Tag: Blog

Being the path of totality, was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. The sun’s corona during the 2017 total eclipse of the sun as seen near Madras, Oregon The eclipse started off subtly. At first, using the proper eyewear, all you see is the tiniest dot

On my way to Oregon, apparently on Monday morning a thing in the sky is going to pass in front of another thing. -via XKCD

On May 16th 2017, I had my 25th and final radiation treatment. I am not certain if it was the radiation, the anti-anxiety medication which causes drowsiness, or the lack of sleep caused by the anxiety that the anti-anxiety medication left behind, but throughout the whole treatment period I was

via XKCD

This is a collection of 22 non-fiction essays, written over a period of 20 years, some of them previously published. Some of them are based on the author’s long involvement in PEN International. One such essay is “The suffering word: cases of repression of women poets in Mesoamerica”, in which

Mexico continues to be the one of the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist. Martín Méndez Pineda of Acapulco tried to get asylum in the US, but after being detained for 100 days in not-very-good conditions, he gave up and returned to Mexico. He is not

John Oliver gives a great summary of why Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement makes absolutely no sense Or as David Roberts puts it: An agreement cannot be both nonbinding and draconian (Spoiler: Paris is the former) Early on in the speech, Trump said: “Thus, as of today,

David Lida is an author who found a home for himself in Mexico 25 years ago. He tells the story of his first visit to Puerto Escondido, when he started wondering what life is like for the Mexicans who live a few blocks away from the centre of town. Thanks

What drives scientists? – Richard Alley’s Golden Nugget h/t Variable Variability

It is not something to say I chose not to believe e-mc2; YOU DONT HAVE THAT OPTION! When you have an established scientific emergent truth, it is true whether or not you belive in it and the sooner you understand that the faster we can get on with the political

I started my 25 Radiation treatments today. 1 down and 24 to go.

Chair of House Science Committee Says the Journal ‘Science’ Is Not Objective

The hope is that the radiation will stop the growth of my tumour. It wont’t, however, remove it. The success rate is roughly equivalent of the success rate of surgery (90%), and there is a greater chance of not loosing function on the left side of my face and keeping

… before the EPA

Hans Rosling, one of the most enlightening science communicators, passed away last week. It was his first Ted talk that thrust renowned Swedish academic Hans Rosling into the international spotlight in 2006, billed as the man in whose hands data sings. Since then, the statistician more likely to illustrate an

The greatest story ever told ended today: Stuart McLean, the host of CBC Radio’s The Vinyl Café and an award-winning humorist, has died at age 68 after a battle with melanoma. McLean’s trademark blend of storytelling — part nostalgia, part pithy observations about everyday life — and folksy, familiar delivery

I have a tumour; the good news is that the doctors believe it is benign. The bad news is that while it may be non-malignant it definitely isn’t benign (at least not by any reasonable definition of benign). I have a facial nerve schwannoma. It is a slow-growing, rarely malignant

This is exceedingly good news! Yes these elder statesmen Republicans aren’t elected members of the government, and yes it will be difficult to convince elected Republicans of the importance of climate change, but this is what a first step looks like. In fact once you get past the knee jerk

After the horrific events at the Mosque in Quebec it is worth remembering that hatred doesn’t stop at the border. The suspect in the deadly attack on a Quebec City mosque was known in the city’s activist circles as an online troll who was inspired by extreme right-wing French nationalists,