Calibre: Ruler of eBooks and eReaders

I've inherited She Who Must Be Obeyed's Kindle 1 when we got her a Kindle 2 for its text to speech capability. I like the Kindle hardware, but have never been enamored of Amazon's store/DRM web that the want to trap you in. While listening to TWIT a few weeks ago someone in the irc chat mentioned that a open source software package called Calibre was a way use your Kindle without entering the Amazon web.

I've been using Calibre now for about 3? months and have been very impressed. Calibre runs on the Windows, Linux and Mac OS X platforms.  It stores and indexes your ebook collection, will convert ebooks among various formats.  All of the information about the  ebook is only stored once in the database creating  the concept of a logical book.  All the major ebook  formats are supported, as well as plain text, PDF. From Calibre's FAQ:

calibre supports the conversion of many input formats to many output formats. It can convert every input format in the following list, to every output format.

Input Formats: CBZ, CBR, CBC, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC**, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, TXT Output Formats:EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, TXT

After Calibre converts your ebook to a format compatible with your ebook reader it can sync the format of your choice onto your reader.  For me, this means converting ebooks to the MOBI format and then syncing the MOBI format onto my Kindle 1.

Calibre supports SONY PRS 500/505/700, Cybook Gen 3, Amazon Kindle (1 and 2) and the iPhone (with the stanza reader software). Syncing supports updating metadata on the device from metadata in the library and the creation of collections on the device based on the tags defined in the library view. If an book has more than one format available, calibre automatically chooses the best format when uploading to the device.

You don't need an ebook reader to reader books stored in Calibre. Calibre has a built-in content server that allows you to read ebooks through a web-browser.

Scribefire from Anda

Hello all;
Testing Scribefire from my Ubuntu laptop Anda.

Lets see what happens....

Nobody is talking abouth THIS part of health Care: http://bit.ly/110jpd

Past as Prelude

Here's a look at what the past predicts about the future of Health Care if we get don't get reform: http://bit.ly/Ot0ZI

Know What you Eat

Want Better Journalism? Be a Smarter Media Consumer.

Dan Gilmor nails it. http://bit.ly/WF2F4

A Robot that Eats for Fuel

DARPA fundees Robotic Technology of Potomac, Md., and Cyclone Power Technologies of Pompano Beach, Fla have come up with a scheme that marries autonomous driving with an engine/generator that can run on any fuel including biomass. See this PDF for details: http://bit.ly/eatr. Original story at CNET: http://bit.ly/wKlaj

The CrunchPad's OS?

Since the Crunchpad (http://bit.ly/PDHBH) is a dedicated browser tablet and the Chrome OS (http://bit.ly/amS7O) is a linuxy OS designed to mostly run a browser, doesn't this sound like a marriage made in heaven?

XKCD speaks Truth

http://bit.ly/c7WIj

The Dumber the Better

An excellent piece by connectivity guru Bob Frankston. He argues that society needs "Dumb Pipes" for carrying Internet services and current Telecom Carriers aren't it. http://bit.ly/dumbpipes

Cyborgs in the House

http://bit.ly/rlKVW Continuing work at the University of Utah has yielded the first device that detects brain signals without have electodes inserted into the brain.

An Arab's View of Iran

A very cogent piece of writing from Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi of Dubai on the dilemma Iran poses to the rest of the Arab world. http://bit.ly/go2qU

How Cool is This?

A mouse trap that's powered by digesting the mice it catches. http://bit.ly/MMxR3
Seems perfectly symetrical to me.

Courtesy of Doonesbury: http://bit.ly/tScJ

Rest in peace; you've earned it: http://bit.ly/farah

Beginning the fun of getting eeeBuntu on Wife's new eee900a netbook. Had to juggle the boot order to get the thing to boot from a USB dvd drive.

Just added the PingFire plugin so I can post to Ping.FM thru Firefox. No posts coming thru to gTalk, though.

The Great Mashup Continues

Okay... So now I've "wired" together Twitter, Blogger, and gTalk via ping.fm.
This should be interesting.......

Testing... 1...2...3... Is this thing on?

Posting here at ping.fm. Lets see where it comes out ;-)

Book Banner?

Yet another elected official who wants to inject her religious beliefs into the workings of government!

Sarah Palin, would-be banner of books - Boing Boing

Sarah Palin, VP nominee

Books Palin wanted to Ban

Time magazine article about Sarah Palin

And this woman will be a heartbeat away from the presidency

The Mayonnaise Jar

One of my co-workers sent this around and I thought would share the sentiment:

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. H e asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions --- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.

Iced Coffee

I've been a fan of ice coffee for a long time. When She-Who-Must-Be -Obeyed sent me this article from our local newspaper, I was hooked.

I've purchased a 4-cup coffee press and will be pursuing the production of "coffee syrup" for making ice coffee.

Here's the original link: courier-journal.com | Ron Mikulak - Cooking blog | The Courier-Journal

How to Do an Energy Policy

Just finished reading a column by Thomas Friedman on his visit to Copenhagen. Seems the Danes took the 1977 oil embargo to heart and raised energy taxes to encourage development of energy efficient technologies.

Result: Denmark is completely independent of OPEC oil imports.

Read the whole Friedman piece: Op-Ed Columnist - Flush With Energy - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Spotted on EcoWorldly

First Served

We are seeing lots of articles about Ethanol and Bio-diesel as sources of competition for oil-based products. We are all lusting for the day when we can but sub $3 E85 into our cars and trucks and thumb our noses at the "other" fuel. It occurs to me that the bio-fuels industry would be best served if it "ate its own dog food." I don't want to see ethanol or bio-diesel delivered in trucks powered by petroleum products. I want the bio-fuels industry to run as much of their infrastructure on bio-fuels as possible.

Same goes for farmers. Every farmer in America should have easy access to as much bio-diesel and ethanol fuels as they can use to run their day-to-day operations. Every farm town in America should have its own bio-diesel plant to keep the local farmers supplied. If there's enough demand put an ethanol plant there, too. Give the folks that produce the feedstocks for food, feed and fuel access to low cost fuels and we all win.

The bio-fuels industry will be seen as a more serious competitor to oil-based fuels when a significant portion of their production and delivery is "bio-powered."

Cloud Computing... Is Here

If you don't think Cloud Computing is here watch this and then read this and this.

Wild West Weather

Here's a weather alert from the Reno, NV's National Weather Service Office:
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE SIERRA PASSES. ATTEMPTING TO TRAVEL IN THE SIERRA WILL PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK! VERY HIGH SNOWFALL RATES WILL MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ROAD CREWS AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL TO KEEP ROADS PASSABLE AND TO ASSIST STRANDED VEHICLES. IF YOU DO ATTEMPT TRAVEL IN THE SIERRA YOUR CHANCES OF BEING STRANDED FOR MORE THAN A FEW HOURS IS VERY HIGH. REMAIN INDOORS DURING THIS BLIZZARD...EVEN A SHORT WALK OUTDOORS COULD BE DEADLY AS YOU WILL BECOME DISORIENTED IN THE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. EXTREMELY HEAVY SNOW WILL OCCUR THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING WITH SNOWFALL RATES OF UP TO 6 INCHES PER HOUR. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING WILL BE 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE 7000 FEET WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS ALONG THE SIERRA CREST...AND 1 TO 3 FEET BELOW 7000 FEET...INCLUDING THE LAKE TAHOE BASIN. STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH THE MOST DANGEROUS WINDS FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. WIND GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH WILL BE COMMON WITH GUSTS NEAR 145 MPH OVER THE SIERRA RIDGES.

Via Belski's Blog

Keith Olbermann Buries Rudy Giuliani With Truth

Keith Olbermann is the new Edward R. Murrow.

Madison on War

Of all the enemies to the public liberty war is, perhaps, the most me be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, and debt, and taxes are known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.
~ James Madison 1795-04-20

Democracy....

... is the best revenge - Benazir Bhutto

For the Space Geek

NASA's Planet Quest web site has a Widget for your Yahoo Widget desktop to keep count to the extrasolar planet discoveries.

Its on my desktop. Is it on yours?

Creationist Periodic Table of the Elements

Project Steve

(Project Steve): "Evolution is a vital, well-supported, unifying principle of the biological sciences, and the scientific evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the idea that all living things share a common ancestry. Although there are legitimate debates about the patterns and processes of evolution, there is no serious scientific doubt that evolution occurred or that natural selection is a major mechanism in its occurrence. It is scientifically inappropriate and pedagogically irresponsible for creationist pseudoscience, including but not limited to "intelligent design," to be introduced into the science curricula of our nation's public schools."

How Many of Me

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 87 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Crush

Heard on Adam Curry's Daily Source Code... Kinda reminds me of Captain Beyond.

Old Media Company Steps Up

News.com is reporting that Sony BMG is asking muscicans to blog about their demos rather than sending in hard copy. Sounds like the fore shocks of a media company trying to re-invent itself.

Hope it works out for them. Might be a way to avoid extinction.... Nah... Not Sony.

Technorati Tags: Sony BMG, blogs, demos, extinction

XML and Twitter and Weather, Oh My!

So with the advent of Twitter-mania I've been playing with it. However Twitter has become a victim of its own success, with the site being slow at the best of times and unresponsive at worst. So I've found a couple of alternatives to using the Twitter web site to post my status/thoughts. Since I'm a Widget fan I've discovered the Twidget which allows you to post text to Twitter with just a couple of clicks.

I wanted to post my local weather conditions to Twitter just to see if I could get a Linux command line poster working. Turns out you can! Although I first looked at the Twitter API it needed/used some stuff I'm not familiar with. So I asked the great and all-knowing Google and found a post over at Tech@Sakana which gives a script-based solution to push text onto your Twitter page using cURL.

The command line built using cURL looks like this:
curl --basic --user username:password --data status="Having fun with cURL" http://twitter.com/statuses/update.xml

Not to bad. Works great even when the twitter site is unresponsive.

Now for the Weather. Turns out that the National Weather Service (NWS) offers an XML-formatted file of the current weather conditions updated hourly. But... Having tried to use the native Linux tools to extract data from XML files I know how kludgy or even impossible it can be. I once again petitioned Google and found Xmlstarlet. Xmlstarlet is a command line utility from Sourceforge that can read and write XML files. In my case, I can use Xmlstarlet to extract the weather conditions I want from the XML file I download from the NWS.

Now I could build a script that collects the current observation file from the NWS, parses out the weather conditions I want to report. Builds a string of those conditions and sends them off to Twitter. Here's what it looks like:
#!/bin/bash

cd ~/weather

mv -f KLOU.xml KLOU.XML

wget -q http://www.weather.gov/data/current_obs/KLOU.xml

# At $now it is $temperature in $location with winds $wind

#Now
now=`xml select -T -t -v //observation_time KLOU.xml|cut -d" " -f6-8;echo ""`
#location
location=`xml select -T -t -v //location KLOU.xml|cut -d" " -f1,5;echo ""`
#Temperature
temperature=`xml select -T -t -v //temperature_string KLOU.xml;echo ""`
# Winds
## wind=`xml select -T -t -v //wind_string KLOU.xml|cut -d" " -f2-10;echo ""`
wind=`xml select -T -t -v //wind_string KLOU.xml;echo ""`

conditions=`echo At $now it is $temperature in $location. Winds: $wind.`

echo $conditions

curl --connect-timeout 5 --user johniac:******* --data status="$conditions" http://twitter.com/statuses/update.xml

If I'm going stick this into cron and have it run regularly, I need to add some locking code so that it won't run over the top of itself if Twitter or the NWS starts hanging connections. And of course that leads to the obligatory SMS messaging if a second instance trys to run. Maybe in version 2 ;-)


Technorati Tags: twitter, curl, xmlstarlet, nws, api

In Memoriam: Gerald R. Ford

By the President of the United States of America a Proclamation

Richard Nixon became the thirty-seventh President of the United States on January 20, 1969 and was reelected in 1972 for a second term by the electors of forty-nine of the fifty states. His term in office continued until his resignation on August 9, 1974.

Pursuant to resolutions of the House of Representatives, its Committee on the Judiciary conducted an inquiry and investigation on the impeachment of the President extending over more than eight months. The hearings of the Committee and its deliberations, which received wide national publicity over television, radio, and in printed media, resulted in votes adverse to Richard Nixon on recommended Articles of Impeachment.

As a result of certain acts or omissions occurring before his resignation from the Office of President, Richard Nixon has become liable to possible indictment and trial for offenses against the United States. Whether or not he shall be so prosecuted depends on findings of the appropriate grand jury and on the discretion of the authorized prosecutor. Should an indictment ensue, the accused shall then be entitled to a fair trial by an impartial jury, as guaranteed to every individual by the Constitution.

It is believed that a trial of Richard Nixon, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed. In the meantime, the tranquility to which this nation has been restored by the events of recent weeks could be irreparably lost by the prospects of bringing to trial a former President of the United States. The prospects of such trial will cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.

Now, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FORD, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9,1974.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-ninth.

GERALD R. FORD

And Now This Message

I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail,
not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.
—Baruch Spinoza

You can make a difference.
Support the Skeptics Society’s donation drive
and support rational skepticism and science education
The Skeptics Society is a member-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit scientific and educational organization of scholars, scientists, historians, professors and teachers, and anyone curious about controversial or revolutionary ideas, extraordinary claims, and the promotion of science. Our mission is to serve as an educational tool for those seeking clarification and viewpoints on those controversial ideas and claims.

About our work
In 2006 the Skeptics Society made strong inroads into the media as well as educational institutions through dozens of lectures at colleges, universities, and high schools around the country, through hundreds of media interviews on radio and television (most notably on Intelligent Design creationism, 9/11 conspiracy theories, and alternative medicine claims), and through dozens of opinion editorials, reviews, essays, commentaries, and articles published outside of Skeptic magazine, furthering our reach into communities not traditionally steeped in science and skepticism.

Of course, we maintained our usual activities of sponsoring a dozen monthly science lectures at Caltech, hosting our annual conference at Caltech (on The Environmental Wars), publishing Skeptic magazine, eSkeptic newsletter, and Junior Skeptic magazine, maintaining our website, and fulfilling tens of thousands of orders through our catalogue of science- and skepticism-related books and DVDs. We are able to do this, and much more, thanks to your support. And so, on behalf of the Skeptics Society, our staff, volunteers, and members, we thank you for your support in our 2007 donation drive.

Donations make it happen
Your donations support our media appearances and provide millions of TV viewers and radio listeners with a skeptical, scientific viewpoint.

Without your support, we couldn’t send Dr. Shermer around the country to discuss and debate paranormal and science controversies. Without Dr. Shermer’s voice on television and radio, in lecture halls and magazines, your rational point of view would be sorely lacking in public discourse. When you see us presenting the skeptical side of the argument, you are seeing your donation dollars at work.

Many members choose to support the Skeptics Society with financial contributions above and beyond their membership fee — please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us further our goals and accomplishments in 2007.

The rewards
Those of you whose contribution fits a donation category below are eligible to receive the following:

Patron — $5,000 or more
Dinner with Michael Shermer and a world-renowned scientist (to be announced), and a private insider’s tour of the Mt. Wilson 100-inch telescope used by Edwin Hubble to discover the expanding universe, and use of the 60-inch telescope for the evening for a private star-gazing party. In addition, you will also receive the three gifts listed below.

Benefactor — $1,000 or more
Two complimentary tickets to the 2007 Skeptics Society Conference at Caltech on War & Terrorism (NOTE: NEW DATE October 26–28, 2007) plus you will also receive the two gifts listed below.

Sponsor — $500 or more
A three-year subscription to Skeptic magazine for yourself or a friend, plus choose a gift listed below.

Supporter — $100 or more
One free book of your choice:

• Why Darwin Matters by Michael Shermer
• The Bible Against Itself by Randel Helms
• The Root of All Evil? Richard Dawkins’ DVD documentary
• The Soul of Science a pocket-booklet by Michael Shermer

DONATE to The Skeptics Society

Also of interest…

• LEARN more about skepticism
• LEARN more about our work
• LEARN more about Dr. Michael Shermer
• SEE LIST of past Caltech lectures
• EXPLORE our Reading Room
• SIGNUP to receive eSkeptic

Technorati Tags: Skeptics Society, Michael Shermer, skepticism

RIP: Dot n Dash

The last of my original pair of ratties, Dash was put to sleep this morning around 9am.  She had developed three tumors, wheezing when she breathed and was loosing weight fast.

Dash's sister, Dot died in September.  She developed two tumors and even though I knew what needed to be done I let nature take its course and she died

Right after Dot passed, I noticed that Dash was showing signs of tumors in front of her left hind leg and behind her left front leg.  I promised myself I would not repeat what happened to Dash.  Last weekend my son found Dash had a third tumor growing on the side of her head I realized that it was time to let Dash go.  On Monday I called the vet and made an appointment for 9am Saturday.  The work week helped to keep the event in the back of my mind as the days went by.  So a little before 9am today, I took a small box down to the cage where Dash and Stella live and opened the cage door.  I put a little of the used bedding in the box to reduce the strangeness.  Dash came out of her den to see what was up and I put her in the box.

About half way to the vet the realization of what was happening hit me like a ton of bricks.  I kept it together until Doctor Sam came in to explain how the procedure would work: Dash would be put into a deep sleep using an anesthetic.  Once her pain response was gone, he injected her which killer her instantly.  He was really understanding and kind to this blubbering 50-year old man in front with him.

I was there with Doctor Sam and Dash for the whole procedure.  It went just as he had described and now Dash is at peace.

I managed to get home with only a couple of sobs, but when I got home and sat on the bed telling my wife how it went, I could finally release all the emotion.

I was really surprised at the depth of the emotion this triggered.  This was what was best for Dash, but the wrenching sadness was still very intense for a short time.

Had errands to run this afternoon and a nap this afternoon helped as well.

So now its Stella in the big cage all by herself, but not for long.  Six month old sisters, Phoebe, Piper and Paige have come into our lives.  They are getting acclimated to our house in the small cage right next to Stella's cage.  We'll have meet and greets this week and there will soon be four ratties in Dash's house.

>JjV<
---------------------------------------------
When choosing between two evils I always like to take the one I've never tried before.
Mae West

Recipe: Corn Pudding

Here's the Corn Pudding recipe I've used twice already this holiday season. Its really more of a spoon bread, and not a souffle.

Works for me....

Corn Pudding

1. 2 Eggs, Beaten
   
2. Can of Cream Corn (14.75 oz)
3. Can of Whole Kernel Corn (15.25 oz)
4. Jiffy Mix Corn Muffin Mix (8.5 oz box)
5. 1 Cup Mayonnaise
6. 1 Cup Sour Cream
7. 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8. 1 Stick Salted Butter, Melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 350'F. Mix first six items together until uniform. Add shredded cheddar in three increments while mixing gently. Add melted butter and mix until uniform. Bake in either a 3qt Casserole or 9x11 pan. Grease pan with baking spray and add batter. Bake at 350'F for about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Variations:
Served warm topped with Maple syrup or Honey
Served with Chipolte Seasoning
Add a can of chopped chilies to the batter before baking.

More variations can be found in this write up at the Augusta Chronicle newspaper website.

Technorati Tags: Corn Pudding, Recipe

Recipe: Green Bean Casserole

We finally had the requisite Green Bean casserole for dinner this past weekend.  I thought I would blog the official French's French Fried Onion recipe here for posterity.

Green Bean Casserole
Prep time: 5min  Cook Time: 35min

• 3/4 Cup of Milk
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  
• 10 3/4oz Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 - 15oz cans of French Cut Green Beans, Drained
• 1 1/3 Cups of French's French Fried Onions

Preheat Oven to 350ºF

1. In a 1½qt casserole dish mix all ingredients except 2/3s of a cup of the Fried Onions
2. Bake for 30 minutes at 350º.
3. Sitr; Top with remaining Fried Onions
4. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

Variations:
Change the soup to Golden Mushroom or Cream of Celery,
Add diced Portabello Mushrooms.
Replace pepper with Cajun, Chipolte or other spice blend.


>JjV<
---------------------------------------------
The superior man is distressed by the limitation of his ability;
he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability he has.
Confucius


Technorati Tags: Green Bean Casserole, Fried Onions, Recipe

Science Editor

I have agreed to be the Science editor for Blogcritics SciTech section. While I've written for BC in the past as an author, the whole editor thing has been an interesting shift in perspective.

Now I've got to find some science writers to help me fill out this section. Anyone interested in doing some pro bono science writing should email me for more information.

>JjV<
---------------------------------------------
If you understand, things are as they are. If you do not understand, things are as they are.
Gensha, Zen Master

Technorati Tags: Blogcritics Magazine, Science writing

Supreme Court & Global Warming

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard arguments about reversing a lower court ruling the the EPA does NOT have the authority to regulate Carbon Dioxide, a greenhouse gas believed to be contributing to Global Warming.


The Scientists who run the Real Climate climate change blog have provided an Amicus Curiae brief to SCOTUS.



Below are the three main arguments that the brief makes:

I.
The Science of Climate Change Indicates that It Is Virtually Certain that Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Human Activities Cause Global Climate Changes, Endangering Human Health and Welfare

II.
EPA and the Court of Appeals Mischaracterized the Science of Climate Change, Making It Appear More Uncertain Than It Actually Is.

III.
EPA Did Not Apply the Standard of Scientific Evidence Set Forth in the Clean Air Act.


You can find the entire brief online. The publicity this decision will raise (either way it goes) will go a long way to increasing the public's attention on this topic.

Technorati Tags: Real Climate, SCOTUS, Amicus Curiae

Snow Wishes

>JjV<
---------------------------------------------
Rule of Acquisition #284: Rules are always subject to interpretation.

Pumpkin Goodness

She Who Must be Obeyed found this recipe whilst browsing through a Goose Berry Patch Halloween catalog. The recipe is called Pumpkin Cobbler and comes from their Classics Pumpkin Cookbook".

Pumpkin Cobbler

1. 3 Eggs, beaten
2. 15-oz can Pumpkin
3. 12-oz can Evaporated Milk
4. 1 cup Sugar
5. 1/8 teaspoon Salt
6. 1½ teaspoon Cinnamon
7. 1 teaspoon ground Ginger
8. 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
9. 1 8¼ oz package Yellow Cake mix
10. 1¼ cup Margarine, melted
    
11. 1 cup chopped Nuts

Preheat oven to 350'F. Mix the first 8 ingredients together; pour into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top; drizzle with margarine. Bake for 25 minutes. Top with nuts and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Makes 15 to 18 servings.

My modifications:

I replaced the Ginger and Cinnamon with 2 teaspoons of Pumkin Pie Spice and the Margarine with Unsalted Butter. Left off the nuts and baked it in a 8" x 11" pan and extended the baking time to 50 minutes total.

Suppress Public Disorder

The Toward Freedom web site has an article describing John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 (H.R.5122) (2), which was signed in a private Oval Office ceremony on October 17th.

This law allows the President to declare a "public emergency" and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder."

Vote American

Technorati Tags: H.R.5122, Martial Law President Bush

Finally... Forward Thinking

Its great to see University Hospital and the Metro Health department both conducting mobile flu shot delivery programs. If there is ever a pandemic flu incident which requires the vaccination of a large number of folks, these programs will provide valuable experience.

Kudo to both organizations!! The full article is below so you can read it even after it dissapears behind The CJ's paywall.

Drive-thru flu shot clinic a hit even in rain

By Katya Cengel
kcengel@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Ed Lincoln rolled down his car window, rolled up his shirtsleeve and, in a matter of minutes, had a flu shot.

Lincoln, 70, said both he and his wife, Helen, 69, are fans of University Hospital's Drive-Thru Flu Shot program, which was held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. yesterday and is planned again Tuesday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

The program was the first in the nation when it began in 1995. The annual program was moved and expanded this year to test the hospital's ability to help handle a mass, communitywide immunization.

"We wanted to see if we could be truly mobile," said Linda Goss, the hospital's director of infectious diseases.

The service was expanded from two lanes to three, and a second tent was added, separating the paperwork part from the actual shot, Goss said.

The result was the ability to service about 300 cars an hour instead of the usual 200.

And despite yesterday's foul weather, Goss said, everything went as planned. The effort indicated the hospital would, if necessary, be able to quickly administer antibiotics to a large number of people in a short time.

On Monday the Louisville Metro Health Department will conduct a similar test, administering free flu shots to 1,000 people starting at 11 a.m. at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

And while the rain was expected to cut into the program's usual number of about 3,000 people served over two days, the weather actually prompted Tyrone Taylor to get his shot.

"I figured there would be less people out," said Taylor, who is 54 and lives in western Louisville.

Reporter Katya Cengel can be reached at (502) 582-4224.

Technorati Tags: Louisville Metro Health Department, University Hospital, preparedness, pandemic

Trying out a post using Performancing for Firefox on the Beta Blogger site

>JjV<
---------------------------------------------
They [preachers] dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.
Thomas Jefferson

I'll Drink to That

Research done by the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, has found a a neuronal mechanism that may help explain the link between alcohol and improved memory. Testing on rats indicates that a couple of drinks a day improved the rats memory.

Cheers......


Read the entire article.

Email Etiquette

Pay attention all you folks who like to forward those inane emails to everyone in your email address book:



>JjV<
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For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and big words Bother me.
Winnie the Pooh

Nerd Score

Here's how I scored on the Nerd Test from NerdTests.com:

Not too big a surprise to those who know me ;-)

>JjV<
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The American public knows what it wants,and deserves to get it good and hard.
H.L.Menkin

The Dread Pirate Bin Laden

Bruce Schneier has a great post echoing an article on Legal Affairs about treating terrorists as pirates. Seems that pirates as a criminal have an international legal standing that would be useful in prosecuting terrorists.

>JjV<
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Pareto Phenomenon: Very few things seem to contribute to a majority of problems.

Edward R. Murrow

Murrow talking about the anti-communist hearing of Senator Joseph McCarthy:
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear - one, of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of un-reason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men; Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were - for the moment - unpopular."

Seems this is still applicable today.......

Personality Test Results

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!" You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn't always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

>JjV<
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If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Nanotech Assembler

Great CGI video on how nantechnology could build items.

50 Misconceptions about evolution

Pharyngula writes about the Raving Atheist forums producing a list of 50 Misconceptions about Evolution in their forums.  The collected list follows.

50 Misconceptions about evolution

1) Evolution gives you what you need

2) We popped out of monkeys one day

3) The theory of evolution is tied to the big bang theory

4) The theory of evolution says random chemicals mysteriously made the first cell

5) Darwin took back his theory of evolution on his death bed (that's an urban myth created by christians)

6) The eye accidently formed itself somehow.

7) That things evolve 'magically' without selection involved.  It's just some slow process...

8) That evolution equals eugenics.

9) That it has a GOAL.

10) That it can happen to anything, even watches and pottery.

11) That it's a scientific conspiracy theory we believe in to battle Christianity.

12) That evolution equals atheism.

13) That there is an actual difference between micro and macro-evolution.

14) That it is a 'Random' process.

15) That there are no transition fossils

16) That humans evolved from the Apes that are around today.

17)  The second law of thermodynamics makes evolution impossible.

18) If evolution is true, how come there are still monkeys?

19) Evolution requires faith.

20) Survival of the fittest means organisms should go kill off weaker members of its species to make survival easier for the stronger members.

21) Physical changes that occur during the lifetime of an organism will be passed on the offspring.

22) Survival of the fittest is circular logic.

23) Only the fittest survive. (In actuality, if an organism can barely get by then it  classified into the "fit" category).

24) Kent Hovind is an expert in the fields of evolution, biology, and other sciences.

25) Organisms evolve/mutate during their lifetime if a new selection pressure exerts itself.

26) Evolution caused slavery.

27) Many scientists are now casting doubt on Darwins theory.

28) Charles Darwin is satan.

29) Evolution can't exist because of irreducible complexity.

30) Evolution is JUST a theory.

31) God made evolution so he could trick as many scientists as he could into believing it, instead of him, just so he could light them on fire for all eternity. But he still loves them.

32) Man and dinosaurs existed at the same time.  T-Rex used to be a vegetarian

33) 'Darwinists' claim that any criticism of the theory of evolution is unscientific

34) Evolution is effectively refuted by 'the Cambrian Explosion'

35) Scientists "believe" in evolution.

36)  There is great strife in the scientific community over evolution.

37)  Kent Hovind is a brilliant man!

38) Evolution can't explain love.

39) If evolution is true, why are there homosexuals?

40) There are no transitional forms: One species gives birth to another!

41) If you believe in evolution, then that means you think it's okay to kill, rape, and steal

42) Evolution is not testable or empirical, therefore it is not science.

43) No Darwin, then no Hitler

44) The perfect match between bees and flowers must be a designer because it can't be evolution.

45) Mutations are never beneficial

46) There is limits to biological change: new kinds never arise

47) Vertebrate embryos never resemble each other

48) Evolution must be wrong because gravity pulls things down right, but that clearly doesn't happen because birds can stay up in the air.

49) Oh you evolutionists make me laugh, it was God who created the world.  It says so in the bible and the bible says its true

50) Evolution was responsible for the Columbine highschool shooting

51) Evolution can never be proven because we didn't see it occur.

>JjV<
---------------------------------------------
Through the router, over the firewall, down the cable..... nothing but net!


Technorati Tags: evolution, misconceptions

Doctor Who: Season Three Starts Filming

The third season of the BBC's new Doctor Who series began filming in mid-August.  Freema Agyeman (Google Image Search)has been tapped to play the new series second companion.

Pancake Goodness

I have a weakness for a steaming hot stack of pancakes and I've blogged my favorite recipe before.  However, I recently tried a recipe out of Everyday Food's from the How-To with Allie column.  I used the whole-grain & yogurt options and they were awesome.  Below is the recipe I used:

1. 1/2 Cup whole-wheat flour
2. 1/4 cup cornmeal
3. 1/4 cup wheat germ
4. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5. 2 teaspoons baking powder
6. 2 tablespoons sugar
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
9. 1/3 cup milk
10. Oil for cooking
    

Preheat griddle to 325-350

• Combine items 1 through 7 and whisk till blended.
• Add items 8 and 9 and whisk gently till combined.
• Put down a small pool of oil on the griddle and then a spoon the batter on too of the oil.
• Cook until bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes about six pancakes.  Don't underestimate these guys.  They are very filling!!





Technorati Tags: pancakes, recipe, whole-wheat, everyday food

Nuff Said....

So its turning into a comic strip sort of day.....

This B.C. strip sure hits the mark!

Could Be

Stolen from Blaugh. Original here.



DEAR GREAT, GREAT GRANDSON,

THANKS FOR TELLING ME ABOUT OPENDNS LAST NIGHT - MY CONNECTION IS FLYING THIS MORNING. YOU ROXX0RZ! I’M ALSO GOING TO TRY DOWNLOADING THAT DNS CACHING TOOL TO SEE IF I CAN GET PAST THESE DAMN COMCRAP PROBLEMS. STUPID TECH SUPPORT PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY’RE DOING, AND I’M GETTING READY TO SWITCH TO DSL. SWING BY FOR SOME APPLE PIE LATER TONIGHT IF YOU’D LIKE. ME AND THE GIRLS ARE DOIN’ A QUILTCAMP INTO THE WEE HOURS.

LOVE,

GREAT, GREAT GRANDMA SHARON

73 best atheist quotes

The 73 best atheist quotes as compiled by Chris Beach.




Stephen Roberts
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

Doug McLeod
    I still say a church steeple with a lightning rod on top shows a lack of confidence

Unknown
Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned.

Richard Feynman
But I don't have to know an answer. I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn't frighten me.

Emo Philips
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.    

Gustaf Lindborg
The sailor does not pray for wind, he learns to sail.

Richard Lederer (Anguished English)
There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages.

Epicurus
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

Annie Wood Besant
No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.

Unknown
Blind faith is an ironic gift to return to the Creator of human intelligence.

Carl Sagan
You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe.

Unknown
"It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand" -Mark Twain

Ned Flanders
Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends! Well I say there are some things we don't want to know! Important things!

Blaise Pascal
Men never commit evil so fully and joyfuly as when they do it for religious convictions one vote against Men never commit evil so fully and joyfuly as when they do it for religious convictions. .25%3 votes for Men never commit evil so fully and joyfuly as when they do it for religious convictions.75%

Bertrand Russell
So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.

Woody Allen
I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.

Friedrich Nietzsche
In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.

Chapman Cohen
Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense,

Ferdinand Magellan
The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church.

Stephen Jay Gould
Creation science has not entered the curriculum for a reason so simple and so basic that we often forget to mention it: because it is false, and because good teachers understand exactly why it is false. What could be more destructive of that most fragile yet most precious commodity in our entire intellectual heritage -- good teaching -- than a bill forcing honorable teachers to sully their sacred trust by granting equal treatment to a doctrine not only known to be false, but calculated to undermine any general understanding of science as an enterprise?...

Gypsy Rose Lee
Praying is like a rocking chair-- it'll give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.

Clark Adams
If Atheism is a religion, then health is a disease!

Justin Brown
An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An Atheist believes that deed must be done instead of a prayer said. An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanished, war eliminated...

Steve
It's not lying, I've really convinced myself of it.

Seneca the Younger 4 b.c.- 65 a.d.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.

Bumper sticker
You keep believing, I'll keep evolving.

Carl Sagan
Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.

Robert G. Ingersoll
God has always resembled his creators. He hated and loved what they hated and loved and he was invariably found on the side of those in power. Most of the gods were pleased with sacrifice, and the smell of innocent blood has ever been considered a divine perfume...

Robert G. Ingersoll
Christianity did not come with tidings of great joy, but with a message of eternal grief. It came with the threat of everlasting torture on its lips. It meant war on earth and perdition hereafter.

Friedrich Nietzsche
Which is it, is man one of God's blunders or is God one of man's?

Robert G. Ingersoll
Why should I allow that same God to tell me how to raise my kids, who had to drown His own?

George Bernard Shaw
The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.

H. L. Mencken
We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.

Karl Marx
Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, & the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

Taslima Nasrin
Koranic teaching still insists that the sun moves around the earth. How can we advance when they teach things like that?

Isaac Asimov
Humanity has the stars in its future, and that future is too important to be lost under the burden of juvenile folly and ignorant superstition.

Gene Roddenberry
They said God was on high and he controlled the world and therefore we must pray against Satan. Well, if God controls the world, he controls Satan. For me, religion was full of misstatements and reaches of logic that I just couldn't agree with.

Mark Twain
It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.

Lenny Bruce
If Jesus had been killed 20 years ago, Catholic school children would be wearing little Electric Chairs around their necks instead of crosses

Robert G. Ingersoll (Ingersoll's Works)
Take from the church the miraculous, the supernatural, the incomprehensible, the unreasonable, the impossible, the unknowable, the absurd, and nothing but a vacuum remains.

Albert Einstein
A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

Sir Julian Huxley
...any belief in supernatural creators, rulers, or influencers of natural or human process introduces an irreparable split into the universe, and prevents us from grasping its real unity. Any belief in Absolutes, whether the absolute validity of moral commandments, of authority of revelation, of inner certitudes, or of divine inspiration, erects a formidable barrier against progress and the responsibility of improvement, moral, rational, and religious....

Delos B. McKown
The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.

Carl Sagon
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Gene Roddenberry
We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty Humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes.

Albert Einstein
Since our inner experiences consist of reproductions, and combinations of sensory impressions, the concept of a soul without a body seem to me to be empty and devoid of meaning.

David Brooks (The Necessity of Atheism)
To explain the unknown by the known is a logical procedure; to explain the known by the unknown is a form of theological lunacy.

unknown
Don't pray in my school, and I won't think in your church.

Sam Harris
Whenever a man imagines that he need only believe the truth of a proposition, without evidence - that unbelievers will go to hell, that Jews drink the blood of infants - he becomes capable of anything.

unknown
People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs.

unknown
Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

Richard Dawkins
Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one.

Robert G. Ingersoll
The inspiration of the bible depends on the ignorance of the person who reads it.

Mark Twain
The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.

Unknown
Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned

Jonathon Green
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him

Stephen King
The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance...logic can be happily tossed out the window.

Galileo Galilei
I do not think it is necessary to believe that the same God who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence wished us to abandon their use, giving us by some other means the information that we could gain through them.

Robert G. Ingersoll
As people become more intelligent they care less for preachers and more for teachers.

Bertrand Russell
And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence.

Benjamin Franklin
The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.

W.C.Fields
Prayers never bring anything... They may bring solace to the sap, the bigot, the ignorant, the aboriginal, and the lazy - but to the enlightened it is the same as asking Santa Claus to bring you something for Xmas.

Stephen Hawking
The intelligent beings in these regions should therefore not be surprised if they observe that their locality in the universe satisfies the conditions that are necessary for their existence. It is a bit like a rich person living in a wealthy neighborhood not seeing any poverty...

Charlie Chaplin
By simple common sense I don't believe in God.

Peter O'Toole (The Ruling Class)
Everything is more or less organized matter. To think so is against religion, but I think so just the same. When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself.

Carl Sagan
Atheism is more than just the knowledge that gods do not exist, and that religion is either a mistake or a fraud. Atheism is an attitude, a frame of mind that looks at the world objectively, fearlessly, always trying to understand all things as a part of nature...

Shakti Gawain
We always attract into our life whatever we think about the most, believe the most strongly, expect on the deepest level, and imagine most vividly.

Napoleon Bonaparte
Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.

Thomas Jefferson
Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear...

Albert Einstein
The contemplation of this world beckoned as a liberation (...) The road to this paradise was not as comfortable and alluring as the road to the religious paradise; but it has shown itself reliable, and I have never regretted having chosen it.

Justin Brown
If the Bible is mistaken in telling us where we came from, how can we trust it to tell us where we're going?

Donald Morgan
Jesus' last words on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" hardly seem like the words of a man who planned it that way. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure there is something wrong here.

JP Shooter
Buy a clue, they're free

Technorati Tags: atheist, quotes, Chris+Beach

Do You Know What Libery Is?

View this simple, elegant, powerful flash presentation on what Liberty is.

The animation was created by Lux Lucre. The text and inspiration come from "The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible: A Free Market Odyssey" by Ken Schoolland.  Supported by the International Society for Individual Liberty.

Technorati Tags: Liberty, Freedom, Philosophy

Seven Lessons

Seven lessons quoted from an essay Tim O'Reilly which he wrote at the height of the P2P-era; still extremely relevant.

.........a piece I wrote in 2002, entitled Piracy is Progressive Taxation. It contained seven lessons from my experience as a print and online publisher:

   1. Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.
   2. Piracy is progressive taxation.
   3. Customers want to do the right thing, if they can.
   4. Shoplifting is a bigger threat than piracy.
   5. File sharing networks don't threaten book, music, or film publishing. They threaten existing publishers.
   6. "Free" is eventually replaced by a higher-quality paid service.
   7. "There's more than one way to do it."

Read the entire essay......

>JjV<
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Murphy's First Law: Nothing is as easy as it looks.


Technorati Tags: P2P, Publish, Author, Piracy

How much is that Congress in the Window?

Paladine has compiled a history of lobbying costs of the MPAA and RIAA in Congress.  The amount that the Sony Companies spent is interesting as well.


>JjV<
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A god in hand is worth two in the bush. - Aaron

Pharyngula

 Something to comtemplate on this Independence Day




>JjV<
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An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Nailed...

Robert Cringely's interpetation of Bob Frankston's article on Net Neutrality really opened my eyes.  He exposes the entire Modus Operandi of the telecom industry and why it is bad for the Internet.  Give Cringe's article a read, you'll be glad you did!

>JjV<
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The goal of the works of a genius' existance lies only in itself.

Qoute by Robert Heinlein

As seen on AlterSlash

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or a corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years , the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute nor common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back, for their private benefit.

>JjV<
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A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Chinese Proverb

New SciTech Watch Column: GovTrack

My new column is up over at Blogcritics. Its a look at the GovTrack web site that collects information on both houses of Congress and makes it available via email and RSS.

>JjV<
---------------------------------------------

...the myth of socialism is far stronger than the reality of capitalism. That is because capitalism is not really an ism at all. It is what people do if you leave them alone.
Arnold Beichmen, Hoover Institute Fellow  

Technorati Tags: Congress, GovTrack, Bill, Vote

New SciTech Watch Column: Indy Racing Tech

My new column is up over at Blogcritics. Its a look at some of the technologies used in the Indy Racing League's cars and tracks.

>JjV<
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You can build a throne with bayonets, but you can't sit on it for long. - Boris Yeltsin 

Technorati Tags: IRL, Auto Racing, Indianapolis 500, Racing Technology

Operating the planet like a business in liquidation

Excellent review of the Wired Town Hall on the Climate Crisis. Good points and I'm, looking forward to the film!




>JjV<
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You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try. - Beverly Sills

American Taliban, Redux

The War On Sex By Cristina Page, TomPaine.com Posted on May 18, 2006, Printed on May 18, 2006 http://www.alternet.org/story/36371/ The architects of the South Dakota ban on abortion have a bold plan for our country. Certainly, they have already given a jolt to the majority of Americans, or at least the 66 percent who want Roe v. Wade to remain law of the land. But there's a great deal more the American public should know about these legislative campaigners. Especially since there's a lot more of their agenda they hope to realize. They have a plan for you, and if you are anything like the 85 percent of American couples who have sex once a week, you're not going to like it. The pro-life groups who are the most committed to ending legal abortion -- and gotten the furthest in their goals -- are also leading campaigns against the only proven ways to prevent abortion: contraception. Shocking as it may be, there is not one pro-life organization in the United States that supports the use of contraception. Instead the pro-life movement is the constant opponent of every single effort to provide Americans with the ability to prevent unwanted pregnancies. If the South Dakota ban is upheld and Roe v. Wade is toppled, it's safe to say the pro-life movement is not going to send out a brigade to furnish Americans with the most effective contraceptives. In fact, pro-life groups' most recent activities suggest the exact opposite. Take Leslee Unruh, the South Dakota native considered the primary force behind the near-total ban on abortion in her state. Unruh is, in many ways, the perfect representative of the modern pro-life movement. She is lauded in pro-life circles as the president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, a group that promotes abstinence-until-marriage. Under Unruh's leadership, the Abstinence Clearinghouse has spearheaded campaigns to stop people from using the condom. On the organization's website, supporters of family planning are derided as the "safe sex cartel" and "condom-pushers." Her medical advisory board consists of physicians who pledge not to prescribe contraception to sexually active teens. The group's new project, "Abstinence Africa," discourages condom use in African countries like Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho where, on average, one in three adults is infected with HIV. Unruh and her pro-life colleagues have moved beyond attacking the condom, too. For example, when pharmacists refuse to fill birth control prescriptions, the pro-life movement has responded with a favorite tactic: it has moved aggressively to welcome their deeds as acts of "conscience." The movement has helped pass laws allowing pharmacists to refuse on moral or religious grounds to fill birth control prescriptions in South Dakota -- no surprise there -- as well as Arkansas and Mississippi. Additionally another 19 states have moved to protect anyone who decides to stand in the way of a woman getting birth control; this conceivably includes cashiers who could choose to refuse to ring up your prescription. Over the past decade, pro-choice groups have tried to get contraception covered by health insurers as a sensible way to stop unintended pregnancies. Nearly every time, these initiatives have provoked intense battles in state legislatures. Right to Life chapters in Ohio, Delaware, Illinois, Oregon, Wisconsin, Nevada and Missouri all fought against state legislation to get birth control covered. Year after year the Pro-Life Caucus of Congress defeats federal legislation to require health insurers to pay for birth control. President Bush has complied with almost all the requests of his pro-life, anti-contraception base. He's attempted to revoke contraception benefits to federal employees, slashed U.S. foreign aid programs that distribute birth control and appointed anti-contraception ideologues to the expert panels charged with approving new contraception methods. He's also appointed an abstinence-only-until-marriage crusader to direct the Title X program which delivers contraception to the nation's poor -- the majority of Title X clients are not married. It should come as no surprise that Title X's funding has remained flat, while its clientele has swelled. What's also not surprising is that the abortion rate among the most indigent in our country has been increasing. Today, pro-life groups in the United States are reclassifying the most common contraception methods, including the birth control pill, the patch, the IUD, and the Depo-Provera shot, as "abortifacients" by claiming, with no scientific backing, that they cause abortions. The American Life League explained, "We have been working to prove that prescription contraceptives have nothing to do with woman's health and well-being but are recreational drugs that prevent fertilization and abort children." Some groups will use legal means to put pressure on candidates to adopt their anti-contraception view. For example, Northern Kentucky Right to Life will only endorse candidates who believe the use of the standard birth control pill constitutes abortion. While the more extreme side of the pro-life movement hasn't yet advocated violence against those that distribute birth control, they do agree with the concept of "contraception=abortion." Most chillingly, Army of God, a pro-life organization that honors those who murder abortion providers as "heroes," also classifies birth control as an abortion method. On the "Birth Control is Evil" section of their website, they explain, quite threateningly, "Birth control is evil and a sin. Birth control is anti-baby and anti-child…Why would you stop your own child from being conceived or born? What kind of human being are you?" Cloaked in the heated rhetoric of the abortion debate, an entirely new pro-life agenda is taking shape. Most Americans don't know about this yet. But the Right to Life movement, which is now rewriting the country's laws on abortion -- of which South Dakota is clearly just a first target -- has a broader and, for most of us, a disturbing plan. If this powerful movement succeeds, Americans will require safe abortion services more than ever. Cristina Page is vice president of the Institute for Reproductive Health Access at NARAL Pro-Choice New York, and the author of 'How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America' (Perseus Books, 2006). © 2006 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved. View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/36371/

SciTech Watch: Venus Express

My new column is up over at Blogcritics. Its a look at the new space probe to Venus: Venus Express.

>JjV<
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A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. - Chinese Proverb

Technorati Tags: Venus Express, Venus,Magellan,ESA

American Taliban

Anyone who thinks that religious zealotry is only in other countries need only take a look at this CNN report to realize that America is rapidly spiraling down the same sewer pipe.  America was founded by people seeking freedom from religious persecution, but now it seems if you don't have the right religion or perceived morals your are unwelcome in BLACK JACK, Missouri.


I wonder if cities can afford to scare away tax payers with this kind of behavior?

>JjV<
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If you torture data sufficiently, it will confess to almost anything. - Fred Menger

Technorati Tags:
American Taliban, Religious Zealot,Freedom of Religion,Marriage

New SciTech Watch Column: Regenesis

My new column is up over at Blogcritics. Its a look at the SciFi TV show Regenesis.

>JjV<
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In shallow waters, shrimps make fools of dragons. Chinese Proverb

Technorati Tags : Science Fiction, Regenesis, NorBAC, Biotechnology

EFF's Class-Action Lawsuit Against AT&T

Click the image below to view information on the suit on the EFF web site.



>JjV<
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A top-secret government study indicates that we wouldn't be any worse off if we let the economists predict the weather and the meteorologists predict the economy. - Paul Harwitz