Feeling blue? Go to Montreal.

Maybe this is why we all have so much fun when we go to Montreal!

A significant amount of antidepressant medicine exists in Montreal's waste water, affecting fish tissue and brain activity, a study by the University of Montreal's chemistry department has found.

... 

This study's authors, however, want to reassure people that the effect of water-borne antidepressants on humans is likely negligible, given the amounts involved. 

Sauvé said the actual amount of the drugs in the ecosystem is quite small, despite the potential impact.

A very loose interpretation of 'Queer'

Kingston will once again be home to one of the country's most important celebrations for the queer community: the 12th annual Reelout Festival 

"It has been amazing to see the festival grow and evolve over the years. Originally, it was run as a collective by dedicated community volunteers. "

"Now Reelout is at a point where it runs very much through self-generating revenue, we now have full-time staff and office space," he says. "It's a real credit to them that we're now recognized as a festival that shows the best films, and pays each artist - something that is really crucial to us."

Salton explains that there are 13 countries represented at this year's festival, such as South Africa, Dubai and the Netherlands.

"We still try to look for between 45 and 50 per cent Canadian content, but there are films from all over the world," he says.

For more information about show times and the films featured at the festival, or to learn more about Reelout's activities throughout the year, please visit www.reelout.com.

The Sky is Falling

This news story came and went really quickly. So quickly, in fact, I wondered to myself if something was being hidden from us ... for our own good.

This map shows the pattern of mass deaths of birds and fish around the world.


View Mass Animal Deaths in a larger map

... and the link will take you to an article that tries to separate the truth from the non-truth.

Personally, I believe these birds and fish are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine, and whatever is going on, whether natural or induced by man, they appear to be an indication of something or some things going awry.  DR. MERCOLA 

I'm a Gemini. I'm a Taurus. I'm a Gemini ... again!

After the universal cafuffle about how the stars don't match up with the Astrological signs due to precession, I did some digging.

Following several leads I learned that Tropical Astrology, the version that is used here in North America, is quite different from Sidereal Astrology, the version that purportedly uses star maps.

So in reading this:

Tropical astrology is based on the idea that astrology is based on the configuration of the solar system relative to the Sun, not to the remote fixed stars. For tropical astrologers therefore it is irrelevant that the solsticial points (tropics) have drifted from one constellation to another over the millennia, due to the precession of the equinoxes. The names of the zodiacal constellations that became the star signs are supposed to suggest the characteristics of (the sun in) each segment of the year. Thus, Aries (House 1), representing the sun just returning to the northern hemisphere at the vernal equinox, Leo (House 5), representing sun of mid-summer, Sagittarius (House 9), representing the retreating sun close to the winter solstice, etc. In its emphasis on the symbolic or metaphorical meaning of the star signs tropical astrology differs from sidereal astrology which claims intrinsic meaning for the star signs and wishes to preserve those meanings by laying out horoscopes against fixed stars.

... I had to think that all of the hubbub over changing signs didn't actually apply to us here. Western Astrology doesn't even use the stars to make it's predictions.

But THEN, I started to think about all the people who have paid to have their charts done, according to some very complex maths interpreting the positions of heavenly bodies, were being ripped off. It's all bollocks anyway.

... just tax the STUPID people !!!

... A favourite quote from my favourite episode of Absolutely Fabulous! ~ video below ~

I was one of the first people I know to ever object to stupid people walking down the sidewalk while texting, obviously oblivious to their surroundings and the people in them.

I jumped for joy when Ontario first banned the use of cellphones while driving - although just yesterday I saw a driver on Bank St. with a phone to his ear.

Never did I dare dream that reason would eventually triumph over stupidity.

Come on cellphone users, no matter what you think, you CANNOT walk, talk, drive, or even listen when you are using your phone! WAKE UP!

Or maybe we should just let the stupid people kill themselves off by walking into traffic.

Below is a link to an audio clip from CBC Radio:

CBC News - World - AUDIO: States mull texting bans while walking

Gays in SPACE ... space ... s p a c e !!!

Photo ~ blastr.com

Brannon Braga: Star Trek ... Not forward-thinking about gay relationships



When it comes to specific television shows and movies that have lacked gay visibility over the years, the Star Trek franchise has probably received the most scrutiny — and criticism — from AfterElton.com. After all, despite having produced more than a dozen feature films and 726 episodes over the course of six series (including the 22-episode animated series) the franchise has never managed to include an out gay character in a movie or series.

This despite the fact that in 1991 Gene Roddenberry told The Advocate that the fifth season of The Next Generation would at least show gay crewmembers as part of ship life. Unfortunately, Roddenberry died that year and none of the subsequent episodes featured gay people at all.

... and while we're on the theme of Star Trek

Ran across this video while I was putting together the last post about Astrology and thought it was cool. Check it out.

I, for one, welcome our new Overlord

Paul the octopus lived in a tank at a commercial attraction, theSea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany and became internationally famous after his feeding behaviour was used to correctly predict the winner of each of Germany's seven matches in the 2010 football World Cup, as well as the outcome ofthe final.

The Sea Life aquarium just unveiled a creepy yet fitting 6 1/2-foot tall monument of an oversized Paul the octopus limply crushing a large ball featuring the flags of all the 2010 World Cup nations' flags. I'm assuming this represents how for one summer, an octopus used the game to become overlord of the human world.

Some people got too much time on their hands...

Fans around the world had asked for a memorial to the psychic mollusk

"For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky"

Despite a number of uncanny experiences with Town & Country magazine's back page, and a statistically improbable collection of Gemininian friends (cuz only a Gemini can really understand another Gemini!), I do not believe in Astrology. In fact, over the years I have unwittingly started several angry arguments with people who are into Astrology by questioning their pseudo-science. 

"Okay, I understand that you can calculate the position of the sun, moon, planets and stars to exacting degrees, but who decided that the positions of the spheres when someone was born indicate particular qualities?"

"HUMANS, that's who! The interpretations are completely subjective!"

They would usually assume their fallback position by accusing me of not understanding the precision of their charts, and that they are merely describing where things are - stars don't lie.


But, until a few weeks ago, I never imagined that even their math was flawed ... that's just crazy talk!


Turns out that their "precision" forgets about "precession" and the actual positions of objects in the sky don't match what their charts say. Not only do all of the Zodiac signs have the wrong dates, but there are actually 13 signs, not 12. And, it is a lot harder to draw things with 13 sections than it is with only 12.

New Zodiac Signs

Capricorn • January 20 - February 16

Aquarius • February 17 - March 11

Pisces • March 12 - April 18

Aries • April 19 - May 13

Taurus • May 14 - June 21

Gemini • June 22 - July 20

Cancer • July 21 - August 10

Leo • August 11 - September 16

Virgo • September 17 - October 30

Libra • October 31 - November 23

Scorpio • November 24 - 29

Ophiuchus • November 30 - December 17

Sagittarius • December 18 - January 20

Have a listen to this short interview with the scientist that has stirred up a scandalous storm of stellar proportions by suggesting that Astrologers' charts are wrong.

THAT means that, even if I DID believe in Astrology, rather than being a "

dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory

" Gemini, I am actually a 'solid, practical, extremely determined and strong-willed' Taurus. But, me and 'Bull' rarely see eye-to-eye. Now, 

I am going to have to redefine my entire personality to match the magical truthiness of Astrology.

With this new information, I really wish I had been born at the beginning of December so that I could identify with Ophiuchus ( being careful not too mis-pronounce it though ) because then everyone would assume I was wielding a big snake (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

Ophiuchus holds a huge snake, Serpens, in both hands as shown in the Atlas Coelestis of John Flamsteed. Serpens is unique in being divided into two halves.

Chances are the people who believe what they want to believe rather than the facts will continue to do so, hoping the truth will slowly fade into the background for another 2,000 years (when I guess I will be an Aries). But unfortunately, to quote an old friend and her Tarot cards, the stars don't lie.

I predict that a new cult of 'True Astrologers', flanked by their newfound Ophiuchian (pron.?) friends will now descend from the heavens and tell us all that THEY are the aliens that seeded our planet with Life, and we should now call them God... I can hardly wait.

Until then, I guess I should start calling up all of my old, happily twinned, Gemininian friends and tell them that it's over, cuz things get REALLY CRAZY when a bunch of bulls get together.

"For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky"

Cocktail anyone?

French furniture retailer Conforama has put together a great ad illustrating how different people's lifestyles can be.