the Time-Traveler's Grandma

Yet another myth has been busted by Discovery. It turns out that the old lady talking on the cell phone in the Charlie Chaplin movie from the '20s was actually deaf..

why you're still single and what to do about it

Recently, I came across an article about a woman's attempts to date successfully at 41. There's some advice from a "dating coach" that anyone could use.

all the little things

One of the most passionate and beautiful pleas for tolerance in relationships (which is actually the secret to a long-term relationship) comes from Dan Savage, a syndicated sex columnist who happens to also be openly gay.

The Trekking Lynx and the 911 Fail

We recently learned about a lynx who traveled thousands of kilometres to return to Canada, only to die in a trap. Similarly, a person stranded who was denied 911 assistance died while trying to go back to civilization.

A lynx relocated to Colorado in a program to repopulate that state’s wilderness has come back to Alberta, only to die in a registered trap.

"It came at least 2,000 kilometres, wandering around feeding, cutting up valleys, crossing rivers, dodging cougars, grizzlies, wolves, eagles and other trappers," said Bryan Anger of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., the trapper who found the lynx, dead, in a registered trapline he shares with his brother an hour west of his home at Nordegg, just outside Banff National Park.

The cat, known to biologists as BC-03-M-02, was captured seven years ago near Kamloops, B.C., researchers said Friday. It was sent to Colorado as part of a reintroduction program involving 218 lynx after the species died out in the state.

For the next four years, biologists at the Colorado Division of Wildlife tracked its movements with a radio collar. The animal is shown to have fathered two litters, a set of two in 2005 and a set of four in 2006, likely with the same mate.

The collar's last recorded signal came April 20, 2007.

Then, for more than 2 1/2 years, all human contact ceased – until Jan. 28, when Anger found the animal in his trapline.

"I wasn't surprised to find a cat but I was surprised to find where it had come from," Anger said.

Anger immediately reported the find to Gabriela Yates, a PhD student running the University of Alberta's Project Lynx.

"This was huge," Yates said. "It must have crossed many highways, many rivers, probably desert – difficult habitat it is not adapted to."

Lynx rank as one of the world's most mobile land mammals, she said. On the other hand, top known travels until now have been in the 600-1,000-kilometre range.

In this case, the 9-year-old male lynx covered about 2,000 kilometres as the crow flies between Silverton, in southwestern Colorado, and Nordegg. Yates is in the third year of a four-year study assessing lynx movements in relation to its main diet, the snowshoe hare. When the hare population crashes, lynx travel widely in search of pockets of them, she said.

The migration of BC-03-M-02 adds a piece to the puzzle, suggesting a homing sense as it was found near where it was originally captured. The lynx was healthy, weighed 26 pounds and sported an excellent coat of fur, she said.

Big River, Saskatchewan – home of a significant aboriginal population – was the scene of a human tragedy. A woman with children was stranded in a car but when she called 911 no help was dispatched.

Saskatchewan RCMP extended their condolences and launched an independent investigation of their 911 system after a woman died and three others were stranded for seven days in their stuck car.

Sgt. Carole Raymond says two women and two children had been driving to Loon Lake from Prince Albert when their car got bogged down in mud and water on a poorly maintained road in a remote area near Big River.

Records indicate a person from the car called 911 on April 8 but no officers were dispatched. The person asked for a tow truck but it appears one wasn't sent, Raymond said.

On Monday, four days later, someone called police about a woman's body on the side of Highway 942.

"It appears that she walked 60 kilometres from where the vehicle was in the water to the road," Raymond said.

On Tuesday, police got a report of a missing person and they learned that the dead woman had been travelling with another woman and two children.

"The connection was made," Raymond said.

A search by both air and ground began.

On Thursday searchers spotted the mired car.

Rescuers had to use all-terrain vehicles to get to the car due to the remote, difficult terrain.

"It was wet ... it took a good 2 1/2 hours to get to them once the airplane had spotted them," she said.

Finally, about 9:30 Thursday night, a week after someone from the car made the call for help, rescuers reached the car and found the woman and two children alive. They were taken to hospital in Shellbrook where they were in stable condition.

The family has asked police not release any information on the ages or relationships of the people involved, Raymond said.

Whenever we hear about such massive failures – one has to wonder if racism did not play a role in the decision to deny emergency services to those who needed it. It is incredibly sad to face death after trying so hard to cling to life, yet both stories manage to end on a high note.

What do you think? Is there good in everything? Is every crisis an opportunity? Is the upbeat tone sometimes misplaced, but necessary in order to make news readable?

Sources / More info: lynx-2k, 911-ignored

VerbaVolant, government, ems, ers, police, lynx, cat, cats, home, treck, trip, trek, trekk, journey, lassie

Michael Jackson is dead – le Roi (du pop) est mort

..vive Madonna! Unfortunately, the news, initially brought to us by TMZ and disseminated like crazy by the twittersphere, are true. He died of a heart attack at 50 years old.

He passed away in the mansion the promoters of his new concert. The paramedics, called by a staff member, found him not breathing and all efforts to resuscitate him were in vain. He was 50 and was on some sort of medication which may have acted to end his life. Michael leaves behind 3 children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II. He was married to Elvis' daughter, Lisa-Marie.

I too was raped by Michael!

.. but I liked it and I did not sue. I used to be electrified by his music and dance moves up until about his Bad & Moowalking albums. I liked the music on the latter, but he was nowhere to be seen – he emerged later on completely changed. Nobody knows for sure if the children who accused him of sexual assault were honest or were just trying to scam money out of him, pushed by their parents. There is a strong possibility that he was (just) sleeping with them out of a desire for affection and in a futile attempt to live the childhood he never had. This is not a behavior one would expect from a man but his childhood was wasted in endless performances. Joe Jackson, his father, is accused by some of having been obsessed to make money. He once launched his signature beverage, Joe Cola, which you can see in one of Janet's videos. In addition, his Michael’s idol, Diana Ross, whom he tried to emulate, was a motherly person.

The concert in Bucharest or'92 is considered one of the most successful broadcast on HBO and had the best ratings of that network until then. Another significant milestone (other than, of course, Thriller) was his interview with Oprah at Neverland. When asked “are you a virgin?” Michael, visibly shaken, asked in his infantile voice: “Oprah, how can you ask such a question?”. Today, Oprah is the highest rated talk show, and an appearance on Oprah virtually guarantees mainstream acceptance, but back then, it wasn’t so clear who is launching whom.

Constantly assaulted by reporters, he once said:

Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, "I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight", people would say, "Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You can't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth.

Paul McCartney

A few very good songs came out of the father – son collaboration between McCartney and Jackson. What few know is that Paul taught Michael how to profit from copyright by acquiring old songs and renting them out. Michael applied this knowledge to a few songs by Beatles and using them in ways that Paul did not approve. Their relationship soured and did not recover.

This is it

Known as “a millionaire who spends like a billionaire”, Michael had made huge debts. He was hoping to get back in black with the O2 - This is it concerts. His perfectionism and most likely fear of failure made him postpone them four times(!) He requested that his choir be racially equal. AEG Live, his promoter, had made a major investment, paying $5 millions to settle a lawsuit with a Bahrein prince. His concerts would've brought AEG Live $70 millions and would have kickstarted a 3 year international collaboration. 750,000 tickets at prices starting at $81 per bilet had already been sold

Condolences

His death touched quite a few celebrities:

Arnold Schwarzenegger: We lost a great entertainer and a pop icon. My thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Jackson's family, friends and fans.

Diddy: Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him!

Samantha Ronson: His music is just as relevant now as it was the day they pressed record, I'm sure it will remain so for generations to come.R.I.P.Mr Jackson.

Dane Cook: I'm dedicating my show 2night to Michael Jackson. THRILLER got me laid. Well... At least thats what I told my friends.

Heidi Montag: the world has suffered a GREAT loss today Michael Jackson my thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fans God bless.

Ice T: Rest In Peace Mike. People can say what they want but you were 100% original. WE will always love , miss & remember your GREATNESS.

John Mayer: Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ. I think we'll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player.

Ashley Tisdale: So sad. Saying a prayer for Michael Jackson.

Miley Cyrus: michael jackson was my inspiration. love and blessings

Ludacris: If it were not for Micheal Jackson I would not be where or who I am today.His Music and Legacy will live on Forever.Prayers to the famR.I.P.

MC Hammer: I have no words.. I loved Michael Jackson.. RIP..

Kelly Rowland: Michael you left such a legacy on this earth, have touched SO MANY!!! We thank you for such a driving inspiration in music & our lives!! This has got to be one of the saddest days in music history!! Michael Rest In Peace! WE miss you!

Star Jones: Death comes to all. But great achievements build a monument." He IS and WAS the greatest entertainer of all times...Peace to you brother.

Lindsay Lohan: NO OMG ... sending my love and prayers out to Michael and his family ... i feel sick..

Marlon Wayans: My prayers, my love, my heart goes out to michael jackson and the entire jackson family. I pray so hard for them. I'm crushed! Please pray.

Pete Wentz: Prayers and thoughts with michael jackson ... I haven't hope in so long that news isn't true.

Kim Kardashian: Wow I am truly in shock that Michael Jackson has passed away! I love u Jackson family, my prayers are with the whole family!

Ashton Kutcher: Rip Sending love and light to family and friend but especially his kids.

Shanna Moakler: The hard thing about getting older is watching all those who inspired you pass, love to the jackson family..

Rachelle Lefevre: Rest in peace Farrah Fawcett & Michael Jackson. Condolences to their families.

Paul McCartney: It’s so sad and shocking. I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever and my memories of our time together will be happy ones.

Eugene Lambert (Ireland's best puppeteer whose son performed at J's b-day party): Michael and the kids seemed to enjoy the show equally. My son sang happy birthday to Michael, who seemed genuinely touched by the attention. Michael rang me that night to thank me for the show. He said he hoped he’d be as happy at his work as I am at my age, and of course I’m 80.

Lenny Kravitz: It was the most amazing experience I’ve had in the studio. He was funny. Very funny and we laughed the whole time. I also saw what a beautiful father he was. He was a beautiful human being. If not for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. He gave me joy as a child and showed me the way to go..

Byron Garcia (security consultant at a Philippine prison who organized the famous video of 1,500 inmates doing a synchronized dance to “Thriller”, gathering 23.4 million hits): My heart is heavy because my idol died.

Imelda Marcos: Michael Jackson enriched our lives, made us happy. The accusations, the persecution caused him so much financial and mental anguish. He was vindicated in court, but the battle took his life. There is probably a lesson here for all of us.

Whatever some might think or say about him, he was undeniably an innovator, he influenced many artists and at the top of his career has simply the best. I hope that in his everlasting Neverland he’s no longer taunted by his own demons or cocky reporters..

Sources / More info: wikipedia (RO), wikipedia (EN), google news, rolling stones, yt

Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest - The Dangerous Tour (.CA, .UK, .FR, .DE, .JP, .cn)

Jackson, Michael: Video Greatest Hits: History (.CA, .UK, .FR, .DE, .JP, .cn)

Jackson, Michael: Number Ones (.CA, .UK, .FR, .DE, .JP, .cn)

1969-2004: Ultimate Collection [Best of] [Box set] (.CA, .UK, .FR, .DE, .JP, .cn)

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Catholic Church vs women

In a controversial and highly inflammatory new document, the Catholic Church has once again refused to treat women and men equally when it comes to priesthood. Though we recognize their right to worship as they see fit, we feel that this is a matter that needs to be discussed.

What draws me to this issue is its ethical complexity. As a former relationship and sex counselor, I have a significant feminist streak. As a libertarian, I believe that the state should not interfere with religion. If the Catholic Church wants to prohibit women to become priests, they should have the right to do so. Women with such a vocation could start their own Christian church.

Back in 1999 Sinead O’Connor defied those Christians who believe that Jesus chose his apostles to be only men for a reason by being ordained in a ceremony of the Latin Tridentine church in Lourdes. But she did not stop there. After singing “War”, she tore the picture of the Pope live on TV saying “fight the real enemy” (see videoclips below).

The incredibly surprising thing here is how poorly the Church fares in Public Relations. Recently, when condemning the ordaining of women priests, they almost equated it to pedophilia. According to the BBC,

Pat Brown, of the group Catholic Women's Ordination, said she was deeply shocked and called the change to Church law "a slap in the face to women". She said of the Pope: "He is not doing himself any favours."

The Vatican says ordaining women is "grave" as is sex abuse, but denied it was equating the two. The Pope was "talking about paedophiles and talking about women wanting to be priests as a crime against the faith. I cannot understand that language," said Ms Brown.

(..)

The new Vatican document was released on Thursday, just days after the Church of England's General Synod voted in favour of legislation to consecrate women bishops. The new measures are expected to be interpreted as a pointed message to Anglicans.

In the document, the attempted ordination of a woman is listed as a "grave crime" to be handled by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, just as sex abuse is.

Vatican sex crimes prosecutor Monsignor Charles Scicluna said that including the two issues in the same document was not equating them, but was done to codify the most serious canonical crimes which the Roman Catholic Church handles. "They are grave, but on different levels," he said on Thursday.

One very interesting (for us) subject is that of the intersection of money and church. With reason or not, the Catholic Church is universally considered the richest church in the world, with the Vatican being the richest state. There is a precedent of a church (scientology) being denied by several countries non-profit / church status and being taxed as a business. Though we generally consider churches to be expressions of the freedom to worship, we regulate against discriminatory practices among employers. Slate (linked below) has examined the relationship between “soul saving” and pay incentives and advocates for using performance-based pay for priests:

Parsons' thesis adviser, Jay Hartzell, is also a preacher's son. Hartzell likes to quote Corinthians in connecting his current work to his father's ministering roots: "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?" In other words, if Goldman Sachs bankers get paid based on profits they earn for the company, why shouldn't preachers get bonuses based on souls saved (and paying members recruited)? (..) Before examining how financial incentives have affected Oklahoma's pastors, we first need to say what makes a great minister. Performance for corporate execs is relatively straightforward—they get paid based on the profits they generate. For nonprofits, performance depends on the organization's mission. Hospitals exist to heal the sick; schools, to educate children. The United Methodist church's primary objective is to attract disciples (which in turn keeps the collection box full and the church solvent).

Rather than unsuccessfully contacting the Anglican Church for a reaction, the BBC should have contacted Sinead O’Connor..

Sources / More info: bbc-catholic-women, church-money, wiki-scientology, wiki-sinead, yt

VerbaVolant, catholic, pope, papality, women, equality, ordain, priesthood, misogyny, misoginy

Shaming Steve Martin or Why Trump Won

In his tribute to his friend Carrie Fisher, Steve Martin dares to call her beautiful and SJWs of the world unite in their outrage. This demented political correctness police is part of the reason why Trump has won.