Pete’s Musings

Our livers are the multi-tasking workhorses of our bodies. It processes virtually everything you eat, drink, breathe in or rub on your skin and that’s just some of its over 500 different functions vital to life. Every day, your liver helps your body by providing it with energy, fighting off infections and toxins, helping clot the blood, regulating hormones and much, much more. When it becomes damaged, infected, and inflamed (hepatitis = liver inflammation) our bodies can no longer perform these vital functions to the same degree. Also, there are many innocent ways in which the liver can become inflamed: viral infection form ingesting contaminated water or food, cancer, genetic or congenital disorders, etc. So if someone tells you they have hepatitis, please do not assume they are a drunkard, drug user, sex addict, or just eat too much … and even if that turns out to be the case, display some compassion as we all participate in these activities to varying degrees!

American Liver Foundation
Canadian Liver Foundation
British Liver Trust
Australian Liver Foundation

Please spread the word if you have that capability. thanks!

This is a great article from Scientific American (July 2002) that focuses on refuting all those silly ‘Intelligent Design’ and Creationist arguements. Read the whole article here. The last page of the article attacks the methodology used by ID and creationist proponents as well.

“Opponents of evolution want to make a place for creationism by tearing down real science, but their arguments don’t hold up.”

Anti-science points that just don’t stand up:
1. Evolution is only a theory. It is not a fact or a scientific law. Wrong. (distinguishes between theories (like Darwin’s theory) and facts (like evolution does occur!). Read More »

I was filled with pride yesterday while driving into the hospital … my sister and her 2 kids spent some time on the radio talking about their experiences at the Montreal Children’s hospital - trying to help out during their annual fund raiser. Kids were so cute (on CHOM, mix96 and CJAD radio), and it dawned on me how much help this hospital has been to our family and our city. Read More »

I just wanted to say how happy I am with this news. ID really infuriates me, pretending to be science, when it’s the farthest thing from science. It’s insulting and designed to mislead (brainwash even) the people of the US into voting/advocating something most of them cannot even comprehend. I’m just now reading the ruling written by Judge Jones on this case. He really laid it out plain. Here’s a quote:

To briefly reiterate, we first note that since ID is not science, the conclusion is inescapable that the only real effect of the ID Policy is the advancement of religion. Second, the disclaimer read to students “has the effect of implicitly bolstering alternative religious theories of origin by suggesting that evolution is a problematic theory even in the field of science.” Third, reading the disclaimer not only disavows endorsement of educational materials but also “juxtaposes that disavowal with an urging to contemplate alternative religious concepts implies School Board approval of religious principles.”
The effect of Defendants’ actions in adopting the curriculum change was to impose a religious view of biological origins into the biology course, in violation of the Establishment Clause.

Nicely said eh? And a friend just told me that this fellow was appointed by Bush. Finally that monkey did something right!

I recently stumbled upon this site Minature Earth and it really helps put life in perspective. Visit the site and let me know what you think.

I’m one of those people that is always outraged by these world facts, but I’ve never really been able to propel myself into activism. It’s too difficult to find an organization to work for and it’s difficult to be outgoing enough to approach them if you do. That, and most organizations are religion-based - I don’t agree with any of these religions and their motives, so I’m SOL I guess. I, like many average people I suspect, try to bring up these kinds of things in normal conversation and particularly in arguments where people feel they are somehow being mistreated because everything isn’t handed to the on a silver platter.

Anyway, I’d like to find some place to volunteer or work where I can work on some activism relating to poverty, world economics, and political movements. Read More »