Archive for June, 2010
Financially Doomed Greece Beset By Plague of Frogs
I thought of Magnolia when I read this headline, granted the frog raining that occurred in Greece wasn’t as bad as in the clip below, but it is a pretty messed up situation over there … Richard Lawson writes on Gawker:
“A carpet of frogs” covered a Thessaloniki highway, forcing closings for two hours. People are guessing they came from a lake nearby, but we know the truth. Hide your firstborns and blood your doors everyone, the Lord’s a’coming.
Are Cameras The New Guns?
Wendy McElroy writes on the Freeman:
In response to a flood of Facebook and YouTube videos that depict police abuse, a new trend in law enforcement is gaining popularity.
In at least three states (Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland), it is now illegal to record an on-duty police officer even if the encounter involves you and may be necessary to your defense, and even if the recording is on a public street where no expectation of privacy exists.
The legal justification for arresting the “shooter” rests on existing wiretapping or eavesdropping laws, with statutes against obstructing law enforcement sometimes cited. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are among the 12 states in which all parties must consent for a recording to be legal unless, as with TV news crews, it is obvious to all that recording is underway.
Since the police do not consent, the camera-wielder can be arrested. Most all-party-consent states also include an exception for…
Creative Minds ‘Mimic Schizophrenia’
Photo: Embroidered Schizophrenia (CC)
Michelle Roberts reports for BBC News:
Creativity is akin to insanity, say scientists who have been studying how the mind works.
Brain scans reveal striking similarities in the thought pathways of highly creative people and those with schizophrenia. Both groups lack important receptors used to filter and direct thought.
It could be this uninhibited processing that allows creative people to “think outside the box”, say experts from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
In some people, it leads to mental illness. But rather than a clear division, experts suspect a continuum, with some people having psychotic traits but few negative symptoms.
Some of the world’s leading artists, writers and theorists have also had mental illnesses – the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and American mathematician John Nash (portrayed by Russell Crowe in the film A Beautiful Mind) to name just two.
Creativity is known to be associated with an increased risk of depression, schizophrenia and bipolar…
Apple iPad-Maker Foxconn Makes Employees Promise Not To Kill Themselves
The Sydney Morning Herald reports:
Apple manufacturer Foxconn was taking extraordinary measures to safeguard its business and workers following a spate of suicides at its sprawling plant in southern China.
Workers have reportedly been told to sign letters promising not to kill themselves and even agree to be institutionalised if they appeared to be in an “abnormal mental or physical state for the protection of myself and others”.
Nets were also reportedly being hung around buildings to deter suicidal employees.
The moves came after a 19-year-old employee fell to his death at the Shenzhen factory — the ninth apparent suicide at the enormous site this year.
The deaths have raised questions about the conditions for millions of factory workers in China, especially at Foxconn, where labour activists and employees say long hours, low pay and high pressure are the norm.
Read More: Sydney Morning Herald
Cocaine Can Rot Your Flesh
Photo: Efimero (CC)
Fox News reporting on a Time.com story:
Besides making you edgy and skittish, with a propensity toward emotional highs and lows, cocaine can also rot your skin, according to a study reported Monday by Time.com.
Researchers found that the illegal drug can contain agents that contribute to low white cell count or dying skin tissue, giving people the appearance of wearing rotting flesh.
The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine after a discovery by doctors at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. It was found that women who had a history of cocaine use also tended to have discolorations on various body parts like their cheeks, buttocks, thighs and earlobes.
Those symptoms are consistent with use of the medication levamisole, which is used by veterinarians for de-worming farm animals. “Almost 80 percent of the cocaine coming into this country has levamisole mixed in,” said Dr. Ghinwa Dumyati, a University…
Soundtrack of My Life: Rage Against the Machine
From Nick Pell at Red Star Times
When I was about 15 or 16 years old, few things were more difficult than getting me to listen to, never mind enjoy, a mainstream alternative rock radio single. Having said that, you should get some impression of just how special “Bulls on Parade” is. Not only did I enjoy the song, but I went out and bought a (*gasp*) major label record.
Over the years, RATM have never been one of my favorite bands. I’ve never owned a shirt and I go very long periods of time without ever listening to them. Still, as I grow older I have more respect for them as a band both musically and politically.
In a world of milquetoast pop punk bands shilling for the Democratic Party or irritating aging punks giving “left” counsel to President Obama on how to be a better imperialist, RATM have intelligence, principles and balls.
Elliot Spitzer’s Pro-Israel Views On Gaza Blockade Deconstructed and Destroyed
Glenn Greenwald, lawyer and Salon.com contributor, eviscerates disgraced former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer’s pro-Israel views on the Gaza blockade situation, on MSNBC:
Here’s what Glenn had to say about his appearance:
I was just on MSNBC talking about Israel, the Gaza blockade and the flotilla attack with Eliot Spitzer, who was guest-hosting for Dylan Ratigan. It was a rather contentious discussion…
Anti-Marijuana Terrorism: Dispensaries Firebombed
Montana legalized medical marijuana in 2004, and since then a steady stream of small dispensaries has been opening in cities such as Billings. This past month, two medical marijuana businesses were firebombed, and one had the phrase “NOT IN OUR TOWN” spray-painted on its storefront. Days later, the Billings City Council voted to suspend the licensing of new dispensaries for six months. The Missoulian reports:
A rock was used to break the glass of Montana Therapeutics at 4:30 a.m. Monday, and a beer bottle filled with gasoline was lit and thrown inside, Billings police Sgt. Kevin Iffland said. A passer-by reported the fire.
A day earlier, at about 5 a.m., surveillance video showed two young men spray-painting “NOT IN OUR TOWN” on the front of Big Sky Patient Care, and then throw a rock through the front door followed by a flaming bottle, Big Sky owner David Couch said.
Trevor McFarren, co-owner of Montana…
Rebranding BP
Greenpeace UK held a rebranding contest to generate fresh new redesigns of the BP logo.
That plain green flower was introduced in 2000, and ten years later … it’s time for an update.
One of my favorites is to the right.
500+ results are included in a Flickr set. Enjoy.
China Teleports Photons 10 Miles, Surpasses U.S. / European Record
The fictional teleportation machine used in the 'Star Trek.'
Tracie McDaniel reports that Chinese researchers are using quantum physics to “teleport” photons across 10 miles of empty space, for DailyTech:
China has been taking a beating in the U.S. press lately. the Chinese company Foxxconn has experienced problems with employees committing suicide, the country has not warmed up to U.S. greenhouse gas cut initiatives and has placed a ban on internet maps and satellite imaging. However, the country can be commended for its latest effort — achieving quantum teleportation.
Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China and Tsinghua University were able to stream quantum information over 16 km of free space, approximately 10 miles. It’s called teleportation, but the matter is not actually moved, instead the quantum state of an object is transferred to another (when something is done to the first object, it immediately happens to the second one).
According to the…
The Diseased Mind of Sarah Palin
Stacie Adams writing for The Smirking Chimp:
Perhaps you’ve heard about the writer who moved in next door to Sarah Palin? Apparently he is in the midst of some kind of scandalous tell all book about her and has taken up residence in her hometown in pursuit of stories.
Resorting to her characteristic histrionics, Palin immediately took to her Facebook page, that stalwart of serious journalism, to opine just what the writer intended on doing next door. She went on to make some sinister lamentations about him possibly peaking into her youngest child’s bedroom or surveying their ’swimming hole.’ The writer shot back that her comments were, in his words, revolting. Actually, what they are is libel, and the worst kind of libel, insinuating that this guy, who is of course attempting to dig up dirt on the former governor, is some kind of dangerous pervert.
Palin frequently resorts to the pervert card…
Coffee Stimulus Is All In The Mind
Photo: Julius Schorzman (CC)
Interesting – all those people who say they can’t function without coffee may be kidding themselves. Via the Daily Mail:
Many people swear they can’t start their mornings without a steaming cup of coffee, but a new study has found its stimulating effect could all be in the mind.
Researchers from the University of Bristol found there was no real benefit to be gained from that first shot of caffeine. The reason you may feel more alert is because the strong brew simply reverses the tiring effects of acute caffeine withdrawal.
Lead author Professor Peter Rogers, said: ‘Our study shows that we don’t gain an advantage from consuming caffeine – although we feel alerted by it, this is caffeine just bringing us back to normal.’
But the report also found that those who drank coffee developed a tolerance to its anxiety-producing effects. The team tested 379 people who abstained from caffeine…
The Atlantis Blueprint on The Black Fridays
The Black Fridays Episode 22 — Rand Flem-Ath
Website • iTunes • Direct Download • RSS
Author Rand Flem-Ath joins us to discuss the Atlantis, Earth Crust Displacement, and what the ancients new!
Rand, along with his wife Rose, have authored several books including; The Atlantis Blueprint, The Forbidden Manuscript and Field of Thunder.
A fascinating topic with a great guest.
United Against The Threat of Cartoons
Jesus as portrayed in 'South Park' (courtesy Comedy Central)
Apparently endeavoring to prove that some Christians can be just as stupid and petty as some Muslims, we have geniuses like the Catholic League’s William “13-year olds are not children” Donohue, closeted Family Research Council celebrity Tony “Look How Perfect My Hair Is” Perkins, and conservobot talk show weenie Michael “I’m A Self-Hating Jew” Medved teaming up like a twisted version of the Super Friends to save Jesus from the threat of vile cartooning:
From Reuters/Yahoo News:
Comedy Central’s “JC” is in development, which means it’s still a couple of steps from getting the green light as a series. The project is about Jesus trying to live as a regular guy in New York City and wanting to escape the shadow of his “powerful but apathetic father.” Because Comedy Central recently censored “South Park” for its portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad, some Christian leaders…
Criminology Student Studied Jack the Ripper, Then Killed Like Him
They caught this guy with CCTV, a “nuisance” the killer’s inspiration didn’t face in the 1880s. John Bingham, Paul Stokes and Gordon Rayner write in the Telegraph:
"A Suspicious Character," London News, October 13, 1888
As he began his shift on Monday morning, the caretaker of the Holmfield Court flats in Bradford settled into his office chair to review the weekend’s CCTV footage. He fast-forwarded the recording, looking out for evidence of vandalism or petty crime.
Instead, he found himself witnessing cold-blooded murder.
In a corridor of the flats, a man chased and grabbed a young woman before knocking her unconscious. The attacker then disappeared from view, only to return moments later with a crossbow which he used to fire a bolt into her head.
The man could then be seen dragging the body out of view, and later going backwards and forwards with bin bags and a rucksack.
The caretaker reached for the phone and dialled…
Soaring Costs Force Canada to Reassess Healthcare Model
Claire Sibonney writes in Reuters via Yahoo News:
Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada’s provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the popular state-funded system.
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, kicked off a fierce battle with drug companies and pharmacies when it said earlier this year it would halve generic drug prices and eliminate “incentive fees” to generic drug manufacturers.
British Columbia is replacing block grants to hospitals with fee-for-procedure payments and Quebec has a new flat health tax and a proposal for payments on each medical visit — an idea that critics say is an illegal user fee.
And a few provinces are also experimenting with private funding for procedures such as hip, knee and cataract surgery. It’s likely just a start as the provinces, responsible for delivering healthcare, cope with the demands of a…
Fish With “Hands” Found to Be New Species
Photo: Karen Gowlett-Holmes
Carolyn Barry writes in National Geographic:
Using its fins to walk, rather than swim, along the ocean floor in an undated picture, the pink handfish is one of nine newly named species described in a recent scientific review of the handfish family.
Only four specimens of the elusive four-inch (ten-centimeter) pink handfish have ever been found, and all of those were collected from areas around the city of Hobart, on the Australian island of Tasmania.
Though no one has spotted a living pink handfish since 1999, it’s taken till now for scientists to formally identify it as a unique species.
The new-species determinations were made based on a number of factors, including number of vertebrae and fin rays, coloration, the presence of scales and spines, and proportional body measurements, according to review author Daniel Gledhill of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, or CSIRO.
Read More: National Geographic
…
Insider Trading Is Perfectly Legal — But Only For Members Of The U.S. Congress
The Economic Collapse writes on Prison Planet:
Did you know that insider trading is perfectly legal in the United States? Well, not for 99.9% of the population. It is actually only a very small percentage of the population that can legally indulge in insider trading — the members of the United States Congress.
In fact, a law that would ban insider trading by members of Congress has been stalled for years on Capitol Hill. So why wouldn’t lawmakers in Washington D.C. want to apply the same rules to themselves that apply to the rest of us? After all, how are we supposed to respect the integrity of those “serving” in Congress when they are playing by an entirely different set of rules? The American people aren’t stupid. They can see what is going on. The truth is that there is a reason why approval ratings for Congress are at an all-time low.
The sad…
Worst CEO 2010: Goldman’s Blankfein vs. BP’s Hayward
Who gets your vote for most heinous CEO of the year? From Marketwatch:
Tony Hayward is Lloyd Blankfein’s new best friend. For months, Blankfein, chief executive of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has been the CEO ALTH (America Loves To Hate). He’s been defiant before Congress, unapologetic, a defender of ruthless Wall Street practices, invoking God and bare-knuckle capitalism in the same breath.
His firm has been accused of betting against clients, masking Greece’s debt problems, taking backdoor bailouts through American International Group Inc. and good, old-fashioned fraud.
Enter Hayward, the bumbling, stumbling chief executive of BP PLC, and the man ultimately responsible for the disaster that began April 20 on Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hayward’s BP is blamed for 11 dead workers, an environmental catastrophe, a slow and inadequate response and insensitivity to the havoc his company has sprung upon nature and the livelihood of those on the Gulf Coast.
In his…
