Category Archives: Education

Stay in School!

In most parts of Canada and the U.S., school starts this week.

With that in mind, here’s some unsolicited advice for high school students.

Stay in school!

Finish high school. Seriously. I mean it.

If you think life in general is hard…

Try life without a high school diploma.

Bill Gates (supposedly) once said, “If you think your teacher is tough…

Wait til you get a boss!”

Studying is not fun. Studying is rough.

And do yourself a favour… don’t use short-cuts.

They’ll test you on the parts of the book that weren’t in the movie.

OK, that was my rant for the day.

Go forth and slack no more!

Dancing Ice Crystals

Now that days are getting warmer and muggier, I thought I would post a bit of a reminder of the beauty of ice.

The movements of a music box ballerina are reinterpreted in a groundbreaking video for British composer Ryan Teague using electromagnetic fields, sub-zero temperatures and 2,000 volts of electricity.

The video took months of planning, four days of shooting and roughly two terabytes of photos to animate the growth of hard-to-create ice crystals.

Directed and Produced by Craig Ward

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… SUPERMOON!

This past weekend, the moon appeared 15% percent larger than a full moon at its farthest distance.

The full Moon has a reputation for trouble. It raises high tides, it makes dogs howl, it wakes you up in the middle of the night with beams of moonlight stealing through drapes.

If a moonbeam woke you up Saturday or Sunday night May 5th or 6th, 2012, I hope you got out of bed to take a look. This May’s full Moon was a “super Moon,” as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2012.

(Supermoon 2012 Over Toronto: Photo Credit – Reuben Opena)

The supermoon of 2012 rises over Toronto, Ontario, Canada in this spectacular photo by skywatcher Reuben Opena taken on May 5, 2012 during the biggest full moon of the year.

14 Extinct Creatures That Could Be Cloned

(Wooly Mammoth [1])

14 Creatures The Could Be Cloned!

(Tasmanian Tiger [2])

Can lost species ever become un-extinct?

(Pyrenean Ibex [3])

In the 1993 science fiction film Jurassic Park, dinosaurs are cloned back to life after their DNA is discovered still intact…

(Sabre-toothed Cats [4])

… within the bellies of ancient mosquitoes that were preserved in amber.

(Moa [5])

While the science of cloning is still in its infancy…

(Dodo [6])

… many scientists now believe it’s only a matter of time before many extinct animals again walk the Earth.


(Ground Sloth [7])
  To successfully clone an extinct animal, scientists need to find animal DNA that is almost entirely intact…
(Carolina Parakeet [8])
… so some species will make better candidates for resurrection than others.
(Wooly Rhinoceros [9])
  For instance, recently extinct animals that have been preserved in museums make good candidates…
(Passenger Pigeon [10])
… as do ancient animals that were preserved in permafrost during the last ice age.
 (Irish Elk [11])
Because of the sheer amount of time that has passed, dinosaurs make unlikely candidates.
(Baiji River Dolphin [12])
While a real-life Jurassic Park is probably best reserved for the imagination, a real-life Pleistocene Park, well, that’s another story.
(Huia [13])
Here’s our list of 14 extinct animals that could be resurrected, thanks to cloning.
(Neanderthal [14])
 Re-blogged from an article at Mother Nature Network. (Text: Bryan Nelson)
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[1] Early in 2011, Japanese scientists announced that they planned to clone a woolly mammoth within five years. The clock is ticking, but with a little luck these ice age behemoths may soon become the first inhabitants of the world’s first zoo for extinct animals. Mammoths make particularly good candidates for resurrection because they went extinct so recently and because many intact specimens have been found frozen in the Arctic tundra. Furthermore, because mammoths are so closely related to a living species — elephants — scientists may be able to simplify the process by having a living elephant give birth to a mammoth.
[2] The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, native to Australia, was a remarkable animal that was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. The animals went extinct as recently as the 1930s, mostly due to the relentless efforts of bounty hunters. Because they went extinct so recently, specimens of the animal remain intact, pickled and preserved in museum jars. Some specimens that have been stuffed and displayed in museums may also still retain DNA. Projects to clone the thylacine are already well under way, and some of the animal’s genes have already been successfully expressed in a mouse fetus after the genes were inserted into the mouse’s genome.
[3] Still think cloning extinct animals is impossible? Technically, it’s already been done: the Pyrenean ibex recently became the first extinct animal to ever become un-extinct — at least, for seven minutes. The cloned fetus, which contained reanimated DNA from the last known living Pyrenean ibex, was successfully brought to term after being implanted in the womb of a living domestic goat. Although the ibex died of lung difficulty seven minutes after birth, the breakthrough ensures the inevitability of resurrecting extinct species.  The last known Pyrenean ibex was a female named Celia, who was killed by a falling tree in 2000. It was her DNA that was used to create the short-lived clone.
[4] Looking at the epic canine teeth of these once-fearsome cats of Pleistocene lore, you may wonder whether resurrecting saber-toothed cats is a good idea. Nevertheless, they certainly make good candidates. Not only did they go extinct relatively recently — about 11,000 years ago — but fossil specimens have survived into modern times thanks to the frigid habitats they once roamed. Several intact specimens have also been recovered from ancient tar deposits, like those at the La Brea Tar Pits.
[5] These giant flightless birds, similar in appearance to ostriches and emus but without vestigial wings, were once the world’s largest birds. Because moas were hunted to extinction as recently as 600 years ago, their feathers and eggs can still be found relatively intact. In fact, moa DNA has already been extracted from ancient eggshells, and projects to clone the moa have already been attempted.
[6] Perhaps the world’s most notorious extinct animal, the dodo was driven to extinction a mere 80 years after its discovery. Since the bird’s habitat on the island of Mauritius contained no natural predators, the dodo evolved to have no fear of humans and was easily clubbed to death. The dodo may soon be reborn if scientists can locate enough DNA to create a clone that could be implanted in the eggs of closely related modern pigeons. For example, DNA samples have recently been retrieved from museum samples housed at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, making the dodo a good candidate for this process.
[7] Look at the fossil remains of this ancient creature and you might believe you’re looking at a giant bear. In fact, these elephantine animals were ground sloths, most closely related to the slumbering modern-day three-toed sloth. They make good candidates for resurrection because they went extinct so recently — giant ground sloths may have still walked the Earth just 8,000 years ago at the dawn of human civilization. DNA samples have already been extracted from intact hair remains. Because the only surviving relatives of the ground sloth are tiny by comparison, finding a surrogate mother is impossible. But it may someday be possible to develop a fetus in an artificial womb.
[8] Once the only parrot species native to the United States, the Carolina parakeet was tragically driven to extinction after being hunted for its feathers, which were popular in ladies’ hats. The last known specimen died as recently as 1918, and because stuffed birds, remnant feathers and eggshells can still be found in circulation and in museums, DNA extraction and cloning of the species could soon become a possibility. Some historians have already called for such a project to begin.
[9] The woolly mammoth wasn’t the only massive hairy creature to drag its scraggy dreads over the chilly Pleistocene tundra. The woolly rhinoceros also stomped through the Arctic snow as recently as 10,000 years ago. The animal also appears frequently in ancient cave art, such as at Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in France. For all of the same reasons that the woolly mammoth makes a good candidate for resurrection, so it is with the woolly rhino as well. Well-preserved specimens frequently become exposed in Arctic permafrost.
[10] As recently as 200 years ago, flocks of passenger pigeons numbering in the billions blanketed the North American sky. By 1914, the species had been wiped out by merciless hunting campaigns. Now thanks to cloning technology, the animal that was once the most numerous bird in North America might have a second chance. Museum specimens, feathers and other remnants of these birds still exist, and because they are so closely related to the mourning dove, finding a surrogate mother would be easy.
[11] Another megafauna to fall victim to the ending of an ice age was the Irish elk. Calling this animal an elk is actually a misnomer, as recent DNA analysis has shown that it was actually a deer — in fact, the largest deer to have ever lived. Its antlers alone measured as much as 12 feet across. As with other animals that lived in the icy north during the Pleistocene, preserved specimens of the Irish elk can be readily found in melting permafrost, making it a prime candidate for being cloned.
[12] Declared “functionally extinct” as recently as 2006, the Baiji River dolphin became the first cetacean to go extinct in modern times due primarily to human influence. Because of its recent extinction, however, DNA can still be easily extracted from remains. In fact, efforts to retrieve and store the animal’s DNA are under way. Like with many extinct species, however, the question remains about whether the Baiji River dolphin would have a home to return to after being resurrected. The Yangtze River system, where this dolphin was found, remains heavily polluted.
[13] This uniquely beaked bird, once endemic to the North Island of New Zealand, became extinct in the early 20th century after museum demand for mounted specimens reached a peak. Due in part to the bird’s popularity as a mascot and national symbol within New Zealand, a project was recently launched and approved to clone and resurrect the Huia.
[14] The Neanderthal is perhaps the most controversial extinct species eligible for cloning and resurrection, primarily due to logistics: The surrogate species would be us. As the most recently extinct member of the Homo genus, Neanderthals are widely considered a subspecies of modern humans. Cloning them might be controversial, but it could also be illuminating. A Neanderthal clone would also probably be most viable. Scientists have already completed a rough draft of the Neanderthal genome, for instance. The question is not so much “could we do this?” but “should we?”

Americans Willing to Pay for Laundry Folding Robots!

Americans are willing to pay for laundry folding robots.

Well, Lord knows I am!

According to the online research firm Persuadable Research Corporation [1], more than half the people surveyed said that a robot would be useful for, among other things, folding laundry.

The ‘among other things’ include:

  • Providing home security
  • Cleaning windows
  • Washing floors and dishes.

And that’s not all. Almost half (46 percent) wanted to use their robot to remind them of things, kind of like a personal assistant. A smaller number wanted robots that would interact with humans, including working with the disabled (12 percent), assisting the elderly (11 percent), or functioning as babysitters (9 percent).

Granted, some tasks are of a much greater magnitude.

Watch the video from LiveScience.com to see how rescue robots are being used and even adapted to be more personal and interactive with (in this example) humans trapped inside a collapsed building.

That’s all very well and good (especially for the trapped person) and truly is a noble endeavour but let’s get back to the laundry folding, shall we? Because I spot a dark and evil side to this. After all, dark and evil IS in my nature!

Some people are not so much the laundry folding type as they are the ‘toss the clothes back in the drawer’ type. Does this person NEED a robot? I know I sure would like one… or rather, I like the idea of one… but do I need one. And by need, I mean ‘is it truly good for me… and society as a whole?’

Here’s my concern about what I see as the dark and evil aspect to all this. There are all kinds of uses for a House-Bot, I’m sure, most of which are perfectly sound and rational. And herein lies the slippery slope, my little geeks and nerdlings.

As was pointed out in a recent blog by the Kosher Samurai, it’s just a matter of time before human nature rears its all-too-true-to-form head and we get… Robo-SexBots!

I don’t know about you folks but off the top of my head, I can mention at least a dozen people who, being the proud owner of a state of the art Robo-SexBot, would never leave their house. Society would collapse. People wouldn’t show up to work or, if they do, show up in such an exhausted and addle-headed state as to be completely useless.

Wall Street would crash. The economy will crumble.

The media would trumpet the dangers of Robo-Sex Addiction. Talk show host would focus on the looming problem. Jerry Springer would showcase people who’ve left their spouses for their Robo-SexBot. Pulpits throughout the land will proclaim in the most fiery language how we are all facing a total societal breakdown as a direct result of this new evil right in our own homes!

Far too much drama for me.

So… for the betterment of Mankind and at great personal sacrifice, I will fold my own laundry.

You’re welcome!

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[1] Their motto? ‘Reliable. Responsive. Rocket Powered.’ And no, I am not making this up!

Do Bees Experience Emotions?

We’ve all heard expressions like ‘a swarm of angry bees.’

But do bees or other insects actually experience something like emotions?

(Is that a smile??)

According to a recent Scientific American article, it sure looks like they do!

The article begins, “If you have never watched bees carefully, you are missing out. Look closely as they gently curl and uncoil their mouthparts around food, and you will sense that they are not just eating but enjoying their meal. Watch a bit more, and the hesitant flicks and sags of their antennae seem to convey some kind of emotion. Do those twitches signal annoyance? Or something like enthusiasm?”

Recent studies by Melissa Bateson and her colleagues at Newcastle University in England have rekindled the debate over these issues by showing that honeybees may experience something akin to moods.

(Is this a happy little bumble bee?)

Using simple behavioral tests, Bate­son’s team showed that honeybees under stress tend to be pessimistic. Other tests have demonstrated that monkeys, dogs and starlings all tend to react similarly under duress and likewise see the proverbial glass as half empty.

For now, however, we cannot conclude anything more sweeping about the emotional life of a bee. Bateson and her co-authors leave us with an intriguing plea for consistency, however, one that nudges us to think clearly about how we regard the minds and emotions of all creatures. “It is logically inconsistent,” Bateson and her colleagues say, to deduce that dogs and other similar animals express emotions “but to deny the same conclusion in the case of honeybees.”

(Just what is she thinking?)

Although this finding does not — and cannot — prove that bees experience human-like emotions, it does give pause. We should take seriously the possibility that insects, too, have emotions.

So let’s not tick off those bees, shall we? They may actually be angry at you!

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An Open Letter to the Beit Shemesh Spitter!

A repost of the Aish HaTorah article, An Open Letter to the Beit Shemesh Spitter.

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An Open Letter to the Beit Shemesh Spitter

How dare you?

How dare you spit on an 8-year-old schoolgirl and terrorize her as she walks to school? I don’t care what she’s wearing; spitting, verbal abuse, and threats of violence cannot be tolerated.

How dare you call yourself a Hareidi, God-fearing Jew? Your despicable actions are diametrically opposed to Judaism. You are a thug and a hooligan whose conduct, in the words of the statement from Agudath Israel of America “is beyond the bounds of decent, moral – Jewish! – behavior.”

How dare you put us in a position where we need to state loud and clear that we condemn your loathsome actions. We do not share the same theology; we resent having any association with you that necessitates our stark denunciation.

How dare you wear the garb of a religious Jew and create a massive Chillul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name, where uninformed Jews and non-Jews around the world mistakenly believe media distortions that you somehow represent religious Jews in Israel. You are like the kippah-clad thief who dines on pork; he cannot call himself a ‘religious’ Jew. You refuse to listen to rabbinic leadership and your actions are causing irreparable harm to the Jewish people.

How dare you reject the Torah’s way of “love your fellow man” and instead erect barriers of hate and intolerance.

How dare you – through your reprehensible actions – turn off Jews who are curious to learn about their Jewish heritage.

How dare you reject the Torah’s way of “love your fellow man” and instead erect barriers of hate and intolerance.

Perhaps you should try following the example of a real Torah Jew, the great Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, of blessed memory.

A non-religious Israeli couple was married for 12 years and could not have children. They were distraught and decided to seek counsel from the renowned Rosh Yeshiva. It was a hot summer day and the couple knocked on the door. The woman was wearing her typical summer attire and was not modestly dressed.

Rebbetzin Finkel opened the door and greeted the couple. “How wonderful that you came to meet my husband!” Then she turned to the wife and warmly said, “You know, my husband is a great scholar – he learns all day. When I go in to speak with him, I wear a shawl out of respect. Why don’t you come with me and see if I have one for you, too. I think I even have a perfect piece of jewelry to match. And we’ll go in together to speak to him.”

They entered his study and told the rabbi why they had come. Rabbi Finkel had great difficulty talking due to the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s. He mustered his strength and said to the woman, “You and I have a lot in common. We both know what suffering is.” He began to sob, along with Rebbetzin Finkel. Then the couple started crying.

Rabbi Finkel spoke with the couple for a while, offering words of comfort. He then took their names, and vowed to pray for them.

No yelling, no threats, no spitting. Just love, respect and compassion of one Jew for another.

Maimonides writes (Laws of Character Development, 6:7) that the only way to draw people close is through love. That is how the Almighty relates to us, and that is how He wants us to relate to others.

Abandon your hate and choose the Torah’s path of warmth and understanding. I dare you.

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When I heard about this story, it made my blood boil! Luckily, Aish.com posted this article before I was able to put down my two cents.

I hate ending the year on a sour note… but hopefully, some good will come out of this sad affair.

Happy New Year… and may the coming year be filled with good things for all!

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