PEI Man Arrested, Ordered To Keep The Peace On Suspicion He May Commit Terrorism

"The RCMP in Ottawa issued a news release on the arrest, but declined to answer any questions."

Dozens Of Scientific Papers Withdrawn After Peer-Review Fraud Uncovered

"Concerns about peer review have been growing for decades. Reviewers are almost always already struggling under the burden of their own research and teaching load. Few are paid for their efforts, and even fewer get credit from their employers for this vital contribution to the advancement of science. Many admit off the record to not giving papers the attention they deserve."

Real-Life Vampires Exist, and Researchers Are Studying Them

"What was perhaps most surprising about the vampires I met though was their marked lack of knowledge about vampires in popular culture. They seemed to know much less than you might expect – at least for vampires – about how their kind were depicted in books and films. By this I mean to say that the people I met with and interviewed hadn’t turned to drinking blood or taking psychic energy simply because they had read too many Anne Rice novels."

That Moron Who Spews Garbage and Doesn’t Listen to Reason May Be a Bot

"The bot will continue to fire back canned responses that best fit the interlocutor's line of debate—Leck says this goes on for days, in some cases—and the bot's been outfitted with a number of responses on the topic of religion, where the arguments unsurprisingly often end up."

Aussie's Jar'Edo Wens prank sets new record as Wikipedia’s longest-running hoax

"While it is not uncommon for such hoaxes to lie undiscovered for years, the Jar'Edo Wens entry is unusual. A related post by the same contributor about another Aboriginal deity, 'Yohrmum' (your mum), was flagged as 'suspected vandalism' and later removed a year after it appeared."

Medical expansion has led people worldwide to feel less healthy

"In the study, Zheng took into account a variety of factors, other than medical expansion, that may be related to health. He included country-wide variables like economic development and life expectancy at birth. He also included individual-level variables, such as whether people were married, their levels of education and their income.

Even after all these factors were taken into account, all three types of medical expansion were associated with poorer subjective health over time."

Ex-Big Pharma Sales Rep Speaks Out About The Deception In The Pharmaceutical Industry

"It was an awakening process, a spiritual and consciousness process where I started observing what was happening, what some of the drugs were doing, the misinformation, the disinformation. I was being encouraged to minimize side effects when I talked to doctors. I started to realize that these patients were literally being tortured by the drugs."

Chris Hedges on C-51: They have won, and it is up to us

"These elites call for calm and patience. They use the hypocritical language of spirituality, compromise, tolerance, generosity and compassion to argue that the only alternative is to accept and work with systems of despotic power. The rebel, however, is beholden to a moral commitment that makes this impossible. The rebel refuses to be bought off with government and foundation grants, invitations to parliament, television appearances, book contracts, academic appointments or empty rhetoric. The rebel is not concerned with self-promotion or public opinion. The rebel knows that, as Augustine wrote, hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage -- anger at the way things are and the courage to see that they do not remain the way they are."

Global Shift in the Balance of Power Is Moving from West to East

"Seeking to avoid the inevitable bloodbath that would result from world war and possible nuclear annihilation of all life forms on earth, the East appears to be seeking to avert such global disaster by ensuring that this ongoing war is won by successfully transitioning to an international currency backed once again by the gold standard. The Western central banking cabal consisting of the Bank of England and other European central banks, America's Federal Reserve Board, its World Bank and International Monetary Fund along with the Israeli-US government crime cabal all stand to ultimately be stripped of their absolute power that have the entire world drowning in debt, crushing destabilization and impoverished despair. But now a light at the end of the tunnel at least is shining a little brighter."

The longer babies breastfeed, the more they achieve in life

"It’s widely known that breastfed babies are better protected against chest and ear infections, are at less risk of sudden infant death and are less likely to become obese, but it's interesting to see the benefits of breastfeeding for a prolonged period of time not only benefit the baby in the early years, but also translate into increased intelligence and improved earning ability later in life."

The Turning Point?

"It is no longer unreasonable to think that the war is approaching and that it will be a new world war. This will not be a 'clash of civilizations' (for this to happen one needs some civilizations), nor a war between 'Islam' and the 'West.' Again it will be a war between the East and the West. A 'final battle' between the powers of the Earth and the powers of the Sea, between the continental powers and thalassocratic powers, between the money system and the principle of reality."

Avoiding Gluten Good For More Than Just Celiacs, Study Confirms

"This is why the gluten free movement is so popular: most people who opt out of eating gluten feel better when they abstain, worse when they partake.  But medical professionals, wheat industry spokespersons and even some friendly to advocating for natural, evidence-based alternatives like Dr. Greger, think the case against eating wheat is overblown, if not downright fraudulent."

Why the Earth Will Never Be Invaded

"The odds of us existing, concluded Metaxas, 'are so heart-stoppingly astronomical that the notion that it all "just happened" defies common sense. It would be like tossing a coin and having it come up heads 10 quintillion times in a row.'"

'Mansplaining' the return of political correctness

"As the social critic and author Robert Hughes put it in his brilliant 1993 book The Culture of Complaint, 'paleo-conservatives and free-speech therapists are both on the same wagon, the only difference being what they want to ban.'

But re-reading Hughes's book I am confident of one thing: in another generation or two, language that now seems so inclusive and tolerant, words designed to create a 'safe place' for discourse, will undoubtedly seem jarring, if not insulting. Language police will be insisting on new argot."

Salon’s Patton Oswalt peace summit

"The messiness is what will save us. The politeness will not save us. Politeness, the policing of words, let it all fucking out there and then if someone says something racist, just fucking laugh at them. Dude, really? Make fun of that shit."

70 Percent Of Evangelicals Believe Religion And Science Are Not In Conflict

"Overall, 85 percent of Americans and 84 percent of evangelicals say modern science is doing good in the world. The greatest areas of accord were on the pragmatic side of science such as technology and medical discoveries that can alleviate suffering. Here, said Ecklund, most Americans see science and faith collaborating for the common good."

How some children have memories of reincarnation

"Tucker has painstakingly coded the handwritten files, discovering intriguing patterns. For instance, 70 percent of the children say they died violent or unexpected deaths in their previous lives, and males account for 73 percent of those deaths— mirroring the statistics of those who die of unnatural causes in the general population.

'There'd be no way to orchestrate that statistic with over 2,000 cases,' Tucker said.

Tucker said the majority of children he has investigated say they remember average lives— rarely do they claim memories of someone famous."

In praise of red ink

"The Court notes that the question of whether or not Michael Hess's pronouncement is true, or appeared to be true to Michael Hess, has no bearing on the case. Michael Hess's statement must be judged based on its timing and context."

Intelligence Services, Lobbies and Advertisers Dictate Mainstream Media Content, Journalists Admit

"Cronin's experience is only one of countless stories about the infamous pro-Israeli bias of the mainstream media. As someone working for the Canadian public broadcaster CBC-Radio-Canada once told me: 'The journalists are not the ones who are biased. They know exactly what's going on in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It's the big bosses who are scared of the Zionist lobby.'"

The Top 10 Tricks Used by Corporate Junk Science

"Only 3 of the 78 publications (4%) that resulted from trials in which the FDA found significant violations mentioned the objectionable conditions or practices found during the inspection. No corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other comments acknowledging the key issues identified by the inspection were subsequently published."

Free will? Analysis of worm neurons suggest how a single stimulus can trigger different responses

"We found that the collective state of the three neurons at the exact moment an odor arrives determines the likelihood that the worm will move toward the smell. So, in essence, what the worm is thinking about at the time determines how it responds."

Nato War Propaganda: A Danger to World Peace

"The United States, on the other hand, has generally opposed efforts to prohibit the use of war propaganda in international law citing concerns about freedom of expression. But this is a false argument, used to justify the unjustifiable, the constant use of propaganda by the United States to create in the minds of its citizens the necessary emotions and reactions to support wars fought for the benefit of a few against the interests of the many."

Selma, Obama and the Colonization of Black Resistance

"The speech in Selma, with all of its pro-'American' and settler colonialist sentimentality was delivered with a world audience in mind. Its ideological objective was to counter the idea of an irreconcilable black opposition by co-opting black resistance and imposing a conservative meaning of black oppositional politics.

The presence of George Bush and the imagery of Bush and Obama with the masses of black people behind them as they jointly crossed the bridge was meant to symbolically close any gap between the policies of the Bush and Obama Administrations that may have existed in the imagination of people outside of the U.S. related to black people and their loyalty to the U.S. state.

The message that Obama's speech was meant to convey was that despite killer-cops, mass incarceration and grinding poverty no one should be confused: you will not split black folks away from the state because these black folks belong to us."

Is President Putin the victim of yet another CIA-fabricated internet hoax — ‘Putin is Dead’?

"The Russian Orthodox Lenten Season is a particularly significant time for intensified spiritual practices.  The fasting schedule alone encourages more opportunities for a heightened spiritual awareness which then positively affects one’s capability to meet life’s mundane challenges much more effectively.  However, an unbroken period of deep contemplation and other spiritual practices are necessary for a successful outcome.

What easier way to distract President Putin from his annual monastic ritual than to steal his attention with a “PUTIN is DEAD” internet campaign.  Particularly when they know he is so attentive to the needs of the Russian people, is this plot cynical and contemptuous. You know the CIA is getting quite desperate when they become so transparent in their ill-doings."

Have You Ever Wondered Why Gardening Feels so Good?

"It’s safe to say that modern life has done more than just separate us from mother nature. It has also removed us from an environment that is essential to our well-being, and done so without us even realizing it. While the modern world claims to provide all the solutions to our problems (in this case, stress and anxiety) it neglects to tell us that sometimes, it is the source of our problems."

Listening to classical music modulates genes that are responsible for brain functions

"Listening to music down-regulated genes that are associated with neurodegeneration, referring to a neuroprotective role of music.

'The effect was only detectable in musically experienced participants, suggesting the importance of familiarity and experience in mediating music-induced effects,' researchers remark."

Ex-spy scurries to cast doubt on CSIS-ISIS link

"Boisvert’s damage control narrative is ludicrous. He is obviously trying to exonerate CSIS from culpability in this by erroneously suggesting that CSIS's asset Rashid, who was essentially helping people join ISIS, could not act to stop them from linking up with ISIS in Syria because that is not in CSIS's mandate. The asset could only 'observe' the situation and report back to his handlers. This hogwash is dumbfounding."

Intellectual character of conspiracy theorists

"If we are often blind to our own intellectual vices then who are we to accuse Oliver of failing to realise that he believes his theories only because he is gullible? 

These are all legitimate questions, but it’s important not to be too disconcerted by this attempt to turn the tables on you. True, no one is immune to self-ignorance. That doesn’t excuse Oliver. The fact is that his theory is no good."

Individualism vs. Personality

"And thus personality can never be equated to the individual adrift in society, the 'free thinker' who does no more than attempt to avoid the jackboot of collectivism. The true man is vertical in his orientation, and seeks neither material riches nor social license, rather ascending towards the heights, a genuine freedom in the realm of the spirit."

Intellectual Hipsters and Meta-Contrarianism

"If meta-contrarianism is a real tendency in over-intelligent people, it doesn't mean they should immediately abandon their beliefs; that would just be meta-meta-contrarianism. It means that they need to recognize the meta-contrarian tendency within themselves and so be extra suspicious and careful about a desire to believe something contrary to the prevailing contrarian wisdom, especially if they really enjoy doing so."

EU readies action plan to counter Russian media 'disinformation'

"In reality, RT’s budget for 2015 is less than half the amount cited by Royce – $225 million, according to the current exchange rate, or 13.85 billion rubles. By contrast, the US government media receives $721 million. The BBC World Service, which complained about RT 'winning the information war' in January, is funded to the tune of $375 million a year. "

Latin American Countries Unite Behind Venezuela in Clash With US

"'This is an unacceptable attack on Venezuela's sovereignty,' said Ecuadorian officials, while Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said it was ridiculous to think that Venezuela could pose a threat to such a superpower. 'It's absolutely incredible to think that Venezuela is the problem. It's absurd and unjustified,' she said.
  
Cuba called Washington's action as 'arbitrary and aggressive,' while the Bolivian government said Obama’s executive order was 'interventionist' and reminded them of a dictatorship.

Maduro went on to accuse the Obama administration of trying to overthrow the Venezuelan government, which he reiterated was 'democratically elected' while the US is 'an imperialist police state.'"

7 Ways the Matrix Coerces Public Consent for Torture

"It wouldn’t be entirely fair to say that most Americans approve of torture, but that doesn’t matter much, because it is fair to say that the majority of Americans are so heavily entranced in their own immediate affairs, and so heavily sedated, poisoned, intoxicated and entertained that they are powerless to confront the reality of state sponsored oppression."

Anthropocene: New dates proposed for the 'Age of Man'

"Maize from Central America was grown in southern Europe and Africa and China. Potatoes from South America were grown in the UK, and all the way through Europe to China. Species went the other way: wheat came to North America and sugar came to South America - a real mixing of species around the world.

We saw these species jump continents, which is a geologically unprecedented impact, setting Earth off on a new evolutionary trajectory."

Ex-DEA Agent Says He Was Told to Avoid Drug Busts in Rich Areas

"The special agent in charge, he says 'You know, if we go out there and start messing with those folks, they know judges, they know lawyers, they know politicians. You start locking their kids up; somebody's going to jerk our chain.' He said, 'they’re going to call us on it, and before you know it, they’re going to shut us down, and there goes your overtime.'"

Complex Societies Evolved without Belief in All-Powerful Deity

"'They are tools of control used by purveyors of religion to cement their grip on power,' says Pagel. 'As soon as you have a large society generating lots of goods and services, this wealth can be put to use by someone who can grab the reins of power. The most immediate way to do this is to align yourself with a supreme deity and then make lists of things people can and cannot do, and these become 'morals' when applied to our social behaviour.'"

Is Hello Barbie the creepiest doll of all?

"The Wi-Fi-connected doll uses an embedded microphone to record children's voices, conversations are then transmitted over the Internet to cloud servers. Mattel’s technology partner ToyTalk processes the audio with voice-recognition software. Mattel says it will use this information to 'push data' back to children through Barbie's built-in speaker."

New Study Confirms That There Are Way Too Many Studies

"Some scientists formulated complex equations and concluded that with the new media age comes more material, and with more material comes a decline in our attention towards the important scientific studies."

Loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity

"In essence, the study is saying the more positive psychology we have in our world, the better we're able to function not just emotionally but physically."

FDA Must Be Made Accountable for Scientific Misbehavior

"Currently, there is an atmosphere at FDA in which the honest employee fears the dishonest employee, and not the other way around. Disturbingly, the atmosphere does not yet exist at FDA where honest employees committed to integrity and the FDA mission can act without fear of reprisal."

The radical political implications of spending time outdoors

"The results showed, sure enough, that those who had watched the nature video 'harvested significantly fewer fish per season.' And moreover, the virtual oceans in which they fished supported sustainable fishing for longer. In contrast, those who watched the architecture video harvested more fish early on, going for the money."

China accuses Dalai Lama of 'profaning' Buddhism by signalling end to reincarnation

"The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has suggested he will not be reincarnated when he dies, prompting atheists of the Communist party to demand the tradition must continue."

How Obama’s Aggression in Ukraine Risks Nuclear War

"The burden of responsibility is therefore on us: It is 'to identify and expose the reckless lies of warmongers and never to collude with them. It is to re-awaken the great popular movements that brought a fragile civilisation to modern imperial states. Most important, it is to prevent the conquest of ourselves: our minds, our humanity, our self respect. If we remain silent, victory over us is assured, and a holocaust beckons.'"

In Great Britain, Powerful Pedophiles are Seemingly Everywhere and Totally Above the Law

"The incredibly small group of predators who get off on this sort of behavior understand they need to occupy the most elite levels of esteemed institutions in order to safely get away with their vile behavior. This is precisely why so many of the worst pedophiles tends to be very powerful businessmen, politicians and higher ups in organized religion."

As Climate Wars Heat Up, Some Skeptics Are Targets

"In a strange twist, the climate skeptics are getting support from mainstream climate scientists, who worry that investigations on both sides of the debate tread on the academic freedom of researchers everywhere."

The Mariner's Rule

"In the years to come, a great many of us will face the same kind of scramble for survival that so many others faced in the catastrophes of the early 20th century. Some of us won’t make it, and some will have to face the ghastly choice between sheer survival and everything else they value in life. Not everyone, though, will land in one or the other of those categories, and many those who manage to stay out of them will have the chance to direct time and energy toward the broader picture."

A Disease of Scienceyness

"Sciencey headlines are pre-packaged cultural tokens that can be shared and reshared without any investment in analysis or critical thought — as if they were sports scores or fashion photos or poetry quotes — to reinforce one’s aesthetic self-identification as a 'science lover.' One’s actual interest doesn’t have to extend beyond the headline itself."

Scant Evidence that Early Prehistoric People were Warlike, Anthropologist claims

"My argument is that war regularly – not always – leaves archaeological traces, if a people are known by a substantial record of skeletal remains, and/or settlement remains, sometimes supported by weapons or art. Looking at the archaeological record around the world typically shows that those signs eventually show up, but usually after a more or less long stretch when they are not present. When this appears as a recurrent pattern around the world, the straightforward explanation is that war has beginnings."

The seven ways to have a near-death experience

"While it is 'definitely clear that people do have experience at the time that they’re dead,' Parnia says, how individuals actually choose to interpret those experiences depends entirely on their background and pre-existing beliefs. Someone from India might return from the dead and say they saw Krishna, whereas someone from the Midwest of the US could experience the same thing but claim to have seen God."

Cooperative communities emerge in transparent social networks

"When the reputation (previous actions) of everyone in the network was rendered transparent, the overall levels of cooperation were almost twice as high as when only the previous actions of immediate connections were known.

When the social connections for the entire network were also revealed to all, the cooperators formed their own community, leaving those with a history of being uncooperative out in the cold."

Are you ignorant about the world?

"Sharks don't kill many people. As scary as shark attacks may be, they are extremely rare. But it is their gruesomeness combined with their rarity that is precisely why they get disproportionate attention in the media (as do other spectacular, violent events). Always remember that while the press thrives on drama, the news is not a full summary of the world; it's a tiny sample of information that fits specific needs."

Why Your Brain Hates Slowpokes

"Subjects—both human and other animals—often go for the now, even when it’s not optimal. One study showed that exposing people to 'the ultimate symbols of impatience culture'—fast-food symbols like McDonald’s golden arches—increases their reading speed and preference for time-saving products, and makes them more likely to opt for small rewards now over larger ones later."

Do animals have consciousness?

"'It’s the 21st Century. We can put people on the moon but we still don’t understand our own consciousness,' she said. 'I think we need to recognize that we're part of an evolutionary progression and it would be very bizarre for animals to not have forms of consciousness.'"

We were wrong to try to ban racism out of existence, says former equality chief

"Mr Phillips insists people should be free to use racial stereotypes, such as that many Jews are rich or that black people are more likely to be convicted for robbery, because they are true. 

Explaining the issue, he said: 'The dividing lines of race, religion and culture are probably the most dangerous flashpoints in Britain today, but they're also the ones we find hardest to talk about in public.'"

When Things Happen That You Can't Explain

"I’ve talked to hundreds of people who have had remarkable, unexpected experiences that startled them profoundly. Some see them as clear evidence of the supernatural and others do not. And there are those who come to a conclusive view of what these events mean, and those who hold them as evidence of the mystery of the human imagination itself."

Navigating the news - Or how to cut through media lies

"So the first thing anyone who wishes to get to the bottom of events needs to do is to be conscious of their own beliefs and world views. We take a lot of things for granted, because that is what we were inculcated with in our formative years, and these often don't hold up to scrutiny. To change one's view, to 'kill the sacred cows', is often an enormously painful, but essential, process, if one is to develop the faculty of analysing events in a dispassionate frame of mind. Only when we know our own vulnerabilities, our own mechanical beliefs, are we then able to accept viewpoints that might be contrary to what we held dear up to that point."

Is Your Smartphone Making You Stupid?

"'Our reliance on smartphones and other devices will likely only continue to rise,' said Barr. 'It’s important to understand how smartphones affect and relate to human psychology before these technologies are so fully ingrained that it’s hard to recall what life was like without them. We may already be at that point.'"

Officials Declare ‘Eating Healthy’ a Mental Disorder

"In short, if you turn your back on low quality, corporate food containing known cancer causing toxic additives and a rich history of dishonesty rooted in a continuous 'profits over people' modus operandi, then you may suffer from a mental illness. The cherry on top is that if you have the pseudo-science labeled disorder of orthorexia nervosa, you will be prescribed known toxic, pharmaceutical drugs from some of the same conglomerate corporations that you are trying to avoid by eating healthy in the first place."

Pro-Vaccine Propaganda Setting Stage For Ugly End-Game Scenario

"The issue is not about whether vaccines work. Vaccines can be a great tool to control disease if used properly. The issue is about ethics. Know that in modern medicine ethics is highly emphasized, and violating a patient's basic rights is at the heart of this matter. Anyone can research a pharmacology book and confirm that there are no medicines or vaccines available in these modern times that are so flawless that they justify forceful administration."

The sinister treatment of dissent at the BBC

"The scandal is simply this: the BBC is forcing out or demoting the journalists who exposed Jimmy Savile as a voracious abuser of girls. As Meirion Jones put it to me: 'There is a small group of powerful people at the BBC who think it would have been better if the truth about Savile had never come out. And they aim to punish the reporters who revealed it.'"

Mainstream Media Discovers What Created ISIS - Global Warming!

"Unfortunately, the reality is that the result of these articles and the frivolous study it cites will be that, in discussion of the Syrian crisis with trendies, hipsters, and academics, one will now undoubtedly be forced to endure having to debunk global warming along with the assertion that global warming created ISIS. Well done mainstream media. Well done."

Anti-science advocates are freaking out about Google truth rankings

"'They’re very good at debunking myths if they upset liberals,' he said, 'but if it’s a liberal or left-wing falsehood, the fact-checkers don’t seem as excited about debunking it.'"

Narrative and the New Nihilism

"This isn't an argument for that old time religion. I realize that we've reached the same point the Romans did when Jupiter no longer made sense. But I don't think Scientism is a viable replacement, especially given that it seems to be just a stop on the road to full-bore nihilism.

I realize we are one of those great turning points in history. But these are the times when empires fall. The media and the educational system - more totalitarian than any previous regime dreamed of being - has raised a generation with no loyalty to anything but its own reflection. To what end? I don't think that's truly been thought through."

Have a sense of purpose in life? It may protect your heart

"Our study shows there is a strong relationship between having a sense of purpose in life and protection from dying."

Neuroscientists find that different parts of the brain work best at different ages

"'If you go into the data on gene expression or brain structure at different ages, you see these lifespan patterns that we don't know what to make of. The brain seems to continue to change in dynamic ways through early adulthood and middle age,' Germine says. 'The question is: What does it mean? How does it map onto the way you function in the world, or the way you think, or the way you change as you age?'"

Funerals are being held for robotic dogs in Japan because owners believe they have souls

"'I was thrilled over the interesting mismatch of giving cutting-edge technology a memorial service in a very conventional manner,' he said.

It is a mismatch that humans will probably become more used to over the coming years and decades, as robots with 'personalities' become ever more part of our lives."

Syrian conflict likely fueled by climate change, study claims

"Previous studies, cited in the paper, show that the drought, together with poor water management policies, led to crop failures that spurred 1.5 million people to migrate toward already packed urban areas. This exacerbated already dire social conditions, leading to the revolution against President Bashar al-Assad."

Conformity 'doubly hard' to beat

"'If all they care about is moving in the direction of the goal, they all end up in the same darn position,' says Epstein.

'It is a very counter-intuitive result ... Nobody had really thought that you could get conformity out of people trying to be distinct.'"

'Fairy control' to halt tiny doors in Somerset woods

"We've got little doors everywhere. We're not anti-fairies but it's in danger of getting out of control."

How hunting with wolves helped humans outsmart the Neanderthals

"The answer, she argues, was the creation of the human-wolf alliance. Previously they separately hunted the same creatures, with mixed results. Once they joined forces, they dominated the food chain in prehistoric Europe – though this success came at a price for other species. First Neanderthals disappeared to be followed by lions, mammoths, hyenas and bison over the succeeding millennia. Humans and hunting dogs were, and still are, a deadly combination, says Shipman."

Google wants to rank websites based on facts not links

"The software works by tapping into the Knowledge Vault, the vast store of facts that Google has pulled off the internet. Facts the web unanimously agrees on are considered a reasonable proxy for truth. Web pages that contain contradictory information are bumped down the rankings."