HA Seattle: "Reichert vs Murray?
The rumor is that the Repricans are recruiting Reichert to run against Senator Murray.
Obviously a graceful way to move Reagan Dunn .. heir to the Dunn dollars and son of former Rep Jennifer ...into the eighth.
Reagan the later, however is anything but a given. If the spirit of Howard Dean lives, the Dems would be dumbass NOT to go all out in the eighth.
What does all out mean? It does not mean a sister of Darcy campaign. It means it is already too late to build a CV for the candidate. The Dems gotta get off of their hand job and put some oomph behind a real candidate who can beat Reagan, Reichert or any other R."
Thursday, January 28, 2010
span.fullpost {display:none;}
Big Huskies Acoming?
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Stephen Schwartz
Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 9:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Aaup] Oregonian: Nike's Knight opposes tax measures
To: Janelle Taylor
Tx. Janelle
Fair, balanced .. just the truth!
Given the censorship of news on the camopus and especially on the AAUP listserv, I will not post my response to this on the AAUP listserv. I did, however, want to say thank you and express my thoughts about how this may be relevant to Dr. Wise's claim that her board membership is not entangled with her job.
From: Stephen Schwartz
Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 9:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Aaup] Oregonian: Nike's Knight opposes tax measures
To: Janelle Taylor
Tx. Janelle
Fair, balanced .. just the truth!
Given the censorship of news on the camopus and especially on the AAUP listserv, I will not post my response to this on the AAUP listserv. I did, however, want to say thank you and express my thoughts about how this may be relevant to Dr. Wise's claim that her board membership is not entangled with her job.
***********************************************************************
I have heard that Wise believes she can change Knight's POV!
What point of view? If anything, I suspect Knight might well be willing to add the Huskies to his collection of football teams. He has given well over a $100,000,000 to the Oregon athletic Dept.
To be fair, he has also built some academic buildings on campus in memory of his family. As a donor he may fit the long running mantra that athletics stimulate donors to give to the entire University.
As for UO athletics, Knight has said he wants the team to be self supporting! ... That is he wants to create a not-for-profit UO atheltics program that would, I suppose, not be dependent on the state.
Put in perspective, his donations would hugely increase the UW endowment ... but would raise the specter for many of us of the UW becoming more of a big ten style campus ... an academic appendage to a professional athletics enterprise.
Is this what Dr. Wise means when she says that she believes she can influence Nike to do good?
Is this related to President Emmert's desire for a new stadium?
--
Stephen M. Schwartz
Pathology
I have heard that Wise believes she can change Knight's POV!
What point of view? If anything, I suspect Knight might well be willing to add the Huskies to his collection of football teams. He has given well over a $100,000,000 to the Oregon athletic Dept.
To be fair, he has also built some academic buildings on campus in memory of his family. As a donor he may fit the long running mantra that athletics stimulate donors to give to the entire University.
As for UO athletics, Knight has said he wants the team to be self supporting! ... That is he wants to create a not-for-profit UO atheltics program that would, I suppose, not be dependent on the state.
Put in perspective, his donations would hugely increase the UW endowment ... but would raise the specter for many of us of the UW becoming more of a big ten style campus ... an academic appendage to a professional athletics enterprise.
Is this what Dr. Wise means when she says that she believes she can influence Nike to do good?
Is this related to President Emmert's desire for a new stadium?
On Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 8:24 AM, Janelle S. Taylor <jstaylor@u.washington.edu> wrote:
______________________________Of possible interest in connection with the question of Provost Wise's position on the Nike board (issues surrounding which will, I believe, be up for discussion at today's Faculty Senate meeting). Oregon's recent income-tax measures will boost state revenue and avoid drastic cuts to higher ed and human services, and for this reason have been welcomed by some here as a model for how Washington too might avert impending disastrous budget cuts to UW, among other important agencies and institutions. Nike's chairman Phil Knight has publicly opposed these measures and issued a veiled threat that Nike may leave the state if the legislation were passed (see below).
Janelle Taylor
-------------------
January 17, 2010, 6:39AM
The Oregonian
Nike chairman: Anti-business climate nurtures 66, 67
By Guest Columnist PHIL KNIGHT
Forty-six years ago, when Mark Hatfield was governor, I started a small business in Oregon. In our first year, sales totaled $8,000. I am proud that
it eventually became a major employer in the state.
It has been my hope that other entrepreneurs would similarly pursue their dreams in Oregon.
They won't.
Measures 66 and 67 should be labeled Oregon's Assisted Suicide Law II.
They will allow us to watch a state slowly killing itself.
They are anti-business, anti-success, anti-inspirational, anti-humanitarian, and most ironically, in the long run, they will deprive the state of tax
revenue, not increase it.
The current state tax codes are all of those things as well. Measures 66 and 67 just take it up and over the top.
The state of Washington has no income tax. Its unemployment rate is 20 percent lower than Oregon's -- before 66 and 67. These measures would give
Oregon the highest income tax rates in the country.
Reputable economists forecast 66 and 67 will cost the state thousands -- maybe tens of thousands -- of jobs, and that thousands of our most
successful residents will leave the state.
We are way too anti-business as we are now. The state in past years was headquarters for The First National Bank, US Bank, Pacific Power, Willamette
Industries, Georgia-Pacific, Jantzen, White Stag, G.I. Joe's, Monaco Coach, Meier & Frank, among many others. They are now headquartered elsewhere, are
controlled by non-Oregonians or no longer exist.
One Fortune Global 500 company remains. But its founder and chairman is not merely an economic man. He has webs between his toes. But he, too, has some
limits.
Do you really think any of these overseas "business trips" our leaders take will bear fruit? Can they get a company to move to anti-business Oregon
without waiving taxes, passing even more burden onto the rest of us?
There are words to describe what we are doing with 66 and 67: It is called a death spiral.
Phil Knight is co-founder and chairman of Nike Inc.
_________________
Aaup mailing list
Aaup@u.washington.edu
http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/aaup
--
Stephen M. Schwartz
Pathology
--
Stephen M. Schwartz
Pathology
Apple iPad: Love It or Lump It? - apple tablet - Lifehacker
Apple iPad: Love It or Lump It? - apple tablet - Lifehacker
What a disappointment. Alan Key, who first suggested the idea of computer in a pad must be wondering what the fuck/
Rather than a step forward, Apple has taken their cell phone and inflated it. That is it. That is all.
Far too little on board memory .. is this to be ONLY cloud based?
Low resolution touch screen ... fingers are NOT a good tool for drawing anything .. finger paint anyone?
Battery life?
form factor ... Apple must think folks want to carry around a framed toy .. like an etch a sketch rather than a yellow pad. A good 10% of the screen is its border.
Input? No USB.
Input? no camera?
Input? No voice recognition and no hand writing recognition.
Other than that the great innovation her is .................?
The real message here is that Apple is a predator, it has a crew of loyal fans who mourn Michael Jackson but can still buy iSTUFF. If Jobs can sell this thing, he is amazing!
Posted by SM Schwartz at 8:56 AM"
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Great Rightwing Cabal
Curiouser and Curiouser
Andrew Breitbart
But things got a lot fuzzier in a radio interview Breitbart did with a sympathetic Hugh Hewitt late yesterday.
We are sending doctors, not soldiers
granma.cu - Reflections of Fidel: We are sending doctors, not soldiers: "It is only fair to confirm that, to date, our modest aircraft and the important human resources that Cuba has placed at the disposal of the Haitian people h
ave arrived at their destination without any difficulty whatsoever.
We are sending doctors, not soldiers!"
Is this an opportunity wasted? Shouldn't Obama/Clinton use this as chance to open relations with Cuba?
ave arrived at their destination without any difficulty whatsoever.We are sending doctors, not soldiers!"
Is this an opportunity wasted? Shouldn't Obama/Clinton use this as chance to open relations with Cuba?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
When Humans and Their Fur Parted Ways
Three years ago Dr. Rosalind Harding of Oxford University and others made a worldwide study of the MC1R gene by extracting it from blood samples and analyzing the sequence of DNA units in the gene. They found that the protein made by the gene is invariant in African populations, but outside of Africa the gene, and its protein, tended to vary a lot.
Dr. Harding concluded that the gene was kept under tight constraint in Africa, presumably because any change in its protein increased vulnerability to the sun's ultraviolet light, and was fatal to its owner. But outside Africa, in northern Asia and Europe, the gene was free to accept mutations, the constant natural changes in DNA, and produced skin colors that were not dark.
..........................
As soon as the ancestral human population in Africa started losing its fur, Dr. Rogers surmised, people would have needed dark skin as a protection against sunlight. Anyone who had a version of the MC1R gene that produced darker skin would have had a survival advantage, and in a few generations this version of the gene would have made a clean sweep through the population.
..........................
From the number of silent mutations in African versions of the MC1R gene, Dr. Rogers and two colleagues, Dr. David Iltis and Dr. Stephen Wooding, calculate that the last sweep probably occurred 1.2 million years ago, when the human population consisted of a mere 14,000 breeding individuals. In other words, humans have been hairless at least since this time, and maybe for much longer. Their article is to appear in a future issue of Current Anthropology.
The estimated minimum date for human hairlessness seems to fall in reasonably well with the schedule of other major adaptations that turned an ordinary ape into the weirdest of all primates. Hominids first started occupying areas with few shade trees some 1.7 million years ago. This is also the time when long limbs and an external nose appeared. Both are assumed to be adaptations to help dissipate heat, said Dr. Richard Klein, an archaeologist at Stanford University. Loss of hair and dark skin could well have emerged at the same time, so Dr. Rogers' argument was 'completely plausible,' he said.
From 1.6 million years ago the world was in the grip of the Pleistocene ice age, which ended only 10,000 years ago. Even in Africa, nights could have been cold for fur-less primates. But Dr. Ropers noted that people lived without clothes until recently in chilly places like Tasmania and Tierra del Fuego.
Chimpanzees have pale skin and are born with pale faces that tan as they grow older. So the prototype hominid too probably had fair skin under dark hair, said Dr. Nina Jablonski, an expert on the evolution of skin color at the California Academy of Sciences. 'It was only later that we lost our hair and at the same time evolved an evenly dark pigmentation,' she said.
But wait, there is more!
Humans have the distinction of being host to three different kinds: the head louse, the body louse and the pubic louse. The body louse, unlike all other kinds that infect mammals, clings to clothing, not hair. It presumably evolved from the head louse after humans lost their body hair and started wearing clothes.
Dr. Stoneking, together with Dr. Ralf Kittler and Dr. Manfred Kayser, report in today's issue of Current Biology that they compared the DNA of human head and body lice from around the world, as well as chimpanzee lice as a point of evolutionary comparison. From study of the DNA differences, they find that the human body louse indeed evolved from the louse, as expected, but that this event took place surprisingly recently, sometime between 42,000 and 72,000 years ago. Humans must have been wearing clothes at least since this time.
Modern humans left Africa about 50,000 years ago. Dr. Stoneking and his colleagues say the invention of clothing may have been a factor in the successful spread of humans around the world, especially in the cooler climates of the north.
Dr. Stoneking said in an interview that clothing could also have been part of the suite of sophisticated behaviors, such as advanced tools, trade and art, that appear in the archaeological record some 50,000 years ago, just before humans migrated from Africa.
The head louse would probably have colonized clothing quite soon after the niche became available — within thousands and tens of thousands of years, Dr. Stoneking said. So body lice were probably not in existence when humans and Neanderthals diverged some 250,000 or more years ago. This implies that the common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals did not wear clothes and therefore probably Neanderthals didn't either.
....if Dr. Rogers and Dr. Stoneking are correct, humans were naked for a million years before they noticed their state of undress and called for the tailor."
Jackson ‘thought of becoming Muslim’ | Pakistan Daily
Jackson ‘thought of becoming Muslim’
Written by (Author ) World Jan 24, 2010
MUSIC icon Michael Jackson was considering converting to Islam during his stay in Bahrain, it has emerged. The late King of Pop, who died of a heart attack last June, talked about it after being moved by teachings in the Quran.
During an interview with the Dubai-based Al Arabiya news station, brother Jermaine said the idea came when Michael began to study Islam when he was a private guest of Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Bahrain in 2005.
The Jackson family were brought up as Jehovah’s Witnesses until 1989 when Jermaine converted to Islam. He said he believed converting to Islam would have helped the controversial star personally and professionally. “I believe that Islam would have helped him a lot,” Jermaine said. “Had Michael converted he would have been spared all the problems he had been subjected to throughout his life."
Written by (Author ) World Jan 24, 2010
MUSIC icon Michael Jackson was considering converting to Islam during his stay in Bahrain, it has emerged. The late King of Pop, who died of a heart attack last June, talked about it after being moved by teachings in the Quran.
During an interview with the Dubai-based Al Arabiya news station, brother Jermaine said the idea came when Michael began to study Islam when he was a private guest of Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Bahrain in 2005.
The Jackson family were brought up as Jehovah’s Witnesses until 1989 when Jermaine converted to Islam. He said he believed converting to Islam would have helped the controversial star personally and professionally. “I believe that Islam would have helped him a lot,” Jermaine said. “Had Michael converted he would have been spared all the problems he had been subjected to throughout his life."
Haiti
The Detroit News | detnews.com | Sunday, January 24, 2010 | News, sports, features, blogs, photos and forums from Detroit and Michigan: "Haiti gov't says 150K bodies recovered in capital
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti -- The confirmed death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake has topped 150,000 in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area alone, the communications minister said Sunday, with many more thousands dead around the country or still buried under the rubble. - 11:57 am"
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti -- The confirmed death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake has topped 150,000 in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area alone, the communications minister said Sunday, with many more thousands dead around the country or still buried under the rubble. - 11:57 am"
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
A Different View of Benedict
Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post: "In Defense of Benedict XVI
Bernard-Henri Lévy, 01.24.2010
French philosopher and writer
It is time to put an end to the disingenuousness -- the bias, in a word -- and the disinformation concerning Benedict XVI."
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
Bernard-Henri Lévy, 01.24.2010
French philosopher and writer
It is time to put an end to the disingenuousness -- the bias, in a word -- and the disinformation concerning Benedict XVI."
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
span.fullpost {display:none;}
Obama, MBAism?
Al Jazeera English - AJE: "Obama's holding the fort for now
US president has been more of a man
ager than a leader, m"
US president has been more of a man
ager than a leader, m"Thursday, January 21, 2010
Vote Socialist Basketball Party?
Be careful what you wish for.
Brown did not and could not have won as Repub. He won as a populist independent.
There is NO evidence that he has stemmed the tide fleeing from the Radicalism of your party.
I suspect that this is the first time since Jefferson quit the Federalists that the majority of folks may be becoming independents.
While it is clear that in 2010 (near binary there!) BHO also used the same tactic in 2008. BTW, he too ran as the alternative to the radicals in his own party.
Combine all this with a corporate funded free for all and we could have the government we may all deserve.
BTW, Israel is an example of a state where Tea Baggers diminate. Israeli political parties really do not exist in the American sense. Imagine the Congress having to organize itself Israeli style? What marginal group would hold the balance ... NARAL? DAR? FORD PAC? SOCCER FANS? ARYAN NATION? LAROUCHE?
HorsesAss.Org » Blog Archive » SCOTUS lifts lid on corporate political spending
Reply to Osgood
I absolutely agree with your use of the F (fascism) word here. Too many people equate the f word with Hitler. Hitler was far less of a fascist then Stalin was or China's Hu is today. Singapore is very much a fascist state, although the line between Confucianism and fascism is difficult t define.
Bottom line is Jeffersonian. He understood the dangers of corporate power .. something he equated with the North.
Corps are not people but neither are unions people. "we" the people is an oxymoron.
Corporations are profit making entities. They exist as individuals only to make money. If individuals who own these entities want to buy an election (as Paul Allen did here) then our system allows that. If Paul Allen wants to buy 51% of Boeing and THEN use Boeing's pre tax dollars to buy an election THAT should not be allowed.
I think some of the free speech issue has to do with the distinction between groups of people and sets of money. Look at it this way, my synagogue is not allowed to spend money on polituics. It, however, is an individual in the same sense that Boeing is.
Unions are a different issue then corporations because a union's have a democratic structure.
So, it seems to me that an answer would be that no organization that does not have a democratic structure should be allowed to spend non taxed dollars on political affairs. This would allow unions, pacs, and maybe even some churchesto spend money but allow not entities owned and controlled by investors to spend coproate dollars.
This would be a hard pill for dems and reps as well. The effect would likely end corporate support for charities as well as corporate support for politicians.
I absolutely agree with your use of the F (fascism) word here. Too many people equate the f word with Hitler. Hitler was far less of a fascist then Stalin was or China's Hu is today. Singapore is very much a fascist state, although the line between Confucianism and fascism is difficult t define.
Bottom line is Jeffersonian. He understood the dangers of corporate power .. something he equated with the North.
Corps are not people but neither are unions people. "we" the people is an oxymoron.
Corporations are profit making entities. They exist as individuals only to make money. If individuals who own these entities want to buy an election (as Paul Allen did here) then our system allows that. If Paul Allen wants to buy 51% of Boeing and THEN use Boeing's pre tax dollars to buy an election THAT should not be allowed.
I think some of the free speech issue has to do with the distinction between groups of people and sets of money. Look at it this way, my synagogue is not allowed to spend money on polituics. It, however, is an individual in the same sense that Boeing is.
Unions are a different issue then corporations because a union's have a democratic structure.
So, it seems to me that an answer would be that no organization that does not have a democratic structure should be allowed to spend non taxed dollars on political affairs. This would allow unions, pacs, and maybe even some churchesto spend money but allow not entities owned and controlled by investors to spend coproate dollars.
This would be a hard pill for dems and reps as well. The effect would likely end corporate support for charities as well as corporate support for politicians.
HorsesAss.Org » Blog Archive » SCOTUS lifts lid on corporate political spending
HorsesAss.Org » Blog Archive » SCOTUS lifts lid on corporate political spending
Here is the beginning of my post. An@3 So Puddykins
Would you say it was OK if Microsoft, with tis kitty of tens of billions of dollars, decided it wanted to BUY control of WA state?
Or do you think MS shareholders should decide THEY want to do thins by cutting the value of their dividends and accepting the judgement of the (free) market of the effects of such expenditures on the MS share price?
As you think on this, let SJ suggest that you also consider the different ownerships of corporations vs unions. Unions, whether they are corrupt or not, must have elected leadership. That leadership represents one member one vote .. not all that different from how e govern the USoA.
Corporations may be controlled by a few folks who own most of the shares or even by a foreign entity owned by its government.
So lets go one step further. Chrysler is now controlled by Fiat. Would you mind if Fiat decided to adopt the Democratic party of Michigan?
Suppose the foreign were was not just a corporation. Suppose it were a foreign government? Levorno is largely owned by the Chinese Army. Suppose Levorno (using Chinese money) BOUGHT MS, and then decided it wanted to set up a Chinese style "democracy" here? OK by you if the government of China finances (through its MS subsidiary) the WA state Reds (aka Repubs)?
It seems t me that a true conservative would oppose corporatism .. Private as well as Public.
Here is the beginning of my post. An@3 So Puddykins
Would you say it was OK if Microsoft, with tis kitty of tens of billions of dollars, decided it wanted to BUY control of WA state?
Or do you think MS shareholders should decide THEY want to do thins by cutting the value of their dividends and accepting the judgement of the (free) market of the effects of such expenditures on the MS share price?
As you think on this, let SJ suggest that you also consider the different ownerships of corporations vs unions. Unions, whether they are corrupt or not, must have elected leadership. That leadership represents one member one vote .. not all that different from how e govern the USoA.
Corporations may be controlled by a few folks who own most of the shares or even by a foreign entity owned by its government.
So lets go one step further. Chrysler is now controlled by Fiat. Would you mind if Fiat decided to adopt the Democratic party of Michigan?
Suppose the foreign were was not just a corporation. Suppose it were a foreign government? Levorno is largely owned by the Chinese Army. Suppose Levorno (using Chinese money) BOUGHT MS, and then decided it wanted to set up a Chinese style "democracy" here? OK by you if the government of China finances (through its MS subsidiary) the WA state Reds (aka Repubs)?
It seems t me that a true conservative would oppose corporatism .. Private as well as Public.
SCOTUS Says Unions and Corps Have Free Speech
I am not an attorney but to seems t me that the issue here is simple, free speech is free speech.
That said, I am not convinced that one can argue the corporations are individuals. Corporations are also not unions. The latter are non profits organized for a political purpose .. that is to bargain en masse with employers or trades.
So, I suggest the real issues is TAXES. Corporations can not exist whose functions include determining who is or is not elected ... at least they should not be free to do so with untaxed money. Corporations should be free to spend or waste money any way they want, but that does not mean they can do so w/o taxes.
Unions are already non-profit so the issue seems to be simple. Make political expenditures by profit making entities taxable.
To be entirely consistent, however, I would also make "charitable" donations by corporations taxable. If Boeing's stockholders want to endow a chair at the UW, then Boeing should set up a charity and deduct those contributions .. along with political contributions .. from its dividends.
That said, I am not convinced that one can argue the corporations are individuals. Corporations are also not unions. The latter are non profits organized for a political purpose .. that is to bargain en masse with employers or trades.
So, I suggest the real issues is TAXES. Corporations can not exist whose functions include determining who is or is not elected ... at least they should not be free to do so with untaxed money. Corporations should be free to spend or waste money any way they want, but that does not mean they can do so w/o taxes.
Unions are already non-profit so the issue seems to be simple. Make political expenditures by profit making entities taxable.
To be entirely consistent, however, I would also make "charitable" donations by corporations taxable. If Boeing's stockholders want to endow a chair at the UW, then Boeing should set up a charity and deduct those contributions .. along with political contributions .. from its dividends.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Why it Matters to Me
Written for AAUP Listsrv in response to faculty concerned that the issues surrounding Dr. Wise may huert our efforts in Olympia.
With all due respect to Drs, Lowenberg and Willnyk, I think they do not understand the issues. The last thing we should want from either an ethical or an image point of view is for the public to see UW faculty as willing to set aside academic focus or ethical standards in the pursuit of personal wealth.
These issues are not at all limited to Drs. Wise and Emmert. If faculty administrators claim that their ethical decisions are only subject to review by themselves, these faculty members have exempted themselves from the review process for all faculty, The public does not make distinctions between faculty administrators and the rest of us. If we do not show a concern for our own ethical rules, who should show that concern?
Aside from any public relations associated with their net income and aside from issues related specifically to Nike, such a claim by faculty administrators could undermine the Code. The University of Washington, like any Washington State agency, is required to have its own code of ethics. These codes are usually written by the administration of the agency. As UW faculty, we are very fortunate that our Code is written by ourselves, that is by the Senate. Moreover, the Code is part of Washington State Law and has been enforced by the Washington State Courts.
May I suggest that responsible action by the Faculty, based on a real concern that we serves as loyal employees of an ethical and equitable institution, not in financial jealousy or even dislike for Nike, should enhance our image across the State? We should be seen as setting the standard, not putting it aside.
With all due respect to Drs, Lowenberg and Willnyk, I think they do not understand the issues. The last thing we should want from either an ethical or an image point of view is for the public to see UW faculty as willing to set aside academic focus or ethical standards in the pursuit of personal wealth.
These issues are not at all limited to Drs. Wise and Emmert. If faculty administrators claim that their ethical decisions are only subject to review by themselves, these faculty members have exempted themselves from the review process for all faculty, The public does not make distinctions between faculty administrators and the rest of us. If we do not show a concern for our own ethical rules, who should show that concern?
Aside from any public relations associated with their net income and aside from issues related specifically to Nike, such a claim by faculty administrators could undermine the Code. The University of Washington, like any Washington State agency, is required to have its own code of ethics. These codes are usually written by the administration of the agency. As UW faculty, we are very fortunate that our Code is written by ourselves, that is by the Senate. Moreover, the Code is part of Washington State Law and has been enforced by the Washington State Courts.
May I suggest that responsible action by the Faculty, based on a real concern that we serves as loyal employees of an ethical and equitable institution, not in financial jealousy or even dislike for Nike, should enhance our image across the State? We should be seen as setting the standard, not putting it aside.
Friday, January 15, 2010
SW as Morality
Latest news headlines - CNET News: "Microsoft's Ballmer: We're staying in China
January 14, 2010 2:11 PM PST
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reiterated his company's commitment to staying in China and following local laws, in response to Google's statements that it might be leaving."
January 14, 2010 2:11 PM PST
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reiterated his company's commitment to staying in China and following local laws, in response to Google's statements that it might be leaving."
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Haiti as Pandora
Where is "Christian" love?
I think the Trolls mis
Just flip on CNN/MSNBC and Fox. The first two are doing a great job of covering the holocaust in Haiti and especialy of giving good people guidance about ways to help,
Fox? Theyt seem to think this is another publicity trick. When they do cover the issue it is with smirks and winks.
Last night Palin and Beck did an hour if alternative reality that put Avatar to shame. Haiti might as well have been Pandora!
I think the Trolls misMediaWATCH Limbaugh: 'We've Already Donated To Haiti, It's Called U.S. Income Tax'
s the point about Pat and Limbaugh. The entire conservative, Christian movement is showing its ugly head.Just flip on CNN/MSNBC and Fox. The first two are doing a great job of covering the holocaust in Haiti and especialy of giving good people guidance about ways to help,
Fox? Theyt seem to think this is another publicity trick. When they do cover the issue it is with smirks and winks.
Last night Palin and Beck did an hour if alternative reality that put Avatar to shame. Haiti might as well have been Pandora!
Haiti earthquake: 16 Brits missing as horrifying new pictures reveal extent of destruction | Mail Online
Haiti earthquake: 16 Brits missing as horrifying new pictures reveal extent of destruction | Mail Online: "Haiti earthquake: 16 Brits missing as horrifying images reveal extent of destruction
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
By Michael Seamark and Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 3:33 PM on 14th January 2010
* Comments (12)
* Videos
* Add to My Stories
* Haitian Red Cross: 45,000 - 50,000 people died in the earthquake
* Hillary Clinton: 'Biblical' damage is on par with the 2004 Asian tsunami
* Horrifying images show capital Port-au-Prince razed to the ground
* Charity workers describe gutters 'running with blood'
* New video of buildings collapsing during earthquake emerges
* Red Cross runs out of medical supplies"
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
By Michael Seamark and Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 3:33 PM on 14th January 2010
* Comments (12)
* Videos
* Add to My Stories
* Haitian Red Cross: 45,000 - 50,000 people died in the earthquake
* Hillary Clinton: 'Biblical' damage is on par with the 2004 Asian tsunami
* Horrifying images show capital Port-au-Prince razed to the ground
* Charity workers describe gutters 'running with blood'
* New video of buildings collapsing during earthquake emerges
* Red Cross runs out of medical supplies"
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Top 10 scientific frauds in 2009
Top 10 scientific frauds in 2009: "Top 10 scientific frauds in 2009
By Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-01-13 06:14
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Editor's Note: Under the cover of 'modern science' and technology, frauds can appear to be the truth, and the public sometimes deceived. When people are dangerously ill, they sometimes spend huge sums of money on what they believe to be 'miraculous' remedies, only to find they have been duped.
Here are the top 10 'scientific' frauds of 2009 summarized by the Beijing Sci-Tech Report. [The Top 10 Everything of 2009]
1. The doctor with miraculous skills
2. Anti-H1N1 masks
3. False 'navy hospital' website
4. 'China Brand Research Institute'
5. Girl suffers kidney failure after taking weight-reduction capsule
6. Selenium capsules and cancer
7. Inborn talent genetic test
8. Anti-inebriation drug
9. Milk without antibiotics
10. Body-shaping lingerie"
By Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-01-13 06:14
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Editor's Note: Under the cover of 'modern science' and technology, frauds can appear to be the truth, and the public sometimes deceived. When people are dangerously ill, they sometimes spend huge sums of money on what they believe to be 'miraculous' remedies, only to find they have been duped.
Here are the top 10 'scientific' frauds of 2009 summarized by the Beijing Sci-Tech Report. [The Top 10 Everything of 2009]
1. The doctor with miraculous skills
2. Anti-H1N1 masks
3. False 'navy hospital' website
4. 'China Brand Research Institute'
5. Girl suffers kidney failure after taking weight-reduction capsule
6. Selenium capsules and cancer
7. Inborn talent genetic test
8. Anti-inebriation drug
9. Milk without antibiotics
10. Body-shaping lingerie"
China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World
China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World: "Major quake hits Haiti, thousands feared dead
Dazed and injured Haitians sat on darkened streets pleading for help Wednesday and untold numbers were trapped in tons of rubble brought down by the strongest earthquake to hit this poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years.
Haiti quake updates & aid effort launched New!
Quake buries 8 Chinese peacekeepers
Chinese rescue team depart for Haiti"
Dazed and injured Haitians sat on darkened streets pleading for help Wednesday and untold numbers were trapped in tons of rubble brought down by the strongest earthquake to hit this poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years.
Haiti quake updates & aid effort launched New!
Quake buries 8 Chinese peacekeepers
Chinese rescue team depart for Haiti"
Vatican says 'Avatar' is no masterpiece - Yahoo! News
Vatican says 'Avatar' is no masterpiece - Yahoo! News: "VATICAN CITY – 'Avatar' is wooing audiences worldwide with visually dazzling landscapes and nature-loving blue creatures. But the Vatican is no easy crowd to please.
The Vatican newspaper and radio station are criticizing James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster for flirting with the idea that worship of nature can replace religion — a notion the pope has warned against. They call the movie a simplistic and sappy tale, despite its awe-inspiring special effects."
The Vatican newspaper and radio station are criticizing James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster for flirting with the idea that worship of nature can replace religion — a notion the pope has warned against. They call the movie a simplistic and sappy tale, despite its awe-inspiring special effects."
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Joining the NRA!
WTF
SJ just got a FREE membership in the NRA .... well sorta free, I got a free, embossed membership card in the mail!
Made me think, why should the state sell booze as opposed to guns?
Seems to me that state controlled gun sales offer a LOT more reason than state controlled booze.
Think about the Constutional issue … the second amendment says NOTHING about the right to sell arms.
You wanna sell your gun? Great! The state could have a buy back program to control profiteers! Some might cavil that this would be ubnfair to collectors but . the second amendment says NOTHING about the right to collect arms.
You wanna bring your gun in form Idaho? GREAT! Just bring it into your friendly WA state guy store where you can register your ownership! . the second amendment says NOTHING about the right to supply arms across state lines
Hmmmm …
I just realized the . the second amendment says NOTHING about the right to own arms. So maybe guns could be leased by the state!"
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
Cross and Crescent
International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten: "Life and Death in the Middle Belt
A Clash of Civilizations in Nigeria
Muslims and Christians are both growing more radical in Nigeria, home of the would-be underwear bomber. Almost nowhere else in the world does the rivalry between religions lead to bloody conflict quite so often. By SPIEGEL Staff more... [ Forum ]"
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
A Clash of Civilizations in Nigeria
Muslims and Christians are both growing more radical in Nigeria, home of the would-be underwear bomber. Almost nowhere else in the world does the rivalry between religions lead to bloody conflict quite so often. By SPIEGEL Staff more... [ Forum ]"
Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.
Obama, The Musical!
International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten: "Hope-a-LoozaBarack Obama Musical to Kick off in Frankfurt
Barack Obama and his dramatic ascent to power has inspired a raft of books and articles. Now a German musical is set to pay an all-singing, all-dancing tribute to the world's most powerful man. Hope! will soon premiere in Frankfurt. By Jess Smee more..."
Blogger: SLU, the BLOG for UW and biology at SLU - Edit Post "Most ancient Hebrew biblical inscription deciphere..."
Blogger: SLU, the BLOG for UW and biology at SLU - Edit Post "Most ancient Hebrew biblical inscription deciphere...": "Most ancient Hebrew biblical inscription deciphered | Eureka! Science News:
A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible was written. Professor Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription on a pottery shard discovered in the Elah valley dating from the 10th century BCE (the period of King David's reign), and has shown that this is a Hebrew inscription. The discovery makes this the earliest known Hebrew writing. The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the biblical scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time.
The discovery makes this the earliest known Hebrew writing. The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the biblical scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time.'"
A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible was written. Professor Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription on a pottery shard discovered in the Elah valley dating from the 10th century BCE (the period of King David's reign), and has shown that this is a Hebrew inscription. The discovery makes this the earliest known Hebrew writing. The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the biblical scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time.
The discovery makes this the earliest known Hebrew writing. The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the biblical scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time.'"
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Seattle Center, Inside Out
Turn the Venues Around!
A major problem with the Seattle Center is that many of the venues open onto the surrounding busy streets rather than onto the park/interior.
A simple change in pathways could solve a lot of this and provide more basis for interaction ... the substance of any park.
The other opportunity may be Seattle's lack of an art district. Pioneer Square is going, Fremont, Cap Hill, are long gone. Bell Town never did welcome the galleries.The Center could encourage commercial galleries to use space. Add in some magnet restaurants and the place would grow on its own.
The longer term issue is the need for city planning for the arts. Moving SAM and Benaroya to downtown was a bad move. The African American museum is beginning to like a castle built on a hill be some long lost community. On their own, these venues are not stimulating their neighborhoods and the synergy that could have been with the Mercer Complex, EMP, and Science Museum now can not happen. I am notgoptimistic about MOHAI on Lake Union.
There are, however, some other potential arts types that with $$ could move there. I would love to see the UW have a presence, probably in the form of a new Burke Museum. Seattle also seems odd in not having a real children's museum or a technology museum based on its signature industries. It is easy to imagine a fund raising effort to bring museums fopr Seattle's other ethnic groups to the Center.
Finally, IMHO the BEST event at SC is the weekly ethnic festival now sponsored by the now defunct Safeco. These would be easy to stimulate, perhaps moving similar festivals from other part of town there as well. Imagine the bone dance around the fountain!
A major problem with the Seattle Center is that many of the venues open onto the surrounding busy streets rather than onto the park/interior.
A simple change in pathways could solve a lot of this and provide more basis for interaction ... the substance of any park.
The other opportunity may be Seattle's lack of an art district. Pioneer Square is going, Fremont, Cap Hill, are long gone. Bell Town never did welcome the galleries.The Center could encourage commercial galleries to use space. Add in some magnet restaurants and the place would grow on its own.
The longer term issue is the need for city planning for the arts. Moving SAM and Benaroya to downtown was a bad move. The African American museum is beginning to like a castle built on a hill be some long lost community. On their own, these venues are not stimulating their neighborhoods and the synergy that could have been with the Mercer Complex, EMP, and Science Museum now can not happen. I am notgoptimistic about MOHAI on Lake Union.
There are, however, some other potential arts types that with $$ could move there. I would love to see the UW have a presence, probably in the form of a new Burke Museum. Seattle also seems odd in not having a real children's museum or a technology museum based on its signature industries. It is easy to imagine a fund raising effort to bring museums fopr Seattle's other ethnic groups to the Center.
Finally, IMHO the BEST event at SC is the weekly ethnic festival now sponsored by the now defunct Safeco. These would be easy to stimulate, perhaps moving similar festivals from other part of town there as well. Imagine the bone dance around the fountain!
Monday, January 04, 2010
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UN Democracy?
FT.com / Columnists / Gideon Rachman - America is losing the free world: "So what is going on? The answer is that Brazil, South Africa, Turkey and India are all countries whose identities as democracies are now being balanced – or even trumped – by their identities as developing nations that are not part of the white, rich, western world. All four countries have ruling parties that see themselves as champions of social justice at home and a more equitable global order overseas. Brazil’s Workers’ party, India’s Congress party, Turkey’s AKP and South Africa’s African National Congress have all adapted to globalisation – but they all retain traces of the old suspicions of global capitalism and of the US."
The Skies Are as Friendly as Ever:
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: "The Skies Are as Friendly as Ever: 9/11, Al Qaeda Obscure Statistics on Airline Safety
by Nate Silver @ 5:35 AM
Bookmark and Share Share This Content
When your favorite air carrier tells you to arrive at the airport three hours before an international flight, they're not playing around. Flying home to New York from Montreal yesterday, it took me nearly three hours to proceed from the door at Trudeau Airport to my gate. In the interim I experienced:
-- A passport and credit-card swipe at the automated check-in machine;
-- Being routed back to the check-in line after I was told that there were no carry-on bags permitted except for laptop bags and purses;
-- A 75-minute wait at said check-in line, and then a 10-minute wait to get my checked baggage scanned;
-- Being routed back yet again to the check-in counter after a traveling companion was told he couldn't carry his laptop bag on board because it didn't actually contain a laptop;
-- An ID and boarding pass check after clearing everything up and finally being allowed to proceed to the metal detectors;
-- Another ID and boarding pass check upon exiting the metal detectors and heading to customs;
-- A passport and boarding pass check by the customs agent;
-- A boarding pass scan upon leaving customs;
-- A full pat-down and hand examination of my luggage upon exiting customs and entering the departure terminal, as is apparently now given to all US-bound customers."
by Nate Silver @ 5:35 AM
Bookmark and Share Share This Content
When your favorite air carrier tells you to arrive at the airport three hours before an international flight, they're not playing around. Flying home to New York from Montreal yesterday, it took me nearly three hours to proceed from the door at Trudeau Airport to my gate. In the interim I experienced:
-- A passport and credit-card swipe at the automated check-in machine;
-- Being routed back to the check-in line after I was told that there were no carry-on bags permitted except for laptop bags and purses;
-- A 75-minute wait at said check-in line, and then a 10-minute wait to get my checked baggage scanned;
-- Being routed back yet again to the check-in counter after a traveling companion was told he couldn't carry his laptop bag on board because it didn't actually contain a laptop;
-- An ID and boarding pass check after clearing everything up and finally being allowed to proceed to the metal detectors;
-- Another ID and boarding pass check upon exiting the metal detectors and heading to customs;
-- A passport and boarding pass check by the customs agent;
-- A boarding pass scan upon leaving customs;
-- A full pat-down and hand examination of my luggage upon exiting customs and entering the departure terminal, as is apparently now given to all US-bound customers."
Are Israel and apartheid South Africa really different? - Haaretz - Israel News
Are Israel and apartheid South Africa really different? - Haaretz - Israel News: "Are Israel and apartheid South Africa really different?
By Akiva Eldar
The day after the murder of the settler Meir Hai about 10 days ago, Major General (res.) Amos Gilad was asked to comment on the claim by settlers that the attack was able to take place because roadblocks had been lifted on West Bank roads. The security-political coordinator at the Defense Ministry told his radio interviewer that the policy of thinning out internal roadblocks has greatly contributed to the West Bank's impressive economic growth. According to Gilad, who until recently was coordinator of activities in the territories, the improvement of the Palestinians' economic lot has contributed substantially to Israelis' security."
Here is the beginning of my post.
By Akiva Eldar
The day after the murder of the settler Meir Hai about 10 days ago, Major General (res.) Amos Gilad was asked to comment on the claim by settlers that the attack was able to take place because roadblocks had been lifted on West Bank roads. The security-political coordinator at the Defense Ministry told his radio interviewer that the policy of thinning out internal roadblocks has greatly contributed to the West Bank's impressive economic growth. According to Gilad, who until recently was coordinator of activities in the territories, the improvement of the Palestinians' economic lot has contributed substantially to Israelis' security."
Here is the beginning of my post.
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