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The situation in Japan continues to get potentially worse - evacuations have been ordered near the Daini (Number Two?) power plant near Sendai because the risk of radiation exposure is too great for the government to permit people to continue living nearby, If their member states would allow them to do it, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization is in an excellent place to monitor radiation released by this disaster. The lack of data forthcoming from the Japanese companies and state has speculation of a cover-up of radiation leakage starting, with insistence that major meltdowns are in progress, of the "Doom! DOOM!" variety. This is most likely not the case, as "meltdown" does not equal "reactor explodes in flames and nuclear radiation", and until we have confirmation that the containment apparatus has failed entirely, we shouldn't be thinking in terms of big explosions. Don't Panic. Seriously. When there is a radiation dtection, it's pretty small, even if it does mean things move to avoid further dosages.
Thankfully, however, the building codes of Japan, some of the strictest in the world, likely saved lives by preventing tsunami waves from attacking the coastal cities at full force through the use of breakwater barriers and by requiring technology on tall buildings that let them sway with the motion of the seismic waves and absorb the energy generated. What may have saved the most lives, however, is that every resident of Japan has gone through numerous drills in case of these kinds of events, so they don't have to stop and think, they can just go where they need to. So, while Japan does the awful business of finding the dead and repairing the damage, remember that there's more than the nuclear plants - the earthquake and tsunami did plenty of damage by themselves. Enough to move the axis of Terra four inches and relocate an island in its entirety.
Following on an earlier account - the Public Editor for the New York Times agrees that the earlier story about the gang rape of the 11 year-old made it look like they didn't care about the victim and were sympathetic to the rapists and the paper is doing a follow-up story that will hopefully balance the issue better. We hope that the follow-up gets better placement than the original, to make sure that it gets read.
Those at home in Michigan who are following the antics of that governor are advised - rallies are planned against the measure that taxes pensioners more to redistribute that wealth to corporations in the form of a tax break.
Those following the antics of the Governor of Wisconsin will hopefully be cheered to hear that more than 100,000 people turned out to protest the passage of the Governor's union-busting bill. They will be not as cheery about how the current administration bascially silenced the National Labor Relations Board when they protested having their budget cut by the Republicans.
Out in the world today, another secret treaty on copyright that would tighten the already choking noose on use, expression, and currently-legal avenues of circumventing DRM, while also forcing ISPs to identify people and do the policing and enforcement work of the copyright holders for them, and basically nerfing the Patent Office into a rubber stamp.
Iran admitted to cyber-attacks against the websites and Internet presences of "enemies", which is apprently causing more shock value that they're admitting they have the capability than condemnations about what they're doing. Perhaps it needs to be framed that way to stoke paranoia and fear that the United States is the next target?
The Saudi Arabian government is now sending troop support to Bahrain in addition to the material support and public support of the regime in question.
Domestically, having finally revealed to the nation that he was a liar all along on the issue of Guantanamo Bay, the President mimicked the language of his predecessor in defending the indefensible procedures happening there.
According to postings believed to be made by the suspect in the Spokane Martin Luther King Day parade backpack bomb, the accused wrote quite a bit about the supremacy of the white race and several race war fantasies against just about everyone else nonwhite. He's not the only person standing trial soon, however - Four Fairbanks men and women are alleged to have plotted to kill judges and Alaska State troopers as part of a milita strike to aid their sovereign citizens movement. And even more so, they have one of the people in the state legislature who signed a declaration calling for citizens to ignore government regulations or taxes on their firearms and to respond with violence should the government come to forcibly register or seize said unlicensed firearms. Can we get off the Scary Brown People kick yet?
The man whose lifestyle of the last few decades seems to be summarizable as Live Newt Girls blames his serial marriages and affairs on the fact that he gets too involved and patriotic about his country, and that passion drives him to divorce and adultery. He also, however, includes the magic line abotu having sought forgiveness for all of that, so there's odds that the Values Voters who would otherwise laugh him off the stage shoul dhe try for a presidential run will overlook that history as forgiven, instead of as prologue, and vote for him. If, that is, he can come up with a plan that's better than "I'm Newt Gingrich, and I should be president." I doubt he really wants to open himself up to the snark about how much the Republicans claimed President Obama is/was an empty suit..before putting up one of their own for their nomination.
The Oregon House of Representatives voted to end the ability of persons choosing faith healing over a doctor's care to use that choice as a legal defense against homicide charges. Yes, they can still do it, but now they have no legal defense for doing so should someone in their care die from something preventable.
Finally, a state legislator in New Hampshire advocated for the death of anyone he considered defective - anyone physically or mentally disabled or addicted to drugs. His colleagues seem to be passing it off as dementia, which would make the lawmaker more likely to be killed by his own idea, and are using his veterans' status so they don't have to seriously consider what he said and the likelihood that he's not alone in his belief. Similarly, the experience of MizJenkins and her alternate handles demonstrated how one community that claims to be progressive has a pretty big blind spot in their choice of who gets banned for commenting and who just gets socially shunned, despite the shunned person saying many more hurtful and untrue things.
In technology, Startingpage, the Google-searcher that prevents the robots from capturing your IP and associating it with the search by substituting one of its own via proxy.
A demonstrable hack of a car's computer system through the use of a specially formed audio file that installs malware into a car's central computer. Right now, the researchers indicate that car hacking is unlikely and these exploits are not widespread vulnerabilities, but the fact that it's possible should have car companies rethinking their designs and deciding on whether they really do need all those components interlinked. Furthermore, if someone jams the GPS signal, it turns out they can block a lot more than car satellite navigation.
Suggestions for Twitter as to how to promote their aims without shutting out third-party developers and the users that use those clients, through the use of hedges to guide rather than walls to exclude.
And in sciences, A study suggests that a restrictive diet may be able to control ADHD symptoms more than the drugs currently in use.
In opinions, Mr. Hewitt is on the side of infrastructure, but believes that the right way to prepare for it is to cut the government back to only a small handful of roles so that money and effort isn't wasted on things like collective bargaining for public employees. He's got a rock-solid point about the need to finance and build infrastructure...if he would only stick to it.
Last for tonight, Atlantis...in Spain?
Thankfully, however, the building codes of Japan, some of the strictest in the world, likely saved lives by preventing tsunami waves from attacking the coastal cities at full force through the use of breakwater barriers and by requiring technology on tall buildings that let them sway with the motion of the seismic waves and absorb the energy generated. What may have saved the most lives, however, is that every resident of Japan has gone through numerous drills in case of these kinds of events, so they don't have to stop and think, they can just go where they need to. So, while Japan does the awful business of finding the dead and repairing the damage, remember that there's more than the nuclear plants - the earthquake and tsunami did plenty of damage by themselves. Enough to move the axis of Terra four inches and relocate an island in its entirety.
Following on an earlier account - the Public Editor for the New York Times agrees that the earlier story about the gang rape of the 11 year-old made it look like they didn't care about the victim and were sympathetic to the rapists and the paper is doing a follow-up story that will hopefully balance the issue better. We hope that the follow-up gets better placement than the original, to make sure that it gets read.
Those at home in Michigan who are following the antics of that governor are advised - rallies are planned against the measure that taxes pensioners more to redistribute that wealth to corporations in the form of a tax break.
Those following the antics of the Governor of Wisconsin will hopefully be cheered to hear that more than 100,000 people turned out to protest the passage of the Governor's union-busting bill. They will be not as cheery about how the current administration bascially silenced the National Labor Relations Board when they protested having their budget cut by the Republicans.
Out in the world today, another secret treaty on copyright that would tighten the already choking noose on use, expression, and currently-legal avenues of circumventing DRM, while also forcing ISPs to identify people and do the policing and enforcement work of the copyright holders for them, and basically nerfing the Patent Office into a rubber stamp.
Iran admitted to cyber-attacks against the websites and Internet presences of "enemies", which is apprently causing more shock value that they're admitting they have the capability than condemnations about what they're doing. Perhaps it needs to be framed that way to stoke paranoia and fear that the United States is the next target?
The Saudi Arabian government is now sending troop support to Bahrain in addition to the material support and public support of the regime in question.
Domestically, having finally revealed to the nation that he was a liar all along on the issue of Guantanamo Bay, the President mimicked the language of his predecessor in defending the indefensible procedures happening there.
According to postings believed to be made by the suspect in the Spokane Martin Luther King Day parade backpack bomb, the accused wrote quite a bit about the supremacy of the white race and several race war fantasies against just about everyone else nonwhite. He's not the only person standing trial soon, however - Four Fairbanks men and women are alleged to have plotted to kill judges and Alaska State troopers as part of a milita strike to aid their sovereign citizens movement. And even more so, they have one of the people in the state legislature who signed a declaration calling for citizens to ignore government regulations or taxes on their firearms and to respond with violence should the government come to forcibly register or seize said unlicensed firearms. Can we get off the Scary Brown People kick yet?
The man whose lifestyle of the last few decades seems to be summarizable as Live Newt Girls blames his serial marriages and affairs on the fact that he gets too involved and patriotic about his country, and that passion drives him to divorce and adultery. He also, however, includes the magic line abotu having sought forgiveness for all of that, so there's odds that the Values Voters who would otherwise laugh him off the stage shoul dhe try for a presidential run will overlook that history as forgiven, instead of as prologue, and vote for him. If, that is, he can come up with a plan that's better than "I'm Newt Gingrich, and I should be president." I doubt he really wants to open himself up to the snark about how much the Republicans claimed President Obama is/was an empty suit..before putting up one of their own for their nomination.
The Oregon House of Representatives voted to end the ability of persons choosing faith healing over a doctor's care to use that choice as a legal defense against homicide charges. Yes, they can still do it, but now they have no legal defense for doing so should someone in their care die from something preventable.
Finally, a state legislator in New Hampshire advocated for the death of anyone he considered defective - anyone physically or mentally disabled or addicted to drugs. His colleagues seem to be passing it off as dementia, which would make the lawmaker more likely to be killed by his own idea, and are using his veterans' status so they don't have to seriously consider what he said and the likelihood that he's not alone in his belief. Similarly, the experience of MizJenkins and her alternate handles demonstrated how one community that claims to be progressive has a pretty big blind spot in their choice of who gets banned for commenting and who just gets socially shunned, despite the shunned person saying many more hurtful and untrue things.
In technology, Startingpage, the Google-searcher that prevents the robots from capturing your IP and associating it with the search by substituting one of its own via proxy.
A demonstrable hack of a car's computer system through the use of a specially formed audio file that installs malware into a car's central computer. Right now, the researchers indicate that car hacking is unlikely and these exploits are not widespread vulnerabilities, but the fact that it's possible should have car companies rethinking their designs and deciding on whether they really do need all those components interlinked. Furthermore, if someone jams the GPS signal, it turns out they can block a lot more than car satellite navigation.
Suggestions for Twitter as to how to promote their aims without shutting out third-party developers and the users that use those clients, through the use of hedges to guide rather than walls to exclude.
And in sciences, A study suggests that a restrictive diet may be able to control ADHD symptoms more than the drugs currently in use.
In opinions, Mr. Hewitt is on the side of infrastructure, but believes that the right way to prepare for it is to cut the government back to only a small handful of roles so that money and effort isn't wasted on things like collective bargaining for public employees. He's got a rock-solid point about the need to finance and build infrastructure...if he would only stick to it.
Last for tonight, Atlantis...in Spain?
