Just a couple of links to keep things going. First is election fallout, from a site where you can post your apoligies to the rest of the world for electing Bush and, for those who need liberation, a site that allows Americans to hook-up with Canadians for purposes of marriage and immigration.
Also, a couple of fun ones, whether it's the results of filtering cheap vodka with a Brita, a sampling of the worst sweaters ever, or an interesting mix of ping-pong and the Matrix.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
John Peel
Being insanely busy with school I haven't had any time to work on this, but with the events of today I will make an exception.
John Peel, the longest-serving DJ on BBC Radio 1 whose career spanned over four decades of music, has died today at the age of 65. I only began listening to his show about 3 years ago, which was broadcast on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings on BBC Radio 1, but quickly it became one of my institutions -- rarely a week would go by when I missed one of the shows. The one thing about John Peel's shows is that you never knew what was going to come next, whether it be a tune from the 40's, some electronica or death metal - the show was as varied as my tastes in music were, and in that it was an excellent fit. The other thing I loved about John Peel was his humour, whether it being some sort of snappy retort after a song had finished to his never-ending propensity to play LPs at the wrong speed - sometimes even claiming that they sounded better that way. Because of this, even though I was only familiar with him for a short time I feel a great sense of loss knowing that no more of his shows will be produced, that I will never again hear his voice broadcast live.
None of this even mentions the insurmountable impact he has had on music over the past 40 years, being the first DJ to play punk, reggae and hip-hop far before they were commercially successful. Dozens of bands from the White Stripes to Blur to Pink Floyd were played by John Peel before they were played anywhere else.
The BBC has a great set of links honouring his life, first an obituary, the tributes already sent in from across the world, and a picture gallery spanning his entire life. This site apparently run by the London Times Review, has the best collection of reasons why John Peel was so special. My sincerest condolences go out to all of his family, friends and fans across the world. His presence will be greatly missed.
John Peel, the longest-serving DJ on BBC Radio 1 whose career spanned over four decades of music, has died today at the age of 65. I only began listening to his show about 3 years ago, which was broadcast on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings on BBC Radio 1, but quickly it became one of my institutions -- rarely a week would go by when I missed one of the shows. The one thing about John Peel's shows is that you never knew what was going to come next, whether it be a tune from the 40's, some electronica or death metal - the show was as varied as my tastes in music were, and in that it was an excellent fit. The other thing I loved about John Peel was his humour, whether it being some sort of snappy retort after a song had finished to his never-ending propensity to play LPs at the wrong speed - sometimes even claiming that they sounded better that way. Because of this, even though I was only familiar with him for a short time I feel a great sense of loss knowing that no more of his shows will be produced, that I will never again hear his voice broadcast live.
None of this even mentions the insurmountable impact he has had on music over the past 40 years, being the first DJ to play punk, reggae and hip-hop far before they were commercially successful. Dozens of bands from the White Stripes to Blur to Pink Floyd were played by John Peel before they were played anywhere else.
The BBC has a great set of links honouring his life, first an obituary, the tributes already sent in from across the world, and a picture gallery spanning his entire life. This site apparently run by the London Times Review, has the best collection of reasons why John Peel was so special. My sincerest condolences go out to all of his family, friends and fans across the world. His presence will be greatly missed.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
First Point to Kerry
The first Presidential debate happened on Thursday night, and I have to admit that after much apprehension through the first 15 minutes, I eventually was quite pleased with John Kerry's performance. The media seemed to think that Kerry won the first debate as well, and this is reinforced by polling results. Deutsche Welle reports that Kerry's plan of improving relations with the world is very popular in Europe where Kerry is vastly more popular than President Bush, which leads to some hope to internationalize the Iraq situation if Kerry wins the election.
All of this is no real cause for celebration for the Democrats though, as the road is still long to November. However, they will be getting some help from people like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, REM, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo who are currently touring free through swing states in an attempt to garner support for Kerry. Zogby has published and article explaining exactly what debates mean in modern political campaigns, and Wonkette has put together an interesting debate drinking (and not so drinking) game. Fox News has gotten rapped on the hands for publishing quotes attributed to Kerry that were completely fabricated. Also, the new Florida ballot is out for pre-election inspecting, if you want to check it out.
The Bush administration is supporting legislation, introduced by Illinois Republican Dennis Hastert, that would allow US authorities to deport foreigners to countries where they are likely to be tortured or abused, an act that runs contrary to international laws against torture. A report out by a private security firm working for the US government shows that attacks in Iraq have spread to areas that were formerly peaceful, with an average of 70 attacks occurring per day now compared with 40 to 50 in late June. Of course, the Republicans have turned the issue around, with Bush stating that the increased violence just shows how they are on the right track. As the article points out, it's exactly how Bush stated we needed tax breaks when the economy was good before the election for a series of reasons, but when the economy turned bad after he was elected we still needed tax cuts for a whole different set of reasons.
On a related note, the latest set of cuts has made Bush one of the greatest tax-cutting presidents of all time. It's too bad that it's mostly going to the rich who won't spend it to get the economy going, and is financed by huge government deficits that the American people are going to have to pay back someday. Back to Iraq though, the Christian Science Monitor has published an interesting article about the psychological trauma and coping that some soldiers face after they have killed someone. They have also put together a report showing the differences between Bush and Kerry when it comes to environmental policy.
Also:
- Astronomers believe that Jupiter used to be much closer to the sun than it currently is, and could have played a role in the formation of the Earth.
- Earth scientists are trying to understand why and how the Earth's magnetic field flips periodically.
- Astronomers are trying to figure out why there aren't as many galaxies in the universe as theories predict that there should be.
- Britian is looking to take a lead role in the European space programme's mission to Mars, which is scheduled for 2033.
- Scientists have found ways to make buckyballs less toxic for humans and animals.
- A story on how certain plants can clean up toxic sites.
- Diatoms, single-celled organisms that live in the ocean, are being genetically mapped as they convert as much carbon dioxide to carbon as all of the rainforests in the world.
- Mount St. Helens is getting all feisty.
- A book on new materials available for construction today. (pdf)
- In good environmental news, Russia has agreed to accept the Kyoto treaty, finally bringing the law into effect. The decision was hailed by the EU and environmental groups, but the Bush administration continues to voice its opposition to America's signing.
- Harpers has published a story on current issues in public health.
- A new optical method for storing information might lead to DVD-sized disks that hold terabytes of data.
- IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer has surpassed NEC's Earth Simulator to become the fastest supercomputer in the world, clocking 36.01 trillion calculations per second.
- The IG awards, celebrating the strangest scientific research, has wrapped up the 2004 edition.
- Despite the booming economy, certain sectors in China face worker discontent as the economic gains fail to reach the workers.
- Debt forgiveness for developing countries is coming closer to becoming a reality.
- The Washington Post has published an article detailing a first-person account of how the Darfur crisis is impacting a family who's village was attacked by the Arab militias.
- What it's like to be gay in the Bible belt.
- A new book examines the fallacies behind modern portfolio theory, suggesting that fractals might help us understand markets better.
- Spain has approved same-sex marriages, despite opposition from the Catholic Church that threatens to divide the traditionally Catholic nation. In Canada, similar federal legislation has been stalled until fall 2005.
- An overview of the new session of the Supreme Court.
- Jay Leno has announced his retirement from the Tonight Show - in 2009.
- The Village Voice examines why George Bush isn't as much of a cowboy as he claims that he is.
- After Bill O'Reilly called Daily Show viewers 'a bunch of stoned slackers,' a study of viewers of the Daily Show vs. Fox News' the O'Reilly Factor show that Daily Show watchers are more likely to have a university degree than viewers of the O'Reilly Factor.
- An Italian taken hostage in Iraq has been freed, only to come out publicly in support of the Iraqi resistance.
- Richard Avedon, a photographer famous for his black and white photos, has died on Friday.
All of this is no real cause for celebration for the Democrats though, as the road is still long to November. However, they will be getting some help from people like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, REM, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo who are currently touring free through swing states in an attempt to garner support for Kerry. Zogby has published and article explaining exactly what debates mean in modern political campaigns, and Wonkette has put together an interesting debate drinking (and not so drinking) game. Fox News has gotten rapped on the hands for publishing quotes attributed to Kerry that were completely fabricated. Also, the new Florida ballot is out for pre-election inspecting, if you want to check it out.
The Bush administration is supporting legislation, introduced by Illinois Republican Dennis Hastert, that would allow US authorities to deport foreigners to countries where they are likely to be tortured or abused, an act that runs contrary to international laws against torture. A report out by a private security firm working for the US government shows that attacks in Iraq have spread to areas that were formerly peaceful, with an average of 70 attacks occurring per day now compared with 40 to 50 in late June. Of course, the Republicans have turned the issue around, with Bush stating that the increased violence just shows how they are on the right track. As the article points out, it's exactly how Bush stated we needed tax breaks when the economy was good before the election for a series of reasons, but when the economy turned bad after he was elected we still needed tax cuts for a whole different set of reasons.
On a related note, the latest set of cuts has made Bush one of the greatest tax-cutting presidents of all time. It's too bad that it's mostly going to the rich who won't spend it to get the economy going, and is financed by huge government deficits that the American people are going to have to pay back someday. Back to Iraq though, the Christian Science Monitor has published an interesting article about the psychological trauma and coping that some soldiers face after they have killed someone. They have also put together a report showing the differences between Bush and Kerry when it comes to environmental policy.
Also:
- Astronomers believe that Jupiter used to be much closer to the sun than it currently is, and could have played a role in the formation of the Earth.
- Earth scientists are trying to understand why and how the Earth's magnetic field flips periodically.
- Astronomers are trying to figure out why there aren't as many galaxies in the universe as theories predict that there should be.
- Britian is looking to take a lead role in the European space programme's mission to Mars, which is scheduled for 2033.
- Scientists have found ways to make buckyballs less toxic for humans and animals.
- A story on how certain plants can clean up toxic sites.
- Diatoms, single-celled organisms that live in the ocean, are being genetically mapped as they convert as much carbon dioxide to carbon as all of the rainforests in the world.
- Mount St. Helens is getting all feisty.
- A book on new materials available for construction today. (pdf)
- In good environmental news, Russia has agreed to accept the Kyoto treaty, finally bringing the law into effect. The decision was hailed by the EU and environmental groups, but the Bush administration continues to voice its opposition to America's signing.
- Harpers has published a story on current issues in public health.
- A new optical method for storing information might lead to DVD-sized disks that hold terabytes of data.
- IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer has surpassed NEC's Earth Simulator to become the fastest supercomputer in the world, clocking 36.01 trillion calculations per second.
- The IG awards, celebrating the strangest scientific research, has wrapped up the 2004 edition.
- Despite the booming economy, certain sectors in China face worker discontent as the economic gains fail to reach the workers.
- Debt forgiveness for developing countries is coming closer to becoming a reality.
- The Washington Post has published an article detailing a first-person account of how the Darfur crisis is impacting a family who's village was attacked by the Arab militias.
- What it's like to be gay in the Bible belt.
- A new book examines the fallacies behind modern portfolio theory, suggesting that fractals might help us understand markets better.
- Spain has approved same-sex marriages, despite opposition from the Catholic Church that threatens to divide the traditionally Catholic nation. In Canada, similar federal legislation has been stalled until fall 2005.
- An overview of the new session of the Supreme Court.
- Jay Leno has announced his retirement from the Tonight Show - in 2009.
- The Village Voice examines why George Bush isn't as much of a cowboy as he claims that he is.
- After Bill O'Reilly called Daily Show viewers 'a bunch of stoned slackers,' a study of viewers of the Daily Show vs. Fox News' the O'Reilly Factor show that Daily Show watchers are more likely to have a university degree than viewers of the O'Reilly Factor.
- An Italian taken hostage in Iraq has been freed, only to come out publicly in support of the Iraqi resistance.
- Richard Avedon, a photographer famous for his black and white photos, has died on Friday.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Time to get Firefox!
Another Microsoft glitch could turn an ordinary jpeg picture into a file that could harm your computer, a feat which was previously thought impossible. They have since released a patch for it, but why not just dump the crappy software for the preview release of Firefox?
The $3 trillion in long-term spending proposed by the Republicans is finally making into the Kerry's campaign talking points after they began to go on the offensive on President Bush's character. This correlates with a now less bouncy bounce for President Bush from the Republican convention. In other Republican convention fallout, a private letter from one Georgian Democrat to another, that being President Jimmy Carter to Senator Zell Miller, has surfaced on the internet. The journal Science has interviewed both Presidential candidates to ask them their opinions on several scientific topics, who's answered differed most greatly over stem cell research, climate change, and new nuclear weapons. The Village Voice is getting into the campaign by coming out with a proposal for a Kerry campaign ad that it claims could beat President Bush. A simple proposal for both campaigns - why not put some money forward so that 3 years after the 9/11 attacks, police and firefighters can talk to each other over the radio in case of an emergency.
Iraq is still a mess, with over fifty people being killed today in bomb attacks and by shooters. Kofi Annan went on record with the BBC today stating that he believed that the war was illegal and violated the charter of the United Nations. Worse yet, according to the Guardian the situation is looking more and more like the beginnings of a civil war.
The World Health Organization has estimated that 10 000 people are dying of violence and disease each month in the refugee camps in Darfur despite the current international aid effort. This comes as talks have collapsed between Justice and Equality Group and the government and the Sudanese government's rejection of the stripped down US draft resolution. Refugees who have fled the country have managed to find protection in neighbouring countries, but find that prospects to rebuild their lives are looking difficult.
Also:
- The next big discovery in extra-solar planets will be to find the existence of a 'super-earth.'
- A new 1.3 metre telescope is being built in Australia to replace one that was destroyed in last year's brush fires.
- Scientists are using ordinary photos to create a set of random numbers used, among other things, to simulate the creation of galaxies.
- Airbus, one of the largest makers of commercial aircraft in the world, have said that by 2006 they will be manufacturing planes in which you can use a cell phone.
- Time to order another round of Harp. Scientists find that beer seems to have the same positive effects previously attributed to only red wine.
- Researchers at the University of South Florida have reported that cannabis appears to slow the spread of certain cancers.
- The new Apple G5 iMac has been released, looking very IPody.
- An interesting story about a woman fired from her job over having a Kerry sticker on her car, and the job she eventually got.
- The Christian Science Monitor looks at the current state of nuclear proliferation in 'rogue states.'
- China's President Hu Jintao has made a speech opposing any attempts to politically reform the totalitarian nation.
- Israel is putting forward a plan to pay settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to leave the areas.
- An article on the uptick in violent crimes committed by females.
- One of the two female bombers who downed two Russian planes reportedly boarded the jet by bribing one of the airport's employees.
- The government of Turkey has backed away from legislation that would have made adultery a crime.
- A woman is running for office in Saudi Arabia in the first elections in 40 years.
- The Adbusters Media Foundation is suing Canadian television networks for refusing to air advertisements that critisize consumerism.
- I can't vouch for its credibility, but here is a picture that claims to show where spam comes from.
- An FBI document on the plethora of concealable weapons. (pdf)
- Foreign Policy magazine in a good article about the rise of anti-Americanism across the globe.
- With the NHL now official in a lockout, Canadians will have to savour their victory at the World Cup of hockey for a while before getting any more action.
- A British survey has found that the market price of the average woman's handbag with all of its contents is over $1300 Canadian.
- I thought I had heard it all, until I read this story about how Deutsche Welle is now offering their news service in Klingon.
The $3 trillion in long-term spending proposed by the Republicans is finally making into the Kerry's campaign talking points after they began to go on the offensive on President Bush's character. This correlates with a now less bouncy bounce for President Bush from the Republican convention. In other Republican convention fallout, a private letter from one Georgian Democrat to another, that being President Jimmy Carter to Senator Zell Miller, has surfaced on the internet. The journal Science has interviewed both Presidential candidates to ask them their opinions on several scientific topics, who's answered differed most greatly over stem cell research, climate change, and new nuclear weapons. The Village Voice is getting into the campaign by coming out with a proposal for a Kerry campaign ad that it claims could beat President Bush. A simple proposal for both campaigns - why not put some money forward so that 3 years after the 9/11 attacks, police and firefighters can talk to each other over the radio in case of an emergency.
Iraq is still a mess, with over fifty people being killed today in bomb attacks and by shooters. Kofi Annan went on record with the BBC today stating that he believed that the war was illegal and violated the charter of the United Nations. Worse yet, according to the Guardian the situation is looking more and more like the beginnings of a civil war.
The World Health Organization has estimated that 10 000 people are dying of violence and disease each month in the refugee camps in Darfur despite the current international aid effort. This comes as talks have collapsed between Justice and Equality Group and the government and the Sudanese government's rejection of the stripped down US draft resolution. Refugees who have fled the country have managed to find protection in neighbouring countries, but find that prospects to rebuild their lives are looking difficult.
Also:
- The next big discovery in extra-solar planets will be to find the existence of a 'super-earth.'
- A new 1.3 metre telescope is being built in Australia to replace one that was destroyed in last year's brush fires.
- Scientists are using ordinary photos to create a set of random numbers used, among other things, to simulate the creation of galaxies.
- Airbus, one of the largest makers of commercial aircraft in the world, have said that by 2006 they will be manufacturing planes in which you can use a cell phone.
- Time to order another round of Harp. Scientists find that beer seems to have the same positive effects previously attributed to only red wine.
- Researchers at the University of South Florida have reported that cannabis appears to slow the spread of certain cancers.
- The new Apple G5 iMac has been released, looking very IPody.
- An interesting story about a woman fired from her job over having a Kerry sticker on her car, and the job she eventually got.
- The Christian Science Monitor looks at the current state of nuclear proliferation in 'rogue states.'
- China's President Hu Jintao has made a speech opposing any attempts to politically reform the totalitarian nation.
- Israel is putting forward a plan to pay settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to leave the areas.
- An article on the uptick in violent crimes committed by females.
- One of the two female bombers who downed two Russian planes reportedly boarded the jet by bribing one of the airport's employees.
- The government of Turkey has backed away from legislation that would have made adultery a crime.
- A woman is running for office in Saudi Arabia in the first elections in 40 years.
- The Adbusters Media Foundation is suing Canadian television networks for refusing to air advertisements that critisize consumerism.
- I can't vouch for its credibility, but here is a picture that claims to show where spam comes from.
- An FBI document on the plethora of concealable weapons. (pdf)
- Foreign Policy magazine in a good article about the rise of anti-Americanism across the globe.
- With the NHL now official in a lockout, Canadians will have to savour their victory at the World Cup of hockey for a while before getting any more action.
- A British survey has found that the market price of the average woman's handbag with all of its contents is over $1300 Canadian.
- I thought I had heard it all, until I read this story about how Deutsche Welle is now offering their news service in Klingon.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money...
For the past couple of months, the Bush campaign has been drilling the Kerry campaign stating that he is promising $2 trillion in long-term spending, a figure that the Kerry campaign disputes as being far too high. However after adding up their own numbers, the Republicans as it turns out are proposing $3 trillion in long-term spending, not counting the ongoing war in Iraq at $6 billion/month which, with a Republican administration in power, is unlikely to decrease since the administration has alienated itself from most Western countries. Now what was that saying about the pot and the kettle? Speaking of Republicans retaining power, they appear to have a brand new strategy for winning -- disobeying judicial rulings -- which is exactly what Florida did when they allowed Ralph Nader to be put on the ballot. Looks like Jeb Bush is coming through for his brother. Of course, if they do win, there is a great deal of speculation about what exactly will happen in the next four years.
Kerry is finally on the attack! Like I hoped, it was over the failure of President Bush to support the continuation of the Brady Bill that prohibited the sale of assault weapons like Uzis and AK-47s. Kerry recently received the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations, where as Bush will probably get the NRA's endorsement. Which organization do you think has your interests more in mind?
In another Republican gun proposal, the House is planning to vote on a Republican bill that will repeal almost all of the gun control legislation the Democrats had previously put in Washington D.C. A few things this bill will do are to end a ban on the sale of handguns, remove a ban on semiautomatic weapons, lift a requirement for owners to register their weapons, and cancel penalties against possessing an unregistered firearm at home or, get this, at work. Now I understand that there are people out there who hunt or just like guns, but you don't need either a handgun or semiautomatic weapon to hunt, beyond the fact that the law is specifically for Washington D.C. which is totally an urban area. It just goes to show -- Democrats give poor black people in urban centers like Washington D.C. programs like Head Start so they can better themselves and their families, whereas Republicans give them the ability to legally purchase semiautomatic weapons that they shoot each other with. Makes for less votes against them, I guess. Every electoral vote counts.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog group, Mohammed El Baradei, has issued a statement on Iran concerning the lack of evidence that they possess a working nuclear weapon program, though he admits that their intentions might not be peaceful. The European countries have had enough of the cat and mouse game, and are currently discussing taking a harder line against Iran with respect to its nuclear program.
Also:
- Tony Blair has come out swinging for the environment stating that time might be "running out" on our ability to solve the problem of climate change.
- File sharing is moving to a new medium -- cell phones.
- Speech recognition might be put on a chip for mobile use in three years.
- Forget China. Brazil is the new epicentre for hackers.
- The government of China is now beating up on (literally) AIDS activists trying to educate the populace and sequester aid for their plight.
- A story on how Afghani women, stuck in a conservative Islamic society, are prefering suicide to living in forced marriages.
- The US State Department has voiced concern over the political changes issued by President Putin after the most recent terrorist attack.
- Amnesty International is accusing government soldiers in Laos of war crimes after they reportedly murdered five teenagers of an ethnic minority group.
- The era of the thong might finally be over.
- If you're ever in Vancouver, make sure to pick up some marijuana sold openly at Da Kine.
- A site showing different avante-garde musical notations.
Kerry is finally on the attack! Like I hoped, it was over the failure of President Bush to support the continuation of the Brady Bill that prohibited the sale of assault weapons like Uzis and AK-47s. Kerry recently received the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations, where as Bush will probably get the NRA's endorsement. Which organization do you think has your interests more in mind?
In another Republican gun proposal, the House is planning to vote on a Republican bill that will repeal almost all of the gun control legislation the Democrats had previously put in Washington D.C. A few things this bill will do are to end a ban on the sale of handguns, remove a ban on semiautomatic weapons, lift a requirement for owners to register their weapons, and cancel penalties against possessing an unregistered firearm at home or, get this, at work. Now I understand that there are people out there who hunt or just like guns, but you don't need either a handgun or semiautomatic weapon to hunt, beyond the fact that the law is specifically for Washington D.C. which is totally an urban area. It just goes to show -- Democrats give poor black people in urban centers like Washington D.C. programs like Head Start so they can better themselves and their families, whereas Republicans give them the ability to legally purchase semiautomatic weapons that they shoot each other with. Makes for less votes against them, I guess. Every electoral vote counts.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog group, Mohammed El Baradei, has issued a statement on Iran concerning the lack of evidence that they possess a working nuclear weapon program, though he admits that their intentions might not be peaceful. The European countries have had enough of the cat and mouse game, and are currently discussing taking a harder line against Iran with respect to its nuclear program.
Also:
- Tony Blair has come out swinging for the environment stating that time might be "running out" on our ability to solve the problem of climate change.
- File sharing is moving to a new medium -- cell phones.
- Speech recognition might be put on a chip for mobile use in three years.
- Forget China. Brazil is the new epicentre for hackers.
- The government of China is now beating up on (literally) AIDS activists trying to educate the populace and sequester aid for their plight.
- A story on how Afghani women, stuck in a conservative Islamic society, are prefering suicide to living in forced marriages.
- The US State Department has voiced concern over the political changes issued by President Putin after the most recent terrorist attack.
- Amnesty International is accusing government soldiers in Laos of war crimes after they reportedly murdered five teenagers of an ethnic minority group.
- The era of the thong might finally be over.
- If you're ever in Vancouver, make sure to pick up some marijuana sold openly at Da Kine.
- A site showing different avante-garde musical notations.
Assault Weapons for Every Man, Woman and Child!
John Kerry might have a new debate point in his favour as a Clintonian bill banning assault weapons from the streets, known commonly as the Brady Bill, is lapsing and needs reapproval from Congress. George Bush endorsed the bill in 2000, but has since remained quiet on the issue because he wants the support of the NRA in November. It could be a good wedge issue in a campaign that desperately needs to get it together with some offence. This all comes as gun retailers and manufacturers have settled a $2 million lawsuit with the families of the Washington DC area sniper attacks. What the Democrats really need to do though is to stop being pussies about attacking the Republicans. There's no reason why the Republicans can have open access to generalized ad hominems (like Kerry is a flip-flopper, for instance) without once actually talking about what they're going to do, or have Bush's cronies give piles of money to blatant lies like the Swift Boat Veterans and then claim that the Republicans are independent of the mud slinging. If Bush continues to lead in the polls, I say implement a scorched earth policy and drag all of them through the mud (like they so rightly deserve). I'm tired of playing nice if the only thing the opposition is going to do is lower the level of debate through these tactics. Fight fire with fire. On another note though, the blogosphere have recently rediscovered an old Onion article, one that I remember reading in 2000 that almost seems prescient now.
The United States Army has come forth with a statement saying that the CIA hid up to 100 Iraqi detainees in military prisons from the Red Cross and other international organizations, in a possible violation of international law. In other violations of international law, a new investigation by The Guardian found that the Bush administration, specifically Donald Rumsfeld, knew about the prisoner abuses in Guantanamo Bay as far back as 2002, but refused to do anything about it. Presently in Iraq the US is holding off major attacks for the time being though 'surgical strikes' continue, but the military situation continues to worsen as the number of daily attacks on American troops have increased to be the most since President Bush declared 'mission accomplished' and there are now many areas of Iraq where the Army just don't go anymore out of fear of attack.
Al-Qaeda spokesperson Ayman al-Zawahri has issued a statement that the defeat of US forces in both Afghanistan and Iran is only a matter of time. On the less fanatical side of the religion, ongoing terrorist attacks such as the recent occupation of a school in Russia are influencing an internal debate within global Islam on whether clerics should take a much harder stance against Muslims who commit such atrocities, while Deutsche Welle interviews the hereditary imam of Shiite Ismaili Muslims about how Islam and democracy should have no conflict. The New York Times ran a story about, how in Chechnya specifically, chronic and abject poverty are leading women to become terrorists for the separatist cause.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has recently called the situation in Darfur a genocide, yet there is still no real preventative actions underway to halt the abuses. The government of Sudan remains adamant that it is an internal issue that they are solving and should not involve the international community and the United States is looking to make some changes to the draft resolution in front of the UN. Colin Powell continues to be my personal hero though, as he first criticizes the system of Vietnam-era draft avoidance for people with connections that President Bush went through, and then a new book by a BBC broadcaster has him calling the neo-conservative strategists in the White House, you know - the ones that brought you the war in Iraq including Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, "fucking crazies" in a conversation with British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw. At least there's someone in the administration who has a sense of proper international policy, despite the evident lack of tact.
Also:
- Astronomers in Chile might have taken the first visual picture of a planet orbiting another star.
- British scientists have discovered at least one and possibly two new moons orbiting Saturn.
- The $700 million Gravity Probe B project might be upstaged by ground observations of binary pulsars.
- Pioneer 10 and 11 are not proceeding along their anticipated trajectories, leading some scientists to speculate whether they are being effected by dark matter.
- The magnetic field on Earth is slowly fading, down 10% from 150 years ago, and will eventually destabilize and reverse.
- There might be hope for the scientific data on the Genesis probe that crashed into the Earth.
- The discovery of methane on Mars might indicate the presence of organisms.
- An atmospheric scientist takes a swing at why lightning is jagged and not straight.
- A trial in Britain has yielded positive results showing cannibis having a long-term benefit in reducing the symptoms of MS.
- Turmeric might be the source of lower childhood lukemia rates in Asian countries.
- Scientists believe that they have found the part of the brain responsible for dreaming.
- A Canadian study has found what history already knows - that attractive women make men irrational.
- Current extinctions may have a domino effect on other species who were previously dependent on the extinct species.
- The city of Toronto is now using a renewable source of air conditioning known as lake-source cooling.
- Wired has a story about how the recycling program in Nova Scotia actually saves the province money.
- Eleven medical journals have come together to call for more openness in the conduction of drug trials by pharmaceuticals, including a motion for drug companies to register their trials at the beginning to ensure that poor results are not hidden.
- Psychologists are studying how some people flourish in high stress environments.
- Binomial nomenclature, invented by Carl Linnaeus, is being attacked by supporters of rival nomenclature systems.
- A study of indigenous peoples around the world show that even though they receive more media attention, they are still generally mired in poverty and persecution.
- A controversial Bush administration amendment changing the nature of overtime pay has been struck down in the House despite threats of veto on the overall bill.
- The coffee sector is finally getting together to draft a new international code that would provide minimum social, ecological and economic standards in the production of coffee in the developing world.
- It has been one year since the tragic loss of Swedish foreign affairs minister Anna Lindh.
- Apparently the mushroom cloud in North Korea was not a nuclear explosion.
- A right-wing film festival in Texas is screening two anti-Michael Moore films, one (quite uncreatively) called 'Michael Moore Hates America' and the other 'Michael and Me.'
- A book on everything you need to know about running a political campaign with uninformed voters.
- Speaking of uninformed, Dick Cheney is still parroting the discredited line about the direct ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.
- And while we're on messed-up regimes, Robert Mugabe has generated more controversy by preventing aid from reaching homeless people.
- Amnesty International has issued a report critisizing racial profiling in the United States.
- Israelis show that they can be just as reactionary as Hamas, as a new political party aimed at driving all Muslims and Christians from Israel and the occupied territories is created.
- Australia had their first prime ministerial debates, which is important for America because if Labour wins, it will be one less country in the 'coalition of the willing.'
- A program of buying back handguns in Brazil has been a terrific success.
- Hong Kong's voter turnout in recent elections is up considerably as pro-democracy candidates make gains.
- Despite the media attention towards crime in general, the actual rate is still close to a 30-year low.
- In an interesting problem arising from multiculturalism, Canada is now deciding on whether certain domestic issues can be tried under Sharia, or Islamic law, if asked for by the people in question.
- A site that parodies the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth site.
- A Republican attack ad drafted if George Bush ever runs against Jesus.
- Certain investors are claiming that the most adequate amount to put in stocks is 0% of your portfolio.
The United States Army has come forth with a statement saying that the CIA hid up to 100 Iraqi detainees in military prisons from the Red Cross and other international organizations, in a possible violation of international law. In other violations of international law, a new investigation by The Guardian found that the Bush administration, specifically Donald Rumsfeld, knew about the prisoner abuses in Guantanamo Bay as far back as 2002, but refused to do anything about it. Presently in Iraq the US is holding off major attacks for the time being though 'surgical strikes' continue, but the military situation continues to worsen as the number of daily attacks on American troops have increased to be the most since President Bush declared 'mission accomplished' and there are now many areas of Iraq where the Army just don't go anymore out of fear of attack.
Al-Qaeda spokesperson Ayman al-Zawahri has issued a statement that the defeat of US forces in both Afghanistan and Iran is only a matter of time. On the less fanatical side of the religion, ongoing terrorist attacks such as the recent occupation of a school in Russia are influencing an internal debate within global Islam on whether clerics should take a much harder stance against Muslims who commit such atrocities, while Deutsche Welle interviews the hereditary imam of Shiite Ismaili Muslims about how Islam and democracy should have no conflict. The New York Times ran a story about, how in Chechnya specifically, chronic and abject poverty are leading women to become terrorists for the separatist cause.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has recently called the situation in Darfur a genocide, yet there is still no real preventative actions underway to halt the abuses. The government of Sudan remains adamant that it is an internal issue that they are solving and should not involve the international community and the United States is looking to make some changes to the draft resolution in front of the UN. Colin Powell continues to be my personal hero though, as he first criticizes the system of Vietnam-era draft avoidance for people with connections that President Bush went through, and then a new book by a BBC broadcaster has him calling the neo-conservative strategists in the White House, you know - the ones that brought you the war in Iraq including Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, "fucking crazies" in a conversation with British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw. At least there's someone in the administration who has a sense of proper international policy, despite the evident lack of tact.
Also:
- Astronomers in Chile might have taken the first visual picture of a planet orbiting another star.
- British scientists have discovered at least one and possibly two new moons orbiting Saturn.
- The $700 million Gravity Probe B project might be upstaged by ground observations of binary pulsars.
- Pioneer 10 and 11 are not proceeding along their anticipated trajectories, leading some scientists to speculate whether they are being effected by dark matter.
- The magnetic field on Earth is slowly fading, down 10% from 150 years ago, and will eventually destabilize and reverse.
- There might be hope for the scientific data on the Genesis probe that crashed into the Earth.
- The discovery of methane on Mars might indicate the presence of organisms.
- An atmospheric scientist takes a swing at why lightning is jagged and not straight.
- A trial in Britain has yielded positive results showing cannibis having a long-term benefit in reducing the symptoms of MS.
- Turmeric might be the source of lower childhood lukemia rates in Asian countries.
- Scientists believe that they have found the part of the brain responsible for dreaming.
- A Canadian study has found what history already knows - that attractive women make men irrational.
- Current extinctions may have a domino effect on other species who were previously dependent on the extinct species.
- The city of Toronto is now using a renewable source of air conditioning known as lake-source cooling.
- Wired has a story about how the recycling program in Nova Scotia actually saves the province money.
- Eleven medical journals have come together to call for more openness in the conduction of drug trials by pharmaceuticals, including a motion for drug companies to register their trials at the beginning to ensure that poor results are not hidden.
- Psychologists are studying how some people flourish in high stress environments.
- Binomial nomenclature, invented by Carl Linnaeus, is being attacked by supporters of rival nomenclature systems.
- A study of indigenous peoples around the world show that even though they receive more media attention, they are still generally mired in poverty and persecution.
- A controversial Bush administration amendment changing the nature of overtime pay has been struck down in the House despite threats of veto on the overall bill.
- The coffee sector is finally getting together to draft a new international code that would provide minimum social, ecological and economic standards in the production of coffee in the developing world.
- It has been one year since the tragic loss of Swedish foreign affairs minister Anna Lindh.
- Apparently the mushroom cloud in North Korea was not a nuclear explosion.
- A right-wing film festival in Texas is screening two anti-Michael Moore films, one (quite uncreatively) called 'Michael Moore Hates America' and the other 'Michael and Me.'
- A book on everything you need to know about running a political campaign with uninformed voters.
- Speaking of uninformed, Dick Cheney is still parroting the discredited line about the direct ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.
- And while we're on messed-up regimes, Robert Mugabe has generated more controversy by preventing aid from reaching homeless people.
- Amnesty International has issued a report critisizing racial profiling in the United States.
- Israelis show that they can be just as reactionary as Hamas, as a new political party aimed at driving all Muslims and Christians from Israel and the occupied territories is created.
- Australia had their first prime ministerial debates, which is important for America because if Labour wins, it will be one less country in the 'coalition of the willing.'
- A program of buying back handguns in Brazil has been a terrific success.
- Hong Kong's voter turnout in recent elections is up considerably as pro-democracy candidates make gains.
- Despite the media attention towards crime in general, the actual rate is still close to a 30-year low.
- In an interesting problem arising from multiculturalism, Canada is now deciding on whether certain domestic issues can be tried under Sharia, or Islamic law, if asked for by the people in question.
- A site that parodies the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth site.
- A Republican attack ad drafted if George Bush ever runs against Jesus.
- Certain investors are claiming that the most adequate amount to put in stocks is 0% of your portfolio.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Back in business
After a small hiatus, I'm organized enough in my new place to get this thing on the road again. Luckily this was a good news week so the blog practically writes itself.
First off, the Republican convention came and went. Since I didn't have internet access until Friday and had no cable, I basically missed the whole thing. However, most media outlets didn't, who took the time to relay Bush's message of a safer world with a Republican administration and their attempts to soften the Republican image. There was also some discussion on whether Bush's domestic policies were (and will be) effective for the current economic malaise, how the there was mixed success on the goals iterated by Bush four years ago, and the disturbing tendency for the Republicans to frame the debate making it 'unpatriotic' to vote against the president. As Zell Miller put it:
While young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander in chief.
Yes, that 'manic obsession' is called a Presidential election. I know it would be easier for the Republicans to just do without them, but fortunately every four years the American citizenry gets to chose to change directions if they believe the current course isn't leading them where they want to go. Second prize goes to Vice President Cheney, who stated quite literally that American faces a higher risk of terror attacks with a Democratic ticket in the White House. No mention on how or why, just straight out fear-mongering.
The media has recently picked up on the many errors and omissions in the speeches given at the convention, starting with the claim that he voted against a pile of military machinery that is currently used by the troops. This article shows that most of these cuts came during the end of the Cold War when, given that the Soviet Union disbanded, it might make sense that you don't need as much machinery as in the middle of the Cold War -- not to mention that many Republicans were also calling for the cuts, George Bush's father included. In addition, other weapons systems that Kerry 'voted against' cited in the Republican propaganda first, occurred 14 years ago and second, occurred because of his opposition to a larger defence bill in general, not to the specific systems that were contained. Like this Slate article says, Republicans could have just as easily used this argument to say that by not voting for the defence bill, Kerry actually voted to abolish the armed forces. But that might arise some suspicion as to the veracity of the claim.
Anyway, one would expect that an online magazine like Slate would look into these claims, but the important thing is that mainstream papers like the Washington Post are now actually doing research and finding that many Republican statements at the convention were either misleading or out-right false. The Toronto Star reports that part of Arnold's speech where he talks about 'seeing Soviet tanks' and 'leaving a socialist state' is historically incorrect, first having grown up in a British-occupied sector that the Russians left two years before his birth and second pointing out that all of Austria's chancellors were Conservatives from 1945 to 1970. The Campaign Desk takes aim at the hypothetical Republican accusations about Kerry's Vietnam war record, and in the best part of the article state:
"In four months of service," {US Republican Senator Allan] Simpson said in reference to John Kerry, "it's very difficult for this cowboy to understand how you get three purple hearts. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
It was the equivalent of a Democrat going on the air and saying, "Well, I've heard George Bush used to do a lot of cocaine 30 years ago, and I know it's tough to stop doing drugs, so it's just difficult for this American to understand how it could be that he's not still coked up to the gills every day. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
Even Chris Matthews from MSNBC's Hardball, a very unlikely Kerry supporter, is decrying the Bush campaign's tactics after they did a hatchet-job to his interview with Kerry in order to mislead the public on Kerry's positions. Finally, at least two swift boat veterans has publicly admonished the Republican-backed group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for using their names without permission.
The Kerry campaign struck back after the week-long 'hate fest' (to use a Republican term), reminding people that it's hypocritical to challenge his war record when neither Bush nor Cheney actually served in Vietnam and refocusing the debate on the poor economy and the lack of progress in Iraq. In fact, Bush's military record is the focus of a new ad (Quicktime movie) paralleling the SBVFT ad, where an air guardsman who served in Bush's unit claims that he never saw him there, and challenges anyone in the unit who claims to have seen him to come forward. No takers so far. Since this issue gets confusing, I found this graphic that shows a timeline of Bush's reported military service.
Despite all of this, President Bush did get a bounce out of the convention with some polls showing him beating John Kerry in the popular vote, though with the 1000th military personnel killed in Iraq, an overall increase in the rate of fatalities, and the budget deficit coming in much worse than expected, Kerry still has issues on which he can capitalize. Interestingly enough, though not really surprising, an international poll of 35 countries of the world showed that only 5 would re-elect Bush if they could vote in the election. Canadians supported Kerry at a 61% level while Bush was dwindling at 16%. It just goes to show the level of dislike of this current administration internationally -- a dislike that can only dampen efforts for international cooperation that America now desperately needs if Bush is re-elected. The chances for the American people to be exposed to both candidates in the same room has recently decreased though, as reports have President Bush backing out of one of the three proposed debates. On a lighter convention note, the New York Press lists its 1001 things to hate about the convention.
In Sudan, the UN is considering armed intervention to halt the ongoing humanitarian crisis as thousands continue to flee new episodes of violence. Former Canadian general Romeo Dallaire who was in charge of UN troops when the Rwandan genocide was underway lashed out against the current measures, calling them lame and obtuse. Swedish Foreign Minister Liala Freivalds echoed similar feelings, accusing the UN of dragging its feet on the issue. Oxfam, in order to raise money for relief working Darfur, has released a CD with artists like REM, Jet and David Gray volunteering their songs.
Also:
- A piece in the New Scientist explains why its likely that an alien civilization will send us a message on a physical body instead of by radio or other means.
- Two new rocky planets have been discovered outside of our solar system.
- Cassini has found a new ring around Saturn.
- A European probe will examine the dark side of the moon.
- You can now bet on whether scientists will figure out major problems and theories by a certain time.
- The progress towards the hydrogen economy is taking some steps forward.
- Oceans currently act as big CO2 sinks that slow global warming, but at the risk of killing marine life.
- Apparently some scientists are studying whether stress influences cows to become lesbians.
- Low fat diets have been clinically proven to be as effective as Atkins.
- A new procedure could use magnets to pull cancer drugs into tumours.
- Why women live longer on average than men.
- Though not commonly discussed, the WHO issues a report showing the suicide kills more globally than murder and war put together.
- New implantable contact lenses work for people who can't have LASIK.
- An interesting piece on the connections between disgraced media mogul Conrad Black and Republican defence official Richard Pearle.
- Now that the next Olympics is in Beijing, human rights organizations have four years to spotlight the many abuses of the government to put pressure towards reform.
- In one of the more pressing social issues in China, the ratio of boys to girls born is now 117 for every 100 girls, leading social scientists to believe that up to 15% of Chinese men will be unable to find wives in the coming years.
- Sex scenes have recently become more explicit in Hollywood movies.
- David is 500 years old but should not be taken as an example of how you should stand -- a Pilates expert says his poor posture would cause him lower back weakness and pain.
- The Passion of the Christ has beat the one-week DVD and VHS sales record in the United States, replacing Lord of the Rings.
- Bill Clinton underwent a quadruple bypass operation after suffering from chest pains.
- President Bush has some interesting ideas of what OB/GYNs do. (Windows Media file)
- The Log Cabin Republicans are witholding their support from Bush because of his stance on same sex marriage.
- The French headscarf ban went into effect this week.
- A paper on World War IV.
- An interesting article on the new US army uniforms, with a history of previous ones.
- Makeup and perfume markets have been shifting younger and younger in recent years.
- Project Rebirth, a website that will document through a web camera the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site has launched.
- A lefty view of the top 10 big stories that the news media are missing.
- A funny guide to how to acquire and keep a geek guy.
- A site that counts, well, almost everything.
- Three flash photo-essays, one on Brazil, one on Burma, and one on Eastern Europe.
- A site with pictures that will make you think you're on acid.
First off, the Republican convention came and went. Since I didn't have internet access until Friday and had no cable, I basically missed the whole thing. However, most media outlets didn't, who took the time to relay Bush's message of a safer world with a Republican administration and their attempts to soften the Republican image. There was also some discussion on whether Bush's domestic policies were (and will be) effective for the current economic malaise, how the there was mixed success on the goals iterated by Bush four years ago, and the disturbing tendency for the Republicans to frame the debate making it 'unpatriotic' to vote against the president. As Zell Miller put it:
While young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander in chief.
Yes, that 'manic obsession' is called a Presidential election. I know it would be easier for the Republicans to just do without them, but fortunately every four years the American citizenry gets to chose to change directions if they believe the current course isn't leading them where they want to go. Second prize goes to Vice President Cheney, who stated quite literally that American faces a higher risk of terror attacks with a Democratic ticket in the White House. No mention on how or why, just straight out fear-mongering.
The media has recently picked up on the many errors and omissions in the speeches given at the convention, starting with the claim that he voted against a pile of military machinery that is currently used by the troops. This article shows that most of these cuts came during the end of the Cold War when, given that the Soviet Union disbanded, it might make sense that you don't need as much machinery as in the middle of the Cold War -- not to mention that many Republicans were also calling for the cuts, George Bush's father included. In addition, other weapons systems that Kerry 'voted against' cited in the Republican propaganda first, occurred 14 years ago and second, occurred because of his opposition to a larger defence bill in general, not to the specific systems that were contained. Like this Slate article says, Republicans could have just as easily used this argument to say that by not voting for the defence bill, Kerry actually voted to abolish the armed forces. But that might arise some suspicion as to the veracity of the claim.
Anyway, one would expect that an online magazine like Slate would look into these claims, but the important thing is that mainstream papers like the Washington Post are now actually doing research and finding that many Republican statements at the convention were either misleading or out-right false. The Toronto Star reports that part of Arnold's speech where he talks about 'seeing Soviet tanks' and 'leaving a socialist state' is historically incorrect, first having grown up in a British-occupied sector that the Russians left two years before his birth and second pointing out that all of Austria's chancellors were Conservatives from 1945 to 1970. The Campaign Desk takes aim at the hypothetical Republican accusations about Kerry's Vietnam war record, and in the best part of the article state:
"In four months of service," {US Republican Senator Allan] Simpson said in reference to John Kerry, "it's very difficult for this cowboy to understand how you get three purple hearts. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
It was the equivalent of a Democrat going on the air and saying, "Well, I've heard George Bush used to do a lot of cocaine 30 years ago, and I know it's tough to stop doing drugs, so it's just difficult for this American to understand how it could be that he's not still coked up to the gills every day. Just mark it down, that's all I'm saying."
Even Chris Matthews from MSNBC's Hardball, a very unlikely Kerry supporter, is decrying the Bush campaign's tactics after they did a hatchet-job to his interview with Kerry in order to mislead the public on Kerry's positions. Finally, at least two swift boat veterans has publicly admonished the Republican-backed group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for using their names without permission.
The Kerry campaign struck back after the week-long 'hate fest' (to use a Republican term), reminding people that it's hypocritical to challenge his war record when neither Bush nor Cheney actually served in Vietnam and refocusing the debate on the poor economy and the lack of progress in Iraq. In fact, Bush's military record is the focus of a new ad (Quicktime movie) paralleling the SBVFT ad, where an air guardsman who served in Bush's unit claims that he never saw him there, and challenges anyone in the unit who claims to have seen him to come forward. No takers so far. Since this issue gets confusing, I found this graphic that shows a timeline of Bush's reported military service.
Despite all of this, President Bush did get a bounce out of the convention with some polls showing him beating John Kerry in the popular vote, though with the 1000th military personnel killed in Iraq, an overall increase in the rate of fatalities, and the budget deficit coming in much worse than expected, Kerry still has issues on which he can capitalize. Interestingly enough, though not really surprising, an international poll of 35 countries of the world showed that only 5 would re-elect Bush if they could vote in the election. Canadians supported Kerry at a 61% level while Bush was dwindling at 16%. It just goes to show the level of dislike of this current administration internationally -- a dislike that can only dampen efforts for international cooperation that America now desperately needs if Bush is re-elected. The chances for the American people to be exposed to both candidates in the same room has recently decreased though, as reports have President Bush backing out of one of the three proposed debates. On a lighter convention note, the New York Press lists its 1001 things to hate about the convention.
In Sudan, the UN is considering armed intervention to halt the ongoing humanitarian crisis as thousands continue to flee new episodes of violence. Former Canadian general Romeo Dallaire who was in charge of UN troops when the Rwandan genocide was underway lashed out against the current measures, calling them lame and obtuse. Swedish Foreign Minister Liala Freivalds echoed similar feelings, accusing the UN of dragging its feet on the issue. Oxfam, in order to raise money for relief working Darfur, has released a CD with artists like REM, Jet and David Gray volunteering their songs.
Also:
- A piece in the New Scientist explains why its likely that an alien civilization will send us a message on a physical body instead of by radio or other means.
- Two new rocky planets have been discovered outside of our solar system.
- Cassini has found a new ring around Saturn.
- A European probe will examine the dark side of the moon.
- You can now bet on whether scientists will figure out major problems and theories by a certain time.
- The progress towards the hydrogen economy is taking some steps forward.
- Oceans currently act as big CO2 sinks that slow global warming, but at the risk of killing marine life.
- Apparently some scientists are studying whether stress influences cows to become lesbians.
- Low fat diets have been clinically proven to be as effective as Atkins.
- A new procedure could use magnets to pull cancer drugs into tumours.
- Why women live longer on average than men.
- Though not commonly discussed, the WHO issues a report showing the suicide kills more globally than murder and war put together.
- New implantable contact lenses work for people who can't have LASIK.
- An interesting piece on the connections between disgraced media mogul Conrad Black and Republican defence official Richard Pearle.
- Now that the next Olympics is in Beijing, human rights organizations have four years to spotlight the many abuses of the government to put pressure towards reform.
- In one of the more pressing social issues in China, the ratio of boys to girls born is now 117 for every 100 girls, leading social scientists to believe that up to 15% of Chinese men will be unable to find wives in the coming years.
- Sex scenes have recently become more explicit in Hollywood movies.
- David is 500 years old but should not be taken as an example of how you should stand -- a Pilates expert says his poor posture would cause him lower back weakness and pain.
- The Passion of the Christ has beat the one-week DVD and VHS sales record in the United States, replacing Lord of the Rings.
- Bill Clinton underwent a quadruple bypass operation after suffering from chest pains.
- President Bush has some interesting ideas of what OB/GYNs do. (Windows Media file)
- The Log Cabin Republicans are witholding their support from Bush because of his stance on same sex marriage.
- The French headscarf ban went into effect this week.
- A paper on World War IV.
- An interesting article on the new US army uniforms, with a history of previous ones.
- Makeup and perfume markets have been shifting younger and younger in recent years.
- Project Rebirth, a website that will document through a web camera the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site has launched.
- A lefty view of the top 10 big stories that the news media are missing.
- A funny guide to how to acquire and keep a geek guy.
- A site that counts, well, almost everything.
- Three flash photo-essays, one on Brazil, one on Burma, and one on Eastern Europe.
- A site with pictures that will make you think you're on acid.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Moving to Another Site
Since I'm losing my Wideopenwest account, this blog will now be transferred to http://myweb.dal.ca/vkeating. Please update your links.
Friday, August 13, 2004
All election, all the time
Well, the media is in a frenzy about the campaign, and we're still three months away from actually voting. A sample of the coverage: Slate examines how Bush's tax cuts might be working against him in the form of lots of DNC donations by rich Democrats, talks about why we should get rid of the electoral college system, and then follows up with how the difference between Bush and Kerry can be summed up to the difference between Costco and Wal-Mart. On a separate but related note, Business Week ran a article showing how Costco's methods of paying employees adequate salaries is actually making them more competitive. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, has had more than its share of screwing over the working class (pdf) in recent years. The Campaign Desk overviews all the coverage on John McCain's relationship to the President. The CSM looks at how the committee that puts together the presidential debates is under attack by those who would like it to be non-partisan. As always though, The Onion's story on the Kerry campaign resounds with clarity and insight. A fellow blogger has examined what could be a nightmare scenario for the legitimacy of the current electoral system: a tie in the electoral college vote. In the Illinois Senatorial race, Alan Keyes has a little bit of ground to make up on Barack Obama, who according to the most recent poll leads him 67% to 28%. The full breakdown can be found here (PDF). It's not the end of the world for Mr. Keyes though, since the margin of error is 4% -- those numbers actually could be closer than they look, like 63% to 32% or something.
With Afghanistan's elections approaching, the short campaign time and current omnipresence of Hamid Karzai makes him likely to be the first elected President, even though he technically has 17 opponents. Meanwhile, reports have surfaced showing that the nature of al-Qaeda is rapidly changing, with a new generation of leaders filling the gaps of those either captured or killed. The Register reviews the latest 'intelligence find,' questioning the sophistication of the intelligence agencies.
Even with the support of the House of Representatives in America, the European Union has announced that it will not identify the atrocities being committed in Darfur as genocide. The government of Sudan has rejected calls for the African Union to deploy 2000 troops to prevent further conflict in the Darfur region.
Fighting continues in Iraq, with American forces storming the house of cleric al-Sadr on Thursday though he was not residing there at the time. In a move that could potentially destabilize relationships with the Iraqi populace, American forces are reportedly planning on a final assault to deal with the cleric's insurgents in the holy city of Najaf, while at the same time dealing with another uprising in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City. In Najaf, the Guardian reports that Sadr's men are waiting for what they see as martyrdom by American forces. Back home, the Washington Post does a mea culpa on its failure to question the WMD motive to attack Iraq.
The Olympics are coming up at the end of the week with the torch just now reaching the Acropolis, and a few interesting not run-of-the-mill stories have been published about it. First is one about how economists have a model predicting the number of medals each country should win based on various economic and social factors. The United States is expected to come out on top again, but many countries in the world are bridging the gap. Meanwhile Athens is busy in a last-minute attempt to 'clean-up' the city, which apparently means removing thousands of beggars and homeless people from streets.
In space, one of Hubble's instruments is out of order, illustrating the problems with the telescope's aging equipment. NASA has a piece of equipment on the ground that could make the necessary repairs, though it has yet to make any formal plans. Despite all of this, the Hubble still takes groundbreaking pictures.
Also:
- Because of the increasing prevalance of communication methods that don't leak radio waves into space, the chances for other extraterrestrial civilizations to find ours are diminishing.
- Cassini has detected 'superbolts' of lighting in Saturn's atmosphere.
- The Gravity Probe B testing a component of Einstein’s general relativity is about to begin its experiment.
- The first solar sailor is ready for it's inaugural flight.
- Computer models suggest that the spin of black holes cause observed violent jets of matter and energy to shoot out.
- Here is a program that lets you observe the effects of special relativity on the appearance of moving objects.
- Scientists have developed a new type of glass that will block infrared radiation once the room temperature reaches a certain point.
- A new microscope has been developed that allows biologists to look into living organisms deeper than they were previously able to.
- Researchers have discovered cancer 'stem cells' that continuously replenish leukemia tumours. It is believed that finding and killing these cells would greatly aid patients suffering from this condition.
- If that doesn't work though, there is an ancient native American treatment for cancer that appears to have a positive effect on patients.
- A recent study has shown that your name can make you slightly more (or less) sexy.
- Scientists have found a way to make slacker monkeys more productive.
- Doom 3 is out to critical acclaim as an example of where computer graphics technology is going, and already has people writing mods for it.
- The Blu-ray Disc Association has unveiled its new blue ray CD format, HD-DVD.
- An article on what it's like to live in Antarctica.
- Chess legend Bobby Fischer is looking to renounce his US citizenship. Slate takes us through the process on how to go about doing that.
- Muslims in Canada are looking to form a formal committee that would judge disputes between Muslims according to Sharia, or Islamic Law, leading to protests that it will infringe on the rights of women.
- Saudi Arabia's laws concerning upcoming municipal elections make it unclear as to whether women will be allowed to vote.
- Iran's upgrading of its missile systems is an indication of why missile-defence doesn't work.
- The Village Voice writes about the legal team set up to help protesters at the RNC convention.
- A judge holds a Time magazine journalist in contempt of court for not naming a unnamed source, sending shockwaves through the journalistic community.
- An article explaining what a 'buy' rating from a stock analyst actually means.
- The Acadian diaspora is meeting in Nova Scotia to celebrate their heritage.
- Oil prices continue to go through the roof, despite Saudi Arabia's commitment to produce more. Analysts see demand outpacing forecasts, which will only exacerbate the current problems.
- California has annulled all gay marriages that took place in San Francisco.
- The governor of New Jersey has resigned after declaring that he is gay and has had an extramarital affair with another man.
- The top 10 most literate American cities.
- When it comes to the cities with the best quality of life in the world though, Canada claims 4 out of the top 10 spots when cost-of-living is factored in.
- What exactly does Osama bin Laden actually want? Some journalists have bothered to find out.
- A list of the BBC's 'Interviews from Hell.'
- iPod vs cassette tape, a study.
- The Chipmunk Song, slowed down to a regular pace. (mp3)
- A landslide caught on tape.
- Hand-painted maps of the world, drawn from memory.
- A website dedicated to finding the most popular color combinations.
- A graph showing Bush's approval ratings to terror alerts.
- Stairway to Heaven, as done by different composers.
- A website that searches for rhymes to inputted words.
- Build a better Bush!
- Michael Moore scores another coup over George Bush, as his latest pick for the head of the CIA went on film for Mr. Moore explaining that he would not be qualified for the job.
With Afghanistan's elections approaching, the short campaign time and current omnipresence of Hamid Karzai makes him likely to be the first elected President, even though he technically has 17 opponents. Meanwhile, reports have surfaced showing that the nature of al-Qaeda is rapidly changing, with a new generation of leaders filling the gaps of those either captured or killed. The Register reviews the latest 'intelligence find,' questioning the sophistication of the intelligence agencies.
Even with the support of the House of Representatives in America, the European Union has announced that it will not identify the atrocities being committed in Darfur as genocide. The government of Sudan has rejected calls for the African Union to deploy 2000 troops to prevent further conflict in the Darfur region.
Fighting continues in Iraq, with American forces storming the house of cleric al-Sadr on Thursday though he was not residing there at the time. In a move that could potentially destabilize relationships with the Iraqi populace, American forces are reportedly planning on a final assault to deal with the cleric's insurgents in the holy city of Najaf, while at the same time dealing with another uprising in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City. In Najaf, the Guardian reports that Sadr's men are waiting for what they see as martyrdom by American forces. Back home, the Washington Post does a mea culpa on its failure to question the WMD motive to attack Iraq.
The Olympics are coming up at the end of the week with the torch just now reaching the Acropolis, and a few interesting not run-of-the-mill stories have been published about it. First is one about how economists have a model predicting the number of medals each country should win based on various economic and social factors. The United States is expected to come out on top again, but many countries in the world are bridging the gap. Meanwhile Athens is busy in a last-minute attempt to 'clean-up' the city, which apparently means removing thousands of beggars and homeless people from streets.
In space, one of Hubble's instruments is out of order, illustrating the problems with the telescope's aging equipment. NASA has a piece of equipment on the ground that could make the necessary repairs, though it has yet to make any formal plans. Despite all of this, the Hubble still takes groundbreaking pictures.
Also:
- Because of the increasing prevalance of communication methods that don't leak radio waves into space, the chances for other extraterrestrial civilizations to find ours are diminishing.
- Cassini has detected 'superbolts' of lighting in Saturn's atmosphere.
- The Gravity Probe B testing a component of Einstein’s general relativity is about to begin its experiment.
- The first solar sailor is ready for it's inaugural flight.
- Computer models suggest that the spin of black holes cause observed violent jets of matter and energy to shoot out.
- Here is a program that lets you observe the effects of special relativity on the appearance of moving objects.
- Scientists have developed a new type of glass that will block infrared radiation once the room temperature reaches a certain point.
- A new microscope has been developed that allows biologists to look into living organisms deeper than they were previously able to.
- Researchers have discovered cancer 'stem cells' that continuously replenish leukemia tumours. It is believed that finding and killing these cells would greatly aid patients suffering from this condition.
- If that doesn't work though, there is an ancient native American treatment for cancer that appears to have a positive effect on patients.
- A recent study has shown that your name can make you slightly more (or less) sexy.
- Scientists have found a way to make slacker monkeys more productive.
- Doom 3 is out to critical acclaim as an example of where computer graphics technology is going, and already has people writing mods for it.
- The Blu-ray Disc Association has unveiled its new blue ray CD format, HD-DVD.
- An article on what it's like to live in Antarctica.
- Chess legend Bobby Fischer is looking to renounce his US citizenship. Slate takes us through the process on how to go about doing that.
- Muslims in Canada are looking to form a formal committee that would judge disputes between Muslims according to Sharia, or Islamic Law, leading to protests that it will infringe on the rights of women.
- Saudi Arabia's laws concerning upcoming municipal elections make it unclear as to whether women will be allowed to vote.
- Iran's upgrading of its missile systems is an indication of why missile-defence doesn't work.
- The Village Voice writes about the legal team set up to help protesters at the RNC convention.
- A judge holds a Time magazine journalist in contempt of court for not naming a unnamed source, sending shockwaves through the journalistic community.
- An article explaining what a 'buy' rating from a stock analyst actually means.
- The Acadian diaspora is meeting in Nova Scotia to celebrate their heritage.
- Oil prices continue to go through the roof, despite Saudi Arabia's commitment to produce more. Analysts see demand outpacing forecasts, which will only exacerbate the current problems.
- California has annulled all gay marriages that took place in San Francisco.
- The governor of New Jersey has resigned after declaring that he is gay and has had an extramarital affair with another man.
- The top 10 most literate American cities.
- When it comes to the cities with the best quality of life in the world though, Canada claims 4 out of the top 10 spots when cost-of-living is factored in.
- What exactly does Osama bin Laden actually want? Some journalists have bothered to find out.
- A list of the BBC's 'Interviews from Hell.'
- iPod vs cassette tape, a study.
- The Chipmunk Song, slowed down to a regular pace. (mp3)
- A landslide caught on tape.
- Hand-painted maps of the world, drawn from memory.
- A website dedicated to finding the most popular color combinations.
- A graph showing Bush's approval ratings to terror alerts.
- Stairway to Heaven, as done by different composers.
- A website that searches for rhymes to inputted words.
- Build a better Bush!
- Michael Moore scores another coup over George Bush, as his latest pick for the head of the CIA went on film for Mr. Moore explaining that he would not be qualified for the job.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Sorry
With the move back to Halifax and all, I've had very little time to publish in the last few weeks. I'll make sure to get back to it once all this gets sorted out.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
The Week in Review
As the Democratic Convention came to a close last week, both candidates are now on the campaign trail, almost meeting in Iowa on Wednesday. Bush appears to be signaling the beginning of a month-long attack against now Democratic nominee John Kerry, whose better-than-expected delivery of his acceptance speech at the convention is seen to have given him a boost with the American public. Hopefully the Bush campaign will refrain from recent gaffs where a campaign worker stated that Americans dissatisfied with their low-quality jobs should either just go out and find new ones, or start taking Prozac. Bush himself has reversed a previous decision and decided to implement some of the recommendations of the 9/11 commission. Elsewhere in the Bush administration, the John Ashcroft's Justice Department has been caught asking libraries to destroy certain books, some of which are texts of federal statues, only to have it rescinded after the order went public.
The Homeland Security Department has issued a terror warning based on what they call specific and detailed bomb threats to financial institutions in the United States, apparently partially based on computer documents found during the arrest of a al-Qaeda suspect. However, it was discovered after the fact that most of the intelligence from this latest warning is actually several years old, leading to additional questions about the overall credibility of the department. The CSM looks at how the terror alert system seems to be working overall. The British, on the other hand, seem to be doing slightly better as of late in the "war on terror" after reports that they arrested an al-Qaeda leader.
In the Darfur region of Sudan, French troops have arrived in Chad to begin an aid mission to all of the refugees that fled there during the atrocities, which according to UN aid workers are still being committed. This is sparking fears in the international community of a new wave of refugees crossing into neighboring countries. The United Nations security council has given the Sudanese government a 30-day deadline to dismantle the Arab militias accused of carrying out the attacks and called for additional food aid from the international community. Sudanese marched in a government-organized protest against the United Nations resolution which they see as no more than a declaration of war. Despite the the government of Sudan's discontent with the resolution, it has agreed to double the security forces in Darfur to meet with international demands.
Also:
- NASA has formulated a 'wish list' for future studies into the origins of the universe.
- Studies on the planets orbiting neighboring stars have led astronomers to hypothesize that the structure of our solar system might be the exception, not the rule.
- NASA has also launched its latest probe, Messenger, that will be headed for Mercury.
- The Mars rovers are starting to break down, though they have already performed activities for twice as long a duration as they were designed for.
- Scientists have discovered that Mars may have had active volcanoes much more recently than previously thought.
- A new telescope being built by the University of Texas and Texas A&M is expected to have a definition 10 times the clarity of the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Acid rain, despite all of its negative effects, has been shown to decrease the rate of global warming.
- Women who believe that they will live a long life have a greater chance of giving birth to male children.
- Francis Crick, one of the pioneers of the double-helix structure of DNA, has died at 88.
- Aloe vera might have more uses than just treating sunburns, they are now being studied as a method to cope with massive blood loss on the battlefield.
- Vitamin pills might be good for you overall, but recent studies have found that they have little effect decreasing your risk of heart disease.
- Amazingly enough, having four to five bottles of wine a week might actually make your brain work better.
- The CSM looks into why oil prices might remain at record high prices.
- Several cities and town in California may have inadvertantly banned SUVs from many of their roads.
- Social mobility is on the decrease in America.
- A cleaned up version of a JFK assassination audio tape may shed some light as to whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
- A Wal-Mart in Quebec might be the first store in the chain to successfully unionize.
- The Vatican has issued a document condeming the 'lethal effects' of feminism on society.
- The 11th circuit court of appeals has upheld an Alabama ban on the sale of sex toys.
- Missouri has passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage.
- The 'father of photojournalism,' Henri Cartier-Bresson, has died at the age of 96.
- The Campaign Desk wonders why the major magazines don't follow the Economist's tactic of using actually important news as a cover story.
- In some much-needed good news for East Timor, a multi-billion dollar oil development project is underway that could revitalize the region's poorest nation.
- An interesting article on vocational training in Germany.
- Afghans, despite continuing threats of violence, are registering to vote in droves.
- The music industry in Canada is forcing dentists to pay licensing fees for the music they play in their offices, a move that might spread to the United States.
- New Zealand has captured a suspected Mossad agent who might have been using a falsified Canadian passport.
- Not satisfied with Air America, liberal activists are looking into creating their own news channel.
- All you could possibly want to know about error in polls.
- A website devoted to playing with time.
- Another website that deals with interesting results in math, after which you can learn about ethnomathematics.
- What the world apparently looks like to a fool.
- Portrats of different celebrities as if they had been painted by various masters.
- This website takes the subject lines from spam email and turns them into cartoons.
- First there was the subservient chicken, in 2004 we now have the subservient President.
- An independent ad for Kerry/Edwards that uses nothing but Bush's 2003 State of the Union address accompanied by pictures.
The Homeland Security Department has issued a terror warning based on what they call specific and detailed bomb threats to financial institutions in the United States, apparently partially based on computer documents found during the arrest of a al-Qaeda suspect. However, it was discovered after the fact that most of the intelligence from this latest warning is actually several years old, leading to additional questions about the overall credibility of the department. The CSM looks at how the terror alert system seems to be working overall. The British, on the other hand, seem to be doing slightly better as of late in the "war on terror" after reports that they arrested an al-Qaeda leader.
In the Darfur region of Sudan, French troops have arrived in Chad to begin an aid mission to all of the refugees that fled there during the atrocities, which according to UN aid workers are still being committed. This is sparking fears in the international community of a new wave of refugees crossing into neighboring countries. The United Nations security council has given the Sudanese government a 30-day deadline to dismantle the Arab militias accused of carrying out the attacks and called for additional food aid from the international community. Sudanese marched in a government-organized protest against the United Nations resolution which they see as no more than a declaration of war. Despite the the government of Sudan's discontent with the resolution, it has agreed to double the security forces in Darfur to meet with international demands.
Also:
- NASA has formulated a 'wish list' for future studies into the origins of the universe.
- Studies on the planets orbiting neighboring stars have led astronomers to hypothesize that the structure of our solar system might be the exception, not the rule.
- NASA has also launched its latest probe, Messenger, that will be headed for Mercury.
- The Mars rovers are starting to break down, though they have already performed activities for twice as long a duration as they were designed for.
- Scientists have discovered that Mars may have had active volcanoes much more recently than previously thought.
- A new telescope being built by the University of Texas and Texas A&M is expected to have a definition 10 times the clarity of the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Acid rain, despite all of its negative effects, has been shown to decrease the rate of global warming.
- Women who believe that they will live a long life have a greater chance of giving birth to male children.
- Francis Crick, one of the pioneers of the double-helix structure of DNA, has died at 88.
- Aloe vera might have more uses than just treating sunburns, they are now being studied as a method to cope with massive blood loss on the battlefield.
- Vitamin pills might be good for you overall, but recent studies have found that they have little effect decreasing your risk of heart disease.
- Amazingly enough, having four to five bottles of wine a week might actually make your brain work better.
- The CSM looks into why oil prices might remain at record high prices.
- Several cities and town in California may have inadvertantly banned SUVs from many of their roads.
- Social mobility is on the decrease in America.
- A cleaned up version of a JFK assassination audio tape may shed some light as to whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
- A Wal-Mart in Quebec might be the first store in the chain to successfully unionize.
- The Vatican has issued a document condeming the 'lethal effects' of feminism on society.
- The 11th circuit court of appeals has upheld an Alabama ban on the sale of sex toys.
- Missouri has passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage.
- The 'father of photojournalism,' Henri Cartier-Bresson, has died at the age of 96.
- The Campaign Desk wonders why the major magazines don't follow the Economist's tactic of using actually important news as a cover story.
- In some much-needed good news for East Timor, a multi-billion dollar oil development project is underway that could revitalize the region's poorest nation.
- An interesting article on vocational training in Germany.
- Afghans, despite continuing threats of violence, are registering to vote in droves.
- The music industry in Canada is forcing dentists to pay licensing fees for the music they play in their offices, a move that might spread to the United States.
- New Zealand has captured a suspected Mossad agent who might have been using a falsified Canadian passport.
- Not satisfied with Air America, liberal activists are looking into creating their own news channel.
- All you could possibly want to know about error in polls.
- A website devoted to playing with time.
- Another website that deals with interesting results in math, after which you can learn about ethnomathematics.
- What the world apparently looks like to a fool.
- Portrats of different celebrities as if they had been painted by various masters.
- This website takes the subject lines from spam email and turns them into cartoons.
- First there was the subservient chicken, in 2004 we now have the subservient President.
- An independent ad for Kerry/Edwards that uses nothing but Bush's 2003 State of the Union address accompanied by pictures.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Back in business
The Shiite newspaper al-Hawza, run by the organization of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has been allowed to publish again by the Iraqi administration. The closure of the newspaper by Paul Bremer in an attempt to reduce the popular power of the cleric was seen as the flashpoint for the months of unrest that followed. al-Sadr has since given his first public sermon in two months, denouncing the interim Prime Minister calling him an extension of the occupation. There is a growing concern in Washington that Iran is influencing events in Iraq's Shiite population, leading to an increasing anti-Iranian sentiment among American legislators. Getting back to one of the reasons listed for invading Iraq, the Washington Post has published an article on all the evidence showing no operational relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda before the US invasion. Speaking of al-Qaeda, the 9/11 report came out this week, calling efforts to stop terrorism before the attacks on the World Trade Center a failure of policy, management, capability and imagination, citing 10 opportunities that the intelligence community had to stop the attacks.
Things seem to be moving in the Darfur situation, with a US congressional resolution calling the event genocide, much to the chagrin of the government of Sudan, being passed this week. In Darfur itself, 10 Arab militia were sentenced to 6 years in prison for atrocities and to have their hands and feet amputated. Amnesty International has issued a press release on how rape is now being used as a weapon of war by the Arab militia, the Janjawid. The CSM writes on whether the United States has a duty to intervene in these circumstances while the NYT discusses whether Darfur is an atrocity or genocide. The Guardian outlines the complexity of a situation the United Nations may have to deal with in a short time. Tony Blair has stated that nothing is ruled out when it comes to intervention by the British.
As the Democratic Convention approaches this week, the latest FEC report shows that the Democrats have raised more money this year than the Republicans, thought the Republicans still have a lead overall. Kos has published what should be the baseline poll against which the success of the convention should be measured. The Village Voice interviews several groups of conservatives to find out exactly what it is that they like about George Bush, which comes at a time when the President is beginning his drive to articulate his views on his next four years should he be re-elected. Rebecca notes how the CSM takes a five-part look into the increasingly divided red/blue America. Meanwhile, after the whole terrorist attacks changing the results of the election/John Kerry is the terrorist's best friend thing, another blog has noted that it actually might be Bush that al-Qaeda likes.
Also:
- Astronomers have come to the conclusion that tsunamis of hot gas help heat up galaxy clusters.
- What is speculated to be an ancient chunk of Mars has been found in Antarctica.
- The Cassini spacecraft has detected lightning in Saturn's atmosphere.
- NASA is reconsidering a once-rejected plan to send a probe to the sun.
- A report from National Geographic about how satellites are helping in the prediction of earthquakes.
- NASA has reportedly refused to fund a satellite studying climate change and hurricanes, which will eventually cause it to fall into the Earth's atmosphere.
- In another story about the usefulness of satellites, an article on how giant rogue waves in the ocean were confirmed to exist through pictures taken from orbit.
- Solar radiation is now thought to have a greater impact on humans than previously thought.
- Scientists have discovered evidence pointing to the existence of a new form of matter that allows for particles that are usually repelled from each other to pair up and flow together.
- SETI has issued a release stating that if intelligent life exists elsewhere in our galaxy, it will be discovered in the next 20 years.
- Scientists have discovered the smallest fish on record - the stout infantfish of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is less than a centimetre long.
- An article on how circumcised men are attempting to get their foreskin back.
- Homosexual behaviour in animals is adding another layer to the overall gay debate.
- Apple has signed a new group of indies to their iTunes program.
- Microsoft is selling Slate.
- As China performs increasingly aggressive war games in the Taiwan Straight, an article reviewing the pros and cons for China when it comes to invading Taiwan.
- Israel is concerned that right-wing Jewish extremists are planning an attack on the Temple Mount by crashing a plane into it in response to the government's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
- Some states' Attorneys General are turning out to be the new environmental crusaders as 8 states and New York city file a lawsuit against power companies for their role in the global warming problem.
- With same-sex marriage legalized in many Canadian provinces, the first reported case of a same-sex divorce has occurred by two women married after five days, though they had been in a relationship for five years previous.
- The Iranian dissident and history professor at Tehran college, Hashem Aghajari, who was previously sentenced to death over his calls for religious renewal has had his sentence commuted to a five-year jail term after student protests over the sentence put pressure on the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.
- The New Statesman examines what six writers believe the major ideas of the 21st century will be.
- Initial results are in showing that welfare reform might be working.
- CNN reports that the army offers its members plastic surgery for them and their family.
- The first of the Gen Xers are now turning 40.
- An article on why Europe feels the way it does about the United States and the Bush administration.
- Former Mexican President Luis Echeverria is to be charged over his involvement in the deaths of at least 30 young protesters in 1971 by Mexican security forces.
- Have garden gnomes? Hope you realize that it will take about $20k off the value of your home.
- Will Intel be sueing God over trademark infringement?
- Mmmmmmmmm... Donut flavoured drinks....
- Double Mmmmmmmm... Guiness Stout Ice Cream...
- Hate having to give over information and login to your favourite news sites? Bugmenot is then the service for you.
- All you ever wanted to know about transhumanism.
- A handy guide to public domain and copyright in the United States.
- The Daily Show has made a big move at the Television Critics Awards, given that it's not a 'real' news show, winning Outstanding Achievement in News & Information.
- Lance Armstrong has won his sixth Tour de France.
- Doonesbury has been banned from 38 papers over being to controversial.
- A site that shows how state-by-state polling translates into electoral votes.
- A great trailer featuring, your friend and mine, Bill O'Rilley for the new movie Outfoxed.
And lastly, a project called Wordcount that orders the usage of 86800 words in the English language. After choosing common words, I've been trying to find the least used word that I can think of, like oblong (26643), avarice (42064), endoplasmic (52636), ventricle (54737), or Chinook (66811). You have the ability to zoom to a particular rank, but try and see who can naturally find the least common word in this database. Since there are only a certain number of words, you can't choose anything completely obscure (it won't be there).
Things seem to be moving in the Darfur situation, with a US congressional resolution calling the event genocide, much to the chagrin of the government of Sudan, being passed this week. In Darfur itself, 10 Arab militia were sentenced to 6 years in prison for atrocities and to have their hands and feet amputated. Amnesty International has issued a press release on how rape is now being used as a weapon of war by the Arab militia, the Janjawid. The CSM writes on whether the United States has a duty to intervene in these circumstances while the NYT discusses whether Darfur is an atrocity or genocide. The Guardian outlines the complexity of a situation the United Nations may have to deal with in a short time. Tony Blair has stated that nothing is ruled out when it comes to intervention by the British.
As the Democratic Convention approaches this week, the latest FEC report shows that the Democrats have raised more money this year than the Republicans, thought the Republicans still have a lead overall. Kos has published what should be the baseline poll against which the success of the convention should be measured. The Village Voice interviews several groups of conservatives to find out exactly what it is that they like about George Bush, which comes at a time when the President is beginning his drive to articulate his views on his next four years should he be re-elected. Rebecca notes how the CSM takes a five-part look into the increasingly divided red/blue America. Meanwhile, after the whole terrorist attacks changing the results of the election/John Kerry is the terrorist's best friend thing, another blog has noted that it actually might be Bush that al-Qaeda likes.
Also:
- Astronomers have come to the conclusion that tsunamis of hot gas help heat up galaxy clusters.
- What is speculated to be an ancient chunk of Mars has been found in Antarctica.
- The Cassini spacecraft has detected lightning in Saturn's atmosphere.
- NASA is reconsidering a once-rejected plan to send a probe to the sun.
- A report from National Geographic about how satellites are helping in the prediction of earthquakes.
- NASA has reportedly refused to fund a satellite studying climate change and hurricanes, which will eventually cause it to fall into the Earth's atmosphere.
- In another story about the usefulness of satellites, an article on how giant rogue waves in the ocean were confirmed to exist through pictures taken from orbit.
- Solar radiation is now thought to have a greater impact on humans than previously thought.
- Scientists have discovered evidence pointing to the existence of a new form of matter that allows for particles that are usually repelled from each other to pair up and flow together.
- SETI has issued a release stating that if intelligent life exists elsewhere in our galaxy, it will be discovered in the next 20 years.
- Scientists have discovered the smallest fish on record - the stout infantfish of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is less than a centimetre long.
- An article on how circumcised men are attempting to get their foreskin back.
- Homosexual behaviour in animals is adding another layer to the overall gay debate.
- Apple has signed a new group of indies to their iTunes program.
- Microsoft is selling Slate.
- As China performs increasingly aggressive war games in the Taiwan Straight, an article reviewing the pros and cons for China when it comes to invading Taiwan.
- Israel is concerned that right-wing Jewish extremists are planning an attack on the Temple Mount by crashing a plane into it in response to the government's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
- Some states' Attorneys General are turning out to be the new environmental crusaders as 8 states and New York city file a lawsuit against power companies for their role in the global warming problem.
- With same-sex marriage legalized in many Canadian provinces, the first reported case of a same-sex divorce has occurred by two women married after five days, though they had been in a relationship for five years previous.
- The Iranian dissident and history professor at Tehran college, Hashem Aghajari, who was previously sentenced to death over his calls for religious renewal has had his sentence commuted to a five-year jail term after student protests over the sentence put pressure on the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.
- The New Statesman examines what six writers believe the major ideas of the 21st century will be.
- Initial results are in showing that welfare reform might be working.
- CNN reports that the army offers its members plastic surgery for them and their family.
- The first of the Gen Xers are now turning 40.
- An article on why Europe feels the way it does about the United States and the Bush administration.
- Former Mexican President Luis Echeverria is to be charged over his involvement in the deaths of at least 30 young protesters in 1971 by Mexican security forces.
- Have garden gnomes? Hope you realize that it will take about $20k off the value of your home.
- Will Intel be sueing God over trademark infringement?
- Mmmmmmmmm... Donut flavoured drinks....
- Double Mmmmmmmm... Guiness Stout Ice Cream...
- Hate having to give over information and login to your favourite news sites? Bugmenot is then the service for you.
- All you ever wanted to know about transhumanism.
- A handy guide to public domain and copyright in the United States.
- The Daily Show has made a big move at the Television Critics Awards, given that it's not a 'real' news show, winning Outstanding Achievement in News & Information.
- Lance Armstrong has won his sixth Tour de France.
- Doonesbury has been banned from 38 papers over being to controversial.
- A site that shows how state-by-state polling translates into electoral votes.
- A great trailer featuring, your friend and mine, Bill O'Rilley for the new movie Outfoxed.
And lastly, a project called Wordcount that orders the usage of 86800 words in the English language. After choosing common words, I've been trying to find the least used word that I can think of, like oblong (26643), avarice (42064), endoplasmic (52636), ventricle (54737), or Chinook (66811). You have the ability to zoom to a particular rank, but try and see who can naturally find the least common word in this database. Since there are only a certain number of words, you can't choose anything completely obscure (it won't be there).
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Friday, July 09, 2004
Ontological Arguments
I have a training over lunch, but thought I'd leave everyone with this article on the history of ontological arguments, one of the ways used be philosophers to deduce the existence of God. I did Anselm's argument in FYP, but this page expands some criticisms and later thought on the matter.
The whole Canadian thing
You would think that after living here for almost 4 years I would be aware of all the Canadian-specific things that I take for granted that American's don't know, such as Chinooks, keeners and Inukshuks. But I just had an epic conversation with someone who will go unnamed that must of set some sort of record. It went something like this:
Me: I just was digging up all this music I have, do you think you can name this tune? (playing piano)
Person: No, I don't know it.
Me: Really? It's All the Lovers in the World. (singing along to it)
Person: No, I've never heard of it, who's it by?
Me: Um, you know, the environmentalist piano player from the 80's -- blond crazy hair.
Person: Elton John?
Me: No, he's not gay.
Person: Well that doesn't really narrow it down all that much.
Me: Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue. Bruce... Bruce Cockburn! That's it.
Person: I've never heard of him.
Me: Really -- you can't be serious.
Person: No, I haven't heard of him. Is he Canadian?
Me: I don't think so. (going to the internet) Oh - look, he is Canadian!
Person: That would probably be why I don't know who he is.
Me: Wow, that's like some major 80's music for me. It's right up there with songs like Criminal Mind.
Person: I don't think I know that one either.
Me: (trying to sing the chorus) You know -- it's by Gowan. Lawrence Gowan.
Person: I don't think I've ever hear of him.
Me: Wouldn't it be funny if he were Canadian too? (looking on the internet) Hey - he is Canadian!
Person: *sigh*
Yes, it was a painful conversation, but just goes to show what happens when you take knowledge for granted. For the Americans out there, I have to explain that not knowing Bruce Cockburn or Gowan is like if you asked someone who Pat Benatar was and they had never heard of her. For the Canadians, well, you know where I'm coming from. Just thought I'd share the story...
Me: I just was digging up all this music I have, do you think you can name this tune? (playing piano)
Person: No, I don't know it.
Me: Really? It's All the Lovers in the World. (singing along to it)
Person: No, I've never heard of it, who's it by?
Me: Um, you know, the environmentalist piano player from the 80's -- blond crazy hair.
Person: Elton John?
Me: No, he's not gay.
Person: Well that doesn't really narrow it down all that much.
Me: Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue. Bruce... Bruce Cockburn! That's it.
Person: I've never heard of him.
Me: Really -- you can't be serious.
Person: No, I haven't heard of him. Is he Canadian?
Me: I don't think so. (going to the internet) Oh - look, he is Canadian!
Person: That would probably be why I don't know who he is.
Me: Wow, that's like some major 80's music for me. It's right up there with songs like Criminal Mind.
Person: I don't think I know that one either.
Me: (trying to sing the chorus) You know -- it's by Gowan. Lawrence Gowan.
Person: I don't think I've ever hear of him.
Me: Wouldn't it be funny if he were Canadian too? (looking on the internet) Hey - he is Canadian!
Person: *sigh*
Yes, it was a painful conversation, but just goes to show what happens when you take knowledge for granted. For the Americans out there, I have to explain that not knowing Bruce Cockburn or Gowan is like if you asked someone who Pat Benatar was and they had never heard of her. For the Canadians, well, you know where I'm coming from. Just thought I'd share the story...
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Jewish Terror in Israel
The Israeli Public Security Minister has given notice that there is already a member of an extreme-right Jewish group preparing to assassinate a government official, possibly including Prime Minister Sharon, in order to stall or prevent the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. This is unfortunately not unforeseeable, since former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish extremist after making large steps in the peace process with the Palestinians. Can't we just take all of the extremists from the Jewish, Muslim and Christian factions and lock them all on an island somewhere so the rest of us can live in peace?
The pullout of US forces around the city of Falluja in April, allowing local Iraqis to police the city, has reportedly created conditions that are allowing insurgents to organize attacks against coalition troops and other targets. The result are events like those that occurred today in Samarra, where four US soldiers were killed in a mortar attack on the American headquarters. All this comes as the Iraqi government enacted emergency powers legislation giving them the right to impose limited martial law. On the subject of why those soldiers are supposedly there in the first place, there is now pressure by the opposition Labour Party on Australian Prime Minister John Howard to admit that there are no WMDs in Iraq after Tony Blair's recent announcement and George Bush's less-than-solid response to the question. In Guantanamo Bay, the measures currently being taken by the Pentagon to comply with the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the prisoners' right to a hearing are seen as minimal if not in non-compliance with the ruling by many observers.
China is reportedly not very pleased with the spreading democracy in just about every country surrounding it, maybe because in a democracy it's much more difficult to greatly reduce the rights of ethnic groups like the Uighurs, subjecting them to arbitrary arrest and torture, with anti-terrorism legislation. Although then again, if they took John Ashcroft on as their Attorney General, maybe they could work something out.
The John^2 ticket is off and running today with a new 'optimistic' outlook and reportedly better hair than their opponents. The New Republic reports from Pakistani sources that American government officials are repeatedly stressing the need to capture Osama bin Laden before November, giving the Pakistani government arms deals and aid as an incentive. The Economist takes a look at the potential impact and relationship that Latinos have with both the Democrats and Republicans. The brand new rumor circulating around the media, however, is that Dick Cheney is going to resign his vice-presidency for McCain or Powell. I'll believe it when I see it.
Also:
- Slate tackles the social and political issues surrounding the death penalty.
- Echoing a small study I did while in university, welfare rates in Canada have now dropped well below the poverty line in all provinces.
- The Economist takes on the issues in the Indonesian election.
- UN officials have reported that due to the failed land-redistribution plan of President Mugabe, Zimbabwe will not produce enough food to feed its population this year. Meanwhile politicians in the US are putting more effort into moving forward with a response to the situation.
- The French government is opposing a UN Security Council resolution that would impose sanctions on Sudan, stating that they will not help the current situation in Darfur.
- The Congress Party, not wanting to go the way of the BJP in the last election, has issued a budget pledging billions of dollars to support poor regions.
- An article about the imported Japanese game show, Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.
- Why should you implicitly support the Democrats with your ketchup purchases if you're a Republican? Now you have an alternative choice -- W brand Ketchup.
- The CDC has a strange notion of what children are into. From their children's website, tradable disease cards!
- Bloggers who suffer burnout, or why I was on blogging vacation for the past month.
- A website devoted to the mistakes found in Spiderman 2. Once you get done with that you can check out Spiderman 2 online, as done by Lego characters. (QuickTime movie)
The pullout of US forces around the city of Falluja in April, allowing local Iraqis to police the city, has reportedly created conditions that are allowing insurgents to organize attacks against coalition troops and other targets. The result are events like those that occurred today in Samarra, where four US soldiers were killed in a mortar attack on the American headquarters. All this comes as the Iraqi government enacted emergency powers legislation giving them the right to impose limited martial law. On the subject of why those soldiers are supposedly there in the first place, there is now pressure by the opposition Labour Party on Australian Prime Minister John Howard to admit that there are no WMDs in Iraq after Tony Blair's recent announcement and George Bush's less-than-solid response to the question. In Guantanamo Bay, the measures currently being taken by the Pentagon to comply with the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the prisoners' right to a hearing are seen as minimal if not in non-compliance with the ruling by many observers.
China is reportedly not very pleased with the spreading democracy in just about every country surrounding it, maybe because in a democracy it's much more difficult to greatly reduce the rights of ethnic groups like the Uighurs, subjecting them to arbitrary arrest and torture, with anti-terrorism legislation. Although then again, if they took John Ashcroft on as their Attorney General, maybe they could work something out.
The John^2 ticket is off and running today with a new 'optimistic' outlook and reportedly better hair than their opponents. The New Republic reports from Pakistani sources that American government officials are repeatedly stressing the need to capture Osama bin Laden before November, giving the Pakistani government arms deals and aid as an incentive. The Economist takes a look at the potential impact and relationship that Latinos have with both the Democrats and Republicans. The brand new rumor circulating around the media, however, is that Dick Cheney is going to resign his vice-presidency for McCain or Powell. I'll believe it when I see it.
Also:
- Slate tackles the social and political issues surrounding the death penalty.
- Echoing a small study I did while in university, welfare rates in Canada have now dropped well below the poverty line in all provinces.
- The Economist takes on the issues in the Indonesian election.
- UN officials have reported that due to the failed land-redistribution plan of President Mugabe, Zimbabwe will not produce enough food to feed its population this year. Meanwhile politicians in the US are putting more effort into moving forward with a response to the situation.
- The French government is opposing a UN Security Council resolution that would impose sanctions on Sudan, stating that they will not help the current situation in Darfur.
- The Congress Party, not wanting to go the way of the BJP in the last election, has issued a budget pledging billions of dollars to support poor regions.
- An article about the imported Japanese game show, Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.
- Why should you implicitly support the Democrats with your ketchup purchases if you're a Republican? Now you have an alternative choice -- W brand Ketchup.
- The CDC has a strange notion of what children are into. From their children's website, tradable disease cards!
- Bloggers who suffer burnout, or why I was on blogging vacation for the past month.
- A website devoted to the mistakes found in Spiderman 2. Once you get done with that you can check out Spiderman 2 online, as done by Lego characters. (QuickTime movie)
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