Blog Heap of Links for the day 25 June 2009
Obamanation
President Obama uses network primetime special and overtime 'Nightline' coverage to talk for more than 45 minutes of combined 75-minute programs, revealing nothing new. [IMPEACH]
President Obama struggled to explain today whether his health care reform proposals would force normal Americans to make sacrifices that wealthier, more powerful people -- like the president himself -- wouldn't face. [IMPEACH!]
Wars and Rumors
Tens of thousands of North Koreans shouted slogans to denounce international sanctions at a rally in central Pyongyang on Thursday, as the communist country vowed to enlarge its atomic arsenal and warned of a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" in the event of a U.S. attack. [Where is G Bush when you really need regeime change?]
Sex can be... disturbing
"I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night's light — but hey, that would be going into the sexual details ..." [Er...yuck]
Digital Threat
Hackers broke into the computers of the Oregon University System and posted a message telling President Barack Obama to mind his own business and stop talking about the disputed Iranian election. The message, which asserted there was no cheating in the election, was up for 90 minutes before technicians took it down Wednesday morning. The hackers apparently took advantage of third-party software that had not been properly updated... The text, in red on a black background... [YUCK! Why not make it FLASHING as well!]
Transport Tragedy
Their bodies were among the 49 that French and Brazilian military boats have plucked from the Atlantic since the plane crashed June 1
Mass Murdering Monsters
killed and more than 30 injured in a series of bomb attacks in Iraq.... At least four policemen were killed....
Civilization vs Gangsterism
A man who said he left a ruthless street gang in Central America and later won praise for his anti-gang work in Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday by authorities who allege he conspired to kill a rival even as he spoke out against gang life.
Digital Tyranny
poorly developed and puts users at risk of having their computers compromised, a security expert who examined the code said on Thursday.
The Chinese Health Ministry on Thursday ordered sharp restrictions on Internet access to medical research papers on sexual subjects. It is the latest move in what the ministry calls an antipornography campaign that many China experts see as a harbinger of a broader crackdown on freedom of expression and dissent.
There's not really any doubt that Green Dam is ripping off CyberSitter.... Last night, for the first time ever, Solid Oak suffered "server problems" so severe the machines had to be rebooted. While DiPasquale shied away from claiming a Chinese attack on the company, she said, "we suspect there's something being done. We've never had a problem until last night...."
"We have found that the English version of google.com has spread lots of pornographic, lewd and vulgar content, which is in serious violation of Chinese laws and regulations," said foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a news briefing. He said authorities summoned Google representatives and told them to "remove the material immediately." [HAHAHAHAHAHA]
OKC Bombing -- still with us
A judge has denied a request by Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols for a court-appointed lawyer to help him with a lawsuit over prison food.
Murdering Scum
A witness to the killing of an Oklahoma woman who tried to back out of a Ku Klux Klan initiation was sentenced Thursday to one year in prison for her role in the case.
Police believe they may have found the van involved in a drive-by shooting that stole the life of a 9-year-old girl who was washing her dog and injured three others in the South Side's Hamilton Park neighborhood.
Liberty and Justice
An inmate booked into the Oklahoma County jail Wednesday on an assault complaint was revealed to be one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives after a fingerprint check.... wanted in connection with the stabbing deaths of his estranged wife in Cleveland in 2002 and of a man in Baldwin Park, Calif., in 1995....
It's Only Money
Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to relax recently tightened standards for mortgages on new condominiums, saying they could threaten the viability of some developments and slow the housing-market recovery... [DIDN'T WE GET ENOUGH OF THIS ALREADY????]
Oklahoma
The actors helping to fight off the enemies in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" were actually real life service members. Lt. Col. Jimmy Warren is a commander stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, but he can also been seen commanding the famous E-3 aircraft in the movie. "My line was, 'scramble the strike package for the USS Enterprise,'" said Lt. Col. Jimmy Warren. "Twenty-two years in the Air Force. It was the most unique experience I've ever had."
Raising Ourselves
...individuals physically abused in childhood are more likely to develop cancer than those who have not been abused. Childhood physical abuse is associated with 49 per cent higher odds of cancer in adulthood....
Digital Future is Now
Computer systems that dynamically create, monitor, manage or suspend online contractual agreements are being developed to deliver greater reliability and security to service-oriented e-business applications.
Spiritual Matters
It's All in Your Mind
...Priming, he said, is when someone is exposed to a certain environment and their subconscious is activated, and then they tend to act in accordance with that environment without deliberate intent. Priming can manipulate behavior; if someone witnesses violent behavior, they would likely behave more violently... "Once they were in a patriotic point of view, they were less empathetic," Alvarado said. "They didn't put themselves in other people's perspective." Though songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" were meant to be neutral primes, the researchers found that they stimulated a pro-social response.... [Ummm...]
Spacecraft
The mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion that leveled 830 square miles of Siberian forest was almost certainly caused by a comet entering the Earth's atmosphere, according to new research. The conclusion is supported by an unlikely source: the exhaust plume from the NASA space shuttle launched a century later.
Science Marches Onnnnnn
Researchers recently showed that dry granular materials such as sands, seeds and grains have properties similar to liquid, forming water-like droplets when poured from a given source. The finding could be important to a wide range of industries that use "fluidized" dry particles for oil refining, plastics manufacturing and pharmaceutical production.
Iran
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad compared Obama on Thursday to former President George W. Bush. [Sure, let's see... they're both male (I think), and... both were elected President... and... uh....]
The Iranian regime has appointed one of its most feared prosecutors to interrogate reformists arrested during demonstrations, prompting fears of a brutal crackdown against dissent.... [As opposed to what's been happening already???]
Business Culture
banking on brick ovens for its latest success. Beautiful Brands International and Kyro Pizza are joining forces to take the Baltimore-based pizzeria worldwide.