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News Briefs 04-11-2004

Remind me never to move house on election day again. If the news is a bit short, my apologies.

  • In the last three weeks, 300 children have been attacked by blood-sucking monkeys at an Indian Temple
  • While scientists debate its hazards, health-seekers bathe in the glow of radon.
  • A Chinese farmer has reportedly realised his childhood dream of building a flying saucer.
  • If aliens ever do turn up on our doorstep, we are likely to try to sell them something. Read about “Marketing to the Mothership”.
  • Here is a review of The Shape of The Great Pyramid available in December, a new book debunking various theories about it’s geometry.
  • The Artic icecap is getting warmer at a far faster rate than elsewhere. Santa buys a speedboat, looks for a red-nosed dolphin.
  • The oceans are full of giant squid, which now represent more biomass than the human race.
  • Satanic sailor’s Mom blows his cover: says her son is “the least evil person you could meet”.
  • An ancient site in London reveals the secrets of Roman cosmetics, and an inscription to “Mars Camulos”, a mixture of the Roman and British gods of war.
  • Revealed at last, an early 70s U.S. Army study said a little LSD was a good thing for it’s soldiers.
  • More on what I consider a big “lost issue”, where is the armor to save U.S. soldiers’ lives? Who is responsible for the lack? Heads should roll for this, but won’t.
  • Chinese microfossils give clues to the first animals.
  • Politics Warning: I have to do it. Views on the re-election of G.W. Bush from a Republican and a Democrat.
  • The mapmaker who found the tomb of a living god by accident.
  • How to run a space programme for the people on a limited budget, a salutary lesson from India.
  • How to adapt ancient Maori warrior teachings to a modern business.
  • Cuture grown human blood is soon to be a reality, and it will probably have Aussie crocs in its genes.
  • NASA wants to study the man who inspired the movie “Rainman”, as it seems his abilities just keep improving with age.
  • Pagan rituals posted on their Web site have riled U.S. Episcopalians.
  • Cosmic rays tracked down at last – they come from supernovae.
  • A computer model has predicted 15 out of 16 Californian earthquakes in the last 4 years.
  • NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts outsources for the 12 best ideas on getting into space and staying there.
  • Suffering from joint pain? Get stung by some bees.
  • An author outlines a mixture of modern psychology and the mysticism of the African plant, eboga.

Quote of the Day:


You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.



Mahatma Gandhi

  1. Political opinion
    Ah, Democrats; charming as ever. Why is it that Democrats always begin an argument, discover they haven’t anything to say aside from criticism, and then fall back on emotionalism, name-calling, and exaggeration to attempt to make their point? I can only excuse that writer because he’s the product of his environment: the institution of higher learning, its air poisoned by the feel-good, ultra-liberal rhetoric of “professors”. Bolstered by the opinions of his similarly brainwashed peers, he engages in the scurrilous tactic of slandering everything that seemingly prevented his liberal fantasy from becoming reality. Rather than seek productive dialogue, he hurls mean-spirited accusations and ephithets, like a spoiled child. Rather than seek a common ground of cooperation and compromise, they stamp their feet and threaten to leave the country. They even regard a clear popular and electoral mandate as “stupidity”. Writers, teachers, and students like him are part of the problem, not, as they believe, the solution.

    Regards,
    khefre

    P.S. Okay, liberal Democrats, let’s see how many dirty names you can call me in the next few days. Cernig, don’t blame me if it gets nasty, you planted the seed.

    1. comments
      Hi Khefre,
      As per the sites on which they were posted I think the two articles were pretty much the same;funny that you took such umbrage at the pro-Democrat one.
      I have two questions to ask…
      Why is your government keeping your countrymen in such a state of fear?
      And why are many
      Americans not aware that there are other people in the world who have hopes and dreams like yourselves?
      I spent a sleepless night after hearing an American commentator on CNN state that within a few months we will see your troops entering Iran.
      I remember the revulsion I felt when the troops began bombing Iraq,and the list of dead rose higher and higher,on both sides.
      If you think a return to the Crusades where two fundamentalist religions killing each other is right, then you are indeed a product of American isolationism and ego.
      During and after WW2 when American troops marched into European countries they were greeted by crowds of people throwing flowers in front of the tanks, and people holding their babies up to be kissed by the soldiers.
      Contrast this with the reaction you get now when your troops enter a country.
      Don’t blame Cernig for posting the links, that is only shooting the messenger.
      America always signified to me all that was hopeful and good in the world; an example of a state where all manner of people came together and forged a new life based on equal opportunity for all.
      Sadly that is no longer the case.

      As someone said….Mourning has broken…..

      shadows

      1. What can I say?
        It doesn’t seem to matter what I say – so I guess I’ll just take the line of least resistance. We Americans are just bloodthirsty, ignorant, rude, unfeeling savages who want to see the rest of the world under our evil yoke of oppression. As for the two articles, if you can’t see the difference, my explaining won’t help. And I’m not castigating C for posting the articles, just having a little fun. As for the world’s impression of America, nothing I can say or do would change that. Has it ever occurred to anyone that the media controls what you see and hear? Has anyone ever talked to a soldier recently stationed in Iraq to get their take on how the average citizen of that country feels? And let’s not forget that America is not alone in this matter – why isn’t anyone bashing the other countries that are participating in the cleanup? Go to the site http://www.militarycity.com and have a look at the faces of young American soldiers who have been murdered in Iraq. I’ll bet a lot of you would probably say “they got what they deserved”.

        You know what I wish? I wish we could close our borders, send all of the foreigners that aren’t citizens home, bring back all our manufacturing and outsourced jobs, and tell the rest of the world to bugger off and settle it’s own problems. Then all I’d have to listen to is the constant whining and complaining about how America never helps anyone. What I really wish is that John Kerry had won the election: then you could all bend over and kiss your butts goodbye.

        Regards,
        khefre

        1. Beautiful young men and women
          Khefre, don’t you understand?
          The beautiful young men and women from the American army killed in Iraq are just as much victims as the Iraqi people themselves.
          I have seen interviews with American troops stationed in Iraq and they hate it there,hate Bush for putting them there, and the many thousands returned injured sitting around without limbs waiting for a few measly dollars from their government for medical treatment brought tears to my eyes.
          The other nations involved are suffering castigation from the world as well.I hate my PM for sending our couple of hundred troops to Iraq, and for telling reporters when he did and was asked how he felt about Iraqi civilian deaths, replied that you could not equate an Iraqi death with that of an Australian.Why?
          Killing is killing, the dead are just as dead.
          When JFK was assassinated the music died.
          He had his problems but handing his country to greedy corporations to privatise war was not one of them.
          The sane countries in Europe, which is most of them, hate us for what we are doing.
          Australia has now become a target for terrorists, now that we hitched our wagon to Bush’s star.
          Prior to that, no one in the world knew where we were, or who we were.
          And who owns the media?
          The corporations who need to keep in good with Bush and company.
          If you can see an advantage in this present situation for you and your family and for the world as a whole, please tell me and I will apologise profusely,I will humble myself for mouthing off about something about which I care with all my heart.

          sadly,

          shadows

        2. My Two Cents
          Hi Khefre and all,

          I posted both articles because there should be balance in this kind of thing. I thought both were extremely juvenile name calling which could be expected from kids in a playground instead of supposedly serious journalists. This even though I am a fan of Information Clearing House in general and often submit links for thier political news briefs.

          I find the Republican standpoint in general to be marginally less palatable to my, admittedly European, viewpoint but with this election I am inescapably drawn to the memories of the UK after Thatcher, Baroness of Evil, won her second term. There, the nation became polarised and a radical neoconservative manifesto was implemented. Ten years later, the conservatives had made themselves unelectable for a generation at least, and now may even slip into the status of the third party in UK politics. What goes around comes around, and someone will now re-invent the Democrats as the New Democrats, as Blair did with the Labour and Socialist Party in the UK.

          On one thing you DID say, Khefre – “Has anyone ever talked to a soldier recently stationed in Iraq to get their take on how the average citizen of that country feels?” – I will direct you to another site I support and occasionally contribute material for – Operation Truth, the website of US veterans of Iraq. I highly recommend a browse around to anyone who wishes to spout off on this topic because without it they will be talking in a knowledge vaccuum. Read their stories and you will discover why I feel so strongly about the “armor issue”. You will also hear conflicting versions of their feelings about Iraqis and the Iraqis feelings about them. Read further, and you will find that 31,000 of the US’s troops are “green card” troops…would you kick them out of the country they are fighting for without citizenship? NO issue is ever purely black and white, my main reservation with conservative politics is that it rarely acknowledges this.

          Lastly, I dont hate Americans, I married a Texan lass. She wants to move to Scotland too as she feels that America has lost it’s way. I dont think Americans are stupid, warmongering, bloodthirsty or savages- but I do think the leadership it just voted for is. This is not an uncommon problem worldwide either. The only question then is how the populace reacts…by getting on the kindergarten politics wagon or by thinking beyond the lines drawn by political hacks who all have their own agendas to get and retain power.Those lines include national boundaries. I firmly believe every person should be free to live where they will and that we could provide the infrastructure to do this easily if we wished to. The amounts spent annually on weapons are more than enough to accomplish this. Roll on the United States of Earth, just so long as we can all go to the table as equals. After all, we are all equally human.

          Regards, C

        3. Solomon
          Hi Khefre,

          “have a look at the faces of young American soldiers who have been murdered in Iraq. I’ll bet a lot of you would probably say “they got what they deserved”.

          Murdered Khefre ? By those criminal irakis who try to expell them ? And no they didnt get what they deserved -they got what they asked for !
          “I wish we could close our borders” Here,here if only we could ‘imprison’ those americans- let them finish off themselves, without the chinese goodies, the middle easteren oil and the indo-european science savy, life would become intorable in no time- you really dont need terrorrists bogeymen for that- you need the latter to scare and suppress and intimidate the own population.

          Your president and his backers are a totally criminal organisation for whom btw stealing this election was another piece of cake – thanks to the ‘weak knees’ in the Kerry camp- they fear civil war if they’d go all out – Remember Solomon ? He certainly wouldn’t have a hard time figuring out who it is that truly loves his country.

          ” do unto others as you would have them do unto you “

    2. Hi Khefre,
      Hi Khefre,

      I read two articles, and both were just – to quote Jon Stewart – partisan hackery. The Republican article gloated, and somehow managed to take the moral high ground on 527s (uh, Swift Boats anyone?) and “integrity, truth and ethical leadership” (Rumsfeld’s “we know where they are” on WMD, Cheney’s distortions of Iraq and links to terrorism etc ad infinitum). The Democrat article (written by a ‘she’ by the way) poured blame on the American people, and yet chose to ignore the fact that the Democrats had the largest bank of ammunition ever in an election and failed to capitalise on it, a massive failure in connecting with the American people on a personal level.

      I’ve read your posts for a long time Khefre, and partisan name-calling is beneath you. Reference my quote of the day on Tuesday for the trap we all need to beware of falling into.

      It’s time that people looked inward and judged themselves, rather than others. It’s time that people reflected on the basic principles of humanity. For Americans, I suggest going back to the roots of the nation. Read Thomas Paine. Read Jefferson. Read Lincoln. Then look at a massive vote against gay marriage and rights.

      “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

      Me personally, while I hold democratic principles, I have little faith in the judgement of ‘democracy’ as it pertains to whether anything is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Take a look at the top-rated shows on television and the top 10 songs in the music charts and tell me whether popularity has anything to do with intellect or morality. Instead, I shall continue to judge all those that influence my life – from politicians to friends – simply by their actions, and resolve to make my decisions based on fair and honest reflection on my own biases and with an empathy for those who are unlike me.

      BTW I’m not going to call you names. I’d just ask that you continue to reflect inwards on your own beliefs, and continue to move forward as a human being instead of descendingn to partisan hackery.
      🙂

      Peace and Respect
      Greg
      ——————————————-
      You monkeys only think you’re running things

      1. Escalation
        See how easy it is to set people at each others’ throats? I’ve watched liberal Democrats ruin America since the death of JFK, who was a great leader and statesman. Notice I said “statesman”, not “politician”. There aren’t any more statesmen, just political hacks with hidden agendas, and that’s not exclusive to America, so I don’t want any “holier-than-thou” crap from citizens of other countries. Show me one with clean hands and hearts and I’ll emigrate.

        I fancy myself an Independent, with an open mind, but I’ve seen enough dirty tricks on both sides to last me for a lifetime; the Dems have just had more practice. If you think that listening to the hate campaigns (somebody mentioned Swift Boat) is pleasant for us, you’re dead wrong. Both sides engaged in the tactic, which is sickening, but when Kerry people called Bush a “deserter” and “draft dodger”, that’s over the line. Has anybody on this site piloted a jet fighter? Bush did, and it’s not a job for sissies or nitwits. It takes plenty of skill and intelligence. I put in 6 years in the NJ Army National Guard during the Vietnam era, and resent being lumped in with those who ran away to hide in Canada or England (Bill Clinton ring a bell?). Muhammad Ali, one of the best examples of Islam, refused to be drafted. He didn’t run, he could have been welcomed in any country in the world, but he loves the U.S., and stayed, even though the act cost him 5 good years out of his career. You don’t stand up for something by running away from it, you face it like an adult human being, not a spoiled child.

        If you haven’t noticed, the world is spinning out of control. You can’t blame that on America, or Republicans, or Conservatives, or G.W. Bush. Things have gotten out of hand over a long period of time, and what’s ahead is even more terrible than any of you can imagine. There’s no Good Witch of the North waiting to put things right with her magic wand at the eleventh hour, and sitting back pretending there’s nothing wrong won’t solve the problems that confront us as a species.

        Somebody mentioned “peaceful irakis” is that Iraqis? Are these the same “freedom fighters” that have beheaded foreign civilians by way of extortion? The very same that threaten the life of a female CARE worker?

        BTW, I’ve read Paine and Jefferson – did you know Jefferson owned slaves? I’ve been to Monticello several times, as well as our nation’s capitol, more times than I remember. I’ve visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia; stood on the deck of Old Ironsides, the parapets of Fort McHenry, Ticonderoga, and the fields of Lexington and Concord. I’ve walked the battlefields of Gettysburg, Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Bull Run – all those places where Americans came to fight to earn and maintain their freedom, and where the Emancipation Proclamation, decreed by one of the greatest statesmen in American history was made manifest. I’ve also walked in Parliament Square in London, sat under the statue of Winston Churchill at 4 PM, listening to Big Ben. I’ve trod the flagstones of Westminster Abbey, where English history is under your feet; visited the fields of Windsor and Eton – all part of America’s roots, and the beginnings of our government and judicial code.

        I’ve learned one thing over the years: that Freedom is never free. And it is never bought and paid for; it must be renewed regularly, and very often the price is blood. Ask survivors of the Battle of Britain, the battle for the Phillipines, North Africa, Sicily, – the list goes on. Sooner or later, every society learns this sad fact. You see, it’s a matter of nature.

        Mankind is at the top of the food chain, in control of the Earth (at least, he thinks so), because of three things: his opposable thumbs, which allow him to make and use tools; his creative mind, which allows him to understand and modify his environment; and his incredibly aggressive attitude, which helps him overcome obstacles and work his will on the land and his fellows. We’re predators by nature. Most of us prey by proxy these days, being separated from the natural world by “civilization”. That chicken you had for dinner didn’t run in front of a bus. Somebody had to wring it’s little neck, pluck its feathers, and rip its guts out, then put it on a nice little styrofoam tray for you to buy at the market. Tasty, but not very fulfilling, from a predator’s point of view. If you had fish, same deal; somebody had to yank the little bugger out of the ocean, scale it, gut it, and package it for you. If you eat plants, well, they’re alive too, but cows don’t care, so why should we? You see where I’m going is to make the point that we are mostly misfits (except the abos and so-called “primitive” tribes), because our very nature goes unfulfilled. That’s why we love violent sports, video games, action movies and the like: every game is a war game, and every score the kill. Watch a crowd at a football game – a live game is most fulfilling, because you’re with the pack at the moment of the kill; can you taste the blood in your mouth? So you see, unless we come up with a way to change our nature, or decide to go back to the most primitive lifestyle, we’re doomed to conflict – it’s in our genes. And if we do come up with a way to change our nature, so the lion can lay down with the lamb, we’d have to make it happen all at once (Jim Jones, anybody?) – else those who have lost their predatory instincts would be at the mercy of those who have not. Brave New World, that changes men into “not-men”. Like Ash said in Alien: “I could lie to you, but.., you have my sympathies.”

        In four years, assuming we’re still around, Hillary Clinton will run for and likely win the presidency of the U.S.; frankly, I can’t wait.

        Regards,
        khefre

        There, gang, is that better than “partisan hackery”?

        1. Much Better, Yes
          and it sounds like you used to be a Dem, a bit like Oscar. Maybe if you had been a Republican back in JFKs day you would be decrying their expetise at dirty tricks instead?

          Robert Anton Wilson, a true independant iconoclast if ever there was one, wrote “It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative, without changing a single idea”.

          BTW, do you concede my point on “green card” troops? This one is dear to my heart for obvious reasons. As an immigrant to your country, I dont feel like I am any kind of cancer on your civil and social fabric, and nor are those brave soldiers.

          Regards, C

        2. re-escalation
          Hi Khefre,
          I don’t see any problem with people running away from having to fight a war they don’t believe in,and kill people they have nothing against.
          It is more honourable that going with the flow.

          Those victims who were beheaded in Iraq were victims not of freedom fighters, but fundamentalist killer thugs.
          You could also refer to the American Christian group who went to Iraq to help the citizens, only if they first converted to Christianity.
          So a bottle of water for a person dying of thirst would have cost him his entire culture and dignity.

          Bush actually IS a deserter and draft dodger, that’s actually one of the truths of the election campaign.
          And as to him flying a jet fighter,a little relative of mine who is 7 years old, can multiply 4 figure numbers, but doesn’t know his name.

          I would not agree that humanity is doomed to conflict.Certainly it is in our nature, but everywhere that kids can get hold of a ball, in third world countries,Islamic countries,even where they have to make a ball from old rags, they do so.
          I have seen children in Africa wearing bits of hessian bag for clothes kicking a few bundled rags around and calling their game soccer.
          If anyone had reason to want to kill anyone, they did, but their primary focus was on a game of football.
          Sport certainly substitutes for hunting and killing games.

          When you say that Freedom is never free, I think the Iraqi citizens would agree with you…100,000 innocent people dead,over 200,000 innocent people severely injured, many beyond hope, 15 million children affected by depleted uranium and sanctions,for WMD that did not exist…a country’s infrastructure destroyed….hatred generated throughout the world for the people who did it…your country and mine…..and the tragic thing is that they have not got their freedom, will not have their freedom in the near or far future,and this can only escalate into something more than inhumane….something too ghastly to even contemplate.

          I don’t usually make generalisations, but Americans seem to be obsessed with maintaining THEIR freedoms, not anyone else’s.
          Americans are not the only country to have fought for freedom, they wouldn’t even come into WW2 until Pearl Harbour.
          Most countries in the world have fought for thousands of years from invaders coming across their borders.
          Take the Czech Republic and Poland….it’s a wonder they even know who they are now, they have had so many different uberlords.

          The problem is that America is a super power, and if they want to do a little Empire Building, who is to stop them.
          I am sorry for you and Americans like you who would not hurt anyone and only wish good for people.
          And I am sorry for my country and it’s people too.

          shadows

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