Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #54

Posted on February 15, 2007 in Roundup

Mediocrity not found here.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #53

Posted on February 14, 2007 in Roundup

Too bad we can’t have binding referendums on these things like they do in some countries.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #52

Posted on February 13, 2007 in Roundup

I’m just waiting for the press to say that the man responsible for the Trolley Square shootings was bipolar. It’s the “dangerous mental illness” of the moment, more compelling than schizophrenia or personality disorders such as borderline or asocial. Many of my fellow bipolars will not reveal that they have the disease. When you see how the public treats a mentally ill person, you will understand why. Personally, I’ve had a stalker who insists that my disease means that I am severely disabled. It’s ultimately a power thing, a chit that the avaricious and the asocially ambitious use to destroy what might infringe on their own quest for authority.

Let us just say that we bipolars do not have to defend ourselves when we take our medications. Even when we are in episode, we are less violent towards persons than normal people and addicts. A few of us (though not me) may have left holes in the wall, but the same have never bruised, have never battered, have never left holes or broken bones in people.

It’s time to demand accountability of the press. If they want to identify bipolar perpetrators of violence, let them also note when the person is abusing drugs or alcohol or not diagnosed at all. Maybe the extra effort it takes to type out these facts will put it through their heads that bipolar disorder itself does not engender violence.

• Nyah nyah nyah time: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied reports that his government was supplying the road bombs that crop up in Iraq. Funny how in all this discussion of where the charges come from, no one remembers how American troops stood by as the Iraqi armories were looted by future militants. And given that the rebels in the Iraqi war are [[Sunni|Sunnis]] and the Iranians [[Shia|Shias]], the charge becomes more far-fetched. We all know from Iraq and, perhaps, Haiti, that the Bush Administration is not above fabricating evidence to promote its [[realpolitik]]. Iranians say that should the US attack, it will be punished using sophisticated drones.
• Nine one one in Samarra: Last year’s destruction of the Golden Dome mosque is the Iraqi version of the World Trade Center bombing.
• More Support for Sleep: An afternoon nap helps prevent heart disease. The study’s got to be good: it’s Greek. (Hat-tip to Lynn.)
• Little Cow vs. the Little Fisherman: A sanctuary for a rare porpoise called the [[Vaquita]] will put a community of fishermen out of business.
• Cheap Cat Food?: Mice have been cloned from skin stem cells.
• Did they get stupid or what?: Archaeologists exploring a site in the Ivory Coast discovered that chimps living four thousand years ago used stone tools to crack nuts. The skill could have been inherited from a common ancestor of chimps and humans, the authors say, or learnt from humans by imitation. This isn’t the first report: back in the nineteenth century, observers saw [[chimpanzee|chimps]] cracking away but the reports were dismissed.
• But it Shrank in the Wash: An unusual sexual harassment case is underway in Los Angeles. The harassment action was brought by Dr. David Martorano, a former opera singer and the son of a psychiatrist who did his residency at UCLA — and, according to testimony, found the time to zip around [[Malibu%2C_California|Malibu]] in a two-seater going on dates and attending a private party thrown by adult entertainment companies. In his suit, Martorano claims he and his former supervisor, Dr. Heather Krell, had a liaison. He was all set to become chief resident of Krell’s clinic. But the job was taken away from him after he broke off the affair, and rumors of it began to circulate, Martorano claims. He also contends that Krell smeared his reputation and painted him as a liar by claiming no affair ever took place.
• Not Punished for Being First: The Dixie Chicks’ recent triumph at the Grammys goes to show that vision regarding the war in Iraq isn’t going to be punished.
• A Little Louder Please: Blind people are protesting the silence of hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius. [[Hybrid_car|Hybrids]] deliver better mileage and less pollution than traditional cars by switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor. But when operating on the electric battery, especially when idling at a stop or running at low speeds, the engine in a hybrid is almost silent. A hybrid vehicle is generally quieter than a vacuum cleaner.
• Medieval Technical Support: Introducing the Book
• Web Site: Snackimals
• Someone is Going to Pay: To thank the Red Chinese for building a brand new [[cricket]] stadium, the government of [[Grenada]] brought in a police band which honored its benefactors by playing the Taiwanese national anthem. Whoops.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #51

Posted on February 12, 2007 in Roundup

I waited until I commented on Putin’s speech castigating the United States for its campaign for a “unipolar world”. This article by Paul Craig Roberts about the nuclear option (or even just the spent uranium option) in the Middle East sent shivers up my spine. We’re not interested in solutions: we’re interested in [[blitzkrieg]]. In other words, Hitler did not lose the Second World War: his philosophy is alive and well in the USA.

Roberts notes: The reception given to Putin’s words made it clear to Russia, China, and every country not bribed, threatened or purchased into participation in America’s drive for world hegemony that the US has no interest whatsoever in peace. Intelligent people realize that American claims to be a moral and democratic force are mere pretense behind which hides a policy of military aggression.

I hope that bloggers will walk off the track of the big media and give this article from Counterpunch the attention it deserves — especially since the Bush Administration has started the disinformation campaign to justify the intended bombing of Iran..

Happy Darwin Day.

• The Good Old Dollar Something or Other: Opponents of US foreign policy may have an unthought of option: stop using the dollar as a basis for trade. (See the Craig article mentioned above.) Here in the United States, consumers say that they prefer the bill to a proposed coin.
• Little Mercy for Mercenaries: The War in Iraq has the largest ratio of civilian support to military units (125,000 to 135,000) in any conflict in history. What is the result of privatized militaries? You get screwed just like the cubicle farm workers.
• Update: You don’t want to be infected by the [[Chikungunya]] virus.
• Let the Worms Do the Work: Most people are green in the home and something else entirely when they go to work. An article in The Guardian describes how people are bringing environmentalism to the office.
• Chocolate Box Art: Pierre-Auguste Renoir wasn’t always a painter of pretty middle class scenes. One early painting entitled Woman’s Torso in the Sunlight received this comment: “Try to explain to M [[Pierre-Auguste_Renoir|Renoir]] that a woman’s torso is not a mass of decomposing flesh.”
• Sounding the Territory: Hikers are ecstatic about the new topographic maps of Mars releaed by the European Space Agency. Unfortunately, human visitations are not expected in most people’s lifetime.
• The Tax Man Refundeth: Check the fine print on your 2006 return — there’s a one time telephone tax rebate.
• Nice to Know that I am Part of a Trend: Women win the bread in an increasing number of households. Census Bureau data from 2005 show that 25.3 percent of women in two-income marriages bring home a paycheck larger than their spouses, up from 17.8 percent in 1987.
• Despite all Evidence to the Contrary: Opponents of mental health parity insist that it will raise costs.
• Timothy Sounders: Check out Jane’s comment about the death of this young man while in police custody.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #50

Posted on February 11, 2007 in Roundup

I try to avoid the big headlines, but now and then — despite my best efforts — I hit on a story which excites the journalistic lack of imagination. Such is the case with Anna Nicole Smith, the now dead tabloid star. The latest news is that they can’t figure out what she died of. I hate it when that happens.

• Just Go After Everyone: You know, something interesting is happening because of our war in the Middle East — we’re pissing everyone off. In Iraq, we’re helping the [[Shia]] destroy the [[Sunni]] minority. We support a [[Wahabi]] government in Saudi Arabia — the sect that gave us [[Osama bin Laden]]. And now, with the proposed bombing in Iran, we’re going after the Shia. We’ve managed to accomplish what centuries of reformers have failed: to reunite the factions in a great [[jihad]]. Check out Patrick Cockburn’s thoughts on attacking the Shia.
• A Whack on the Back of the Head: Just how hard was Carson Public Works Commissioner Jan Schaefer hit? Check out the video and read about tense goings on in this city hit by extensive corruption.
• It Better Be Worth It: For $39, you can have 0.9 ounces of Nokia chocolate. Which comes out to $693 a pound. People actually buy these things?
• Password Security: It’s so damn hard to remember uI8822RHtx9e7W!
• Site Recommendation: The use of graphology as a tool for employee hiring and evaluation. A good overall evaluation of a pseudoscientific practice popular among personnel officers.
• What Would You Give: Alan Smullin will do anything legal for one million dollars. The sign also included his phone number, which prompted calls from people cursing him, telling him to get a job, giving him encouragement (but no money) and making mock offers (i.e., walk from California to Hawaii for the money).
• You’ve been dying to do it: The [[Havasupai]] Indians have initiated a controversy with the building of a skywalk across the Grand Canyon. Environmentalists charge that the billion dollar structure is an eyesore, but tribal members hope it will draw tourists to their impoverished reservation.
• The Down and Dirty: What you didn’t want to know about defecation in Space.
• The Virtue of a Long Nap: The more you sleep, the more new brain cells you grow. This might explain why high-powered executives can make such numbheaded decisions at times. They cut their hours of rest to a minimum (and they want more!) and the brain cells just never replenish themselves. Should we ask presidential candidates just how much sleep they get every night? It’s been a good week for those of us who like to get in 10 or more hours a night.

If you find any articles worthy of mention in these roundups, send the URL to gazissax at best dot com. And feel free to comment!

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #49

Posted on February 9, 2007 in Roundup

One piece of news that got buried at the end of the Los Angeles Times article about the decision by Nancy Pelosi to use a larger military jet to make a nonstop trip home to her California district is the announcement by House Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood to the effect that he was the one who suggested using the larger plane instead of a smaller one which would need to stop and refuel. “I regret that an issue that is exclusively considered and decided in a security context has evolved into a political issue,” he said in a press release. In an age when they are the nonreformers, the Republicans will just grasp at anything to assail the first woman Speaker of the House.

• Undoing the Harm: Scientists discovered that an autism-like disorder called Rett’s Syndrome can be reversed by activating a single gene. Researchers say “It had been thought the disorder was caused by abnormal development – but activating the MECP2 gene, even in adulthood, proved to be effective in reversing neurological symptoms.” Let us not forget that what made this possible was the theory of evolution with its notion of inherited characteristics.
• Fellowship of the Sea: Japanese whalers and anti-whaling activists joined in a search for two activists who became separated from their group.
• Reality Gaming: Check out the game “Peacemaker” which is a simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from both sides of the wall. Elsewhere, in California, doctors are using a video game to try to help Iraq War veterans suffering from PTSD.
• No rest for the innocent: Dannielynn Stern, infant daughter of Anna Nicole Smith, will probably spend her whole life in the public eye thanks to the continuing battle over the estate of Texas oilman [[J. Howard Marshall]].
• Film Recommendation: This film is not yet rated Read how this film induced the MPAA to change some of its rules.
• Site Recommendation: Stop Sylvia Brown.
• Good Work Coming Home: If James Gray is found, the fruits of his own research may be the key that saves him. The computer scientist disappeared on a sailing trip to the Farallons for the purpose of scattering his mother’s ashes.
• Don’t touch that wall: Here’s a challenge for you — “How do you come here with equipment that doesn’t exist, solving a problem of seeing through walls without touching anything?” asks Maurizio Seracini, the expert who is assigned the task of peering behind a fresco by [[Vasari]] to see if it hides [[Leonardo Da Vinci|Leonardo Da Vinci’s]] long lost The Battle of Anghiari.

If you find any articles worthy of mention in these roundups, send the URL to gazissax at best dot com. And feel free to comment!

Insert a Trite Metaphor about a Corral #48

Posted on February 8, 2007 in Roundup

I realized something: Valentine’s Day comes just after the Ides of February. Though it’s not yet time, you might enjoy looking at some of the materials from the University of Iowa collections and the morbid love cards on the Comic Valentine’s page.

• Maybe They’re Getting the Jitters: A mistrial was declared in the case of Lt. [[Ehren Watada]].
• Helping the Terrorists: Check out this article in Vanity Fair which calls the proposed bombing of Iraq Dubya’s biggest blunder yet. More and more, I think we’re resembling Argentina in that our solutions are what are creating our problems. And no one in power wants to undo them because they all have empire on their minds. Stay tuned. (Thanks to Bill Lang.)
• The endurance of love: Check out this post by Gareth who reemerged after several months drowning in meatspace.
• Temporary Stupidity: Did you know that the Common Cold can lower your intelligence?
• Looking for Love in the Wrong Places: Check out Bill the Lawyer’s tale of a man who loved mannekins.
• One Less for the Tabloids: [[Anna Nicole Smith]] was found dead in a Miami hotel room. No cause of death as yet.
• Internet Storm Center: The Miami Dolphins weren’t the only website hit by the Chinese crackers. Here’s a list of other sites including pathnet.com and the City of Boston that were afflicted with the trojan. Poor Trojans: it wasn’t they who were the tricksters. Why don’t we call these sites Greeks? (Well, perhaps because the people of [[Troy]] are dead?) Here are three IPs to block from accessing your sites: 61.153.58.189, 220.162.244.78, and 205.209.132.142.

If you find any articles worthy of mention in these roundups, send the URL to gazissax at best dot com. And feel free to comment!

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #47

Posted on February 7, 2007 in Roundup

I can’t believe that, after the Iraq lies, Democrats are actually keeping the option of a war in Iran “on the table”. We elected them for firm resolve after a wishy-washy six years of yessing Bush’s every whim. Still, the leading Democratic candidates for president play into the rhetoric. I have to agree with Joshua Frank who says: “Times like these require bravery. They require a fight. A fight against immoral and illegal policies. A fight against tyranny. A fight for freedom. Freedom from hatred. Freedom from occupation. Americans and the people of the Middle East deserve better than [[Hillary Clinton]], [[John Edwards]] and [[Barack Obama]]. They deserve to live their lives without the threat of warfare and bloodshed. They deserve to live without fear.”

On with the show:

• Helping the Terrorists: Bin Laden has no greater ally in this world than our leaders in Washington according to Adam Elkus. “According to Atwan’s analysis of [[al-Quaeda|al-Qaida’s]] “20-year plan,” the organization aimed to bring about the fall of the American empire by first provoking with the September 11 attacks — Washington into irrationally invading Muslim lands in pursuit of revenge. Al-Qaida’s grand strategists calculated that the invasion would propel the [[ummah|umma]], the Muslim community, into joining the [[jihad]]. Following the fall of the secular socialist Hussein regime, Iraq has indeed become a training ground for limitless waves of foreign jihadis.” Anyone who’s read [[Franz Fanon|Franz Fanon’s]] The Wretched of the Earth should have seen this coming. (In related news, the Guardian examines how bombers do little or nothing to win a war.)
• The Mind of A Criminal: “We think the older female who initiates the young boy in sexual activity is doing them some kind of favour,” says Dr Lisa Bunting, author of NSPCC report “Females who sexually offend against children”. Jacqui Saradjian, a clinical psychologist and author of Women Who Sexually Abuse Children, believes we just can’t picture women as abusers. “If you have a 14-year-old girl and a nearly 30-year-old man, then you’d think it was an assault. But if the victim’s a boy and the predator a woman, we don’t see that as an assault. So why is it different? We find it very difficult to picture the people – ie, women – we put in the caring, nurturing role as also the people who are committing abuse.” It seems to me that the issue isn’t one of assault or rape, but of interfering and rushing development in many cases involving both women and men. (This isn’t to deny the existence of genuine rapes by school teachers.) Read about the woman who may have inspired Notes on a Scandal.
• Governments and Their Toys: The much-ballyhooed epassport chips in Britain have only a two year warranty. “They are so new, no-one knows how long they will last, or how the scanners reading them will work, the National Audit Office said.”
• Cell Phones on Trial: NY is prepared to fine people who walk across the street listening to iPods or talking on their cell phones. “Government has an obligation to protect its citizenry,” [State Senator Carl] Kruger said in a telephone interview from Albany, the state capital. “This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it’s becoming not only endemic but it’s creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand.” Was banning cell phone use in cars a slippery slope?
• The Opposite of What You’d Expect: The less you sleep the more likely you are to be overweight says a new study. “We found even an hour of sleep makes a big difference in weight status,” said Snell, a Northwestern doctoral student in human development and social policy. “Sleeping an additional hour reduced young children’s chance of being overweight from 36 percent to 30 percent, while it reduced older children’s risk from 34 percent to 30 percent.” I’m going to bed now.
• Another Study: Vagal nerve stimulation may do more than stave off depression. If mice are any indication, it can also prevent diabetes and hypertension.
• The Avant Garde: Check out this icon of Lenin trimming the beard of Saint Luke. Greek Orthodox traditionalists are up in arms about the image and threatening legal action.
• Too smart pet tricks: Observe this cat which figured out how to flush a toilet – repeatedly.

If you find any articles worthy of mention in these roundups, send the URL to gazissax at best dot com. And feel free to comment!