Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
"Based on how the system actually works today, the major players agree on four things: that those with the most money should get the best care; that companies in the health-care business should make tons of money; that everything should be based on who pays, how, and how much; and that health care should be as complicated and as rules-ridden as possible."
Labels:
health care
0
comments
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
eSkeptic: December 20th, 2005
"This is a stunning blow against Intelligent Design and creationism, but we are not surprised by it given how the trial unfolded. The first handicap that ID advocates had to deal with was the zeal of the law firm representing them. The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), founded by conservative Catholic businessman Tom Monaghan and former Kevorkian prosecutor Richard Thompson, was itching for a fight with the ACLU from the time of its formation in 1999. Declaring themselves the “sword and shield for people of faith” and the “Christian Answer to the ACLU,” TMLC sought out confrontations with the ACLU on a number of fronts, from public nativity and Ten Commandment displays to gay marriage and pornography. But the fight they really wanted, it seems, was over evolution in public school science classrooms, a fight that would take five years to occur."
New Scientist Breaking News - Fossil protein breakthrough will probe evolution
New Scientist Breaking News - Fossil protein breakthrough will probe evolution:
"The first complete sequencing of protein from a fossil bone suggests that proteins can survive for millions of years - long enough to probe the evolution of many extinct species, including the ancestors of modern humans."
New Scientist Breaking News - Oldest DNA exposes ancient ecosystems
New Scientist Breaking News - Oldest DNA exposes ancient ecosystems:
"The permafrost contained DNA from eight species of mammals including woolly mammoth, steppe bison and musk ox, dating back 30,000 years, as well as 28 families of trees, shrubs, mosses and herbs, some of which lived 300,000 to 400,000 years ago.
By drilling at widely spaced locations, and at different depths, the team could recreate ancient landscapes and watch them evolve. 'From just two grams of soil, you can obtain a meaningful sample of the ecosystem,' says Willerslev."
Labels:
DNA,
Endangered Species,
Genetics
0
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BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Extinct mammoth DNA decoded
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Extinct mammoth DNA decoded: "The 5,000 DNA letters spell out a large chunk of the genetic code of its mitochondria, the structures in the cell that generate energy.
The research, published in the online edition of Nature, gives an insight into the elephant family tree.
It shows that the mammoth was most closely related to the Asian rather than the African elephant."
Labels:
Biology,
Endangered Species,
Evolution,
Genome
0
comments
Thursday, December 22, 2005
The Panda's Thumb
The Panda's Thumb: "Strosacker Hall on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, 7-9 pm January 3, with Ken Miller to represent the “Darwinist” position. We plan to webcast the event: details will follow as we have them. Miller will be there regardless of details."
Talk To Action | The Bush Family and the Moon Family
Talk To Action | The Bush Family and the Moon Family
I am reminded of this today, because Journalist John Gorenfeld has an important article on AlterNet that deserves far greater attention than it has received. It details the apparent business relationship between President Bush's brother Neil Bush and the Moon organization.
Ruling on 'intelligent design' is one for the history books - Yahoo! News
Ruling on 'intelligent design' is one for the history books - Yahoo! News: "Jones' decision should give fortitude to school boards across the USA under pressure from ID advocates who maintain that evolution vs. intelligent design is a matter of opinion and, as such, teaching both sides is only fair.
The problem with comparing evolution with intelligent design is that ID is a matter of faith, not science. It can't be tested. Evolution, by contrast, is backed by overwhelming scientific evidence."
The Panda's Thumb: Remarkable Kitzmiller reactions
The Panda's Thumb: Remarkable Kitzmiller reactions: " Despite the judge’s ruling, Bonsell maintained his opinion about intelligent design.
“Intelligent design is science, most definitely,” he said after reading the summary of the judge’s ruling. “It should be appealed to the next level.”
…
Bonsell said he disagreed with the judge that the board provided a disservice to the public and that members lied to cover their tracks.
This is the same Alan Bonsell who delivered a check for purchasing copies of Of Pandas and People from Buckingham to Bonsell’s father, then denied under oath knowing anything about the source of funding for the books.
May Bonsell and Buckingham both be tried for perjury."
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Bush 'backed spying on Americans'
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Bush 'backed spying on Americans': "President Bush allowed security agents to eavesdrop on people inside the US without court approval after 9/11, the New York Times has reported."
Friday, December 16, 2005
![[]](http://www.le.ac.uk/engineering/staff/Sutherland/moringa/tree2.jpg)
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Election man resigns
Election man resigns: "THE MAKER of election voting gear who promised to give the State of Ohio to President Bush during the last election has quit after reports of fraud and litigation.
Diebold CEO Wally O'Dell offered to clean out his desk days after BradBlog.com claimed that the company was facing imminent securities fraud litigation surrounding charges of insider trading. It also comes after a Diebold insider, revealed that the company may have mishandled elections in Georgia and Ohio."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Holocaust a myth, says Iranian president
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Holocaust a myth, says Iranian president: "Iran's president said today that the Holocaust was a 'myth', prompting strong condemnation from Israel, Germany and the European Commission.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the comments to thousands of people during a speech in Iran's south-eastern city of Zahedan.
They follow the international outcry his remarks caused in October when he said that Israel should be 'wiped off the map'.
Germany's foreign minister warned that the 'shocking and unacceptable' comments would influence coming nuclear talks between Europe and Iran."
Schneier on Security: Titan Rain
Schneier on Security: Titan Rain: "Titan Rain
There seems to be a well-organized Chinese military hacking effort against the U.S. military. The U.S. code name for the effort is 'Titan Rain.' The news reports are spotty, and more than a little sensationalist, but I know people involved in this investigation -- the attackers are very well-organized."
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Leupold’s New VX-L Riflescopes
Leupold’s New VX-L Riflescopes: "They have a 3.5 to 10 power scope with a 50mm objective lens that can be mounted anywhere that a 33mm lens will fit! They do this by forming a small concave section into the bottom of the objective lens so that it may be mounted lower and still clear the barrel. "
Monday, December 12, 2005
Slashdot | Cameras Online? How The Shysters Work
Slashdot | Cameras Online? How The Shysters Work: "We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."
Saturday, December 10, 2005
North Carolina faces lawsuit over voting machine certification
North Carolina faces lawsuit over voting machine certification: "North Carolina established strict new voting machine requirements after system failure led to the loss of 4,000 votes in an election last year. The Public Confidence in Elections bill requires that all voting machine manufacturers disclose their proprietary source code for review by government technology experts. When Diebold was given an exemption last month, the EFF took the matter to court, where Diebold lost. The government of North Carolina proceeded to certify Diebold anyway, despite revocation of the exemption. Certification of technology that fails to meet the legal requirements established by the Public Confidence in Elections bill is essentially illegal, and the EFF wants the government to be held accountable for their disregard of a critical law."
Friday, December 09, 2005
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
SWAT Report
SWAT Report: "Purpose. The Small Arms Assessment Team was formed to support Project Manager Soldier Weapons (PMSW) assessment of small arms performance during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Tasks were to assess the current state of weapons, ammunition and accessories directly managed by PMSW: M9 Pistol to MK 19 AGL and determine what worked well and what did not."
Monday, December 05, 2005
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Friday, December 02, 2005
Kansas University's course about Intelligent Design designed to mock Christian fundamentalists
Kansas University's course about Intelligent Design designed to mock Christian fundamentalists: "“Doing my part to upset the religious right' is already a bumper sticker. Seen it in southern New Hampshire... "
The Panda's Thumb: Apparent End of Dover School Board Reign of Error
The Panda's Thumb: Apparent End of Dover School Board Reign of Error:
"1. Do you know who the current school board members are in YOUR school district, or at least where the board stands on science vs pseudo-science?
2. Do you know who was elected yesterday to your local school board, and where they stand?
3. Are you reasonably confident that a stealth Creationist campaign did not take over your school board yesterday, while you were looking the other way?
If you read PT because you care about science education, you must be able to answer YES to these questions. The lesson from Dover is: PAY ATTENTION. Because when people pay attention, they choose science.
Think about it: you may have woken up in Kansas this morning, without even knowing it."
The Austin Chronicle: News: Alcoa, von Gonten Family Reach Settlement in Legal Fight
The Austin Chronicle: News: Alcoa, von Gonten Family Reach Settlement in Legal Fight
Ending what many considered an effort to intimidate and silence its critics, Alcoa Inc., operator of a massive aluminum smelter and coal-fired power plant in Rockdale, about 60 miles northeast of Austin, inked a settlement in Milam County Court last Tuesday after filing a motion in September seeking more than $550,000 in legal fees from the von Gonten family, whose members sued the company in 2003 for area air pollution and for dumping coal combustion waste on their property without their consent. Alcoa sought fees and sanctions against the family's lawyer, Michelle McFaddin – a frequent Alcoa opponent representing community groups in environmental cases – for filing a frivolous lawsuit. "This has all the markings of a SLAPP suit [activist lingo meaning 'strategic lawsuits against public participation'], with Alcoa's goal being to discourage citizens from taking action when the company pollutes their property or damages their health," said Travis Brown, energy policy director of consumer-advocate group Public Citizen.
Alcoa backfilled a pipeline easement on the von Gonten family's property in 1992 with coal bottom ash from a TXU plant the company uses to power its smelter. The ash is known to contain varying amounts of toxic heavy metals. The family's suit was dropped last summer due to waning funds, as well as discrepancies over ownership of the property among family members who were plaintiffs in the suit, according to McFaddin.
The Austin Chronicle: News: AG on Sony Spyware: 'Cloak-and-Dagger Deceit'
The Austin Chronicle: News: AG on Sony Spyware: 'Cloak-and-Dagger Deceit': "
BY JORDAN SMITH
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott last week filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against Sony BMG Music Entertainment, alleging the company secretly installed an invisible 'spyware' program onto millions of music CDs, in violation of state law, leaving consumers and their computers vulnerable to identity thieves, hackers, and viruses. 'Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak-and-dagger deceit,' Abbott said. He filed suit under the state's new Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act of 2005, which went into effect in September and bans concealed tracking software. The software – reportedly intended as an anti-piracy measure – was installed on 4.7 million CDs released by Sony under 52 different titles. The CDs are designed so that they will not play through a computer until the user acknowledges a user agreement, which, when accepted, causes the surreptitious installation of undetectable spyware tracking files."
Labels:
Corporate stupidity,
DMCA,
Sony
0
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
Slashdot | Diebold Threatens to Pull Out of North Carolina
Slashdot | Diebold Threatens to Pull Out of North Carolina
[Rant]
I am a Citizen and an Elector (member of the Electorate) in the US. That puts me at the TOP of the pyramid in the election process. In the US, the Electorate is Sovereign. Where does Diebold or any other corporate entity get off trying to dictate how elections are held? They act like they have some god-given right to make money off of the process. Fuck that! They have a right to come grovelling, hat in hand, and ASK if maybe, just maybe, we might want to use some equipment they want to sell. We get to set the rules about how elections are held, not them.
My county uses optical scan ballots and ballot box readers. If a precinct shows some sort of wierd result, the elections commissioner, in the company of plenty of witnesses, pops that sucker open and looks at the ballots. End of problem.
I frankly don't give a damn if results aren't available until Wednesday morning, or even Friday. They aren't certified official for weeks, anyway. The only difference early results make is who gets hammered for what reason at what post-election party.
There is nothing more important than the election process. All legitimacy of the government flows directly from it. Diebold has no fucking place dictating any damn thing about that. Paper ballots work. If they are slow and more costly, that is a small fucking price to pay for legitimacy.
[/Rant]
Slashdot | Diebold Threatens to Pull Out of North Carolina
Slashdot | Diebold Threatens to Pull Out of North Carolina: "Compare that with the things like the 2000 presidential elections in the USA, where the supreme court ruled that a vote recount was *not* legal - how can you *ever* justify a decision like that? Vote recounts should always be possible."
George HW Bush
George HW Bush: "When reporters asked him whether he still believed Reagan's stimulus plan for the economy amounted to 'voodoo economics,' Bush denied ever having said it. CBS news quickly settled the matter when they ran footage of him saying exactly that in 1980."
Labels:
Bush,
lying
0
comments
The Duplicity of the War on Drugs
The Duplicity of the War on Drugs Scary.
The intent of this essay is to demonstrate that the War on Drugs [under the Reagan/Bush administrations] was America's first great psy-war campaign perpetrated against its own people and that such abuse of power is likely to happen again. To demonstrate that psychological warfare techniques were employed requires understanding subtle sequences of disparate, but related, events. It involves asking questions as to the motivations, skill, expertise and knowledge of those involved.
At the height of the war on drugs, President George Bush held up a bag of cocaine in his first televised speech to the nation in September 1989. In December 1989, George Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to overthrow its narco-militarist dictator, Gen. Manuel Noriega. In the July 16, 1990 Newsweek, the scope of the war on drugs seemed ready to expand from Panama into future military actions against the powerful Colombian drug cartels. At face value, indeed the war on drugs seemed to be stemming the flow of cocaine into the United States. However, as a matter of fact, for the whole decade of the 1980's, casual and popular use of cocaine fell out of favor, and overall use steadily decreased. Yet as overall American consumption of cocaine in the mid '80's dwindled, the Reagan and Bush administrations were calling for an escalation in fighting drugs, declaring that America was awash in illegal drugs. The 1980's was a remarkable decade in international events: the Cold War was coming to an end, and the U.S. military-industrial complex was facing spending cuts, with myriad economic ramifications. The U.S. had gone through its longest period of peace since the end of World War I, and many Americans were calling for a Peace Dividend. While it may seem coincidental that the war on drugs was contemporaneous with the end of the Cold War and was punctuated by the Iran-Contra affair, a closer look at the war on drugs reveals disturbing patterns.
Critics of the Cold War have long pointed out that the Cold War was a convenient vehicle for the military-industrial complex to acquire an increasing share of the federal budget, regardless of the decline in threat posed by the Soviet Union. The war on drugs, it has been noted, arrives with all the familiar rubrics of constant threat and ceaseless terror. The difference being it is an internal war.
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• Key Players in the Plame Affair