The second round of the Iranian Presidential election is slated for tomorrow, and both candidates are out in force attempting to win favour with the electorate. Former President and moderate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is playing the economic card by promising hard cash for the privatization of government industry and promising that his reign will ease tensions with the outside world. The Islamist candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is campaigning on a greater redistribution of wealth to the poor and a greater fight against corruption. Campaigning through ads in various media is taking on a new importance as the candidates attempt to shape their political images.
The debate over flag-burning is once again alive in the United States, as the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment, for the fourth time in its history, that prohibits the burning of the American flag. The difference now is that there is a decent chance that the Senate will also pass it with the required 2/3 majority, leaving it up to the President (and you know where he stands) and 38 states to make it the 28th amendment. Other bloggers are already scrambling to figure out ways to get around the proposed law.
Zimbabwe's Operation Restore Order, Operation Murambatsvina, or Operation "Drive Out The Trash," which consists of the systematic destruction of all urban shelters for the poor, has come under increased scrutiny as 2 children have been killed in the demolition process. The Christian Science Monitor has taken out an editorial against the 'systematic cleansing' of the poor, an act that has forced over 100,000 people out of the urban areas.
Well, I may have spoken too soon about the solar sail. First they thought it was lost, but there was still a slim chance that they could find it again. But no, scientists working on the project have stated that the mission was a failure.
Also:
- IBM's Blue Gene tops the supercomputer list even though it is only partially built and expects a final speed of double its current.
- Wired asks, should we be afraid of Google?
- Doctors are educating their patients going under that the anaesthetics can produce intense sexual dreams.
- A cannabis-like substance naturally produced by the brain has an important function in easing pain.
- Sugar subsidies to European farmers are being cut by 40%, in a move that will no doubt hurt European farmers but benefit developing countries like Brazil.
- Farming of the future, done vertically.
- How many times can you fold a paper in half? Apparently 12 times.
- Russia's population is plummeting, with the overall loss of 100 people every hour.
- The Supreme Court of the United States has just ruled that cities can reclaim private property to make way for private development.
- The Onion circa mid-21st century.
- Expiration dates for those food items/household products that do not usually carry them.
- The global image of America is up slightly, but they still rank lower than China. People also almost uniformly hate President Bush, which should come as no surprise.
- The 50 most shoplifted items. (pdf)
- The British were developing an aircraft carrier made out of ice in WWII. Seriously.
- Showing your faith through your sandals.
- If that's not your type of fashion-statement, maybe you'd like a new Japanese trend called 'decorer.'
Friday, June 24, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Iranian repeat of Chirac/Le Pen?
The results from the first round of elections in Iran are in, resulting in the need for a second round for the first time ever, as no candidate won majority support. This round will have the front-runner and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani face off against hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad on June 24th. The Christian Science Monitor profiles both men. Electoral authorities in Iran have claimed that the voting was not fraudulent despite the closing of several newspapers and allegations of voter intimidation by reform candidates, and have asked President Bush for an apology over negative remarks he made on the process. The Guardian Council permitted three days in which any reports of fraud could be brought before them. Der Spiegel points out that even the moderate candidate, if elected, will face the same problems that plagued his predecessor, Mohammed Khatami, as most of the political power still resides in the Guardian Council. Here's the Wikipedia article on the Government of Iran to show how the structures relate.
Leaders from African countries are asking Western nations to cancel current African debt to allow for their countries to develop successfully in the run-up to the G8 meeting. Even the new head of the World Bank and former Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz is calling on the United States to increase the amount of aid given to poor African countries as he made the rounds praising several of these countries for lowering their corruption levels. It's not all about money though -- the impact of climate change on Africa must also be taken into consideration in development models, as a good deal of African agriculture could be destroyed with rising global temperatures.
Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi turned 60 this weekend, though she still remains under the house arrest imposed by the Burmese military dictatorship in 2003. The CSM has published a story on a child's perspective of the civil war that plagues that country, especially the use of child soldiers in the conflict.
Today begins the age of the solar sail, as the experimental spacecraft Cosmos-1 blasted into space. There is some concern that the solar sail did not separate from its booster rocket, which will take up to a day to confirm.
Also:
- Advances in quantum theory have explained how time-travel paradoxes can not occur.
- Scientists are experimenting with new technology that could create a 3-D replica of a person in another location, sort of like in Star Wars, I assume.
- Female orgasms are found to shut down parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety, and other observations from a new study.
- Teratomas, the new way to produce stem cells needed for regenerative medicine without having to kill embryos. Very creepy.
- A critique of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's book on raising children as a throwback to the attitudes of the 1950s.
- A story from the New Yorker about Patrick Henry College, a breeding ground for socially conservative activists. You should check out their honour code which includes "I will resolve personal conflicts biblically." Does this mean you can stone people?
- Other essays on the social differences between men and women.
- A new theory on Alpine glacier melt that is not completely connected to global warming.
- Oil approaches $60/barrel over unrest in Nigeria and high oil demand.
- The heavy impact on churches of the government of Zimbabwe's casting-out of the poor from urban areas .
- The US House of Representatives have voted to limit certain powers in the Patriot Act, despite the threat of a veto from President Bush.
- Both President Bush and Congress are declining in the polls, with Bush receiving an approval rating of 42%.
- Despite having lost the Terri Schiavo thing both in terms of her death and their allegations that she could have been rehabilitated, Republicans in Florida including Gov. Jeb Bush are still trying to keep her alive in the media.
- Canadian political parties who received less than 2% of the vote want their $1.75 per voter from the government.
- Saddam Hussein apparently has many quirks, including a fondness for former President Ronald Regan.
- Traffic calming, or ways to slow down the pace of traffic on busy streets.
- Ways to celebrate the summer solstice now includes partying at Stonehenge or partying in Antarctica.
- The Research Channel, streaming video of scientific talks, lectures and discoveries.
- In one of the most silly lobbying attempts I've heard of, potato farmers have lobbied the British government to have the phrase 'couch potato' dropped from the Oxford dictionary, seeing it as harmful to the vegetable’s reputation.
Leaders from African countries are asking Western nations to cancel current African debt to allow for their countries to develop successfully in the run-up to the G8 meeting. Even the new head of the World Bank and former Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz is calling on the United States to increase the amount of aid given to poor African countries as he made the rounds praising several of these countries for lowering their corruption levels. It's not all about money though -- the impact of climate change on Africa must also be taken into consideration in development models, as a good deal of African agriculture could be destroyed with rising global temperatures.
Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi turned 60 this weekend, though she still remains under the house arrest imposed by the Burmese military dictatorship in 2003. The CSM has published a story on a child's perspective of the civil war that plagues that country, especially the use of child soldiers in the conflict.
Today begins the age of the solar sail, as the experimental spacecraft Cosmos-1 blasted into space. There is some concern that the solar sail did not separate from its booster rocket, which will take up to a day to confirm.
Also:
- Advances in quantum theory have explained how time-travel paradoxes can not occur.
- Scientists are experimenting with new technology that could create a 3-D replica of a person in another location, sort of like in Star Wars, I assume.
- Female orgasms are found to shut down parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety, and other observations from a new study.
- Teratomas, the new way to produce stem cells needed for regenerative medicine without having to kill embryos. Very creepy.
- A critique of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's book on raising children as a throwback to the attitudes of the 1950s.
- A story from the New Yorker about Patrick Henry College, a breeding ground for socially conservative activists. You should check out their honour code which includes "I will resolve personal conflicts biblically." Does this mean you can stone people?
- Other essays on the social differences between men and women.
- A new theory on Alpine glacier melt that is not completely connected to global warming.
- Oil approaches $60/barrel over unrest in Nigeria and high oil demand.
- The heavy impact on churches of the government of Zimbabwe's casting-out of the poor from urban areas .
- The US House of Representatives have voted to limit certain powers in the Patriot Act, despite the threat of a veto from President Bush.
- Both President Bush and Congress are declining in the polls, with Bush receiving an approval rating of 42%.
- Despite having lost the Terri Schiavo thing both in terms of her death and their allegations that she could have been rehabilitated, Republicans in Florida including Gov. Jeb Bush are still trying to keep her alive in the media.
- Canadian political parties who received less than 2% of the vote want their $1.75 per voter from the government.
- Saddam Hussein apparently has many quirks, including a fondness for former President Ronald Regan.
- Traffic calming, or ways to slow down the pace of traffic on busy streets.
- Ways to celebrate the summer solstice now includes partying at Stonehenge or partying in Antarctica.
- The Research Channel, streaming video of scientific talks, lectures and discoveries.
- In one of the most silly lobbying attempts I've heard of, potato farmers have lobbied the British government to have the phrase 'couch potato' dropped from the Oxford dictionary, seeing it as harmful to the vegetable’s reputation.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Debt Relief for Developing Countries, Finally.
18 developed countries have announced a deal that would erase $55 billion of African debt from the books. This will have a large impact on the budgets of many African countries who are currently facing large, unsolvable crises. President Bush has added to the dialogue the need for additional governmental reform and free trade, parroting the line that got most of these countries in this mess in the first place. Name me one underdeveloped country that achieved development through free trade and not protectionism and I'll buy you a beer. The Bush administration is also under fire for the paltry amount they plan to personally write off for poor African countries, only a little more than half a billion dollars, most of which won't be in the form of new spending, but will come from existing budgets. The Christian Science Monitor has a pretty good overview of the deal, what it means and the various ideologies surrounding the decision.
A large battle is taking place in Australia over a Chinese diplomat, Chen Yonglin, who is attempting to defect over China's treatment of the religious group Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates. Chen has already stated that he would rather die than return to China, given what would likely happen to him if he was returned. China has come out denying his claims of repression, saying that he would be treated fairly if returned. All evidence though shows that this is likely not the case. To quote the introduction of Amnesty International's latest report on China:
"Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations. Tens of thousands of people continued to be detained or imprisoned in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and association, and were at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment ... Restrictions increased on the cultural and religious rights of the mainly Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang, where thousands of people have been detained or imprisoned for so-called “separatist” or “terrorist” offences. In Tibet and other ethnic Tibetan areas, freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted. China continued to use the international “war against terrorism” as a pretext for cracking down on peaceful dissent." (italics mine)
Pro-democracy advocates have rallied in Australia in support of the defection of Chen Yonglin and another diplomat, but after appealing to both Australia and the United States, it is unlikely that they will be granted asylum. All of this comes as China has issued an additional clampdown on expression on the internet, setting up a program that will monitor all internet activity for voices of political dissent against the government. They have also set up a host of pro-government sites and commentators to combat any non-sanctioned expression. In addition, Microsoft has agreed to censor any reference to democracy or freedom from their Chinese website. Oh, and I almost forgot, the two also reported that the government of China has over 1000 spies in Canada.
With the widest range of candidates since the Islamic Revolution, The Presidential election in Iran has turned violent, as some candidates, including the leading reformist Behzad Nabavi, have been physically assaulted. Nabavi was quoted as saying that he hasn't "been beaten like this since the days of SAVAK." In addition to physical assaults, Iranian candidates also have to deal with a number of bomb attacks that have killed at least 10 people. Hundreds of women protested in Tehran, the largest public display of women since the revolution, over the discrimination they face in their day-to-day lives. Despite all of these events and what will likely be a tight race, the largest problem that election officials will likely face on election day is the apathy of the electorate.
Life for the political opposition in Ethiopia is getting tougher, with many now subject to house arrest. The government is defending its crackdown, one that resulted in the deaths of dozens protesters. As if that wasn't enough, the government then went about arresting over 3000 people and beating journalists.
A couple of human sexuality reports have come out this week. The first shows that men engaged in watching mixed-gender pornography produce more sperm, possibly because the presence of other males engaged in sexual activity boosts the competitive side of male sexual physiology. The second is about females, specifically that there is a genetic component to whether or not they can achieve orgasm. Traditionally, social or psychological problems have been associated with female sexual problems of this nature.
Also:
- A group of astronomers have found a rocky planet orbiting a star 15 light years away that has 7 1/2 times the mass of earth, the smallest discovered to date.
- A view from the inside of a tornado, caught for the first time ever.
- Global Warming only exists if you let it exist; the Bush administration is caught editing scientific documents to downplay the link between fossil fuels and climate change. Oh, and while your at it, you can then quit your job and get one with ExxonMobil.
- Global military spending is approaching Cold War highs, with the USA accounting for 47% of it.
- New buzzword of the moment: "terabyte-lifestyle."
- The latest version of OS X might show that using folders to organize a computer system is a thing of the past.
- StatsCanada released a report showing that having less than a high-school education is very detrimental to your chances of getting married.
- Having good friends will help you live longer.
- Stem cell treatment for brain disorders has made another major advance.
- There is a very good chance that the UN Security Council will be reformed to include 10 extra members.
- CNN shocks the world by airing a program in the United States that reports actual news.
- An autopsy done on Terri Shiavo is putting Republican tactics on the issue into question.
- South Africa reinvents the chastity belt with its latest efforts to catch rapists.
- The enormous impact of Robert Mugabe's decision to evict all urban poor from Zimbabwean cities.
- The Christian Science Monitor asks an important question: How can the conflict in the Congo which kills 1000 people a day not be a news story?
- An overview of the new way pro-choice groups plan to sell abortion to the general public.
- Wal-Mart is banned from preventing employees from having relationships in Germany.
- Professional wrestling and British football are growing closer together -- both now feature fans shouting "USA! USA!" The latter though, use it as an insult.
- How to cook salmon in your dishwasher. Not for the cooking neophyte.
- A collection of insulting and prejudiced quotes from the American right.
- Taking DDR to the next level.
- An article on why learning Arabic is harder than you might think.
- A new Japanese-built robot shows the impact of the uncanny valley effect.
- A collection of works by black and white photographer Ansel Adams.
- A video of Tom Lehrer on mathematics.
- What colour eyes will your children have?
- 4-dimentional objects visualized in 3-D.
- A link to the site of Dave Devries, and artist who takes pictures of monsters drawn by children and then redraws them artistically.
A large battle is taking place in Australia over a Chinese diplomat, Chen Yonglin, who is attempting to defect over China's treatment of the religious group Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates. Chen has already stated that he would rather die than return to China, given what would likely happen to him if he was returned. China has come out denying his claims of repression, saying that he would be treated fairly if returned. All evidence though shows that this is likely not the case. To quote the introduction of Amnesty International's latest report on China:
"Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations. Tens of thousands of people continued to be detained or imprisoned in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and association, and were at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment ... Restrictions increased on the cultural and religious rights of the mainly Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang, where thousands of people have been detained or imprisoned for so-called “separatist” or “terrorist” offences. In Tibet and other ethnic Tibetan areas, freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted. China continued to use the international “war against terrorism” as a pretext for cracking down on peaceful dissent." (italics mine)
Pro-democracy advocates have rallied in Australia in support of the defection of Chen Yonglin and another diplomat, but after appealing to both Australia and the United States, it is unlikely that they will be granted asylum. All of this comes as China has issued an additional clampdown on expression on the internet, setting up a program that will monitor all internet activity for voices of political dissent against the government. They have also set up a host of pro-government sites and commentators to combat any non-sanctioned expression. In addition, Microsoft has agreed to censor any reference to democracy or freedom from their Chinese website. Oh, and I almost forgot, the two also reported that the government of China has over 1000 spies in Canada.
With the widest range of candidates since the Islamic Revolution, The Presidential election in Iran has turned violent, as some candidates, including the leading reformist Behzad Nabavi, have been physically assaulted. Nabavi was quoted as saying that he hasn't "been beaten like this since the days of SAVAK." In addition to physical assaults, Iranian candidates also have to deal with a number of bomb attacks that have killed at least 10 people. Hundreds of women protested in Tehran, the largest public display of women since the revolution, over the discrimination they face in their day-to-day lives. Despite all of these events and what will likely be a tight race, the largest problem that election officials will likely face on election day is the apathy of the electorate.
Life for the political opposition in Ethiopia is getting tougher, with many now subject to house arrest. The government is defending its crackdown, one that resulted in the deaths of dozens protesters. As if that wasn't enough, the government then went about arresting over 3000 people and beating journalists.
A couple of human sexuality reports have come out this week. The first shows that men engaged in watching mixed-gender pornography produce more sperm, possibly because the presence of other males engaged in sexual activity boosts the competitive side of male sexual physiology. The second is about females, specifically that there is a genetic component to whether or not they can achieve orgasm. Traditionally, social or psychological problems have been associated with female sexual problems of this nature.
Also:
- A group of astronomers have found a rocky planet orbiting a star 15 light years away that has 7 1/2 times the mass of earth, the smallest discovered to date.
- A view from the inside of a tornado, caught for the first time ever.
- Global Warming only exists if you let it exist; the Bush administration is caught editing scientific documents to downplay the link between fossil fuels and climate change. Oh, and while your at it, you can then quit your job and get one with ExxonMobil.
- Global military spending is approaching Cold War highs, with the USA accounting for 47% of it.
- New buzzword of the moment: "terabyte-lifestyle."
- The latest version of OS X might show that using folders to organize a computer system is a thing of the past.
- StatsCanada released a report showing that having less than a high-school education is very detrimental to your chances of getting married.
- Having good friends will help you live longer.
- Stem cell treatment for brain disorders has made another major advance.
- There is a very good chance that the UN Security Council will be reformed to include 10 extra members.
- CNN shocks the world by airing a program in the United States that reports actual news.
- An autopsy done on Terri Shiavo is putting Republican tactics on the issue into question.
- South Africa reinvents the chastity belt with its latest efforts to catch rapists.
- The enormous impact of Robert Mugabe's decision to evict all urban poor from Zimbabwean cities.
- The Christian Science Monitor asks an important question: How can the conflict in the Congo which kills 1000 people a day not be a news story?
- An overview of the new way pro-choice groups plan to sell abortion to the general public.
- Wal-Mart is banned from preventing employees from having relationships in Germany.
- Professional wrestling and British football are growing closer together -- both now feature fans shouting "USA! USA!" The latter though, use it as an insult.
- How to cook salmon in your dishwasher. Not for the cooking neophyte.
- A collection of insulting and prejudiced quotes from the American right.
- Taking DDR to the next level.
- An article on why learning Arabic is harder than you might think.
- A new Japanese-built robot shows the impact of the uncanny valley effect.
- A collection of works by black and white photographer Ansel Adams.
- A video of Tom Lehrer on mathematics.
- What colour eyes will your children have?
- 4-dimentional objects visualized in 3-D.
- A link to the site of Dave Devries, and artist who takes pictures of monsters drawn by children and then redraws them artistically.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Beethoven Symphonies!
The first Beethoven symphonies available for free download in mp3 format are currently up on BBC 3's website. Only Symphony No. 1 and No. 3 (Eroica) are available right now, but more will be coming as the week progresses.
Britian opts out of EU vote for now
The continuing integration of Europe took yet another blow today, with Britain signalling that it will not even hold a vote on the EU constitution given the events of the past week. Most commentary is focusing on how there needs to be a period of reflection through which the ideas that can continue to move integration forward acceptably can rise to the top of public discussion.
The International Criminal Court has announced that it will hold an inquiry into possible war crimes charges in the Darfur conflict in the Sudan. Zimbabwe is looking more and more like it might be the next country to face this type of scrutiny, especially after the police have warned protestors in a general strike scheduled on Thursday that they will take tough action against those who take part.
The Supreme Court of the United States upheld a law against medical-marijuana, effectively invalidating laws that 11 states passed that allow for the use of marijuana in controlled circumstances. It's ironic that a Supreme Court known for its state-power first mantra conveniently flips sides when the results go against their other conservative views, or, as in 2000, when they needed to elect a Republican president.
The United States is facing some more bad press in South America, as the Columbian Congress is reviewing a treaty that shields American troops from any prosecution if they commit crimes while fighting the 'war against drugs.' This is important since in the last 3 months, 7 soldiers have been charged with drug and weapons smuggling. They could take some advice from Russia, who knowing that they have an imagine problem have launched a new English-language TV station to sell the country.
Also:
- When scientists aren't simulating galaxies (see previous post), they're simulating the human brain.
- A picture of what's left in one of the main Saudi oil fields.
- 10 patients suffering from heart failure who have recieved injections of foetal stem cells have all been rapidly recovering from their condition three months post-treatment.
- How increases in longevity might hamper progress.
- Top 100 tech products of 2005, according to PC World magazine.
- The United States and North Korea are now in talks about the latter's nuclear programme at the United Nations.
- Gilles Duceppe, current leader of the federal Bloc Québécois, is hinting that he might run for the provincial leadership of the Parti Québécois since Bernard Landry gave his resignation notice.
- The American Dream of upwards mobility is increasingly untrue for the majority of citizens.
- A judge has ruled that the claims made in the M3Power razor ads are unsubstantiated and inaccurate.
The International Criminal Court has announced that it will hold an inquiry into possible war crimes charges in the Darfur conflict in the Sudan. Zimbabwe is looking more and more like it might be the next country to face this type of scrutiny, especially after the police have warned protestors in a general strike scheduled on Thursday that they will take tough action against those who take part.
The Supreme Court of the United States upheld a law against medical-marijuana, effectively invalidating laws that 11 states passed that allow for the use of marijuana in controlled circumstances. It's ironic that a Supreme Court known for its state-power first mantra conveniently flips sides when the results go against their other conservative views, or, as in 2000, when they needed to elect a Republican president.
The United States is facing some more bad press in South America, as the Columbian Congress is reviewing a treaty that shields American troops from any prosecution if they commit crimes while fighting the 'war against drugs.' This is important since in the last 3 months, 7 soldiers have been charged with drug and weapons smuggling. They could take some advice from Russia, who knowing that they have an imagine problem have launched a new English-language TV station to sell the country.
Also:
- When scientists aren't simulating galaxies (see previous post), they're simulating the human brain.
- A picture of what's left in one of the main Saudi oil fields.
- 10 patients suffering from heart failure who have recieved injections of foetal stem cells have all been rapidly recovering from their condition three months post-treatment.
- How increases in longevity might hamper progress.
- Top 100 tech products of 2005, according to PC World magazine.
- The United States and North Korea are now in talks about the latter's nuclear programme at the United Nations.
- Gilles Duceppe, current leader of the federal Bloc Québécois, is hinting that he might run for the provincial leadership of the Parti Québécois since Bernard Landry gave his resignation notice.
- The American Dream of upwards mobility is increasingly untrue for the majority of citizens.
- A judge has ruled that the claims made in the M3Power razor ads are unsubstantiated and inaccurate.
Monday, June 06, 2005
T-plus 16, with little progress
It's the 16th anniversary since the massacre of hundreds, if not over a thousand students by the Chinese military in Tiananmen Square after six weeks of peaceful protests. A vigil was held in Hong Kong to commemorate the event. A reporter who obtained a copy of a manuscript in which a then-Chinese premier at the time that indicated support for the democracy movement in the government has been charged with spying by the Chinese government and imprisoned. Amnesty International used the anniversary to call for the release of the students who are still imprisoned from the demonstration and that an independent inquiry be conducted bringing those responsible for the orders to justice. The Chinese government has simply ignored these requests. To think this is the country that will host the 2008 Olympics - they might as well have chosen Iran.
In the United States, the Amnesty International report continues to make news. Think Progress notes that although the Bush administration has attempted to discredit the authority of AI when they are being criticized, they were all too quick to use AI reports when providing examples of the crimes of Saddam Hussein. The report has caused some problems for the administration as the war over how to define the detention centres consumes political capital. The bad press has some senators calling for the shut down of Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty has recently added fuel to the fire, by stating that the United States was running an archipelago of secret detention centres around the world where they can interrogate prisoners without external observation.
The United Nations has declared that the forced evictions of people from shantytowns by the government of Zimbabwe is a gross violation of human rights. This comes as the regime of Robert Mugabe increasingly clings on to control of the government, implementing a scorched-earth policy against anyone it sees as opposing it.
A story on how bird flu could likely be the next world pandemic, and by that, we're talking millions worldwide. A bigger problem is that it's likely to originate in China, where the government has a history of covering up outbreaks instead of alerting the international community so other countries can prepare for a rapidly spreading disease. On the upside though, other scientists believe that they have found a vaccine for Ebola, another fear-inducing illness in Africa.
In the continuing saga of religious conservatives in America, a story about how the new company to boycott is Ford. Among the many claims on their site justifying the boycott, one of my personal favourites is "Ford was given a 100% score on this year's Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index." Because you clearly can't support a company that scores so high in their enforcement of human rights standards. When they're not boycotting random companies, and now that they have put some pressure on what universities teach, 'Christian' conservatives are now going after secondary institutions. Now, any case where people are not free to practice their religion or offer their opinion is clearly reprehensible, but worrying about that a World History class will indoctrinate students with Islam is a little loony.
Also:
- Scientists now agree that Voyager 1 has officially left the solar system, crossing the terminal shock. A website out of the University of Iowa allows you to hear what this sounded like, in addition to other astronomical phenomena.
- A consortium of physicists have simulated a universe measuring 2 billion light years on each side starting from the big bang in order to see the evolution of galaxies over billions of years.
- NASA is currently planning its next mission to Mars, just as it managed to free the current rover from a sand trap.
- Scientists have sequenced the DNA of a species of cave bear that went extinct 40,000 years ago.
- The United Nations has released a series of photographs showing the amount of environmental change that has occurred from when satellites first were launched until now.
- In an interesting plan to curb traffic problems, the UK is proposing using satellites and other technology to track motorists on routinely busy routes and charge them up to £1.30/mile.
- Hold on to your hats if you live on the Atlantic. Scientists are expecting a busy hurricane season.
- Laugh for 10-15 minutes a day, and you burn enough calories to eat an extra piece of chocolate.
- Israel released almost 400 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal with the Palestinian Authority.
- The Christian Science Monitor points out that where radical Islam has faced electoral competition, they have generally become more moderate.
- Russia lets its concerns be known about the possible American weaponization of space.
- Apparently Greece is more hard-core religious than I knew, as an artist has been charged with insulting public decency and the Church.
- Swiss voters recently voted 55% in favour of closer European integration and 58% in favour for entrenched rights for same-sex couples.
- Next up on the Bush administration's pro-life crusade, embryo adoption for all those left over from IVF attempts.
- A group of Wal-Mart investors is coming down hard on the recent problems facing the company image.
- An article about how the rate of human innovation might be on the decline.
- Pornography might be getting its own domain name, .xxx.
- Quake 4 has a website where you can check out the flash trailer for the game.
- Perhaps taking a line from Super Size Me, a blog about attempting to verify the extent to which Guiness is a beer that drinks like a meal.
- BBC Radio 3 is having an all-Beethoven week, featuring free mp3 downloads of all 9 symphonies.
- More free mp3s, this time old recordings from 78s.
- Some pretty friggin' cool chalk drawings on the street.
In the United States, the Amnesty International report continues to make news. Think Progress notes that although the Bush administration has attempted to discredit the authority of AI when they are being criticized, they were all too quick to use AI reports when providing examples of the crimes of Saddam Hussein. The report has caused some problems for the administration as the war over how to define the detention centres consumes political capital. The bad press has some senators calling for the shut down of Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty has recently added fuel to the fire, by stating that the United States was running an archipelago of secret detention centres around the world where they can interrogate prisoners without external observation.
The United Nations has declared that the forced evictions of people from shantytowns by the government of Zimbabwe is a gross violation of human rights. This comes as the regime of Robert Mugabe increasingly clings on to control of the government, implementing a scorched-earth policy against anyone it sees as opposing it.
A story on how bird flu could likely be the next world pandemic, and by that, we're talking millions worldwide. A bigger problem is that it's likely to originate in China, where the government has a history of covering up outbreaks instead of alerting the international community so other countries can prepare for a rapidly spreading disease. On the upside though, other scientists believe that they have found a vaccine for Ebola, another fear-inducing illness in Africa.
In the continuing saga of religious conservatives in America, a story about how the new company to boycott is Ford. Among the many claims on their site justifying the boycott, one of my personal favourites is "Ford was given a 100% score on this year's Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index." Because you clearly can't support a company that scores so high in their enforcement of human rights standards. When they're not boycotting random companies, and now that they have put some pressure on what universities teach, 'Christian' conservatives are now going after secondary institutions. Now, any case where people are not free to practice their religion or offer their opinion is clearly reprehensible, but worrying about that a World History class will indoctrinate students with Islam is a little loony.
Also:
- Scientists now agree that Voyager 1 has officially left the solar system, crossing the terminal shock. A website out of the University of Iowa allows you to hear what this sounded like, in addition to other astronomical phenomena.
- A consortium of physicists have simulated a universe measuring 2 billion light years on each side starting from the big bang in order to see the evolution of galaxies over billions of years.
- NASA is currently planning its next mission to Mars, just as it managed to free the current rover from a sand trap.
- Scientists have sequenced the DNA of a species of cave bear that went extinct 40,000 years ago.
- The United Nations has released a series of photographs showing the amount of environmental change that has occurred from when satellites first were launched until now.
- In an interesting plan to curb traffic problems, the UK is proposing using satellites and other technology to track motorists on routinely busy routes and charge them up to £1.30/mile.
- Hold on to your hats if you live on the Atlantic. Scientists are expecting a busy hurricane season.
- Laugh for 10-15 minutes a day, and you burn enough calories to eat an extra piece of chocolate.
- Israel released almost 400 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal with the Palestinian Authority.
- The Christian Science Monitor points out that where radical Islam has faced electoral competition, they have generally become more moderate.
- Russia lets its concerns be known about the possible American weaponization of space.
- Apparently Greece is more hard-core religious than I knew, as an artist has been charged with insulting public decency and the Church.
- Swiss voters recently voted 55% in favour of closer European integration and 58% in favour for entrenched rights for same-sex couples.
- Next up on the Bush administration's pro-life crusade, embryo adoption for all those left over from IVF attempts.
- A group of Wal-Mart investors is coming down hard on the recent problems facing the company image.
- An article about how the rate of human innovation might be on the decline.
- Pornography might be getting its own domain name, .xxx.
- Quake 4 has a website where you can check out the flash trailer for the game.
- Perhaps taking a line from Super Size Me, a blog about attempting to verify the extent to which Guiness is a beer that drinks like a meal.
- BBC Radio 3 is having an all-Beethoven week, featuring free mp3 downloads of all 9 symphonies.
- More free mp3s, this time old recordings from 78s.
- Some pretty friggin' cool chalk drawings on the street.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Facing the Music
Well, Amnesty International's 2005 Report has stirred up some controversy. In addition to going after countries that everyone expected to be there like Afghanistan, they also slammed the United States, Australia and Israel for their human rights record in the last year, using words like 'torture' for the former and 'war crimes' for the latter. Especially bad for the United States was a passage calling the facility at Guantanamo Bay a modern-day gulag. The Republicans quickly countered, with General Myers declaring it irresponsible and President Bush calling it absurd. Of course Amnesty spokespeople shot back by saying, "What is 'absurd' is President Bush's attempt to deny the deliberate policies of his administration."
In American politics, the Bush administration is moving beyond the traditional 'defensive use' idea of nuclear weapons, issuing a directive that will see them used in conflicts when they are strategically needed. 'Coincidentally,' the administration is looking into bunker-busting nuclear weapons that would destroy an underground facility and, according to the New Scientist, also potentially kill a whole pile of people if used in an urban area where a majority of these bunkers are. Republicans continue to get upset about things inconsequential to everyday Americans, with an Alabama congressman getting all heated up over the fact that Bill Maher said something about low-lying fruit, calling it possible treason and demanding that the show get cancelled. His leader, Tom DeLay, got upset at another show, this time Law and Order, over a reference to him during an investigation of the death of a federal judge, specifically joking that they were looking for someone with a Tom DeLay t-shirt. Of course, when you're quoted as saying, "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behaviour," when talking about these same federal judges, I don't think there is much defence to being brought up in an off-hand way. All of this nonsense might be coming to an end, as 53% of Americans recently polled said that they were very or somewhat likely to vote for Hillary Clinton as the next President.
Well, first it was France that said no, in what can be said to be a fairly decisive way. Then there was piles of speculation over what it all meant, what it would mean for the economy, whether 'the West' still has a meaning as a term, what's up with President Chirac, etc. Then the Dutch did the same thing, Chirac got replaced, and there's going to have to be a pile of negotiation to get further EU integration happening. Was it a real vote against the proposed constitution, or just people getting back at their elites?
Charles Mugabe is still lurching from one domestic mistake to another. Now that his 'land reform' programme has dumped experienced white farmers off their land in favour of his political cronies, causing a massive drop in production, the new plan is apparently to nationalize all farmland. It's Soviet Russia all over again in the heart of Africa, and I guess it's a good thing that he recently decided to accept additional food aid, because this change is unlikely to improve the agricultural production problem.
A Conservative website, Human Events Online, just published the ten most harmful books of the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to the usual Communist/Fascist works, they interestingly also selected the Kinsey report, Democracy and Education by John Dewey, The Feminine Mystique, and Keynes' General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. Other 'honourable mentions' include The Origin of the Species, The Second Sex and Silent Spring. I suggest you read them all if you haven't already.
Also:
- There might be new hope for the Hubble telescope if they can get a ship up there to attach two new cameras to explore the beginnings of the universe and search for non-luminous matter.
- The Spitzer telescope, in the meantime, has captured the birth of stars from interstellar gas.
- The Andromeda Galaxy is about 3 times bigger than previously thought.
- The Man on the Moon that we are all familiar with was caused by the formation of Jupiter and Saturn flinging large amounts of debris into the inner solar system.
- How x-ray telescopes are letting astronomers understand black holes.
- Peter Lynds, present-day Einstein?
- Scientists have located the part of the brain responsible for understanding sarcasm.
- The dead-zone in the Gulf of Mexico, caused primarily by drainoff from agricultural fertilizers, is apparently the size of New Jersey.
- Another article about the crunch in global oil.
- Big-ass article in the New Yorker about what Intelligent Design isn't.
- The Columbia Journalism Review examines the 'follow the leader' journalism in describing the situation in Iraq.
- The opposition in Lebanon has claimed electoral victory in the first election in 30 years without the presence of Syrian troops.
- Though it might be late for Chancellor Schroeder, recent reports show the German unemployment rate falling and Germany having the cleanest ground water ever measured.
- 83% of Egyptians voted in favour of changing the constitution to allow for multiple candidates in the Presidential election.
- Some African leaders want to present a more optimistic outlook for their continent.
- In case you missed it, and I don't know how you could have, Deep Throat is former FBI #2 W. Mark Felt.
- Here is a list of the 'low points' of the Michael Jackson trial summarized, so you can take part in such discussions without having to waste much time.
- 11 steps to a better brain, at least according to the New Scientist.
- The newest way to increase the numbers going into the priesthood -- beermats.
- A British couple have made it all the way to their 80th wedding anniversary.
- Playing around with the Half-Life 2 physics engine, or setting up dominos to squash a guy.
- Or, you can add Half-Life 2 characters to your own photographs.
- A very scary looking alien puppet sings poorly about Jesus' love. (QuickTime)
- Another video in WMV about fainting goats -- it's seriously funny.
- Funny in a different way, but not for the light of heart, a video set to music of all those cool stunts that didn't work out.
In American politics, the Bush administration is moving beyond the traditional 'defensive use' idea of nuclear weapons, issuing a directive that will see them used in conflicts when they are strategically needed. 'Coincidentally,' the administration is looking into bunker-busting nuclear weapons that would destroy an underground facility and, according to the New Scientist, also potentially kill a whole pile of people if used in an urban area where a majority of these bunkers are. Republicans continue to get upset about things inconsequential to everyday Americans, with an Alabama congressman getting all heated up over the fact that Bill Maher said something about low-lying fruit, calling it possible treason and demanding that the show get cancelled. His leader, Tom DeLay, got upset at another show, this time Law and Order, over a reference to him during an investigation of the death of a federal judge, specifically joking that they were looking for someone with a Tom DeLay t-shirt. Of course, when you're quoted as saying, "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behaviour," when talking about these same federal judges, I don't think there is much defence to being brought up in an off-hand way. All of this nonsense might be coming to an end, as 53% of Americans recently polled said that they were very or somewhat likely to vote for Hillary Clinton as the next President.
Well, first it was France that said no, in what can be said to be a fairly decisive way. Then there was piles of speculation over what it all meant, what it would mean for the economy, whether 'the West' still has a meaning as a term, what's up with President Chirac, etc. Then the Dutch did the same thing, Chirac got replaced, and there's going to have to be a pile of negotiation to get further EU integration happening. Was it a real vote against the proposed constitution, or just people getting back at their elites?
Charles Mugabe is still lurching from one domestic mistake to another. Now that his 'land reform' programme has dumped experienced white farmers off their land in favour of his political cronies, causing a massive drop in production, the new plan is apparently to nationalize all farmland. It's Soviet Russia all over again in the heart of Africa, and I guess it's a good thing that he recently decided to accept additional food aid, because this change is unlikely to improve the agricultural production problem.
A Conservative website, Human Events Online, just published the ten most harmful books of the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to the usual Communist/Fascist works, they interestingly also selected the Kinsey report, Democracy and Education by John Dewey, The Feminine Mystique, and Keynes' General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. Other 'honourable mentions' include The Origin of the Species, The Second Sex and Silent Spring. I suggest you read them all if you haven't already.
Also:
- There might be new hope for the Hubble telescope if they can get a ship up there to attach two new cameras to explore the beginnings of the universe and search for non-luminous matter.
- The Spitzer telescope, in the meantime, has captured the birth of stars from interstellar gas.
- The Andromeda Galaxy is about 3 times bigger than previously thought.
- The Man on the Moon that we are all familiar with was caused by the formation of Jupiter and Saturn flinging large amounts of debris into the inner solar system.
- How x-ray telescopes are letting astronomers understand black holes.
- Peter Lynds, present-day Einstein?
- Scientists have located the part of the brain responsible for understanding sarcasm.
- The dead-zone in the Gulf of Mexico, caused primarily by drainoff from agricultural fertilizers, is apparently the size of New Jersey.
- Another article about the crunch in global oil.
- Big-ass article in the New Yorker about what Intelligent Design isn't.
- The Columbia Journalism Review examines the 'follow the leader' journalism in describing the situation in Iraq.
- The opposition in Lebanon has claimed electoral victory in the first election in 30 years without the presence of Syrian troops.
- Though it might be late for Chancellor Schroeder, recent reports show the German unemployment rate falling and Germany having the cleanest ground water ever measured.
- 83% of Egyptians voted in favour of changing the constitution to allow for multiple candidates in the Presidential election.
- Some African leaders want to present a more optimistic outlook for their continent.
- In case you missed it, and I don't know how you could have, Deep Throat is former FBI #2 W. Mark Felt.
- Here is a list of the 'low points' of the Michael Jackson trial summarized, so you can take part in such discussions without having to waste much time.
- 11 steps to a better brain, at least according to the New Scientist.
- The newest way to increase the numbers going into the priesthood -- beermats.
- A British couple have made it all the way to their 80th wedding anniversary.
- Playing around with the Half-Life 2 physics engine, or setting up dominos to squash a guy.
- Or, you can add Half-Life 2 characters to your own photographs.
- A very scary looking alien puppet sings poorly about Jesus' love. (QuickTime)
- Another video in WMV about fainting goats -- it's seriously funny.
- Funny in a different way, but not for the light of heart, a video set to music of all those cool stunts that didn't work out.
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