"News that's not known, or not known enough."
Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion.
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"News that's not known, or not known enough." Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion. |
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Surge of money by Wig Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK US-funded Iraqi militants want more US funding
Money was the surge that worked.
Let the battle resume.
It's just a matter of time before the other shoe drops. Wig Exaggerated child's play by Chris D. Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK Re The inverse squared law by Chris M. and 10x13 km nippleheaded Republicans by SirJ My knowledge of physics is unfortunately somewhat lacking but I'd like to think my powers of observation and associative logic are capable of making up for it. While I'm unfamiliar with inverse squared law, I am aware of the effects of a magnifying glass on the sun's rays. You're assuming that the only way to draw more power would be to send a larger and (consequentially more destructive) beam. But the same amount of power — or even less — if properly concentrated and applied can be used more effectively. A magnifying glass on a hot day demonstrates this rather effectively. The glass doesn't draw more energy from the sun, it focuses the existing light energy to a single point producing a significantly more intense beam that is capable of initiating chemical reactions that appear to be far beyond the capability of the immediately available energy i.e. starting a fire. The sun in all its glory can't light a twig on fire from its current distance but by focusing it to a pinpoint rather than pulling in a solar prominence that twig's burning. While it may be true that energy is lost in transmission, it can be amplified and possibly bolstered at strategic points near its final destination. If such a drastic amplification and application of the sun's energy can be performed by a child with a piece of glass then it's not such a stretch to imagine that a group of men and women who've dedicated their lives to study could do the same thing with a few million dollar's worth of equipment. The most difficult task I foresee is the effective conversion and distribution of all that energy. It may be possible to concentrate the energy to a point, then split the concentrated beam like a prism to multiple receivers on Earth to properly diffuse the energy so it doesn't burn a hole through the collectors or the planet's crust. Sometimes approaching an incredibly complex problem with laughably simple ideas can produce incredible results. By simplifying the problem and focusing on its concept rather than its details I believe a realistic solution can be found. Scientific problems are essentially exaggerated child's play and imaginings approached maturely by adults who've lost the perspective of childhood. Conversely, political problems are catastrophically complex with every detail containing the potential for disaster, all typically argued by overgrown children who've lost the perspective of rationality and responsibility. What many people forget is that the laws of science are written based upon the limitations of our technique or understanding. If we were content to simply accept them as absolutes we would quickly find that everything in the universe is impossible and shouldn't even exist. As Einstein once said: "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." Keep on thinking, learning, daydreaming, and questioning what you think you know. An Ivy League education is meaningless if it doesn't include a little imagination and understanding. I hope the people working out the kinks in the harvesting process feel the same way. Chris D.  Don't worry, everything will be fine by Kathy Fisher Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK While Leon Was in Wachovia bank cashing a check, there was a monitor playing a video of a CEO trying to reassure people that their money was safe at Wachovia. Wow, so afraid of a bank run. Don't worry, we were not putting any money in, just cashing his work check. it's starting to feel like a movie. Kathy Fisher (klfisher@webtv.net) Yet another disastrous decision by JR Mooneyham Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK Food industry bitten by its lobbying success
"Pressured"!??! "Wined and dined" is more like it. AP seems to be trying to shift blame from Bush for yet another disastrous decision by "the decider", to industry. Sure, many American corporations may today be among the most heinous entities on Earth in many ways: but a sitting President exists largely as the people's chief defender from the excesses of such beasts. If you stand this single case up against everything else Bush has done, it doesn't stand out in any way as an anomaly, but seems more like an accurate sample of his deeds in general. JR Mooneyham Anger can be power if you know how to use it by The Canadian Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK Re The storm of pent-up anger by Herb Ruhs, MD Personal anecdotes: I remember as a boy of 11 or so I read a lot of Eric Blair's (George Orwell) work. I can't say I fully appreciated it at that age, but intuitively, I was drawn to his writing. I also read Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Violent Resistance and a great deal of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I read a lot of other works...too. In fact, I just read a lot. I played a lot of sports, too, and was not an introvert, but I did not watch much TV and spent my "TV time" reading. Later in life, I came to the conclusion that History is written by the winners. The corollary is such that if you are killed, so is your version of history. As such, I fight, but only when I have to. Non-violent resistance only works if your enemy has a soul or understands the world in the same moral manner as you. If not, non-violent resistance just makes you easier to vanquish. 2 real life examples: • I was travelling to work one morning on the commuter train as I usually do, and this smelly guy reeking of stale booze was behind me. If you have commuter trains in your city, you know that personal space does not exist. I kept a wary eye around me, but this guy took me completely by surprise when he punched me hard between my shoulder blades (from behind of course) without cause and knocked me temporarily off-balance when the train pulled into the next stop. What surprised me was how fast my previous training kicked-in. I had no fear, countered his in-step as he walked by me (seemingly happy that he proved a pointless point) and landed my right hand palm heel strike directly into his exposed lower right rib cage. As he twisted in pain towards me, my left hand struck the nerve node center under his right ear. At this time he is off balance and dazed. I picked him up by his collar and belt and threw him off the train with my only words being, "You f**king asshole!". The look of morbid fear and confusion on his face immediately told me he had not expected me to fight back. My only regret was that I threw him into the people waiting to get on the train. Only one guy on the train asked me if I was all right, everyone else pretended as though nothing had happened. The sheep relax; happy that the wolf was busy with someone else. No-one would have helped me if I did not help myself. What really spooked me was how fast I could have killed the guy, my senses were aflame with rage and power... and I thought I'd left all that behind. • Train again. I was taking my children back home on the commuter train after attending a parade. They are young and not used to crowded trains with so many differing people. The train was quite crowded, so when the doors opened a few stops down the line, there was no space for new passengers (think Japan). This guy, with a large gut, decides he is going to make space for himself and decides to start pushing people back while yelling, "make room, I know there is more room". I politely informed him there is no room as it was not exactly my choice to be standing next to the door to begin with. He shot a quick look at me and started to push, which caused my youngest child to yelp as she was being squished between me and another large adult. At this point, I reacted by slamming my right arm across his upper chest, just below his neck and stated, "If you do not stop fucking pushing me, I will push your f**king ass right off this train!". He replied (oddly enough) that I should stop pushing him. I stated, "there are young children on this crowed train and you can't see them, but they need space." At this point, he stopped but did not apologize. I explained the lesson to my children that it is OK to protect yourself and others you care about in a measured manner, but to not seek conflict. I am absolutely surprised at the shit people take. For example, whenever I call an office, the receptionist asks whether I would mind holding, I say, " yes I do mind holding. You answered my call first, so let the others who called after me wait their turn". They always take my call first and the other calls wait I do not consider myself a bully, nor do I look for conflict, but I refuse to give up my personal presence and dignity. Existentially speaking, I am my own history and no-one will take it away without losing a piece of themselves in the process... period. The Province of Alberta is responsible for producing the vast majority of Canada's beef products. The BSE crisis was initiated by a responsible rancher who reported the initial outbreak of MadCow Disease (aka "Mother-in-law Flu") rather than "shoot, shovel, and shut up". What most people do not realize is that our herd regularly commingles with the herds of the State of Montana, which is directly south of the Province, and that our industries are closely intertwined regarding feed, etc.. So if our herds commingle over each other's borders, and we mutually share supply services for the beef industry, how is it that only Canadian cattle have BSE and not in Montana? Perhaps the brand of Montana cattle should be the "Triple S"? — shoot, shovel and shut-up. Personally, I'd rather eat Albertan beef as I know their producers are honest. Oh by the way, BSE infected cows are not permitted into the human food chain, but it can go to other animals e.g. dog food. The Canadian I wasn't aware of the wandering herds, but the intermingling of feed supply shouldn't surprise anyone. The only noteworthy distinction I see between US and Canadian beef is that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is cognizant that there's a problem and seem to be addressing it, while the US Department of Agriculture isn't and isn't. According to my notes from 2006, the last time I looked into this, the US was supposedly spot-testing about 20,000 animals annually for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a laughably small number among the millions of cattle slaughtered every year in America. Canada, which presumably has a much smaller population of cattle, was testing 65,000 every year at that time, or so it says here in my two-year-old handwriting... Helen & Harry
Interventions for Obama by MonkeyMan Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK I can understand when white, wealthy, heterosexual men are conservatives — they don't want equality. But when women, blacks & Latinos, gays, and anyone who cares about people, when they support conservatives I want to yell at them, "Are you nuts?" Is it like Stockholm Syndrome, they have become sympathetic with their captors? In that case the conservatives need medical intervention. This is a call to all who know a McCain supporter. These people need our help. We need interventions, turn them over to medical experts who can help them. They can't help themselves; they are sick. They fear freedom. It is our duty as thinking individuals to help them. I am going to go make a call right now! MonkeyMan This very much tickles my funny bone and imagination Helen & Harry
Outside the bounds by SirJ Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK Re Survey says ... by Rainy Season I agree with Rainy Seasons that survey conjures up the idea of an objective study. On the other hand, no new word is needed for "surveys conducted outside the bounds of scientifically-sound polling techniques," as we already have a word for them. They are called elections.
Houston, we have a problem. Dr. Edgar might be a bit less than 100% objective. A LOT less than 100%. From Wikipedia: "Mitchell says that a teenage remote healer who lives in Vancouver and uses the pseudonym Adam Dreamhealer, helped heal him of kidney cancer at a distance. Mitchell said that while he never had a biopsy (the definitive test for cancer), "I had a sonogram and MRI that was consistent with renal carcinoma." Adam worked (distantly) on Mitchell from December of 2003 until June of 2004, when the "irregularity was gone and we haven't seen it since."[4]" SirJ Helen & Harry
Screwing Americans by Big Skinny Saturday, July 26, 2008 PERMANENT LINK Medicare Part D is a boon for drug companies, House report says No surprise here, since the whole program was designed by Big Pharma to benefit Big Pharma. Like everything else in the Bush administration, it's designed to benefit giant corporations while screwing Americans. Big Skinny |
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