Check out this public service announcement from 1969. “VD is for Everybody,” according to this catchy tune. I actually remember seeing this PSA as a teenager. Viewing it now, though, it appears as though having VD is a good thing.
[via Shaggylocks at Salon.com]
From the BBC: “The smalleye stingray is the largest of all 70 species of stingray, attaining widths of more than 2m.” Beautiful new video of an elusive creature.
What do Scientologists believe? What follows is an excerpt from ABC’s documentary on Scientology. You’ll learn about the “purification rundown.” You’ll also learn a bit about Scientology’s confidential scriptures–meant only for those who have reached the highest levels of Scientology–including the teachings about the Intergalactic emperor named Xenu, who allegedly brought the spirits of his people to Earth 75 million years ago and buried them in volcanoes. These people were supposedly alive quadrillions of years ago (this is far older than the big bang). One Scientologist who appears in this video claims that it is against his religious beliefs to discuss his religious beliefs, leading to an entertaining ending, at least for those of us who don’t believe in Xenu.
Impressive technology and creativity were used to present the wise words of these four scientists in a brand new way:
Obedience is allegedly a virtue. Even for adults.
[Via Stuff Fundies Like]
In this six minute Youtube video, David Attenborough illustrates this deep truth: All Life is Related. This is an especially elegant story these days, where so many people are looking for so many ways to divide humans from the other animals, and to divide many groups of human animals from other groups of human animals.
BTW, for anyone who hasn’t yet viewed any of David Attenborough’s nature DVD’s they are all thought-provoking and beautifully filmed. They aren’t just spectacular videos of animals in the wild; they also contain Attenborough’s elegant descriptions and explanations of what you are viewing. One of Attenborough’s more recent efforts is Planet Earth (a STEAL for $36). I have just ordered, but have not yet viewed his most recent series, Nature’s Most Amazing Events.
Check out this mind blowing 3D simulation of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field image. The context is all-important. The image was of a patch of empty sky as small as a grain of sand at arm’s length. Also, this fantastic image was gathered in 1993, before the most recent upgrades to Hubble. This image is a big reason why I would be tempted to check the box for “spiritual but not religious.”
Here’s a bit of history of the deep field images.
President Barack Obama has boldly intervened to trim wasteful defense spending, much to the consternation of the military. The Onion reports:
Obama Axes Pentagon Plan To Build Billion Dollar Tank In Shape Of Dragon
Cheney has been making the circuits berating Obama for failing to turn the country around in 100 days. David Letterman created a short video to serve as Dick Cheney’s report card.
What’s up with media reform? Free Press is active on many fronts. Click on this video to hear Josh Silver’s two-minute message regarding many of the most pressing issues.
I’ve found Free Press to be a terrific organization providing numerous ways for thousands of journalists, citizens and citizen-journalists to exchange ideas for improvement of our news-gathering and publishing. I’ve attended the past three Free Press national conferences, each of which drew several thousand people. I highly recommend that you visit the Free Press website and get involved.
Bonnie Bassler, who teaches molecular biology at Princeton, explains that bacteria don’t just grow and divide, grow and divide. They speak to each other and with other species of bacteria through their chemicals.
Bassler studies how bacteria use chemical signals to act as coordinated social units. In this delightful TED talk, Bassler discusses how her research group has studied the manner in which bacteria talk to each other. They make chemical “words” to enable group activities (such as triggering the timing for effective virulence attacks), sensing each other through their “quorum-sensing molecules.” They can also sense the difference between themselves and other bacteria.
Note that each of us is 99% bacterial. Our human body consists of about one trillion of “our own” cells, but ten trillion bacteria. We have about 30,000 of “our own” genes, but we carry about 100 times more bacterial DNA than human DNA. Bacteria live as “mutualists” with us. They help us digest our food, make our vitamins, protects us from other pathogens and help us survive in numerous other ways.
Rather than using antibiotics to kill bacteria (which inevitably selects for more virulent strains), Bassler suggests that a better understanding of the communications schemes used by bacteria is allowing scientists to develop potent new medicines.
This is an upbeat and informative talk regarding a most ancient form of life.
What does it mean to be “open minded?” This excellent video gets right to it. Simple, straight-forward reasoning with entertaining animation. I’ve never seen this topic better-discussed.
The video is by Doug, “Qualiasoup,” who puts this quote on his youtube site:
“It is not acceptable to have a religion where the alternative to faith is punishment — that’s how you train dogs, not develop people.”
- Deng Ming-Dao
Consider some of his additional videos, such as this one on the basics of evolution.
Are you fed up with the world? If so, see if this video helps to dissolve your frustration. It features Kylie Minogue & The Wiggles in what clearly seems to be a dangerous earworm.
