Why did Blogger delete ERV’s blog?

Many science bloggers are asking why Blogger.com deleted a science blog, ERV (endogenous retrovirus). The blogger, Abbie Smith, is a graduate student in HIV research. She has shown herself quite capable of debating pesudoscience floggers such as Michael Behe, pointing out their mistakes and lies, demanding proof of their claims, and tapping her foot while they come up empty. For this Behe calls her “some woman” (not HIV researcher, not grad student, not young scientist) who’s a Mean Girl.

And then a couple of days ago her blog suddenly disappeared from Blogger. It isn’t full of links. It’s not spam. So what happened? Did some creationists complain about her? Did Blogger yank the plug without investigating? Inquiring minds want to know, but there doesn’t seem to be any place to ask that question.

ERV is back on blogger for now with no explanation offered as to the breach of service. ERV is pulling up stakes and transferring her articles to Scienceblogs.com, where there’s a committment to actually supporting science bloggers. Scienceblogs hosts the most popular science blog in the world, Pharyngula, and I expect the site to attract much more traffic for ERV.

Blogger’s treatment of ERV has made me think that I’d better accelerate the transfer of my blog to WordPress, especially since Blogger’s kludgy published procedure for backing up a blog backs up only the last 500 posts.

duck genetics

… recessive genes:

see more funny pics

Is transit an essential service?

The sudden transit strike in Toronto on Saturday was quickly over but it may have been a serious tactical mistake for the union. They had must about everything they wanted. But now the Ontario government is preparing emergency legislation to declare public transit an essential service and take away their right to strike. The public certainly doesn’t like their daily lives to be held hostage. If people depend on transit and forgo buying cars, then their lives will be thrown into confusion, their jobs and childcare arrangements and appointments will suffer if they can’t use public transportation.

The union says that they don’t want to be declared essential. Once it’s illegal for them to strike they won’t be able to apply the same pressure that they do now. But I think they almost deserve it.

Home from BC

I’m safely home from Revelstoke, where we successfully married off the blushing bride. This is my cousin’s daughter (thus a cousin once removed) and her new husband, after their (non-religious) marriage service.

Back from B.C.

Here’s the cause of all the fuss: a new bride and groom in Revelstoke, BC., after their non-religious marriage service.

Uses for dandelions

If you have dandelions in the yard you can use them for salad -= just the leaves. Slip a knife at a shallow angle into the root and the rosette of leaves comes off. They’re bitter, like endive only more so. I like them with a dressing heavy in vinegar and salt. And maybe eat them with bread for relief. They’re rich in Vitamin A.

You can also make mashed potatoes and after mashing them, stir in dandelion leaves for some colour and contrast. They don’t seem quite so bitter that way. I was told this was “bubble and squeak” but I think the traditional recipe is made with leftover cabbage.

You can go on harvesting them as long as they are young and tender. When they bloom, they become even more bitter and it’s time for your lettuce to be up.

BC highway cameras

Here’s a link to some British Columbia webcams: BC highway cams.

Surprise transit strike in Toronto

After the transit union and the city reached a tentative deal after the last minute, we thought we had a chance of avoiding a strike altogether. And there was supposed to be 24 hours’ notice. But the union rejected the deal, the union leader muttered something about threats from the public, and the transit went on strike immediately on Saturday, stranding thousands of people. Sigh. Every time they have a strike, some people stop using transit and never come back.

Swimming at hotel

Hotel pools are generally quite small, suitable for splashing aound with small children. This one is small, but I made due for about an hour of bobbing around and stretching idle muscles. I’ll upload a picture of the pool.

In Revelstoke

Revelstoke, B.C., is entirely surrounded by mountains except for a couple of passes. It’s an inland rain forest, humid in summer and snowy in winter. They had at least 12 feet (3.5 m) of snow this year. There’s still snow in drifts here and there, waterfalls coming off the mountain, and stretches of road marked “Avalanche Area: do not stop.” The mountains are amazing and beautiful - sometimes like solid clouds, sometimes hidden in fog, sometimes monumental and brooding.