|
http://www.spreadshirt.com/us/US/T-Shirt/Spreadshirt-1342/
FYI from CM3
http://www.sonicspot.com/readplease/readplease.html
http://www.rightwingfacebook.org/profile-giuliani/giuliani_index.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/photogalleries/ant-pictures/index.html
Smart worm, Intelligent design or intellect of nematode tricks birds?.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/photogalleries/ant-pictures/index.html
Photos: Parasite Transforms Ants Into ''Berries''image
RE:
Check out the photos of this cave of enormous crystals
from National Geographic:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/photogalleries/giant-
crystals-cave/photo2.html
1
In mind control, neurons rule the roost
http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspxPUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=
0712&RELTYPE=PR&ORIGRELTYPE=LST&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=CY
December 20, 2007
Scientists have found that individual neurons have more computational power
and contribute more to behavior than previously thought. The researchers
used light to activate individual neurons in living mice and showed that
even short bursts of activity in a few neurons can influence learning and
decision making.
Karel Svoboda, Daniel Huber, and their colleagues at the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus and at Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory published their findings in two research articles this week in
the journal “Nature”. The first paper detailed how genetically engineered
mice respond to activation of their neurons by light pulses. In experiments
described in the subsequent paper, the researchers used light to study even
more detailed aspects of how neurons function.
When researchers want to learn how particular groups of neurons influence
an animal's behavior, they activate those neurons and then study the
effects of the stimulation. The most commonly used techniques allow
researchers to target groups of neurons by their location, but do not
permit them to understand the activity and output of these brain cells. In
addition, different types of neurons are spatially intermingled. Huber,
Svoboda and their colleagues wanted to examine the brain in more detail
than traditional methods allow—to investigate how specific types of neurons
affect learning and behavior—and so they turned to a new technique that
relies on a light-sensing protein found in green algae called
channelrhodopsin-2. Researchers have taken advantage of channelrhodopsin-2,
a protein that enables algae to migrate toward light, to stimulate only
neurons that express channelrhodopsin-2 with great precision.
In earlier studies, Svoboda and his colleagues genetically introduced
channelrhodopsin-2 into mouse neurons. By experimenting on slices of brain
tissue from the mice, the researchers showed that they could trigger nerve
impulses by shining a laser on cells that contain channelrhodopsin-2. Only
those neurons containing channelrhodopsin-2 fired when they were stimulated
by light from the laser.
In their new experiments, Huber, Svoboda and their colleagues explored
whether they could use the technique to influence the behavior of living
mice. They began by implanting tiny glass slides—which literally served as
windows into the brain—in the skulls of mice whose neurons contained
channelrhodopsin-2. The researchers then mounted a light emitting diode
(LED) light on the window.
The scientists trained the mice to respond to photostimulation of the
channelrhodopsin-2-containing neurons. As part of the training exercise,
the animals were placed in a chamber with two water ports. The animals
learned to sip from one water port when they sensed photostimulation of
their neurons, and to sip from the other port when they did not.
“These animals learned the task remarkably quickly and very reliably,” says
Svoboda. “So we knew we had a powerful method to ask how many stimuli are
required for perception and in how many neurons. This was a very precise
tool to not only stimulate just a particular cell type, but also control
the fraction of cells that are stimulated.”
The technique offered the researchers enough control to stimulate varying
numbers of neurons by controlling light intensity. Their experiments
revealed that relatively few neurons are needed to be activated for the
mice to detect the photostimulation, said Svoboda. “In the brain region
that we targeted, the total number of cells that needed to be activated
ranged from several tens of neurons to a couple of hundred, depending on
how many stimuli there were,” says Svoboda.
“The sparseness of stimulation required for detection was surprising,
because we know that there is considerable ongoing activity in the brain,”
he continues. “The activity produced by the light impulses is just a tiny
fraction of the total activity. These findings tell us that there are
mechanisms in the brain that can read out very sparse subsets of activated
neurons. So, the take-home message from these experiments is quite
powerful: that very few neurons need to be activated with very few action
potentials to drive perceptions and behavior.”
Svoboda said the broader lesson is that stimulating neurons optically is a
powerful way to study brain circuitry. “We can use these kinds of tools to
figure out which neurons are connected to each other,” he says. “And we can
also precisely manipulate particular neuronal populations and look at the
effects on quantitative behaviors. That allows one to dissect how these
circuits guide behavior.”
This kind of neuronal targeting and stimulation might even have clinical
applications, he said. “Deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson's disease
and other disorders activates brain tissue rather nondiscriminately,” says
Svoboda. “One can imagine using the kind of genetic targeting and
stimulation techniques we have used to target specific cell populations,
reducing the side effects of deep brain stimulation.”
Understanding how neurons communicate
In the second study, the researchers used light as a tool to study how the
brain works on an even more intricate level.
Neurons propagate nerve signals by communicating with one another across
junctions called synapses. These synapses are supported on tiny mushroom-
shaped spines, a multitude of which sprout from dendrites that branch from
neurons. Each spine acts as a receiving station for chemical signals—
neurotransmitters—from neighboring neurons.
As synapses are repeatedly triggered to transmit an impulse, the strength
of those connections can change through a process called long-term
potentiation (LTP). Such modification enables the brain to modify circuits
during learning.
Svoboda and his colleague Chris Harvey sought to understand whether LTP in
one dendritic spine influences LTP in another. Such crosstalk would enable
groups of synapses on the same dendritic branch to coordinate with each
other to store more information.
Again, the scientists needed a way to stimulate neurons that was more
precise than electrical stimulation. So they bathed slices of mouse brain
tissue in a solution of the neurotransmitter glutamate in which the
individual molecules had been trapped in light-sensitive molecular cages.
The researchers then used precise laser pulses to unleash the caged
glutamate at selected synapses, triggering the synapses to fire. At the
same time, they used electrical pulses to induce LTP in the neurons.
When the researchers analyzed how stimulating an individual synapse
affected its neighbors, they detected robust crosstalk. They found that
once a synapse had undergone LTP, weaker stimuli now caused LTP at
neighboring synapses.
Svoboda said that LTP at one synapse reduced the threshold for LTP at
neighboring synapses for about 10 minutes. “That could be very important
from a learning perspective,” he says, “because it is on a time-scale in
which learning takes place. In the learning process, animals usually have
to associate one event with another event on a scale of minutes. In
contrast, other neuronal mechanisms associated with synaptic plasticity
have been on the order of seconds. So, we are exploring a new time scale
for cellular plasticity, and I think people who model neuronal circuitry
will be interested in seeing how these cell-level phenomena can explain
learning and other behaviors,” he said.
In mind control, neurons rule the roost
http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=0712&RELTYPE
=PR&ORIGRELTYPE=LST&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=CY
SOURCE: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
1a Smart worm, Inteligent design or intelect of nematode triks birds.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/photogalleries/ant-
pictures/index.html
Photos: Parasite Transforms Ants Into ''Berries''
image
Some parasitic worms spread by transforming their ant hosts into "berries"
that attract foraging birds, according to a new study.
Parasite Transforms Ants Into ''Berries''
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/photogalleries/ant-
pictures/index.html
2
http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspxPUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=
0712&RELTYPE=PR&ORIGRELTYPE=MS&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=CW
Like a steel trap
December 20, 2007
In the world of commercial materials, lighter and cheaper is usually
better, especially when those attributes are coupled with superior strength
and special properties, such as a material's ability to remember its
original shape after it's been deformed by a physical or magnetic force. A
new class of materials known as "magnetic shape-memory foams" has been
developed by two research teams headed by Peter Müllner at Boise State
University and David Dunand at Northwestern University, both funded by the
National Science Foundation (NSF).
The foam consists of a nickel-manganese-gallium alloy whose structure
resembles a piece of Swiss cheese with small voids of space between thin,
curvy "struts" of material. The struts have a bamboo-like grain structure
that can lengthen, or strain, up to 10 percent when a magnetic field is
applied. Strain is the degree to which a material deforms under load. In
this instance, the force came from a magnetic field rather a physical load.
Force from magnetic fields can be exerted over long range, making them
advantageous for many applications. The alloy material retains its new
shape when the field is turned off, but the magnetically sensitive atomic
structure returns to its original structure if the field is rotated 90
degrees—a phenomenon called "magnetic shape-memory."
Making large single crystals of the alloy material is too slow and
expensive to be commercially viable—one of the reasons why gems are so
costly—so the researchers make polycrystalline alloys, which contain many
small crystals or grains. Traditional polycrystalline materials are not
porous and exhibit near zero strains due to mechanical constraints at the
boundaries between each grain. In contrast, a single crystal exhibits a
large strain as there are no internal boundaries. By introducing voids into
the polycrystalline alloy, the researchers have made a porous material that
has less internal mechanical constraint and exhibits a reasonably large
degree of strain.
The researchers created the new material by pouring molten alloy into a
piece of porous sodium aluminate salt. Once the material cooled, they
leached out the salt with acid, leaving behind large voids. The researchers
then exposed the porous alloy to a rotating magnetic field. The level of
strain achieved after each of the over 10 million rotations is consistent
with the best currently used magnetic actuators, and Müllner and Dunand
expect to significantly improve the strain when they have further optimized
the foam's architecture.
"The base alloy material was previously known, but it wasn't very effective
for shape-memory applications," Dunand said. "The porous nature of the
material amplifies the shape-change effect, making it a good candidate for
tiny motion control devices or biomedical pumps without moving parts."
NSF Program Director Harsh Deep Chopra agrees. "It's the first foam to
exhibit magnetic shape memory - it has great potential for uses that
require a large strain and light weight such as space applications and
automobiles. These materials are able to do more with less material given
their foamy structure and provide a sustainable approach to materials
development."
SOURCE: National Science Foundation
3
speaking of syncronisity and shapmemories
Sight independent—A finger-friendly polymer in the works
Nov. 16, 2007
A Johns Hopkins researcher has joined experts from four other institutions
who plan to create a dynamic electronic surface to allow blind or visually
impaired people to “feel” mathematical graphs, diagrams and other visuals
now displayed on computer screens.
Although the prototype is expected to convey relatively simple graphics,
further advances may someday allow blind people to use the interface to
sense more complex illustrations, including pictures and maps. The
prototype is expected to be completed within three years.
The project was launched recently with support from a $330,000 National
Science Foundation grant. The team is led by Ilona Kretzschmar, assistant
professor of chemical engineering at The City College of New York’s Grove
School of Engineering. Among her five primary collaborators is James E.
West, a research professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering at Johns Hopkins. West is a widely respected inventor who
received the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush in
a White House ceremony earlier this year.
West was recruited for the tactile interface team because of his extensive
knowledge of how to move electrical charges through plastic or polymer
materials. The device is expected to utilize an electro-active polymer film
that can rise slightly and may even wiggle in response to electronic
signals, enabling the user’s fingertips to sense a pattern.
The tool may also feature sound feedback to help users steer their fingers
along the lines of a graph or diagram. In developing the prototype,
Kretzschmar and West will be joined by other leading researchers are from
Baruch College, CCNY, Northwestern Univ. and the Univ. of Maryland, College
Park.
“Eventually, if we can show this is feasible, I think this device will open
up the world for people who are blind or visually impaired. The interface
could help them sense contours and changes in shape and texture and use
their fingers to perceive some of the computer images that people with
normal vision take for granted,” says West.
Costly instruments to help the blind access the Internet already exist, but
they require Braille keyboards and can only process text.
“We’re trying to make a cheaper device that would receive information
tactilely and also be able to receive graphic information,” says
Kretzschmar, who is principal investigator of the NSF grant. Kretzschmar
first contacted West several years ago to learn more about his research
into the electronic properties of polymer materials.
At Bell Labs in 1962, West and his colleague Gerhard Sessler patented the
electret microphone, in which thin sheets of polymer film, metal-coated on
one side, are given a permanent charge to help convert sound to electrical
signals with high fidelity. Almost 90% of the more than 2 billion
microphones produced today are based on the principles developed by West
and Sessler. These microphones are used in most telephones and many other
electronic devices worldwide. In 2002, West joined the faculty of Johns
Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering, where he has continued his research
into the behavior of these polymers.
He is now lending this expertise to the Kretzschmar-led project, which is
called “A Dynamic Tactile Interface for Visually Impaired and Blind
People.” The interface is expected to consist of three layers:
The bottom layer will be a touch screen connected to a computer for audio
feedback to communicate the position touched on the screen. The middle
layer will have embedded isolated electrodes to address segments of the
polymer top layer. The top layer will consist of an electro-active polymer
film covered with a thin gold film. Segments of the top layer will be able
to extend out from the surface as voltage is applied from the corresponding
electrode in the middle layer.
“In a world that increasingly depends on graphical, pictorial and
multimedia technology, visually impaired and blind people have struggled to
keep up,” Kretzschmar said. If the team can develop a viable dynamic
tactile interface that allows graphic and pictorial information to be
presented in real time in tactile rather than visual space, he continues,
the amount of information available to visually impaired and blind
individuals will increase dramatically.
Kretzschmar is producing Janus particles—particles with two halves and
named for the Roman god Janus—to be added to the polymer film to increase
its electro-active properties and run mechanical functions. The film will
then be tested to measure its addressability, maximum elongation,
durability and readability.
Members of her research team have begun to consult with representatives of
the National Federation of the Blind and with visually impaired faculty
members to obtain advice on how touch can best convey visual graphic
displays, how much the material needs to change for optimal tactile
detection and what is the best way to receive the information. In addition
to Kretzschmar and West, the primary researchers are Karen Gourgey,
director of the Computer Center for Visually Impaired People at Baruch
College; Vivien Tartter, professor of psychology at CCNY; Thrasos Pappas,
associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at
Northwestern University; and Leigh R. Abts, professor of education and
engineering at University of Maryland, College Park.
SOURCE: The Johns Hopkins University
http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspxPUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=
0711&RELTYPE=PR&ORIGRELTYPE=LST&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=AB
compaired to
http://www.ablogistan.com/archives/2007/10/support_from_th.html
Support from the troops: The difference between Obama and Clinton
I think this bit of news epitomizes the differences between Hillary Clinton
and Barack Obama as candidates: Both receive donations and support from the
"military-industrial complex," but Obama's tends to come from the military
side, whereas Hillary's comes from the defense industry.
Specifically, Obama is getting support from the troops. Among Democrats, he
leads all candidates in donations received from donors affiliated with the
military. His $63,440 is topped only by Republican candidate Ron Paul. The
fact that two long-time vocal critics of the war in Iraq are receiving
donations from the military says something about what "Support the troops"
means to the troops themselves.
However, Hillary leads all candidates in another area: Donations from
private defense contractors.
Employees of the top five arms makers - Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop-
Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics — gave Democratic presidential
candidates $103,900, with only $86,800 going to Republicans.
Senator Clinton took in $52,600, more than half of the total going to all
Democrats, and a figure equaling 60 percent of the sum going to the entire
GOP field. Her closest competitor for defense industry money is former
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R.), who raised $32,000.
Granted, these arms manufacturers would probably shift their support to
Obama if they thought he had the best chance to win—they want influence
with whoever is in the White House. But given Hillary's politically-driven
support of the invasion of Iraq in 2002, are they also trying to help her
win because they think she'd be best for business?
**************
http://www.rightwingfacebook.org/profile-giuliani/giuliani_index.html
**************
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html
Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield at Romanoff's (Beverly Hills, 1957). Click
photo to enlarge.
More Jayne Mansfield photos: Pole Dancing; Chicago Fireman; playing violin;
Joan Collins;
Posted by DrX Permalink Comments (3) TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: actors, actresses, cineam, film, Hollywood, Jayne
Mansfield, Michael Romanoff,
movies, photo of the day, publicity stunts, Romanoff's, sophia Loren,
vintage photos
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June 13, 2007 http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2071.shtml
Wolfowitz, Nietzsche and Gump
Chris Christensen wonders if neocons are, as some portray them, idealists
who made a mistake in pursuit of a noble cause or, are they arrogant
idealogues who were profoundly ignorant about the politics, culture and
history of Iraq.
This is the great paradox of the neoconservatives: their movement is a
bizarre blend of intellectual arrogance and stupefying ignorance. If one
individual could personify neoconservatism, he would be a combination of
Friedrich Nietzsche and Forrest Gump.Commentary Last Updated: Jun 12th,
2007 - 01:05:41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Idealism and the neocons
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2071.shtml
By Chris Christensen
Online Journal Contributing Writer
Jun 12, 2007, 01:03
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html
**************************
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[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]?Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
Saudi Government Arrests Popular Blogger
The Saudi government confirmed that it is has been holding a popular
blogger for interrogation since December 10, according to the NY Times.
The blogger, 32-year-old
Fouad al-Farhan, has been an outspoken critic of corruption in the Saudi
government. He has also
written about the plight of Saudi political prisoners.
Mr. Farhan was one of the first Saudi bloggers to post in Arabic using his
real name. He had been
expecting his arrest, according to friends who continue to publish his
blog.
Read more at Global Stories.
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Saudi, Saudi Arabia
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Photo of the Day: Elivs Presley
Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
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[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]?Click photo to enlarge.
I find this one a little creepy...
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Technorati Tags: Elvis, Elvis Presley, music, photo of the day, vintage
photos
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Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
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[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]?January 01, 2008
Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
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[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]?Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
************************************************
"There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem
invincible.
But in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always." -- Mahatma Gandhi
From: To: Mark B
Subject: URGENT S.1959 ACTION ALERT - - - please forward widely
Date: Nov 26, 2007 9:21 AM
THIS IS AN URGENT ACTION ALERT:
S 1959 "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of
2007" must be stopped
at all costs.
Pick up your phone today and contact your US Senator's office to instruct
them to vote "NO" on S.1959.
Click here for your Senators contact info:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Full PDF text if the bill:
http://tinyurl.com/3a3y2z
If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be
considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the
govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an "extremist belief system", instantly
make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture,
and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge
even in the
US Supreme Court.
Contact your Senator and let them know they will be looking for another job
if they vote yes on this bill, which is now introduced
into the Senate as S.1959 THIS BILL **MUST NOT** BECOME LAW, PERIOD.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1955
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1959
If this becomes law, your words could be considered "promoting an extremist
belief system",
and all they have to say is that you are using PLANNED OR THREATENED
*FORCE* (DOES NOT HAVE TO BE VIOLENCE) --
FORCE by exposing CORRUPTION, CRIMINALITY against "THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
OF THE UNITED STATES, *****
OR ANY SEGMENT THEREOF" READ THE BILL MANY TIMES AND VERY CAREFULLY--YOU
ARE THE TERRORIST
(WHICH MEANS THEY CAN STRIP YOUR CITIZENSHIP, AND HAVE YOU TORTURED AND
EXECUTED).
Senate is back in session today, do not hesitate, call, fax, email your
Senator ASAP.
Click here for your Senators contact info:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Yours in Freedom and Liberty,
Gary Franchi
RTR National Director, www.RestoreTheRepublic.com
Managing Editor, www.RepublicMagazines.com
Founder, Lone Lantern Society of America, www.LoneLantern.org
Host, Lone Lantern Radio, www.WTPRN.com www.WTPRN.com www.WTPRN.com
www.WTPRN.com www.WTPRN.com www.WTPRN.com www.WTPRN.com
Sent from:
Restore The Republic, 3149 Dundee Rd #176, Northbrook, Illinois 60062
The Box Jellyfish
Submitted by simon on Wed, 2007-12-19 09:26.
More dangerous than any shark, the box jellyfish is one of the most feared
ocean dwellers. Its bell can be 10 cm long and it can have up to fifteen
tentacles that can be over 12 feet long! It has an incredibly dangerous
poisin the can flow through the body while the stingers break your skin.
The box jelly is probably one of the most dangerous ocean animal, but get
this! They don't even have a brain or heart! Infact, all jellies don't have
any bones or basic organs. It's hard to believe that they can be living.
Anyway, next time that you are in the ocean, stay closer to the shore.
http://areallydifferentplace.org/
Travian
Submitted by nbosch on Mon, 2007-12-17 14:15.
I've heard about a browser based strategy game called Travian, some of you
might be interested in trying it out. If you want to play it at home
discuss registering with your parents. You need an email address to
receive the activation code. If you are going to use your think.com
account then you will have to add this info@travian.com to your address
book so the activation message can get through your filters.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the game:
Travian is a browser-based game, programmed in PHP, and is played directly
on the internet via a web browser. While Travian is a strategy game, with
events occurring and resources accumulated in real time, it should not be
confused with other types of real time strategy games where actions occur
in a highly interactive and fast paced environment. The player starts with
a village but seeks to build an empire. No downloads, installations or
plug-ins are required, although a graphic pack may be downloaded to ease
server stress. After registration, players can start playing Travian
immediately, free of charge. http://www.travian.com/
info@travian.com
Let me know if you tried it and what you think, if it turns out to be a
good strategy game I'll have the "graphic pack" downloaded for faster
graphics. http://areallydifferentplace.org/blog/128
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html
January 02, 2008
Psychology, Mind & Neuroscience Roundup for Wednesday
Here are a few articles/posts I've enjoyed over the past few days:
A study published in the November 2007 issue of Cognition and Emotion finds
that the mere sight
of alcohol can impair memory in those who drink a lot. The authors
speculate that, for heavier
drinkers, alcohol may have an emotional salience that narrows attention and
interferes with the encoding of memories subsequent to exposure to images of liquor. H/T: The Situationist
l
Mixing Memory offers an interesting discussion of some of the research on
rational, intuitive and
dual process theories of moral judgment.
l
Dave Munger writes about the (sometimes misleading) influence of gut
feelings on memory: l
when we're certain about a memory, we aren't influenced by external
cue subtle or otherwise. But when a memory is less sure, we tend to rely on "gut feelings." Sometimes,
however, a gut feeling is nothing more than a barely perceptible stimulus.
Our gut can mislead us—and it can also be imitated by a speaker hidden inside our chair, or the
caffeine buzz from an extra cup of coffee, or any number of other things.
Read More...
From an excellent column by John Tierney in the NY Times: Many people concerned about climate change, Dr. [Cass] Sunstein says, want to create an availability cascade by fixing an incident in people’s minds.
Hurricane Katrina is just an early example; there will be others. I don't doubt
that climate change
is real and that it presents a serious threat, but there’s a danger that
any consensus on particular events or specific findings is, in part, a
cascade.― See
also: How to Reach a Mistaken Consensus...
The full text of a refreshing article, Questioning the Banality of Evil,
has been published online. I
recommend this one highly. H/T: Mindhacks
l
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[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]?Saudi Government Arrests Popular Blogger
The Saudi government confirmed that it is has been holding a popular
blogger for interrogation since December 10, according to the NY Times.
The blogger, 32-year-old
Fouad al-Farhan, has been an outspoken critic of corruption in the Saudi
government. He has also
written about the plight of Saudi political prisoners.
Mr. Farhan was one of the first Saudi bloggers to post in Arabic using his
real name. He had been
expecting his arrest, according to friends who continue to publish his
blog.
Read more at Global Stories.
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Technorati Tags: blogger arrested, Fouah al-Farhan, Fouahd al-Farhan,
Saudi, Saudi Arabia
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Photo of the Day: Elivs Presley
Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
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[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]?Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html
"Sounds like same & revisionist bull shit of Adolph Hitler grandiose
fantasy and a fake history
(art) for White Europeans as descendants from a (The) Super race. Once you
check the cover up and
art history and look at the hooky cheesy amateur Ptolemaic crap artefact
Egyptian Greek artifacts
make a comparison to real Egyptian designs you will get it. Nothing
shocking it is just embarrassingly
crude in contrast to the obvious original works..
All in all this begs the question where did so called white people come
from in light of the proofs
of African Genesis and ignores the mitochondria DNA evidence proving all
whites are African Indo-European
Australian all sapiens are related...
A quick trip by internet search to the Museum of Natural History in England arguably the citadel off white supremacist to read what they admit is the inescapable truth black Africans founded England and Europe all whits can trace there ancestry to them 20,000 years ago every body was black. So what white supremacy died the day China who will extract its pay back for all the white shit dumped on it by living well and out numbering western racist who wished 2 Billion of China would die off and let the world population be ruled by there crazy cruel idiot white god double
talk." white supremacist
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&resnum=0&q=white+supremacist&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
Are you still in the information business? I found this quote interesting...
“The Transgenic Pigs Xenotransplantation, Biological Warfare and Apartheid still hunts an iatrogenic (i.e., man-made) outcome of specific vaccination experiments to create an ever increasing numbers of plagues predicted to depopulate at least half of the world’s current human inhabitants within two generations. Kissinger Cheney et all." The answer is tools not weapons.
We say war is out source-ing to the cultural orbit & privatization is fascism which is an orobus.One mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorist.
But that is insufficient to explain the personal agenda of say an Adolph Hitler, but not his dupes who were the masses of the post WWI recovering German people operating in there normal albeit escalated callus disregard of the other. The Gipsy The Jewish German The Black & Asian, as if a Machine or animal which act within a set of "conditioning" trained by a sets of stimulus responses producing a public which can be played as if it’s a musical instrument of chaos as a powerful destructive tool and an end in it self the heart of a self evident vain reelection of the figure head as the final token gesture of totally jaded corrupted totemic icon which allows the lowest and perhaps the most tragic human flaw and common denominator of homogenous westerners the lateral notion to rule or serve in heaven or rule in hell top or bottom never an average person "the" people persist in believing in there reincarnation as a king or quean or imperious emperors never a commoner the rich dream of being great generals or explorers and Pirates & some how heroic even mercenary adventurers even though the actual organ and value of a grate leader was (is) that they came from the common people and served the weakest (dumbest) people (children) who then submitted all there faith & strength to that leader not the other way around.
---------------------------------------------------
“Deciding to do neither the janitor shut the central air vents to all the class rooms and gassed the entire campus with a lethal combination of Household Bleach and Ammonia producing a very poisonous gases, as revenge as retaliation for year’s of perceived abuse, ridicule and physical abuse and mockery...
When asked why he killed all of the children he responded "the devil mad me do it." Them kids was a bunch of little Nazis who wanted killing...”
Creationism is racism and ignores African genesis and Lucy ignores Lucy and African genesis the mitochondria DNA
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=+ignores+Lucey+and+african+genesis+the+mitochondria+DNA
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2004/0825lawrence.asp
ignores Lucy & African genesis the evidence of mitochondria DNA
Creationism is racism and ignores African genesis and Lucy
http://images.google.com/imagessvnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&q=+Creationism+is+racism+and+ignores+African+genesis+and++Lucy&btnG=Search+Images
Homo sapiens: The Evolution of What We Think About Who We Are"
http://laelaps.wordpress.com/2007/08/11/homo-sapiens-the-evolution-of-what-we-think-about-who-we-are/rel=bookmarkHomosapiens:
The Evolution of What We Think About Who We Are
http://laelaps.wordpress.com/2007/08/11/homo-sapiens-the-evolution-of-what-we-think-about-who-we-are/
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html
Creationism is racism and ignores African genesis and Lucy
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html
... highly developed civilization in oposite.stsci.edu News Icon
www.bibleandscience.com PSC Literature Logo
www.psc-literature.org
http://drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/front_page/index.html (53 of 867)
[1/25/2008 8:52:56 PM]
January 01, 2008 Giveaway set for digital TV converters --
chicagotribune.com
Government Giveaway of Coupons for Digital TV Converters Begins
Today
Broadcast TV stations in the U.S. will turn off their analog transmissions
13 months from now on
February 17, 2009. TV sets without built-in digital tuners will go dark on
that date unless they are
equipped with an external tuner.
IBM is administering a federal program providing a $40.00 coupon toward the
purchase of "no frills"
digital converter boxes that are expected to cost between $60-$70 at Best
Buy, Wal-Mart, Target and
other authorized retail outlets. Every household is entitled to receive
two coupons for the converters.
Applications for the coupons are available on the web or by calling toll
free, 888-DTV-2009. Converter
boxes will be available for purchase in stores next month.
Dr. X's Free Associations: Front Page
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-
tue_converter_0101jan01,0,587726.story (10 of 10) [1/25/2008 9:16:55 PM]
www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue_converter_0101jan01,0,587726.story
chicagotribune.com
Giveaway set for digital TV converters
By Jim Puzzanghera
Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
January 1, 2008 The federal government doesn't usually give things away, but starting Tuesday broadcast TV watchers can apply for a gift that could keep their sets from going dark in 2009. Via a toll-free hot line and Web site the Commerce Department will begin accepting applications for coupons worth $40 off a no-frills converter box to allow older televisions to receive digital broadcast signals. "We are open for business Jan. 1," said Bart Forbes, a spokesman for the
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration, the Commerce Department agency running the
program.
The $1.5 billion program is designed to help ease the major change coming
on Feb. 17, 2009. That's
when broadcast TV stations turn off their analog signals and start
transmitting only in digital.
The program -- the biggest change in broadcast TV since the advent of color
-- will free up valuable
airwaves for public safety agencies and for new wireless phone and Internet services.
It will also deliver clearer pictures and additional broadcast channels for people who don't
have pay-TV service.
Giveaway set for digital TV converters -- chicagotribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-
tue_converter_0101jan01,0,2817290,print.story (1 of 3)
[1/25/2008 9:18:39 PM]
But some TV sets might have trouble making the technological leap. Ones without a built-in digital tuner will no longer be able to receive over-the-air signals unless owners obtain a special box to change the signals back to analog.Those boxes are expected to be available starting in February at more than
14,000 government-certified retail outlets, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack, Sears,
Target and Wal-Mart. They will cost $59.95 to $69.95.
Satellite and cable customers won't need converter boxes for TVs they have hooked up to those systems.
But there are as many as 26 million households in the U.S. that only receive over-the-air TV -- and millions more that may want the option during emergencies or power outages when cable and satellite transmissions are down.That's the reason Eric Matsuoka, 58, of Montebello, Calif., plans to obtain a converter box coupon even though he has cable service. "I'm going to apply definitely, for backup," he said. "You're not thinking of just your immediate comfort zone, just watching television -- you've got to think in case something happens."The federal agency has contracted with IBM to run the program. They have set up a toll-free number,
888-DTV-2009, which, starting at 5 a.m. CST Tuesday, will be staffed by operators who can take requests in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and four other languages.
Applications can also be filled out at http://www.dtv2009.gov .
Each household is eligible for two coupons, regardless of whether it has cable or satellite service. After the first $890 million worth of coupons are distributed the federal government will allocate an additional $450 million in coupons, but only to households that rely on over-the-air signals. The rest of the program's $1.5 billion price tag is for administrative costs.While there is enough money for 33.5 million coupons, the National Association of Broadcasters has estimated there are as many as 70 million TVs hooked up to antennas, including extra sets in homes with
cable or satellite. Many of those sets can receive only analog signals,
although sales of high-definition
TVs, which include digital tuners, have soared in the past two years.
The federal law that mandates the digital conversion required the agency to start offering coupons Jan. 1. But officials are urging people to wait before applying. The coupons will expire 90 days after they are ssued to assure they don't go unused.Forbes urged people to check their local stores and see what boxes are available before applying.- - -Making the connection Starting Tuesday each household can apply for two $40 coupons to help purchase no-frills digital-to-analog TV converter boxes. The boxes are expected to cost $59.95 to $69.95, and the coupons
Giveaway set for digital TV converters -- chicagotribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-
tue_converter_0101jan01,0,2817290,print.story (2 of 3)
[1/25/2008 9:18:39 PM]expire 90 days after they are issued. A list of
retailers expected to start stocking the boxes in February is at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/NTIA (underscore)Certified (underscore) Retailers (underscore) 121107.pdf.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/NTIA_Certified_Retailers_121107.pdf.
To apply by phone: 888-DTV-2009. The toll-free number offers interactive voice recognition or
live operators who can take orders in English, French, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish,
Tagalog and Vietnamese. There is a call-back option for people speaking 100 other languages.
Online: http://www.dtv2009.gov
Mail: Send a request for an application, or mail a completed application,
to: TV ConverterBox Coupon
Program, P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208
Source: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
Giveaway set for digital TV converters -- chicagotribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue_converter_0101jan01,0,2817290,print.story (3 of 3) [1/25/2008 9:18:39
PM]
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&q=Herman+Miller
%C2%AE+-+LeafC2AE+Personal+Light&btnG=Search+Images
http://www.allmodernlighting.com/Herman-Miller%AE-G6510-HML1044.html
Herman Miller® G6510 - Leaf® Personal Light
http://wwwl-leaf-light-dwr_w609.jpg
http://www.nuforc.org/
The answer is tools not weapons
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A3983-2005Mar26?language=printerwashingtonpost.com
Past Arguments Don't Square With Current Iran Policy
By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 27, 2005; Page A15
Lacking direct evidence, Bush administration officials argue that Iran's nuclear program must be a cover for bomb-making. Vice President Cheney recently said, "They're already sitting on an awful lot of oil and gas. Nobody can figure why they need nuclear as well to generate energy." Yet Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and outgoing Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz held key national security posts when the Ford administration made the opposite argument 30 years ago.Ford's team endorsed Iranian plans to build a massive nuclear energy industry, but also worked hard to complete a multibillion-dollar deal that
would have given Tehran control of large quantities of plutonium and enriched uranium -- the two pathways to a nuclear bomb. Either can be shaped into the core of a nuclear warhead, and obtaining one or the other is generally considered the most significant obstacle to would-be weapons builders.Iran, a U.S. ally then, had deep pockets and close ties to Washington. U.S. companies, including Westinghouse and General Electric, scrambled to do business there. "I don't think the issue of proliferation came up," Henry A. Kissinger, who was Ford's secretary of state, said in an interview for this article.The U.S. offer, details of which appear in declassified documents reviewed by The Washington Post, did not include the uranium enrichment capabilities Iran is seeking today. But the United States tried to accommodate Iranian demands for plutonium reprocessing, which produces the key ingredient of a bomb. After balking initially, President Gerald R. Ford signed a directive in 1976 offering Tehran the chance to buy and operate a U.S.-built reprocessing facility for extracting plutonium from nuclear reactor fuel.
The deal was for a complete "nuclear fuel cycle" -- reactors powered by and regenerating fissile materials on a self-sustaining basis. That is precisely the ability the current administration is trying to prevent Iran from acquiring today.
"If we were facing an Iran with a reprocessing capability today, we would be even more concerned about their ability to use plutonium in a nuclear weapon," said Corey Hinderstein, a nuclear specialist with the Institute for Science and International Security. "These facilities are well understood and can be safeguarded, but it would provide another nuclear option for Iran."
Nuclear experts believe the Ford strategy was a mistake. As Iran went from friend to foe, it became clear to subsequent administrations that Tehran should be prevented from obtaining the technologies for building weapons. But that is not the argument the Bush administration is making. Such an argument would be unpopular among parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty, which guarantees members access to nuclear power regardless of their political systems.The U.S.-Iran deal was shelved when the shah was toppled in the 1979 revolution that led to the taking of American hostages and severing of diplomatic relations.
Despite the changes in Iran, now run by a clerical government, the
country's public commitment to nuclear power and its insistence on the
legal right to develop it have remained the same. Iranian officials
reiterated the position last week at a conference on nuclear energy in
Paris.
Mohammad Saeidi, a vice president of the Atomic Energy Organization of
Iran, told the conference that Iran was determined to develop nuclear power
since oil and natural gas supplies were limited.
U.S. involvement with Iran's nuclear program until 1979, which accompanied
large-scale intelligence-sharing and conventional weapons sales, highlights
the boomerang in U.S. foreign policy. Even with many key players in common,
the U.S. government has taken opposite positions on questions of fact as
its perception of U.S. interests has changed.
Using arguments identical to those made by the shah 30 years ago, Iran says
its nuclear program is essential to meet growing energy requirements, and
is not intended for bombs. Tehran revived the program in secret, its
officials say, to prevent the United States from trying to stop it. Iran's
account is under investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency,
which is trying to determine whether Iran also has a parallel nuclear
weapons program.
Since the energy program was exposed, in 2002, the Bush administration has
alternately said that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program or wants
one. Without being able to prove those claims, the White House has made its
case by implication, beginning with the point that Iran has ample oil
reserves for its energy needs.
Ford's team commended Iran's decision to build a massive nuclear energy
industry, noting in a declassified 1975 strategy paper that Tehran needed
to "prepare against the time -- about 15 years in the future -- when
Iranian oil production is expected to decline sharply."
Estimates of Iran's oil reserves were smaller then than they are now, but
energy experts and U.S. intelligence estimates continue to project that
Iran will need an alternative energy source in the coming decades. Iran's
population has more than doubled since the 1970s, and its energy demands
have increased even more.
The Ford administration -- in which Cheney succeeded Rumsfeld as chief of
staff and Wolfowitz was responsible for nonproliferation issues at the Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency -- continued intense efforts to supply Iran
with U.S. nuclear technology until President Jimmy Carter succeeded Ford in
1977.
That history is absent from major Bush administration speeches, public
statements and news conferences on Iran.
In an opinion piece on Iran in The Post on March 9, Kissinger wrote that
"for a major oil producer such as Iran, nuclear energy is a wasteful use of
resources." White House spokesman Scott McClellan cited the article during
a news briefing, saying that it reflected the administration's current
thinking on Iran.
In 1975, as secretary of state, Kissinger signed and circulated National
Security Decision Memorandum 292, titled "U.S.-Iran Nuclear Cooperation," which laid out the administration's negotiating strategy for the sale of nuclear energy equipment projected to bring U.S. corporations more than $6 billion in revenue. At the time, Iran was pumping as much as 6 million barrels of oil a day, compared with an average of about 4 million barrels
daily today.
The shah, who referred to oil as "noble fuel," said it was too valuable to waste on daily energy needs. The Ford strategy paper said the "introduction of nuclear power will both provide for the growing needs of Iran's economy and free remaining oil reserves for export or conversion to petrochemicals."
Asked why he reversed his opinion, Kissinger responded with some surprise during a brief telephone interview. After a lengthy pause, he said: "They were an allied country, and this was a commercial transaction. We didn't address the question of them one day moving toward nuclear weapons."Charles Naas, who was deputy U.S. ambassador to Iran in the 1970s, said proliferation was high in the minds of technical experts, "but the nuclear deal was attractive in terms of commerce, and the relationship as a whole was very important." Documents show that U.S. companies, led by Westinghouse, stood to gain $6.4 billion from the sale of six to eight nuclear reactors and parts. Iran was also willing to pay an additional $1 billion for a 20 percent stake in a private uranium enrichment facility in the United States that would supply much of the uranium to fuel the reactors.Naas said Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld all were in positions to play significant roles in Iran policy then, "but in those days, you have to view Kissinger as the main figure." Requests for comment from the offices of Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld went unanswered."It is absolutely incredible that the very same players who made those statements then are making completely the opposite ones now," said Joseph Cirincione, a nonproliferation expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Do they remember that they said this? Because the Iranians sure remember that they said it," said Cirincione, who just returned from a nuclear conference in Tehran -- a rare trip for U.S. citizens now.In what Cirincione described as "the worst idea imaginable," the Ford administration at one point suggested joint Pakistani-Iranian reprocessing as a way of promoting "nonproliferation in the region," because it would cut down on the need for additional reprocessing facilities. Gary Sick, who handled nonproliferation issues under presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan, said the entire deal was based on trust. "That's the bottom line.""The shah made a big convincing case that Iran was going to run out of gas and oil and they had a growing population and a rapidly increasing demand for energy," Sick said. "The mullahs make the same argument today, but we don't trust them." Researcher Robert E. Thomason and staff writer Justin Blum contributed to this report.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A3983-2005Mar26?language=printer
lg for music
Muhammad Yunus' 'Creating a World Without Poverty'Jan 6, 2008 ... In 1992,
Rolling Stone sent William Greider, Hunter S. Thompson and PJ O'Rourke to
Little Rock, Ark., to interview presidential candidate ...
www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/01/06/0106yunus.html
NYC Guvnor Chuck Shumer homless suberb home subsidies ?
Muhammad Yunus creating a world without poverty
http://images.google.com/imageshl=en&q=Muhammad+Yunus+creating+a+world+without+poverty&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
http://www.gyford.com/phil/writing/2003/01/31/how_many_america.php
How many Americans own passports?One of the reasons America is sometimes
described as being an insular country is the low ownership or passports,
and thus the low rate of international travel. Which in some ways is fair
enough; in comparison to Europeans, for example, popping over to another
country is often a bigger deal than jumping on a train. But Ted read that
only 7 per cent of Americans own passports and wondered where the figure
comes from. It seems the statistic varies, for example:
25%: “75% of Americans don't own a passport”
22%: “just 22% of Americans own a passport”
<20%: “less than 20% of all Americans own a passport”
15%: “85 percent of Americans do not own a passport”
10%: “only 10 percent of US citizens *ever* own a passport”
<10%: “fewer than 10 percent own a passport”
7%: “only seven percent of Americans own a passport”
ntional ufo reporting center http://www.ufocenter.com/
http://www.ufocenter.com/
National UFO Reporting CenterNATIONAL UFO REPORTING CENTER World Wide Web
Site.
The web's most comprehensive and up to date UFO information source
Provided by
America's foremost UFO ...
www.ufocenter.com/ -
Ntl. UFO Reporting Center - Sighting Report FormNational UFO Reporting
Center
UFO Sighting Report Form. NUFORC Home Page. Before submitting a report,
please
read the following important guidelines: ...
www.ufocenter.com/reportform.html -
National UFO Reporting CenterDedicated to the collection and dissemination
of objective UFO data.
www.nuforc.org/
national ufo reporting center
http://www.ufocenter.com/
http://images.google.com/imagesie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&sourceid=gd&q=national+ufo++reporting
+center&hl=en&rls=DNUS,DNUS:200712,DNUS:en&wxob=0&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
Our "Four Fathers" of Ufology:
http://home.earthlink.net/~mikeyslices/Blog/blog.htm
Stanton Friedman, Budd Hopkins, John Mack and David Jacobs.
Thank you for your sacrifice, devotion and conviction.
http://www.nyufo.com/navigation.html
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