LONDON, May 26 (UPI) -- Scientists have found a bug in the Sea of Japan that can kill the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA, which claims thousands of lives in hospitals.
Killer Japanese Bugs, I've seen this movie.
British scientists say they hope the discovery will lead to new drugs to combat the hospital bacteria, whichs infect 100,000 patients in Britain every year and kills an estimated 5,000, the Daily Mirror reported Thursday. The breakthrough came in bacteria found living 1,000 feet down in sediments on a large sleeping reptile the bottom of the Sea of Japan. One group, called actinomycete, produces its own antibiotic compound, called abyssomicin C -- and tests showed it killed MRSA. Newcastle University researchers are so confident in the find, they have formed their own company to research and develop new drugs, the report said.
"Nigel, the mutant Japanese bacteria have just eaten the lab. I'm stepping out to see my stock broker, can you handle it?"
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 12:47 ||
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Should this discovery result in an appropriate drug, is it possible for its dispensal and administering to be monitored closely so as to forestall loss of effectiveness due to patient stupidity?
Saudi Arabian officials are negotiating to have Russia launch six more of its commercial satellites into orbit this year. Riyadh and Moscow are holding negotiations on the Russian launch of the Saudi satellites before the end of 2005 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Saudi Ambassador Mohammed Hasan Abdulwali told the Interfax news agency this week. Abdulwali said Russia's new Dnepr rockets had already placed seven Saudi satellites in orbit. The Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr is a civilian adaptation of the old RS-20 intercontinental ballistic missile that was capable of launching up to 10 multiple, independently-targeted reentry vehicles or MIRVs. It was code-named by NATO the SS-18 Satan. Now Russia's Federal Space Agency is marketing the Russian-Ukrainian Dneper as a reliable launch vehicle for commercial satellites.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/26/2005 0:17 Comments ||
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#3
and here: http://rpctelecom.blogs.com/satcom/2005/05/saudi_arabia_to.html
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/26/2005 0:18 Comments ||
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Interesting indeed.
Aprize Satellite of Fairfax, Virginia has
a 400 MHz UHF Aprizestar commercial satellite location payload on each
of the satellites, which will enter operation when Aprize completes
financing and developed of user equipment. They will be used as
pathfinders for a planned network of asset location satellites (for
instance, relaying data from transmitters on shipping containers). These
0.2m-cube, 10 kg satellites will be built by SpaceQuest (Aprize's parent
company) in Fairfax, but the Saudi satellites were built by and are
owned by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
#5
I'm sure we could launch their satilites from one of the Ohio's. Ah gee, folks I guess we had a launch failure and all ten warheads er satilites didn't make orbit and will impact in about 15 minutes in Mecca, Medina, Ryhiad. You get the picture. Thank you for using Trident Launch Services
#6
This is excellent! The big problem with the saudi's and molslem militants is they don't understand hor big america is - now they can see that they are screwed if they fight us!
heh.
SEOUL South Korea demanded Thursday that Japan discipline its No. 2 diplomat for reportedly saying that his government could not share intelligence on North Korea because Washington no longer trusts Seoul.
The reported comments, made by Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi of Japan to a group of South Korean lawmakers in Tokyo on May 11, were revealed this week in Seoul, triggering a diplomatic flap that has pushed South Korea's already uncomfortable relations with Japan to a new low. The South Korean Foreign Ministry called in the Japanese ambassador, Toshiyuki Takano, and demanded an apology on Thursday. South Korea warned that bilateral relations could be "seriously affected" barring appropriate actions.
According to South Korean politicians, Yachi said: "Since the United States does not have sufficient trust in South Korea, Japan finds it a problem to share information it has received from Washington with South Korea." He also reportedly said: "The United States and Japan stand to the right, and China and North Korea to the left. South Korea appears to be moving from the center to the left."
Yachi's comments illuminated the growing uneasiness between South Korea and its two main allies: the United States and Japan. Although the three allies publicly deny any friction, experts noted, and Seoul officials acknowledge to a certain degree, that South Korea is going through a major and often contentious reshaping of its relations with Japan and the United States on key issues like North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Japan's colonial past and Seoul's military ties with Washington.
Posted by: too true ||
05/26/2005 14:28 ||
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I believed it the first time I read it. The repetitions did not convince me further.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
05/26/2005 15:10 Comments ||
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So the poor Seoul's in purgatory?
Posted by: Mike ||
05/26/2005 16:16 Comments ||
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According to South Korean politicians, Yachi said: "Since the United States does not have sufficient trust in South Korea, Japan finds it a problem to share information it has received from Washington with South Korea." He also reportedly said: "The United States and Japan stand to the right, and China and North Korea to the left. South Korea appears to be moving from the center to the left."
Uncomfortable, yes. True words, yes. When SKor wants to appease the Norks, these are the unintended consequence. Before you piss on your allies, better think it through first.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/26/2005 18:52 Comments ||
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It's that cognitive dissonance thingy, I guess...
"Whaddya mean we can't march around screeching and bashing the US, spying against them, making up false charges against their troops, and electing The Moronic Reconciliation Party goofballs without pissing them off? It's our right! They gave it to us when they rescued our asses 55+ yrs ago! Why, if they leave, it'll hurt our economy! And if they don't import from us, we'll implode! Holy shit - if they don't protect us with the trip-wire of US troops, the NorKies will invade and enslave us! Whaddya mean it's too late?
#10
So the Japanese diplomat repeats what the Americans said, and SKorea is mad at Japan?!? They're reacting like Junior High (13-year old) schoolgirls.
On the other hand, safer to shout at Japan than at the country pulling its soldiers back from the 49th parallel. But, to my naive American sensibility, equally face-losing for the one shouting.
This is a babelfish translation of a chinese language report that contains highly specific data on what appears to be a bird flu (H5N1) outbreak in China that is spreading rapidly. The report claims the Chinese government is trying to cover it up. Make of it what you will but it has a certain ring of authenticity to it. The strange names are literal translations of place names.
#3
In addition, the areas rural population is ethnic Tibetan and apparently abuses by Chinese CP officials are widespread. International agencies would be extremely unwelcome and may help explain a coverup. I'm watching this closely.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2005 00:00 ||
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The uncultured Chicom rat meat pack mislabled as a government should return the remains of or living Americans coerced or taken by force from the Korean, Viet Nam and Cold Wars. The conquest-driven Imperial Japanese certainly were barbaric in their attempt to colonize the Pacific-rim. There is no dispute of that, nor is there dispute that this is 2005. The Chinese communist butchers picked up where the Nipponese military left off. The Chicom goons could set an example of goodwill by releasing records and remains of America's MIAs & POWs. The Chicom savages have nothing coming from this American or anyone... especially an apology.
#2
Nope. Nope. No good. You gotta hold your mouth just right. You said, "We're sorry." *buzzzzzz* What we were expecting to hear was, "We'll solly."
Not acceptable. No forgiveness from the Throne of Heaven for you, you rascally rapscalians! Crawl on your bellies...
Oops, I meant to say, "Not acceptable. No folgiveness flom the Thlone of Heaven for you, you lascally lapscalians! Clawl on youl bellies and beg us fol melcy! We could not beat you in wal. We will beat you with this Politically Collect stuff! We will buly you! We will make you pay folevel! Linse. Lepeat. Folevel!"
#4
Not good for the economy? Ever hear of defense spending boom?
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/26/2005 1:04 Comments ||
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It has to be some Orential thinking I am not tuned in to but China seems to have fecal matter for brains about this. What am I missing? China must want a nuclear armed Japan.
I think China is just using this as an excuse to keep the "Protests" going against Japan. Better the population protesting Japan than their own government, you know.
#9
Oh yeah, repeatedly insult the major world economic power next door -- that ought to be good for the region. Hint to Chicom listening posts: If you hear something along the lines of "Tora! Tora! Tora!", duck and cover.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/26/2005 12:13 Comments ||
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Hmmm.... "Team America" must be out on DVD :)
It's from a parody of "Enter The Dragon", actually.
Schapelle's final plea May 27, 2005
As Schapelle Corby clings to the hope of gaining freedom today, she last night issued a final plea to the people of Australia.
"Today is my day . . . please pray for me," she told The Daily Telegraph. "I pray for justice every day. I want to go home."
In a personal message delivered through a spokesman, Corby begged Australians not to abandon her in her hour of need. "Don't forget me, I have done nothing wrong. Corby has been in prison 8 months in Indo. No-one seriously believes she is guilty: why would any rational person take drugs worth about $500k in Australia to Bali where they are much cheaper - about $5k or thereabouts. But the dirty Indo's with their Asian pride of saving face will have to find her guilty. Judgement is tomorrow. Schapelle prays but to them she's just another stupid dhimmi, and they don't care if she rots in their jail. NOBODY should holiday in Bali
More than 90 per cent of Australians believe she is innocent of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Denpasar. Allegations of a drug-smuggling ring run through Sydney airport, corrupt baggage handlers and overheard prison plots have added to the doubt surrounding the evidence.
Her defence lawyer Lily Lubis yesterday voiced fears about what would happen if Corby was convicted and jailed. "She won't survive, she won't survive," she said.
But even if she is acquitted, she will still face months of agony, remaining incarcerated for at least six months during a prolonged appeals procedure. Television viewers will be able to watch the verdict live today, with networks Seven and Nine, and Sky News, providing live coverage of the event.
Such are the depths of Francois Vincent's disdain for the new European constitution that he recently uttered words that have not passed the lips of many Frenchmen.
"I would rather be an American than a European," said Vincent, 63, who owns a vegetable stall in one of Paris' open-air markets. "At least Americans love their country."
Ya got that right, Vincent.
Like many Frenchmen who plan to vote "no" in this Sunday's referendum, he is worried that the new European constitution will rob France of some vital piece of its national soul.
Must have been misplaced while Saddam was in power. Are they still looking for it?
Didier Vernet, 53, a stallholder in the same market on Boulevard Raspail, thinks that's nuts.
"Do you think the French will be stupid enough to vote `no'?" he said with a disdain to match Vincent's. "That would really be going backwards."
Depends on the destination.
The French referendum Sunday and another one three days later in the Netherlands have unexpectedly turned into a crisis for the architects of the European Union. Voters in both countries appear ready to ignore the pleadings of their elected leaders and reject the turgid 448-article draft that is supposed to serve as a constitution for the EU's 25 member states.
"Turgid." A "draft." "Supposed to serve as a constitution". Such honesty made my surprise meter jump another two notches.
Thus far, 10 member states have approved the constitution, but only one, Spain, did so by referendum. The others ratified it in their national legislatures.
Question: What do Democrats, EUrocrats, and tyrants have in common? Answer: They don't want a vote.
The draft constitution streamlines decision-making for the EU and gives it a stronger defense and foreign policy. The draft must be accepted by every member state before it becomes law.
Draft Constitution == "Sign this blank check on your account, and we'll fill in all the other blanks later."
Chirac has told voters that rejecting the constitution would weaken the French way of life and play into British (and American) designs for a weak European Union. German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder warned that a "no" vote in France would mean "Europe's voice would weaken, it would have trouble making itself heard," while Romano Prodi, former head of the
European Commission, said a French rejection would be tantamount to "the fall of Europe."
Opponents of the constitution say these fears are overblown.
"People are not voting against Europe. They are voting against a constitution . . . that has 448 articles and is completely incomprehensible to them," said Jean-Pierre Chevenement, a former Socialist defense minister and leader of a breakaway faction that opposes the constitution.
A socialist talking sense. What are shares in companies selling toboggans, skis, and snowshoes in Hell doing?
Vernet, the stallholder who supports the constitution, is confident that Chirac, who is to address the nation Thursday evening--one last time before the vote--would be able to make the sale.
"The one who speaks last always wins," he said.
But Vincent, who would rather be an American than a European, said he would never change his mind.
"They say [the constitution] is for democracy, but I think it will be a dictatorship," he said. "We'll all be put in boxes; we'll lose our country." It may be too far gone, Vincent, but I admire a man who loves his country enough to try to do what he thinks is the right thing to do for it.
#1
"Europe's voice would weaken, it would have trouble making itself heard,..."
If only.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/26/2005 19:13 Comments ||
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Phrance has a soul?
Who knew?
I didn't even know they knew what a soul is.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/26/2005 19:17 Comments ||
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Interestingly, the bond market in recent weeks has priced in a significant premium for some Euro countries (particularly Italy) indicating they think they may leave the Eurozone.
For the first time, fear really stalks the Rue de la Loi in Brussels, headquarters of the European Commission. It is visceral. We know this because of the increasingly hysterical register of the messages in which the commissioners are sending French and Dutch voters preparing (in their referenda on 29 May and 1 June respectively) to vote down the treaty establishing a federal constitution. If you do so, the European Union nomenklatura is saying, you will bring to Europe economic disaster, a return to internecine war or (most tastelessly and least forgivably) another Holocaust. It is ridiculous hyperbole and therefore all the more demanding of explanation. How did it come to this?
*snip*
What a difference fifteen years can make! In 1990 the European Community (as it still was called) was still doing, more or less, what it had been intended to do since 1957: in essence, to ensure that the skilful French rider could ride the sturdy German horse, So apparently the Phrogs have always been narcissists?
in Charles de Gaulle's celebrated description (with, one might add, the Dutch and British stable-lads paying the bill for the cheerful French peasant to grow the fodder). Well, yeah. And they ought to be thankful for the privilege, sez the Phrogs.
In 1991 the rider fell off. The occasion was the death of Yugoslavia. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Germany's foreign minister, insisted that his newly-reunited country pursue an active foreign policy for the first time since 1945. Along with his Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, he forced the European Union in January 1992 to recognise two republics of fragmenting Yugoslavia — Croatia and Slovenia — as sovereign states.
Many other European capitals, and Washington, had grave doubts about this move. London, Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam were convinced — correctly, as it turned out — that this would lead to a Balkan civil war. No, really? Who could have seen that coming?
The Germans insisted, and won; John Major, the British prime minister, consented to the decision after having secured from Kohl in exchange an "opt out" from the Maastricht Treaty's "social chapter".
The shock of German heavy-handedness and EU foreign-policy rudderlessness and division were the stimulus to accelerated federal steps in the 1990s. Some were taken on autopilot: the Brussels machine is programmed to legislate as a spider is to spin its web. Great description.
Thus the Gulliver-like achievement of the single market was tied down by the myriad Lilliputian threads of the acquis communautaire legislation, advancing stealthily into ever-wider areas of member-states' national life (especially under cover of "heath and safety" and "environment" regulation). WAKE UP, EUROPEANS!
Among the historic errors of this period — when the heaviest-footed drivers were in Paris rather than Berlin — was the introduction of the single currency; a premature decision that has been severely punished by the capital markets, where the euro is now effectively traded as a debauched currency. Jacques must be so proud.
*snip*
Then came Giscard d'Estaing's extravagant federal constitution, which may yet prove to be the bridge too far.
*snip*
This brutal acceleration of the European Union project in the post-1990 period has leaked so much legitimacy from it that it now starts to resemble that other superannuated, elite-created, imposed federal union "project" also conceived in Europe in the same period (1910s-20s): the Soviet Union. OUCH!
*snip*
The fundamental issue is that the EU, like the failed Soviet experiment, cannot meet Alexis de Tocqueville's tests of democratic legitimation. The organisation is trapped by the local effects of a worldwide crisis of institutional trust, and a breakdown in the essence of the social contract between citizen and state. European social contract: We elite pontificate and lord it over everyone and have all that we want, including expensive cars, 5-star hotel stays, and country houses for our mistresses - all paid for by our taxes on the peasants - and the peasants have just enough to keep them from rioting, plus lots of days off from the work they don't do much of anyway. Yeah, that'll work.
*snip*
Least of all is the "EU" coterminous with Europe. The Eurobarometer opinion surveys reveal that the generational gradient of affinity to a primary European identity is the reverse of what Monnet and his colleagues expected in 1945. They were the strongest enthusiasts for the federal project; the soixante-huitards (like me) were still keen, but less so; "Generation X" and today's rising 20-somethings are just not interested. They take for granted the four basic qualifications for successful modern living: convenience of travel, the universal need to speak English, computer and mobile phone skills, and car-driving. And they feel Dutch, English, French, German or Italian, first of all. Emphasis added.
The castle is all lit up; the flag is flying, the wardens peer out anxiously, but the people aren't at home. It is not what many would have predicted in 1991. Maybe not, but I know I've predicted for year the EU was a train wreck looking for a place to happen. You just can't legislate national identity out of existence.
A longish article but well worth reading the whole thing. Nobody comes out looking very good.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/26/2005 12:59 ||
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Pity Aris isn't around. I'd be interested in his take on this. I have no good feel for what the man in the street really thinks in France (or Italy, or Greece...), or how deep his complaints go.
Posted by: James ||
05/26/2005 14:00 Comments ||
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It's morning over there - maybe he's got a life (unlike some of us ;-p),
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/26/2005 15:14 Comments ||
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And Aris does?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
05/26/2005 15:18 Comments ||
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Perhaps it's a good thing it's square-bashing season for a certain Greek, for the sake of his health.
Personally, I'm preparing to Vive la France a bit, assuming things go favourably on Sunday, and loosen my boycott of French produce quite significantly. I appreciate the Non camp's motives are questionable, but the effect of a French 'No' vote will be superbe for us all. My only minor complaint is the fact that us Brits won't get a vote on the issue, but that would be a small price to pay and would avoid an agonising wait and long period of fairly bitter campaigning.
EFL: France and the Netherlands should re-run their referendums to obtain the "right answer" if their voters reject Europe's constitutional treaty in imminent national ballots, Jean-Claude Juncker, the holder of the EU presidency, said on Wednesday.
Keep voting till you get the results you want, then stop.
The Luxembourg prime minister said all 25 EU member countries should continue their attempts to ratify the treaty whatever the outcome of the French and Dutch votes. His comments reflect a mood of deepening pessimism among Europe's leaders about the outcome of the referendums. "The countries which have said No will have to ask themselves the question again. And if we don't manage to find the right answer, the treaty will not enter into force," he said in an interview with the Belgian Le Soir newspaper.
"Those silly voters, why won't they listen to their betters?"
The French and the Dutch governments have for the moment ruled out the prospect of a second referendum and hope they can win their votes on Sunday and Tuesday respectively. Jacques Chirac, France's president, will tonight launch a last-ditch televised appeal to voters to back the treaty, which lays out new rules for the expanded EU and deepens integration. François Bayrou, a leading Yes campaigner and president of the UDF party, said Mr Chirac should explain the high stakes involved. "The role of the president of the republic is to show the gravity of things," he said. "All modern campaigns are played out in the last hours." Pro-constitution politicians across Europe have been sounding increasingly alarmist about the consequences of a No vote. "If the No side wins on Sunday, it will be a catastrophe for France, for Chirac, for everyone," Mr Juncker said in his interview.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 09:11 ||
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Maybe EU pres JCJ should think that the people don't want the EU as presented and find out what is bugging them about the proposed monster govt system. This is a bit more than a bond proposal.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/26/2005 10:13 Comments ||
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Feh. The People are slow, dimwitted dolts who just don't know what's good for them. We're not even sure why we have to do this "voting" thing anyway. You can never tell how it going to turn out!
#4
Why they just don't go the parlement route is beyond me. Don't let the surfs have a vote stupid! They never vote for what is good for the lords after all!
More on the Greenpeace convictions from the Juneau Empire newspaper online.
KETCHIKAN - The state is urging a judge to uphold convictions in which the activist environmental group Greenpeace was found guilty of violating Alaska oil pollution prevention laws. The defense is trying to have the convictions thrown out, arguing that they are inconsistent. Inconsistant means that the accused were acquitted on some charges and convicted on others. Lawyuh sense, ya see.
A Ketchikan jury found Greenpeace Inc. and Arctic Sunrise Capt. Arne Sorensen guilty May 9 of violating Alaska oil pollution prevention laws. Greenpeace was found guilty of two counts of operating a ship without oil spill contingency plans on July 12 and July 14, while being found innocent of operating without a certificate of financial responsibility for cleaning potential spills on those dates.
Greenpeace was in Southeast Alaska to conduct an anti-logging campaign in the Tongass National Forest. The Arctic Sunrise had sailed into Alaska waters on the first date, and departed Ketchikan on the second.
The jury found Sorensen guilty of two counts of operating without contingency plans on both dates and guilty of not having the financial responsibility certificate on July 12, but found him innocent of operating without the certificate on July 14.
Willem Beekman, the ship's agent, also was charged with operating without either document on July 14. The jury acquitted him of both charges.
Defense lawyers for Greenpeace Inc. and Sorensen said the convictions were inconsistent and asked District Court Judge Kevin Miller to reverse the jury's verdicts.
In an 18-page response, Assistant Attorney General James Fayette wrote that Alaska case law requires judges to review the evidence "in the light most favorable to upholding the jury's verdict."
"It is too facile to simply review mixed verdicts and conclude 'something went wrong,"' he wrote. "Nothing went wrong. The jury accepted some of the prosecution's arguments and rejected some others."
The defendants' replies are due on Friday.
Under state law, a non-tank vessel larger than 400 gross tons must file an oil spill response plan application five days before entering state waters.
The Arctic Sunrise is managed and operated by a Dutch company, Stichting Marine Services. Stichting Marine Services, which was responsible for filing such documents, corrected the error within 24 hours of being notified of the problem and stepped forward to accept full legal responsibility for the late filing, Greenpeace said.
Fayette said the misdemeanor criminal charges were filed only after the Arctic Sunrise departed from Ketchikan before the paperwork was finalized, in violation of an order to stay anchored. The problem is that the Greenpeacers felt that the paperwork was only a nuisance, so screw the order. The state felt otherwise. Now they will have to pay for the consequences of their cavalier attitude.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/26/2005 14:25 ||
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Just the legal part of their self decalered above the law status. I'll put these folks #4 on my list of people worth going to jail over giving a good literal beating right after lawyers.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Four Tennessee lawmakers, a former lawmaker and two others were indicted Thursday amid a federal investigation into the business dealings of a state senator from Memphis from a powerful political family, officials said. Those charged included the senator, John Ford; fellow Sens. Kathryn Bowers and Ward Crutchfield; state Rep. Chris Newton; and former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon. Newton is a Republican and the others are Democrats. Federal authorities said during a news conference Thursday that the charges were extortion and accepting bribes following a two-year undercover operation dubbed "Tennessee Waltz." The grand jury returned the indictments in Memphis.
Ford has been under investigation for his consulting deals with companies doing business with the state. His brother is former U.S. Rep Harold Ford Sr., who served in Congress for 11 terms. His nephew, Rep. Harold Ford Jr., has served five terms in Congress and on Wednesday entered the race for the Senate seat now held by Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist. snicker
Newton said he was interviewed earlier this month by FBI agents and was asked about John Ford's dealings with contractors for TennCare, the state's expanded Medicaid program. He was also asked about legislation he had sponsored or co-sponsored with Ford, including one bill that would allow companies to buy and sell used electronic equipment from the state. Also charged were Barry Myers and Charles Love. Love is a registered lobbyist and member of the Hamilton County School Board. Myers couldn't immediately be identified.
The arrests happened as the Tennessee General Assembly was trying to wrap up debate on the state budget and adjourn the session by Friday.
Gov. Phil Bredesen and Senate leaders met shortly after news of the arrests, but said they didn't have any details. "It's a sad day for the state of Tennessee. It's a sad day for the Legislature," said Senate Speaker Pro Tem Micheal Williams.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 15:12 ||
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bad timing, Harold Jr.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/26/2005 15:56 Comments ||
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Also charged were Barry Myers and Charles Love.
Oh, yeah, they're really gonna Love that guy where he's going, just not in the way he's used to...
#3
John Ford has been in need of prosecution for more than 20 years.
This is only the latest in his scandelous dealings, and evidently the first one where they really got him.
I'm surprised by Bowers, but Ford, well like I said...This is the same guy who a few years ago shot at a trucker on I-40 for cuting him off, and just recently was in the national press for having 3 different homes with three different women and God knows how many kids. Thursday was Wanita night, Friday and Saturday were for Sonya, and Mon through Wednesday were for the young girlfirend Michelle. Who says you can't have it all?
I think he followed George Foreman's lead and just named all his kids John Ford so he would never be confused from house to house.
Anyway, rumor has it that Harold Ford Jr. Has decided to put off running for the Senate, and will instead keep his congressional seat until he runs for the Mayor of Memphis in 2008...all rumors though.
Posted by: Mountain Man ||
05/26/2005 17:20 Comments ||
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Heh. And he was just given a Seal of Approval by the resident Touchy_Feely. Who'da thunk he wasn't all sweetness and light, eh?
#5
I hold the great misfortune of living in Memphis. Today at work, I actually overheard accusations of conspiracy because of the timing of this coming out the day after Jr. announced his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by Frist!
No doubt the evil machinations of Bush, Rove and Frist!
Posted by: Mac Suirtain ||
05/26/2005 19:41 Comments ||
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"..John Ford's dealings with contractors for TennCare, the state's expanded Medicaid program.."
This program is a mess. It was nearly a budget buster a year or so ago. The only reason a Demo is a govenor is the asshole Republican Sunquist tried to ramrod a state income tax thru in his final 'lame duck' year. The system here should be the argument against any effort for a "single payer" system proposed in the future.
#7
As I said yesterday, I met and talked to Harold Ford and was not impressed. There was no fire to him and I had the feeling he was just another lying sack of shit politician. As for Tenncare, when a healthcare system takes tax dollars and uses them to pay for Gym Club memberships under the guise of "Therapy" something is drastically wrong. As BrerRabbit said, the only reason we have a Democrat as a Governer is because of the former Governer's and his appointed successor's push for a state income tax to pay for Tenncare. The promise was the over 8% sales tax on everything would be reduced but us hillbillys aren't so easily fooled. We ain't gonna buy a pig in a poke.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/26/2005 22:22 Comments ||
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Heh, the carpetbaggers are still among us - sometimes dressed in sheep's clothing.
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton wants to pull the plug on the Viagra welfare program passed by her husband's administration, which ended up doling out the powerful impotence drug to sex offenders. "She does not believe anyone on Medicaid should have Viagra paid for," Sen. Clinton's spokesman Philippe Reines told the New York Post on Thursday.
She's kissing off the limp dick vote.
Bill Clinton's spokesman Jim Kennedy refused to comment on Mrs. Clinton's decision to put the kibosh on her husband's Viagra giveaway, which was implemented in 1998 during the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
"Are you nuts? I ain't gonna touch this one"
The New York Times, for instance, reported at the time: "The Clinton Administration has told state officials that it intends to require their Medicaid programs to pay for medically approved uses of the impotence drug Viagra."
Just planning ahead, eh Bill?
Chris Jennings, a Clinton health policy aide, told the paper that his instructions were: "If there is a medical rationale for using Viagra, it must be covered."
State officials were quick to express outrage over the Viagra mandate.
Then-Florida Governor Lawton Chiles complained: "Governors believe that Viagra should be a state option, not a mandate. A Viagra mandate would increase state costs and limit state flexibility." But Clinton's Viagra giveaway went forward anyway, with taxpayers footing the bill for hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses.
And this is different from every other Clinton plan, how?
If left in place, the Clinton Viagra plan is expected to cost taxpayers $2 billion over the next 10 years, according to the New York Post - an expense that didn't come to light until this week, when reports surfaced that convicted sex offenders were taking advantage of the program.
SEE: Bill planning ahead
Though Sen. Clinton now objects to her husband's Viagra mandate, there's no record that she voiced any complaints about the program when she was first lady.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 13:58 ||
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An overwhelming majority of Americans agree with Republicans who say President Bush's judicial nominees deserve an up-or-down vote, according to a Gallup survey released yesterday. The bombshell survey found that 35 percent "want to see the filibuster rules changed so that those judicial nominees are subject to an up-or-down vote," Gallup said. Thirty-four percent "want to see the filibuster rule preserved" but "would like to see the Senate have an up-or-down vote on those nominees." Only 19 percent told Gallup that Democrats were right to filibuster judicial appointments, with 12 percent voicing no opinion.
Twenty-four hours after the bombshell poll's release, news that 69 percent of Americans want Democrats to stop filibustering Bush's judicial nominees has yet to be reported by a single major U.S. media outlet.
In another stunning development, a plurality of those surveyed by Gallup - 38 percent - said that Christian influence on the courts was "not enough," while only 27 percent disagreed. Twenty-eight percent said Christian influence on the courts was "about right." The Gallup survey also found that 29 percent of Americans "think Federal court judges are too liberal" - with just 19 percent saying the judiciary is "too conservative."
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 13:55 ||
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99% think John McCain is a self-aggrandizing MSM publicity loving asshole.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/26/2005 14:05 Comments ||
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#2
This is why I think the Repubs should have called the Dem's bluff and forced them to actually filibuster.
#3
In another stunning development, a plurality of those surveyed by Gallup - 38 percent - said that Christian influence on the courts was "not enough,"
Heaven help us. A pox on all theocrat supporters, be they christian, muslim, hindu or zoroastrian.
#5
i would explain how the wording of that poll tended to lead to that result, but no one would beleive that a pollster, theoretically MSM, could have a conservative bias.
#7
I don't want more "Christian influence" on the courts, and I don't believe that such would be consistent with either our deistic Constitution or current and expected future political reality in the US. Hence I couldn't care less about the views of this poll's "shocking" 38% of respondents.
For a guy who professes to seeks to "save the institution," the first words out of his mouth at the press conference was "watch my movie..."
This guy is splitting the Repub party, but who cares about that when you can "save the institution" along with Sheets Byrd and Admiral Warner.
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/26/2005 20:52 Comments ||
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#10
If something like 70% of Americans profess one or another kind of Christianity (practicing or not), 38% of the polled wanting more Christianity in the court system doesn't seem unrealistic.
#11
I was always fascinated by the poll that claimed something like 90% (?) of Americans believed in Angels, but only 45% (?) believed in the Devil.
Pretty convenient, I thought.
But I also worked with an Indonesian guy (programmer) who was both a flavor of Buddhist and a regular attending Catholic. I asked him if he found incompatibilities and he told me, "Yeah, but I'm just covering my bets." I wondered if he thought sincerity of belief, or rather the lack of it in his case, was irrelevant, but decided to let it pass as none of my business. He was, otherwise, a rational guy.
All my life I thought my paternal grandmother was a Baptist, until last year when my father told me she was Prebyterian, born and raised. So why did she go to the Baptist church, I asked. He told me:
Mojave Test Area CA (SPX) May 24, 2005 I think you mean the Mojave Spaceport, don't you?
The successful launch and recovery of the Prospector 6 (P6) test vehicle on Saturday, 21 May 2005 represents another important milestone for the joint industry/academic team that is working to develop a low-cost Nanosat Launch Vehicle (NLV) that will be dedicated to delivering 10 kg payloads to low Earth orbit. Cool. Projected cost/kg?
The partially reusable P6 is a full-scale, low-fidelity prototype of the two-stage, pressure-fed NLV and is serving as a pathfinder for evaluating new vehicle technologies and efficient field site operations.
Designed and built by Garvey Spacecraft Corporation (GSC) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) under the California Launch Vehicle Education Initiative (CALVEIN), the 26.7 foot-long P6 consists of a refurbished NLV first stage prototype (the Prospector 5 that flew last December), an interstage, a second stage simulator and a graphite/epoxy composite payload fairing.
It depends. I was under the impression that the "Mojave Spaceport," regulatorily speaking, was the airport facility there, which is licensed for HTHL vehicles like SS1, SS2 (should it be built), or Xerus (ditto).
Since this is a vertically launched orbital launcher, it might have launched from a test range instead.
Currently launch site regulation and licencing is kinda complicated. One reason for going with air launch is to sort of get around the situation.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/26/2005 19:22 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
05/26/2005 21:12 Comments ||
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#3
The big question, and the real mofo everybody is cringing from is the eventual re-negotiation of all Indian treaties. Many of the existing treaties are unintelligible, literally with large chunks making sense neither linguistically or rationally. This has resulted in a huge gaps in federal law that *has* to be resolved, and fairly soon, as the tribes are rapidly developing, yet are terribly disconnected from US civil law, from top to bottom. But how this is to be done is the $64 question. Some proposals suggest a national Indian parliament that would work opposed to a US federal equivalent commission, over the course of decades, to produce treaties that would cover the gamut, and even incorporate indigenous peoples such as Hawaiians, with whom there is no treaty right now. It is a right royal mess.
#4
As for the reparations, the Indian Dept. (whatever its proper name is) has been accepting cash deposits from Indian individuals and tribes for over a century... but never bothered to keep any records. So there is no question that the Indians are owed a great deal of money, but nobody has any idea how much. And that's before even thinking about reparations.
#5
Oklahoma's approach is that lands designated for Indians are like independant city-states. They have their own taxes their own law enforcement, their own courts. It seems to work pretty well, far as I can tell. Give them a sense of family, important to this part of the country, and eliminates any possibility of further federal support, and changes the definition of indigents.
BTW: apologies don't work. let them get on with their own lives does.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - On the eve of Memorial Day, the U.S. Mint is remembering America's fighting men and women. Wednesday in Philadelphia, Mint director Henrietta Holsman Fore led the ceremonial first strike of a new series of commemorative coin: a silver dollar honoring the U.S. Marine Corps. The piece will be minted at the Philadelphia facility, and is scheduled for release this summer.
The front of the coin features an engraving modeled on Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's picture of victorious Marines raising the U.S. flag after the battle of Iwo Jima. That famous image is also the subject of a sculpture by Felix de Weldon, which honors fallen Marines at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The back side of the coin bears the Marine Corps insignia and the words "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful), the Corps motto. (Click here to see the design.)
"The coin design is simple and heroic," said Fore in a statement. "The Iwo Jima image is the storied symbol of the Marine Corps' heroism, courage, strength and versatility. It exemplifies Semper Fidelis to an appreciative nation every day around the world."
Congress authorizes the minting of two commemorative coins annually, produced by the U.S. Mint. The Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Silver Dollar is the second such coin to be produced in 2005. The first was a silver dollar honoring early Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.
The pieces are intended as collectible keepsakes, as compared to actual money in circulation. As such, they cost more than their face value. The Marshall dollar, for example, retails for about $35. The price of the new Marines coin was not announced, but profits from the sale of each dollar will help pay for the creation of a National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 13:02 ||
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The front of the coin features an engraving modeled on Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's picture of victorious Marines raising the U.S. flag after the battle of Iwo Jima.
Any chance that Japanese will feel "offended" over this? If so, any chance that higher-up PC jerks in the Treasury Dept will try to put a stop to the minting of this coin?
Angered by the growing number of Internet scams, online "vigilantes" have started to take justice into their own hands by hacking into suspected fraud sites and defacing them.
Bravo! Where can I donate?
These hackers have targeted fake websites set up to resemble the sites of banks or financial institutions in recent weeks, and have inserted new pages or messages. Some say "Warning - This was a Scam Site," or "This Bank Was Fraudulent and Is Now Removed." The efforts by the self-proclaimed "hero hackers" come amid a surge in online schemes known as "phishing" in which victims are lured to fake websites to get passwords or other personal data.
I get daily messages from "Paypal" wanting me to "verify my account." I get similar messages from eBay, where I don't have an account, and from numerous banks where I don't have accounts. I usually get three to four messages from the mail admins at qrmapps.com and rantburg.com — which would be me — telling me my email is being shut down if I don't "run the attached." And Rantburg's FTP port gets hammered daily by "pgpuser"'s. I am all for doing terrible things to their sites, to include siccing Zarqawi on them...
The British security firm Netcraft was among the first to pick up the hacking activity, discovering hacked sites that were set up to steal passwords from customers of the US Web payment site Paypal and NatWest Bank in Britain. "While phishing is undoubtedly an illegal activity, the legality of defacing phishing sites is also quite questionable, but in cases observed by Netcraft so far it is reasonable to assume that only the fraudsters themselves have been disadvantaged," the security firm said.
Is it against the law to stop a crime in progress?
Some of the hackers are boastful. "We only deface fake banks. Nothing else. Our targets are illegals and hosts that don't take down illegal sites," said a message posted on the website SecurityFocus by the purported "white-hat" British hacker group called The Lad Wrecking Crew.
Bravo, Lads!
Another anonymous group supposedly involved in the hacking described the efforts a public service. "They skulk around the internet like cockroaches stealing, cheating, lying and thieving. They will steal from anyone, they have no morals, they use stolen credit cards, they make false claims for asylum and benefits, they want anything they can get for free," the message said. "Law enforcement cannot be bothered with them -- but we can!"
To me, that's a productive and useful hobby that builds skills that will take the Lads far in this world...
But while the defacements have undoubtedly halted a number of fraud schemes, security experts are dubious about the methods.
"Oh, I'm not sure..."
"Then how the hell'd you get to be an expert?"
"Are the ends good? Undoubtedly. Are the means justified? I don't know," said Cory Altheide of the SANS Internet Storm Center, a consortium of academic and industry security experts.
That must be the "academic" influence talking. Either that, or he never gets any email...
"All I really know is the stories of vigilantism ending well are few and far between."
Posted by: Gir ||
05/26/2005 10:04 Comments ||
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#2
I applaud these efforts. What I'd like to do is see everyone who gets a spam or phishing email be allowed one free punch at the jerks who send this stuff out. Send out 1 million emails? Then you get 1 million people who each get one punch at your head!
Posted by: Dar ||
05/26/2005 10:19 Comments ||
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#3
God bless em I say. If they could gather info on the perps and forward it to law enforcement more better. When caught and convicted I'd be inclined to impose a modified sharia sentencing procedure for perps entailing the crushing of digits based upon damage inflicted upon people.
It sounds more like the CYA influence talking. "Oh, we really wouldn't care to discuss the ethics of taking down the websites of the scum-sucking, father-raping, kiddie-diddling rat bastards. They're all tight with trial lawyers."
#6
Myself, I'd settle for a brisk flogging of the trackback comment spammer who keeps trying to advertise certain card games and sexual perversions for free on my website.
Yoo-hoo, Lads... over here! The numbskull with the trackback spam! It'd be a public service!
#7
Online Poker dropped 40 comments inviting us to go to his site and give him money play the other night. As it happened, none was tied to an article so nobody saw them except me, when I was doing my routine maintenance.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2005 11:24 Comments ||
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#8
tryin to putn together em malware blog. gotta werk it moren ima get home
#13
Best thing is they won't go to jail because the Phishers won't report them and the authorities won't do anything without someone willing to press charges. This is how the DOS attackers blackmail so many sites. Because so many appease the blackmailers by paying them off rather than risking an attack and the cops can't do anything about it.
A Minnesota appeals court has ruled that the presence of encryption software on a computer may be viewed as evidence of criminal intent.
Ari David Levie, who was convicted of taking illegal photographs of a nude 9-year-old girl, argued on appeal that the PGP encryption utility on his computer was irrelevant and should not have been admitted as evidence during his trial. PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy and is sold by PGP Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif.
But the Minnesota appeals court ruled 3-0 that the trial judge was correct to let that information be used when handing down a guilty verdict.
"We find that evidence of appellant's Internet use and the existence of an encryption program on his computer was at least somewhat relevant to the state's case against him," Judge R.A. Randall wrote in an opinion dated May 3.
Randall favorably cited testimony given by retired police officer Brooke Schaub, who prepared a computer forensics report--called an EnCase Report--for the prosecution. Schaub testified that PGP "can basically encrypt any file" and "other than the National Security Agency," nobody could break it.
The court didn't say that police had unearthed any encrypted files or how it would view the use of standard software like OS X's FileVault. Rather, Levie's conviction was based on the in-person testimony of the girl who said she was paid to pose nude, coupled with the history of searches for "Lolitas" in Levie's Web browser.
Judge Thomas Bibus had convicted Levie of two counts of attempted use of a minor in a sexual performance and two counts of solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct. The appeals court reversed the two convictions for attempted use of a minor, upheld the two solicitation convictions, and sent the case back to Bibus for a new sentence. So the standard for legal encryption would be security so poor that any local police department could break it?
This makes anyone who ever order anything on the inernet, anyone using online banking, anyone who logs onto hotmail a pedophile. They are use SSL which uses encryption....
This ruling is in direct violation of the 1st Amendment. I can see if the cops found evidence that the encryption program was used to hide the crime, but mere evidence of it's existance?
As can be shown above and by others, there are TONS of Unix programs/tools which can be used to prevent unauthorized access to files, the above example is but one way. (I use the above scheme, minus the 'a' switch, to protect maintencence scripts from myself on a Linux file server.)
A smart lawyer can get this ruling overturned as it affects data security in a profouond way.
#5
Yes, God can do that, but then a lawyer can argue chain of custody: the drive is part of the compuyter and removing the drive constitutes evidence tampering by the prosecution.
#7
I once took a class on cryptology, which taught me how to hand-create and crack letters and such with all kinds of ciphers from the caesar cipher to PGP and RSA.
am I a criminal now?
Posted by: Miss Gunn ||
05/26/2005 10:19 Comments ||
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#8
This is a nice example of people not "getting it" when it comes to the new tech (and it's not even that new, now is it?) ...
I've written a couple of my own mini-tools for encrypting and packing data files into a single file, intended to be used as a computer game's resource file ... I still have those tools, along with several encrypted/packed files, on my computer ... and I live in Minnesota.
I think I better get a lawyer before I say any more ... :-/
#9
I fully agree that the possession and use of encryption software by itself cannot be evidence of criminal intent, but in conjunction with evidence of real criminal activity it can be taken into account.
For example: I was on a jury on a drug trafficking case. The guy was caught with lots of heroin (1/2 lb.) and some cocaine. Entered into evidence to bolster the Trafficking angle (as opposed to simple possession with intent to distribute) were many items that in isolation are not illegal to possess. These included thousands of mini plastic baggies and labels, and various cutting agents. The mere possession of these items was not illegal but was evidentiary regarding criminal intent.
I'm no lawyer, and I don't play one online - I'm just throwing this out as another perspective on this case. Just some food for thought...
#10
PGP is available for free for personal use, at least for some older operating systems:
http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html
Posted by: Tom ||
05/26/2005 12:03 Comments ||
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#11
I gave out bad information. Sorry.
The only thing the shell script will do is to make files harder to delete. It won't protect the file from being viewed at all. setting the directory and its contents to 0000 will make it hard for all but root to access the file, but as JFM said, removing the harddrive and attaching it to another computer may defeat that precaution.
#13
...a lawyer can argue chain of custody: the drive is part of the compuyter and removing the drive constitutes evidence tampering by the prosecution.
Nope. As long as the drive is pulled officially, and logged as evidence, it can then be bitwise-copied without disturbing anything. Perfectly legal, happens all the time.
Hat tip Instapundit. EFL
After watching President Bush plant a 16-foot American chestnut tree in honor of National Arbor Day (4/29 this year), Marshal Case of Shaftsbury, Vt. called it the beginning of "the greatest environmental achievement of this century." Admittedly, he might be slightly biased.
For Case, who is president of the American Chestnut Foundation headquartered in Bennington, Vt., it was a crowning achievement: Nearly once extinct, his beloved chestnut is healthy again and gracing the White House's North Lawn. "This is a tremendous day for us," he said. "This is a big thing. Every president plants a species of tree historically. I didn't know that, although there are quite a few presidents represented in the collection of the Historic Tree Nursery.The American chestnut is President Bush's tree."
In a private meeting with the president before the ceremonial planting, Case said, they talked about trees — with Bush telling Case about the 16,000 trees he had planted at his Texas ranch. So nyaaa to all the BDS-raddled Greens out there!
The tree planted Friday came from a research farm in Virginia, where blight resistance was bred into the native chestnut with the help of the Chinese chestnut.
The American chestnut, prized for its timber and its crop of glossy dark nuts, once dominated Eastern forests from Maine to Georgia. The graceful trees were virtually wiped out by blight starting at the turn of the 20th century.
That loss, Case said, "was the greatest environmental disaster in the Western Hemisphere since the Ice Age." Yes, indeed. Possibly slightly biased.
Now, after years of breeding, cloning and crossbreeding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is ready to reintroduce disease-resistant chestnuts to Eastern forests next year.
Case says the chestnut is also poised for a comeback that could reclaim the scarred face of closed coal mines. It can also absorb carbons released into the air by fuel-fired plants in the Midwest, he said. Kyoto, anyone?
#2
I had a cousin die of the Dutch Elm disease. The family still won't talk about it.
Posted by: Walter Mitty ||
05/26/2005 7:09 Comments ||
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#3
I searched the website, Brother Bunny, but can't find that the blight resistant trees are for sale yet. And they're sold out of regular survivor seedlings for this year. But in the meantime, you can get a disease resistant American Elm The NYT had an article naming some suppliers a few years ago, and the Princeton variety may be available at the better garden shops in your area.
#4
The town back in Mass where I grew up had rows of huge elm trees lining the streets and parks. I remember the Dutch Elm disease going through and killing them all. Glad to see they finally have figured out a way to replace them.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/26/2005 8:30 Comments ||
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#5
Found the website... http://www.acf.org/ ...gonna preorder some for the fall planting. Thanks for the article, I didn't know they had developed a resistant strain. I did hear a few years ago of the discovery of old growth in the North Carolina Smokies that had survived. These must have been the foundation for the new seedlings.
It seems that the site you cited does not have blight-resistant seedlings, only "pure" ones.
Unless they buried the info about getting blight-resistant seedlings on some other page.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
05/26/2005 12:08 Comments ||
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#10
There are isolated stands of chestnut trees scattered around the country that for one reason or another proved to be resistant to blight. But a lot of the chestnut trees that supposedly died off and were cut down continue to grow from their roots which IIRC are ressitant ot the blight. But hte new growth does not last and soon dies off. Of course the more radical enviro whack jobs will decry this as human meddling
#12
there were chestnut trees growing fine on the block in Brooklyn where I grew up. My understanding is that they were sufficiently isolated from other trees (this being Brooklyn, after all) that they werent exposed to the blight.
I find it interesting how many ecological disasters are turning out not to be, after all. Global warming/cooling, global overpopulation decades behind schedule and likely to peak at half projected levels, extinct species that either aren't or only are in a certain location, wolf and bear populations increasing so that they drift back into their old ranges. And Fred has a good feeling about the progress of the war on terror on the Opinion page. EFL
A flower long thought to be extinct was rediscovered in a California state park - more than six decades after it was last seen, scientists said Wednesday.
The pink wildflower Eriogonom truncatum, known as the Mount Diablo buckwheat, was found in a remote section of a Contra Costa County park about 30 miles east of San Francisco. The plant resembles baby's breath used in floral arrangements.
The location is being kept secret, but the dozen-plus plants were found on a property preserved by the conservation group Save Mount Diablo.
#1
I bought a book a good few years ago on extinct birds. On the cover was the ivory billed woodpecker and the pink headed duck (from Bangla Desh). Both have turned up alive and pecking or quacking (respectively) in the last year. At this rate, I still have hopes for the dodo.
On the subject of extinct plants, one of the big mysteries was the ancestry of wheat. It is a hybrid of several plants, but a crucial one was unknown, presumed extinct. An Israeli botanist finally found it growing on a vacant lot on the grounds of his University.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
#5
Grunter is right. Over the last 100 to 150 years the bulk of the loses have been localized or island variants of species that survive elsewhere. The main exception is here in Australia where feral animals have devastated native animals under 5 kilos and cats (along with foxes and cane toads) are the main cause.
Saturn's moon Titan shows an unusual bright spot that has scientists mystified. The spot, approximately the size and shape of West Virginia, is just southeast of the bright region called Xanadu and is visible to multiple instruments on the Cassini spacecraft. The 483-kilometer-wide (300-mile) region may be a "hot" spot - an area possibly warmed by a recent asteroid impact or by a mixture of water ice and ammonia from a warm interior, oozing out of an ice volcano onto colder surrounding terrain.
Other possibilities for the unusual bright spot include landscape features holding clouds in place or unusual materials on the surface. "At first glance, I thought the feature looked strange, almost out of place," said Dr. Robert H. Brown, team leader of the Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer and professor at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson. "After thinking a bit, I speculated that it was a hot spot. In retrospect, that might not be the best hypothesis. But the spot is no less intriguing."
The Cassini spacecraft flew by Titan on March 31 and April 16. Its visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, using the longest, reddest wavelengths that the spectrometer sees, observed the spot, the brightest area ever observed on Titan. Cassini's imaging cameras saw a bright, 550-kilometer-wide (345-mile) semi-circle at visible wavelengths at this same location on Cassini's December 2004 and February 2005 Titan flybys. "It seems clear that both instruments are detecting the same basic feature on or controlled by Titan's surface," said Dr. Alfred S. McEwen, Cassini imaging team scientist, also of the University of Arizona. "This bright patch may be due to an impact event, landslide, cryovolcanism or atmospheric processes. Its distinct color and brightness suggest that it may have formed relatively recently."
Other bright spots have been seen on Titan, but all have been transient features that move or disappear within hours, and have different spectral (color) properties than this feature. This spot is persistent in both its color and location. "It's possible that the visual and infrared spectrometer is seeing a cloud that is topographically controlled by something on the surface, and that this weird, semi-circular feature is causing this cloud," said Dr. Elizabeth Turtle, Cassini imaging team associate, also from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.
"If the spot is a cloud, then its longevity and stability imply that it is controlled by the surface. Such a cloud might result from airflow across low mountains or outgassing caused by geologic activity," said Jason Barnes, a postdoctoral researcher working with the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team at the University of Arizona. The spot could be reflected light from a patch of terrain made up of some exotic surface material. "Titan's surface seems to be mostly dirty ice. The bright spot might be a region with different surface composition, or maybe a thin surface deposit of non-icy material," Barnes added.
Scientists have also considered that the spot might be mountains. If so, they'd have to be much higher than the 100-meter-high (300-foot) hills Cassini's radar altimeter has seen so far. Scientists doubt that Titan's crust could support such high mountains. The visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team will be able to test the hot spot hypothesis on the July 2, 2006, Titan flyby, when they take nighttime images of the same area. If the spot glows at night, researchers will know it's hot.
#1
I'm thinking we'll be hearing that this is the Ming the Merciless Mohammed the Merciful Moskkk of Titan, that Muzzy Islamonauts visited Titan hundreds of years ago on Celestial Flying Carpets, during the Perfect Caliphate of Peace and Dhimmi Dominion period. They visited all of the planets, in fact, while the infidels were still as mere dogs and cattle. They are all Muzzy "Lands". The Holy Dome of the Moskkk is made of Islamium, mined on Titan, which has many similarities, but is much more Holy and better than gold. Everything Muzzy is better than the kufr version, of course.
Titan is the 47,382nd Most Holy Site in Islam.
Don't forget - you can get your Islamium MeccaCard from the Islamic Bank of Kufr Dhimmitude - once your country submits.
"MeccaCard - Don't Jihad Without It! Accepted in over 7 locations!"
#4
So that would be the famous Mohammed's night journey wet dream to Titan, where the spare virgins on kept on ice.
Posted by: ed ||
05/26/2005 1:03 Comments ||
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#5
The spot, approximately the size and shape of West Virginia, is just southeast of the bright region called Xanadu and is visible to multiple instruments on the Cassini spacecraft.
Don't tell me! Let me guess! It's called the Robert Dole Memorial Titan Anomaly?
Can we send the venerable senator there to check it out? Can we send John Cain to help?
#15
Oh, and the humans won. The Americans, of course, because Heinlein was a patriot who really believed in the innate superiority of the American approach to problem solving.
A jarring game of planetary billiards in the early years of the Solar System created the Man in the Moon, astrophysicists believe. Rocks picked up by the Apollo astronauts suggest that the basins which appear to form the Moon's "face" when seen from Earth resulted from a massive flurry of impacts by space rocks some four billion years ago. But explaining this event, called the Late Heavy Bombardment, has been a matter of controversy. If the dating is right, the lunar bombardment occurred around 600 million years after the Sun burst into light and the planets start to form, building up from clusters of primitive dust. By that time, the Solar System should - in theory - have been a relatively calm place. Most of the Solar System's construction debris should have settled in stabilised orbits or been mopped up by the planets, sucked in by gravitational pull.
So how could this bombardment of the Moon have arisen? The answer may lie in a novel theory that may also explain two other strange features of the Solar System. Writing on Thursday in the British weekly journal Nature, scientists say the key is in the formation of the Solar System's two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, around 4.5 billion years ago. If there was a time when Saturn completed exactly one orbit of the Sun for every two orbits made by Jupiter, the two planets would trigger a phenomenon called mean-motion resonance, they say. Under this, one planet's gravitational perturbations affect the other, rather like two giant ships which pass close to another, causing waves that make both vessels bobble and slightly change course. In the case of Jupiter and Saturn, the resonance eventually had an enormous knock-on effect. It edged the two planets into wider orbits around the Sun, elongated and tilted their orbital planes and, in turn, eventually scattered the two outermost large planets, Uranus and Neptune. When Neptune was flung outwards, it in turn scattered an orbiting cloud of rocky debris towards the Sun, some of which smacked into the Moon.
The planetary migration unfolded over hundreds of millions of years, and this explains why the Late Heavy Bombardment occurred relatively late in the history of the Solar System. If this theory of planetary movement, backed by high-powered computer models, is right, it would also explain why the giant planets have stabilised into eccentric orbits around the Sun instead of neat circular ones. And it would also provide the answer as to why their inclinations - the tilt of their orbital planes - are so much larger than those predicted by the conventional hypothesis of planetary formation.
#1
I tihnk they're neglecting a couple possibilities. If Jupiter's migrating, the asteroids in the main belt are migrating too. But the resonances that Jupiter's swept clean in the main belt are migrating at different rates than the asteroids are, and they're going to get disrupted. In short, something that was skirting the edge of a Kirkwood Gap is suddenly going to be _in_ the gap, in a resonance with Jupiter, and disrupted.
I know I need to double-check the math on this. I didn't know that many people were doing work on Jupiter possibly moving around in the early solar system.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/26/2005 0:15 Comments ||
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#2
...the lunar bombardment occurred around 600 million years after the Sun burst into light and the planets start to form, building up from clusters of primitive dust. By that time, the Solar System should - in theory - have been a relatively calm place.
Sounds like the theory is wrong. Change it. That's called "science".
That being said... whould someone please show me a planet forming from an accretion disk or savage dust clusters? haven't seen one such case yet, and since there are billyons and billyons of stars, as Carl Sagan used to say, there must be one now somewhere.
#4
Phil, the model states that Jupiter was migrating, not that it does so at the present. So, the point about main belt and asteroids may be moot.
OTOH, there may be another mechanism that affects planetary orbits at any point in planet's life and then ... riot. BTW, the obliquity and tilt seem to suggest rather 'recent' event, as revolving planets tend to smooth out their orbit towards more circular in time.
#6
A problem I see is related to twobyfour's comment: simulations need to be initialized, and it appears that it was initialized with Jupiter and Saturn already accreted into planets with the postulated orbital characteristics. However, would not the pre-accreted proto-Jupiter and proto-Saturn non-planetary conglomerates ALSO possess the SAME orbital characteristics, and their gravitational interactions be the same (albeit reduced in strength)?
I don't know if anyone sees what I'm seeing: the planets had to accrete from the disk of material postulated to have been the the beginning of our solar system. Gravitational forces pulled the majority of the mass of the stuff into what would become the sun, while smaller lumps that randomly appeared in the disk became larger via gravitational attraction of smaller lumps of material to them. The lumps that eventually became Jupiter and Saturn HAD to have had the postulated orbital characteristics some time BEFORE becoming planets for them to have them AFTER becoming planets. Why didn't this effect affect the pre-planetary Jupiter and Saturn masses?
Final kiss of death: This sounds like something Immanuel Velikovsky would have come up with.
This system complies perfectly with a newly forming high-mass star surrounded by a huge accretion disc and accompanied by an energetic bipolar mass outflow.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980423.html
These separate radio images reveal three dusty debris disks surrounding three bright, young, nearby stars - evidence for solar systems in formation
HTH. HAND. LTUG.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
05/26/2005 7:49 Comments ||
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#9
twobyfour, you ask a good question but consider a couple of things that are easily observable that have a similar effect. Check out the dust bunnies that develop beneath beds. These are created by the accumulation of smaller particles smacking together and sticking together. Gravity and glue are not involved, just motion, friction,and time. If the dust bunnies were travelling in circles they'd be even more effecient in colliding with each other.
The planets are just giant dust bunnies that have now sucked up the leftovers so they can no longer grow bigger.
#11
BTW, the '70s show "Cosmos" is out on Bittorrent. Just showed by Estonian girlfriend the first ep. She's hooked.
It's surprising how well it holds together 30 years hence. Even with Carl's wife spouting out in the first ep about how the Soviet Union and the United States held "the world hostage" during the Cold War. No moral equivalency there.
Posted by: Scott ||
05/26/2005 19:42 Comments ||
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#12
It's surprising how well it holds together
Well, let me modify it a tad: "It's surprising how well it seems to holds together"
Cuz it doesn't. Just google "scientists are puzzled" and pick those related to astronomy, for the last 4 or so years.
A good theory predicts a lot of stuff. But once you are puzzled one time too many, introducing additional epicycles to fix it--that does not a good theory make.
It just shows how well the current paradigm is entrenched.
#13
Well, 2x4, it's kind of hard to show you planets at all; we have a hard time imaging planets outside the solar system at all, mostly we just infer their existance from gravitational effects.
the ones we do see are usually anomalous jupiter-sized planets close to the primary, and that's more a selection effect of the instruments than any sort of valid population measurement. There are also pictures of bright objects in protoplanetary discs that may be planets, or may be brown dwarves. Noone can really tell.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/26/2005 23:54 Comments ||
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Raytheon has been awarded a $16.5 million U.S. Army contract to provide the electro- optic/infrared/laser designator (EO/IR/LD) payload for use on the Army's Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) is responsible for the ERMP multi-sensor payload, which will be manufactured and managed by its Precision Attack and Surveillance Systems (PASS) business area based in McKinney, Texas. "We welcome the opportunity to bring industry-leading reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition performance to the Army's ERMP UAV," said PASS Vice President Mike Proch. "In doing so, Raytheon will leverage its long heritage of proven EO/IR expertise to provide dependable unmanned airborne sensor technology - advanced technology that captures the information today's soldiers require to assure mission success and retain battlespace dominance."
LAHORE: Five children, three elderly women and six men of the Shia sect have been accused of blasphemy in Haveli Koranga, Khanewal district, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about one of the companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Police officials told Daily Times on Wednesday that the local sessions court had granted bail to the 14 accused, but the case hearing had not begun because the police had not submitted the challan. Following the incident in Basti Mehar Shah on April 19/20, a police case was lodged on April 27. A Deobandi Sunni group affiliated with the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (now called the Millat-e-Islamia) allegedly set a backside portion of a mosque in the area on fire. Ownership of the mosque is disputed between the sects and the case is pending in the Lahore High Court. The mosque has been sealed.
Residents of the area told Daily Times that things had now calmed down. "The situation is not so tense anymore because the Shias, though in majority in the area, are surrounded by the Sipah-e-Sahaba, who are in majority in surrounding areas. Kabirwala tehsil is where Sipah-e-Sahaba was founded in 1986," said one of the locals. The complainant in the case is the station house officer (SHO) of the area, Muhammad Afsar Khan. According to the case, the children made an effigy and allegedly related it to one of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), placed it on a donkey and chanted derogatory remarks. Zahran, Kaneeza and Hameedan, the accused women, had made the effigy for Faisal, Muhammad Shahbaz, Imran, Shahbaz and Najaf. These children then brought the effigy to the bazaar where Zufiqar, Rafqat, Hasan Nawaz, Zaigham, Ghulam Murtaza, and Zamir accompanied them. They chanted the derogatory remarks and made off when some elders scolded them.
Section 298(A) of the PPC says, "Use of derogatory remarks in respect of holy personages. Whoever by words, either, spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or institution, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of any wife, or members of the family of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), or any of the righteous Caliphs or companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extended to three years, or with fine, or both." Police officials told Daily Times that according to prior investigations, the children were celebrating Milad on Rabiul Awal 9 (third Islamic month), which is an old tradition in the Shia community. They said that they were celebrating the death of Omar bin Saad, commander in chief of Yazid's army that martyred Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS). They said they had not defiled the name of any companion of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). On April 24, a local jirga consisting of elders from both sects called a meeting and decided that the children had made no deliberate attempt to blaspheme. Initially, nine children were accused, including Sarfaraz, Fayyaz, Bilal, Qasim, Abuzar but only Shahbaz (11), Fasial Zamir (13), Muhammad Shahbaz (12), Najaf Ali (12) and Muhammad Imran (9) were nominated in the FIR.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2005 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
Kinda like being jugged for saying the Apostle Luke was a nerdy note-taker.
#2
The nice thing about having freedom of opinion and freedom of speech, is that it frees up the police and the courts to deal with real crimes and criminals. Or even take the occasional lunch break.
#8
Pakistan - the "Land of the Pure" is just purifying (ethnically cleansing) itself.
It has already ethically cleansed the Sihks and Hindus. It is well on the way to wiping out the Ahmaddis muslims. The Ismaeli muslims will soon follow (rather perverse when one considers that the Aga Khan was a supporter of the Pakistan project). The Shia muslims are next.
Once only Sunni are allowed, there will be further cleansing of the renegade sects like the Barelvi, the Sufi..
Only the pure Deobandi will remain.
All will be Taliban.
Posted by: john ||
05/26/2005 21:14 Comments ||
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#9
makes the "collateral count" low, then
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/26/2005 21:37 Comments ||
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The military vowed Wednesday to hunt down militiamen who killed 18 people and kidnapped scores of others in eastern Congo, while the United Nations said it would investigate the massacre. Government troops are preparing an offensive against militia who carried out the attack, killing their victims with machetes and axes and kidnapping 50 others, said Lt. Kasanda Wa Kasanda, military spokesman for South Kivu province. Kasanda, citing survivors' accounts, said the militiamen called themselves Rastas and were accompanied by Rwandan Hutu rebels from the group Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, known by its French abbreviation FDLR. "We've decided to track the Rastas and FDLR and save our population," said Kasanda, speaking by telephone from a military base in Walungu, near Ninja.
"Never fear! The Congolese army is here!... Hey! Where'd everybody go?"
The United Nations will send a team to the Ninja region to investigate the killings, U.N. spokesman Leocadio Salmeron said. However, Salmeron said the team of U.N. officials and peacekeepers were waiting to assess the security situation.
"They'll be entering heavy forests where the security is not good," said Salmeron, speaking by telephone from Bukavu, the provincial capital located 50 miles east of Ninja. "There will be lots and lots of preparation for this."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2005 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[4 views]
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#1
Rastas! They should be easy to find. Follow the smell of burning ganja.
I love this: The United Nations will send a team to the Ninja region to investigate the killings
Short guys, wear black, sneaky types?...
Nah - haven't seen 'em.
#2
The military vowed Wednesday to hunt down militiamen ... while the United Nations said it would investigate the massacre.
Doesn't that pretty much sum it up. Those who can do, those who can't form committees. But wait, there's more:"There will be lots and lots of preparation for this.". I weep for the shrimp cocktails who will give their lives to make this noble and no doubt, long running investigation possible.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
France and the Netherlands should re-run their referendums to obtain the "right answer" if their voters reject Europe's constitutional treaty in imminent national ballots, Jean-Claude Juncker, the holder of the EU presidency, said on Wednesday. 
Saturn's moon Titan shows an unusual bright spot that has scientists mystified. The spot, approximately the size and shape of West Virginia, is just southeast of the bright region called Xanadu and is visible to multiple instruments on the Cassini spacecraft. The 483-kilometer-wide (300-mile) region may be a "hot" spot - an area possibly warmed by a recent asteroid impact or by a mixture of water ice and ammonia from a warm interior, oozing out of an ice volcano onto colder surrounding terrain.
LAHORE: Five children, three elderly women and six men of the Shia sect have been accused of blasphemy in Haveli Koranga, Khanewal district, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about one of the companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Police officials told Daily Times on Wednesday that the local sessions court had granted bail to the 14 accused, but the case hearing had not begun because the police had not submitted the challan. Following the incident in Basti Mehar Shah on April 19/20, a police case was lodged on April 27. A Deobandi Sunni group affiliated with the 
The military vowed Wednesday to hunt down militiamen who killed 18 people and kidnapped scores of others in eastern Congo, while the United Nations said it would investigate the massacre. Government troops are preparing an offensive against militia who carried out the attack, killing their victims with machetes and axes and kidnapping 50 others, said Lt. Kasanda Wa Kasanda, military spokesman for South Kivu province. Kasanda, citing survivors' accounts, said the militiamen called themselves Rastas and were accompanied by Rwandan Hutu rebels from the group Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, known by its French abbreviation FDLR. "We've decided to track the Rastas and FDLR and save our population," said Kasanda, speaking by telephone from a military base in Walungu, near Ninja.
