For A Thursday

More to talk about....


The hood makes the man:

The masked "Jihadi John" killer who fronted Islamic State beheading videos has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a British computer programming graduate from a well-to-do London family who was known to the security services.

The black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent was shown in videos released by Islamic State (IS) apparently decapitating hostages including Americans, Britons and Syrians.

The 26-year-old militant used the videos to threaten the West, admonish its Arab allies and taunt President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron before petrified hostages cowering in orange jump suits.

Emwazi's name was first disclosed by the Washington Post, citing unidentified former associates. Two U.S. government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to Reuters that investigators believed Jihadi John was Emwazi.

Dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose and a holster under his left arm, Jihadi John became a menacing symbol of Islamic State brutality and one of the world's most wanted men.

But I thought these guys just needed jobs.

Despite all the protestations that this silver-spoon baby was "extremely gentle", I don't think anyone with an intact neuron could ever believe that someone who hacks off heads or smashes centuries of culture and history is a nice guy.


Quebec shows us the way!

There is a report that a Quebec judge refused to hear a woman's case because she wouldn't remove her hijab. ...

Marengo told El-Alloul that hats and sunglasses are not allowed and she didn't see why a hijab is any different. ...

"I felt that I'm not Canadian any more," she said. "When I swore by God to be a good Canadian citizen I was wearing my hijab."

Yes, but Canadians don't wear hijabs because they are garments from an emotionally backward culture.


A doctor quack mutilates a child and is getting sued for it:

A former patient of a disgraced eastern Ontario gynecologist is suing him for $1 million over an alleged botched abortion.

Tania Brown of Carleton Place, Ont., has filed a statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in nearby Perth. She alleges Dr. Michel Prevost committed "gross negligence and medical malpractice" with respect to her failed abortion.

Brown claims on Oct. 4, 2011 she visited Prevost in Almonte, Ont., about 50 kilometres west of Ottawa, to undergo an abortion.

The statement of claim says Prevost aimed to complete a "chemical abortion" where he administers a combination of methotrexate and misoprostol to terminate the pregnancy. It alleges the doctor injected incorrect doses that led to a failed abortion.

Brown told CBC News she only realized the abortion failed four months later, and later carried the baby to term. She gave birth to a five-pound boy with fetal abnormalities, including a smaller brain and a hole in his heart, she added.

I do hope the child sues the mother, as well. She not only let some quack poison her son but she left him hanging on without seeking treatment for him for four months!

This sort of thing happens more often than one would think.

A Great White shark is believed to be swimming in Washington state waters:

Washington State's Fish and Wildlife Department is warning people along the coast that a great white shark is swimming in its waters after a dead half eaten seal was found on the beach. 

A harbour seal that washed up on the beach in the tourist town of Ocean Shores this week had been partially devoured by the predator, providing evidence of the rare shark which is not often seen in this area.

Christopher Lowe, a professor of marine biology at the California State University Long Beach and the director of the school's Shark Lab, says sightings of great white sharks north of California are unusual, but not unheard of.

"White sharks, compared to other species of sharks, can actually go into colder water," said Lowe. "They can keep their bodies warmer than the water."

Lowe says great white sightings may become more common off the coast of B.C. because of warmer ocean temperatures allowing them to move further north.

He says more sightings could come as a result of decades of legislation and environmental management that are enabling the whole food chain to flourish.

"It's good sign to see big predators," said Lowe. "It means your ecosystem is coming back."

(Sidebar: but the seals won't like it.)

Well, now I know:

In Hollywood zombie films, the plucky survivors usually fight back against the zombies - but that is a terrible idea, Cornell University scientists tell us.

The team modelled how a ‘real’ zombie outbreak would pan out, using statistical modelling as if it were an actual epidemic.

The best way to survive is simply to run for the hills.

Specifically, you want to be as far from human beings as possible - so a mountainous region, where you’re unlikely to run into either infected humans or zombies, is best.