Politics

This is about the new war between Isreal and Lebnon. Plz add comments here and give your opinions about the situation. I think world peace organization should really stop these two from fighting, it's killing innocent ppl n children, n i believe the main cause is religion. I think the Iranian government should stop supporting Hezbollah, most of us persians didn't even want Islamic republic, it was forced on us, n now we don't want to support these ppl but our government does it

Information has been extracted from a 43,000 year old wolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) bone. The gene, Mc1r, controls the creature's hair colour. The gene, which is responsible for hair colour in some modern mammals too, reveals that wolly mammoths were dark brown, pale ginger or blonde in colour. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5154892.stm

For those who ever wanted to be a fly on the wall at some major event like a G-8 summit, nows your chance. During a "photo opt", Bush Blair and others were caught talking candidly amongst themselves about the Israeli situation. CNN has been playing the recordings today and I'm sure the other news networks are doing the same. Very interesting.

http://www.cnn.com/rssclick/2006/POLITICS/07/13/cialeak.lawsuit.ap/index.html?section=cnn_topstories The other day on Keith Olbermann the basic conclusion was the White House got through the whole Plame affair unscathed. Will this shake things up a little?

A video of a reporter interviewing looters after Katrina, including a looting New Orleans cop, who accuses the reporter of looting!

One Iraqi parliament speaker blames the Jews. He's claming that 'the Jews' are financing acts of violence in order to discredit 'Islamists.' It seems people will make all sorts of ridiculous claims to shift responsibility away from themselves. I find it funny how they think that 'The Jews' can act like a single organization that functions to fund conspiracy theories. Sigh... maybe I should stop reading the news. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738332.html

Remnants of a meat-eating kangaroo with fangs were found recently in Australia's Queensland state. The killer kangaroo, Ekaltadeta, had large forearms, so it couldn't hop like a kangaroo of today, but galloped instead. Ekaltadeta, who lived between 10 and 20 million years ago, was described as having "well muscled-in teeth, not for grazing" by vertebrate paleontologist Sue Hand. "These things had slicing crests that could have crunched through bone and sliced off flesh." This is almost nothing like how kangaroos of today are. The team was studying the fossils to better understand how they were affected by the changing climates of 5 to 24 million years ago. http…

At Hebrew University, in Jerusalem, a university founded by Albert Einstein, 1300 letters to and from the great scientist were recently opened, giving the world new insight on the private life of the man. Perhaps what was most surprizing in the letters was Einstein's openess about his extramarital affairs in letters to his cousin and his second wife. It also appears that we a more caring father than previously documented. Also documented is the account of Einstein's prize money, as a 1921 Nobel laureate. Apparently, much of the money was invested in US bank, causing it to be lost when the depression hit, which caused friction with his first wife, who was supposed t…

Bones of an elephant-like animal, the mastodon, have been found in Michigan. The remnants were confirmed to be that of a mastodon by scientists at the Cambrook Institute of Science. Nearly 250 others have been found in Michigan. Mastodons roamed the region until they became extinct between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060711/ap_on_sc/mastodon_bones;_ylt=Ah3F1rJ0vWa7eh6WgXVV__cPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM- Image from Wikipedia.

Quantum computers (QC) are one step closer to mass production due to the development of a 2 dimensional ion trap. Ion traps are a core part of a QC. They seem to be the best way of making qubits (quantum bits, equivalent of an electrical bit). They work by trapping super-cooled ions in an electric field, lasers can then be used to manipulate the ions, changing their quantum state. The advantage of these new traps is that it's easy to manufacture lots of them, so many traps could be connected to make a quantum chip. The device has been successful when tested with magnesium ions, the next test is to make sure the trap works with ions more suitable for QCs. http:…

If you don't think we're doing enough to protect ourselves from another terrorist attack, you may be interested to know that FBI officials uncovered and disrupted a plot to blow up the Holland Tunnel. This tunnel is vital for transportation from New Jersey into manhattan, and could've caused massive floodings in New York city, if it had not been uncovered. Monitering internet chat rooms helped uncover the plot and key suspects have already been arrested by Lebanese officials. http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/07/07/ap2864269.html

Enjoy this rather pathetic Guardian op/ed in which the writer puts forth the completely unsubstantiated allegation that Bush/Rove/FBI stole the Mexican election for the conservative candidate. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/greg_palast/2006/07/stealing_mexico_an_election_di.html Because, you know, the conservative party has been SO friendly to the US. And an evil Republican like Bush could NEVER even POSSIBLY enjoy the support of a liberal/left party. It's just inconceivable that he WOULDN'T tamper with their election! I'm amazed he doesn't suggest that Bush arranged for Britain to lose to Portugal in the World Cup.

All you "global warming skeptics" who are irrationally attacking the conclusions of the climate science community should read this article. The conclusions of this article make a substantially better argument against global warming alarmism than attacking the credibility of the climate science community. http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008626

Looking at this: http://www.savetheinternet.com/=senatetally An interesting pattern emerges. One Republican is for net neutrality. Every other Republican that has declared a position is against net neutrality. All Democrats who have declared a position are for net neutrality. I never realized this was an issue that would divide itself so evenly across party lines...

The results from a recent clinical trial looks promising for a new compound called Sugammadex (in the Organon pipeline). Sugammadex is a novel selective neuromuscular binding agent (NMBA) that rapidly induces maximal neuromuscular recovery during end-of-anaesthia care, under 3 minutes depending on dose (2-4mg/kg). The anaesthesiology field is every excited about his drug since complete muscle recovery with conventional agents (acetylcholine esterase inhibitors) is often not achieved until 20 or 30 minutes post-anaesthesia. This slow recovery is associated with muscle weakness that can compromise a patients ability to ventilate, keep their eyes open, and consume a…

Like many, I've been opposed to the Department of Homeland Security from the start. I don't think another bureaucracy is the solution to our domestic security problems; I think existing agencies could've been augmented to correct those deficiencies. I think a substantial amount of money which has been pumped through the department has been squandered. I also think that DHS has had a negative impact on our civil rights. Given that, I was somewhat incensed by this story: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/06/no_icons_no_mon.html Is Homeland Security really doing any good, or is it just another tool that our elected officials can use to get money in…

http://savetheinternet.com/ I've been reading some stuff on the web about congress shutting down the Internet. I don't think it's very possible. People can create their own Internet these days. To take down the Internet would mean taking down telecommunications, phone wires, satellites, etc.. I don't think it's possible for the government to ban the Internet. It's possible to destroy the Internet, yes. But for someone to ban it, no.

If you kiss a child, would that be pedophilia? E.g. look at the pic at the link below: http://fogarty7.lockergnome.net/blog/_archives/2005/1/9/235168.html

hello i believe it was the elderly american statesman franklin who once said ' a man who gives up a little bit of freedom for a little bit of security, deserves neither the freedom or the security'. so i was wondering how do you feel about goverments pressing more and more to take back civil freedoms, under the guise of providing greater security. terrorist make phone calls so we must monitors your calls, inspect your email. only information pertaining to the war on terrorism will be kept of course. to site mates over in england-london, how do you feel about all the surveilence monitoring equipment now watching you. facial recognition software being run on yo…

A new study shows that the radiation emitted by cell phones may make regions of the brain more "excitable" - leading to researchers suggesting cell phones may play a role in disorders such as epilepsy. The study measured the "excitability" of brain regions by strapping a cell phone to the heads of test subjects and then using pulses of trans-cranial magnetic stimulation on certain regions of the brain. Each pulse stimulates the brain, and the response can be measured through electrical activity in muscles. The researchers found that the brain was more responsive when the cell phone was switched on, suggesting its emitted radiation may affect the way the brain works. …

A new French study indicates that heavy metal exposure may cause autism in children, prompting researchers to wonder if autism could be treated by flushing heavy metals out of the body. The study examined urine samples from hundreds of French children and discovered that the levels of some byproducts of heavy metal exposure were up to 2.6 times more concentrated in children with autism. It is unknown whether this is a symptom or a cause of autism, as researchers are continuing to investigate. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19025535.400&feedId=online-news_rss20

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/07/04/korea.missile/index.html?section=cnn_topstories North Korea attempted to test fire a new version of their Taep'o Dong-2 ICBM earlier today. It failed less than a minute into the flight. Is this just sabre rattling, or should it be construed as an act of aggression? Is the US foreign policy towards North Korea effective, or is it putting us all in harm's way?

"WHEN, in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That, to secure these Rights, Governments are institute…

Here's a link to the surgeon general's report, released today amidst great hoopla, with all the major news networks headlining tonight's broadcasts with the story: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/ I haven't read it yet (so I will try to keep an open mind), but as I understand it, the report offers no new science whatsoever. No causal evidence has ever been offered that secondhand smoke causes anything at all! It's all simple statistical correlations, many of which are within the margin of error of the study! I guess I can understand the aspect of this that relates to smoking parents raising children in smoking environments. Ir…

NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery took off at 2:38 Eastern Time on July 4th, 2006 after being delayed since July 1st. It was the first launch since last year, and the second since about 3 1/2 years when a large piece of fuel tank insolation foam brought down Space Shuttle Colombia. A slice of foam that was no bigger than a crust of bread fell off of Discovery's external fuel tank following the delay on July 2nd. Engineers said that the foam was not big enough to cause any problems. Source: Yahoo news