlier than that). I thought I should make some acknowldgment of the "funny" things around out election. It is held 36 days after it is called, but we are already in FULL ELECTION MODE.

1) In "Party of One" (just published, so I haven't read it yet), investigative journalist Michael Harris closely examines the majority government of a prime minister essentially unchecked by the opposition and empowered by the general election victory of May 2011.

Harris looks at Harper’s policies, instincts, and the often breathtaking gap between his stated political principles and his practices.

 2) The Government has put out a Trudeau attack ad by email to their faithful. In their email they are urging people to pass it on, so here I am - advertising for the Conservatives.  It is called transparency.

From their email:

"As you’ll see, the Prime Minister’s job is a serious one, and only one leader is up to it.
  I encourage you to take a minute and watch it here:    www.conservative.ca/?p=5577
  This is an ad we want all Canadians to see, and I hope I can count on you to share it with 3 people who haven’t seen it yet."

Funny that they only send it out to people they know. If you visit their site to view it they will first ask for your name, email and postal code. They don't seem to care if it is a real name, let alone yours . . . or a valid postal code ... or email address. 

******************************

Insite - Vancouver Supervised Drug Injection Site -10 years of SUCCESS

            FOUR KUDOS to Insite for:

1) For having the insight to recognize ways of mitigating social problems associated with rampant drug use in their neighborhood

2) For being the FIRST Supervised Drug Injection Program in North America (established Sept 2003)

3) For 10 years of successful (no fatalities) operation in Vancouver, British Columbia and still going strong

4) For proving they CAN survive the efforts of a government ideologically opposed to its operation.

There are short videos detailing the daily operation of the Insite facility

     From Insite's beginning, the Canadian Federal Government has tried (unsuccessfully) to prevent Insite's operation and to close it down, requiring court orders to keep it open in: 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.

***

THE RCMP IS AN "ARM'S LENGTH" OPERATION ?

As has been said in a lot of the recent media:  
"The RCMP should be above suspicion, a crucial national institution that cannot be forced to lie by the government"

1) In 2008 the RCMP was complicit in attempting to discredit and undermine the Insite operation even to the extent of "quietly funding study critical of Insite effort". The Globe and Mail reported: "e-mails show the RCMP tried to discredit Vancouver's supervised-injection clinic and are part of a pattern of interference in science by the federal government". 

2 ) In 2010, McLeans magazine reported:

     "The Mounties were set to publicly acknowledge the benefits of projects like the Insite facility.    Then they backed away (because) . . . that would have been a politically awkward move for the          federal police, since Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is firmly committed to shutting down Insite."

3 ) In 2014 The RCMP helped create a handbook entitled, United Against Terrorism. It was a joint

effort between Islamic Social Services, the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the RCMP. It was released Sept 29, 2014.

    On Oct 1, 2014, the RCMP suddenly withdrew their support for their handbook "specifically stating that it could not avoid using the terms "Islamist terrorism,” “Islamic extremism” and “jihad" as was suggested on the back cover. Is it a coincidence that those terms are favorites of Harper and his Government, as is a term he has personally coined, "Islamicism"?

4) This spring (2014) , when the RCMP moved to ban a kind of semi-automatic rifle that can be easily converted to full automatic, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney angrily denounced the Mounties as “unelected bureaucrats,” and reversed the decision. 

5) And recently, while the world (including the Canadian Government) is concerned about going to war in Iraq (again), Leona Aglukkaq, the environment minister, told the House of Commons the public safety minister had told the RCMP to reverse their researched decision to cancel their researched plan of replacing some their muskrat hats with wool ones.

    According to the Ministry of Public Safety (on a different topic), “The RCMP has complete autonomy to direct its own personnel matters.” I guess that doesn't include head wear.

     As one commentator said, " The PMO is fully aware of the RCMP head gear but claims to know nothing about the $90,000 given to Senator Mike Duffy by the then Chief of Staff of the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.

makes one of these

three of these 

***********************************

CANADIAN MP DEWAR'S FRUSTRTION

OUR CANADIAN VERSION OF DEMOCRACY

 

Reprint from: Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Democracy's face-palm moment

By: Editorial

Posted: 09/27/2014 1:00 AM | Comments: 11

On Thursday, a photo of NDP MP Paul Dewar doing a facepalm went viral around the country. Dewar had appeared on CBC's Power and Politics, along with Conservative MP Paul Calandra and Liberal MP Marc Garneau, to talk in part about the latest dust-up in the House of Commons. Frustrated with what can only be described as a deliberately obtuse response from Mr. Calandra, who was being asked to defend his behaviour, Mr. Dewar gave up and did a face-palm.

With that one spontaneous act, Mr. Dewar quickly became the poster child for Canadians who have been watching aghast as Stephen Harper and his MPs tear at the basic fabric of Canadian democracy.

The backstory in a nutshell is the NDP was asking the Conservatives to outline their plans for Iraq. Mr. Calandra, acting for Mr. Harper (and some would argue like Mr. Harper), responded with a missive about a virtual unknown NDP hack's Facebook post on Israel.

It was irritating and led NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair to get into a dust-up with the Speaker, but the bigger point is Mr. Mulcair was doing his job as the Opposition leader, holding the government to account in question period. And the Conservatives once again determined they don't have to play by those rules.

This isn't just a one-off. It's a consistent pattern with this government, and the government's contempt is apparent to the point of becoming legendary.

Mr. Harper stopped answering reporters' questions and began to provide prepackaged video responses to newsrooms instead of having to deal with interviews on the fly. He stopped providing reporters with access to MPs as they went into and out of cabinet meetings so democratically elected officials don't have to answer questions directed at them by reporters.

Then, organizations funded by the Canadian government were told they would no longer be allowed to actually engage in any type of advocacy because it may be unflattering to the government. So, Elections Canada is no longer allowed to tell people to vote.

Research scientists can no longer talk about global warming. In one ridiculous moment, an Environment Canada researcher could not attend his own book launch -- a piece of fiction -- because it described a world catastrophically dealing with climate change.

Next, Mr. Harper went after the judiciary. Unhappy his bid to put Marc Nadon on the bench was blocked by the Supreme Court of Canada, Mr. Harper went on to a mount a spurious and unfair attack on Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and then refused to apologize.

Budget announcements are no longer made in the House of Commons, where MPs can stand up and engage in discussion. Instead, they are provided off the Hill, at business luncheons, in front of friendly audiences.

The new cabinet was revealed on Twitter. Seriously. The same media platform that gives you access to fart videos and booty pics is now the site on which we hear who is going to be our next finance minister.

And dealing with this government is rage-inducing, like a three-year-old: "But you didn't say I couldn't have cake when you told me not to eat any more cookies." It follows the letter of the law, and damn the spirit.

No wonder Mr. Dewar's face-palm struck a chord with so many Canadians. For those who hang onto Canadian democratic ideals, this type of behaviour is hard to take. And it needs to stop.

This country should not be at the mercy of a government run by frat boys singing "na, na, na, boo-boo" when called on the carpet. These institutions don't belong to the political party of the day; they belong to Canadians. Mr. Harper shouldn't have to be reminded of that fact.

Editorials are the consensus view of the Winnipeg Free Press’ editorial board, comprising Catherine Mitchell, David O’Brien, Shannon Sampert, and Paul Samyn.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 27, 2014 A16

MARIJUANA "LeGaL 0R N0T" ?

   

                                    Our Confused Legal Situation

1) Preamble

Marijuna ("weed"or "pot") is a general term for the leaves and/or buds of the cannabis sativa ("marijuana") hemp plant. It is usually used and inhaled like a cigarette ("joint") or in small pipe. It is sometimes smoked in an emptied cigar to make a "blunt"with a cigar flavor. The major active ingredient in marijuana (cannabis) is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.

Hashish (or hash oil) is solid or resinous depending on the processing of the resin of the cannabis flowers and is more potent than marijuana. It is consumed by being heated in a pipe,  hookah, bong,  bubbler,  vaporizer, or hot knife. It may be mixed with cannabis buds or tobacco and smoked in joints, or smoked as bottle tokes ("brewing bots", "bucket bongs"). It is the active ingredient in "pot" cookies or brownies or cooked in various  foods.

1) Pre-Marijuana Drug prohibition in Canada:
     - began with the Opium Act of 1908
     - followed by the Opium Drug Act of 1911, which outlawed the sale or possession of opium (and by
        implication heroin) and cocaine.
  
2) Cannabis was added 1923
       The Confidential Restricted List in 1923 under the Narcotics Drug Act Amendment Bill added other unidentified drugs and was understood to include cannabis (although not identified by name). This has since been taken as including marijuana as a narcotic.
     Since then Marijuana has been "officially" classified as a narcotic and treated as such for legal matters (e.g. border crossing) in spite of it having little in common with actual narcotics.
 
   The following discussion was taken from a recent Canadian reality TV show "Border Security":

           Border Officer: "Have you used any kind of narcotic in the last 6 months?"
           Traveller:          "No sir."
                                      . . .  after several unrelated questions . . .
           Border Officer: "Have you used marijuana in the last 6 months?"
           Traveller:           "A couple of times."
           Border Officer: "We have a problem. You lied to me when you said you hadn't used a narcotic."

    

    Lying to a Border Official is adequate reason to launch an intensive search, and arguing is not a good option because in his book, Marijuana is listed as a narcotic.

3) Marijuana as a sociological phenomenon 

       It has been discussed in many books and college texts such as "Panic and Indifference"

Internet websites list the most
 "marijuana friendly" campuses

 

 - Cannabis was added of the Opium and   Narcotic Drug Act in 1923, before cannabis was identified as a social issue in Canada -- - a "solution without a problem" (p. 179).

- The first seizure of marijuana cigarettes occurred in 1932, nine years after the law passed (p. 182)

- First four possession offenses were in 1937,
14 years after the criminalization (p 599)

There are several accredited US "marijuana universities" which offer degree courses and degrees in drugs including marijuana such as:
    -Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California offers a full slate of Cannabis related courses
    - Clover Leaf University (Colorado) has state approval for 16 stand-alone course and 4 full medical marijuana certifications.
 
Report of Senate Committee (2001/2002):
           Number of reported marijuana offenses in Canada (1999) were 35,000
           Number of reported marijuana offenses in Canada (2001) were 71,600
           Estimated  number of  marijuana  users  in Canada (2002) was 2.3 million

 Sabeena Ahmed wrote an excellent Canadian essay "THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA" (Sept 2003) for her third-year University of Toronto University sociology course. Her conclusion is:
    "it is in the researcher's opinion that the present Canadian law tends to "over-criminalize" marijuana and alternative policies dealing with the legislation of marijuana need to be considered that deal with the "marijuana problem" more realistically."

  4) The Move To "Legalize" Marijuana For Medicinal Use

 - A Canada-wide Health Promotion Directorate was established to include an anti-drug campaign promoting that "kids shouldn't try marijuana or hashish until they are at least 18, and mature enough to decide responsibly" and should "stay real". This mild approach impressed even pro-marijuana groups like the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

- 2002 the Government of Canada gave a four-year contract to a Saskatoon-based company for the production of medicinal marijuana. Prairie Plant Systems, used an inactive underground copper/zinc drift owned by the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting to produce approximately 400 kilograms of medicinal marijuana annually. Because marijuana plants and seeds were illegal the company used whatever seeds the RCMP had confiscated in drug busts with no concern for quality or strain of marijuana. The result was an expensive and poor quality product which was inadequate for medicinal use. When the operation closed in 2009 more than 1,400 Canadians were authorized to possess marijuana for medical purposes. Of those, about 300 people received the Prairie Plant Systems product. The others used "illegal" privately grown Marijuana.

- 2013 there were 28,000 people in Canada who held a personal-use or designated operation production license under the MMAR (Marijuana Medical Access Program Regulations. This program ended Mar 31, 2014.

- March 2014 commercial producers began being licensed across the country under the MMPR (Marajuana for Medical Purposes Regulations) with amendments (2014).
Amendment  As of Sept. 2014 thirteen sites have been licensed. They are big business operations.  For example, Bonify Medical Cannabis in Winnipeg invested a million dollars and has 2 growers in hopes of receiving a license.

It is interesting to note that although this program is under the auspices of  Health Canada who will monitor the program, and is in charge of hiring and inspecting it - in spite of the 2014  Federal Government official position:
     "Dried marijuana is not an approved drug or medicine in Canada. The Government of Canada does not endorse the use of marijuana, but the courts have required reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana when authorized by a physician".

At the same time, Health Canada is not able to control legal (but possibly harmful) drugs. What hope is there that they will be able to deal with the situation surrounding Cannabis?

(6) CANNABIS LEGALITY IN CANADA (and USA)

      (a) Federal

           Federal regulations as of 2014-09-01 are found listed under "Narcotic Control Regulations"

          2014  Federal Government website official position is: "Dried marijuana is not an approved drug

          or medicine in Canada".

      (b) Provincial
           Provincial laws and regulations in some cases seem to defy the Federal position.
           In some jurisdictions police are not enforcing the laws, leading to an understanding that it is legal..
          New regulations for medical marijuana come into effect in Canada on April 1, 2014,
          but licensed home growers are allowed to continue to produce their own pot pending a future trial.


(c) USA

     - States with legalized cannabis: Washington, Colorado

    - States with legal medical cannabis - Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Hawaii, Alaska, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland Washington D.C.

     - States with decriminalized* cannabis possession laws: Oregon, Nevada, California, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Virginia, Alaska, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, New Jersey

* "decriminalized " means the offense is like a parking ticket - a fine but no legal action or record.

***

     Cannabis In Main Stream Canadian /USA Society  

        For The Do-It-Yourself Enthusiast

*********