Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
on the negative effects of religion (from wired.com)
- Glory for the Godless
- Life in God's country may not be paradise on Earth, if a study published in the Journal of Religion and Society is to be believed. Religious practices don't necessarily enhance a society's moral and ethical fiber, according to the study, and in fact may prove deleterious. "In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies," said Gregory Paul, the study's author. Looking at social indicators such as murder rates, abortion, suicide and teenage pregnancy, Paul concluded that the least devout nations were the least dysfunctional. And the worst offender? "The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so," said Paul.
- -- Jenny McKeel
smelling machines used to detect illness
'E-nose to sniff out hospital superbugs' by Paul Marks here.
this weeks's GIANT SQUID NEWS
'Scientists capture giant squid on camera' by REUTERS. article here.
LONDON - Japanese scientists have taken the first photographs of one of the most mysterious creatures in the deep ocean — the giant squid.Until now the only information about the behavior of the creatures, which measure up to 59 feet (18 meters) in length, has been based on dead or dying squid washed up on shore or captured in commercial fishing nets.
But Tsunemi Kubodera, of the National Science Museum, and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, both in Tokyo have captured the first images of Architeuthis attacking bait 984 yards (900 meters) below the surface in the cold, dark waters of the North Pacific.
news flash: the bush admininstration is super sketchy
'Demotion of Prosecutor is Investigated' by PHILIP SHENON. article here.
The Justice Department's inspector general and the F.B.I. are looking into the demotion of a veteran federal prosecutor whose reassignment nearly three years ago shut down a criminal investigation of the Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, current and former department officials report.They said investigators had questioned whether the demotion of the prosecutor, Frederick A. Black, in November 2002 was related to his alert to Justice Department officials days earlier that he was investigating Mr. Abramoff. The lobbyist is a major Republican Party fund-raiser and a close friend of several Congressional leaders.
...
Colleagues said they recalled that Mr. Black was distressed when he was notified by the department in November 2002 that he was being replaced.
The announcement came only days after Mr. Black had notified the department's public integrity division in Washington, by telephone and e-mail communication, that he had opened a criminal investigation into Mr. Abramoff's lobbying activities for the Guam judges, the colleague said. The judges had sought Mr. Abramoff's help in blocking a bill in Congress to restructure the island's courts.
The colleagues said that Mr. Black was also surprised when his newly arrived bosses in Guam blocked him from involvement in public corruption cases in 2003. Justice Department officials said Mr. Black was asked instead to focus on terrorism investigations, which had taken on new emphasis after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Whatever the motivation in replacing Fred, his demotion meant that the investigation of Abramoff died," said a former colleague in Guam.
the face of evil
'Ex School Chief in New York Admits Stealing' by the AP. article here.
For years, ex-Roslyn schools chief Frank Tassone admitted, he stole millions of dollars in taxpayer money to finance everything from his breakfast bagel to European jaunts on the Concorde.
A person who steals from children deserves the death penalty.
For years, ex-Roslyn schools chief Frank Tassone admitted, he stole millions of dollars in taxpayer money to finance everything from his breakfast bagel to European jaunts on the Concorde.
A person who steals from children deserves the death penalty.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
'Baton Twirling Enriches Life' by LISA ROLLINS
page here
 Higgs |
Baton twirling enriches life
Not many people would think that baton twirling could enrich one's life on almost every level, but MTSU's Meredith Simmons Higgs is proof that it can.
An assistant professor of developmental studies, Higgs first became interested in twirling at age 3, but had to wait until she was 4 to begin private lessons.
“I can remember being 3 years old and watching a parade that had baton twirlers,” she recalled. “I begged my mom to let me take lessons. … I took classes beginning at age 4 and some private lessons in high school and college. I also took dance and gymnastics classes to improve my level of performance.”
For Higgs—who describes herself as “a premature baby (that was) was given a low chance for survival and a lower chance for developing ‘normal’ mental and physical abilities”—baton twirling quickly became more than just a hobby that garnered her awards and recognition. In fact, it was through her dedication to the sport, she said, that she began to thrive on many levels.
“In the end,” she said, with its emphasis on dance, skill, poise and gymnastics, “baton twirling helped to develop my motor skills and hand-to-eye coordination.”
A one-time majorette for Franklin County High School, Higgs—during her senior year in high school—was named one of the two Vanderbilt University “Featured Twirlers” prior to earning a Vanderbilt Band Scholarship for her twirling during both football and basketball seasons.
“Twirling not only helped me physically, it also helped me academically,” said the McMinnville resident. “Being in a collegiate band is a special experience. Those in the band tend to have higher grades during band season, and the friendships are tightly bound.”
As for the most memorable highlights from her competitive twirling career, Higgs admits it was “thrilling” to win Grand Champion awards in both flag baton and rifle at Tennessee's United States Twirling Association (USTA) competition, as well as taking the Grand Champion award in rifle at the Southeastern Regional USTA competition in 2001. Yet for all the honors and championships she's garnered, Higgs said that the blessing of loving parents is the greatest “prize” of all.
“My biggest inspirations were and still are my mom and dad. My mother made crafts and did sewing at home and my father refereed football in the summer and fall to pay for my lessons,” Higgs said. “Indeed, my mother and father have done so much for me over the years. My parents did everything that they could to ensure my success.”
Moreover, from all indications, it seems that the family that twirls together, stays together. That is, at least where Meredith and her husband, Ray, are concerned, twirling is a family pursuit.
“Ray is a great pairs partner and a very good sport!” exclaimed the Shelbyville native, who met her husband during tryouts for the Vanderbilt Band her senior year in high school. “He was my partner for the partner-dance routines for half-time shows in college as well. (And) in addition to practice at home, ballroom dancing lessons through MTSU continuing studies helped us to refine our timing and grace during performances.”
A competitive twirler since age 5, Higgs said she put her twirling career on hold only to pursue her Ed.D. at Vanderbilt—something she will wrap up in December. Then it's back to the baton, both as a solo and pairs competitor.
“We placed second in the state and fifth in the seven-state Southeastern Regional in pairs twirling,” said Higgs, referring to the wins she and Ray have logged—with some of them done as cartoon favorites Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
With a 25-year twirling history to her credit, Higgs doesn't see an end to her baton affiliations anytime soon.
“I have always enjoyed twirling so much—regardless of any awards. I twirl for me; I twirl for the exercise and enjoyment,” she said. “It is a wonderful sport that both men and women can learn at any age.
“You can sit out for a while and come right back to it with practice,” Higgs said.
Killer dolphins escape
article 'Armed and dangerous--Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina' by MARK HOUSTON.
excerpt:
It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.
excerpt:
It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.
test conducted in development of space elevator
i heart the space elevator. article 'Space Elevator Robot Passes 1,000-foot Mark
economic integration in schools improves overall performance
article 'As Test Scores Jump, Raleigh Credits Integration from Ince' by ALAN FINDER.
excerpts:
RALEIGH, N.C. - Over the last decade, black and Hispanic students here in Wake County have made such dramatic strides in standardized reading and math tests that it has caught the attention of education experts around the country.
The main reason for the students' dramatic improvement, say officials and parents in the county, which includes Raleigh and its sprawling suburbs, is that the district has made a concerted effort to integrate the schools economically.
Since 2000, school officials have used income as a prime factor in assigning students to schools, with the goal of limiting the proportion of low-income students in any school to no more than 40 percent.
...
In Wake County, only 40 percent of black students in grades three through eight scored at grade level on state tests a decade ago. Last spring, 80 percent did. Hispanic students have made similar strides. Overall, 91 percent of students in those grades scored at grade level in the spring, up from 79 percent 10 years ago.
...
"Low-income students who have an opportunity to go to middle-class schools are surrounded by peers who have bigger dreams and who are more academically engaged," said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has written about economic integration in schools. "They are surrounded by parents who are more likely to be active in the school. And they are taught by teachers who more likely are highly qualified than the teachers in low-income schools."
but still, that's a lot of money
article 'For 3 Little Millionaires, a Series of Painful Events' by ALISON LEIGH COWAN.
excerpts:
GREENWICH, Conn., Sept. 23 - Even in Greenwich, the $15 million to $18 million fortune they stand to inherit stands out as serious money. And yet few would trade places with them. They are 11-, 8- and 5-year-old siblings who have endured nearly as much tragedy in their short lives as the waifs of the Lemony Snicket stories who lurch from crisis to crisis.
Nancy Ann Kissel, convicted of murdering her husband, leaving court. The custody of her children, who are to inherit millions, is in dispute.
Last month, their mother was convicted of killing their father in 2003 at their luxurious Hong Kong home, after he learned of her affair with a television repairman. Their maternal grandfather moved them to Illinois to live with him but changed his mind after two weeks.
Then the rich uncle who gave them refuge at his picture-perfect home in Greenwich was charged with orchestrating a fraud that is punishable by years in prison and could leave him penniless. His wife, the person primarily in charge of taking care of the children in the last year and a half, is seeking a divorce. She has said she would like to keep custody, but must battle creditors to preserve any semblance of the life she has led.
Nancy Ann Kissel, convicted of murdering her husband, leaving court.
hot linx
article on the problems of naming Martian geographical features here. 'At ABBA, go Left to SpongeBob' by JIA-RU CHUNG.
------
article on widespread release of 3D films and the recent agreement between theater owners and studios on the financial structure for widespread installation of digital projection. 'Going Deep for Digital' by DAVID HALBFINGER.
After months of wrangling between the studios and several vendors, the first deals are being signed that could lead theater owners to buy and install digital projectors.
------
article on widespread release of 3D films and the recent agreement between theater owners and studios on the financial structure for widespread installation of digital projection. 'Going Deep for Digital' by DAVID HALBFINGER.
After months of wrangling between the studios and several vendors, the first deals are being signed that could lead theater owners to buy and install digital projectors.
The structure of the deals follows a pattern. Theater owners pay roughly $10,000 toward the $85,000 cost of converting each auditorium. The balance is recovered, typically over 10 years, from the movie studios, which pay "virtual print fees."
These fees, which start at around $1,000 for each copy of a movie delivered to a theater, are intended to approximate the studios' financial savings on film prints and shipping. They have agreed to steer that money to the suppliers of digital cinema equipment.
--
google blog post on internal use of market predictor systems. 'Putting Crowd Wisdom to Work' by BO COWGILL.
------
article on dubious procedures and terms for federal government's Katrina reconstruction contracts.
------
article about the relationship between China's two top leaders, Hu Jintao (president and Communist party chief) and Zeng Qinghong (vice president and the party's organizational leader). 'China's Leader, Ex-rival at Side, Solidifies Power' by JOSEPH KAHN.
------
article on global warming and its effect on hurricanes. 'So Who is Right in Debate on Global Warming?' by ANDREW REVKIN.
It is also clear to many climate scientists and oceanographers that warmer oceans will eventually increase the intensity and rainfall of hurricanes, but not necessarily their frequency.
In fact, two recent studies of hurricanes, by different scientists using different methods, claimed to detect a big rise in hurricane intensity around the world over the last several decades.
But the authors of both analyses acknowledged that more data would be needed to confirm a link to human-caused warming. The murkiness arises because the relationship between long-term warming of the climate and seas is only perceptible in statistical studies of dozens of storms, not in the origin or fate of any particular storm.
...
Kerry Emanuel, the author of one of the recent studies showing rising intensity, echoed many colleagues in saying that the impact of global warming was unlikely ever to be manifested in a black and white way that could serve as a call to arms for those seeking curbs on emissions. Instead, Dr. Emanuel, an atmospheric scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it would emerge as if someone had subtly, but progressively, loaded a pair of dice.
------
article on increasing use of data gathering and mining for evaluation and selection of hospitals and individual doctors. 'To Find a Doctor, Mine the Data' by MILT FREUDENHEIM.
best article of the week: online lego building/ordering
article by J. D. BIERSDORFER here.
The Lego Group, based in Denmark, recently opened an online Lego Factory (legofactory.com), where Lego enthusiasts can design projects with free 3-D software and then order a kit to build the model.
The Lego Group, based in Denmark, recently opened an online Lego Factory (legofactory.com), where Lego enthusiasts can design projects with free 3-D software and then order a kit to build the model.
The company's free Lego Digital Designer software, which lets users construct Lego projects on screen using an endless supply of pixilated parts, is available at the site to download to Windows and Mac systems. Using the software, Lego lovers can upload their masterpieces to the Lego Factory site, and can also inspect other people's projects that have been posted online.
Friday, September 23, 2005
from engadget: a clever marketing campaign
Sony playstation bubblewrap exploitation
What is it about that sweet sweet packaging crack called bubble wrap? Fondling those irresistible knobs of protective breath to an oh so satisfying release is just one of those simple joys that makes life worth the trudge. Sony apparently knows this only too well, and has taken to exploiting our wanton desires with their PlayStation bubblewrap marketing campaign in Malaysia. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to Asia to slake your jones.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
more true crime...
article by MICHAEL WINES here.
excerpts:
On most big-city freeways, a commuter headache is a fender-bender and a line of rubberneckers. This big city is, ah, different.
excerpts:
On most big-city freeways, a commuter headache is a fender-bender and a line of rubberneckers. This big city is, ah, different.
Here is a Johannesburger's driving headache: a stolen Mercedes-Benz rams an armored truck onto the freeway shoulder, four more carloads of AK-47-toting bandits screech up beside it and the 20 or so thieves encircle the immobile truck, guns trained on the ensuing gridlock.
Using tools powered by portable generators, they peel back the truck's roof and scoop out the cash inside. Then, firing wildly, they all speed away.
...
The thieves have innovated as well. A careful armored-vehicle robbery now may involve as many as 20 attackers, Mr. Erasmus said, split into teams that plan the robbery and reconnoiter its location, steal cars to be used during the attack and execute the heist. Major freeways are popular venues because their heavy traffic leads to huge jams that delay a police response.
Typically, he said, one team of thieves uses a stolen car - almost always a big Mercedes or BMW chosen for safety features - as a battering ram to drive an armored truck off a highway and, with luck, tip it over.
Other attackers fire at approaching autos to panic drivers and cause gridlock while robbers subdue the vehicle's guards and open the vault with a power saw, or sometimes even the Jaws of Life, usually used in rescues. Done expertly, a robbery lasts only a few minutes.
'Arrest in Killings of 2 Who Dared to Rob the Mob'
article by WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM here
excerpts:
In the annals of New York City crime, few undertakings were more ill-advised, foolhardy and just plain dangerous than the one that prosecutors say was chosen by Thomas and Rose Marie Uva, a young married couple from Queens.
Dominick Pizzonia was arrested Thursday in the killings of Thomas and Rose Marie Uva, below, who robbed mob clubs.
Rose Marie and Thomas Uva were killed after robbing the mob.
The Uvas set out more than a dozen years ago to solve their financial difficulties in a most unusual fashion: walking into mob social clubs with an Uzi submachine gun and separating the Mafiosi within from their ill-gotten gains.
The crime spree was predictably short-lived.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
the future is I.P.: "U.S. Discloses Moves to Stop Piracy of Intellectual Property"
this article by LAURIE J. FLYNN supports my theory that over the next century an increasing percentage of the U.S. GDP will derive from intellectual property. i'm guessing that a reduced portion of that will be from patents/technical IP (due to decreased US investment in education and increased foreign investment in the same), and an increasing portion will be from creative works. the U.S. tradition and culture of creative production, as well as our access to authors from all cultural communities, makes us ideally suited to provide--as we may already--a substantial portion of the creative content consumed by other countries. increased national reliance on the revenue generated by the creative production industry will create more political incentive in the u.s. to take initiatives like the one described in this article.
"Hospitals See Possible Conflict for Doctors on Medical Devices"
article by REED ABELSON here. yet another depressing investigative piece highlighting the completely obvious need for radical reform in the U.S. health care industry.
more on the space elevator
an important piece of advice for readers
i went to a speaking engagement tuesday with a labor attorney who represents, among others, airline mechanics. He had some fairly dire things to say about the airline industry and the negative effects of low-cost carriers on safety. In brief, LCC's lease planes (low capital/entry costs) and don't provide healthcare or pensions to employees. This drives down prices and puts established carriers (who have pension and health care costs) at a competitive disadvange. Established carriers have to cut costs. One way of doing this is by drastically cutting the number of mechanics (they can do this by spacing out maintenance checks, working mechanics harder, etc). Mechanics have to give planes a 'pass' to leave the airport, but they are under huge pressure to pass on un-airworthy planes, since not passing the plane means $1 million+ in revenue lost. Further, most airlines are now outsourcing mechanic jobs; i didn't get the whole story on this, but the result appear to be that the mechanics are less accountable under federal law (for example, an american mechanic can be jailed for negligent job performance; a foreign mechanic may not be so accountable). this lawyer told of several he cases he litigated and won in which airlines threatened mechanics and pressured them to put unsafe planes in the air. this area is ripe for reform, but thus far accidents have been spaced out enough that there is no political will to fix the problem.
the long and short of it: fly American Airlines. this lawyer said he always flys american if he can b/c they provide their own mechanics, as opposed to outsourcing the work. he seemed to know what he was talking about.
another interesting observation by this attorney: he argues that current bankruptcy laws are keeping airlines that should go under alive. The result is too much capacity and prices that are too low to sustain the better-run companies in a manner that allows them to provide appropriately safe service.
the long and short of it: fly American Airlines. this lawyer said he always flys american if he can b/c they provide their own mechanics, as opposed to outsourcing the work. he seemed to know what he was talking about.
another interesting observation by this attorney: he argues that current bankruptcy laws are keeping airlines that should go under alive. The result is too much capacity and prices that are too low to sustain the better-run companies in a manner that allows them to provide appropriately safe service.
ur.
Jet Blue Plane Trying to Make Emergency Landing
Filed at 7:51 p.m. ET
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- A Jet Blue airliner was dumping fuel over the ocean Wednesday afternoon as officials tried to determine how to make an emergency landing with the plane's front wheels turned sideways and unable to retract.
The plane left Burbank Airport after 3 p.m. for New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker.
Jet Blue flight 292 was circling the Long Beach Airport, about 30 miles south of Burbank. Walker said the Airbus A320 was dumping fuel over the Pacific.
No other details were immediately available. Forest Hills, N.Y.-based Jet Blue could not be reached for comment.
an inordinate amount of sexual content today makes the author regret sending blog link to mother
article 'Anti-rape condom aims to stop attacks' here.
excerpts:
A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom on Wednesday that hooks onto an attacker's penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world.
...
excerpts:
A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom on Wednesday that hooks onto an attacker's penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world.
...
Ehlers said the "rapex" hooks onto the rapist's skin, allowing the victim time to escape and helping to identify perpetrators.
"He will obviously be too pre-occupied at this stage," she told reporters in Kleinmond, a small holiday village about 100km (60 miles) east of Cape Town. "I promise you he is going to be too sore. He will go straight to hospital."
The device, made of latex and held firm by shafts of sharp barbs, can only be removed from the man through surgery which will alert hospital staff, and ultimately, the police, she said.
from d.r.: dutch talk-show host to take heroin on air
article by TOBY STERLING here.
excerpts:
In other segments of the show, Wesselink plans to go on a drinking binge in a series of pubs. He also plans to take the hallucinogenic drug LSD — on his couch under the supervision of his mother.
...
BNN has drawn viewer complaints for programs in the past, including a sex education program called "This Is How You Screw." One segment discussed how to have sex in a nightclub and featured life-size mannequins with sex organs.
excerpts:
In other segments of the show, Wesselink plans to go on a drinking binge in a series of pubs. He also plans to take the hallucinogenic drug LSD — on his couch under the supervision of his mother.
...
BNN has drawn viewer complaints for programs in the past, including a sex education program called "This Is How You Screw." One segment discussed how to have sex in a nightclub and featured life-size mannequins with sex organs.
found: a blog profile i happened upon
i encourage all god-fearing readers to meet don, who is, thankfully, no longer impaired.
A Brand New Day!
I changed my blogspot name from "Juvenile Blogging for the Blogging Impaired" because I am no longer impaired. I have changed my blog name to "A Brand New Day" because God's Blessings are brand new each and every day. I need to remember that sometimes!
don
- Gender: male
- Industry: Telecommunications
- Location: Erin : Ontario : Canada
About Me
just a guy endeavoring to persevere in a crazy mixed up world
You can whistle and steam can whistle, so why do you sing in the shower?
Because I'm happy, so very happy I got the love of Jesus in my heart, heart, heart
Interests
Favorite Movies
Favorite Music
Favorite Books
a curious sexual practice
article by COREY KILLGANNON here.
excerpts:
Manhattan may have its gay bars and such traditional pickup spots as the woods of the Ramble in Central Park and the piers of the West Village. But in the less-accepting climate of the suburbs and the boroughs outside Manhattan, gay men often resort to courting one another from the relative safety and privacy of their cars. They troll remote parking lots that become de facto pickup spots well known in gay circles but not to the general public.
...
excerpts:
Manhattan may have its gay bars and such traditional pickup spots as the woods of the Ramble in Central Park and the piers of the West Village. But in the less-accepting climate of the suburbs and the boroughs outside Manhattan, gay men often resort to courting one another from the relative safety and privacy of their cars. They troll remote parking lots that become de facto pickup spots well known in gay circles but not to the general public.
...
Almost any time from noon till 9 p.m., when the lot is officially closed, the scene is the same. The narrow section has two long rows of parking spaces into which the men back their cars, forming two rows of cars facing each other with a thoroughfare between them.
Each newcomer trolls this thoroughfare with all eyes upon him and surveys the other men in cars, who may either perk up and look interested or shut the window and look away. Then with a dramatic swoop, the driver will back his car next to the car of the man he is pursuing.
It all has the deliberate positioning, shifting and movement of a chess game. The parking lot is a fishbowl and the action unfolds like a soap opera each day. Some longtime lot regulars who are openly gay enjoy gathering to observe and narrate the forays and entreaties as they occur.
the state of criminal law in china
article by JOSEPH KAHN here.
excerpts:
The police and courts still rely mainly on pretrial confessions and perfunctory court proceedings to resolve criminal cases instead of the Western tradition of analyzing forensic evidence and determining guilt through contentious court trials.
China's criminal laws forbid torture and require judges to weigh evidence beyond a suspect's confession. But lawyers and legal scholars say forced confessions remain endemic in a judicial system that faces pressure to maintain "social stability" at all costs.
...
excerpts:
The police and courts still rely mainly on pretrial confessions and perfunctory court proceedings to resolve criminal cases instead of the Western tradition of analyzing forensic evidence and determining guilt through contentious court trials.
China's criminal laws forbid torture and require judges to weigh evidence beyond a suspect's confession. But lawyers and legal scholars say forced confessions remain endemic in a judicial system that faces pressure to maintain "social stability" at all costs.
...
One obstacle is China's long history, in which criminal law was viewed as an extension of the power of the emperor rather than an objective code that applies to everyone. Confession amounted to a submission to authority, while a plea of innocence was viewed as a form of rebellion.
The legal code of the Tang Dynasty, for example, specified that guilt could only be finally assigned through confession, and that cases could not be officially recorded without a confession.
california attorney general pushes for warnings on french fries and potato chips
nytimes article by MELANIE WARNER here.
[French fries] are soaked with trans fats, loaded with sodium and full of simple carbs, the bad kind. And, it turns out, they are also full of a chemical called acrylamide, which is known to cause cancer in laboratory rats and mice.
More info on acrylamide here.
[French fries] are soaked with trans fats, loaded with sodium and full of simple carbs, the bad kind. And, it turns out, they are also full of a chemical called acrylamide, which is known to cause cancer in laboratory rats and mice.
That discovery a few years ago has raised questions about the safety of fries, as well as potato chips, which are also packed with acrylamide. It ultimately led to a showdown this summer over whether such foods should bear health warning labels and whether companies should be required to reduce acrylamide levels in their food/ The battle pits the activist attorney general of California against the food industry and the Food and Drug Administration.
I'm fairly cynical about the current state of the FDA and the improper influence of various industries (in this case, the food industry).More info on acrylamide here.
evidence that google is preparing to release a wireless network
article here.
my guess is that the service will eventually be national, fast, free, and offer an innovative and heretofor unavailable solution to the last mile problem.
my guess is that the service will eventually be national, fast, free, and offer an innovative and heretofor unavailable solution to the last mile problem.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
'extreme makeover' sued over sister's suicide
article here. excerpt: 
another article here.The suit claims the "Extreme Makeover" crew manipulated [plaintiff Deleese] Williams' sister, Kellie, into making cruel statements about Williams' looks.
The night before Williams was to begin her makeover, the show's producers . .. canceled her appearance and sent Williams home where Kellie, distraught over what she had said about her sister, eventually killed herself, according to the suit.
bush's probable bathroom break
U.S. President George W. Bush writes a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit and 60th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York September 14,
"I think I MAY NEED A BATHroom break?"
article here.
reuters explanation of photograph here.
Monday, September 19, 2005
book idea of the day
'so you've been reanimated...': A Guide to the Modern World and What You Missed. a self-help book for the formerly cryogenically frozen (circa 2200). not an entirely original idea (see Austin Powers & Beetlejuice), but it hasn't, to my knowledge, actually been done. would probably work best as humor, a la Sleeper.
from space.com: space elevator gets FAA lift
The LiftPort Group, the space elevator companies, announced September 9 that it has received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use airspace to conduct preliminary tests of its high altitude robotic “lifters.”
Sunday, September 18, 2005
sunday link smorgasbord
ibm plan to train employees to be teachers. a great program, a sad state of affairs.
bill gates v. napoleon dynamite. pictures here.
NASA plan for Space Shuttle replacement and return to moon by 2018.
the history of the palm pilot.
the history of the slurpee.
study shows that suppressing emotions impairs memory of events.
check out awesometown. p.a. sent me this link on friday; by coincidence, i saw akiva in my neighborhood on saturday. i said 'awesometown!' and he stopped. we introduced ourselves and walked on. p.a. later told me that the three dudes have been hired by SNL; akiva is a writer. she saw yorum about town.
bill gates v. napoleon dynamite. pictures here.
NASA plan for Space Shuttle replacement and return to moon by 2018.
the history of the palm pilot.
the history of the slurpee.
study shows that suppressing emotions impairs memory of events.
check out awesometown. p.a. sent me this link on friday; by coincidence, i saw akiva in my neighborhood on saturday. i said 'awesometown!' and he stopped. we introduced ourselves and walked on. p.a. later told me that the three dudes have been hired by SNL; akiva is a writer. she saw yorum about town.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
update on the stalled f.b.i. investigation into the 2001 anthrax letters
article by Scott Shane here.
interesting article about a suicide note and the collapse of the bayou hedge fund
article reported by Gretchen Morgenson, Jenny Anderson, Geraldine Fabrikant and Riva D. Atlas and written by Ms. Morgenson.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
from slashdot: apple launches video podcasting
Apple: Apple Launches Video Podcasting For iTunes
Apple has launched support for video podcasting in the Podcast section of the iTMS. Ars Technica has a decent write up of the news along with speculation on what this means in the way of a video iPod and Apple's recent application for a patent on the phrase 'iPodcast.'" From the article: "The quiet, fanfare-less launch (in fact, it's not even clear when it was launched) is a bit surprising for the company, but there may be a reason: there's not too many video podcasts out there in the wild. Furthermore, video podcasts are currently only playable on your computer, although it seems clear enough that a video iPod is on the way. If you didn't believe it before, you should definitely believe it now. For now, it looks like video podcasting support is limited.
| |
Apple has launched support for video podcasting in the Podcast section of the iTMS. Ars Technica has a decent write up of the news along with speculation on what this means in the way of a video iPod and Apple's recent application for a patent on the phrase 'iPodcast.'" From the article: "The quiet, fanfare-less launch (in fact, it's not even clear when it was launched) is a bit surprising for the company, but there may be a reason: there's not too many video podcasts out there in the wild. Furthermore, video podcasts are currently only playable on your computer, although it seems clear enough that a video iPod is on the way. If you didn't believe it before, you should definitely believe it now. For now, it looks like video podcasting support is limited.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)