Friday, July 31, 2009
The only zoos in the world where the animals are smuggled through tunnels.
The only zoos in the world where the animals are smuggled through tunnels. - By Sharon Weinberger - Slate Magazine: "'It's really a painted donkey,' admitted Mahmud Berghat, the director of Marah, when asked about the creature. Making a fake zebra isn't easy—henna didn't work and wood paint was deemed inhumane, so they finally settled on human hair dye. 'We cut its hair short and then painted the stripes,' Berghat explained behind the closed door of his office."
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Snake oil or fish oil? Americans shelling out $33.9 billion a year on alternative health treatments
Snake oil or fish oil? Americans shelling out $33.9 billion a year on alternative health treatments: Scientific American Blog: "If alternative medicines still seem like a gamble, keep in mind that spending on these treatments was just a touch less than the $34 billion people lost in non-tribal-owned U.S. casinos last year."
Pirate on When to Negotiate, Kill Hostages
Exclusive Interview: Pirate on When to Negotiate, Kill Hostages | Danger Room | Wired.com: "From what I’ve seen, initial demands tend to be about 10 times the previous publicized ransom, is this a rule of thumb?
We know that we won’t get our initial demands, but we use it as a starting point and negotiate downwards to our eventual target. But as a rule, yes, that’s about right."
We know that we won’t get our initial demands, but we use it as a starting point and negotiate downwards to our eventual target. But as a rule, yes, that’s about right."
Ikea's guerrilla ads annoy Vancouver retailer
Ikea's guerrilla ads annoy Vancouver retailer: "A Vancouver businessman is furious after the Ikea home products company spray-painted an advertisement outside his store.
Kevin Kelly is working to open a new skateboard shop in the 3300 block of Commercial Drive, near E 16th Avenue.
Last Friday, he says he finished painting an outside wall, only to return Monday to find it had been tagged with a painted slogan."
A Skateboarder is angry that a huge corporation tagged his store. The irony is delicious.
Kevin Kelly is working to open a new skateboard shop in the 3300 block of Commercial Drive, near E 16th Avenue.
Last Friday, he says he finished painting an outside wall, only to return Monday to find it had been tagged with a painted slogan."
A Skateboarder is angry that a huge corporation tagged his store. The irony is delicious.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ghulam Nabi Azad says late-night TV will help slow India’s birth rate
Ghulam Nabi Azad says late-night TV will help slow India’s birth rate - Times Online: "“If there is electricity in every village, then people will watch TV till late at night and then fall asleep. They won’t get a chance to produce children,” Mr Azad said. “When there is no electricity there is nothing else to do but produce babies.”"
Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media
Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media - Pew Research Center: "A survey of more than 2,500 scientists, conducted in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), finds that nearly half (49%) rate U.S. scientific achievements as the best in the world.
When asked about their own scientific specialty, about the same share of scientists (45%) rate U.S. scientific achievements the best in the world."
When asked about their own scientific specialty, about the same share of scientists (45%) rate U.S. scientific achievements the best in the world."
National Academies: U.S. energy at a crossroads
National Academies: U.S. energy at a crossroads | Green Tech - CNET News: "One of the committee's conclusions is that there is no technological 'silver bullet' at present that could transform the U.S. energy system through a substantial new source of clean and reasonably priced domestic energy. Instead, the transformation will require a balanced portfolio of existing (though perhaps modified) technologies, multiple new energy technologies, and new energy-efficiency and energy-use patterns,"
Vampires suck
Vampires suck. - By Grady Hendrix - Slate Magazine: "The bigger problem here is that we're breeding sexually incompatible human beings, and vampires are to blame. I can see a time coming when the birth rate is going to precipitously decline. And what that means is that vampires are going to run out of food."
Monday, July 27, 2009
'Dictaplomacy'
'Dictaplomacy' - Forbes.com: "Dictaplomacy is twofold. First, the regime continues the activities that render it a rogue state. These can be anything from pursuing an illegal nuclear weapons program to supporting international terrorist groups. Second, the regime uses diplomacy both to distract the West from those unsavory activities and to gain concessions from the West that benefit the regime.
The second strategy starts when the regime makes an obviously hostile move sure to provoke a reaction from the West, such as test-firing a missile or fabricating new centrifuges for a nuclear program."
The second strategy starts when the regime makes an obviously hostile move sure to provoke a reaction from the West, such as test-firing a missile or fabricating new centrifuges for a nuclear program."
Why we say yes to drugs
Why we say yes to drugs | Salon Books: "Today's kids aren't smoking much pot because pot is a 'social' drug, shared among peers who gather in parking lots and other hangouts; teens have less unstructured time now and tend to socialize online. They still get high, only on prescription drugs pilfered from adults or ordered off the Internet. 'There's no social ritual involved,' he observes, 'just a glass of water and a pill,' which 'fits well into a solitary afternoon.'"
Charles Manson wants Phil Spector’s help
Charles Manson wants Phil Spector’s help - Need to know - Macleans.ca: "I used to pick up the phone and it was John Lennon of Celine Dion or Tina Turner, and now Charles Manson is trying to get a hold of me"
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Western feminists mute on ravages of shariah
Robert Fulford: Western feminists mute on ravages of shariah - Full Comment: "When stories such as al-Hussein’s flash around the world, there’s usually a missing element: The feminist movement rarely becomes part of the narrative. The rise of shariah law constitutes the major global change in women’s status during this era, yet Western feminists remain pathetically silent."
Friday, July 24, 2009
Charged with Being a Jerk
Charged with Being a Jerk: "Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested, not for being a “black man in America,” but for being a belligerent jackass. It doesn’t matter if you’re an esteemed professor or a college kid hammered off of keg beer – talking back to an officer is stupid and will eventually get you arrested."
100 Years of Design Manifestos
100 Years of Design Manifestos -- Social Design Notes: "1923 The New Typography, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy - a call for design against the bourgeois, in support of the proletariat."
Fired French Workers Win Improved Pay Offer After Bomb Threat
Fired French Workers Win Improved Pay Offer After Bomb Threat - Bloomberg.com: "Resorting to violence is not the solution to a program of job cuts,” the minister said, adding that the lifting of the bomb threat had been “an absolute precondition to this meeting."
On the Map: Five Major North Korean Prison Camps
On the Map: Five Major North Korean Prison Camps (washingtonpost.com): "North Korea's government says the camps don't exist, but high-resolution satellite images show otherwise"
Tall people are happy
Marginal Revolution: Tall people are happy: "These findings cannot be attributed to different demographic or ethnic characteristics of taller people, but are almost entirely explained by the positive association between height and both income and education, both of which are positively linked to better lives."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Buy to Last
Buy to Last - The Atlantic (July/August 2009): "The company declines to pay a premium to ensure that all timber is legally harvested, citing costs that would be passed along to the consumer."
The Atlantic on why Ikea is the most evil corporation.
The Atlantic on why Ikea is the most evil corporation.
Televisions Now Dominant Life Form In United States
Consumerist - Televisions Now Dominant Life Form In United States - TV: "That computes to nearly 329 million TV sets — more than the entire US population, estimated at 307 million by the US Census Bureau"
Amazon on the 1984 deleting...
Make: Online : Amazon on the 1984 deleting...: "This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our 'solution' to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission."
Malaysia halts English experiment
Malaysia halts English experiment - World - Macleans.ca: "The announcement comes after months of demonstrations by the ethnic Malay majority, who were demanding a return to Malaysia’s traditional language. They say the use of English in schools undermines their struggle to modernize Bahasa Malaysia and develop a domestic scientific lexicon."
Saving the Republicans: The Young Guns go for it
Saving the Republicans: The Young Guns go for it | The Economist: "Conservative pundits initially regarded Mr Cantor, a prodigious fund-raiser and peripatetic campaigner reportedly considered as a running-mate by John McCain last year, as the obvious leader. Mr Ryan, a prolific source of policy ideas, was considered the thinker. More recently, however, Mr Ryan has come to be seen by many as the more natural front-man."
The Curious Story of Devenish-Phibbs Memorials
The Curious Story of Devenish-Phibbs Memorials: "Dutch Devenish-Phibbs (1900-1999)
He spent his life married to the sea, and his last twelve hours married to Fang-Hua, an 18-year-old Korean acrobat"
He spent his life married to the sea, and his last twelve hours married to Fang-Hua, an 18-year-old Korean acrobat"
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
I Am The Anonymous Model
I Am The Anonymous Model - Top - Jezebel: "the industry still follows an archaic schedule whereby clothes are presented six months ahead of season in shows that are 'private,' but for the whole of the Internet, which means that in many cases knock-offs beat the originals into stores. Nobody can say for certain whether or not this matters, given so many of the designers who protest the knock-offs the loudest revisit each others' and their own old ideas in an orderly season-to-season progression, like runners in an infinitely recursive relay race, with shoulderpads."
Drug users disrupt Vancouver council meeting
Drug users disrupt Vancouver council meeting: "VANDU....are you kidding me??!!! Only in Vancouver"
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Dodge the question
Dodge the question: "our study shows people judge you not so much on whether you answered the question you were asked but on how well you answered a question. That's pretty scary"
How do energy companies decide where to build nuclear power plants?
How do energy companies decide where to build nuclear power plants? - By Lydia DePillis - Slate Magazine: "The first step: finding a state where nuclear plants aren't banned, and perhaps one where taxpayers might even help foot the bill."
Monday, July 20, 2009
TransAlta launches hostile bid for Canadian Hydro Developers
TransAlta launches hostile bid for Canadian Hydro Developers - The Globe and Mail: "For TransAlta, this transaction accelerates our current strategy and extends our leadership position to become the largest publicly traded provider of renewable energy in Canada,"
Did a Comet Cause a North American Die-Off around 13,000 Years Ago?
Did a Comet Cause a North American Die-Off around 13,000 Years Ago?: Scientific American: "Today, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the same team reports on shock-synthesized hexagonal diamonds, known only from meteorite and other impact events, in a soot layer from Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island in California. The canyon is famous for containing the earliest human remains in North America, dating back to 13,000 years, and the soot layer coincides with the disappearance of the pygmy mammoth from the island."
Teacher, Can We Leave Now? No. - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com
Teacher, Can We Leave Now? No. - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com: "I confess, I find it hard to come to Afghanistan and not ask: Why are we here? Who cares about the Taliban? Al Qaeda is gone. And if its leaders come back, well, that’s why God created cruise missiles.
But every time I start writing that column, something stills my hand. This week it was something very powerful. I watched Greg Mortenson, the famed author of “Three Cups of Tea,” open one of his schools for girls in this remote Afghan village in the Hindu Kush mountains. I must say, after witnessing the delight in the faces of those little Afghan girls crowded three to a desk waiting to learn, I found it very hard to write, “Let’s just get out of here."
But every time I start writing that column, something stills my hand. This week it was something very powerful. I watched Greg Mortenson, the famed author of “Three Cups of Tea,” open one of his schools for girls in this remote Afghan village in the Hindu Kush mountains. I must say, after witnessing the delight in the faces of those little Afghan girls crowded three to a desk waiting to learn, I found it very hard to write, “Let’s just get out of here."
Friday, July 17, 2009
From a Pre-Teen Mind, a Robot that Solves Rubik's Cube
From a Pre-Teen Mind, a Robot that Solves Rubik's Cube: Scientific American: "instead of humans attempting to 'speed cube' to a solution in less than 10 seconds, many Rubik's Cube fans today build robots to do it for them."
The Department of Walking
Captain Capitalism: The Department of Walking: "You will see Minneapolis become a colder version of Detroit before your days are over, please be an observer, not a participant."
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Meet the man who has exposed the great climate change con trick
Meet the man who has exposed the great climate change con trick: "If there’s any justice, Heaven And Earth will do for the cause of climate change realism what Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth did for climate change alarmism"
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Warming, interrupted: Much ado about natural variability
RealClimate - Warming interrupted; much ado about natural variability: "this apparent impulsive behavior explicitly highlights the fact that humanity is poking a complex, nonlinear system with GHG forcing – and that there are no guarantees to how the climate may respond."
Jennifer Lynch is a damned liar
Jennifer Lynch is a damned liar - Ezra Levant:
"Jennifer Lynch is a damned liar.
Jennifer Lynch is a liar.
She lies about many things -- more all the time.
Politics tolerates a lot of lies.
But her lie denying her staff's bigoted comments on Nazi websites?
That's the lie that is going to get her fired."
"Jennifer Lynch is a damned liar.
Jennifer Lynch is a liar.
She lies about many things -- more all the time.
Politics tolerates a lot of lies.
But her lie denying her staff's bigoted comments on Nazi websites?
That's the lie that is going to get her fired."
James Wolcott on Cultural Snobbery
James Wolcott on Cultural Snobbery | vanityfair.com
The most vapid thing you may ever read. Surprise! It's in Vanity Fair.
The most vapid thing you may ever read. Surprise! It's in Vanity Fair.
Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief
Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief: Scientific American: "The study, published today in the journal NeuroReport, measured how long college students could keep their hands immersed in cold water. During the chilly exercise, they could repeat an expletive of their choice or chant a neutral word. When swearing, the 67 student volunteers reported less pain and on average endured about 40 seconds longer."
GAO Report from Story Below
d09610.pdf
"FDA Safety and Consumer Protections are OFTEN Less Stringent Than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water"
"FDA Safety and Consumer Protections are OFTEN Less Stringent Than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water"
Is Bottled Water Safer Than Tap Water? Please...
Consumerist - Is Bottled Water Safer Than Tap Water? Please... - Water: "The big difference lies in the government regulator: tap water is covered by the Safe Water Drinking Act, administered by the aggressive and powerful Environmental Protection Agency, while bottled water falls under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act overseen by the powerless anything-goes industry-lovers over at the Food and Drug Administration."
IKEA is as bad as Wal-Mart
IKEA is as bad as Wal-Mart | Salon Books: "According to figures released by the World Bank, between 2001 and 2003 the income of the poorest 10 percent of China's 1.3 billion people had fallen by 2.4 percent, to less than $83 per year."
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Palin Not So 'Rogue' After All
Little Green Footballs - Palin Not So 'Rogue' After All: "Sarah Palin’s (in)famous line about Barack Obama “palling around with terrorists” apparently came straight from the McCain camp"
California voters exercise their power -- and that's the problem
California voters exercise their power -- and that's the problem - Los Angeles Times: "Rightly or wrongly, voters in the special election refused either to extend new tax hikes or to cap state spending."
As American as…Cricket
As American as…Cricket — The American, A Magazine of Ideas: "While there is no love lost between Red Sox Nation and Yankees fans, India and Pakistan almost went to war over cricket"
F$@#*$ Wit Da Teacha
F$@#*$ Wit Da Teacha: "Mr. B once told me that he would rather be blown up by a bomb in Baghdad because “boom – one time and it’s all over.” Here in the school, he said “You die many times every day.”"
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Something about Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn seems to worry the CRTC
Stephen Taylor: Something about Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn seems to worry the CRTC - Full Comment: "The history of the regulation of speech in this country does not engender confidence that such powers will be used wisely. Canada has experienced several instances in recent times where regulatory commissions of another type and armed with a different mission have challenged the right to say controversial things. The struggles of Ezra Levant, Mark Steyn and others have served as important warnings that regulatory authorities charged with combating racism, hatred, and other evils have consistently expanded their mandates, have abused their powers and eroded fundamental liberties. Wherever there is official orthodoxy, disagreement is heresy, and where there is heresy, there is usually an inquisition to root it out. After centuries ridding ourselves of thought control agencies, 20th century Canada re-invented them."
Not jobless, they’re ‘funemployed’
Macleans.ca - Not jobless, they’re ‘funemployed’: "By labelling yourself as funemployed it says, look, I’m not just an unemployed loser— I’ve found a way to be part of this cool, new group."
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The fat cats vs. Blazing Cat Fur
The fat cats vs. Blazing Cat Fur - Mark Steyn: "Professor Martin very politely suggested that free societies do not “establish an official version of history and punish anyone who might deviate from the official version.”"
Smelting iron ore in a microwave
Smelting iron ore in a microwave
The ongoing toaster saga. There can only be one.
The ongoing toaster saga. There can only be one.
Solar power and the Sahara desert: The start of something big?
Solar power and the Sahara desert: The start of something big? | The Economist: "If the scheme were implemented in full, it would involve spending €400 billion ($560 billion) at today’s prices, over the next 40 years, building enough solar power stations to satisfy 15% of European demand in 2050—together with most of North Africa’s and Arabia’s—and about 20 trans-Mediterranean HVDC cables which, unlike conventional AC power lines, can transmit power over long distances and through water without significant losses. A bold proposal, then. But not a completely outrageous one. As the old Chinese proverb has it, even a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step."
The Nanny Nation
The Nanny Nation - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com: "Americans are proud of this heritage, proud of being a country of “determined, self-reliant individuals” where hard work, not government handouts or family connections, promised a shiny future. Ritholtz’s book seeks to explain how the United States, once so proud, became “a nanny state for well-paid bankers.”"
2010 Olympic security plans include 'free speech areas'
2010 Olympic security plans include 'free speech areas': "Vancouver police will also monitor the movements of the city's homeless, some of whom will have to be moved in the interest of safety, said deputy chief Steve Sweeney."
Does God Hate Women?
New Statesman - Does God Hate Women?: "The religio-misogynists then claim that it is “racist” or “imperialist” to oppose such abuses. This merrily ignores how women within these cultures protest against their treatment – very loudly. They aren’t objecting to being imprisoned in their homes, or having their genitalia cut, or being stoned for having sex, because a white person told them to. Benson and Stangroom put it well: “Multiculturalism by definition makes a fetish of cultures, and it is almost impossible to do that without treating them as monolithic. As soon as you admit that all cultures have internal dissent and nonconformity, the whole idea of protecting or deferring to particular cultures breaks down into incoherence.”"
On Liberty at 150
On Liberty at 150: "Though every liberal wants to limit state control over individuals, in On Liberty Mill was as concerned by private as public power. He went further than many liberals before or since in arguing that ‘social tyranny’ over individuals could be worse than political oppression"
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
California Dreamers
California Dreamers - The Atlantic (July/August 2009): "From the end of the Second World War to the mid-1960s, California consolidated its position as an economic and technological colossus and emerged as the country’s dominant political, social, and cultural trendsetter."
All sides blame McNamara for Vietnam
All sides blame McNamara for Vietnam | Salon: "to denounce McNamara, the implementer of Kennedy-Johnson policy, as a war criminal, without denouncing Kennedy and Johnson as war criminals, too, was as absurd as denouncing Himmler for the Holocaust but not Hitler. But this inconsistency does not seem to have bothered many members of the antiwar left."
The Real Quagmire in the Middle East
Michael J. Totten: The Real Quagmire in the Middle East: "People in the United States find it hard to understand how people in Hamas and Hezbollah think. It’s alien. It’s alien to us. The feverish racism and conspiracy mongering, the obscurantism, the apocalyptic thinking – we can’t relate to that. Every so often, there’s an eruption of that in a place like Waco, Texas, but we’re not talking about 90 people in a compound. We’re talking about whole societies that are captive to this kind of absurdity."
The Next Financial Crisis: Virtual Banks
The Next Financial Crisis: Virtual Banks - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com
I think this may be a virtual crisis.
I think this may be a virtual crisis.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A second stimulus?
Marginal Revolution: A second stimulus?: "What about spending the remaining 90% of the first stimulus?"
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Ottawa eyes $3,500 'cash-for-clunkers' program
Ottawa eyes $3,500 'cash-for-clunkers' program
Since I don't drive a car can I have $3500 for doing nothing?
Since I don't drive a car can I have $3500 for doing nothing?
Elect Michael Ignatieff Prime Minister of Canada - Republicans For Ignatieff
Elect Michael Ignatieff Prime Minister of Canada - Republicans For Ignatieff
I'm guessing this is the work of CPC or NDP operatives.
I'm guessing this is the work of CPC or NDP operatives.
Will the real radical please stand up?
Will the real radical please stand up?: "All that remains to be explained is how conservatives with centuries of tradition behind them get to be called radicals, while actual radicals who want to change everything are allowed to present themselves as gentle moderates."
Reinstating deposed President Manuel Zelaya would be a disaster for Honduras.
Reinstating deposed President Manuel Zelaya would be a disaster for Honduras. - By Dan Rosenheck - Slate Magazine: "We already had a dictatorship in the '80s, and Zelaya was making another one."
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Aptitude
The Way We Live Now - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Aptitude - NYTimes.com
I have only one issue with this otherwise well written article... using the term "more equal" (from George Orwell's Animal Farm) to describe affirmative action is to miss Orwell's thesis on autocratic socialism.
At the end of Animal Farm the "more equal" become what they had previously despised.
I have only one issue with this otherwise well written article... using the term "more equal" (from George Orwell's Animal Farm) to describe affirmative action is to miss Orwell's thesis on autocratic socialism.
At the end of Animal Farm the "more equal" become what they had previously despised.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The still-growing NPR "torture" controversy
The still-growing NPR "torture" controversy - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com
He means "enhanced interrogation techniques".
He means "enhanced interrogation techniques".
The Washington Post: RIP
The Washington Post: RIP | The Hillman Foundation
Charles Kaiser writes about WaPo's death following its influence peddling fiasco.
Charles Kaiser writes about WaPo's death following its influence peddling fiasco.
Friday, July 3, 2009
The 'Absentee' Senator
The 'Absentee' Senator - WSJ.com: "The unfortunate lesson is that you don't need to win the vote on Election Day as long as your lawyers are creative enough to have enough new or disqualified ballots counted after the fact."
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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