Aspen man glides plane to safe landing after loosing propeller
ASPEN, Colo. - A pilot managed to land safely after the propeller fell off his plane and oil splattered on the windshield.
Barry Cox had to glide 8 miles and navigate without being able to see out the windshield before landing smoothly at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport on Wednesday.
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Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
World's Largest Biometrics Database
FBI aims for world's largest biometrics database
Sat Dec 22, 6:40 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion project to build the world's largest computer database of biometrics to give the government more ways to identify people at home and abroad, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The FBI has already started compiling digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns in its systems, the paper said.
...
Sat Dec 22, 6:40 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion project to build the world's largest computer database of biometrics to give the government more ways to identify people at home and abroad, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The FBI has already started compiling digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns in its systems, the paper said.
...
Friday, December 21, 2007
Cheaper Solar Cells
Nanosolar 'prints' first flexible solar cells
December 18, 2007 6:17 AM PST
Posted by Martin LaMonica
Well-financed solar start-up Nanosolar on Tuesday said it has started shipping its flexible thin-film solar cells, meeting its own deadline and marking a milestone for alternative solar-cell materials.
On the company's blog, CEO Martin Roscheisen announced that the first megawatt of its solar panels will be used as part of a power plant in eastern Germany.
Nanosolar CEO Martin Roscheisen with printed solar cells.
The release of Nanosolar's first products is significant because the company develops a process to print solar cells made out of CIGS, or copper indium gallium selenide, a combination of elements that many companies are pursuing as an alternative to silicon.
...
December 18, 2007 6:17 AM PST
Posted by Martin LaMonica
Well-financed solar start-up Nanosolar on Tuesday said it has started shipping its flexible thin-film solar cells, meeting its own deadline and marking a milestone for alternative solar-cell materials.
On the company's blog, CEO Martin Roscheisen announced that the first megawatt of its solar panels will be used as part of a power plant in eastern Germany.
Nanosolar CEO Martin Roscheisen with printed solar cells.
The release of Nanosolar's first products is significant because the company develops a process to print solar cells made out of CIGS, or copper indium gallium selenide, a combination of elements that many companies are pursuing as an alternative to silicon.
...
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Gun Accidents
Guns Reduce Accidents and Other Fascinating Facts and Figures To Amaze Your Friends
by Greg Perry
...
One trend related to health and safety that you may not know about is this: firearm-related accidents have steadily decreased since such record keeping began in 1903. Far more important and astounding is that for the past 10 years this drop was extra dramatic.
...
You didn’t know gun accidents are at an all-time low and have been decreasing both per capita and in percentage terms steadily for more than 100 years?
You know why you didn’t know this don’t you? The media and the politicians don’t want you to know this. Yet, the data that produces these conclusions comes from the National Safety Council. The NSC’s sole mandate is to "educate and influence people to prevent accidental injury and death." This group isn’t one you’d think would want to take up the NRA’s cause. The NSC encourages lots of laws and then more laws to promote safety in the workplace. The NSC loves to publish OSHA safety violations when they can find them. As a matter of fact, you can thank the National Safety Council for the fact that 3-foot ladders are no longer sold in America.
...
by Greg Perry
...
One trend related to health and safety that you may not know about is this: firearm-related accidents have steadily decreased since such record keeping began in 1903. Far more important and astounding is that for the past 10 years this drop was extra dramatic.
...
You didn’t know gun accidents are at an all-time low and have been decreasing both per capita and in percentage terms steadily for more than 100 years?
You know why you didn’t know this don’t you? The media and the politicians don’t want you to know this. Yet, the data that produces these conclusions comes from the National Safety Council. The NSC’s sole mandate is to "educate and influence people to prevent accidental injury and death." This group isn’t one you’d think would want to take up the NRA’s cause. The NSC encourages lots of laws and then more laws to promote safety in the workplace. The NSC loves to publish OSHA safety violations when they can find them. As a matter of fact, you can thank the National Safety Council for the fact that 3-foot ladders are no longer sold in America.
...
Thursday, December 13, 2007
New Jersey Lawmakers Abolish Death Penalty
New Jersey lawmakers vote to abolish death penalty
(CNN) -- New Jersey lawmakers have voted to abolish the death penalty in the state, sending the governor a bill he has already said he will sign. The measure will make New Jersey the first state in more than 40 years to outlaw capital punishment.
art.corzine.file.pool.jpg
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, in a file photo, has said he'll sign the bill abolishing the death penalty.
The bill will make life in prison the most severe penalty for convicted murderers in the state, including the eight men currently on the state's death row. New Jersey has not put anyone to death since 1963, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
...
(CNN) -- New Jersey lawmakers have voted to abolish the death penalty in the state, sending the governor a bill he has already said he will sign. The measure will make New Jersey the first state in more than 40 years to outlaw capital punishment.
art.corzine.file.pool.jpg
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, in a file photo, has said he'll sign the bill abolishing the death penalty.
The bill will make life in prison the most severe penalty for convicted murderers in the state, including the eight men currently on the state's death row. New Jersey has not put anyone to death since 1963, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
...
Milk Falsely Labeled Organic
Lawsuit Alleges Retailers Sold Milk Falsely Labeled Organic
8:02 AM ET - Dow Jones News
SEATTLE ( AP ) Some of the nation's largest retailers and grocery chains sold milk labeled "organic" that was not truly organic, recently filed lawsuits allege.
The federal complaints focus on the sale of milk from Boulder, Colo.-based Aurora Organic Dairy, which recently agreed to change its practices after the U.S. Department of Agriculture found more than a dozen violations of organic standards.
The lawsuits allege that Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST), Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) Inc., Target Corp. (TGT), Safeway Inc. and Wild Oats Markets Inc. sold Aurora's milk under their own in-house brand names.
The brands include Costco's Kirkland and Target's Archer Farms, and the milk was sold in cartons marked "USDA organic," typically with pictures of pastures or other bucolic scenes, the lawsuits allege.
"That's not even close to the reality of where this milk was coming from," said Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer whose firm is among those suing. "These cows are all penned in factory-confinement conditions."
...
8:02 AM ET - Dow Jones News
SEATTLE ( AP ) Some of the nation's largest retailers and grocery chains sold milk labeled "organic" that was not truly organic, recently filed lawsuits allege.
The federal complaints focus on the sale of milk from Boulder, Colo.-based Aurora Organic Dairy, which recently agreed to change its practices after the U.S. Department of Agriculture found more than a dozen violations of organic standards.
The lawsuits allege that Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST), Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) Inc., Target Corp. (TGT), Safeway Inc. and Wild Oats Markets Inc. sold Aurora's milk under their own in-house brand names.
The brands include Costco's Kirkland and Target's Archer Farms, and the milk was sold in cartons marked "USDA organic," typically with pictures of pastures or other bucolic scenes, the lawsuits allege.
"That's not even close to the reality of where this milk was coming from," said Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer whose firm is among those suing. "These cows are all penned in factory-confinement conditions."
...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Bathtub Sized Nuclear Power
Nuke to the Future
By Dave Maass
Published: November 21, 2007
New technology takes on energy crisis.
The portable nuclear reactor is the size of a hot tub. It’s shaped like a sake cup, filled with a uranium hydride core and surrounded by a hydrogen
Invented by scientist Otis Peterson, Hyperion’s patent for a hydride reactor is still pending.
atmosphere. Encase it in concrete, truck it to a site, bury it underground, hook it up to a steam turbine and, voila, one would generate enough electricity to power a 25,000-home community for at least five years.
...
By Dave Maass
Published: November 21, 2007
New technology takes on energy crisis.
The portable nuclear reactor is the size of a hot tub. It’s shaped like a sake cup, filled with a uranium hydride core and surrounded by a hydrogen
Invented by scientist Otis Peterson, Hyperion’s patent for a hydride reactor is still pending.
atmosphere. Encase it in concrete, truck it to a site, bury it underground, hook it up to a steam turbine and, voila, one would generate enough electricity to power a 25,000-home community for at least five years.
...
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Police Surveillance Via Aircraft
Local 2 Investigates Police Secrecy Behind Unmanned Aircraft Test
By Stephen Dean
POSTED: 9:03 am CST November 21, 2007
WALLER COUNTY, Texas -- Houston police started testing unmanned aircraft and the event was shrouded in secrecy, but it was captured on tape by Local 2 Investigates.
Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.
Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.
...
News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.
...
Houston police contacted KPRC from the test site, claiming the entire airspace was restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Police even threatened action from the FAA if the Local 2 helicopter remained in the area. However, KPRC reported it had already checked with the FAA on numerous occasions and found no flight restrictions around the site, a point conceded by Montalvo.
HPD leaders said they would address privacy and unlawful search questions later.
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Friday, November 16, 2007
Lawnmower Man
'Lawnmower man' completes epic journey
Published: 15th November 2007 18:21 CET
Truck driver Kjell Fundin has done what no man has ever done before by traveling almost the entire length of Sweden on a lawnmower.
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Published: 15th November 2007 18:21 CET
Truck driver Kjell Fundin has done what no man has ever done before by traveling almost the entire length of Sweden on a lawnmower.
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Monday, November 12, 2007
Hostile Chinese Submarines
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American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board.
By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier.
...
American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board.
By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier.
...
Saturday, November 10, 2007
NASA Luxury
NASA’S Luxury, At Your Expense
Extravagant Awards Ceremonies And Posh Hotels, Funded By Tax Dollars
Everyone knows exploring space is dangerous, and the costs are astronomical. Which is why, just last month, NASA was able to squeeze $1 billion extra from the Senate.
That very same day, NASA also posted an online notice few people saw - seeking four-star hotel bids for its December awards, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
The awards are to honor workers who've contributed to flight safety. But it's not just a low-key dinner for a handful of the best and brightest.
Try five days and four nights at a luxury Florida hotel for 300 honorees and their guest. Fancy receptions and front-row tickets to the most exciting show in the space business, the shuttle launch.
All paid for by your tax dollars.
...
Extravagant Awards Ceremonies And Posh Hotels, Funded By Tax Dollars
Everyone knows exploring space is dangerous, and the costs are astronomical. Which is why, just last month, NASA was able to squeeze $1 billion extra from the Senate.
That very same day, NASA also posted an online notice few people saw - seeking four-star hotel bids for its December awards, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
The awards are to honor workers who've contributed to flight safety. But it's not just a low-key dinner for a handful of the best and brightest.
Try five days and four nights at a luxury Florida hotel for 300 honorees and their guest. Fancy receptions and front-row tickets to the most exciting show in the space business, the shuttle launch.
All paid for by your tax dollars.
...
Government Spying
Former AT&T technician Mark Klein has come forward to support the EFF's lawsuit against AT&T for its alleged complicity in the NSA's electronic surveillance.
All I can do is emphasize again, that they’re copying everything, this is a violation of the Constitution, it’s domestic traffic, it’s phone calls as well as e-mail and something should be done to stop it and Congress should not kill the judicial process.
"An exact copy of all Internet traffic that flowed through critical AT&T cables -- e-mails, documents, pictures, Web browsing, voice-over-Internet phone conversations, everything -- was being diverted to equipment inside the secret room," he said.
...
One day he found that the splitters were hard-wired into a secret room on the sixth floor.
...
All I can do is emphasize again, that they’re copying everything, this is a violation of the Constitution, it’s domestic traffic, it’s phone calls as well as e-mail and something should be done to stop it and Congress should not kill the judicial process.
"An exact copy of all Internet traffic that flowed through critical AT&T cables -- e-mails, documents, pictures, Web browsing, voice-over-Internet phone conversations, everything -- was being diverted to equipment inside the secret room," he said.
...
One day he found that the splitters were hard-wired into a secret room on the sixth floor.
...
Friday, November 09, 2007
Here Come The Gangs
Criminalizing an activity will lead to gangs controlling, protecting, and trafficking in the criminalized activity. There should be no surprise that after Sweden criminalized paying for sex, there are more gangs. The typical government response is to increase the laws, domestic spying, and policing. A rational response would be to undo the unhelpful legislation.
Swedish Mafia: fighting a losing battle
Published: 8th November 2007 20:21 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/9046/
To an outsider, Sweden would seem an unlikely place to find rising gang crime. But the problem has snowballed since the nineties, leaving police clamouring for better tools to deal with the problem. Daniel Boman reports.
Sweden is not a country usually associated with mafia-style gang crimes. But over the last decade a new breed of organized crime has sunk its claws into Sweden, leaving the authorities several steps behind.
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Prostitution in Sweden
Prostitution in Sweden is technically illegal, since it is a crime to purchase the service. Sweden considers prostitution a form of violence against women so the crime does not lie in the prostitute selling sexual services, but in the customer's buying of such services.[1]
In 1907 prostitution was legalized;[2] in 1999 the act of buying the service was criminalized.[3]
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Swedish Mafia: fighting a losing battle
Published: 8th November 2007 20:21 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/9046/
To an outsider, Sweden would seem an unlikely place to find rising gang crime. But the problem has snowballed since the nineties, leaving police clamouring for better tools to deal with the problem. Daniel Boman reports.
Sweden is not a country usually associated with mafia-style gang crimes. But over the last decade a new breed of organized crime has sunk its claws into Sweden, leaving the authorities several steps behind.
...
Prostitution in Sweden
Prostitution in Sweden is technically illegal, since it is a crime to purchase the service. Sweden considers prostitution a form of violence against women so the crime does not lie in the prostitute selling sexual services, but in the customer's buying of such services.[1]
In 1907 prostitution was legalized;[2] in 1999 the act of buying the service was criminalized.[3]
...
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Outpouring Of Support
Tuesday November 6, 2007 05:10 EST
The Ron Paul phenomenon
(Updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV - Update V - Update VI - Update VII)
By far the most significant and interesting political story of the past 24 hours is the extraordinary, record-breaking outpouring of support for Ron Paul's presidential campaign. Therefore, it is being ignored by much of our establishment press -- not a single article about it in The New York Times or The Washington Post (though it is discussed on a couple of their blogs), nor even a mention of it on the websites of CNN or CBS News (which found space to report on Stephen Colbert's non-candidacy). But MSNBC and Fox News did at least both post the AP article on the Paul story.
Regardless of how much attention the media pays, the explosion of support for the Paul campaign yesterday is much more than a one-time event. The Paul campaign is now a bona fide phenomenon of real significance, and it is difficult to see this as anything other than a very positive development.
...
The Ron Paul phenomenon
(Updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV - Update V - Update VI - Update VII)
By far the most significant and interesting political story of the past 24 hours is the extraordinary, record-breaking outpouring of support for Ron Paul's presidential campaign. Therefore, it is being ignored by much of our establishment press -- not a single article about it in The New York Times or The Washington Post (though it is discussed on a couple of their blogs), nor even a mention of it on the websites of CNN or CBS News (which found space to report on Stephen Colbert's non-candidacy). But MSNBC and Fox News did at least both post the AP article on the Paul story.
Regardless of how much attention the media pays, the explosion of support for the Paul campaign yesterday is much more than a one-time event. The Paul campaign is now a bona fide phenomenon of real significance, and it is difficult to see this as anything other than a very positive development.
...
Thursday, November 01, 2007
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Saturday, October 27, 2007
Fake Government Press Conference
FEMA sorry for fake news briefing
By Spencer S. Hsu | Washington Post 6:33 PM CDT, October 26, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Federal Emergency Management Agency's No. 2 official apologized Friday for leading a staged news conference Tuesday in which FEMA employees posed as reporters while real reporters listened on a telephone conference line and were barred from asking questions.
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By Spencer S. Hsu | Washington Post 6:33 PM CDT, October 26, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Federal Emergency Management Agency's No. 2 official apologized Friday for leading a staged news conference Tuesday in which FEMA employees posed as reporters while real reporters listened on a telephone conference line and were barred from asking questions.
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Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Remotely Halt Auto
Device can remotely halt auto chases
GM Will Equip New Vehicles With a Device Allowing Police to Remotely Stop Them
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
October 9, 2007 12:23:23 PM PDT
Police will be able to remotely halt some high-speed pursuits with technology being unveiled today that aims to cut chase-related deaths.
General Motors gm plans to equip 1.7 million of its 2009-model vehicles with the system that allows pursuing officers to request that engines of stolen cars be remotely slowed to idle speed through the OnStar mobile communications system.
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GM Will Equip New Vehicles With a Device Allowing Police to Remotely Stop Them
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
October 9, 2007 12:23:23 PM PDT
Police will be able to remotely halt some high-speed pursuits with technology being unveiled today that aims to cut chase-related deaths.
General Motors gm plans to equip 1.7 million of its 2009-model vehicles with the system that allows pursuing officers to request that engines of stolen cars be remotely slowed to idle speed through the OnStar mobile communications system.
...
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
The thoracic outlet syndrome is a positional compression of the subclavian artery, vein, and brachial plexus nerves in the so-called thoracic outlet area. The degree of compression and the involvement of each of the anatomical areas varies.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Near-Simultaneous Worldwide Outbreak
Ten Steps
The first step in preparing for such an event is mental-emotional...
...
● The cost of creating a virus is dropping exponentially. If Carlson’s Curve continues to hold true, the cost of a base pair will drop to between 1 and 10 cents within the decade. Thus, a researcher could order all the necessary base pairs to create a smallpox virus for between $2,000 and $20,000.7 The equipment he needs to assemble the virus will cost an additional $10,000.
● Bio-hackers are following in the footsteps of their info-hacker predecessors. They are setting up labs in their garages and creating products. Last year, a young British researcher invested $50K in equipment and produced two new biological products. He then sold his company, Agribiotics, for $22 million. We can assume hundreds, if not thousands, of young biology students are now in their basements attempting to make new biological products.
These discrete but related events mean that it is becoming increasingly easier for a small group and perhaps even an individual to create a virus such as smallpox and use it as a weapon.
Some experts have reassured us that even if a small group can create a biological virus, it is the testing, storage, and dissemination that are the most difficult steps in weaponizing a biological entity. They are right—if the creator uses traditional methods. However, a person can avoid the requirement for testing by selecting a known lethal agent, such as smallpox. He already knows it can thrive outside the laboratory. Storage and dissemination problems can be solved by tapping into the increasing trend of suicide attacks worldwide—he simply injects the smallpox directly into suicide volunteers, who become both the storage and the dissemination systems.
Using a few volunteers and commercial airlines, a terrorist group can create a near-simultaneous worldwide outbreak of smallpox.
...
The first step in preparing for such an event is mental-emotional...
...
● The cost of creating a virus is dropping exponentially. If Carlson’s Curve continues to hold true, the cost of a base pair will drop to between 1 and 10 cents within the decade. Thus, a researcher could order all the necessary base pairs to create a smallpox virus for between $2,000 and $20,000.7 The equipment he needs to assemble the virus will cost an additional $10,000.
● Bio-hackers are following in the footsteps of their info-hacker predecessors. They are setting up labs in their garages and creating products. Last year, a young British researcher invested $50K in equipment and produced two new biological products. He then sold his company, Agribiotics, for $22 million. We can assume hundreds, if not thousands, of young biology students are now in their basements attempting to make new biological products.
These discrete but related events mean that it is becoming increasingly easier for a small group and perhaps even an individual to create a virus such as smallpox and use it as a weapon.
Some experts have reassured us that even if a small group can create a biological virus, it is the testing, storage, and dissemination that are the most difficult steps in weaponizing a biological entity. They are right—if the creator uses traditional methods. However, a person can avoid the requirement for testing by selecting a known lethal agent, such as smallpox. He already knows it can thrive outside the laboratory. Storage and dissemination problems can be solved by tapping into the increasing trend of suicide attacks worldwide—he simply injects the smallpox directly into suicide volunteers, who become both the storage and the dissemination systems.
Using a few volunteers and commercial airlines, a terrorist group can create a near-simultaneous worldwide outbreak of smallpox.
...
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Ozone Hole ‘smaller than usual’
2007 ozone hole ‘smaller than usual’
The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk 30 percent as compared to last year's record size. According to measurements made by ESA’s Envisat satellite, this year’s ozone loss peaked at 27.7 million tonnes, compared to the 2006 record ozone loss of 40 million tonnes.
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Will Media Report Flaw in Manmade Ozone Hole Consensus?
By Noel Sheppard | September 28, 2007 - 09:27 ET
One of the most disgraceful assertions from global warming alarmists such as soon-to-be-Nobel Laureate Al Gore is that a scientific consensus exists concerning man's role in climate change.
Of course, skeptics around the world accurately counter that science isn't accomplished by a show of hands, and that until it can be proven that man is indeed responsible for the slight increase in global average temperatures in the past 100 years, the percentage of people who "feel" that way is totally irrelevant.
With that in mind, a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature (subscription required) tears apart the "scientific consensus" regarding the cause of a hole in the ozone layer, and should act as a warning to folks claiming that the climate change debate is over, assuming of course the media pay any attention to this paper.
...
The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk 30 percent as compared to last year's record size. According to measurements made by ESA’s Envisat satellite, this year’s ozone loss peaked at 27.7 million tonnes, compared to the 2006 record ozone loss of 40 million tonnes.
...
Will Media Report Flaw in Manmade Ozone Hole Consensus?
By Noel Sheppard | September 28, 2007 - 09:27 ET
One of the most disgraceful assertions from global warming alarmists such as soon-to-be-Nobel Laureate Al Gore is that a scientific consensus exists concerning man's role in climate change.
Of course, skeptics around the world accurately counter that science isn't accomplished by a show of hands, and that until it can be proven that man is indeed responsible for the slight increase in global average temperatures in the past 100 years, the percentage of people who "feel" that way is totally irrelevant.
With that in mind, a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature (subscription required) tears apart the "scientific consensus" regarding the cause of a hole in the ozone layer, and should act as a warning to folks claiming that the climate change debate is over, assuming of course the media pay any attention to this paper.
...
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
When Choice Is Demotivating
When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?
Sheena S. Iyengar - Columbia University
Mark R. Lepper - Stanford University
Abstract
Current psychological theory and research affirm the positive affective and motivational consequences of having personal choice. These findings have led to the popular notion that more choice is better, that the human ability to desire and manage choice is unlimited. Findings from three studies starkly challenge the implicit assumption that having more choice is necessarily more intrinsically motivating than having fewer options.
...
Sheena S. Iyengar - Columbia University
Mark R. Lepper - Stanford University
Abstract
Current psychological theory and research affirm the positive affective and motivational consequences of having personal choice. These findings have led to the popular notion that more choice is better, that the human ability to desire and manage choice is unlimited. Findings from three studies starkly challenge the implicit assumption that having more choice is necessarily more intrinsically motivating than having fewer options.
...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Art or Bioterrorism
Art or Bioterrorism: Who Cares?
By RU Sirius
September 26th, 2007
...
The FBI detained and questioned Kurtz for 22 hours. His house — and his wife's body — were confiscated. Kurtz' entire street was quarantined while agents from numerous agencies, including Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, descended on his home in hazmat suits. Everything was confiscated – computers, books on bioweaponry, garbage, posters with "suspicious" Arabic lettering on them… everything.
After about two days, the authorities had tested the biological materials and declared that no toxic material had been found. On May 17, Kurtz was allowed to return to his home.
...
My co-defendant Bob Ferrell and I are the first citizens to ever be indicted for mail or wire fraud because we supposedly broke a material transfer agreement. The “defrauded” parties do not believe we did anything to harm them — the crime is a DoJ fantasy that they hope to prove. We’ll see at trial if rationality prevails.
If it doesn’t, the case will set a precedent that will mean that the Justice Department can drop a major felony on someone for filling out a warranty card incorrectly and mailing it. This will be a major tool for them. Talk about being able to pick off people at will!
...
By RU Sirius
September 26th, 2007
...
The FBI detained and questioned Kurtz for 22 hours. His house — and his wife's body — were confiscated. Kurtz' entire street was quarantined while agents from numerous agencies, including Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, descended on his home in hazmat suits. Everything was confiscated – computers, books on bioweaponry, garbage, posters with "suspicious" Arabic lettering on them… everything.
After about two days, the authorities had tested the biological materials and declared that no toxic material had been found. On May 17, Kurtz was allowed to return to his home.
...
My co-defendant Bob Ferrell and I are the first citizens to ever be indicted for mail or wire fraud because we supposedly broke a material transfer agreement. The “defrauded” parties do not believe we did anything to harm them — the crime is a DoJ fantasy that they hope to prove. We’ll see at trial if rationality prevails.
If it doesn’t, the case will set a precedent that will mean that the Justice Department can drop a major felony on someone for filling out a warranty card incorrectly and mailing it. This will be a major tool for them. Talk about being able to pick off people at will!
...
The Creature from Jekyll Island
...
The typical American, if he or she has given any thought to the matter, would consider the following statements to be true: The Federal Reserve is federal, i.e., a part of the US government. The Federal Reserve is a reserve, i.e., it has monetary savings of real value. The Federal Reserve serves the public, and is not a cartel of private banks serving itself. The US dollar has real value, i.e., it represents tangible wealth, such as gold securely stored at Fort Knox. Inflation is an increase in prices. Inflation is caused by greedy companies, not the US government or the Federal Reserve.
As G. Edward Griffin makes clear in his book, none of these beliefs are true — regardless of how well entrenched they are in our conventional "wisdom." He also explains why the US government and the Federal Reserve have their own reasons for being in no hurry to eliminate this ignorance. Yet these topics are just a small portion of what is covered in his far-ranging discussion of the theory and history of money and banking, particularly within the United States.
...
The typical American, if he or she has given any thought to the matter, would consider the following statements to be true: The Federal Reserve is federal, i.e., a part of the US government. The Federal Reserve is a reserve, i.e., it has monetary savings of real value. The Federal Reserve serves the public, and is not a cartel of private banks serving itself. The US dollar has real value, i.e., it represents tangible wealth, such as gold securely stored at Fort Knox. Inflation is an increase in prices. Inflation is caused by greedy companies, not the US government or the Federal Reserve.
As G. Edward Griffin makes clear in his book, none of these beliefs are true — regardless of how well entrenched they are in our conventional "wisdom." He also explains why the US government and the Federal Reserve have their own reasons for being in no hurry to eliminate this ignorance. Yet these topics are just a small portion of what is covered in his far-ranging discussion of the theory and history of money and banking, particularly within the United States.
...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
UK Foot-and-mouth Disease At UK Farm
UK Authorities Confirm Foot-and-mouth Disease At UK Farm
U.K. authorities confirmed the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease Wednesday at a farm on the outskirts of London, sparking concerns among anxious farmers hoping to avoid a repeat of a similar crisis that gripped their industry last month.
The highly contagious disease was found in cattle grazing in Surrey, a county that borders London, and close to a laboratory that was linked to the August outbreak, said U.K. chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds.
...
U.K. authorities confirmed the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease Wednesday at a farm on the outskirts of London, sparking concerns among anxious farmers hoping to avoid a repeat of a similar crisis that gripped their industry last month.
The highly contagious disease was found in cattle grazing in Surrey, a county that borders London, and close to a laboratory that was linked to the August outbreak, said U.K. chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds.
...
Travel Guides
Zagat. Full site access for a fee.
Travel info mails guides. No cost.
Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date, and reliable worldwide travel guide.
Travel info mails guides. No cost.
Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date, and reliable worldwide travel guide.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
We've never done it before, so we can't.
Government resistance to change.
Bureaucrats have no sense of style
The Gazette
Published: Monday, September 10
Planning to open one of their sleek superstores at 1321 Ste. Catherine St. W., Apple Inc. is investing heavily, as always, in design. It would be a nice touch, the company thought, to simplify the look of the shop by getting rid of the three parking meters out front.
So Apple made Ville-Marie borough an offer: "three meters, $3 an hour, so many hours a week, carry the 3 .... we'll give you about $35,000 to cover the lost revenue from those meters over five years. How about it?"
...
But bureaucrats say no; that's what they do. "We've never done it before, so we can't."
...
Bureaucrats have no sense of style
The Gazette
Published: Monday, September 10
Planning to open one of their sleek superstores at 1321 Ste. Catherine St. W., Apple Inc. is investing heavily, as always, in design. It would be a nice touch, the company thought, to simplify the look of the shop by getting rid of the three parking meters out front.
So Apple made Ville-Marie borough an offer: "three meters, $3 an hour, so many hours a week, carry the 3 .... we'll give you about $35,000 to cover the lost revenue from those meters over five years. How about it?"
...
But bureaucrats say no; that's what they do. "We've never done it before, so we can't."
...
Duke Lacrosse, Duke Trustees
Duke Trustees:
2007-2008
Mrs. Anne T. Bass
Fort Worth, TX
Mrs. Janet Hill
Great Falls, VA
Ms. Nancy A. Nasher
Dallas, TX
The Hon. Daniel Terry Blue, Jr.*
Raleigh, NC
Mr. Kenneth W. Hubbard
New York, NY
Dr. Clarence G. Newsome
Raleigh, NC
Mr. Jack O. Bovender, Jr. Nashville, TN
Dr. Kimberly J. Jenkins*
Chapel Hill, NC
Dr. Uwe E. Reinhardt
Princeton, NJ
Dr. Richard H. Brodhead*
Durham, NC
Mr. Bruce A. Karsh*
Los Angeles, CA
Mr. David M. Rubenstein
Washington, DC
Dr. Paula Phillips Burger*
Baltimore, MD
Mr. J. J. Kiser III
Pawleys Island, SC
Mr. Alan D. Schwartz
New York, NY
Mr. Thomas C. Clark
New York, NY
Dr. Elizabeth Kiss
Decatur, GA
Rev. Charles M. Smith
Raleigh, NC
Mrs. Paula Hannaway Crown
Chicago, IL
Dr. Justin Klein
Baltimore, MD
Mrs. Susan M. Stalnecker*
Greenville, DE
The Hon. Christine M. Durham*
Salt Lake City, UT
Mrs. Carol Louise Anspach Kohn*
Highland Park, IL
Mr. Robert King Steel, Chair*
New York, NY
Mr. Frank E. Emory, Jr.*
Charlotte, NC
Ms. Marguerite W. Kondracke Washington, DC
Mr. James L. Vincent
Weston, MA
Ms. Robin A. Ferracone
San Marino, CA
Mr. John J. Mack
New York, NY Mr. Anthony Vitarelli
New Haven, CT
Mr. David Gergen
Cambridge, MA
Dr. Michael Marsicano
Charlotte, NC
Mr. G. Richard Wagoner, Jr.*
Detroit, MI
Mr. Brandon J. Goodwin
Philadelphia, PA
Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey
Charlotte, NC
Dr. Lewis T. Williams
South San Francisco , CA
Dr. Thomas M. Gorrie*
Pennington, NJ
* Member of the Executive Committee
Last Updated July 1, 2006
Office of the University Secretary
Thursday, September 06, 2007
TV viewing linked to teen attention problems
Childhood TV viewing linked to teen attention problems
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a large long-term study.
The roughly 40% increase in attention problems among "heavy" TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote in his report, published in Pediatrics on Tuesday.
...
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a large long-term study.
The roughly 40% increase in attention problems among "heavy" TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote in his report, published in Pediatrics on Tuesday.
...
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Breathalayzer Source Code
Source code standoff in breathalyzer case
Minnesota authorities have missed a court-imposed deadline for turning over the source code for a breath-testing machine at the heart of a a high-profile dispute that recently made it to the state's Supreme Court.
That means now there's a greater chance that charges could be dropped against third-degree DUI defendant Dale Lee Underdahl.
The Intoxilyzer 5000EN is used in more than 20 states, according to the manufacturer.
(Credit: Connecticut Department of Public Safety)
The next step is a court hearing scheduled for September 19, Underdahl's attorney, Jeffrey Sheridan, told CNET News.com in a phone interview on Tuesday. At the hearing, Sheridan is expected to ask the judge to throw out any evidence the state had obtained using the the Intoxilyzer 5000EN. If the judge agrees, at least one charge--that his client was driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08--would likely be dismissed.
...
Drunk driving cases turn on source code
Breath test company refuses to disclose code, to defense lawyers' delight
Updated: 3:45 p.m. MT March 12, 2006
MIAMI - Timothy Muldowny's lawyers decided on an unconventional approach to fight his drunken driving case: They sought computer programming information for the Intoxilyzer alcohol breath analysis machine to see whether his test was accurate.
Their strategy paid off.
The company that makes the Intoxilyzer refused to reveal the computer source code for its machine because it was a trade secret. A county judge tossed out Muldowny's alcohol breath test — a crucial piece of evidence in a DUI case — and the ruling was upheld by an appeals court in 2004.
...
Minnesota authorities have missed a court-imposed deadline for turning over the source code for a breath-testing machine at the heart of a a high-profile dispute that recently made it to the state's Supreme Court.
That means now there's a greater chance that charges could be dropped against third-degree DUI defendant Dale Lee Underdahl.
The Intoxilyzer 5000EN is used in more than 20 states, according to the manufacturer.
(Credit: Connecticut Department of Public Safety)
The next step is a court hearing scheduled for September 19, Underdahl's attorney, Jeffrey Sheridan, told CNET News.com in a phone interview on Tuesday. At the hearing, Sheridan is expected to ask the judge to throw out any evidence the state had obtained using the the Intoxilyzer 5000EN. If the judge agrees, at least one charge--that his client was driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08--would likely be dismissed.
...
Drunk driving cases turn on source code
Breath test company refuses to disclose code, to defense lawyers' delight
Updated: 3:45 p.m. MT March 12, 2006
MIAMI - Timothy Muldowny's lawyers decided on an unconventional approach to fight his drunken driving case: They sought computer programming information for the Intoxilyzer alcohol breath analysis machine to see whether his test was accurate.
Their strategy paid off.
The company that makes the Intoxilyzer refused to reveal the computer source code for its machine because it was a trade secret. A county judge tossed out Muldowny's alcohol breath test — a crucial piece of evidence in a DUI case — and the ruling was upheld by an appeals court in 2004.
...
Whole population and every UK visitor should be added to the national DNA database
The whole population and every UK visitor should be added to the national DNA database, a senior judge has said.
The present database in England and Wales holds details of 4m people who are guilty or cleared of a crime.
Lord Justice Sedley said this was indefensible and biased against ethnic minorities, and it would be fairer to include everyone, guilty or innocent.
Ministers said DNA helped tackle crime, but there were no plans for a voluntary national or compulsory UK database.
The present database in England and Wales holds details of 4m people who are guilty or cleared of a crime.
Lord Justice Sedley said this was indefensible and biased against ethnic minorities, and it would be fairer to include everyone, guilty or innocent.
Ministers said DNA helped tackle crime, but there were no plans for a voluntary national or compulsory UK database.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Record low temperatures
Record low temperatures as August ends on chilly note
Published: 29th August 2007 12:44 CET
The lowest August temperatures for more than sixty years have been recorded in southern Sweden, as August comes to a chilly conclusion across the country.
...
Published: 29th August 2007 12:44 CET
The lowest August temperatures for more than sixty years have been recorded in southern Sweden, as August comes to a chilly conclusion across the country.
...
Flawed promise of security at expense of freedom
Scientists sue NASA, Caltech over deep new background checks
...
A hearing was set for Sept. 24 on a request for a preliminary injunction in advance of a Sept. 28 deadline by which JPL employees must fill out forms authorizing the background checks. Employees who don't meet the deadline will be barred from JPL and will be "voluntarily terminated" as of Oct. 27.
According to the lawsuit, many of the plaintiffs have been employed at JPL for decades, and none work on classified or national security materials or issues, and none have security clearances.
...
In June, JPL workers who consider the background checks unnecessary and intrusive aired their complaints before NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.
Griffin said that it was a "privilege to work within the federal system, not a right" and that he would carry out the order unless it was overturned in court, according to a video of the meeting obtained by The Associated Press.
...
...
A hearing was set for Sept. 24 on a request for a preliminary injunction in advance of a Sept. 28 deadline by which JPL employees must fill out forms authorizing the background checks. Employees who don't meet the deadline will be barred from JPL and will be "voluntarily terminated" as of Oct. 27.
According to the lawsuit, many of the plaintiffs have been employed at JPL for decades, and none work on classified or national security materials or issues, and none have security clearances.
...
In June, JPL workers who consider the background checks unnecessary and intrusive aired their complaints before NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.
Griffin said that it was a "privilege to work within the federal system, not a right" and that he would carry out the order unless it was overturned in court, according to a video of the meeting obtained by The Associated Press.
...
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Nuclear Fuel Problems Kept Secret
Tenn. Nuclear Fuel Problems Kept Secret
Monday August 20, 2007 9:01 PM
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A three-year veil of secrecy in the name of national security was used to keep the public in the dark about the handling of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear fuel processing plant - including a leak that could have caused a deadly, uncontrolled nuclear reaction.
The leak turned out to be one of nine violations or test failures since 2005 at privately owned Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., a longtime supplier of fuel to the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet.
The public was never told about the problems when they happened.
...
Monday August 20, 2007 9:01 PM
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A three-year veil of secrecy in the name of national security was used to keep the public in the dark about the handling of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear fuel processing plant - including a leak that could have caused a deadly, uncontrolled nuclear reaction.
The leak turned out to be one of nine violations or test failures since 2005 at privately owned Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., a longtime supplier of fuel to the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet.
The public was never told about the problems when they happened.
...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Mine Your Own Business
Mine Your Own Business, a film produced by New Bera Media in association with the Moving Picture Institute, looks at the dark side of environmentalism.
Monday, August 20, 2007
$13B Write Off
Capital One slashes jobs, mortgage industry swoons
By Dan Wilchins Mon Aug 20, 6:31 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. mortgage industry took another battering on Monday, as Capital One Financial Corp said it will shut a lending unit it bought less than a year ago, while two mortgage companies took steps to bolster liquidity as losses piled up.
Capital One, best known as a credit card issuer, said it will cut 1,900 jobs and take $860 million in charges as it closes its GreenPoint Mortgage unit, which it acquired last December when it paid $13.2 billion for North Fork Bancorp Inc.
...
By Dan Wilchins Mon Aug 20, 6:31 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. mortgage industry took another battering on Monday, as Capital One Financial Corp said it will shut a lending unit it bought less than a year ago, while two mortgage companies took steps to bolster liquidity as losses piled up.
Capital One, best known as a credit card issuer, said it will cut 1,900 jobs and take $860 million in charges as it closes its GreenPoint Mortgage unit, which it acquired last December when it paid $13.2 billion for North Fork Bancorp Inc.
...
Forced Drug Test
Man arrested for having big muscles
Published: 13th August 2007 08:30 CET
...
According to Boduljak, 27, the police officer was pleasant at first, but changed her attitude when he said he worked out. Saying his muscles were 'abnormal', she said he must have used drugs.
...
Despite Boduljak's assurances that he didn't use steroids, she forced him to go to the police station and give a urine test. In her report, the officer said he had "unusually large muscles, particularly large arm muscles, which are a sign of steroid use."
The test was negative, and Boduljak made an official complaint against the police officer. Prosecutors looked into the case, but decided not to pursue it.
...
Published: 13th August 2007 08:30 CET
...
According to Boduljak, 27, the police officer was pleasant at first, but changed her attitude when he said he worked out. Saying his muscles were 'abnormal', she said he must have used drugs.
...
Despite Boduljak's assurances that he didn't use steroids, she forced him to go to the police station and give a urine test. In her report, the officer said he had "unusually large muscles, particularly large arm muscles, which are a sign of steroid use."
The test was negative, and Boduljak made an official complaint against the police officer. Prosecutors looked into the case, but decided not to pursue it.
...
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Spreading Credit Problems
Fed vows, then pumps massive funds to calm markets
By Glenn Somerville and Tamawa Kadoya Fri Aug 10, 4:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday sought to reassure investors and head off spreading credit problems by vowing to provide liquidity and injecting the most money in the banking system since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The U.S. central bank rarely issues statements about its market operations and the largess of its fund injections reflect the seriousness that it views the current disorder in credit markets.
Much of the disorder stems from problems in U.S. housing markets where defaults on subprime mortgages to less creditworthy borrowers are rising.
With the problems spreading to Europe and affecting financial markets globally, the Fed worked in tandem with other central banks to pump liquidity into the banking system.
...
The Fed pumped a total of $38 billion in temporary funds in three separate occasions on Friday, a highly unusual move not seen since July 2000.
The three cash infusions were the largest single day amount since $50.35 billion on September 19, 2001, and more than five times the amount that was injected a week ago on Friday.
...
By Glenn Somerville and Tamawa Kadoya Fri Aug 10, 4:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday sought to reassure investors and head off spreading credit problems by vowing to provide liquidity and injecting the most money in the banking system since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The U.S. central bank rarely issues statements about its market operations and the largess of its fund injections reflect the seriousness that it views the current disorder in credit markets.
Much of the disorder stems from problems in U.S. housing markets where defaults on subprime mortgages to less creditworthy borrowers are rising.
With the problems spreading to Europe and affecting financial markets globally, the Fed worked in tandem with other central banks to pump liquidity into the banking system.
...
The Fed pumped a total of $38 billion in temporary funds in three separate occasions on Friday, a highly unusual move not seen since July 2000.
The three cash infusions were the largest single day amount since $50.35 billion on September 19, 2001, and more than five times the amount that was injected a week ago on Friday.
...
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
China Inflation
China's Inflation May Quicken, Central Bank Says (Update3)
By Zhang Dingmin and Nipa Piboontanasawat
Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- China's central bank said consumer- price gains may accelerate on food and labor costs, fueling speculation that it's five days away from announcing the highest inflation in 10 years.
Price increases aren't solely the result of ``temporary factors,'' the People's Bank of China said in a second-quarter monetary policy report today on its Web site. The risk of the economy overheating has increased, it said.
``This is clearly to prepare the market for the awful inflation number next week,'' said Glenn Maguire, chief Asia economist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong.
...
By Zhang Dingmin and Nipa Piboontanasawat
Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- China's central bank said consumer- price gains may accelerate on food and labor costs, fueling speculation that it's five days away from announcing the highest inflation in 10 years.
Price increases aren't solely the result of ``temporary factors,'' the People's Bank of China said in a second-quarter monetary policy report today on its Web site. The risk of the economy overheating has increased, it said.
``This is clearly to prepare the market for the awful inflation number next week,'' said Glenn Maguire, chief Asia economist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong.
...
War on Terror overblown: Microsoft
War on Terror overblown: Microsoft
Steve RileyTECH.ED
...
He prefers to tell his own kids that "...most adults are kind and honest and will help you if you need helping. But no adult needs your help to find their dog." Teach them to recognise the attacks, rather than react negatively to an imagined fear.
And this goes all the way up to the US's so-called "War on Terror". According to Steve, are any of us really made safer by taking our shoes off to go through metal detectors? Surely X-ray scanners which can see right through people's clothing is an unacceptable breach of privacy? At the very least, do we want to live in a society where this is the accepted norm?
...
These are sobering thoughts, and they do make you take a second look at the vast amounts of money and effort going into security "measures" which do much to remove personal liberty and intrude in our daily existence, yet prove remarkably ineffective at actually stopping anyone determined to succeed.
...
Steve RileyTECH.ED
...
He prefers to tell his own kids that "...most adults are kind and honest and will help you if you need helping. But no adult needs your help to find their dog." Teach them to recognise the attacks, rather than react negatively to an imagined fear.
And this goes all the way up to the US's so-called "War on Terror". According to Steve, are any of us really made safer by taking our shoes off to go through metal detectors? Surely X-ray scanners which can see right through people's clothing is an unacceptable breach of privacy? At the very least, do we want to live in a society where this is the accepted norm?
...
These are sobering thoughts, and they do make you take a second look at the vast amounts of money and effort going into security "measures" which do much to remove personal liberty and intrude in our daily existence, yet prove remarkably ineffective at actually stopping anyone determined to succeed.
...
Can You Afford To Retire
PBS Frontline video, streaming on web.
The baby boomer generation is headed for a shock as it hits retirement: many of them will be long on life expectancy but short on savings. The two main strategies for funding retirement -- lifetime pensions and 401(k)-style savings plans -- are in serious trouble. In "Can You Afford to Retire?" FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith ("Is Wal-Mart Good for America?") investigates this looming financial crisis and the outlook for middle-class Americans.
The baby boomer generation is headed for a shock as it hits retirement: many of them will be long on life expectancy but short on savings. The two main strategies for funding retirement -- lifetime pensions and 401(k)-style savings plans -- are in serious trouble. In "Can You Afford to Retire?" FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith ("Is Wal-Mart Good for America?") investigates this looming financial crisis and the outlook for middle-class Americans.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Fat Folks Charged More For Health Insurance
BusinessWeek
Being Unhealthy Could Cost You -- Money
Thursday August 2, 8:08 am ET
By Jena McGregor
For employees at Clarian Health, feeling the burn of trying to lose weight will take on new meaning.
In late June, the Indianapolis-based hospital system announced that starting in 2009, it will fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI, a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat) is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. Ditto if they smoke: Starting next year, they'll be charged another $5 in each check.
...
Being Unhealthy Could Cost You -- Money
Thursday August 2, 8:08 am ET
By Jena McGregor
For employees at Clarian Health, feeling the burn of trying to lose weight will take on new meaning.
In late June, the Indianapolis-based hospital system announced that starting in 2009, it will fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI, a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat) is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. Ditto if they smoke: Starting next year, they'll be charged another $5 in each check.
...
Old Bacteria Thawed
Eight-million-year-old bug is alive and growing
* 12:12 07 August 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Catherine Brahic
An 8-million-year-old bacterium that was extracted from the oldest known ice on Earth is now growing in a laboratory, claim researchers.
If confirmed, this means ancient bacteria and viruses will come back to life as ice melts due to global warming. This is nothing to worry about, say experts, because the process has been going on for billions of years and the bugs are unlikely to cause human disease.
...
* 12:12 07 August 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Catherine Brahic
An 8-million-year-old bacterium that was extracted from the oldest known ice on Earth is now growing in a laboratory, claim researchers.
If confirmed, this means ancient bacteria and viruses will come back to life as ice melts due to global warming. This is nothing to worry about, say experts, because the process has been going on for billions of years and the bugs are unlikely to cause human disease.
...
Monday, August 06, 2007
Levitation
Physicists have 'solved' mystery of levitation
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 3:42pm BST 06/08/2007
Levitation has been elevated from being pure science fiction to science fact, according to a study reported today by physicists.
...
Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.
...
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 3:42pm BST 06/08/2007
Levitation has been elevated from being pure science fiction to science fact, according to a study reported today by physicists.
...
Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.
...
Friday, August 03, 2007
Climate Change Land Grab
...
Russia wants to extend right up to the North Pole the territory it controls in the Arctic, believed to hold vast reserves of untapped oil and natural gas, which is expected to become more accessible as climate change melts the ice.
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the expedition by telephone on "the outstanding scientific project," local agencies reported.
Boris Gryzlov, who heads the State Duma lower chamber of parliament and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, hailed the expedition as "a new stage of developing Russia's polar riches."
"This is fully in line with Russia's strategic interests," local media quoted him as saying. "I am proud our country remains the leader in conquering the Arctic."
Earlier on Thursday Canada mocked Russia's ambitions and said the expedition was nothing more than a show.
"This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told CTV television.
Under international law, the five states with territory inside the Arctic Circle -- Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark via its control of Greenland -- have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone around the north of their coastline.
...
Russia wants to extend right up to the North Pole the territory it controls in the Arctic, believed to hold vast reserves of untapped oil and natural gas, which is expected to become more accessible as climate change melts the ice.
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the expedition by telephone on "the outstanding scientific project," local agencies reported.
Boris Gryzlov, who heads the State Duma lower chamber of parliament and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, hailed the expedition as "a new stage of developing Russia's polar riches."
"This is fully in line with Russia's strategic interests," local media quoted him as saying. "I am proud our country remains the leader in conquering the Arctic."
Earlier on Thursday Canada mocked Russia's ambitions and said the expedition was nothing more than a show.
"This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told CTV television.
Under international law, the five states with territory inside the Arctic Circle -- Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark via its control of Greenland -- have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone around the north of their coastline.
...
Thursday, July 19, 2007
5th Ammendment To Constitution Revoked
5th Ammendment:
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Revoked:
I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1(a) of this order.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Revoked:
I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1(a) of this order.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Predator Aircraft
...
The MQ-9 Reaper is the Air Force's first hunter-killer unmanned aircraft. It is the big brother to the highly successful and sometimes controversial Predator aircraft, which General Atomics said this week had flown over 300,000 flight hours, with over 80% of that time spent in combat.
...
The MQ-9 Reaper is the Air Force's first hunter-killer unmanned aircraft. It is the big brother to the highly successful and sometimes controversial Predator aircraft, which General Atomics said this week had flown over 300,000 flight hours, with over 80% of that time spent in combat.
...
Monday, July 02, 2007
Microsoft Vista Spying
Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine!
By: Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor
Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company.
...
By: Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor
Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company.
...
Rubber Ducks Land On British Shores
Thousands of rubber ducks to land on British shores after 15 year journey
By BEN CLERKIN
They were toys destined only to bob up and down in nothing bigger than a child's bath - but so far they have floated halfway around the world.
The armada of 29,000 plastic yellow ducks, blue turtles and green frogs broke free from a cargo ship 15 years ago.
Since then they have travelled 17,000 miles, floating over the site where the Titanic sank, landing in Hawaii and even spending years frozen in an Arctic ice pack.
...
By BEN CLERKIN
They were toys destined only to bob up and down in nothing bigger than a child's bath - but so far they have floated halfway around the world.
The armada of 29,000 plastic yellow ducks, blue turtles and green frogs broke free from a cargo ship 15 years ago.
Since then they have travelled 17,000 miles, floating over the site where the Titanic sank, landing in Hawaii and even spending years frozen in an Arctic ice pack.
...
Roswell Aliens
...
Lieutenant Walter Haut was the public relations officer at the base in 1947 and was the man who issued the original and subsequent press releases after the crash on the orders of the base commander, Colonel William Blanchard.
Haut died last year but left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.
Last week, the text was released and asserts that the weather balloon claim was a cover story and that the real object had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar.
He described seeing not just the craft, but alien bodies.
He wasn't the first Roswell witness to talk about alien bodies.
...
Lieutenant Walter Haut was the public relations officer at the base in 1947 and was the man who issued the original and subsequent press releases after the crash on the orders of the base commander, Colonel William Blanchard.
Haut died last year but left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.
Last week, the text was released and asserts that the weather balloon claim was a cover story and that the real object had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar.
He described seeing not just the craft, but alien bodies.
He wasn't the first Roswell witness to talk about alien bodies.
...
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Fascist America In Ten Steps
Fascist America, in 10 easy steps
From Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain steps that any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms.
...
Tuesday April 24, 2007
The Guardian
Last autumn, there was a military coup in Thailand. The leaders of the coup took a number of steps, rather systematically, as if they had a shopping list. In a sense, they did. Within a matter of days, democracy had been closed down: the coup leaders declared martial law, sent armed soldiers into residential areas, took over radio and TV stations, issued restrictions on the press, tightened some limits on travel, and took certain activists into custody.
They were not figuring these things out as they went along. If you look at history, you can see that there is essentially a blueprint for turning an open society into a dictatorship. That blueprint has been used again and again in more and less bloody, more and less terrifying ways. But it is always effective. It is very difficult and arduous to create and sustain a democracy - but history shows that closing one down is much simpler. You simply have to be willing to take the 10 steps.
...
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
...
From Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain steps that any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms.
...
Tuesday April 24, 2007
The Guardian
Last autumn, there was a military coup in Thailand. The leaders of the coup took a number of steps, rather systematically, as if they had a shopping list. In a sense, they did. Within a matter of days, democracy had been closed down: the coup leaders declared martial law, sent armed soldiers into residential areas, took over radio and TV stations, issued restrictions on the press, tightened some limits on travel, and took certain activists into custody.
They were not figuring these things out as they went along. If you look at history, you can see that there is essentially a blueprint for turning an open society into a dictatorship. That blueprint has been used again and again in more and less bloody, more and less terrifying ways. But it is always effective. It is very difficult and arduous to create and sustain a democracy - but history shows that closing one down is much simpler. You simply have to be willing to take the 10 steps.
...
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
...
Arrested For Videotaping Police
Video recording leads to felony charge
Posted by Matt Miller/The Patriot-News June 11, 2007 08:51AM
Brian D. Kelly didn't think he was doing anything illegal when he used his videocamera to record a Carlisle police officer during a traffic stop. Making movies is one of his hobbies, he said, and the stop was just another interesting event to film.
Now he's worried about going to prison or being burdened with a criminal record.
Kelly, 18, of Carlisle, was arrested on a felony wiretapping charge, with a penalty of up to 7 years in state prison.
His camera and film were seized by police during the May 24 stop, he said, and he spent 26 hours in Cumberland County Prison until his mother posted her house as security for his $2,500 bail.
Kelly is charged under a state law that bars the intentional interception or recording of anyone's oral conversation without their consent.
....
Posted by Matt Miller/The Patriot-News June 11, 2007 08:51AM
Brian D. Kelly didn't think he was doing anything illegal when he used his videocamera to record a Carlisle police officer during a traffic stop. Making movies is one of his hobbies, he said, and the stop was just another interesting event to film.
Now he's worried about going to prison or being burdened with a criminal record.
Kelly, 18, of Carlisle, was arrested on a felony wiretapping charge, with a penalty of up to 7 years in state prison.
His camera and film were seized by police during the May 24 stop, he said, and he spent 26 hours in Cumberland County Prison until his mother posted her house as security for his $2,500 bail.
Kelly is charged under a state law that bars the intentional interception or recording of anyone's oral conversation without their consent.
....
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Lake Disappears In Chile
Lake disappears suddenly in Chile
Scientists in Chile are investigating the sudden disappearance of a glacial lake in the south of the country.
When park rangers patrolled the area in the Magallanes region in March, the two-hectare (five-acre) lake was its normal size, officials say.
But last month they found a huge dry crater and several stranded chunks of ice that used to float on the water.
One theory is that an earthquake opened up a fissure in the ground, allowing the lake's water to drain through.
...
Scientists in Chile are investigating the sudden disappearance of a glacial lake in the south of the country.
When park rangers patrolled the area in the Magallanes region in March, the two-hectare (five-acre) lake was its normal size, officials say.
But last month they found a huge dry crater and several stranded chunks of ice that used to float on the water.
One theory is that an earthquake opened up a fissure in the ground, allowing the lake's water to drain through.
...
Heavy Metal Addiction
Man gets sick benefits for heavy metal addiction
Published: 19th June 2007 15:12 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/7650/
A Swedish heavy metal fan has had his musical preferences officially classified as a disability. The results of a psychological analysis enable the metal lover to supplement his income with state benefits.
...
"Some might say that I should grow up and learn to listen to other types of music but I can't. Heavy metal is my lifestyle," he said.
Published: 19th June 2007 15:12 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/7650/
A Swedish heavy metal fan has had his musical preferences officially classified as a disability. The results of a psychological analysis enable the metal lover to supplement his income with state benefits.
...
"Some might say that I should grow up and learn to listen to other types of music but I can't. Heavy metal is my lifestyle," he said.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Pie In The Sky
US Airways monthly e-Statement.
Take a moment to review your monthly e-Statement and learn about exclusive offers available only to Dividend Miles members.
News
* Fly First Class and enjoy pie from Four Points® by Sheraton
* Service to Dublin is now offered year-round
* You can now earn miles on Qatar Airways
Take a moment to review your monthly e-Statement and learn about exclusive offers available only to Dividend Miles members.
News
* Fly First Class and enjoy pie from Four Points® by Sheraton
* Service to Dublin is now offered year-round
* You can now earn miles on Qatar Airways
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
In the Gulf of Mexico, several miles off the Louisiana coast, lies one of the world’s largest “dead zones" — oxygen-deprived areas devoid of all marine life. Researchers predict that this summer, the dead zone will grow to cover nearly 6,700 square miles, an area roughly half the size of Maryland, and far larger than its size in recent years of 4,800 square miles.
Worst of all, the dead zone is human-made: runoff from farms in the Midwest adds as much as 7.8 million pounds of nitrate fertilizer to the Mississippi River and its tributaries each day during peak loading periods, which then runs downriver and empties into the Gulf. As it does with plants grown on land, the nitrogen causes algae and plankton in the area to flourish, using all available oxygen in the water. The result is hypoxia, an oxygen depleted dead zone in which fish and other marine life simply cannot survive.
...
Worst of all, the dead zone is human-made: runoff from farms in the Midwest adds as much as 7.8 million pounds of nitrate fertilizer to the Mississippi River and its tributaries each day during peak loading periods, which then runs downriver and empties into the Gulf. As it does with plants grown on land, the nitrogen causes algae and plankton in the area to flourish, using all available oxygen in the water. The result is hypoxia, an oxygen depleted dead zone in which fish and other marine life simply cannot survive.
...
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Snail House For People
Personal, portable, SAR barrel.
The SNAIL SHELL SYSTEM is a low cost system that enables persons to move around, change their whereabouts and live in various environments.
The SNAIL SHELL SYSTEM is a low cost system that enables persons to move around, change their whereabouts and live in various environments.
Monday, June 04, 2007
No One Dies Alone
So they don't die alone
By Shari Roan, Times Staff Writer
June 4, 2007
Too many patients, too little time. Sandra Clarke, a nurse in Eugene, Ore., looked in on a patient not expected to live through the night. "Will you sit with me?" he asked.
Clark assured him that she would, but that first she had to check on her other patients. Ninety minutes later, she hurried back to the man's room — only to discover he had died.
"I felt like I had let him down," says Clarke, of Sacred Heart Medical Center. "Here you are in a high-tech world in medicine and he only asked for something very simple. It seemed so wrong to me. I felt guilty and frustrated. It wasn't that anyone had done anything wrong. But it wasn't done right."
Those feelings of responsibility and compassion — from Clarke and from other patient advocates — have given birth to a movement spreading to U.S. hospitals across the nation. The goal: to ensure every patient has a fellow human being at his or her bedside at the time of death.
Among the efforts is No One Dies Alone, a program Clarke later helped create. The program, begun in 2001, relies on volunteers to sit with terminally ill patients and has since spread to several hundred hospitals, including St. Joseph Hospital in Orange and its sister institution Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica will launch the program this month.
One of the oldest such programs, Twilight Brigade, Compassion in Action, specifically serves veterans at Veterans Affairs hospitals and nursing homes across the country.
And Sacred Dying, begun in 2000 in San Francisco, trains organizations such as hospices and churches how to provide a spiritual atmosphere for people who might otherwise die alone.
...
By Shari Roan, Times Staff Writer
June 4, 2007
Too many patients, too little time. Sandra Clarke, a nurse in Eugene, Ore., looked in on a patient not expected to live through the night. "Will you sit with me?" he asked.
Clark assured him that she would, but that first she had to check on her other patients. Ninety minutes later, she hurried back to the man's room — only to discover he had died.
"I felt like I had let him down," says Clarke, of Sacred Heart Medical Center. "Here you are in a high-tech world in medicine and he only asked for something very simple. It seemed so wrong to me. I felt guilty and frustrated. It wasn't that anyone had done anything wrong. But it wasn't done right."
Those feelings of responsibility and compassion — from Clarke and from other patient advocates — have given birth to a movement spreading to U.S. hospitals across the nation. The goal: to ensure every patient has a fellow human being at his or her bedside at the time of death.
Among the efforts is No One Dies Alone, a program Clarke later helped create. The program, begun in 2001, relies on volunteers to sit with terminally ill patients and has since spread to several hundred hospitals, including St. Joseph Hospital in Orange and its sister institution Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica will launch the program this month.
One of the oldest such programs, Twilight Brigade, Compassion in Action, specifically serves veterans at Veterans Affairs hospitals and nursing homes across the country.
And Sacred Dying, begun in 2000 in San Francisco, trains organizations such as hospices and churches how to provide a spiritual atmosphere for people who might otherwise die alone.
...
Twice as Efficient as Generators
Breakthrough Fuel Cell, Twice as Efficient as Generators
Acumentrics Corporation, a leading developer of solid-oxide fuel cells and uninterruptible power supplies, has won a 2007 New England Innovation Award from SBANE, the Smaller Business Alliance of New England for their novel solid oxide fuel cell.
Acumentrics manufactures 5000-watt solid oxide fuel cell systems (SOFC) for power applications. They are also developing combined-heat-and-power units (which are like boilers that produce electricity) for the home market. In 2000 they acquired a novel fuel cell technology. Since then, they have increased the output of a single fuel cell tube from 1 watt to 60 watts. Today they have over 30 units working in the field, including ones that power visitor’s centers at Exit Glacier National Park in Alaska, and Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio.
...
Acumentrics’ AHEAD: Residential Fuel Cell Heat & Power System
Think AHEAD: Distributed Power Generation for Homeowners
Imagine a furnace that makes electricity, too. The Acumentrics AHEAD (click on link for specifications) is just that. The AHEAD uses fuel cells to generate heat and power for the home, with peak demands being handled by the grid or batteries. It runs off municipal gas or propane. This combined-heat-and-power unit (micro-CHP) can even meter excess electricity back to the grid. On-site generation has never been more clean, quiet, or secure.
Not yet sold for general availability; evaluations for qualified partners only.
Acumentrics Corporation, a leading developer of solid-oxide fuel cells and uninterruptible power supplies, has won a 2007 New England Innovation Award from SBANE, the Smaller Business Alliance of New England for their novel solid oxide fuel cell.
Acumentrics manufactures 5000-watt solid oxide fuel cell systems (SOFC) for power applications. They are also developing combined-heat-and-power units (which are like boilers that produce electricity) for the home market. In 2000 they acquired a novel fuel cell technology. Since then, they have increased the output of a single fuel cell tube from 1 watt to 60 watts. Today they have over 30 units working in the field, including ones that power visitor’s centers at Exit Glacier National Park in Alaska, and Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio.
...
Acumentrics’ AHEAD: Residential Fuel Cell Heat & Power System
Think AHEAD: Distributed Power Generation for Homeowners
Imagine a furnace that makes electricity, too. The Acumentrics AHEAD (click on link for specifications) is just that. The AHEAD uses fuel cells to generate heat and power for the home, with peak demands being handled by the grid or batteries. It runs off municipal gas or propane. This combined-heat-and-power unit (micro-CHP) can even meter excess electricity back to the grid. On-site generation has never been more clean, quiet, or secure.
Not yet sold for general availability; evaluations for qualified partners only.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Why Didn't I Think Of This?
Wordlock, which was founded in 2002, has won patents on the use of letters rather than numbers in padlocks. The painfully simple idea is that words are easier to remember than number combinations.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Cognitive Reflection and Decision Making
Interesting three questions start on page 26.
(1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball.
How much does the ball cost? _____ cents
(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take
100 machines to make 100 widgets? _____ minutes
(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size.
If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it
take for the patch to cover half of the lake? _____ days
(1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball.
How much does the ball cost? _____ cents
(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take
100 machines to make 100 widgets? _____ minutes
(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size.
If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it
take for the patch to cover half of the lake? _____ days
Monday, May 14, 2007
Thermal Energy Storage
A New System for Open, Location Independent, Reliable, Clean and Renewable Energy.
This is a project to design and build a system that uses a combination of direct and indirect solar collection to generate electricity and store thermal energy in an economical, environmentally friendly, scalable, reliable, efficient and location independent manner using common construction materials.
...
The main focus of the design is to build a feasible renewable base load power station for moderate climates like Canada and the northern U.S.A., Asia and Europe where there is high solar insolation during the summer, but very cold temperatures and little daylight in winter.Insolation, Temperature and Electrical Demand
Borehole Thermal Energy Storage
This is a project to design and build a system that uses a combination of direct and indirect solar collection to generate electricity and store thermal energy in an economical, environmentally friendly, scalable, reliable, efficient and location independent manner using common construction materials.
...
The main focus of the design is to build a feasible renewable base load power station for moderate climates like Canada and the northern U.S.A., Asia and Europe where there is high solar insolation during the summer, but very cold temperatures and little daylight in winter.Insolation, Temperature and Electrical Demand
Borehole Thermal Energy Storage
Programming Language For Children
...
The program works by making the act of creating a computer program more like building with Lego bricks.
"Kids make programs by snapping blocks together," said Professor Resnick, whose position is in part supported by the toy company.
...
River Boarding
The bungee systems from Banshee are unlike anything ever seen on the river before. One end of the bungee system is anchored to any stationary object along the side of the river and you simply use the river current against the bottom of the board to stretch the Bungee System. Each Bungee will stretch 200 feet!
After riding 200 feet at 30 miles per hour, the board releases from the Bungee System allowing the rider to carve turns and do all kinds of board tricks: big spins, massive ollies, shuv-it’s, and kick flips, just to name a few. Experienced riders can launch off river features and surf the endless waves created by the river.
...
After riding 200 feet at 30 miles per hour, the board releases from the Bungee System allowing the rider to carve turns and do all kinds of board tricks: big spins, massive ollies, shuv-it’s, and kick flips, just to name a few. Experienced riders can launch off river features and surf the endless waves created by the river.
...
Teachers Stage Gunman Attack On Students
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (AP) -- Staff members of an elementary school staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it was not a drill as the children cried and hid under tables.
The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip.
"We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said.
But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged. (Watch student recount incident, mother react Video)
"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip.
...
The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip.
"We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said.
But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged. (Watch student recount incident, mother react Video)
"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip.
...
Friday, May 04, 2007
Naked Motorbike
Naked motorbike man on the loose
Published: 4th May 2007 12:54 CET
A naked motorcyclist is on the loose in southern Sweden.
Police in Höör were informed at lunchtime on Friday that a man had been spotted riding naked by Nya Torget in the town.
...
"If you ride a motorbike you need a helmet but there is no other protective clothing required," said Mahler.
So the nude motorbike man is not breaking the law if he has a licence and a helmet?
"Well, we would ask him why he was riding around naked. Also if somebody didn't like it they could report him for disorderly conduct," said Mahler.
Published: 4th May 2007 12:54 CET
A naked motorcyclist is on the loose in southern Sweden.
Police in Höör were informed at lunchtime on Friday that a man had been spotted riding naked by Nya Torget in the town.
...
"If you ride a motorbike you need a helmet but there is no other protective clothing required," said Mahler.
So the nude motorbike man is not breaking the law if he has a licence and a helmet?
"Well, we would ask him why he was riding around naked. Also if somebody didn't like it they could report him for disorderly conduct," said Mahler.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
The Bees Were Gone
Deserted beehives, starving young stun scientists
By Dan Vergano and Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY Tue May 1, 7:08 AM ET
"The bees were gone," David Hackenberg says. "The honey was still there. There's young brood (eggs) still in the hive. Bees just don't do that."
On that November night last year in the Florida field where he wintered his bees, Hackenberg found 400 hives empty. Another 30 hives were "disappearing, dwindling or whatever you want to call it," and their bees were "full of a fungus nobody's ever seen before."
The discovery by Hackenberg, 58, a beekeeper from Lewisburg, Pa., was the first buzz about a plague that now afflicts 27 states, from the East Coast to the West. Beekeepers report losses of 30% to 90% of their honeybee hives, according to a Congressional Research Service study in March. Some report total losses.
Now a nationwide investigation, congressional panels and last week's U.S.
Department of Agriculture scientific workshop swarm around the newly named "colony collapse disorder." Says the USDA's Kevin Hackett, "With more dead and weakened colonies, the odds are building up for real problems."
...
By Dan Vergano and Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY Tue May 1, 7:08 AM ET
"The bees were gone," David Hackenberg says. "The honey was still there. There's young brood (eggs) still in the hive. Bees just don't do that."
On that November night last year in the Florida field where he wintered his bees, Hackenberg found 400 hives empty. Another 30 hives were "disappearing, dwindling or whatever you want to call it," and their bees were "full of a fungus nobody's ever seen before."
The discovery by Hackenberg, 58, a beekeeper from Lewisburg, Pa., was the first buzz about a plague that now afflicts 27 states, from the East Coast to the West. Beekeepers report losses of 30% to 90% of their honeybee hives, according to a Congressional Research Service study in March. Some report total losses.
Now a nationwide investigation, congressional panels and last week's U.S.
Department of Agriculture scientific workshop swarm around the newly named "colony collapse disorder." Says the USDA's Kevin Hackett, "With more dead and weakened colonies, the odds are building up for real problems."
...
Monday, April 30, 2007
CFL Mercury Nightmare
The CFL mercury nightmare
Steven Milloy, Financial Post
Published: Saturday, April 28, 2007
How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent light bulb? About US$4.28 for the bulb and labour -- unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about US$2,004.28, which doesn't include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health.
Sound crazy? Perhaps no more than the stampede to ban the incandescent light bulb in favour of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
According to an April 12 article in The Ellsworth American, Bridges had the misfortune of breaking a CFL during installation in her daughter's bedroom: It dropped and shattered on the carpeted floor.
Aware that CFLs contain potentially hazardous substances, Bridges called her local Home Depot for advice. The store told her that the CFL contained mercury and that she should call the Poison Control hotline, which in turn directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP sent a specialist to Bridges' house to test for mercury contamination. The specialist found mercury levels in the bedroom in excess of six times the state's "safe" level for mercury contamination of 300 billionths of a gram per cubic meter. The DEP specialist recommended that Bridges call an environmental cleanup firm, which reportedly gave her a "low-ball" estimate of US$2,000 to clean up the room. The room then was sealed off with plastic and Bridges began "gathering finances" to pay for the US$2,000 cleaning. Reportedly, her insurance company wouldn't cover the cleanup costs because mercury is a pollutant.
Given that the replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs in the average U.S. household is touted as saving as much as US$180 annually in energy costs -- and assuming that Bridges doesn't break any more CFLs -- it will take her more than 11 years to recoup the cleanup costs in the form of energy savings.
...
Steven Milloy, Financial Post
Published: Saturday, April 28, 2007
How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent light bulb? About US$4.28 for the bulb and labour -- unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about US$2,004.28, which doesn't include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health.
Sound crazy? Perhaps no more than the stampede to ban the incandescent light bulb in favour of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
According to an April 12 article in The Ellsworth American, Bridges had the misfortune of breaking a CFL during installation in her daughter's bedroom: It dropped and shattered on the carpeted floor.
Aware that CFLs contain potentially hazardous substances, Bridges called her local Home Depot for advice. The store told her that the CFL contained mercury and that she should call the Poison Control hotline, which in turn directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP sent a specialist to Bridges' house to test for mercury contamination. The specialist found mercury levels in the bedroom in excess of six times the state's "safe" level for mercury contamination of 300 billionths of a gram per cubic meter. The DEP specialist recommended that Bridges call an environmental cleanup firm, which reportedly gave her a "low-ball" estimate of US$2,000 to clean up the room. The room then was sealed off with plastic and Bridges began "gathering finances" to pay for the US$2,000 cleaning. Reportedly, her insurance company wouldn't cover the cleanup costs because mercury is a pollutant.
Given that the replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs in the average U.S. household is touted as saving as much as US$180 annually in energy costs -- and assuming that Bridges doesn't break any more CFLs -- it will take her more than 11 years to recoup the cleanup costs in the form of energy savings.
...
Vitamin D
Vitamin D casts cancer prevention in new light
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
April 28, 2007 at 1:20 AM EDT
For decades, researchers have puzzled over why rich northern countries have cancer rates many times higher than those in developing countries — and many have laid the blame on dangerous pollutants spewed out by industry.
But research into vitamin D is suggesting both a plausible answer to this medical puzzle and a heretical notion: that cancers and other disorders in rich countries aren't caused mainly by pollutants but by a vitamin deficiency known to be less acute or even non-existent in poor nations.
Those trying to brand contaminants as the key factor behind cancer in the West are "looking for a bogeyman that doesn't exist," argues Reinhold Vieth, professor at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and one of the world's top vitamin D experts. Instead, he says, the critical factor "is more likely a lack of vitamin D."
...
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
April 28, 2007 at 1:20 AM EDT
For decades, researchers have puzzled over why rich northern countries have cancer rates many times higher than those in developing countries — and many have laid the blame on dangerous pollutants spewed out by industry.
But research into vitamin D is suggesting both a plausible answer to this medical puzzle and a heretical notion: that cancers and other disorders in rich countries aren't caused mainly by pollutants but by a vitamin deficiency known to be less acute or even non-existent in poor nations.
Those trying to brand contaminants as the key factor behind cancer in the West are "looking for a bogeyman that doesn't exist," argues Reinhold Vieth, professor at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and one of the world's top vitamin D experts. Instead, he says, the critical factor "is more likely a lack of vitamin D."
...
Friday, April 20, 2007
Government Blimps Track Citizens
Airships to tackle Caracas crime
By James Ingham
BBC News, Caracas
Caracas has the world's worst figures for gun crime death Officials in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, are taking to the air in an attempt to make the city safer.
The council has bought three mini remote-controlled airships which are soon to be launched to look down on the city monitoring criminal activity.
Each has a camera mounted on it, which beams back pictures to a control room.
...
By James Ingham
BBC News, Caracas
Caracas has the world's worst figures for gun crime death Officials in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, are taking to the air in an attempt to make the city safer.
The council has bought three mini remote-controlled airships which are soon to be launched to look down on the city monitoring criminal activity.
Each has a camera mounted on it, which beams back pictures to a control room.
...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
World's Longest Tunnel
Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska (Update4)
By Yuriy Humber and Bradley Cook
April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.
The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.
A 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) transport corridor from Siberia into the U.S. will feed into the tunnel, which at 64 miles will be more than twice as long as the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France, according to the plan. The tunnel would run in three sections to link the two islands in the Bering Strait between Russia and the U.S.
...
By Yuriy Humber and Bradley Cook
April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.
The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.
A 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) transport corridor from Siberia into the U.S. will feed into the tunnel, which at 64 miles will be more than twice as long as the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France, according to the plan. The tunnel would run in three sections to link the two islands in the Bering Strait between Russia and the U.S.
...
Governor Defies U.S. ID Law
Governor signs bill defying U.S. ID law
By The Associated Press
HELENA - Gov. Brian Schweitzer said "no, nope, no way, hell no" Tuesday to national driver's licenses, signing into law a bill supporters say is one of the strongest rejections to the federal plan.
The move means the state won't comply with the Real ID Act, a federal law that sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.
...
"We also don't think that bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., ought to tell us that if we're going to get on a plane we have to carry their card, so when it's scanned through they know where you went, when you got there and when you came home," said Schweitzer, a Democrat.
"This is still a free country and there are no freer people than the people that we have in Montana."
...
By The Associated Press
HELENA - Gov. Brian Schweitzer said "no, nope, no way, hell no" Tuesday to national driver's licenses, signing into law a bill supporters say is one of the strongest rejections to the federal plan.
The move means the state won't comply with the Real ID Act, a federal law that sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.
...
"We also don't think that bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., ought to tell us that if we're going to get on a plane we have to carry their card, so when it's scanned through they know where you went, when you got there and when you came home," said Schweitzer, a Democrat.
"This is still a free country and there are no freer people than the people that we have in Montana."
...
Defenseless Students
A Disarmed Campus
By John Tabin
Published 4/17/2007 12:43:46 AM
In January 2006, Virginia Delegate Todd Gilbert introduced House Bill 1572, which was meant to guarantee, with a few exceptions, that students with concealed handgun permits would be allowed to carry guns on college campuses. The bill died in subcommittee later that month. Like many schools, Virginia Tech had a policy prohibiting guns on campus, and Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker expressed pleasure at the bill's defeat. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions," said Hincker, "because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
...
...
If you knew that there were perhaps a dozen or more law-abiding citizens at the mall carrying concealed handguns, and that each had been trained and certified to use that weapon expertly, would you feel more, or less, secure being there? Perhaps it’s time for America to ponder that question seriously. Me, I would sooner trust “gun-nuts” than put my life, and the lives of my family, at risk from some nut with a gun.
By John Tabin
Published 4/17/2007 12:43:46 AM
In January 2006, Virginia Delegate Todd Gilbert introduced House Bill 1572, which was meant to guarantee, with a few exceptions, that students with concealed handgun permits would be allowed to carry guns on college campuses. The bill died in subcommittee later that month. Like many schools, Virginia Tech had a policy prohibiting guns on campus, and Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker expressed pleasure at the bill's defeat. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions," said Hincker, "because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
...
...
If you knew that there were perhaps a dozen or more law-abiding citizens at the mall carrying concealed handguns, and that each had been trained and certified to use that weapon expertly, would you feel more, or less, secure being there? Perhaps it’s time for America to ponder that question seriously. Me, I would sooner trust “gun-nuts” than put my life, and the lives of my family, at risk from some nut with a gun.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
“we got him, we got him”
Local Teen Wrongly Accused Of Making Bomb Threat
(KDKA) HEMPFIELD TWP. A teenager in Westmoreland County who spent 12 days in a juvenile detention facility when he was wrongly accused of making a bomb threat says he doesn't want to go back to the school and he wants an apology from administrators.
Police arrested Hempfield Area High School sophomore Cody Webb, 15, last month after school administrators claimed he called in the threat 3:17am on March 12th.
But officials now concede that the call didn't come from Webb and the misunderstanding stemmed from Daylight Saving Time.
...
Boy jailed over clock change mix-up
A fifteen-year old boy in America was incarcerated for twelve days, wrongly accused of making a hoax bomb threat - because his school had forgotten that the clocks had gone forward.
...
Webb gave an insight into the school's impressive investigative techniques, saying that he was ushered in to see the principal, Kathy Charlton. She asked him what his phone number was, and , according to Webb, when he replied 'she started waving her hands in the air and saying “we got him, we got him.”'
...
(KDKA) HEMPFIELD TWP. A teenager in Westmoreland County who spent 12 days in a juvenile detention facility when he was wrongly accused of making a bomb threat says he doesn't want to go back to the school and he wants an apology from administrators.
Police arrested Hempfield Area High School sophomore Cody Webb, 15, last month after school administrators claimed he called in the threat 3:17am on March 12th.
But officials now concede that the call didn't come from Webb and the misunderstanding stemmed from Daylight Saving Time.
...
Boy jailed over clock change mix-up
A fifteen-year old boy in America was incarcerated for twelve days, wrongly accused of making a hoax bomb threat - because his school had forgotten that the clocks had gone forward.
...
Webb gave an insight into the school's impressive investigative techniques, saying that he was ushered in to see the principal, Kathy Charlton. She asked him what his phone number was, and , according to Webb, when he replied 'she started waving her hands in the air and saying “we got him, we got him.”'
...
Monday, April 16, 2007
Truly, gargantuanly, humungously massive
Everything about the Panasonic TH-103PF9 is massive. Truly, gargantuanly, humungously massive!
For starters, its screen acreage measures in at a frankly terrifying 103in from corner to corner. This makes it not only the biggest TV we’ve ever tested here at TrustedReviews, but also the biggest TV ever sold commercially in the UK. To give you some idea of just how big 103in of TV really is, the 103PF9’s screen will accommodate four 50in TV screens, and still have a few inches spare. Phenomenal.
...
For starters, its screen acreage measures in at a frankly terrifying 103in from corner to corner. This makes it not only the biggest TV we’ve ever tested here at TrustedReviews, but also the biggest TV ever sold commercially in the UK. To give you some idea of just how big 103in of TV really is, the 103PF9’s screen will accommodate four 50in TV screens, and still have a few inches spare. Phenomenal.
...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Voting Choice
Tired of the same choice with the Remocrats and Depublicans?
Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill.
...
Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill.
...
Thursday, March 29, 2007
TJX Data Breach
TJX data breach: At 45.6M card numbers, it's the biggest ever
Jaikumar Vijayan
March 29, 2007 (Computerworld) -- After more than two months of refusing to reveal the size and scope of its data breach, TJX Companies Inc. is finally offering more details about the extent of the compromise.
In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, the company said 45.6 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen from one of its systems over a period of more than 18 months by an unknown number of intruders. That number eclipses the 40 million records compromised in the mid-2005 breach at CardSystems Solutions and makes the TJX compromise the worst ever involving the loss of personal data.
In addition, personal data provided in connection with the return of merchandise without receipts by about 451,000 individuals in 2003 was also stolen. The company is in the process of contacting individuals affected by the breach, TJX said in its filings.
...
Jaikumar Vijayan
March 29, 2007 (Computerworld) -- After more than two months of refusing to reveal the size and scope of its data breach, TJX Companies Inc. is finally offering more details about the extent of the compromise.
In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, the company said 45.6 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen from one of its systems over a period of more than 18 months by an unknown number of intruders. That number eclipses the 40 million records compromised in the mid-2005 breach at CardSystems Solutions and makes the TJX compromise the worst ever involving the loss of personal data.
In addition, personal data provided in connection with the return of merchandise without receipts by about 451,000 individuals in 2003 was also stolen. The company is in the process of contacting individuals affected by the breach, TJX said in its filings.
...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Iranians Had Showdown With U.S. Forces
Exclusive: Iranians Had Showdown With U.S. Forces
By Anna Mulrine
Posted 3/23/07
As the British government demanded the immediate release of 15 of its sailors whose boats were seized by Iranian naval vessels in the Persian Gulf on Friday, U.S. News has learned that this is not the first showdown that coalition forces have had with the Iranian military.
According to a U.S. Army report out of Iraq obtained by U.S. News, American troops, acting as advisers for Iraqi border guards, were recently surrounded and attacked by a larger unit of Iranian soldiers, well within the border of Iraq.
Related News
The report highlights the details: A platoon of Iranian soldiers on the Iraqi side of the border fired rocket-propelled grenades and used small arms against a joint patrol of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers east of Balad Ruz. Four Iraqi Army soldiers, one interpreter, and one Iraqi border policeman remain unaccounted for after the September incident in eastern Diyala, 75 miles east of Baghdad.
During a joint border patrol, both American and Iraqi soldiers saw two Iranian soldiers run from Iraq back across the Iranian border as they approached. The patrol then came upon a single Iranian soldier, on the Iraqi side of the border, who did not flee.
While the joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol was speaking with the soldier, according to the report, the patrol was "approached by a platoon-size element of Iranian soldiers." An Iranian border captain then told the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers that "if they tried to leave their location, the Iranians would fire upon them." During this conversation with the Iranian captain, Iranian forces began firing and continued when U.S. troops tried to withdraw.
...
By Anna Mulrine
Posted 3/23/07
As the British government demanded the immediate release of 15 of its sailors whose boats were seized by Iranian naval vessels in the Persian Gulf on Friday, U.S. News has learned that this is not the first showdown that coalition forces have had with the Iranian military.
According to a U.S. Army report out of Iraq obtained by U.S. News, American troops, acting as advisers for Iraqi border guards, were recently surrounded and attacked by a larger unit of Iranian soldiers, well within the border of Iraq.
Related News
The report highlights the details: A platoon of Iranian soldiers on the Iraqi side of the border fired rocket-propelled grenades and used small arms against a joint patrol of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers east of Balad Ruz. Four Iraqi Army soldiers, one interpreter, and one Iraqi border policeman remain unaccounted for after the September incident in eastern Diyala, 75 miles east of Baghdad.
During a joint border patrol, both American and Iraqi soldiers saw two Iranian soldiers run from Iraq back across the Iranian border as they approached. The patrol then came upon a single Iranian soldier, on the Iraqi side of the border, who did not flee.
While the joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol was speaking with the soldier, according to the report, the patrol was "approached by a platoon-size element of Iranian soldiers." An Iranian border captain then told the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers that "if they tried to leave their location, the Iranians would fire upon them." During this conversation with the Iranian captain, Iranian forces began firing and continued when U.S. troops tried to withdraw.
...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Flaming Space Junk
Flaming space junk narrowly misses jet
28th March 2007, 11:15 WST
Pieces of space junk from a Russian satellite coming out of orbit narrowly missed hitting a jetliner over the Pacific Ocean overnight.
The pilot of a Lan Chile Airbus A340, which was travelling between Santiago, Chile, and Auckland, New Zealand, notified air traffic controllers at Auckland Oceanic Centre after seeing flaming space junk hurtling across the sky just five nautical miles in front of and behind his plane about 10pm last night.
According to a plane spotter, who was tuning into a high frequency radio broadcast at the time, the pilot "reported that the rumbling noise from the space debris could be heard over the noise of the aircraft.
"He described he saw a piece of debris lighting up as it re-entered (the earth's atmosphere).
...
28th March 2007, 11:15 WST
Pieces of space junk from a Russian satellite coming out of orbit narrowly missed hitting a jetliner over the Pacific Ocean overnight.
The pilot of a Lan Chile Airbus A340, which was travelling between Santiago, Chile, and Auckland, New Zealand, notified air traffic controllers at Auckland Oceanic Centre after seeing flaming space junk hurtling across the sky just five nautical miles in front of and behind his plane about 10pm last night.
According to a plane spotter, who was tuning into a high frequency radio broadcast at the time, the pilot "reported that the rumbling noise from the space debris could be heard over the noise of the aircraft.
"He described he saw a piece of debris lighting up as it re-entered (the earth's atmosphere).
...
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Compulsory State-Mandated Medical Treatment
This also includes an insecure tracking database.
House Bill HB-1347 – Concerning the immunization tracking system in Colorado,
takes the existing law for the tracking system and moves it into a new section
called “The Immunization Registry Act”.
Here are the key points:
- Immunization and epidemiological information can be gathered and shared
WITHOUT CONSENT,
- HB 1347 makes it clear that this tracking system applies to EVERYONE, not just
children. In other words, womb to tomb tracking.
- HB 1347 would allow the results of newborn screening and any follow-up testing
to also be sent to the immunization tracking system.
- Privacy is NOT protected by HIPAA. Contractors can directly contact YOU when
shots are due with reminders (e.g., post cards, phone calls, even show up at
your door step)
- There is NO true opt-out (only shot information can be removed) and puts
people who exempt out of the federal one-size-fits-all immunization schedule on
a list of “non-compliers”.
- Keeps the current law requiring people on public assistance provide
verification that each child in the household is being brought up-to-date with
immunizations as a condition of eligibility for aid and does not allow them a
personal exemption, only medical or religious.
- Amends the definition of the official “certificate of immunization” to be an
electronic file or a hard copy of an electronic file proved to the school
directly from the immunization tracking system. The “paper copy” that most
people currently use is not shown in the new bill.
House Bill HB-1347 – Concerning the immunization tracking system in Colorado,
takes the existing law for the tracking system and moves it into a new section
called “The Immunization Registry Act”.
Here are the key points:
- Immunization and epidemiological information can be gathered and shared
WITHOUT CONSENT,
- HB 1347 makes it clear that this tracking system applies to EVERYONE, not just
children. In other words, womb to tomb tracking.
- HB 1347 would allow the results of newborn screening and any follow-up testing
to also be sent to the immunization tracking system.
- Privacy is NOT protected by HIPAA. Contractors can directly contact YOU when
shots are due with reminders (e.g., post cards, phone calls, even show up at
your door step)
- There is NO true opt-out (only shot information can be removed) and puts
people who exempt out of the federal one-size-fits-all immunization schedule on
a list of “non-compliers”.
- Keeps the current law requiring people on public assistance provide
verification that each child in the household is being brought up-to-date with
immunizations as a condition of eligibility for aid and does not allow them a
personal exemption, only medical or religious.
- Amends the definition of the official “certificate of immunization” to be an
electronic file or a hard copy of an electronic file proved to the school
directly from the immunization tracking system. The “paper copy” that most
people currently use is not shown in the new bill.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Cramer Manipulating Stock Prices
CRAMER REVEALS A BIT TOO MUCH
By RODDY BOYD
March 20, 2007 -- Flamboyant Wall Street trader turned TV host Jim Cramer, not known for being the shy, retiring type, might have said too much in a video interview he did for a financial Web site.
The host of CNBC's daily program "Mad Money" had hedge fund-trading desks buzzing yesterday after he bragged about manipulating stock prices during his days as a trader.
...
By RODDY BOYD
March 20, 2007 -- Flamboyant Wall Street trader turned TV host Jim Cramer, not known for being the shy, retiring type, might have said too much in a video interview he did for a financial Web site.
The host of CNBC's daily program "Mad Money" had hedge fund-trading desks buzzing yesterday after he bragged about manipulating stock prices during his days as a trader.
...
FBI No-Emergency Emergency
FBI Issues New Rules For Getting Phone Records
By John Solomon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 20, 2007; Page A06
The FBI, which has been criticized for improperly gathering telephone records in terrorism cases, has told its agents they may still ask phone companies to voluntarily hand over toll records in emergencies by using a new set of procedures, officials said yesterday. In the most dire emergencies, requests can be submitted to the companies verbally, officials said.
This month, the bureau sent field agents a new "emergency letter" template for seeking the records, shortly before the public release of a report by the Justice Department's inspector general that documented abuses of emergency phone-records collection by counterterrorism agents, officials said. That report created a furor on Capitol Hill and prompted FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to take personal responsibility.
The report documented instances in which agents gathered phone records between 2003 and 2005 using emergency powers when no emergencies existed. It also reported that agents did not follow basic legal requirements, such as certifying that requests for phone records were connected to authorized FBI investigations.
...
By John Solomon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 20, 2007; Page A06
The FBI, which has been criticized for improperly gathering telephone records in terrorism cases, has told its agents they may still ask phone companies to voluntarily hand over toll records in emergencies by using a new set of procedures, officials said yesterday. In the most dire emergencies, requests can be submitted to the companies verbally, officials said.
This month, the bureau sent field agents a new "emergency letter" template for seeking the records, shortly before the public release of a report by the Justice Department's inspector general that documented abuses of emergency phone-records collection by counterterrorism agents, officials said. That report created a furor on Capitol Hill and prompted FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to take personal responsibility.
The report documented instances in which agents gathered phone records between 2003 and 2005 using emergency powers when no emergencies existed. It also reported that agents did not follow basic legal requirements, such as certifying that requests for phone records were connected to authorized FBI investigations.
...
$38 Billion
Computer technician accidentally wipes out info on Alaska's $38 billion fund
The Associated Press
Published: March 20, 2007
JUNEAU, Alaska: Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing information for an account worth $38 billion (€29 billion).
That is what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents' biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well.
There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense, backup tapes, were unreadable.
...
The Associated Press
Published: March 20, 2007
JUNEAU, Alaska: Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing information for an account worth $38 billion (€29 billion).
That is what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents' biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well.
There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense, backup tapes, were unreadable.
...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Exercise Boosts Brainpower
Study shows why exercise boosts brainpower
POSTED: 7:46 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and memory loss, U.S. researchers reported Monday.
Tests on mice showed they grew new brain cells in a brain region called the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus that is known to be affected in the age-related memory decline that begins around age 30 for most humans.
...
POSTED: 7:46 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and memory loss, U.S. researchers reported Monday.
Tests on mice showed they grew new brain cells in a brain region called the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus that is known to be affected in the age-related memory decline that begins around age 30 for most humans.
...
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Real ID Revolt
States Challenge Nat'l Driver's License
Feb 4, 9:36 AM (ET)
By LESLIE MILLER
(AP) Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, listens to debate Monday, May 1, 2006, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP...
WASHINGTON (AP) - A revolt against a national driver's license, begun in Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states.
The Maine Legislature on Jan. 26 overwhelmingly passed a resolution objecting to the Real ID Act of 2005. The federal law sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.
Within a week of Maine's action, lawmakers in Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state also balked at Real ID. They are expected soon to pass laws or adopt resolutions declining to participate in the federal identification network.
...
The law's supporters say it is needed to prevent terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting fake identification cards.
States will have to comply by May 2008. If they do not, driver's licenses that fall short of Real ID's standards cannot be used to board an airplane or enter a federal building or open some bank accounts.
...
The above paragraph implies that people will not be able to board airplanes without the ID. Actually, a passport will still suffice so there is no need to be concerned about being compelled to acquire a driving license.
A Real ID revolt
By Nate Anderson | Published: February 05, 2007 - 01:33PM CT
The Real ID Act will come into force next year unless Congress takes action to alter the law, but it won't happen without opposition from the very states charged with implementing it. That's bad news for the bill's supporters, who argue that Real ID will make it eaier to fight crime and catch terrorists, but the growing surge of momentum against the law is sweet music to the ears of libertarians, civil-liberties organizations, and budget-conscious state officials.
Feb 4, 9:36 AM (ET)
By LESLIE MILLER
(AP) Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, listens to debate Monday, May 1, 2006, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP...
WASHINGTON (AP) - A revolt against a national driver's license, begun in Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states.
The Maine Legislature on Jan. 26 overwhelmingly passed a resolution objecting to the Real ID Act of 2005. The federal law sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.
Within a week of Maine's action, lawmakers in Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state also balked at Real ID. They are expected soon to pass laws or adopt resolutions declining to participate in the federal identification network.
...
The law's supporters say it is needed to prevent terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting fake identification cards.
States will have to comply by May 2008. If they do not, driver's licenses that fall short of Real ID's standards cannot be used to board an airplane or enter a federal building or open some bank accounts.
...
The above paragraph implies that people will not be able to board airplanes without the ID. Actually, a passport will still suffice so there is no need to be concerned about being compelled to acquire a driving license.
A Real ID revolt
By Nate Anderson | Published: February 05, 2007 - 01:33PM CT
The Real ID Act will come into force next year unless Congress takes action to alter the law, but it won't happen without opposition from the very states charged with implementing it. That's bad news for the bill's supporters, who argue that Real ID will make it eaier to fight crime and catch terrorists, but the growing surge of momentum against the law is sweet music to the ears of libertarians, civil-liberties organizations, and budget-conscious state officials.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Repeating Radio
Stations agree on anti-payola settlement
By JOHN DUNBAR Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Radio listeners weary of hearing the same songs over and over may have something to cheer about: Broadcasters have tentatively agreed to anti-payola settlements that could shake up music playlists at some of the nation's largest radio chains.
...
By JOHN DUNBAR Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Radio listeners weary of hearing the same songs over and over may have something to cheer about: Broadcasters have tentatively agreed to anti-payola settlements that could shake up music playlists at some of the nation's largest radio chains.
...
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Crime falls after streetlights cut out
Crime falls after streetlights cut out
Published: 1st March 2007 17:56 CET
Thefts and burglaries fell by half in a northern Swedish town after an electricity company cut off power to its streetlights.
Roadside lighting in the municipality of Övertorneå was cut off by Ekfors Kraft in the autumn, following a dispute over price rises. Contrary to expectations, the dark streets have been accompanied by a fall in crime.
During the third quarter of 2005, when Övertorneå was fully illuminated, around a hundred thefts and burglaries were reported. In the same period of 2006, after the town was plunged into darkness, police only 50 received reports of similar offences.
...
Published: 1st March 2007 17:56 CET
Thefts and burglaries fell by half in a northern Swedish town after an electricity company cut off power to its streetlights.
Roadside lighting in the municipality of Övertorneå was cut off by Ekfors Kraft in the autumn, following a dispute over price rises. Contrary to expectations, the dark streets have been accompanied by a fall in crime.
During the third quarter of 2005, when Övertorneå was fully illuminated, around a hundred thefts and burglaries were reported. In the same period of 2006, after the town was plunged into darkness, police only 50 received reports of similar offences.
...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Fly-By-Wire Software Defects
Navigational software glitch forces Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors back to Hawaii, abandoning first foreign deployment to Japanq
By Justin Wastnage
Lockheed Martin is rushing a software fix to Hawaii after 12 US Air Force F-22A Raptors en route to Japan for the stealth fighter’s first overseas deployment had to turn back because an unspecified problem with their navigation systems.
F-16 Problems (from Usenet net.aviation)
Bill Janssen
Wed, 27 Aug 86 14:31:45 CDT
A friend of mine who works for General Dynamics here in Ft. Worth wrote some
of the code for the F-16, and he is always telling me about some
neato-whiz-bang bug/feature they keep finding in the F-16:
o Since the F-16 is a fly-by-wire aircraft, the computer keeps the pilot from
doing dumb things to himself. So if the pilot jerks hard over on the
joystick, the computer will instruct the flight surfaces to make a nice and
easy 4 or 5 G flip. But the plane can withstand a much higher flip than that.
So when they were 'flying' the F-16 in simulation over the equator, the
computer got confused and instantly flipped the plane over, killing the
pilot [in simulation]. And since it can fly forever upside down, it would
do so until it ran out of fuel.
By Justin Wastnage
Lockheed Martin is rushing a software fix to Hawaii after 12 US Air Force F-22A Raptors en route to Japan for the stealth fighter’s first overseas deployment had to turn back because an unspecified problem with their navigation systems.
F-16 Problems (from Usenet net.aviation)
Bill Janssen
Wed, 27 Aug 86 14:31:45 CDT
A friend of mine who works for General Dynamics here in Ft. Worth wrote some
of the code for the F-16, and he is always telling me about some
neato-whiz-bang bug/feature they keep finding in the F-16:
o Since the F-16 is a fly-by-wire aircraft, the computer keeps the pilot from
doing dumb things to himself. So if the pilot jerks hard over on the
joystick, the computer will instruct the flight surfaces to make a nice and
easy 4 or 5 G flip. But the plane can withstand a much higher flip than that.
So when they were 'flying' the F-16 in simulation over the equator, the
computer got confused and instantly flipped the plane over, killing the
pilot [in simulation]. And since it can fly forever upside down, it would
do so until it ran out of fuel.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Israel Iran, USA Air Power
Ready for war
By Con Coughlin
Last Updated: 12:29am GMT 25/02/2007
The Iranians, on the other hand, learning the lessons of the Osirak debacle, have scattered their resources around the country. Obvious targets, such as the controversial uranium enrichment complex at Natanz, are set in specially constructed bomb proof bunkers that would require high-precision, bunker-busting bombs to inflict any serious damage.
Yet another challenge is presented by the recent arrival of the Russian-made Tor M1 anti-aircraft missile system as part of an arms deal signed between Moscow and Teheran last year.
"Of course, attacking Iran is not going to be easy, but we cannot just sit here and let the ayatollahs develop a nuclear weapons arsenal," said a senior Israeli defence official. "Doing nothing is just not an option."
Israeli defence officials are understandably coy about revealing precisely how far advanced their plans are for launching air strikes against Iran in light of the current diplomatic offensive at the United Nations to halt Teheran's enrichment programme ending in failure.
But that the Israeli Air Force, as The Daily Telegraph exclusively discloses today, is negotiating with US coalition commanders in Iraq for permission to fly through US-controlled air space suggests Israeli military planners have overcome most of the key technical hurdles, such as in-flight refuelling and target selection.
...
American armada prepares to take on Iran
By Damien McElroy aboard USS Eisenhower
Last Updated: 12:30am GMT 25/02/2007
It is four and a half acres of American power in the middle of the Arabian Sea but the influence of USS Dwight D Eisenhower stretches for hundreds of miles.
American armada prepares to take on Iran
Crew on board the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower are on alert in the Arabian Sea
The aircraft carrier, backed by its sister vessel, a handful of destroyers and a shoal of support ships, has placed a maritime ring of steel around an increasingly unstable region.
While the Eisenhower is ostensibly assisting US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is the looming threat of Iran that increasingly occupies its attention.
...
By Con Coughlin
Last Updated: 12:29am GMT 25/02/2007
The Iranians, on the other hand, learning the lessons of the Osirak debacle, have scattered their resources around the country. Obvious targets, such as the controversial uranium enrichment complex at Natanz, are set in specially constructed bomb proof bunkers that would require high-precision, bunker-busting bombs to inflict any serious damage.
Yet another challenge is presented by the recent arrival of the Russian-made Tor M1 anti-aircraft missile system as part of an arms deal signed between Moscow and Teheran last year.
"Of course, attacking Iran is not going to be easy, but we cannot just sit here and let the ayatollahs develop a nuclear weapons arsenal," said a senior Israeli defence official. "Doing nothing is just not an option."
Israeli defence officials are understandably coy about revealing precisely how far advanced their plans are for launching air strikes against Iran in light of the current diplomatic offensive at the United Nations to halt Teheran's enrichment programme ending in failure.
But that the Israeli Air Force, as The Daily Telegraph exclusively discloses today, is negotiating with US coalition commanders in Iraq for permission to fly through US-controlled air space suggests Israeli military planners have overcome most of the key technical hurdles, such as in-flight refuelling and target selection.
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American armada prepares to take on Iran
By Damien McElroy aboard USS Eisenhower
Last Updated: 12:30am GMT 25/02/2007
It is four and a half acres of American power in the middle of the Arabian Sea but the influence of USS Dwight D Eisenhower stretches for hundreds of miles.
American armada prepares to take on Iran
Crew on board the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower are on alert in the Arabian Sea
The aircraft carrier, backed by its sister vessel, a handful of destroyers and a shoal of support ships, has placed a maritime ring of steel around an increasingly unstable region.
While the Eisenhower is ostensibly assisting US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is the looming threat of Iran that increasingly occupies its attention.
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Friday, February 23, 2007
Billion-Dollar Power Bills
Customers Get Billion-Dollar Power Bills
2007/02/22 03:02
Press Release from: ANCOSO Development GmbH
Perhaps his $24 billion electric bill will teach Richard Redden not to leave the heat running. Thanks to a printing error, Redden and more than 1,300 Weatherford utility customers this week received billion-dollar electric bills marked as late notices.
Irving-bases DataProse, which prints customer bills for Weatherford Electric, said the company was embarrassed by the error.
...
2007/02/22 03:02
Press Release from: ANCOSO Development GmbH
Perhaps his $24 billion electric bill will teach Richard Redden not to leave the heat running. Thanks to a printing error, Redden and more than 1,300 Weatherford utility customers this week received billion-dollar electric bills marked as late notices.
Irving-bases DataProse, which prints customer bills for Weatherford Electric, said the company was embarrassed by the error.
...
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Speeding Police, Citizen Stalkers
Magistrate judge to decide if couple will be prosecuted for 'stalking' officer
Published February 13, 2007 11:06 PM CST
A Bartow County couple will go before a magistrate judge today to see if they will be arrested for allegedly stalking a Kennesaw police officer by installing cameras to track neighborhood speeders.
Kennesaw officer withdraws complaint against Sipples
Rhonda Barnett
Staff Writer
Published February 15, 2007 12:15 AM CST
The Kennesaw officer who sought the arrest of a Bartow County couple in regard to them recording his vehicle with a camera and radar gun dropped his complaint Wednesday in Bartow magistrate court.
Officer Richard Perrone alleged that Lee and Teresa Sipple stalked him after they purchased $1,200 in video surveillance and radar equipment that allegedly tracked Perrone speeding past their home, which lies at the end of a steep hill, up to 17 miles over the speed limit.
Published February 13, 2007 11:06 PM CST
A Bartow County couple will go before a magistrate judge today to see if they will be arrested for allegedly stalking a Kennesaw police officer by installing cameras to track neighborhood speeders.
Kennesaw officer withdraws complaint against Sipples
Rhonda Barnett
Staff Writer
Published February 15, 2007 12:15 AM CST
The Kennesaw officer who sought the arrest of a Bartow County couple in regard to them recording his vehicle with a camera and radar gun dropped his complaint Wednesday in Bartow magistrate court.
Officer Richard Perrone alleged that Lee and Teresa Sipple stalked him after they purchased $1,200 in video surveillance and radar equipment that allegedly tracked Perrone speeding past their home, which lies at the end of a steep hill, up to 17 miles over the speed limit.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Best Countries For Children's Well-Being
Sweden good for children's well-being
Published: 14th February 2007 18:05 CET
Sweden has scored highly in a UNICEF report on children's well-being in 21 of the world's richest countries.
The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre examined six different aspects in an attempt to quantify children's well-being: material well-being, health and safety, education, peer and family relationships, behaviours and risks, and young people’s own subjective sense of well-being.
The Netherlands topped the survey, closely followed by Sweden. Completing the top five were Denmark, Finland and Spain .
Sweden got top marks on three of the measures: material well-being, health and safety and behaviours and risks. The country lost ground however in the area of peer and family relationships, ranking in 15th position.
Ireland and Canada both fared reasonably well, coming in at ninth and twelfth place respectively.
Of the 21 countries studies, the United States scored second lowest, with the United Kingdom occupying the bottom berth.
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Published: 14th February 2007 18:05 CET
Sweden has scored highly in a UNICEF report on children's well-being in 21 of the world's richest countries.
The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre examined six different aspects in an attempt to quantify children's well-being: material well-being, health and safety, education, peer and family relationships, behaviours and risks, and young people’s own subjective sense of well-being.
The Netherlands topped the survey, closely followed by Sweden. Completing the top five were Denmark, Finland and Spain .
Sweden got top marks on three of the measures: material well-being, health and safety and behaviours and risks. The country lost ground however in the area of peer and family relationships, ranking in 15th position.
Ireland and Canada both fared reasonably well, coming in at ninth and twelfth place respectively.
Of the 21 countries studies, the United States scored second lowest, with the United Kingdom occupying the bottom berth.
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