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Man dies after being Tasered by Winnipeg police

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:05:33 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Man dies after being Tasered by Winnipeg police

Jul 22, 2008 08:50 PM

WINNIPEG–An adult male died today after being Tasered by Winnipeg police officers during a confrontation.

Const. Jacqueline Chaput said officers got a call for help from a residence at about 3:50 p.m.

"Upon attending, officers encountered a male at the rear of a residence," she said. "This resulted in an officer deploying his electronic control device. The male who was struck ... was conveyed to hospital in critical condition and he succumbed to his injuries in hospital."

CTV Winnipeg reported the man had been wielding a knife, but Chaput said she could not confirm that.

"The investigation is in its early stages, so all of those details are yet to be determined."

However, the initial confrontation was serious enough that more than five police cars were dispatched, she said.

Persian Cat

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:35:08 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: cats.about.com

Persian Cats Picture Gallery: T.C.

From Franny Syufy, About.com

This is my beautiful 4 year old boy, T.C. He was a rescue Blue Cream Smoke Persian that came into my home at the age of 10 months. From what I understand, he had been kept in a basement and then brought into the vet's to be put down. A friend of mine, who worked at the clinic, took him home instead, but, as she had so many cats of her own, asked if I would take him. It was love at first sight and my world is truly a better place for him being in my life!

Vanity Fair Spoofs New Yorker

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:06:41 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: marcambinder.theatlantic.com

Vanity Fair Spoofs New Yorker; Portrays Cindy McCain As Drug Abuser

The jocks of the glossy magazine world have spoofed the nerds. Conde Nast's Vanity Fair has posted a mock cover showing Sen. John McCain dapping his wife Cindy, who cradles a armful of prescription drug bottles. A portrait of George W. Bush hands in the background of their fictional "house." McCain is shown resting on a walker.

Let the Sunshine In

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:40:36 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Let the Sunshine In

Sick of high energy bills, our columnist investigates solar options
July 19, 2008; Page W10

This month, I've spent hours tramping across my roof with energy experts. We've measured its pitch, calculated how closely it faces true south and used high-tech tools to determine what times of day and which months the rooftop will be shaded.

The goal: to figure out how much the sun's free power can offset my home's hot-water and other energy needs.

Powered by the Sun: Here's how a typical "closed-loop" solar thermal system for cold climates heats household water.

One million Germans do not exist

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:56:02 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.earthtimes.org

Wiesbaden, Germany - Government statisticians said Tuesday they think 1 million Germans simply don't exist, with long-time statistics on Germany's population out of sync with reality. Everyone living in Germany, citizen and alien, is meant to register their name and address at a local government office, and de- register themselves and their children when they move away.

The Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden uses the comings and goings to alter a 1987 West German census tally and numbers compiled in 1981 in communist East Germany.

The office said Tuesday it believed the current population tally of 82.2 million was too high by 1.3 million because many people had failed to de-register themselves when moving to new homes. They remained on the books as "card-index ghosts."

During the European Union census of 2011, Germany plans to calculate its population using estimates from the registers, welfare records, mail-carrier records and a detailed survey of a small sample of the population.

Georgia to send 400 troops to Afghanistan

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:50:54 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.earthtimes.org

Georgia to send 400 troops to Afghanistan

Moscow - Georgia is to send 400 troops to Afghanistan to help NATO-led forces in the fight against insurgents loyal to the country's former Taliban rulers, reports said Tuesday. The troops will be deployed in the volatile south of Afghanistan by year's end, where they will be under French and Dutch command, the news agency Interfax reported, quoting the Georgian Defence Ministry.

A defence ministry spokesman in the former Soviet Republic said Georgia had no immediate plans to withdraw any of its 2,000 troops serving with US-led coalition forces in Iraq.

Georgia is seeking to join NATO, but has been hindered from doing so by the conflicts over its breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Lonesome George - first time father at 80?

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:45:04 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.earthtimes.org

Galapagos tortoise Lonesome George - first time father at 80?

ture Environment News | Home

Quito - After 30 years of waiting, the most famous tortoise on the Galapagos Islands, Lonesome George, may finally become a father and promote his robust genes for another generation. Six healthy-looking eggs were found in the compound where the 80- year-old tortoise lives with females of his species, national media in Ecuador reported Tuesday, citing national park officials.

George, said by scientists at the Charles Darwin Research Station to be one of the last known of his tortoise subspecies, was found in 1972 on the islands, but has not fathered any hatchlings.

To ensure some female offspring, scientists have taken some of the eggs and put them in a brooder set at 29.5 degrees Celsius known to favour females. The others are being kept at 28 degrees, to favour male offspring.

Estelle Getty dies at 84

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:12:52 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com

Estelle Getty dies at 84

Emmy winner beloved for 'Golden Girls' role

Estelle Getty, who played meddling mother Sophia on "The Golden Girls," died Tuesday morning. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

Getty won an Emmy Award in 1988 for her portrayal of the feisty octogenarian. For her role as Sophia, Getty also notched a Golden Globe Award in 1986. She also received an American Comedy Award.

Getty co-starred on "Golden Girls" from 1985-92 and reprised the tart-tongued Sophia on four other TV series: "The Golden Palace," "Nurses," "Empty Nest" and "Blossom." Getty was two months younger than Arthur, but the illusion of her age was maintained through makeup, costume and her deportment.

Cubism

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:47:02 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: artyfactory.com

Cubism

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Factory, Horta de Ebbo (oil on canvas, 1909)
Philadelphia Museum of Art

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906)
Bibemus Quarry (oil on canvas, 1895)
Museum Folkwang

Juan Gris (1887-1927)
Violin and Glass (oil on canvas, 1915)
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Head of a Woman, (oil on canvas, 1907)
Dan Mask
www.zyama.com

Georges Braque (1881-1973)
Violin and Jug (oil on canvas, 1910)
Kunstmuseum, Basel

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Still Life with Chair Caning (oil on canvas, 1912)
Musée Picasso, Paris

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Still Life with Mandolin and Guitar 1924 (oil on canvas, 1915)
Guggenheim Museum, New York

Online Picasso Project

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:22:37 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: picasso.tamu.edu

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Comprehensive Illustrated Catalogue

14,472

Catalogued Artworks

4,918

Artwork Notes

2,019

Artwork Commentaries

673

Listed Collections

9,479

Biographical Entries

750

Biographical Commentaries

3,651

Selected References

5,721

Archived Articles

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:25:10 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Description blurbs on site

Clip Source: artyfactory.com

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Bull ( Plate I. - December 5 1945 )
(eleven developments of a lithograph)
Museum of Modern Art, New York

Pablo Picasso created 'Bull' around the Christmas of 1945. 'Bull' is a suite of eleven lithographs that have become a master class in how to develop an artwork from the academic to the abstract. In this series of images, all pulled from a single stone, he visually dissects the image of a bull to discover its essential presence through a progressive analysis of its form. Each plate is a successive stage in an investigation to find the absolute 'spirit' of the beast.

Picasso used the bull as a metaphor throughout his artwork but he refused to be pinned down as to its meaning. Depending on its context, it has been interpreted in various ways: as a representation of the Spanish people; as a comment on fascism and brutality; as a symbol of virility; or as a reflection of Picasso's self image.

Rare frog turns deaf ear to distracting noises

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:08:44 GMT

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Clip Source: www.dailyme.com

Rare frog turns deaf ear to distracting noises

CHICAGO _ With a twitch of a muscle, the Chinese concave-eared torrent frog brushes off the sounds of thundering rivers, focusing on the one thing that really matters:

The siren song of the opposite sex.

The rare frog is the only animal known to be able to turn a deaf ear to distracting noises while enhancing the calls of its own kind, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

When the frog is calling for a mate, a piece of cartilage in its Eustachian tubes _ the canals that connect the ears with the mouth _ largely blocks out distracting low-frequency sounds like rushing water. Scientists hope their discovery may lead to improved hearing aids.

"This probably is the only example we know of in the animal kingdom with this unusual adaptation," said Albert Feng, professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois and one of the study's lead authors.

Vivisection: Scientists use 6% more animals for research

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:29:37 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Ah yes, further zombification of our species!

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Vivisection: Scientists use 6% more animals for research

The number of scientific procedures carried out on animals rose by 6% last year to just over 3.2m. The vast majority (83%) used rodents, while the number of procedures that involved monkeys was down 6% with 3,125 monkeys being used in total.

The overall increase is due largely to the continued trend for researchers to use more genetically modified mice and fish in experiments. Creating GM animals involves two steps of breeding and these animals are counted in the figures as having undergone a scientific "procedure". In 2007, 1.15m GM animals were used, a rise of 11% on the previous year. Over a third of all procedures in 2007 were breeding animals.

Philosophy Pages

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:30:29 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.philosophypages.com

Dictionary

Philosophy Pages

. . . from Garth Kemerling

This site offers helpful information for students of the Western philosophical tradition. The elements you will find on this site include:

The Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names.

A survey of the History of Western Philosophy.

A Timeline for the intellectual figures discussed here.

Detailed discussion of several major Philosophers

Summary treatment of the elementary principles of Logic

A generic Study Guide for students of philosophy.

Links to other philosophy Sites on the Internet.

An opportunity to download the entire site for personal use.

In US, Solar Panels Get Aesthetic Designs

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:44:48 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: At first you don't even notice they're solar," said Tony Fortenberry, who bought a home in Rockland, California, in September with solar panels manufactured by SunPower on its roof.

"The tiles are completely integrated into the roof," Fortenberry said. "It has a more elegant appearance and it doesn't look like an add-on."

Clip Source: www.planetark.com

In US, Solar Panels Get Aesthetic Designs

US"> Although thin film is a relatively new technology, John Langdon of thin-film start-up HelioVolt said he expects it to dominate residential use as it becomes part of the building process.

"Solar power today is where air conditioning was in 1950 -- everything is a window unit designed for retrofit on existing construction -- its more expensive, its not as good, its not as a cost effective," Langdon said. "But by 1960 no one built a building without saying 'Should I put a central air system in?' - and the same thing is going to happen with solar."

Until recently, solar panels were about six inches thick and mounted with brackets on top of existing roofs or custom designed racks.

But with energy prices climbing, and authorities offering subsidies for solar power, the solar industry is beginning to recognize aesthetics as one of the last barriers to solar power in the residential market, despite a housing slump in the United States.