Recent Comments
RSS feed
The latest fun conspiracy theory
October 11, 2013 — xanthippaI love conspiracy theories: true or false, there is just something fun about them.
And, I love the F1 – have ever since I was a little kid.
Plus I am a huge fan of Sebastian Vettel – after all, he looks so similar to my older son!
Red Bull with vodka – yum…
So, when all four of these things are rolled into one – entertainment ensues:
‘Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel is quick. Too quick. The three-time Formula 1 champion dominated the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving his closest competitor 32.6 seconds behind as he took his eighth win of the season.’
…
‘That’s where the engineering conspiracy theories begin.
The leading speculation, posited by Racecar Engineering, is that Red Bull has managed to link the suspension in Vettel’s RB9 to the hybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) onboard. KERS has been around for a few years and gives drivers a power boost in short bursts, and because it’s an electric motor, the torque output can be tweaked on-the-fly — just like a traditional traction control system.’
Oh, the intricacies of engineering miracles…
This weekend’s race in Tokyo, I’ll be not just watching but also listening!
The Day Free Speech Died In Canada – October 2, 2013
October 4, 2013 — xanthippaAn excellent post about this most sad day…
It has quotes, links and goes through the logical steps of where this ruling will lead.
‘The verdict by the jury in the “Warman vs Fournier et al” has effectively killed good, old-fashioned, political discourse and debate in cyberspace, in Canada. Even minor insults and common hyperbole of innocent nature and made-up words not in the dictionary, can now be construed as defamation.
The law lesson learned from the verdict is that defamation court actions are designed to stifle online discourse and healthy political debates that used to commonly take place around kitchen tables and then graduated to cyberspace are now less likely to happen in the blogosphere, since all owners of blogs, forums, chat rooms etc. must now become ruthless, editorial police to avoid the risk of libel suits.The law definition of libel states: “Any communication that is likely to lower that person in the estimation of reasonable people and in particular to cause that person to be regarded with feelings of hatred, contempt, ridicule, fear or dislike.”Each and every Canadian ought to now be motivated to action in a gallant effort to redeem free speech in Canada. Most likely, our elected representatives are not yet aware of the significant impact that the verdict in the Warman vs Fournier et al is having on our fragile and ever diminishing right of free speech in Canada.’
Read the full post here.
UPDATE: Another insightful analysis can be read here.
John Stossel – New Tactics Of The Police State
October 3, 2013 — xanthippaI am a huge fan of Julian Sanchez.
Courts Discreetly Confirm MMR Vaccine Causes Autism
September 27, 2013 — xanthippaWhen I was in high school, I idolized ‘immunology’, with its life-saving vaccines. As such, when it came time to pick a grade 13 biology project (yes, I am old enough to have gone to high school in Ontario when grade 13 was still mandatory for those of us who sought University education) was about immunology. I was lucky enough to live in Canada’s capital – the site of the Health Canada labs that developed vaccines.
I contacted them and was lucky enough to ‘get in’.
For my grade 13 ‘project’, I managed to get one of the Health Canada scientists to both read and review his PhD thesis and to come in to the labs to observe first hand how vaccines are developed and tested.
I was ecstatic!!!
This was a dream come true!
After I read through the PhD thesis (and, I had to educate myself quite a bit to understand all its nuances – and, again, I am in debt to the folks at Health Canada who gave me all the books I needed to read to understand what I was reading – and there were quite a few…), I got to come in, prepare slides for the electron microscope and study the images it captured. I was, indeed, very, very lucky!
After I had finished my science degree (in Physics), I was contacted by one of the former Health Canada scientists who was now the head of an immunology department at a major Canadian University. His biggest complaint was that medical students who register for his courses are so arrogant, so full of self-importance because they are studying medicine, that they fail to adhere to the most basic scientific principles in their lab routine. Since he had followed my progress through my University education, and since I specialized in data acquisition and analysis (i.e. telling other scientists if they are actually measuring what they think they are measuring – and if their measurements mean what they think they mean), he lobbied me rather aggressively to come to his University and whip their lab routines into shape…
I must admit that I was tempted – very, very tempted. Tempted enough to do some more, highly directed, study in the specialized routines for immunology labs. But, my life circumstances were such that, in the end, I chose against this course.
Sorry to bother you with my life story, my aim is only to explain that while I am not an immunologist, I am more educated on the topic than an average person and I have also studied some of the pitfalls specific to immunology research and vaccination development.
As such, I am highly skeptical of any vaccine that delivers more than one pathogen at a time.
This all goes back to first principles of how our immune systems react to pathogens, classify them, create antibodies and then store these antibodies in a ‘database’ for future reference.
At least, that is how healthy immune systems function. (This was, indeed, endorsed by the CDC, as seen on their website until the first Bush administration decided that in case of a biological attack, forced vaccination was the policy of the US government – at which point the information that people with deficient (asthma, strong allergies etc.) or diseased (lupus, cancer etc.) immune systems and their close relatives (siblings and offspring) ought to avoid vaccines like the plague was, quietly, removed from their site.)
When a healthy immune system encounters a pathogen that causes illness , and the immune system is sufficiently stimulated to be triggered by this pathogen (i.e. the person becomes ill), then and only then the body begins to produce antibodies tailored to that specific pathogen. Depending on the danger the pathogen poses (the strength of the body’s reaction to it), the immune system will classify the antibodies that proved successful in combating the pathogen for a certain period of time. The stronger the reaction, the longer the antibody will be stored for.
Thus, if you (or your children) do not become ill at all in the aftermath of a vaccine, it means that you have acquired 0 protection against it!!!
It also means that the people with strong allergies, asthma, other immune system disorders and, especially, with immune system diseases can not, absolutely, acquire immunity to pathogens due to vaccination: to the contrary! They are at a high risk of adverse reactions to vaccination (including comma and death) without being able to derive any possible benefits from having received the vaccine: their immune systems are not functioning properly and are confusing healthy tissues with pathogens, so c as extra set of antibodies can only be used against the healthy body itself, not invaders from the outside!!!
Sadly, despite the scientific evidence, most MD’s in Canada routinely recommend immunization ESPECIALLY to people with compromised immune systems – because they are not educated in the specifics of immunology and can’t seem to walk through the logical steps until one takes them through them….at which point they hit their forehead and regret the huge damage they have done…a pretty universal reaction in the health providers I walked through the process.
Still, none of this applies to healthy people – including healthy babies!
Now, please, do indulge me in the next little bit…
What happens when a person is ill with an infection, their immune system kicks in and creates antibodies to it – but, then, a secondary infection sets in?
Dollars to doughnuts, even if the secondary infection is ‘mild’ – something that would not cause a problem if it were a primary infection because the body’s immune system could do away with it in a matter of days – when it is a secondary infection to something else, it can – and often does – become life-threatening!
Please, do think about it.
And, do think about the way the healthy immune system functions: it encounters something that makes the body ill, analyzes the ‘surface proteins’ of the pathogen and then creates antibodies which recognize these ‘surface proteins’, attaches itself to any cell that displays them and destroys it.
So, what happens when there are several different pathogens – like when there is a secondary infection?
The human body prioritizes.
It picks the most potent pathogen and makes antibodies against it.
Then, it attempts to apply these antibodies against ALL the pathogens invading the body at that time!!!
Which is why a different, secondary pathogen, can grow out of control and kill the body, even if – should it have been the only infection – the body would have beaten it in a jiffy.
And, this is why I have always been highly skeptical of vaccines that introduce a multitude of very different pathogens…
As in the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.
OK – I have a strong reservation about the wisdom of vaccinating children against ‘childhood diseases’. Not because I don’t recognize that the childhood diseases are deadly in and of themselves. They are. But…
Their mortality rate (as well as other side effects, such as infertility) are much, much lower if a person contracts them in their childhood rather than as an adult. And, the weakened pathogens that are in the vaccines will necessarily induce a much shorter-term immunity than a full-blown illness would be. This is why we are currently seeing so many adults who have been vaccinated against childhood illnesses develop them in their 20’s and 30’s….and, do brace yourself for when they reach their 50’s+!
But, back to multiple pathogen vaccines…
I have a child that, following the MMR vaccine, stopped having motor control over one eye. It was perfectly fine before the vaccine, and his reaction to the MMR vaccine itself was just a minor fever for 2-3 days, nothing out of the ordinary…
Yet, I do have photographic evidence that before the MMR vaccine, his motor control of both eyes was perfect – but, after it, only one eye had motor control.
Of course, I sought answers!
And, I did not fear using all my contacts in the immunology community to do so.
The reaction I got was pretty uniform: nobody I contacted in the Health Canada immunology research department or in the Universities’ immunology departments would ever have subjected their children to a multiple pathogen vaccine – not that they would admit to it ‘on the record’!
The ‘unofficial’ explanation I was given was that the body will form antibodies to the strongest perceived pathogen – and any additional one presented at the same time will drive the immune system into ‘overdrive’. Many people can take this, others will develop allergies and asthma and reactions to ‘things’ – from mild ones to life threatening ones.
Now, on a completely different note…
When I was in University (in the late 1990’s), I used to enjoy reading ‘Psychology Today’ and, while reading an article on anorexia, I learned there was such a thing as ‘alpha antibodies’….which are created as a reaction to a vaccine (nothing to do with what is in the vaccine itself, but rather that some people, while exposed to some pathogens – like the ones found in childhood vaccinations – develop it as a result of exposure to those bugs). In other words, if they suffered the specific childhood illness, they might (or might not) develop alpha antibodies – but, if they are exposed to the vaccine, they 100% will.
These alpha antibodies attack certain neural pathways, causing OCD and other ‘stuff’.
Yes, it was decades ago and I read it in a hard-copy magazine, so I don’t have a link to support this. If you happen to be aware of one, please, do comment and I’ll update the post to reflect it.
When I took my MMR vaccine-damaged child to our family doctor, he told me, very frankly, that this is ‘typical’ of an MMR vaccine damage – but that I will never find a Canadian doctor (including himself) to testify to this in court. He further informed me that he had been warned that if he were to report more than 3 adverse vaccine reactions in a year (again), he would be stripped of his license to practice medicine in Ontario. This was just a few months before he quit his thriving practice for good and enrolled himself in dental school…he just could not bring himself to practice medicine under such restrictions, restrictions which would force him to lie and falsify records…
It is in this spirit that I offer you the link to the following article, which claims that the previously discredited claims that the MMR vaccine caused autism have now been vindicated by having been proven true in the court of law.
I do not know how credible this source is – but, please, do follow their sources and judge for yourself!
A Message From OpenMedia.ca:
September 26, 2013 — xanthippaThis could be it.
For the first time, the Presidents and Prime Ministers of 12 powerful countries — including Canada’s Stephen Harper — will meet behind closed doors to seal an extreme Internet censorship plan called the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)1
We know from leaked drafts2 that the TPP will make the Internet more expensive, censored, and policed. Experts say “kids could be sent to jail for downloading” and whole families could be kicked off the Internet.3
World leaders plan to “conclude the TPP discussions” in just a few days.4 Will Stephen Harper feel the pressure from industry lobbyists – or will he feel the pressure from you? Send decision-makers a powerful message before it’s too late.
Canadian MPs, citizens, and public interest groups are locked out of the negotiations entirely. Despite blocking Canadian parliamentarians from seeing the agreement, U.S. Congressmen are allowed to see exactly what’s on the table.5
We’re asking Canada’s officials to please:
Say no to Internet censorship.
- Protect the right of everyone to access the Internet in their daily lives.
- Do not force ISPs to act as “Internet Police” monitoring our Internet use, censoring content, and removing whole websites.6
- Preserve the democratic rights of sovereign countries to draft their own copyright laws.
Our public outcry has stopped TPP officials from finalizing the agreement but now powerful interests are pressuring political leaders to ram through their Internet censorship plan.
Thousands of people and over 30 major organizations from across the Trans-Pacific region are working together to keep the Internet open. High ranking politicians from several countries are beginning to ask questions7.
We know that when citizens speak out, decision-makers take notice. We cannot allow U.S. lobbyists to define Canada’s digital future. Click here to send a simple message to Canada’s negotiators: Please say no to Internet Censorship.
Together, we won’t let them take away our digital rights.
For our future,
Steve and Jason on behalf of your vigilant OpenMedia team
PS: The Internet won’t stay open on its own; speak out now to call on TPP negotiators to preserve our digital future. Your support is critical in the fight to defend the possibilities of the open Internet.
Footnotes
[1] “Obama to Attend APEC, ASEAN Summits on October Asia Trip”. Source: Bloomberg.com
[2] Leaked draft of TPP Intellectual Property Chapter. Source: Knowledge Ecology International
[3] What’s actually in the TPP? Source: Public Knowledge
[4] US Envoy: TPPA talks to conclude next month. Source: FMT Malaysia
[5] “Trans-Pacific Partnership: Canadian MP’s Have No Access To Drafts US Pols Can See, NDP Says” Source: The Huffington Post
[6] “TPP Creates Legal Incentives for ISPs to Police the Internet. What is at risk? Your rights.” Electronic Frontier Foundation
[7] “International Criticism Escalates Against TPP as Negotiations Go Further Underground” Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
Warman vs Free Dominion and John Does – the Jury Trial (day 1)
September 9, 2013 — xanthippaYet another installment in the Warman vs Free Dominion saga began today (9th of September, 2013) – and I was lucky to be there to witness it. While I am no legal expert so I could only follow what was happening through my layman’s eyes, I am happy to share my personal observations with you.
As this was a jury trial, the first thing that had to be done was the selection of the jury. One thing I learned was that while there are 12 jurors in a criminal case, there are only 6 in a civil case. The process itself is interesting, if lengthy and, for the prospective jurors, I imagine it would be quite tedious and more than a little stressful.
The jury selection room at the Elgin St. Courthouse in Ottawa, where this trial is taking place, is located on the 3rd floor. As soon as I came off the elevator, I spotted Connie Fournier from Free Dominion with her lawyer, Barbara Kulaszka and a group of supporters standing in front of Courtroom #37. Roger Smith, one of the John Does (who is representing himself) was seated nearby, and the highly charismatic Mark Fournier soon also joined the group. All were either smiling hopefully or looking thoughtful.
Connie Fournier looked elegant in a pretty brown blouse with a simple silver necklace, charcoal slacks and black cardigan and understated black shoes. Mark wore a simple dark green shirt, sporty black pants and his usual aura of immense energy, coiled just beneath the surface! The distinguished-looking Roger Smith wore a tan shirt, darker tan pants (brown shoes, of course), blue blazer with a blue tie with a subtle tan stripe. Barbara Kulaszka wore her lawyer’s robes, which drape pleasingly about her slender frame, flattering her tall figure.
Richard Warman breezed in just at the time appointed for the action to start, in his regulation crisp, flawless business suit (dark) with a light shirt and a tan-ish patterned tie. He was accompanied by his handsome and extremely capable lawyer, James Katz (who appears to have moved from Brazeau Seller LLP to Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP) and his assistant (grey suit) whom Mr. Katz later identified as a law student.
In the meantime, all the prospective jurors (there were to be several juries, for both criminal and civil suits, to be selected today) had gathered in a crowded room just off the Court Room #37. When the first judge (not for our case) was ready to start selecting the jury for the criminal case he was to preside over, they (the prospective jurors) were all led in (by the bailiff) and seated in the large and comparatively plush courtroom – however, as this did not concern us and the room was quite full, we left.
We moved to Court Room #35, a much smaller one, where the presiding justice, Judge Robert Smith, wanted to go over some points of procedure with the lawyers and Mr. Smith prior to selecting the jury.
Justice Robert Smith seems very kind and good natured, explaining to the self-represented Mr. Smith that, as he (Mr. Smith) is not a lawyer himself, he (Justice Smith) will explain all the procedures to him and his rights in how to represent himself and he (Justice Smith) urged him (Mr Smith) to ask questions if he has any and he (Justice Smith) will be happy to answer them.
Then there was some amicable procedural back and forth between the judge and the two lawyers and things seemed to be going quite well. For example, Mr. Katz explained that the 10 days set aside for the trial was spread over 3, rather than 2, weeks due to his obligation to observe some religious holidays, and so on.
Procedural stuff!
The judge asked the counsel to prepare a brief 1 to max 2 page summary not of the facts of the case, but of the positions they’ll be arguing them from, for tomorrow morning.
In addition to the Fourniers, Barbara Kulaszka is also representing one of the John Does, (Jason Bertucci, from BC, aka ‘Faramir’ – who will attend the trial next week). Several of the John Does Mr. Warman was suing had settled out of court and he had not discovered the identity of a few more, so, as per an earlier court order, the proceedings against the unidentified John Does was vacated. In case Mr. Warman was to win and damages were to be awarded to him, the terms of the settlements with the John Does would be revealed so as to prevent ‘double dipping’ (my term, not the legal one) of having overlapping (again, my imperfect understanding, not the legal words) damages awarded in both the settlement and the court case.
…haggling over some late-submitted evidence, the essence of which was quite lost on me…relevance – rulings, binding so stuff can be removed from evidence books if deemed irrelevant….procedural stuff!
Once Justice Robert Smith was happy, we went back to Court Room #37 where the criminal case jury selection was just finishing up (under the watchful eye of Justice Patrick Smith). (It seemed like metal-workers were everywhere today!!!)
As it concluded, we were told that there was to be a brief break – and all the prospective jurors had to file out of the room, back into the cramped holding room off Court Room #37.
Ten or so minutes later, we went back in to do our jury selection – and all the prospective jurors had to file back in. It was at this time that I observed something peculiar, but very, very human!
Being in a stressful situation, as being in a jury pool, with its inherent loss of control over one’s ‘destiny’ – at least, circumstances in the short term – is much more stressful that one might imagine and which was accentuated by all this ‘group herding’ from one room to the other over and over… but this bonds people together!
And, as the prospective jurors filed in this time around, from the guy carrying his bicycle helmet to the young woman in those ridiculously high heels, these people began to form ‘familiar stranger’ social bonds. Some sought to sit near the same people as earlier. Others exchanged smiles and acknowledging nods. Many began to engage in ‘familiar stranger’ social chatter…
It is exactly this ability of humans to bond under stressful situations, regardless of race or creed, that makes humanity so awesome!
But, I am rambling. My apologies – I’ll re-focus.
Justice Robert Smith spoke of the supreme importance of jury duty to our system of governance and I fully approved of all the wonderful, important things he said.
So, the process of jury selection, patiently explained by Justice Robert Smith, was to select 20 potential jurors by drawing their pre-assigned number from a box, which looked a lot like a Bingo drum. They will come up if their number is called. Then, if any of them had undue hardships, they could tell the judge and he’d excuse them from jury duty. A gray-haired woman came forward and explained her English was not good enough for her to follow the testimony properly, a young man had been booked to travel on business during trial dates, and so on. The judge excused them, if their ‘hardship’ were genuine.
The rest of the 20 who were up then stood facing the lawyers and the self-representing Mr. Smith, one by one, and they (the lawyers and Mr. smith) could either accept them as jury members or reject them. Each side could reject up to 4 potential jurors, this number being split equally between Ms. Kulaszka and Mr. Smith on the defense side, giving each of them 2 rejections. Mr. Katz rejected a computer-savvy looking man. Ms. Kulaszka rejected a nuveau-hippie looking young woman. That was it. The next 6 people were sworn (on either the Bible or the Koran) or affirmed in as jurors, the next two as alternates (these were dismissed at the beginning of the trial, when it was apparent that the 6 jurors would indeed be able to serve).
Thus, the jury of 4 men and 2 women was selected!
It was not even noon, and we were free till the body of the trial would start at 2 pm, in Court Room #35.
Perhaps not as exciting a process as the trial itself, but, as I had never seen anything like jury selection before, I found it fascinating. Hence the recounting thereof…
Promptly, at 2 pm, the Warman vs Free Dominion and John Does jury trial began.
Once the jury was brought in, Justice Smith again spoke to the importance of their role to our society and went on to explain their prospective roles: his job was to instruct them on what the law is and their job was to listen to the evidence, all of the presented evidence (and no more or less), for themselves, and then draw conclusion on what the facts were and apply the laws, as they are and not necessarily as they think they should be, to these facts and render a decision. They could take notes, but not take them away with them – and taking notes should not interfere with their paying attention to the testimony.
Justice Smith further instructed the jury as to how things will proceed, how the testimony and cross examination will work, and all that procedural sort of stuff. He was very good at covering the important points and, if the jurors looked puzzled, he explained closer. Very well done.
Aside: at some point in the proceedings, the exact moment of which I cannot right now find in my horribly scrawled notes (as I am hurrying to write this all up), Justice Smith announced that any witnesses who are to testify in the case (none for Mr. Warman, though he himself would testify, but as a plaintiff and not a witness and for the Fourniers [who would each also testify, as defendants – not witnesses], there will be four witnesses called: Tom Kennedy, Paul Fromm, Jerry Neumann and David Icke) are to leave the courtroom and isolate themselves from any testimony before they themselves are called. (Sorry for the convoluted sentence – it’s a lot of information condensed together, but it is important ‘stuff’.)
All right – if I go into all the details, I will not get this typed up before having to head in again tomorrow morning (I am a slow thinker and an even slower writer). So, I’ll simply hit the headlines and explain my perceptions of what took place.
Mr. Katz, a most competent lawyer (without whose brilliant work I suspect Mr. Warman’s lawsuit record would be quite dismal – and who is, unfortunately, not sporting that sexy beard of his right now) made his rather brief opening statement. Quite well, but not as well as I would have expected from his past performances. (Sad … I love to see a brilliant mind at his best!)
Then, he called Mr. Warman to the stand.
Exciting!!!
But again, the testimony itself was so much lower quality than what I had expected to see that it left me faintly sad…
Mr. Warman, aided adroitly by Mr. Katz, attempted to paint himself as ‘the victim’. The courageous human rights activist who saw wrongs being done and took up the challenge to try to make the world a better place…and got nothing but grief and abuse as a reward!
At least, that is what, to my eye and ear, he attempted to sound like. Just a little too hard…
I don’t know if the jury bought it, but, it did not ring true to my proverbial ear.
Why?
Because even when he attempted to cloak it is ‘oh, poor me, I’m doing good and the world is picking on me’ whines, he did make some rather stark factual admissions.
For example, Mr. Warman testified that there was a detestable man in the United States of America by the name of Bill White (if I am not mistaken) who got charged by the FBI for uttering death threats against a whole slew of people – and Richard Warman got himself added to that list, somehow. It went to trial and, that detestable, horrible person was indeed found guilty of uttering death threats against every single person on that list – EXCEPT against Mr. Warman…
Aside: if I am not mistaken (and I might be), Mr. Warman appealed this and lost – so not one, but at least two courts found his allegations of ‘death threats’ to be less than ‘provable’. If any of my readers have more info on this, I would appreciate your ‘hard evidence’ because I am very sketchy on this and would like the legal record to be as correct as possible! The corollary is: this is my highly imperfect understanding of the testimony Mr. Warman gave, not a statement of fact, and it should not ever be mistaken for one!
This bit is important because one of the defamatory comments Mr. Warman is suing about, from what I understand, is that someone claimed that he (Mr, Warman) had, in the past, made false claims that he got death threats…though, the bulk of his (Mr. Warman’s) testimony today was about ‘all the death threats’ from evil and detestable ‘neo-nazis’ (not even remotely connected to any of the people he is suing here – so I can only guess he’s laying groundwork against the claim of ‘his false claim of death-threats’) that he had, over the years, received…
Ah, what a web we weave…
Another ‘fact’ that Mr. Warman had testified to today was that, while employed by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, he was also a complainant who brought cases before the Canadian Human Rights Commission…
Actually, to my untrained mind, Mr. Warman had made himself sound much worse than I suspect the facts of the matter are. From previous information (which, I suspect, is not available to the jurors), I don’t think there is any evidence that Mr. Warman had himself investigated ‘Section 13’ (the ‘hate-speech’ section) of the Human Rights Code complaints. Yet, the way he had phrased it on the stand, it would be easy for the jurors to misunderstand his statement to imply that he both brought the complaint to the Human Rights Commission and then investigated it himself….a clear conflict of interest, in my eyes. A conflict of interest I do not think he is guilty of, but which the jury might misunderstand his words to suggest…
Don’t get me wrong – I am no fan of the past totalitarian actions of Mr. Warman. But, being an Aspie, I cannot stand it if ‘the rules’ are broken and if ‘the truth’ is not clearly visible – whether that ‘advantage’ is in favour of the team I am ‘cheering for’, or against!!! Which is why this bothers me so…
I want freedom of speech and freedom of the internet to win – but on the true facts and their merits, not on poorly given testimony which is then misunderstood!!! That would be a hollow victory!
OK, that is my OCD speaking… sorry, I’ll move on…
Another fact Mr. Warman had testified to was that, while an employee of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, he had brought complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission which were investigated by it,then referred to its ‘Tribunall’ – which then awarded him tens of thousands of dollars in ‘damages’…while he was also drawing a salary from the CHRC. Again, I can not read the minds of the inscrutable jury, but, my to mind (rightly or wrongly) this screamed ‘double dipping’ and ‘corruption’! Yet, when Mr. Warman testified to it, he tried to make it seem like a good thing. And, again, I cannot but suspect the appearance Mr. Warman’s testimony created was much worse than the truth of the matter…
Indeed – everything Mr. Warman testified to was couched in the ‘I am a victim – neo-Nazi’s are trying to kill me’ language. But, the facts he himself put into evidence…to my layman’s mind, they were seriously damaging to his cause, his credibility – and in my highly imperfect comprehension, the way he had painted himself – his very own words on the stand today – were way more damaging to his reputation that anything I have, over the years, read on the internet. Much worse than what I suspect is the actual truth of the things he had so clumsily testified to today…
It remains to be seen if the jury parsed his testimony the same way I did – most unlikely, as I am much more familiar with the background material so some things that were casually ‘slipped in’ practically ‘screamed’ at me…plus I have a very Aspie mind, and thus are much more sensitive to perceiving even camouflaged injustices/misrepresentations than the average person might be.
One final point: during some bit where Mr. Warman was explaining just how damaging to his reputation, both as a lawyer and as a person, the posts at Free Dominion were, he flatly said (and I may be paraphrasing slightly, as I am working from notes, but not in the substance of the statement): they might as well have said I cut heads off of babies!!!
Several jury members visibly cringed at this simile.
I have no idea if this means they had empathy with him for such damaging statements on ‘that accursed website’ or if they thought he was over-exaggerating and thus losing credibility with them…
Only time will tell!
Thunderf00t: Battleship!
September 6, 2013 — xanthippaBismarck!!!
Can’t talk about Bismarck without this:
Tinfoil-hat time: embedding false memories using blue light is now a reality
July 26, 2013 — xanthippaYes – what seemed far-fetched sci-fi plots is now a reality, if, for the time being, only for mice.
‘The researchers used optogenetics, a technique that allows precise control of brain circuits. The control is achieved by expressing proteins that act as switches in particular types of brain cells. These switches are channels that, when struck by a particular color of light, allow charged particles into or out of the neurons, which will either activate or silence them.’
…
‘Armed with this discovery, they installed the optogenetic trigger in the neurons that were especially busy while a mouse got to know a new environment (we’ll call that Place A). The next day, in a different environment, they gave the mouse small electric shocks while triggering the memory of Place A using light. After that, even though it never had a negative experience in Place A itself, the mouse froze when it was returned there.’
What the researchers did was to target a memory of ‘place A’, where the mice had no unpleasant experience, at a later date and use a blue light and electric shock to change that neutral memory into a terrifying one.
Think of that next time you feel a strong aversion to something or an unspecified feeling of uneasiness – and keep the light-reflecting tinfoil hats on!
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 