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All the news I feel like posting, when the mood strikes me, or when a news event grabs the attention of my obtuse, twisted mind, and I can think of a relevant, or witty, or sarcastic, or skeptical, or off-color, or paranoid comment to attach to the headline/blurb.

j jackson, editor-at-large
(nope. they haven't caught me yet.)

Thursday, July 31, 2003 / 04:42:02 AM

POINDEXTER RESIGNS
After the terrorist futures market idea and the Terrorist Information Awareness program are ridiculed by almost everyone and anyone for being proposed invasions of privacy, or at least stupid ideas, John Poindexter, infamous liar from the Nixon administration's Iran-Contra scandal, decides to resign. Senator Leahy (D-VT) is reported [Wired] to have said "The problem is that these projects were just fine with the administration until the public found out about them. The lesson seems to be that you can do whatever you want quietly, so long as it doesn't become a public embarrassment." {Alright! Put it to 'em, Leahy! And Wow! I never saw this coming! But maybe I should have. Even Poindexter's "buddies" at the Defense Department had to balk at the terrorist futures market idea. Ha! Now who's missing the point?}



Wednesday, July 30, 2003 / 01:42:02 AM

OH, RATS
Surgeons in Israel use a sunlight collector in place of a laser to perform surgery on rat livers. [Wired] {Pretty good news for alcoholic rats.}

THE FUTURES OF TERRORISM
"The Senate wasted no time in smacking down a proposal to create a futures market that would allow people to wager on the likelihood of terrorist strikes, but supporters of the idea say lawmakers may have missed the point." [Wired] {Who is it that's really missing the point here? Yeah, we could get a lot of info from terrorists betting that their plan is going to work, but is that the kind of people we really want to be? Pentagon types, of course, would immediately answer "yes." But are they the kind of people we really want to be?

MAINTAIN LOOSE TIES
The British Journal of Ophthalmology reports that men (and presumably women) who wear tight neckties have a higher risk of getting glaucoma, due to increased blood pressure in the eyes. {Guess I'm okay here. I haven't worn a tie in many, many years.}



Tuesday, July 29, 2003 / 01:25:21 AM

DON'T DROP THAT BABY
"Using a specially-created lifelike 'six-week old' doll, [researchers] simulated a series of falls onto carpet, foam and concrete. The results suggest the way the head twists on impact is likely to increase the damage caused." [BBC] {Well, duh!}

LET'S MAKE A DEAL
Citigroup and J.P Morgan make a $255 million deal with the feds to avoid further charges. The SEC claimed that the banks created "special-purpose entities" that enabled Enron to hide its debts. [NPR] {This is just more evidence that what I wrote about earlier is true. What I want to know is why isn't anyone going to jail? How do you expect to stop this kind of crap if executives who break the law get off without being punished while the stockholders and employees end up paying the costs?}



Monday, July 28, 2003 / 01:46:20 PM

TALK TO THE HAND
"Imagine sprouting an extra ear on your arm that whispers sweet nothings to someone else.
"While prosthetic surgery is generally thought of in the terms of replacing a missing or defective body part, a group of artists is looking at prosthetics as a means of enhancing the body's form and functions." [BBC]
{First of all, how is it that an ear is going to talk? Are they doing some extra little bit of genetic engin-ear-ing here? Or did the reporter who wrote this just have a bad night the night before? In any case, this ear won't actually hear, of course; but imagine this: Put an ear in the palm of your hand with an electronic sound-sensing device in it that broadcasts to a speaker implanted in your real ear. Then you could use your hand to locate and hear sounds. It'd be great for people who are hard of hearing. They could place their hands where they're most needed. And when people hold out their palms and say "Talk to the hand," it'll take on a whole new meaning.}



Wednesday, July 23, 2003 / 05:39:18 PM

PARLEZ VOUS FRANÇAIS?
"The French Ministry of Culture recently ordered the replacement of the English term 'e-mail' with its French equivalent, 'courriel,' in all government documents, publications, and Web sites. The new term is a blend of courrier 'mail' + el from electronique 'electronic'... The order originated in the General Commission on Terminology and Neology which is closely allied [with] the Académie Française (French Academy), long-time overseer of the purity of the French language. It now seems to have earned the support of the French government." [Word of the Day Newsletter]
{I suggest that we here in the colonies and in Mother England (she can be a mother sometimes) also act to adopt the French appelation--because we are in fact nations of people who readily adopt foreign words into their vocabularies, realizing the natural inclination to do so and the futility of trying to eliminate social influences, especially re language. By adopting this word we will send a very clear signal to the French that we are not the high and mighty, snooty people that they seem to want to be. We can be broad-minded and tolerant. Ha! [If we don't adopt this word, then we pretty much prove the opposite, I think--that we are as big assholes as the French are, which is probably more the case than not.]}



Sunday, July 20, 2003 / 02:52:39 AM

OLD COW SPINES AND BRAINS
"Science: In Brief -- A study finds that U.S. kids are fatter but much less violent than ever. Also: Canada may ban old cow spines and brains from use in human food." [Wired] {Hmmm. It seems logical that fatter kids would be less violent; they're more sated, and thus more relaxed, with less of an edgy nature. But what about those old cow spines and brains? Could they be having an effect on childhood aggression?



Friday, July 18, 2003 / 12:36:54 PM

THE END IS NEAR
"After laying off 50 staff at Netscape, AOL has moved all remaining employees to another project, heralding the inevitable demise of the browser." The Mozilla foundation will continue development of the browser as open source. Internet Magazine {Well, it took a while, but it looks like that dog is finally dying. And it's about time.}



Tuesday, July 15, 2003 / 03:26:10 PM

LOWERING THE INTEREST
Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman, testified before congress that the Fed will keep interest rates low "as long as needed" to stimulate the economy. He also said that the Fed wil consider further rate cuts. [NPR] {If we wait "as long as needed" for the economy to start growing again, then what's the difference what the interest rates are? Eventually, it's going to start to growing again. Why not let market forces control the rates? Could it be any worse? Or are we making it worse, or prolonged, by not allowing it to run it's natural course? With rates as low as they are now, who really cares at all how they invest their money? It hardly matters where you put it if you opt for safe investments.}



Monday, July 07, 2003 / 12:12:30 PM

TELEMARKETERS BECOME CRITICS
" The Federal Trade Commission estimates that the 17 million individuals who have already signed up on the national do-not-call list could eliminate up to 80 percent of unwanted telephone solicitations. The telemarketing industry says the list raises free speech issues and that it will lead to massive job losses." [NPR] {Aw, gee. Are the irritating little mother-fuckers that impose themselves on people's privacy getting a little bit irritated themselves? Too fucking bad. How do like that karma, huh? Besides, the jobs that will be lost are ridiculously low-paying and without benefits and take advantage of those people who are down on their luck or can't do anything else.}





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