In the News

Discussion of science, technology, politics, and other topics that aren't strictly philosophical.
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Tomas
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Germany wants new world order

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Like the Post-Bismarck Era II - Germany wants new world order

Thanks to Angela Merkel, this has not led to "rising anxiety and mumbling about the Fourth Reich," explains the journal. Her personal manner provokes "no jealousy or competitiveness among the alpha males who run large countries" and she inspires "no fear among the citizens of smaller ones."

Go here > http://europeunitedstates.blogspot.com/ ... wants.html
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Re: In the News

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Harry Potter-style invisibility cloak could be created after £4.9m grant
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... grant.html
The idea centres on the use of a 'metamaterial' surface, which tricks the eye into thinking an item is not there by bending light away as it reflects from the source.

The team are led by Professor Sir John Pendry, a world-leading physicist at ICL, who first proposed the invisibility cloak in 2006, and Professor Stefan Maier, a field-leader in plasmonics, or electromagnetic wave technology.

Prof Pendry said: ''I anticipate this technology will do things we already do, but do them better and cheaper. For hundreds of thousands of years we have used chemistry to alter materials, and we have taken this as far as it can go.
State to 'spy' on every phone call, email and web search - Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... earch.html
All telecoms companies and internet service providers will be required by law to keep a record of every customer’s personal communications, showing who they have contacted, when and where, as well as the websites they have visited.

Despite widespread opposition to the increasing amount of surveillance in Britain, 653 public bodies will be given access to the information, including police, local councils, the Financial Services Authority, the ambulance service, fire authorities and even prison governors.

They will not require the permission of a judge or a magistrate to obtain the information, but simply the authorisation of a senior police officer or the equivalent of a deputy head of department at a local authority.
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Diebert van Rhijn
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Re: In the News

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News from the gender department:

Women’s carbon print is small but climate change hits them harder
Women have a lower carbon footprint than men but are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of global warming, according to the United Nations’ State of World Population report.
With small feet, would the human race had been able to make any print at all? Maybe women should strive for bigger pollution, you know: equality and all?

Men are more predictable than women 'but it helps them find a mate'
“Females like predictability in their males as it allows them to make good long-term decisions, and to deal with changing circumstances if they know their male is consistent."
Sure. As a side effect it might also help to nurture some consistency in thought, loyalty and persistence when it comes to life-size goals and dreams. And of course it helps to become completely rigid and set in ones ways too.
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Re: In the News

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Hey die, fuck off.
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Diebert van Rhijn
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Re: In the News

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Yeah, they should strive for bigger swearing, as well.
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Unusual monuments

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LED Tattoos

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LED Tattoos Could Turn Skin Into Screens

The group is developing silk-silicon LEDs that might act as photonic tattoos that can show blood-sugar
readings, as well as arrays of conformable electrodes that might interface with the nervous system.

Video here > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/2 ... 65376.html
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Netherlands nominates Kroes for EU Commission

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Netherlands nominates Kroes for EU Commission

Neelie Kroes, 68, belongs to the right-wing liberal party VVD,
which is currently in the opposition. (see her mugshot)

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article ... Commission
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Re: In the News

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CRU hacked emails taint global warming researchers:
http://www.examiner.com/x-17018-Environ ... esearchers

emails and other documents, apparently originating from with the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia. - Searchable:

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/21/c ... ow-online/
http://www.eastangliaemails.com/index.php
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Thanksgiving at Alice's Restaurant

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Thanksgiving at Alice's Restaurant: The Guthries' American Dream Lives On

Arlo Guthrie at Alice's, 1970 (photo)

And this year, the generational journey of the Guthrie family celebrates an evolution that can remind us about the heart of Thanksgiving.

Johnny added: "And we wanted to make a record that didn't make anyone wanna jump out of a minivan."

See the Guthrie clan's latest offering here: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/25 ... ican-dream
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Re: In the News

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A skull that rewrites the history of man

Interesting find of this year, indicating a predecessor of homo sapiens, fitting right into ... you guess: evolution theory. Even while it revises the current migration model.

- sophisticated tool makers with high social and cognitive skills
- brain capacity is about 600 cubic centimeters. (earliest human remains so far: 1,000 cubic centimeters)
- between 1.44 meters to 1.5 meters tall.
- upper limbs quite archaic
- lower limbs very human like: good runners
- social organization likely based on mutual care
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Re: In the News

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DELRAY BEACH, FL – November 10, 2009 -- VeriChip Corporation (NASDAQ:CHIP) ("VeriChip"), a provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, and Steel Vault Corporation (OTCBB: SVUL) ("Steel Vault"), a premier provider of identity security products and services, announced today that VeriChip has completed its acquisition of Steel Vault to provide unique health and security identification tools to protect consumers and businesses. In conjunction with the merger, VeriChip has changed its name to PositiveID ("PositiveID" or the "Company").

PositiveID will initially operate primarily in two areas: HealthID and ID Security. HealthID will focus on bringing innovative health solutions to consumers and businesses based on the Company's intellectual property, specifically a rapid virus detection system for the H1N1 virus and other forms of pandemic viruses, and an in vivo glucose-sensing RFID microchip, both of which are currently under development with partner RECEPTORS LLC.
http://www.positiveidcorp.com/pr/pr_111009.html
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Canada's image lies in tatters

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Canada's image lies in tatters

Timber firms were licensed to log the old-growth forest in Clayaquot Sound; fishing companies were permitted to
destroy the Grand Banks: in both cases these get-rich-quick schemes impoverished Canada and its reputation.

The tar barons have held the nation to ransom. This thuggish petro-state is today the greatest obstacle to a deal in Copenhagen. see disgusting photo > http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... imate-deal
Last edited by Tomas on Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Nude, Mona Lisa-like painting surfaces

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Nude, Mona Lisa-like painting surfaces

Documents suggest work at least based on similar work by da Vinci

The naked portrait once belonged to Napoleon's uncle

Story and image > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31320879/ns ... ce_science
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Building Stonehenge

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Building Stonehenge

This Man can Move Anything

Go here > http://www.youtube.com/my?v=lRRDzFROMx0
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BPA in most newborns

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BPA study finds chemical in majority of newborns

A study released this week revealed that most babies-nine of 10-were born with the industrial chemical in their systems.

Developed in the 1930s, the estrogenic mimicker appears to wreak havoc on the body's endocrine system.
Go here > http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/17320
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Gryphon Stealth Wingsuits

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Special forces soldiers could be zooming into combat wearing Gryphon Stealth Wingsuits

Seriously, how awesome does that look.

two images > http://gizmodo.com/5418253/special-forc ... -wingsuits
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Re: In the News

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Earth's atmosphere may be extraterrestrial in origin

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Earth's atmosphere may be extraterrestrial in origin

Analysis of noble gases hint that air didn't fizz from within the planet

Isotopic analyses of the gases krypton and xenon suggest that much of
Earth's atmosphere came from outer space, not inner space.

Go here > http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic ... _in_origin
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Re: In the News

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Tomas wrote:.


Special forces soldiers could be zooming into combat wearing Gryphon Stealth Wingsuits

Seriously, how awesome does that look.


Give them a gyroscopic propulsion and they could pass for Babylonian gods. :-P


Moscow officials considering cloud seeding to keep snow-removal costs down in the winter.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and- ... 0312.story

The city government says it still hasn't reached a decision. But scientists at the Central Aerological Observatory say they are deep into negotiations with authorities and expect the cloud-seeding plan to go forward.

The city has hit upon a splendid idea, the scientists say. Laboring against the uncomfortable sense that their observatory's import has waned since its Soviet heyday, they are eager to unleash their many and various technologies.

They already seed the clouds for political effect, clearing the skies over Moscow twice a year to ensure sun-drenched celebrations of patriotic holidays.

In Russia, nobody rains on the parade -- because the Russian government doesn't allow it.

"Victory Day is the most sacred holiday for us," says Bagrat Danilian, deputy chief of cloud seeding at the observatory. "When veterans go out to celebrate in Moscow, we create good weather for them."

All it takes, he says, is sacks of cement -- 500-grade, to be precise. Drop the powder down into the clouds, and they vanish.


Soviet scientists learned how to disperse clouds by accident 40 years ago: They had flown overhead and dropped powdered blue paint into the clouds to tag them for observation. Instead, the powder melted the clouds away.
Los Angeles might require microchips in recovered pets
The city is considering requiring that dogs and cats retrieved by owners at animal shelters receive the chips, for a $15 fee.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 1218.story

Under the new ordinance, owners whose lost animals are recovered would be charged $15.

"It's more about getting pets safely reunited," Barth said. "It's a humane issue."

More than 4,000 dogs are captured annually, more of which have the microchips with each passing year, she said. The technology is "clearly an effective tool," she said.

The chips cost under $10, and funds generated by the plan would help pay for services provided by local animal shelters, Barth said.
Last edited by 1456200423 on Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: In the News

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The British Army is to change camo for the first time in almost 40 years. = Moving to greener pastures soon.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8422942.stm

The new Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) will replace the traditional four colour woodland uniform known as No.8: Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM).

Forces in Afghanistan will start to get the new uniforms in March next year, with the whole army upgraded by 2011.

MTP is designed for a wide range of environments, including the volatile "green zone" of Helmand province.

British troops in Afghanistan currently use a mix of desert camouflage and temperate DPM, depending on which area they are operating in.

There are three main types of terrain in Helmand - desert, the agricultural "green zone" either side of the Helmand river, and residential areas with dusty buildings and mud huts.

One soldier said that the mix-and-match was far from ideal and made units stand out, especially in the "green zone".
Last edited by 1456200423 on Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: In the News

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Iraq says: Iranians seize Iraqi oil well on border.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34478794/ns ... tn_africa/

According to Iraq's deputy foreign minister, Mohammed Haj Mahmoud, Iranian troops crossed into Iraqi territory on Thursday and seized oil well No. 4 in the al-Fakkah oil field, located in Maysan province about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Iranian soldiers carrying rifles seized the well Thursday night in a 25-car convoy and ordered the Iraqi workers to leave the area, according to a worker at the site who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution. The soldiers then mounted an Iranian flag inside the well, he said.

The oil field is one of Iraq's largest.
"This is not the first time that the Iranians have tried to prevent Iraqis from investing in oil fields in border areas," Mahmoud told the AP.
The al-Fakkah field is considered a shared field between Iran and Iraq, meaning both nations are able to pump oil from it, but the Iraqis consider oil well No. 4 theirs.

An official at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to media said reports of Iran seizing the well were "mere rumors."


A message left for Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman seeking comment was not returned. Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted officials at the National Iranian Oil Company as denying the incursion.
Iraq sends forces to oil well seized by Iran = Mobilising army on the border.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091219/ap_ ... ea/ml_iraq

BAGHDAD – Iraq deployed security forces Saturday near a remote oil well seized by Iran, officials said, and its government pressed Tehran to withdraw its forces from the area along their disputed southern border.

U.S. officials applauded Iraq for standing its ground against Iran

"Again, we ask Iran to be committed to the good relations that they announced with Iraq and its nation, and to withdraw its forces immediately," Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Al-Arabiyah TV. "This is the demand of Iraq, and we call Iran to be committed with that."

Iran, however, appeared undeterred.

In a statement, the Iranian military denied it violated Iraq's sovereignty and cited a 1975 border agreement in claiming the oil well as part of Iran's territory.

"Our forces are on our own soil and, based on the known international borders, this well belongs to Iran," the Iranian military said in a statement to Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam satellite television.

At the same time, Iran's leaders may be feeling more isolated as the result of its domestic political unrest and international disapproval of its nuclear program.
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Re: In the News

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A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8436780.stm

The five, contracted to defend US diplomatic personnel, were accused of opening fire on a crowd in Baghdad.
Lawyers for the five guards say they were acting in self-defence, but witnesses and family members of those killed maintain that the shooting on 16 September 2007 was unprovoked.

The disputed evidence concerned statements the guards gave to state department investigators, which they were told would not be used to bring a criminal case.

This limited immunity deal meant that prosecutors should have built their case against the men without using the statements.
As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.

Donald Ball's lawyer, Steven McCool, said<snip>
"Here's a guy that's a decorated war hero who we maintain should never have been charged in the first place," he said.

Their lawyers said the men were thrilled by the ruling.
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Re: In the News

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'Lifeless' prion proteins are 'capable of evolution'
Scientists have shown for the first time that "lifeless" prion proteins, devoid of all genetic material, can evolve just like higher forms of life.
From wikipedia entry on prions:
A prion is an infectious agent that is composed primarily of protein. To date, all such agents that have been discovered propagate by transmitting a mis-folded protein state; as with viruses the protein itself does not self-replicate on its own, rather it induces existing polypeptides in the host organism to take on the rogue form. The mis-folded form of the prion protein has been implicated in a number of diseases in a variety of mammals, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as "mad cow disease") in cattle and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) in humans.
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Re: In the News

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Relic reveals Noah's ark was circular
According to newly translated instructions inscribed in ancient Babylonian on a clay tablet [aged about 3,700 years] telling the story of the ark, the vessel that saved one virtuous man, his family and the animals from god's watery wrath was not the pointy-prowed craft of popular imagination but rather a giant circular reed raft.
Part of the translation of the tablet:
Destroy your house, build a boat; despise possessions and save life! Draw out the boat that you will built with a circular design; Let its length and breadth be the same."
Once I assumed the ark story might have been about the preservation of wisdom during ages of confusion. But this translation might point to a more direct philosophical instruction: destroy your life: abandon possessions, build for eternity (the circle) instead that will master the waves! Vessel preparation is an old shamanic practice; a vehicle meant to raise consciousness for deeper and more profound insights into nature and the world. And for that sort of journey, drug induced states were just the introduction, the preparation. The actual journey, I propose, was always about getting to the nature of consciousness and reality.
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