Around The World, Obama’s Presidency A Disappointment
Reports Don Melvin and Rod McGuirk on the Associated Press:
In Europe, where more than 200,000 people thronged a Berlin rally in 2008 to hear Barack Obama speak, there’s disappointment that he hasn’t kept his promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and perceptions that he’s shunting blame for the financial crisis across the Atlantic.
In Mogadishu, a former teacher wishes he had sent more economic assistance and fewer armed drones to fix Somalia’s problems. And many in the Middle East wonder what became of Obama’s vow, in a landmark 2009 speech at the University of Cairo, to forge a closer relationship with the Muslim world.
In a world weary of war and economic crises, and concerned about global climate change, the consensus is that Obama has not lived up to the lofty expectations that surrounded his 2008 election and Nobel Peace Prize a year later. Many in Asia, Africa, the…
Chicago #NoNATO Dispatch Day 1
Photo: Aaron Cynic
Aaron Cynic writes at Diatribe Media:
The day kicked off in a tame but at least celebratory manner at a rally held in Daley Plaza by National Nurses United. After two hours of speeches and wandering around a square grabbing random flyers and other literature, there was no way that at least part of the 3,000 plus people standing on the square were simply going to go home. Everyone knew it, and one could feel a nervous sense of excitement wafting on the air while the last few chords of Tom Morello’s performance rang out.
As people still milled about and I waited to see exactly when an unpermitted march would begin, the Chicago police made what appeared to be a very targeted snatch and grab of a masked protester. According to reports, the police attempted to ask the man a few questions, he refused to answer and was immediately…
Who Creates Jobs (and Other Critical Questions)
Tom Matlack writes on The Good Men Project:
The web is abuzz with TED’s decision not to let a former Amazon.com investor make his case for middle-class job creation. Meanwhile Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gets ready to watch his $20 or so billion become liquid when his company opens trading this morning. The French and Greeks have elected liberal leaders who campaigned against austerity as the answer to the Euro debt crisis. And here in the United States the general election is kicking into high gear with the Romney campaign releasing this ad yesterday in key swing states.
Let’s try to get a few things straight here before resorting to mud slinging.
1) Any way you slice it we have a debt problem threatening to kill us.
Government spending here in the United States and across much of the developed world is completely out of control. As of March 2012, debt held by the public was…
Did Germany Launch A Manned Rocket Into Space In 1933?
Could there be any truth to tales of early space travel success in 1930s Germany? Just imagine how different the World War II outcome could have been had it involved Astro-Nazis. Via io9:
On October 29, 1933, the London Sunday Referee published a report from Rugen, an island in the Baltic Sea, just off the coast of Germany. Someone named Otto Fischer had flown inside a 24-foot steel rocket, to an altitude of six miles. Were the Germans really testing out a rocket that could carry people, nearly three decades before Yuri Gagarin?
Reports said that Otto was the brother of the rocket’s designer, Bruno Fischer. The flight had been made in total secrecy because of a fatal attempt at a launch the previous year, combined with the fact that the flight had been made under the auspices of the Reichswehr, the German War Ministry.
“It was a tremendous sensation,” Fischer reported. “When…
Lick Jesus With Christian Popsicles
Courtesy Sebastian Errazuriz
If you’re an artist there’s one thing sure to land you lots of publicity and notoriety: art that offends Christians. The latest is Chilean Sebastian Errazuriz, whose popsicle art is currently shaking up New York. Eliott C. McLaughlin reports for CNN:
Sebastian Errazuriz has used art to take on an array of issues: New York’s death rate, the Occupy movement, military suicide, children with disabilities, the brutal reign of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Now, the Brooklyn-based artist is taking aim at what he sees as religious extremism.
At a party this weekend celebrating New York Design Week, which begins today, the Chilean-born artist plans to hand out 100 “Christian Popsicles” made of “frozen holy wine transformed into the blood of Christ” and featuring a crucifix instead the tongue depressor that typically hosts the frozen treats, he said.
An image of Jesus Christ positioned traditionally on the cross is visible once the…
Anti Wi-Fi Wallpaper Unrolled
You’re not truly alone in the privacy of your home until you’ve plastered the walls with silver snowflake-patterned anti wi-fi wallpaper from Finland. ITProPortal reports:
A new type of wallpaper, which has been developed by scientists from the “institut polytechnique Grenoble INP” and the “Centre Technique du Papier”, will go on sale in 2013 after a Finnish firm, Ahlstrom acquired the license.
What looks like a bog standard wallpaper roll actually contains silver particles that allows it to filter out up to three different frequencies simultaneously.
Other than preventing hackers from penetrating your network, the Anti Wi-Fi wallpaper could be useful in hospitals and anywhere where Wi-Fi signals could be considered as harmful.
Annular Solar Eclipse Brings Ring Of Fire (May 20, 2012)
Photo: sancho panza (CC)
This Sunday brings the first annular solar eclipse visible in the western United States in almost 18 years. Mike Wall reports for Space.com:
Skywatchers in East Asia and the western United States should circle Sunday (May 20) on their calendars. That’s when a solar eclipse will block out most of the sun, leaving a spectacular “ring of fire” shining in the sky for observers located along the eclipse’s path.
The event is what’s known as an annular solar eclipse — from the Latin “annulus,” meaning “little ring” — and its full glory should be visible from much of Asia, the Pacific region and some of western North America, weather permitting. At its peak, the eclipse will block about 94 percent of the sun’s light.
Other parts of the United States and Canada will still see a partial solar eclipse, without being treated to the ring of fire effect, though the…
White Births No Longer a Majority in U.S.
Note that the non-white U.S. population will still remain a minority for several decades. What will be the implications of a multi-racial (future) America? Reports the AP via the Christian Science Monitor:
For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the US, capping decades of heady immigration growth that is now slowing.
New 2011 census estimates highlight sweeping changes in the nation’s racial makeup and the prolonged impact of a weak economy, which is now resulting in fewer Hispanics entering the US.
“This is an important landmark,” said Roderick Harrison, a former chief of racial statistics at the Census Bureau who is now a sociologist at Howard University. “This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders.” The report comes as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of Arizona’s strict immigration law, with many states weighing similar…
‘Covert’ U.S. Drone Operation in Yemen Mapped Out on Twitter
These “covert” operations are seemingly becoming more difficult to keep “covert” … Reports Chris Woods and Jack Serle of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism:
Though the hour was late, Yemen’s social media was still very much awake.
A US drone’s missiles had just slammed into a convoy of vehicles in a remote part of Yemen, killing three alleged militants.
The attack—like all other US drone strikes outside warzones—was supposed to be clandestine. Yet within minutes Sanaa-based lawyer Haykal Bafana was reporting the strike in almost-realtime. Just after 1 a.m. on May 17 he posted the following on Twitter:
#Yemen NOW | Missile strike on car in Wadi Hadhramaut. Near city of Shibam. Suspected US drone attack.
As Bafana later explained to the Bureau, his relatives live in Shibam, a town of 30,000. ‘When the drone struck, the town—which was then experiencing a power cut—had completely lit up. My relatives got straight on the phone to tell…
Chicago Police Start Preemptive Arrests on Eve of NATO Summit
Anyone in the Windy City, please chime in. Via RT:
Authorities in Chicago are gearing up for a weekend of anti-NATO activity in the Windy City, but it’s already being reported that law enforcement there might be a little too eager to begin arrests. The home of known activists was raided Wednesday.
The National Lawyers Guild confirms that law enforcement agents broke down the door of a 6-unit apartment building in the Chicago, Illinois neighborhood of Bridgeport at around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Once inside, they entered the apartment of known activists with guns drawn and then cuffed the residents.
For two hours, tenants were shackled and questioned by officers with the Organized Crime Division of the Chicago Police Department. The Chicago Tribune writes that police reports detailing the incident have been obtained by the newspaper and confirm that nine people were arrested in the raid for allegedly making or possessing Molotov cocktail…
Living With The Jesus Of Siberia
The Church of the Last Testament is equipped with solar energy, vegetable gardens, and trampolines, money is meaningless, and children sing pop songs and chase after adorable animals. As far as 21st-century Jesus reincarnations, this has to be one of the most convincing:
Deep in Siberia’s Taiga forest is Vissarion, a cult leader who looks like Jesus and claims to be the voice of God. He’s known as “the Teacher” to his 4,000 followers…who [possess an] unflinching belief in UFOs and the Earth’s imminent demise.
Indefinite Detention Blocked By New York Judge
Reports Bob Van Voris and Patricia Hurtado on Bloomberg:
Opponents of a U.S. law they claim may subject them to indefinite military detention for activities including news reporting and political activism persuaded a federal judge to temporarily block the measure.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan ruled in favor of a group of writers and activists who sued President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the Defense Department, claiming a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law Dec. 31, puts them in fear that they could be arrested and held by U.S. armed forces.
The complaint was filed Jan. 13 by a group including former New York Times reporter Christopher Hedges. The plaintiffs contend a section of the law allows for detention of citizens and permanent residents taken into custody in the U.S. on “suspicion of providing substantial support” to people engaged in hostilities against the U.S., such as al-Qaeda.
9-Year Old Counter-Protests Westboro Baptist Church With ‘God Hates No One’ Sign
This kid is a genius. Mark Memmott reports on NPR:
Patty Akrouche says she’s “never been prouder” of her 9-year-old son, Josef Miles, than she was this past weekend.
As Akrouche wrote on her Facebook page, she and Josef were on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka when they encountered some of the protesters from the tiny Westboro Baptist Church, which has gained notice in recent years for protesting against homosexuality, abortion and other issues outside the funerals of military veterans and celebrities.
Westboro’s followers are infamous for their signs that — using an F-word we won’t repeat — say ‘God Hates [Homosexuals].’
“Josef was determined to make his own statement so we went to the car and with pencil and his sketch pad, he made up his own little sign that reads ‘GOD HATES NO ONE,’ ” his mom wrote…
The (Not) Censored TED Talk on Income Inequality
You can read all the hubbub about this from Noah Kristula-Green on Daily Beast. And here a small bit of TED curator Chris Anderson’s reason (see full explanation here) on why the video was not initially posted:
At TED this year, an attendee pitched a 3-minute audience talk on inequality. The talk tapped into a really important and timely issue. But it framed the issue in a way that was explicitly partisan. And it included a number of arguments that were unconvincing, even to those of us who supported his overall stance. The audience at TED who heard it live (and who are often accused of being overly enthusiastic about left-leaning ideas) gave it, on average, mediocre ratings … Our policy is to post only talks that are truly special. And we try to steer clear of talks that are bound to descend into the same dismal partisan head-butting people can find every day elsewhere in the media.
Judge for yourself here:
Female Terrorists Contradict Stereotypes
Via ScienceDaily:
Much like their male counterparts, female terrorists are likely to be educated, employed and native residents of the country where they commit a terrorist act, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
The findings contradict stereotypes presented in previous studies that describe female terrorists as socially isolated and vulnerable to recruitment because they are uneducated, unemployed and from a foreign land, psychologists reported in a study published online in the APA journal Law and Human Behavior. These assumptions are not supported by evidence, according to the study authors.
“We discovered that some of the popular notions about female terrorists do not reflect what has occurred in the past,” said the study’s lead author, Karen Jacques, PhD. “A more realistic description is helpful because it provides insights into the social dynamics that might promote an individual’s involvement in terrorist activities.”…
Dalai Lama Claims Chinese Agents Trained Tibetan Women To Kill Him
Photo: Lucag (CC)
Reports Dean Nelson in the Telegraph:
The 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, revealed he had been passed reports from inside Tibet warning that Chinese agents had trained Tibetan women for a mission to poison him while posing as devotees seeking his blessings.
The Tibetan Buddhist leader said he lives within a high security cordon in his temple palace grounds in Dharamsala, in the Himalayan foothills, on the advice of Indian security officials.
Despite being one of the world’s most widely revered spiritual leaders he has enemies in China and among some Buddhist sects.
His aides had not been able to confirm the reports, but they had highlighted his need for high security.
“We received some sort of information from Tibet,” he said. “Some Chinese agents training some Tibetans, especially women, you see, using poison – the hair poisoned, and the scarf poisoned – they were supposed to seek blessing from me, and my…
Your Internal Clock Is At War With Society
An interesting read for night owls and early birds alike. As Robert T. Gonzalez writes on io9.com:
Just because you sleep later than your early rising friends doesn’t mean you sleep longer than they do; nor does it make you lazier. And yet, the association between the time of day that a person wakes up and how proactive or driven they are is just one example of the many preconceptions that society upholds regarding sleep and productivity.
But here’s the problem: these expectations might actually be working against us.
In his recently published book, Internal time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag and Why You’re So Tired, German chronobiologist Till Roenneberg provides numerous examples of how social expectations surrounding time may be having a detrimental effect on large sections of the human population. Over on Brain Pickings, Maria Popova walks us through one of Roenneberg’s examples, wherein he examines the clash between adolescents’ sleep cycles and…
Gods and Aliens: The Infinite and the Beyond (Podcast)
The Infinite and the Beyond — Podcast: Episode 026 — Gods and Aliens
Website • iTunes • Direct Download • RSS
In the latest episode of The Infinite and the Beyond, discuss gods and aliens and the ideas surrounding Ancient Astronaut Theory. Do you believe in extra-terrestrials? Do you think they visted and helped ancient human civilizations? Are you a supporter of Ancient Astronaut Theory? If your answer is a resounding YES, then this episode is not for you, because I take a look into some of the propositions made by Ancient Astronaut Theorists and offer my thoughts on the matter which may not jive with you and your alien putty, but do not worry there is always Stonehenge!
Later in the episode, I discuss the only alien abduction case I have helped with as a paranormal investigator. Hear the details as I share my diagnosis and methods of addressing the issue in my effort to help a friend. In A Corner in the Occult we learn about Lam, Aleister Crowley’s favorite martian, as well as the Typhonian Order which focuses on working and communication with extra-terrestrial entities, The Great Old Ones, as well as some of the darker aspects of metaphysics.
We hear a track from our featured artist and future guest Alka, an electronic music composer who incorporates magick, occultism, and estoric practices and systems into his music making process. We discuss evocation in the Essence of Magick. I read listener email and talk about James Randi. We see which two lucky listeners won copies of Etched Offerings, and to close we ponder the origin of deity. This episode is really out of this world!
To message the show please go here.
TV Ad Campaign: Weed Is Safer Than Booze
An obvious message to some, perhaps, but there are still those who need help believing that reefer madness is a myth. Tricia Escobedo and Jim Spellman report for CNN:
A Colorado advocacy group is spending thousands of dollars to convince people that smoking pot is safer than drinking alcohol. It’s an attempt by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol to rally support for a vote in November that would legalize the drug for recreational use. Colorado legalized marijuana for medical use in 2000.
Last Friday, the group aired an advertisement on a local Denver channel during daytime programming encouraging people to “start your conversation about marijuana.” The 30-second spot features a young woman typing a message to her mother on her laptop, explaining that after spending her college years drinking heavily, she now prefers marijuana because “it’s less harmful … I don’t get hung-over and honestly I feel safer around marijuana users.”…
On The Amazing Benefits Of Mind Uploading
Photo: Kemitsv (CC)
Music and paying the gas bill have been digitalized, so you knew this was next. How can we stop abusing the environment, give ourselves superintelligence, and live forever? H+ Magazine on the inevitable necessity of switching from spongy flesh brains to uploaded ones:
Universal mind uploading, or universal uploading for short, is the concept (I’m not sure who originated it –if you know, say so in the comments), that the technology of mind uploading will eventually become universally adopted by all who can afford it, similar to the adoption of modern agriculture, hygiene, and permanent dwellings. Some futurists, such as myself, see the eventuality as plausible by as early as 2050.
Mind uploading would involve simulating a human brain in a computer in enough detail that the “simulation” becomes, for all practical purposes, a perfect copy and experiences consciousness, just like protein-based human minds. If functionalism is true, as many cognitive…
