protest!

The scientology protest was pretty interesting. There were a lot of people and a lot of honking, and even a guy in a kilt. Photos: here dey are. The scientologists wouldn't comment on anything and referred me to their PR manager who was busy with people who have actual audiences (aka CBC).

Also, Obama's Keynote Address was very good
"For one, they need to understand the critical role that the separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice. Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn't the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland who didn't want the established churches to impose their views on folks who were getting happy out in the fields and teaching the scripture to slaves. It was the forbearers of the evangelicals who were the most adamant about not mingling government with religious, because they did not want state-sponsored religion hindering their ability to practice their faith as they understood it.

Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their bibles.

This brings me to my second point. Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."

Quite Interesting: Stem Cells, Cosmic Symphony, Scientologists etc...

Stem Cell Transplant Cures Diabetic Mice

New Scientist has a tendency to get way too excited about things that aren't quite there yet, and I can't see the full article yet because sadly McGill library doesn't get them until a month later (HINT HINT- my birthday is in October) but this is rather exciting news! It's good to see that stem cell research is progressing regardless of the obnoxious restrictions on them in the states.

Growing Up To Prozac
You know how old people are always going on about how kids are growing up too fast these days? They might be referring to Lindsay Hohan or Britney Spears' formerly cute sister who got pregnant or something but I'd like to think that they're referring to neurons maturing faster on Prozac. Let me have at least one delusion.

Irregular Exercise Pattern May Add Pounds
One more reason to stay home?

Listening For the Cosmic Symphony: Super computer will help scientists listen for black holes
Preliminary reports: it sounds eerily similar to Phillip Glass.
Actually, there is actually no listening involved, which is quite sad.

"Looking for gravitational waves is like listening to the universe," Brown says. "Different kinds of events produce different wave patterns. We want to try to extract a wave pattern -- a special sound -- that matches our model from all of the noise in the LIGO data."

But still - Oh, Computer. Is there anything you CAN'T do?
I mean, other than push back.

Also - Scientology World Wide Protest Tomorrow at noon!
For Montreal people, it's at the Montreal chapter of Church of Scientology near Park La Fontaine. I will be there covering it for the Daily. Should be interesting, if nothing else! If you're participating, remember to be anonymous!

Next A Pint & A Fight:

Date:	Thursday, February 21, 2008
Time:	5:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:	Benelux

And if you can't think of what to do on Singles Awareness Day (AKA Valentine's Day)...
A lecture on the big bang! Perhaps the biggest.

Date:	Thursday, February 14, 2008
Time:	6:30pm - 7:30pm
Location:	Frank Dawson Adams Auditorium McGill Downtown Campus

This is the public lecture. The more rigorous scientific lecture will be held on Feb 15 from 15h00-16h00 at Strathcona Asbestos - er, I mean - Anatomy and Dentistry M1.