Archive for May, 2009
Beware the Frame: GOP Wastes No Time in Embracing Frank Luntz’s Health Care Rhetoric
MIKE ALLEN, Politico: Dr. Frank Luntz, a top Republican consultant on the language of politics, is warning the GOP that the American people want health-care reform and that lawmakers need to try to avoid directly opposing President Barack Obama.
“You simply MUST be vocally and passionately on the side of REFORM,” Luntz advises in a confidential 26-page report obtained from Capitol Hill Republicans. “The status quo is no longer acceptable. If the dynamic becomes ‘President Obama is on the side of reform and Republicans are against it,’ then the battle is lost and every word in this document is useless.
“Republicans must be for the right kind of reform that protects the quality of healthcare for all Americans. And you must establish your support of reform early in your presentation.”
Instead, Luntz says Republicans should warn against a “Washington takeover” of health care, and insist that patients would have to “stand in line”…
Lunar Leftovers: How the Moon Became a Trash Can
R J Evans, Scienceray: We hear about the amount of waste floating around space all the time. However, the biggest trash can outside of earth’s atmosphere is in fact the moon.
The moon has only been accessible for decades, rather than hundreds of years. However, in the short time available to humanity it is estimated that we have left over one hundred and seventy thousand kilos of debris on the surface of our once pristine satellite. Here are some of the more notable pieces of trash on the moon.
Luna 2 (1959)
If H.G. Wells and others were correct and there were civilizations on the moon then they would have expelled a communal gasp of horror in 1959 when the first piece of man made technology hit the moon dust.
Looking now like some steampunk version of what we regularly send spinning in to space, Luna 2 was launched by the Soviets when the…
What Does Your Credit Card Company Know About You?
A 2002 study of how customers of Canadian Tire were using the company’s credit cards found that 2,220 of 100,000 cardholders who used their credit cards in drinking places missed four payments within the next 12 months. By contrast, only 530 of the cardholders who used their credit cards at the dentist missed four payments within the next 12 months.
CHARLES DUHIGG, NY Times: Rudy Santana’s day began recently, as almost all his working days begin, with a name on a screen. The name that April morning belonged to a Massachusetts man in his mid-30s. He owed money on a credit card and a second mortgage, the screen told Santana, and was separated from his wife. He was behind in paying back $28,900.97 in debt. Which was why he was on Santana’s screen.
When Santana reached him by phone, the man quickly began talking about his ex-wife. “Listen,” the man said. “I…
New Weapon Turns Fire Ants Into Headless Zombies
Fort Worth, Texas (AP) — Researchers in Texas are trying an unusual approach to combat fire ants — deploying parasitic flies that turn the pesky and economically costly insects into zombies whose heads fall off.
The biting, territorial fire ants cost the Texas economy about $1 billion annually by damaging electrical equipment, according to a Texas A&M study. They can also threaten young calves.
But now the researchers are trying a tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants originated. Researchers have learned that fire ants in their home region are kept under control by as many as 23 phorid species.
The flies lay eggs on the fire ants, and the eggs hatch into maggots inside the ant and eat away at the pest’s tiny brain.
The ant will get up and wander for about two weeks while the maggot feeds, said Rob Plowes, a research associate at the…
CCTV Schemes in City and Towns Have Little Effect on Crime
Alan Travis, The Guardian: The use of closed-circuit television in city and town centres and public housing estates does not have a significant effect on crime, according to Home Office-funded research to be distributed to all police forces in England and Wales this summer.
The review of 44 research studies on CCTV schemes by the Campbell Collaboration found that they do have a modest impact on crime overall but are at their most effective in cutting vehicle crime in car parks, especially when used alongside improved lighting and the introduction of security guards.
The authors, who include Cambridge University criminologist, David Farrington, say while their results lend support for the continued use of CCTV, schemes should be far more narrowly targeted at reducing vehicle crime in car parks.
Results from a 2007 study in Cambridge which looked at the impact of 30 cameras in the city centre showed that they had no effect…
Have You Heard ‘The Hum’?
James Alexander, BBC News: For decades, hundreds of people worldwide have been plagued by an elusive buzzing noise known as “the Hum”. Some have blamed gas pipes or power lines, others think their ears are faulty. A few even think sinister forces could be at work. “It’s a kind of torture, sometimes you just want to scream,” exclaims retired head teacher Katie Jacques.
Sitting in the living room of her home in the suburbs of Leeds, the 69-year-old grandmother describes the dull drone she says is making her life a misery. Most visitors hear nothing, but to Katie the noise is painful, vivid and constant.
“It has a rhythm to it — it goes up and down. It sounds almost like a diesel car idling in the distance and you want to go and ask somebody to switch the engine off — and you can’t.” Katie says she no longer has any…
Six Simple Steps You Can Take To Protect Your Gripe or Parody Site
Corynne McSherry: Here’s a story we hear a lot at EFF: You think BadCo, Inc. is a bad actor and you’ve developed a really cool site to tell the world why. Maybe just by griping about them or maybe through a bit of parody. Fast forward two weeks: you’re basking in the pleasure of calling BadCo out when bam! You find out your site’s been shut down. You call your internet service provider to find out what’s going on. After way too much time climbing phone trees and sitting on hold you get an answer — Badco has claimed that your site violates its intellectual property rights.
All too often, the targets of critics and parodists try to strike back with accusations of copyright or trademark infringement. While such accusations may be something of a badge of honor — after all, at the very least, it means you’ve got your target’s…
Danger Mouse to Release A Blank CD
BBC News: Music producer Danger Mouse is to release a blank CD, after record label EMI reportedly cancelled his new album. Dark Night Of The Soul, a collaboration with rock group Sparklehorse, also features Iggy Pop and The Flaming Lips, along with artwork by David Lynch.
It has already been streamed online, but Billboard magazine said a “legal dispute” with EMI derailed the project. Danger Mouse, who is half of pop group Gnarls Barkley, said he hoped people would still get to hear the record. He added that the album, which comes with a limited edition, “100+ page book” of David Lynch photographs inspired by the music “will now come with a blank, recordable CD-R”.
“All copies will be clearly labelled: ‘For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.’” It is unclear at this stage whether the record has been postponed or scrapped altogether. EMI could not…
America’s New Air Force: The Eye in the Sky
CBS News: Every so often in the history of war, a new weapon comes along that fundamentally rewrites the rules of battle. This is a story about a revolution in unmanned aviation that is doing just that.
Most people know them as drones; the Air Force calls them “unmanned aerial vehicles.” And right now, there are dozens of them in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, hunting down insurgents, every minute of every day.
They’ve become one of the most important planes in the United States Air Force — and yet, the pilot is nowhere near the aircraft or the battlefield. They are controlled by remote control, from thousands of miles away.
Many of the details of this weapons program are classified, but our 60 Minutes team was given secret clearance and unprecedented access to bring you this story.
A Brave New World of Disinformation: Patrick Swayze’s Death Via Twitter
Mashable: Patrick Swayze, the actor who has been fighting pancreatic cancer since January 2008, is very much alive, despite rumors earlier today that he’d passed away. Traditional media started the inaccurate rumor, with Florida-based radio station KissFM planting the seed this morning. However, it was Twitter that spread the news rapidly, even leading to Patrick’s Wikipedia page being wrongly updated.
The speed at which the story spread, becoming a top Twitter trending topic this morning, points towards a failing of Twitter, and an opportunity for mainstream media: while Twitter spreads breaking news much faster than blogs and newspapers, those higher up the chain still have the appropriate checks and balances to protect against these inaccuracies.
All sounds very Monty Pythonesque to me:
Stop Starbucks! Why Howard Schulz Won’t Allow Unions
Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Foundation has launched “StopStarbucks.com” an online video and campaign. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks touts Starbucks as being at the forefront of progressive corporate responsibility: except of course when it comes to allowing its workers to organize. In the state of Washington for example, Starbucks employees filed local, state and federal changes against Starbucks for coercion, discrimination, health and safety violations and intimidation of workers. In the past few years, Starbucks has settled five labor complaints in New York, Michigan, and Minnesota that threatened to expose their labor practices.
As recent as 2008, the National Labor Relations Board found Starbucks guilty of terminating three workers in retaliation for union activities and repeatedly discriminating against union supporters. Howard Schultz has repeatedly said, “If they had faith in me and my motives, they wouldn’t need a union.” It is now Howard Schultz turn to trust his employees and…
Coke Can Cause Lung Paralysis And Many Other Serious Ailments
Excessive cola consumption can lead to anything from mild weakness to profound muscle paralysis, doctors are warning. This is because the drink can cause blood potassium to drop dangerously low, they report in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
They tell of the curious case of an Australian ostrich farmer who needed emergency care for lung paralysis after drinking 4-10 litres of cola a day. He made a full recovery and was advised to curtail his cola drinking.
Another example included a pregnant woman who regularly consumed up to three litres a day for the last six years and complained of tiredness, appetite loss and persistent vomiting.
A heart trace revealed she had an irregular heartbeat, most likely caused by her low blood potassium levels. Once she stopped drinking so much cola, she made a full and uneventful recovery.
A Map of the Lands of Human Sexuality
No shame in wearing water wings in the Vanilla Sea!
Jesse Ventura Interview With Sean Hannity
Jesse Ventura Interview on Fox’s Hannity, May 18, 2009:
Torture A Hallmark Of Phoenix’s Drug Kidnappings
PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) — Jaime Andrade had just gotten out of the shower when the men came to snatch him.
His wife, Araceli Valencia, was mopping the kitchen in their family home on a typical warm spring morning in Phoenix, Arizona, “when she suddenly felt a hard object pointed to the back of her head and a voice in Spanish tell her not to move,” according to a Phoenix, Arizona, police investigative report.
“I told you not to look at me!” Valencia heard one of the kidnappers bark as he struck Andrade across the head.
Her four children bawling, Valencia was hustled into a bedroom where an armed man fondled her and threatened to rape her if she didn’t tell him where Andrade hid his money, according to the report.
After beating and binding Andrade, one of the kidnappers put a gun to Valencia’s head. His message: We’re taking your husband and SUV. We’ll…
Some on the Left Souring on Obama
JOSH GERSTEIN, The Politico: Barely four months into his presidency, Obama is confronting growing dissatisfaction among members of his liberal base, who feel spurned by a series of his early decisions on issues ranging from guns to torture to immigration to gay rights.
The list got longer last week as Obama reversed his earlier decision to release photos of detainees abused in U.S. military custody and announced plans to try some terror suspects before military commissions — though on the campaign trail he railed against earlier versions of the tribunals.
A few, like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, have even hurled the left’s ultimate epithet — suggesting that Obama’s turning into George W. Bush.
The building anger comes at a critical moment — just as Obama’s about to announce his choice for the Supreme Court. Fulfill their dreams of a “liberal Scalia,” a firebrand from the left, and much would be forgiven.
Our Man at Bilderberg: ‘You Are Not Allowed to Take Pictures of Policemen!’
Charlie Skelton is scared, jumpy and hacked off at the police state built around Bilderberg. So hacked off, in fact, he has asked the police to stop following him. Bad move.
Charlie Skelton, The Guardian: I need to go back a day and tell you exactly how I came to be in an Athens metro station at 8 am, grappling with two strange men, struggling and yelling: “Help me somebody! Security! Please! Someone get security! Get the police!” My voice still hurts. My brain is ready to explode.
But that is today. Yesterday divides in half: the half where I flee the Bilderberg resort, too scared and strung out to remain, and the half when I have to bundle myself in a random cab and drive to the British Embassy for my own safety.
I am being hounded. And all because I dared report on Bilderberg. Because I dared point my finger at…
Marty Beckerman On The Complex Lives of Escorts
Anna David has a résumé longer than the word limit of this article. She is the sex and relationship expert on G4’s Attack of the Show! (view her clips), a regular on NBC’s Today and Fox News’ Red Eye, a former Sirius Satellite Radio host, a former editor of will.i.am’s political blog, a contributor to Playboy, Vanity Fair, Details, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, and the author of Party Girl, a roman à clef about her cocaine addiction that Dr. Drew Pinsky praised as “the most accurate portrayal of… recovery I’ve come across.” (Sony Television has optioned the film rights.) Her novel, Bought, about a high-price prostitution ring, is out this week.
She spoke to The Daily Beast’s Marty Beckerman about hookers in L.A., life as a sex columnist—and what Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter are like off-camera.
Scientists May Have Found The Missing Link In Evolution
In what could prove to be a landmark discovery, a leading paleontologist said scientists have dug up the 47 million-year-old fossil of an ancient primate whose features suggest it could be the common ancestor of all later monkeys, apes and humans.
Anthropologists have long believed that humans evolved from ancient ape-like ancestors. Some 50 million years ago, two ape-like groups walked the Earth. One is known as the tarsidae, a precursor of the tarsier, a tiny, large-eyed creature that lives in Asia. Another group is known as the adapidae, a precursor of today’s lemurs in Madagascar.
Based on previously limited fossil evidence, one big debate had been whether the tarsidae or adapidae group gave rise to monkeys, apes and humans. The latest discovery bolsters the less common position that our ancient ape-like ancestor was an adapid, the believed precursor of lemurs.
