Year: 2007

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #38

Posted on January 26, 2007 in Roundup

Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha got to go to Iraq on a fact-finding trip. How long will it be before Republicans denounce this as a junket?

Friday Anteater Blogging – Convergent Evolution

Posted on January 26, 2007 in Xenartha

The snout on the [[mormyrid]] greatly resembles that of anteaters, especially the [[echidna]]. A fine example of [[convergent evolution]]!

Who needs cats or squids when anteaters combine the best qualities of both!

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #37

Posted on January 25, 2007 in Roundup

square181 Pundits seem to only want to watch the [[Scooter Libby]] trial out of the corner of their eyes, preferring to spread their focus across a panorama of topics including Bush’s new Iraq plan, the indictment of Israel’s president, and the suddenly visible 2008 presidential campaign:

The Washington Post has put up a page where you can get information about the candidates in the 2008 election. “The 2008 presidential race is expected to be the first in decades that won’t include a sitting president or vice president in the field of candidates vying for the White House,” says the header message. It promises to be an interesting two years.

What do you think about this web site?

The oldest man in the world died in Pueto Rico of all places. He was 115 years old. There’s something to be said for tropical living, if you can avoid the fevers and the parasites.

Cambodia’s jungle girl is trying to speak.

[[Placido Domingo|Placido Domingo’s]] voice has gone down a few notes, but he will reenter the world of opera once more as a baritone.

A recent study uncovered a bevy of anti-Islamic images in the cinema. Among the films promoting “crude and exagerrated stereotypes” are Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aladdin, and The House of Sand and Fog.

The strange story of gay sheep continues. Dr. Charles Roselli now faces new opposition to his studies — not from fundamentalists who fear that the example of homosexual rams might inspire their children but from animal rights activists who dread that the sheep might be subjected to prenatal treatments that would eliminate homosexuality from the breeding stock. Even sheep have rights to love as they please, the argument goes.

If you are into the latest fashion of disposable clothing, you are adding to [[global warming]]. Did you know: “Sixty percent of the carbon emissions generated by a simple cotton T-shirt comes from the 25 washes and machine dryings it will require.” The solution? Polyester.

White students at Texas’ Tarleton State University threw a blackface Martin Luther King Day party. “School officials have launched an investigation into the party and the university’s president, Dennis P. McCabe, has denounced the photos as despicable. In a subsequent post, Pelz–who has yanked the party photos from his Facebook page–stated that the party was not meant to be “racist or discriminating.” Yeah, right, Billy Bob. The sport also seems to have caught on in Connecticut.

Princess Lolwah Al-Faisal of the House of Saud said that she would allow women to drive in her country. The princess says that Saudi women can work in many professions once prohibited to them, but that the driving ban necessitates that they hire drivers — a cost that many poorer families just can’t afford.

An AP technology writer just doesn’t get (is this surprising?) why it is unethical for big companies to hire people to edit their entries in Wikipedia.

A unique biota has been discovered below what used to be Antarctica’s Larson Ice Shelf.

There is merit to be found in “security theater: security primarily designed to make you feel more secure.” Some of it is a waste of money, however.

A roving microwave is the latest American weapon ready to be deployed on the battlefield. The Guardian calls it “a heat ray gun”. The device looks nothing like the sleek pistols de rigeur ever since [[Buck Rogers]] took to space.

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!

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The Impediments of a Good Night’s Rest

Posted on January 25, 2007 in Bipolar Disorder

Was I better off before I started managing my life so closely?

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Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #36

Posted on January 24, 2007 in Roundup

Bush hemmed and hawed his way through the State of the Union, which I missed — intentionally. Folks said that the Democrats did better. But you undoubtably saw that.

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Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #35

Posted on January 23, 2007 in Roundup

square178 A battle over lost cargo is dominating the British media while in the United States the trial of the Cheney aide who allegedly leaked Valerie Plame’s name has begun. Meanwhile the Academy Award nominations have been announced (and Babel received too many), so with that we shall begin:

The 79th Academy Awards have been announced. I am cheering for Pan’s Labyrinth for Best Foreign film and Jennifer Hudson for Best Supporting Actress.
While Elkit was sleeping, I sneaked into her blog and kyped this list of free online education resources.
Check out the bemusing photos from the National March for Life.
A member of Psychologists Without Borders is off to Cambodia to interview the jungle girl who turned up last week. Some experts dispute the claim that she had turned feral. Did child abuse by her policeman father drive her into the forest?
Is Hounddog in violation of child pornography laws?
Cyber-criminals are expected to use booby-trapped websites as businesses crack down on email gateways. “Lax security on US-hosted websites is one of the key reasons the US remains a hotspot for cyber crime, said Sophos.” Watch out for malicious downloaders that exploit security breaches in Internet Explorer and Firefox. Opera incorporates safety features as part of its basic package.
Bruce Schneir suggests that full disclosure not secrecy is the best way to fight computer cracking.
Counterspin features discussion about how conservatives are trying to coopt [[Martin Luther King]] by gutting his message. There’s also a piece on journalist Sarah Olson who is being subpoenaed for her interviews of Lieutenant Ehren Watada—the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Mp3 here and RealAudio here.
The two Iraqs — Red and Green — are the topic of an interesting Counterpunch article.
Following its anorexia claim against Keira Knightley, the Daily Mail has now resorted to the tired old tactic of red-baiting.
Alpine glaciers have fifty more years of life as the world heats up.
Microraptor gui, an early flying dinosaur, has been found to have dropped its legs to form a biplane-like configuration. (Also here.)
The day may be coming when dentists don’t drill or jab.
Alzheimer’s Disease can now be vaccinated against.
Mandy Moore joins the legions of film stars who say that they have struggled with depression.
Zoloft manufacturer Pfizer is cutting 10,000 jobs and closing 5 plants to deal with the challenges of generic pharmaceutical rivals.
Antidepressants such as Zoloft and Prozac may make your bones more brittle.

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Insert A Trite Metaphor for a Corral #34

Posted on January 22, 2007 in Roundup

Tonight is the annual propaganda event known as The State of the Union address.

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Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #33

Posted on January 21, 2007 in Roundup

square176 Even though the majority of Americans think that Congress should call the shots when it comes to the war in Iraq, Bush pushes ahead as if he were a king. Bill Richardson has made the Democratic presidential race more interesting. Other items of interest include:

Iraqi militias began cutting back on the numbers that will appear should Dubya get his Surge. Twenty five U.S. soldiers died yesterday, one of the deadliest days of the war.
While we weren’t looking, socialist [[Bernard Sanders]] was elected to the United States Senate. Nice play, Senator Sanders.
The party of [[Slobodan Milosevic]] is back in power in Serbia. No matter how you shame a conservative, they just keep bouncing back and seldom change their ways. Were they using electronic voting machines manufactured by [[Diebold]] perchance?
A rival to the [[Spruce Goose]] may be returning home to Baltimore soon. Got a million?
Americans love to shoplift meat. I wonder if our resident criminal attorney commentator has ever had to defend one of these pilferers? I wonder if the story was as good as some of these.
Oxford researchers are investigating the use of gambling as a means of monitoring whether an action is conscious or unconscious. Would you lay money on the results?
Pagans showed up in [[Athens]] to celebrate the majesty of Zeus. No thunderbolts appeared in the crisp, blue sky.