MizGingerSnaps at Blogger

Happy New Year! (in Okinawa)

2009-12-31T10:20:00.002-05:00

USA pictures, thousand photos of USA

2009-09-11T04:23:00.001-04:00

USA pictures, thousand photos of USAFor the travelers, photographers, moms teaching "50 States" amongst us... See USA Pictures at http://usa-pictures.com/photos-of-usa.asp, a great place to find USA scenics, or to contribute your own images of your favorite American places...... I just won their Summer Contest and wanted to celebrate!

U.S. Marines in Japan

2009-08-19T08:45:00.001-04:00

U.S. Marines in Japan

Okinawa Links

2009-07-07T09:35:00.002-04:00

My oldest son just completed USMC combat engineer training and has been stationed in Okinawa. Some links of interest to us follow:

Okinawa Prefecture - Wikipedia

Okinawa Prefecture

Contemporary Okinawa

The Contemporary Okinawa Website: History, Politics, Economy, and Society. Established in 1995 by John Purves.

Okinawan Newspapers-TV-Radio

Okinawa Digital Archives "Wonder Okinawa"

For Military Stationed in Okinawa

Military in Okinawa, Japan

GlobalSecurity.org is the leading source for reliable military news and military information, directed by John Pike

沖縄県 Aerial Photographs of US Military Bases in Okinawa

3D MARINE DIVISION

Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler - Wikipedia

MCB Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa

沖縄県 Camp Schwab

Camp Schwab - Wikipedia

CIA - The World Factbook -- Japan

ACLU Challenges Patents On Breast Cancer Genes

2009-06-12T07:44:00.005-04:00

American Civil Liberties Union : ACLU Challenges Patents On Breast Cancer Genes:

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation, a not-for-profit organization affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (PUBPAT), filed a lawsuit today [May 12, 2009] charging that patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer stifle research that could lead to cures and limit women's options regarding their medical care.

...The patents granted to Myriad give the company the exclusive right to perform diagnostic tests on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and to prevent any researcher from even looking at the genes without first getting permission from Myriad.

...Approximately 20 percent of all human genes are patented, including genes associated with Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, colon cancer, asthma and many other illnesses.

...'Patenting human genes is counter to common sense, patent law and the Constitution,' said Daniel B. Ravicher, Executive Director of PUBPAT and co-counsel in the lawsuit. 'Genes are identified, not invented, and patenting genetic sequences is like patenting blood, air or e=mc2.'

Predatory by Design...

2009-05-25T00:19:00.004-04:00

StudentLoanJustice.Org

UPDATE: Import from Blogger.com into WordPress.com is Working

2009-05-22T12:26:00.003-04:00

Cannot import from Blogger � WordPress.com Forums

Import from Blogger.com into WordPress.com is working now! Hurray!

The Future of Food: Related Stories

2009-05-20T13:25:00.001-04:00

Related Stories I have seen recently:
Daily Kos: Multiple ways Monsanto is putting normal seed out of reach: "Multiple ways Monsanto is putting normal seed out of reach"

EARTHKEEPER HERO: DR. VANDANA SHIVA and Seed Satyagrha

"The World According to Monsanto" highlights at YouTube

"The World According to Monsanto - Full Documentary" at Twilight Earth

"The World According to Monsanto" seems to be appearing, disappearing, and reappearing at various sites... It has disappeared from Celsias.com, but a search on Digg or Google offers many alternative sources, including this release under a different title: "Controlling Our Food"

The Future of Food

2009-05-20T12:26:00.004-04:00

The Future of Food
See the movie at Hulu

RestoreOurVote.org: Voting Rights in Virginia

2009-05-20T07:23:00.001-04:00

Restore Our Vote:
News in a recent ACLU of VA e-mail...

"Remembering Jack Kemp for Another Passion: Voter Restoration Reform in Virginia", By Kent Willis, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia

...He was well aware that Virginia was one of only two states in the nation -- Kentucky is the other -- that permanently disfranchises every person convicted of a felony, requiring an order of the Governor to regain the right to vote.

He knew that as many as 300,000 people in Virginia who had completed their sentences and returned to their communities were unable to vote because of Virginia's antiquated law. He also knew that the Virginia law was a product of the Jim Crow era, and that, along with poll taxes and literacy tests, its purpose was to make it more difficult for African-Americans to vote....

VisualComplexity.com | A visual exploration on mapping complex networks

2009-05-10T07:05:00.001-04:00

VisualComplexity.com intends to be a unified resource space for anyone interested in the visualization of complex networks.

A site not to be missed for those interested in information visualization and mapping, information organization, information architecture, and the mapping of complex systems.

It has apparently been live since 2005, but just came to my attention this morning via this article in Fast Company: Is Information Visualization the Next Frontier for Design?

UPDATE: Cannot Import from Blogger into WordPress.com

2009-05-09T08:20:00.001-04:00

I received the following e-mail this morning from Hanni at WordPress.com support:

Just to say that we are still investigating the Blogger import issue. In the meantime, you should be able to use this converter to convert your Blogger export file to a WordPress import file that can then be imported from Tools > Import in your dashboard.

http://blogger2wordpress.appspot.com/

Hope that helps and my apologies once again for the inconvenience.

This process is a little too time-consuming for my needs, but the good news is that this problem appears to be a glitch that someone is working on and not a policy change. Looks like my blogs may not be synched for some time, though.

WordPress.com no longer importing from Blogger.com

2009-05-08T12:46:00.003-04:00

Does anyone know why the Import tool at WordPress.com will no longer import from Blogger.com?

Is this due to a Google/Blogger change or due to a WordPress.com change? Is it a policy change or just a glitch someone is working on fixing?

See WordPress.com Forums here: http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/cannot-import-from-blogger-1?replies=75.

Your comments are welcome!

Pulsed: Updated Blogger vs. Wordpress.com Comparison Chart - 2009

2009-05-08T11:48:00.001-04:00

Updated (March 2009)Blogger vs. Wordpress.com Comparison Chart at Pulsed

ACLU: Investigation Ordered Into Virginia Fusion Center Document

2009-05-08T10:47:00.004-04:00

American Civil Liberties Union : Investigation Ordered Into Virginia Fusion Center Document

Following the American Civil Liberties Union’s criticism regarding a controversial Virginia Fusion Center terrorism assessment report, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced that he will investigate the practices of the secretive center located in Virginia.

Heroes and Zeros - Hero: Alan Collinge

2009-05-08T10:27:00.004-04:00

CNNMoney's 2008 Heroes and Zeros - Hero: Alan Collinge, Founder, StudentLoanJustice.org Good Call! See more at StudentLoanJustice.org.

Historic Rammed Earth

2009-05-08T10:15:00.005-04:00

Historic Rammed Earth:

Historic Rammed Earth provides information about historic and modern rammed earth.

Historic Rammed Earth is moving to a new address: www.historicrammedearth.co.uk.

Want to Take Your Kite Flying to A Higher Level?

2009-05-08T08:57:00.002-04:00

Once again I have been distracted from this blog by the real world... (I may or may not talk about that one day...)

For now, I would like to direct your attention to a recent post from Zebatron on "Kiteflying and Cooking" at Recipes of a Renaissance Man. It's a short post, rich in photos and links to people who have extended their interests in kites and kiteflying to high art and science...

Zebatron: "For me, both Kiteflying and Cooking are sensual activities that are intimately connected to the environment, the weather, the outdoors and the change in seasons."

Like Zebatron, I have been carrying our kite around in the back of the car, along with my camera, all spring - waiting for opportunity... This, of course, led me to an interest in kite aerial photography (KAP). This is an interest I will have to set aside for the future. However, for those who are ready to take kite flying to another level now, here are some links that might interest you:

Charles C. Benton's Notes on Kite Aerial Photography
KAPWiki Blog and Digital Encyclopaedia of Kite Aerial Photography
Kite Aerial Photography Forum
Scott Haefner's Kite Aerial Photography
KAPER E-zine

Flickr has several groups devoted to Kite Aerial Photography (KAP), including subject-specific groups (KAP kites, KAP Tutorials, KAP Cameras, KAP rigs, KAP bits, and About KAP) which are very helpful for beginners.

Of course, whatever your interest or passion, my recommendations for best starting places are: Google, Wikipedia, Flickr (Groups), Meetup, and DMOZ Open Directory.

Immigration: Fiction

2009-04-29T15:47:00.002-04:00

"...lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty." - Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

This is my favorite phrase from The Kite Runner, which I just finished reading this morning. (The whole line would give too much away.) I ran across the title by accident (trying to get a 4-year-old's kite to fly...), picked it up from reserve at the the library out of curiosity about Afghanistan, along with a dozen ABC books, yet another book on how to get along with other people, Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune, and Leathernecks, An Illustrated History of the United States Marine Corps, most of which were grabbed from the library's "featured" shelf 5 minutes before closing. I doubted that anything but the ABC books would actually be read, but, surprisingly enough, I read the story in just a few days... It is one of only a handful of novels I have read cover to cover in many years, and this afternoon I am encouraged to open Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune. In the first paragraph I read: "The things we forget may as well never have happened, but she had many memories, both real and illusory, and that was like living twice" and I am captivated... and now have discovered a whole genre to explore: immigration fiction.

Here are some reading lists I have found:

JCCC Billington Library Novels About Immigration
NPAHE Bibliographies, Immigration, Fiction
ALA Becoming American: New Immigration Stories
We Read: Books tagged with immigrants

Where's the remotest place on Earth? - environment - 20 April 2009 - New Scientist

2009-04-20T08:35:00.001-04:00

Where's the remotest place on Earth?
See interactive maps created by a project of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy and the World Bank (led by Alan Belward) which show world connectivity to resources and habitats.

Kites: National Kite Month

2009-04-19T11:05:00.006-04:00

The Easter Bunny brought a kite to my 4-year-old.

Though we have had success with other kites in the past, we had some trouble getting this one to fly.

Of course, the subject of kites and kite flying became yet another internet research project. One of our discoveries was that we are at this very moment in the midst of National Kite Month! What better time to share what we found...

Some Great Starting Places

These sites offer all kinds of general information on kites, kite flying, kite history, current events, plans and instructions for building and troubleshooting kites, teachers' plans and resources, etc...

American Kitefliers Association (AKA)
American Kitefliers Association Teachers Resources
Dedicated to the promotion and support of kiting
Drachen Foundation
Drachen Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the increase and diffusion of kite knowledge and the historical, cultural, scientific, and artistic aspects of kiting.
My Best Kite
What's your best kite? Come on a journey of discovery about kites, with me and my family!
NASA's Beginner's Guide to Kites
Wikipedia: Kite
World Kite Museum and Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach, Washington

Step-by-step How-to

eHow.com | How to Make a Kite
Making a Kite: Tie Support Sticks. Part of the series: How to Make a Kite. A strong knot reinforcing your support sticks will preserve your kite in a strong wind. Learn how to make a kite in this free crafts video.
El'Cheapo Diamond Kite Plan
Gomberg Kites: How to Fly!
Gomberg Kite Productions (wholesale and retail): We've got giant show kites, art kites, fighting kites and other wind toys from around the world. We've got flying elephants, octopus and fish. We've got a complete directory of kite stores, on-line how-to-fly instructions, and pictures of kite festivals. We've got windsocks as big as your house. We've even got kite postcards you can email. But most of all, we've got FUN!
How to Fly Kites | Expert Village Videos
How to Fly Kites. Fly a kite like a professional! Learn how to fly power kites, bridle foils, delta kites and ozone kites, in this free online video series. Watch free videos at ExpertVillage.com.
How To Make And Fly Kites - A Complete Guide
The Complete Guide To Kite Making And Flying
How to Tie a Kite | eHow.com
How to Tie a Kite. Tying the kite line to the underside of a kite is important for kite flying success. Make sure that you incorporate all four points of the kite into the tying so that the kite will be supported proper...
How to Tie Knots for a Single Line Kite: How to Fly Kites | eHow.com
How to Tie Knots for a Single Line Kite. Part of the series: How to Fly Kites. Need kite flying tips? Learn how to tie a knot for a single line kite in this kite flying instructional video.
..Make your own kite!...
How to make a simple diamond kite.

History

Gomberg Kites: Kite History
Be a part of the national movement to promote kiting. Sponsored by the American Kitefliers Associationa and the Kite Trade Association International

A Few Surprises

Afghan History: kite flying, kite running and kite banning
Afghani Fighter Kites
Afghanistan: Artistry In The Air
Kite flying is more than a pastime in Afghanistan -- it is a national obsession. The streets of the capital, Kabul, are filled with shops selling kite-flying equipment, and the skies above the city...
Gudiparan Bazi - Afghan Kite Flying
Gudiparanbazi: Afghan Kite Flying
kiteflying: afghanistan 2001-2004

International Kite Names
Be a part of the national movement to promote kiting. Sponsored by the American Kitefliers Association and the Kite Trade Association International.

MOVING: Stuff and More Stuff

2009-04-19T00:47:00.006-04:00

What I've been doing while not reading the news or updating this blog:

Gathering stuff needed to pack and move other stuff (boxes, newspapers, tape, etc...)
Trashing stuff.
Giving away stuff.
Cleaning stuff.
Packing stuff.
Disconnecting and connecting stuff.
Buying and renting more stuff to move the stuff.
Unpacking stuff.
Cleaning more stuff.
Looking for stuff I can't find.
Setting up, rebuilding, repairing and reorganizing stuff.
Reading maps.

and then, doing it all over again a few months later...

Currently I am...

Replacing and repairing stuff.
Reading instructions, manuals, guides, etc... to new stuff.
Preparing to get rid of more stuff...

I got rid of all the blinds for the apartment when we moved.
(Blinds were already installed in the new house.)

When I returned to our old apartment, covering the windows became quite the obsession...

I hung the kitchen and LR curtains, which I had kept, along with rods.

I shopped for curtains for the rest of the house at DAV, CHKD, Big Lots, KMart, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot, Bed, Bath & Beyond, IKEA, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and several other places online, and decided I couldn't afford anything I liked. [Standard shopping procedure for me, hah! With, of course, several additional steps for scooping up bargains because I might be able to make them work - and then returning them.]

I considered making Roman Shades out of scrap quilt piecing I had already done, along the lines of what I found at Terrell Designs, but decided I just did not have time for a new project like this, or money for the hardware.

I finally liked something I could afford - some curtains for the kitchen at DAV (2 pair at $4/pair), and 2 cafe curtain rods at $4 each at Big Lots. I rehung the kitchen curtains, moved those muslin tab-tops to the 4-year-old's BR, and then made tabtop curtains (4 panels) for the MBR out of some more muslin I had purchased on sale way back beyond memory to be used in quilts. When only 2 panels are hung these curtains look like shades. They are plain... but I like them... serene, practical, and in-budget. And all windows are finally covered! (For about $16 over the cost of "stuff" I already had on hand.)

Alternative Windows offers instructions for several styles of curtains to sew yourself.

Other projects: Refinishing a dresser I found at DAV, repairing a blanket chest, replacing lamps, more cleaning and purging...

Happy Easter Happy Spring!

2009-04-12T21:57:00.002-04:00

Okay. We are moved (physically; not "virtually")... [deep sigh of relief] Twice moved, more precisely, in less than 6 months. After over 20 years in Williamsburg, Virginia, I finally moved (with my family, following my husband’s job) to someplace new, with great hopes and ambitions, quickly abandoned. (This blog was begun just after the first move, and set aside just before the second. On Easter day I attempt its “resurrection”.) The move to Fayetteville, North Carolina was somewhat of a “homecoming”, a return to the state of my birth, but after 4-5 months in a new town in an adjacent state without a job and with only my household to care for, I have truly returned “home” with new appreciation. My husband (from Morocco) and my 4-year-old (Virginia born) feel the same way, and longed for the return more than I did. I must admit, I feel so much better here… and I know we are all “home”. My husband continues to commute on the weekends in order to finish his contract. And so I need to spend a little time with him before I finish this post. But I’ll be back tomorrow with news and details and links.

Linguistic map of Morocco | Mapsorama.com

2009-03-28T11:24:00.001-04:00

Linguistic map of Morocco | Mapsorama.com

Moving....

2009-03-06T19:36:00.007-05:00

I am moving this week and probably won't be very active on the internet for a while. I thought "moving" might be a good topic for some links. Unfortunately, I have only given most of these a cursory review... I hope you find what you are looking for.

First, a theme song:
Move By Yourself, Donavon Frankenreiter, at YouTube. (Nice and gentle, take it easy...)

From the experts at Military.com:
The Do-It-Yourself (DITY) Move Program
"The 8 ways to ensure a 'Smooth Move': Checklists" (not DITY, apparently)

The short and sweet from eHow.com:
How to Move Yourself
How to Household-Move and Keep Your Sanity
(Once again, these do not seem to be the same thing...)

Will update this as I find time.

Charlottesville Virginia Blogger Asserts Press Freedoms

2009-03-06T15:35:00.001-05:00

Public Citizen | Press Room - Court Should Not Force Virginia Blogger to Surrender Notes or Identify Anonymous Comments
In a brief filed yesterday in the Circuit Court of Buckingham County, Virginia, attorneys from Public Citizen, the ACLU of Virginia, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, argued that bloggers enjoy the same free speech protections as mainstream journalists, that commenters at websites have the right to post anonymously, and that blogger Waldo Jaquith of CvilleNews.com should not be required to release his personal notes or identify anonymous posters to the site. The brief is available here.

UNC Study Indicates Problems with 287(g) Immigration Program

2009-03-05T07:17:00.001-05:00

Study Indicates Problems with 287(g) Immigration Program: "A federal law granting local police and sheriffs the power to act as immigration officials when faced with dangerous criminals or terrorists has instead created a climate of racial profiling and community insecurity, according to researchers at the UNC School of Law Immigration and Human Rights Clinic."

An economic recovery proposal

2009-03-04T23:21:00.002-05:00

Phoenix Finance Examiner: An economic recovery proposal:

"The only difference between this plan and the current plan is that this one does not benefit large corporations who are lobbying for federal money. Also, the government would be holding good performing mortgage loans on behalf of the taxpayers who are paying for the bailout rather than the bad loans that the banks currently want to dump on taxpayers, while keeping the good loans for themselves."

1 in 31 US Adults is in the Corrections System

2009-03-03T06:46:00.002-05:00

Cost of locking up Americans too high: Pew study | U.S. | Reuters: "The United States has the highest incarceration rate and the biggest prison population of any country in the world, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Justice."

One in every 31 U.S. adults is in the corrections system, which includes jail, prison, probation and supervision, more than double the rate of a quarter century ago, according to a report released on Monday by the Pew Center on the States.

Related, What's Wrong With Privatization?: Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit

Algeria: Farm Debt Cancelled

2009-03-01T09:20:00.001-05:00

Algerian president forgives farmers' debts: "Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced Saturday that the government will cancel billions of dollars (euros) worth of debt owed by farmers and livestock raisers"

Greek To Me: Mapping Mutual Incomprehension � Strange Maps

2009-03-01T08:57:00.002-05:00

362 - Greek To Me: Mapping Mutual Incomprehension � Strange Maps

While English speakers say "It's Greek to me" when they encounter something indecipherable, the preferred incomprehensible language of reference for much of the rest of the world is Chinese. What do the Chinese consider incomprehensible? Only "the language of Heaven". Hah!

See the chart and comments at Strange Maps.
See related post at Language Log.

Incredible Tree-Climbing Goats | WebEcoist

2009-02-28T19:05:00.001-05:00

Incredible Tree-Climbing Goats | WebEcoist: "...these were not created by a bored geek in Photoshop. Amazingly, these uncanny animals are actually real: they climb the Argan trees of Morocco in search of food..."

You've really got to see this.
(This is what you find when you search "Morocco" in Digg, hah!)

Maroc Blog Awards

2009-02-28T18:40:00.001-05:00

Maroc Blog Awards - English version: "The Maroc Blog Awards is Morocco's largest blog competition aiming to recognize talented bloggers in topics ranging from arts, humor and politics."

Best Moroccan Blog: Robin Des Blogs

Best Moroccan Blog in English: My Marrakesh

America's Emptiest Cities

2009-02-26T16:23:00.001-05:00

America's Emptiest Cities - Forbes.com: "Richmond, Va.'s rental vacancy rate of 23.7% is the worst in America"

"worst" (remember, this article is from Forbes.com) = "highest rental vacancy rate" (which, according to free market theorists, should be good for renters...)
So, I wonder, are we seeing a drop in rents? or an increase in homelessness? or something else?

Housing Boom or Bust: Renters Struggle

2009-02-26T08:43:00.005-05:00

Renters squeezed by lack of affordable housing - Real estate- msnbc.com:
"Shortage of affordable rentals in cities dwarfs issue of rising foreclosures"

The home mortgage crisis has received far more notice, but experts say the ranks of renters with dire housing problems are growing faster than the ranks of defaulting homeowners.

Housing Affordability...

2009-02-26T08:18:00.001-05:00

Housing Affordability at Record High - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com: "Housing Affordability at Record High"

"This chart is crap", eric

The comments in this entry tell us more about housing affordability than the article does.

Temporary Shelter Alternatives...

2009-02-26T07:53:00.003-05:00

12-year-old Makes Homeless Shelter from Trash : Green Building Elements

12-year-old's "Trash to Treasure" design contest entry, resembling an igloo or yurt, "provides shelter for the homeless and is made from plastic, wire and packing peanuts."

To Better Understand the Mortgage Crisis...

2009-02-26T07:32:00.007-05:00

William K. Black: The Two Documents Everyone Should Read to Better Understand the Crisis:
"The FBI has been warning of an 'epidemic' of mortgage fraud since September 2004. It also reports that lenders initiated 80% of these frauds."

Financial control frauds' "weapon of choice" is accounting. Control frauds cause greater financial losses than all other forms of property crime -- combined.

Fraud is the principal credit risk of nonprime mortgage lending.

"Who in their right mind would send 360 tons of cash into a war zone?"

2009-02-26T06:58:00.005-05:00

House Panel Questions Monitoring of Cash Shipped to Iraq - New York Times: Henry Waxman, Chairman of a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wants to know.

"$12 billion in cash shipped to Iraq between May 2003 and June 2004...The committee calculated that the $12 billion in cash, most of it in the stacks of $100 bills, weighed 363 tons and had to been flown in on wooden pallets aboard giant C-130 military cargo planes."

Okay, this is year old... but we still don't know where the money went, do we?

The Messy Side of Working From Home - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com

2009-02-25T14:45:00.001-05:00

The Messy Side of Working From Home - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com:

"Work during nap time, or play dates, or on wi-fi while watching karate practice. It can be done. Right? RIGHT?"

Mass suicides by Indian farmers... shape of things to come

2009-02-25T06:13:00.002-05:00

Voices - Mass suicides by Indian farmers... shape of things to come:

"Agrarian distress starts with colonization of eastern India by a British company, the East India Company [EIC] around 1760, their system of extortionate land tax, combined with forcing farmers to grow cash crops [chiefly indigo and cotton] on the best lands and not paying appropriate price for the produce. They systematically destroyed a sustainable agriculture system that’d fed millions for over 6,000 years and then introduced money lenders and rack renters to trap farmers in debt."

Seed Satyagraha

2009-02-25T05:59:00.001-05:00

The My Hero Project - Dr. Vandana Shiva:

"The Seed Satyagraha is the name for the nonviolent, noncooperative movement that Dr. Shiva has organized to stand against seed monopolies."

The World According to Monsanto

2009-02-25T05:38:00.001-05:00

The World According to Monsanto | Use Celsias.com - reduce global �Celsius:

"The following documentary is a thorough, in-depth look at the history of one of the world's most dangerous and despised corporations and the serious issues swirling around genetically modified crops -- from the implications for biodiversity and personal health, to the corporate control of our food, and more."

Daily Kos: Multiple ways Monsanto is putting normal seed out of reach

2009-02-25T03:45:00.001-05:00

Daily Kos: Multiple ways Monsanto is putting normal seed out of reach: "Multiple ways Monsanto is putting normal seed out of reach", by Scaredhuman

Another Payment Card Processor Hacked : Information Security Resources

2009-02-25T00:13:00.002-05:00

Another Payment Card Processor Hacked : Information Security Resources: "Our team has been predicting that 2009 will be the year that InfoSec moves to the forefront of the economic crisis."

See Related: Open Security Foundation

Carnival - The Big Picture - Boston.com

2009-02-24T20:28:00.001-05:00

Carnival - The Big Picture - Boston.com

a glimpse of some of the elaborate celebrations of this Carnival season

Once Again: How Much Is A Million?

2009-02-24T19:28:00.004-05:00

Obama is right to take on the very rich | csmonitor.com:

"In 2006, the 400 highest-income Americans together reported $105 billion in income, an average of $263 million each. Having trouble visualizing that? To pocket $263 million a year, you would have to take home over $60,000 an hour – and work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for an entire 12 months. Sounds tiring, doesn't it?"

The current top tax rate on "ordinary" work income sits at 35 percent. But dividends and capital gains from the buying and selling of most assets face only a 15 percent top rate.

GOOD � Who’s Buying What?�

2009-02-24T18:00:00.002-05:00

GOOD � Who’s Buying What?�

A look at where people around the world are directing some of their purchasing power.

Bio-piracy of Traditional Knowledge

2009-02-23T21:26:00.002-05:00

Bio-piracy of Traditional Knowledge:
"Traditional Knowledge Digital Library - A tool for prevention of misappropriations of traditional knowledge"
The grant of patents on non-patentable knowledge (related to traditional medicines), which is either based on the existing traditional knowledge of the developing world, or a minor variation thereof, has been causing a great concern to the developing world.

Visit Neatorama.com for some numbers:
"… as the number of Western yoga teachers has grown, there has been a steady increase in patent applications claiming each pose in their class is not part of the ancient discipline of mind and body, but their own unique invention. In the United States alone, there have been more than 130 yoga-related patents, 150 copyrights and 2,300 trademarks."

How We Think Before We Speak: Making Sense Of Sentences

2009-02-23T20:46:00.002-05:00

How We Think Before We Speak: Making Sense Of Sentences

How does the brain turn seemingly random sounds and letters into sentences with clear meaning? Recent findings suggest that, as we read or have a conversation, our brains are continuously trying to predict upcoming information. These findings reveal that our brains very rapidly draw upon a wide range of information, including what was stated previously and who the speaker is, in helping us understand what is being said to us.

Periodic Table of the Social Media Elements � eyecube

2009-02-23T12:12:00.001-05:00

The Periodic Table of the Social Media Elements � eyecube: "Social Media really is a lot like chemistry. There is a huge pool of elements you can choose from and an infinite variety of combinations you can create. Twitter sharing commenting will give you a different result than blogging LinkedIn Flickr. Then of course there are the active ingredients - the people."

Algeria Opens Border with Morocco for Gaza Aid

2009-02-23T11:31:00.001-05:00

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Algeria opens its border with Morocco - for Gaza aid.:

"For over fifteen years the the border between Morocco and Algeria has been closed and in a welcome development has been opened to allow passage for an aid convoy heading towards the Gaza Strip."

Kids Jailed for Kickbacks from Private Detention Facilities

2009-02-23T11:24:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania rocked by 'jailing kids for cash' scandal - CNN.com:

"'What do these kids see of the legal system and of authority figures?' Amy Swartley asked. 'These kids see people who abuse their power. Now, we have a whole county and generation of children who have lost trust in the system.'"

Privatizing detention facilities is a growing in popularity among governments because the companies say they offer lower rates than the state.

GraphJam

2009-02-23T10:59:00.002-05:00

more music charts

To the Mountains of the Moon: Mapping Africa

2009-02-23T10:26:00.004-05:00

To the Mountains of the Moon: Mapping African Exploration, 1541-1880

Drawing from the cartographic and rare book resources of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections of Princeton University Library, this exhibition documents the evolution of the map of Africa, 1541-1880. It is a story told in the expedition maps, illustrations, and words of those explorers.

Seed: The Evolution of Life in 60 Seconds

2009-02-23T03:53:00.001-05:00

Seed: The Evolution of Life in 60 Seconds

Forgive us our debts...

2009-02-23T03:09:00.002-05:00

Forgive debtors, dole out the penance and move on | David McWilliams:
"counter-intuitively, the only way to get liquidity going again is to forgive debt"

Draw Me A Picture: How Much Is A Million?

2009-02-23T02:20:00.002-05:00

EditorialCartoonists.com -- Cartoon by Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Light-Transmitting, See-Through ... Concrete?! (+PICS)

2009-02-23T01:50:00.002-05:00

Concrete has a sometimes-bad reputation as a harsh, rigid, cold-to-the-touch and straight-edged material. Litracon is doing a great deal to change that image of concrete through a score of applications for their patented light-transmitting concrete. Yes, that's right, you can essentially see right through this stuff.

read more | digg story

Army Emergency Relief Hoarding?

2009-02-23T00:39:00.002-05:00

breaking news - national news - world news - azcentral.com:
"According to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau figures, 1.3 million veterans - or 6 percent - lived in poverty, with 537,000 unemployed... AER, a normally uncontroversial fixture of Army life, has helped millions of soldiers and families cope with emergencies, as well as college costs. Last year alone, AER handed out about $5.5 million in emergency grants, $65 million in loans, and $12 million in scholarships... Yet the American Institute of Philanthropy says AER holds enough reserves to last about 12 years at its current level of aid. Most charity watchdogs view 1-to-3 years of reserves as prudent, with more than that considered hoarding... What does AER do with its retained wealth? Mostly, it accumulates stocks and bonds. AER ended 2007 with a $296 million portfolio; last year's tanking market cut that to $214 million, by the estimate of its treasurer."

Modern Sin and Confession

2009-02-18T18:36:00.002-05:00

BBC NEWS | Europe | Two sexes 'sin in different ways'

"Traditionally, the seven deadly sins were considered: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth." An updated list includes such modern sins as "genetic modification, experiments on the person, environmental pollution, taking or selling illegal drugs, social injustice, causing poverty and financial greed".

According to a recent Catholic survey, "the most difficult sin for men to face was lust, followed by gluttony, sloth, anger, pride, envy and greed. For women, the most dangerous sins were pride, envy, anger, lust, and sloth."

The Raw Story | Missing Iraq billions could be 'greatest fraud in US history'

2009-02-17T10:15:00.006-05:00

The Raw Story | Missing Iraq billions could be 'greatest fraud in US history'

"Despite the vast sums expended on rebuilding by the US since 2003, there have been no cranes visible on the Baghdad skyline except those at work building a new US embassy and others rusting beside a half-built giant mosque that Saddam was constructing when he was overthrown." - Patrick Cockburn, The Independent,"A 'fraud' bigger than Madoff"

Brainz.org

2009-02-16T12:48:00.002-05:00

Two interesting collections of cool ideas from Brainz.org
The 15 Coolest Cases of Biomimicry
15 Real-World Uses of Genetic Algorithms

Happy Presidents' Day: Best and Worst Presidents

2009-02-16T11:31:00.005-05:00

In recognition of Presidents' Day:

C-SPAN Historian's Survey of Presidential Leadership

C-SPAN Presidential Libraries
New York Times "Inaugural Words: 1789 to the Present"
National Archives Presidential Libraries and Museums
The Presidential Timeline
The White House (Official): The Presidents
History.com: American Presidents

UPDATE 2/17, just found at UPI.com, a great way to memorize the presidents:
Listen to Genevieve Ryan's "The American Presidents" song.

Harper's Index (Happy Birthday!)

2009-02-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

Search Harper's Index
"In celebration of its 25th year, the Harper’s Index–12,058 lines spanning 300 issues–is now open to all for searching and browsing, with more than one thousand linked categories."

See:
"Birthdays"
"Presidents"

A Project for Data Visualization...

2009-02-15T13:17:00.002-05:00

Personal Democracy Forum – Worldwide Terrorism Incidents: a great dataset for open government data geeks: "Worldwide Terrorism Incidents: a great dataset for open government data geeks"

Joe Arpaio, "Toughest Sheriff in America"

2009-02-15T12:43:00.002-05:00

Finally! The Law Goes After Joe Arpaio, The Most Abusive Sheriff In America | Immigration | AlterNet: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), and Immigration Subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Constitution Subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Crime Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) called on Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to investigate allegations of misconduct by Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff Joe Arpaio."

Once again, reality is stranger than fiction ...

See also at Boing Boing:"Smile, You're Under Arrest" and "Smile You're Under Arrest" at FoxReality.com.

Frank Capra's 50-year-old Film on Global Warming

2009-02-15T10:54:00.003-05:00

Center for Investigative Reporting: "Waking to Warming"
"A 1958 educational film by Frank Capra (director of It's a Wonderful Life) warns of the dangers of global climate change due to burning fossil fuels. The film predicts that excess carbon dioxide emissions will eventually lead to increased temperatures, melting of the polar ice caps, and rising oceans — nearly 50 years before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed the scientific basis for such warnings in its 2007 report."

CIR's series also discusses industry disinformation campaigns.

See "Unchained Goddess" at CIR or YouTube.

My Immigration Story

2009-02-15T07:22:00.002-05:00

See: My Immigration Story
See also: Author's Diary - Raul Ramos y Sanchez

100,000 Parents of Citizens Were Deported Over 10 Years

2009-02-15T07:01:00.002-05:00

100,000 Parents of Citizens Were Deported Over 10 Years - NYTimes.com, Michael Falcone, February 13, 2009

"Of nearly 2.2 million immigrants deported in the decade ended 2007, more than 100,000 were the parents of children who, having been born in the United States, were American citizens, according to a report issued Friday by the Department of Homeland Security."
...
“'If they took their children back,' he [Representative José E. Serrano, Democrat of New York] said of the deportees, 'then technically we deported an American citizen. No matter which side of the immigration issue you fall on, there’s something wrong with the notion of kicking American citizens out of their own country.'”

Monkeys have a sense of morality

2009-02-15T05:47:00.002-05:00

Monkeys have a sense of morality, say scientists - Times Online, Jonathan Leake, Science Editor

"In a series of studies scientists have found that monkeys and apes can make judgments about fairness, offer altruistic help and empathise when a fellow animal is ill or in difficulties. They even appear to have consciences and the ability to remember obligations."

[See papers submitted at this weekend's annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by Frans de Waal, professor of psychology, Emory University, Georgia.]

According to the Times article:
"The big question now is why, alone among the primates, humans have developed morality to such a high level."

Really? Is that really the big question now? Hah!

Not Among Friends: The Dangers of Social Networks

2009-02-15T05:24:00.003-05:00

Not Among Friends: The Dangers of Social Networks - PC World: "Not Among Friends: The Dangers of Social Network", Bill Brenner, CSO

Security Geeks: From Isolation to Rock Stars - CSO, Bill Brenner, Senior Editor

See Also:
ShmooCon 2009

Security Through Obscurity

2009-02-15T03:52:00.007-05:00

TPMMuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Blackwater Is Dead! Long Live ... Xe?: Private military contractor Blackwater Worldwide is changing its name to "Xe" (pronounced "Z"), and changing the name of its subsidiary, Blackwater Lodge & Training Center, to the ungooglable "U.S. Training Center, Inc.".

See the Associated Press story here:
AP: Blackwater dumps tarnished brand name, by Mike Baker

A whole new world to explore... Google Masking...
(invisibility cloak, hiding in plain sight, crowd anonymity...)

"Be My Valentine" by Sven Geier

2009-02-14T06:47:00.006-05:00

Much more beautiful and interesting results are possible ...

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T06:42:00.003-05:00

My first (crude) attempt to use Apophysis, a free fractal flame generator available at Apophysis.org. Arcane Fractals provides a quick introductory tutorial and an awesome gallery.

Foreign Policy: The Think Tank Index

2009-02-13T08:34:00.002-05:00

Foreign Policy: The Think Tank Index: "The Think Tank Index is the first comprehensive ranking of the world’s top think tanks, based on a worldwide survey of hundreds of scholars and experts. Think of it as an insider’s guide to the competitive marketplace for ideas that matter."

Bob Cesca: President Obama Is Driving Republicans Insane

2009-02-12T19:54:00.001-05:00

Bob Cesca: President Obama Is Driving Republicans Insane: "...I don't think we ever anticipated that the presidency of Barack Obama would, among other things, send the far-right into a freakazoid display of shockingly deranged conniptions and outright crazy talk -- their manic hyperdrive engines, fueled by Rush Limbaugh's gesticulating arm flab, blasting them out of their political Mos Eisley cantina scene and expelling them a thousand parsecs beyond the zero barrier of insanity."

How Not To Fail At Life

2009-02-10T09:57:00.003-05:00

A Guy's Cartoon Guide: "How Not To Fail At Life"
(profanity adult content very funny)
howtonotfailatlifepn3he9.png (PNG Image, 698x11322 pixels)

Picturesurf

2009-02-10T09:39:00.002-05:00

Picturesurf: "Picturesurf Gallery is a free service that allows you to upload, link, and share photo galleries anywhere." Works with WordPress.org, Live Writer, Blogger, Typepad, Movable Type, Drupal, Joomla blogs. (I have not tried this yet. Something to look at.)

Draw me a Picture: More from William J. Polley

2009-02-10T09:24:00.001-05:00

Employment losses continue to be in line with 1981-82 recession - William J. Polley: "It is a fairly busy chart, but we can see the current recession (orange) is very similar to the 1981 recession (light green) in terms of job losses as a percentage of peak employment."

Comparing this recession to the last five :: The Curious Capitalist - TIME.com

2009-02-10T09:17:00.002-05:00

Comparing this recession to the last five :: The Curious Capitalist - TIME.com: "But we already knew this recession was a lot worse than the last two."

WordPress Resources: The Ultimate Collection � DivitoDesign

2009-02-09T20:20:00.001-05:00

WordPress Resources: The Ultimate Collection � DivitoDesign

jobsrecessions.jpg (JPEG Image, 750x548 pixels) - Scaled (96%)

2009-02-09T20:10:00.003-05:00

jobsrecessions.jpg (JPEG Image, 750x548 pixels) - Scaled (96%)

Facing foreclosure? Don't leave. Squat

2009-02-08T13:15:00.001-05:00

Facing foreclosure? Don't leave. Squat: "The onerous duty of physically evicting people and dragging their possessions to the curb typically falls on the local sheriff. Kaptur conditions her squatting advice, saying, 'If it's a sheriff's eviction, if it's reached that point, that is almost impossible.' Unless the sheriff refuses to carry out the eviction, as Sheriff Warren C. Evans of Wayne County, Mich., has decided to do. Wayne County, including Detroit, has had more than 46,000 foreclosures in the past two years."

BibliOdyssey: The Book of Curiosities

2009-02-08T11:19:00.001-05:00

BibliOdyssey: The Book of Curiosities:
"'Kitāb Gharāʾib al-funūn wa-mulaḥ al-ʿuyūn'
(The Book of Curiosities of the Sciences and Marvels for the Eyes)"

See fascinating beautiful maps in this concise blog post from Friday, April 6, 2007 which resurfaced in Reddit today. (BibliOdyssey has a dream collection of beautiful maps and books.)

"Composed in Egypt in the first half of the 11th century, this recently discovered 12th/13th century cosmographical manuscript contains highly unique celestial and terrestrial maps, including the first known rectangular map of the world produced before the renaissance [I believe this has the first known map reference to England: 'Angle Terre']. The geographical references are based largely on the first century work of Ptolemy but the manuscript contains previously unknown distinct cartographic features.

"In conjunction with the maps, the text provides insight into the customs and beliefs of the people and details about the commerce and trade routes in the Islamic Empire just prior to the start of the Crusades."

Or go to the original site for The Book of Curiosities at Oxford's Bodleian Library.

Swarming, Cannibalism & Serotonin

2009-02-08T09:25:00.006-05:00

I can't get these locusts off my mind...

Recently I saw an article discussing the relationship of serotonin to the swarming of locusts... (See: "Locust Swarms 'High' on Serotonin")

At one point the authors suggested a theory that by suppressing serotonin production among locusts they could suppress the formation of swarms... Though I am definitely no expert (in anything), given the little I know about serotonin already, this raised some questions in my mind... What if serotonin does not cause the swarming, but merely facilitates it, or is a by-product? The following study raises more questions...

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Cannibal theory for locust swarms

"... [juvenile] locusts [who cannot fly] band together to try to get away from the hungry cannibals chasing behind... They keep this momentum when they reach the adult phase of their life cycle and take to the air..."

So if swarming is a "by-product" of individual flight from cannibalism, which occurs in situations of over-population and food shortage, perhaps the production of serotonin is simply a natural response to life-threatening danger. It is a response to fear of both starvation and cannibalism, which allows them to overcome and adapt to the crowd/swarm as they group together and seek other sources of food.

Now, if we suppress the production of serotonin, what might happen? Probably not the suppression of the formation of swarms, as was suggested... We get a bunch of really aggressive, frightened, wacked-out bugs! "Great!" you say, "they'll eat each other up, and we won't have to spray insecticide or serotonin suppressants..." Well, maybe not... maybe we get carnivorous locusts... maybe we get aggressive swarms that not only eat each other but eat cattle, or ...

And if we actually spray those serotonin suppressants on human food crops, what might we get? I don't know if I want to go there...

(Maybe that's why so many people in the U.S. are on anti-depressants?)

13 Magnificent Renewable Energy Successes and Failures : EcoWorldly

2009-02-07T20:06:00.001-05:00

13 Magnificent Renewable Energy Successes and Failures : EcoWorldly

Inhabitat � Artificial Energy Islands Could Power The World

2009-02-07T19:31:00.001-05:00

Inhabitat � Artificial Energy Islands Could Power The World: "It’s estimated that each island complex could produce about 250MW, and that 50,000 “energy islands” could meet the world’s energy requirements (as well as provide two tons of fresh water per person per day for the entire world population — desalinated water is one byproduct of the OTEC process)."

51 Countries to Form International Agency Promoting Renewable Energy : EcoWorldly

2009-02-07T19:13:00.001-05:00

51 Countries to Form International Agency Promoting Renewable Energy : EcoWorldly: "The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will integrate regional clean energy progress into a coordinated, global effort."

Cognitive Computing Project Aims to Reverse-Engineer the Mind | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

2009-02-07T17:30:00.001-05:00

Cognitive Computing Project Aims to Reverse-Engineer the Mind | Gadget Lab from Wired.com: "In what could be one of the most ambitious computing projects ever, neuroscientists, computer engineers and psychologists are coming together in a bid to create an entirely new computing architecture that can simulate the brain's abilities for perception, interaction and cognition. All that, while being small enough to fit into a lunch box and consuming extremely small amounts of power."

Playing God in the Garden - New York Times

2009-02-07T07:12:00.001-05:00

Playing God in the Garden - New York Times:
Michael Pollan, author of Second Nature

"...I was now 'licensed' to grow these potatoes, but only for a single generation; the crop I would water and tend and harvest was mine, yet also not mine. That is, the potatoes I will harvest come August are mine to eat or sell, but their genes remain the intellectual property of Monsanto, protected under numerous United States patents, including Nos. 5,196,525, 5,164,316, 5,322,938 and 5,352,605. Were I to save even one of them to plant next year --something I've routinely done with potatoes in the past -- I would be breaking Federal law. The small print in the Grower Guide also brought the news that my potato plants were themselves a pesticide, registered with the Environmental Protection Agency."
. . .
Phil Angell, Monsanto Director of Corporate Communications : '''Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food,' he said. 'Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the F.D.A.'s job.'''
. . .
"Biotechnology is the new silver bullet that will save monoculture... Like the silver bullets that preceded them -- the modern hybrids, the pesticides and the chemical fertilizers -- the new biotech crops will probably, as advertised, increase yields. But equally important, they will also speed the process by which agriculture is being concentrated in a shrinking number of corporate hands."
. . .
"Developed by the U.S.D.A. in partnership with Delta and Pine Land, a seed company in the process of being purchased by Monsanto, the Terminator is a complex of genes that, theoretically, can be spliced into any crop plant, where it will cause every seed produced by that plant to be sterile...The Terminator will allow companies like Monsanto to privatize one of the last great commons in nature -- the genetics of the crop plants that civilization has developed over the past 10,000 years."

American Civil Liberties Union : Supreme Court Refuses To Revive Online Censorship Law

2009-02-07T05:52:00.001-05:00

American Civil Liberties Union : Supreme Court Refuses To Revive Online Censorship Law:

Steven R. Shapiro, Legal Director of the ACLU:
'The Court's decision not to review COPA for a third time affirms what we have been saying all along – the government has no right to censor protected speech on the Internet, and it cannot reduce adults to hearing and seeing only speech that the government considers suitable for children.'"

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - What’s in the $780 billion stimulus? � - Blogs from CNN.com

2009-02-07T04:00:00.001-05:00

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - What’s in the $780 billion stimulus? � - Blogs from CNN.com: "February 6, 2009
What’s in the $780 billion stimulus?"
A short list we all have time to read...

RFID passports cloned wholesale

2009-02-07T03:54:00.001-05:00

RFID passports cloned wholesale
A little more discussion from SecurityFocus.com.

US passports can be read and copied from a moving car using a $250 rig - Boing Boing

2009-02-07T03:26:00.001-05:00

US passports can be read and copied from a moving car using a $250 rig - Boing Boing: "US passports can be read and copied from a moving car using a $250 rig"

White-hat hacker to show way to clone passport card data | Electronic Frontier Foundation

2009-02-07T03:20:00.002-05:00

White-hat hacker to show way to clone passport card data | Electronic Frontier Foundation: "A computer security researcher is set to demonstrate this weekend how simple it is to read and clone RFID tags from U.S. government-issued passport cards..."

RT: Features : India shocked as ‘moral police’ beat girls out of pub

2009-02-07T02:51:00.001-05:00

RT: Features : India shocked as ‘moral police’ beat girls out of pub: "'We were just having a good time and next you know people pulling your hair, hitting you and calling you names like prostitutes, whores. The last thing we want is to be spoken to like this and especially by hooligans who don't know what they are doing in the name of god,' she said."

Is there no end to the violence of these self-righteous hemline monitors anywhere in the world?
Do they really believe that beating up women makes them "better" than a woman having a drink in a pub? Aren't there really SO MANY other more important things to think about and do?

How would you live on $500,000 a year? � - Blogs from CNN.com

2009-02-07T02:07:00.001-05:00

Cafferty File: Tell Jack how you really feel Blog Archive - How would you live on $500,000 a year? � - Blogs from CNN.com: "So this week President Obama said executives at companies that get bailout money will not be allowed to earn more than $500,000 per year. Poor things. And if the companies want to pay them more than that, it has to be in the form of stock that cannot be sold until the loans are repaid to the federal government."

Neal Rodriguez: The Financial Meltdown: How Some Families Are Coping With Debt

2009-02-07T02:03:00.001-05:00

Neal Rodriguez: The Financial Meltdown: How Some Families Are Coping With Debt: "The existing bailouts claim to open credit lines to the consumer. Neither government restructuring of debt programs are available; nor is any real monetary assistance being provided for the consumer."

How long would a job-market recovery take?

2009-02-07T01:39:00.001-05:00

How long would a job-market recovery take?: "Evidence from the last two recessions suggests that employment levels would not fully recover until mid-2010 or beyond. Both the 1990-91 and the 2001 recession lasted only eight months according to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), but it took the labor market 11 months and 32 months, respectively, to finally hit bottom (see Chart). It took 30 months and 48 months, respectively, to regain the total number of jobs that existed prior to the downturn.1 Unfortunately, the current recession looks likely to be more severe than the last two."