I've posted an article at New West. It's about the new position within our Administration-Elect, the First Americans Public Liaison. Nifty title, isn't it? We don't know much about the position yet, but it's already a hint of what the Obama administration has in mind for Native Americans. Read on, read on...
-Troy
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Now playing: John Sakamoto - Anti-Hit List - Dec. 13
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Neanderthal Genome Half Sequenced; Prepare for Gen Mods
It's a well known fact that some of the first things that modern technology becomes equipped for is porn. It was probably some the first public contributions to internet, was some of the first stuff you could find on those hand held mini-laptops and a major force in character design on Spore.
So when I heard that half of the neanderthal genome has been sequenced, I knew that mankind would want to get fresh with this failed branch of the human tree, or get fresh as this long-dead stick of genetics.
Get ready for the hybrids folks. They'll be the ones involuntarily hunting strays and having resource wars with the homeless.
from New Scientist:
Half the Neanderthal genome has been decoded and the rest should be sequenced by year's end, a scientist involved in the project told a human evolution conference last week.
So when I heard that half of the neanderthal genome has been sequenced, I knew that mankind would want to get fresh with this failed branch of the human tree, or get fresh as this long-dead stick of genetics.
Get ready for the hybrids folks. They'll be the ones involuntarily hunting strays and having resource wars with the homeless.
from New Scientist:
Half the Neanderthal genome has been decoded and the rest should be sequenced by year's end, a scientist involved in the project told a human evolution conference last week.
Culture Warriors On the Atomic Scale
Culture Warriors on the "NO!" side of Prop. 8 may take up their morally inflamed arms against nanotechnology, according to a new study.
The Cultural Cognition project at Yale Law School found that people who learn about a new technology often become deeply polarized along cultural lines. I know that this sort of behavior is as ingrained as breathing, but it's still disheartening.
Nanotech! The Devil's Science, or Johnny Jihadi's micro-terror pal?!
from Physorg:
The determining factor in how people responded was their cultural values, according to Dan Kahan, the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor at Yale Law School and lead author of the study. "People who had more individualistic, pro-commerce values, tended to infer that nanotechnology is safe," said Kahan, "while people who are more worried about economic inequality read the same information as implying that nanotechnology is likely to be dangerous."
The Cultural Cognition project at Yale Law School found that people who learn about a new technology often become deeply polarized along cultural lines. I know that this sort of behavior is as ingrained as breathing, but it's still disheartening.
Nanotech! The Devil's Science, or Johnny Jihadi's micro-terror pal?!
from Physorg:
The determining factor in how people responded was their cultural values, according to Dan Kahan, the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor at Yale Law School and lead author of the study. "People who had more individualistic, pro-commerce values, tended to infer that nanotechnology is safe," said Kahan, "while people who are more worried about economic inequality read the same information as implying that nanotechnology is likely to be dangerous."
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Fast Food Rots Your Brain
The fine cuisine of McDonald's, Taco Bell and White Castle are taking a hidden toll on bodies. Well, outside of the hidden toll that is a ruined digestive track, diabetes, weight issues and being covered in grease.
You're more likely to get Alzheimer's if you eat at your favorite fast food joint.
from The Local:
“Our hypothesis is therefore that a high intake of fat and cholesterol, in conjunction with genetic factors like apoE4, can lead to several substances in the brain being adversely affected and that can be a contributing cause to the development of Alzheimer’s,” said Akterin.
Fast food is one of the most egregious malefactors of Western society. Low in nutrition, tasteless, addicting, unhealthy and designed for an impatient civilization, it only seems appropriate that it also steals your mind from you.
Grapes won't give you alz, by the way.
You're more likely to get Alzheimer's if you eat at your favorite fast food joint.
from The Local:
“Our hypothesis is therefore that a high intake of fat and cholesterol, in conjunction with genetic factors like apoE4, can lead to several substances in the brain being adversely affected and that can be a contributing cause to the development of Alzheimer’s,” said Akterin.
Fast food is one of the most egregious malefactors of Western society. Low in nutrition, tasteless, addicting, unhealthy and designed for an impatient civilization, it only seems appropriate that it also steals your mind from you.
Grapes won't give you alz, by the way.
Internet Killed the Terrorist Star
When it comes to the War on Terrorism, tough choices have been made on who to ally with. Trying their best to side with organizations and governments who share their interests, the State Department as teamed up with tribes in Northern Alliance to Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi.
So it only makes sense that the new allies in the War on Terror are Facebook, Google and MTV, amongst others.
from Global Research:
They will forge an "Alliance of Youth Movement," said James Glassman, under secretary of state for public diplomacy.
"The idea is put all these people together, share best practices, produce a manual that will be accessible online and in print to any group that wants to build a youth empowerment organization to push back against violence and oppression around the world," he told reporters.
Now, I'm not going to criticize strategies that have had effectiveness against groups like FARC, but the situation in Colombia is light years away from the situation here in America.
Starting a facebook group called "Terrorism Sucks!" and getting a bunch of people to join it isn't exactly winning the War on Islamic Fundamental Militancy. Google bombing Osama Bin Laden doesn't have the same effectiveness as actually bombing him. MTV has never been cool.
This is a pointless exercise in media warfare where it isn't going to have much effect. But whatever. If you want to ostracize Al Qaeda online, be my guest. I just can't help but think that there might be more intelligent uses of that counter terrorism cash.
So it only makes sense that the new allies in the War on Terror are Facebook, Google and MTV, amongst others.
from Global Research:
They will forge an "Alliance of Youth Movement," said James Glassman, under secretary of state for public diplomacy.
"The idea is put all these people together, share best practices, produce a manual that will be accessible online and in print to any group that wants to build a youth empowerment organization to push back against violence and oppression around the world," he told reporters.
Now, I'm not going to criticize strategies that have had effectiveness against groups like FARC, but the situation in Colombia is light years away from the situation here in America.
Starting a facebook group called "Terrorism Sucks!" and getting a bunch of people to join it isn't exactly winning the War on Islamic Fundamental Militancy. Google bombing Osama Bin Laden doesn't have the same effectiveness as actually bombing him. MTV has never been cool.
This is a pointless exercise in media warfare where it isn't going to have much effect. But whatever. If you want to ostracize Al Qaeda online, be my guest. I just can't help but think that there might be more intelligent uses of that counter terrorism cash.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Trying out some video
So I figured, instead of posting throw off videos every couple of hours, why not make it one simple, easy to watch package? Meet Troyvision:
I'm planning on doing this relatively frequently. A major goal I've created lately is to create some kind of content out of what is otherwise pointless websurfing. I think I'm off to a good start.
I'm planning on doing this relatively frequently. A major goal I've created lately is to create some kind of content out of what is otherwise pointless websurfing. I think I'm off to a good start.
Thanksgiving Day
I don't plan on giving much facetime to the Americana Creation Myth beyond this:
Eat up.
Eat up.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Steven Seagal Seeks Small Screen
You can't keep a B-rate action movie star down.
Or is he C-rate? I don't even know anymore.
Not content with the world of urban action movies starring rappers, chopping arrows down the middle or looking like a douchebag in a silk kimono wherever he goes, Steven Seagle has set his sights on television and territory largely claimed as Dog the Bounty Hunters.
from Reuters:
"Steven Seagal: Lawman" will follow Seagal and a team of deputies as they respond to crimes in progress and also focus on Seagal's off-duty ventures, including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.
Is it bad that I want to see this? That doofus Seagle trying to bust out some non-confrontational flow based throw on a knife wielding methhead is just the sort of thing I want to watch on the tube. Why not have some kind of crossover with Dog the Bountyhunter? That sounds appropriately damaged enough for me to get some laughs.
Seriously. He doesn't want to watch Seagle try to use action movie one liners in everyday conversation? Or for some drunk biker to stomp his ass?
I can't wait.
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Now playing: 7 Seconds - True Roots Show
via FoxyTunes
Or is he C-rate? I don't even know anymore.
Not content with the world of urban action movies starring rappers, chopping arrows down the middle or looking like a douchebag in a silk kimono wherever he goes, Steven Seagle has set his sights on television and territory largely claimed as Dog the Bounty Hunters.
from Reuters:
"Steven Seagal: Lawman" will follow Seagal and a team of deputies as they respond to crimes in progress and also focus on Seagal's off-duty ventures, including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.
Is it bad that I want to see this? That doofus Seagle trying to bust out some non-confrontational flow based throw on a knife wielding methhead is just the sort of thing I want to watch on the tube. Why not have some kind of crossover with Dog the Bountyhunter? That sounds appropriately damaged enough for me to get some laughs.
Seriously. He doesn't want to watch Seagle try to use action movie one liners in everyday conversation? Or for some drunk biker to stomp his ass?
I can't wait.
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Now playing: 7 Seconds - True Roots Show
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sunday, November 02, 2008
I find your lack of faith...disturbing.
Force choking the bastard.
First reaction
This is how i react when someone tries to grab my chest: I go for their eye.
Where's my popsicle?!
He wants that damned frozen sugar.
Wups
Alisson can't smash right.
Luchadore Rotura
He too can smash, often for cheaper then everyone else.
Troy Smash!
I love hulk gloves. If there was ever a product that justifies much of human existence.
How he drank all night
Cotey refused to take his mask off all night. He called it 'identity protection.
M-16 guides your hitchhikers
We told him to look cooler.
Hitchhiker's Guide to an M-16
Aaron went as Arthur Dent from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book series. Again, pointless posing with loose guns.
Out of Context Picture
I was going as Bruce Wayne for Halloween, but we all know Batman doesn't use guns. So we were just pointlessly posing with spare guns we found at one of the parties we visited. Looks cool, though.
Alison Smith as Herself
This is Alisson, Coteys' girlfriend, going as herself.
The Unknown Luchadore
This is my friend Cotey as the Unknown Luchadore, a man with violence issues.
Posted via Pixelpipe.
Force choking the bastard.
First reaction
This is how i react when someone tries to grab my chest: I go for their eye.
Where's my popsicle?!
He wants that damned frozen sugar.
Wups
Alisson can't smash right.
Luchadore Rotura
He too can smash, often for cheaper then everyone else.
Troy Smash!
I love hulk gloves. If there was ever a product that justifies much of human existence.
How he drank all night
Cotey refused to take his mask off all night. He called it 'identity protection.
M-16 guides your hitchhikers
We told him to look cooler.
Hitchhiker's Guide to an M-16
Aaron went as Arthur Dent from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book series. Again, pointless posing with loose guns.
Out of Context Picture
I was going as Bruce Wayne for Halloween, but we all know Batman doesn't use guns. So we were just pointlessly posing with spare guns we found at one of the parties we visited. Looks cool, though.
Alison Smith as Herself
This is Alisson, Coteys' girlfriend, going as herself.
The Unknown Luchadore
This is my friend Cotey as the Unknown Luchadore, a man with violence issues.
Posted via Pixelpipe.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Amand Palmer Goes Postal
My girlfriend's costume for this H-ween. She looks awesome.
Posted via Pixelpipe.
My girlfriend's costume for this H-ween. She looks awesome.
Posted via Pixelpipe.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Al Franken on the Rez
Another week, another blog post that I bug everyone about in hopes of using you all to get me more money.
This latest post marks a small change in my approach to 'Off the Reservation.' As much as I love the long, involved op-eds, they're simply too time demanding to consistently write and still expect to get anything of a profit from New West. So I'll try out smaller posts with links to stories as my main content.
But you're not reading this for my scintillating blog post theories. If you are reading this, it's because you want a link to and brief summarization of my blog post. It's quite simple: I don't think Republicans care about Indians. Am I wrong? Let me know.
My editor made some trims and changes that I'm not the biggest fan of, but whatever. It's still a good piece.
Get with the clicky,
-Troy
This latest post marks a small change in my approach to 'Off the Reservation.' As much as I love the long, involved op-eds, they're simply too time demanding to consistently write and still expect to get anything of a profit from New West. So I'll try out smaller posts with links to stories as my main content.
But you're not reading this for my scintillating blog post theories. If you are reading this, it's because you want a link to and brief summarization of my blog post. It's quite simple: I don't think Republicans care about Indians. Am I wrong? Let me know.
My editor made some trims and changes that I'm not the biggest fan of, but whatever. It's still a good piece.
Get with the clicky,
-Troy
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
American Dream Scientifically Impossible
According to a major nueroscientist, the pursuit of the American Dream through securing our own chunk of the pie is actually not going to make us any happier in the long run. The consumer society is a beast doomed to fatten and depress itself. Our very genetics make the quest for the American Dream a quixotic disaster. Screening for a replacement should begin immediately.
from Wired:
"We've been taught, especially in America, that happiness will be at the end of some sort of material road, where we have lots and lots of things that we want," said Whybrow, a 2008 PopTech Fellow and author of American Mania: When More Is Not Enough. "We've set up all sorts of tricks to delude ourselves into thinking that it's fine to get what you want immediately."
And if we aren't seeing the effects of immediate gratification on a national level now, then I dread to see what happens when the real consequences of a superpower Id nation take hold. It's not all doom and gloom for the shattered American Dream, though. There are ways to work our way out from the false land of plenty.
"America has always believed that it was the perfect society. When you have that mythology driving your culture, it's hard to look around and say, 'Is someone else doing it better than us?'" said Whybrow. "But you can trace the situation we're in to our evolutionary origins. Now that we find ourselves in the middle of this pseudo-abundance, we're in trouble. And the fantasy that we can restart the American dream just isn't true."
from Wired:
"We've been taught, especially in America, that happiness will be at the end of some sort of material road, where we have lots and lots of things that we want," said Whybrow, a 2008 PopTech Fellow and author of American Mania: When More Is Not Enough. "We've set up all sorts of tricks to delude ourselves into thinking that it's fine to get what you want immediately."
And if we aren't seeing the effects of immediate gratification on a national level now, then I dread to see what happens when the real consequences of a superpower Id nation take hold. It's not all doom and gloom for the shattered American Dream, though. There are ways to work our way out from the false land of plenty.
"America has always believed that it was the perfect society. When you have that mythology driving your culture, it's hard to look around and say, 'Is someone else doing it better than us?'" said Whybrow. "But you can trace the situation we're in to our evolutionary origins. Now that we find ourselves in the middle of this pseudo-abundance, we're in trouble. And the fantasy that we can restart the American dream just isn't true."
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
It's In The Game for Obama
One of the most impossible to reach swing voters include gamers. Amazing, considering how close the information needed to make a decision is to their fingertips. That aside, Barak Obama has fired the first shot in getting the attention of these sedentary couch surfers: He's bought ad-space in game.
Damned clever, I say. Inevitable, to boot. Will McCain fire the next shot and put ads for him throughout the bombed-out backgrounds of Gears of War 2?
from The Sydney Morning Herald:
Damned clever, I say. Inevitable, to boot. Will McCain fire the next shot and put ads for him throughout the bombed-out backgrounds of Gears of War 2?
from The Sydney Morning Herald:
Nine video games from Electronic Arts, ranging from the extremely popular Madden 09 football game to the street racing Burnout: Paradise, feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign. The ads - they appear on billboards and other signage - remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign website.
The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, company officials said.
If You're Not Pure, Then Fuck Off?
Racial purity is a touchy to the point of taboo. To discuss it, you're either a racist, or debating the merits of tribal blood quantum, or a conservationist.
It seems that some of the quintessential North American species are spreading their love around, much to the dismay of preservationists. This raises a lot of questions on just which species get the support of wildlife preservation programs, and just what pure is.
from New Scientist:
Conservationists are debating, for example, whether the western grey wolf should have been removed from the Endangered Species list because genetic studies suggest some of them are wolf-coyote hybrids.
It seems that some of the quintessential North American species are spreading their love around, much to the dismay of preservationists. This raises a lot of questions on just which species get the support of wildlife preservation programs, and just what pure is.
from New Scientist:
Conservationists are debating, for example, whether the western grey wolf should have been removed from the Endangered Species list because genetic studies suggest some of them are wolf-coyote hybrids.
Grey wolves are not the only ones mixing up their historical genomes. Six of the 15 bison herds in the US have pieces of cattle DNA. Meanwhile, polar bears are mating with grizzlies, resulting in hybrid "grolar bears".
Monday, October 13, 2008
Taking Columbus Day Off (the Calendar)
It's Columbus Day, everyone! Unsurprisingly, I'm not only displeased with this, but I also made a post about it.
Click, voice opinion, spread awareness. If my last entry was any sign of the atmosphere on these topics, there will be people who will fight tooth and nail against things that make sense.
-Troy
Click, voice opinion, spread awareness. If my last entry was any sign of the atmosphere on these topics, there will be people who will fight tooth and nail against things that make sense.
-Troy
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Learn Judo the KGB Way
He may be a shifty tyrant with a penchant for totalitarian activity & violence, but damn, isn't Vladimir Putin the most entertaining head of state nowadays?
When he's not getting frisky with Olympic gymnasts, shutting down newspapers, shooting tigers or invading former Soviet Bloc countries, he's honing his judo skills to crush people & getting paid to show you.
from the Independent:
In Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin, a 90-minute film shot over the past year-and-a-half, the former Russian president shares his favourite judo moves with viewers, who are intended to be young Russians learning the Japanese martial art.
You have admire the chutzpah of Putin. Outside of Sarkozy, there isn't a world leader this cool (even if it's cool in a douchebag kind of way). I don't see George Bush releasing any instructional vids...Cheney might release "How to Shoot Your Friends In the Face (And Get Them to Apologize)"
When he's not getting frisky with Olympic gymnasts, shutting down newspapers, shooting tigers or invading former Soviet Bloc countries, he's honing his judo skills to crush people & getting paid to show you.
from the Independent:
In Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin, a 90-minute film shot over the past year-and-a-half, the former Russian president shares his favourite judo moves with viewers, who are intended to be young Russians learning the Japanese martial art.
You have admire the chutzpah of Putin. Outside of Sarkozy, there isn't a world leader this cool (even if it's cool in a douchebag kind of way). I don't see George Bush releasing any instructional vids...Cheney might release "How to Shoot Your Friends In the Face (And Get Them to Apologize)"
Saturday, September 27, 2008
New Post @ New West
New blog up at New West. Click on it, get me paid a bit.
Yeah, it's a bit late for it to be relevant for native american day, but that's the way it goes when you're damned busy and can't put out the press release on time.
Is that what I'm calling these? Press releases? I guess. Whateva.
Comments, criticism appreciated.
-Troy
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
You Can Keep Your License to Kill in It
I want this bag. Not bad enough to buy it, mind you.
On a related note, none of the Bonds' could really carry anything but a gun with their tuxedos. You look foolish with anything but a gun with a tuxedo.
A Re-Conceptualization
Some changes here, some changes there, am just barely an online journalist now.
Was I ever? Was that label really important in the end? Getting paid was nice, but it was getting in the way of doing things.
Fuck it. Thus begins my attempt at lifeblogging this site.
Was I ever? Was that label really important in the end? Getting paid was nice, but it was getting in the way of doing things.
Fuck it. Thus begins my attempt at lifeblogging this site.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Useful Advice
Morning, all. I have grandiose designs for these old blog. I'm amazed that it hasn't crawled under the porch and died yet, so I think it needs some preferential treatment.
More to come.
More to come.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Mercenaries to Lose Immunity
The days of treating Iraq like a first person shooter may be numbered. Seems that the Iraqi people were getting tired of being shot by trigger happy psychopaths for little to no reason.
from the BBC:
The US embassy in Baghdad has not confirmed the announcement, which comes as the US and Iraq are negotiating a controversial security pact.
Foreign firms employing thousands of guards won huge contracts in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, but were not subject to Iraqi or US military law.
Iraqi frustration became fury last year when guards killed 17 people in a day.
from the BBC:
The US embassy in Baghdad has not confirmed the announcement, which comes as the US and Iraq are negotiating a controversial security pact.
Foreign firms employing thousands of guards won huge contracts in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, but were not subject to Iraqi or US military law.
Iraqi frustration became fury last year when guards killed 17 people in a day.
Racial Profiling May Be Okay for FBI
The FBI might be allowed to investigate Americans without any evidence of any kind or even the smallest legal infraction. In lieu of evidence, a terrorist profile could be used. Not surprisingly, it's based on racial and ethnic characteristics.
The natural target for this policy are Muslims and Arabs, but the weapons of the domestic war on terrorism have not only erred, but have been blatantly misused. With new, racially motivated weapons like these, anybody with a darker then beige skin tone can be conceivably smacked with a terrorism investigation.
from the Los Angeles Times:
Law enforcement officials say the proposed policy would help them do exactly what Congress demanded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: Root out terrorists before they strike.
Although President Bush has disavowed targeting suspects based on race or ethnicity, the new rules would allow the FBI to consider those factors among a number of traits that could trigger a national security investigation.
Currently, FBI agents need specific reasons -- such as evidence or allegations that a law probably has been violated -- to investigate U.S. citizens and legal residents. The new policy, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press, would let agents open preliminary terrorism investigations after mining public records and intelligence to build a profile of traits that, taken together, were deemed suspicious.
The natural target for this policy are Muslims and Arabs, but the weapons of the domestic war on terrorism have not only erred, but have been blatantly misused. With new, racially motivated weapons like these, anybody with a darker then beige skin tone can be conceivably smacked with a terrorism investigation.
from the Los Angeles Times:
Law enforcement officials say the proposed policy would help them do exactly what Congress demanded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: Root out terrorists before they strike.
Although President Bush has disavowed targeting suspects based on race or ethnicity, the new rules would allow the FBI to consider those factors among a number of traits that could trigger a national security investigation.
Currently, FBI agents need specific reasons -- such as evidence or allegations that a law probably has been violated -- to investigate U.S. citizens and legal residents. The new policy, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press, would let agents open preliminary terrorism investigations after mining public records and intelligence to build a profile of traits that, taken together, were deemed suspicious.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Texas Excorcism Massacre
If you must perform an exorcism in America, aim for Texas. Its apparently open season for exorcisms over there, now. Just wait until we have Texan style witch burnings or maybe even an Inquisition or two.
It looks like Pope Benedict XVIs' exorcist squads might have somewhere to camp in America.
from MSNBC:
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a jury award over injuries a 17-year-old girl suffered in an exorcism conducted by members of her old church, ruling that the case unconstitutionally entangled the court in religious matters.
In a 6-3 decision, the justices found that a lower court erred when it said the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God's First Amendment rights regarding freedom of religion did not prevent the church from being held liable for mental distress triggered by a "hyper-spiritualistic environment."
It looks like Pope Benedict XVIs' exorcist squads might have somewhere to camp in America.
from MSNBC:
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a jury award over injuries a 17-year-old girl suffered in an exorcism conducted by members of her old church, ruling that the case unconstitutionally entangled the court in religious matters.
In a 6-3 decision, the justices found that a lower court erred when it said the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God's First Amendment rights regarding freedom of religion did not prevent the church from being held liable for mental distress triggered by a "hyper-spiritualistic environment."
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Police Raid, Detain Innocent Citizens
I thought the logo on the doors said "Protect and Serve," not "Don't Fuck With Us." I do hope that the law enforcement community can take constructive criticism better in the future. Otherwise, no knock warrants maybe become punishment for the slightest disobedience, maybe at random, somtimes with more nefarious intentions.
My favorite quote is at the end, where the Police Captain calls them a hate group and seems outright pained at having to let them go just because they didn't do anything legally wrong.
from the Philadelphia Daily News:
Four young residents of a North Philadelphia house who circulated petitions questioning police-surveillance cameras were rousted from their home Friday and detained 12 hours without charges while police searched their house.
Daniel Moffat, 28, a co-owner of the house, said police had no warrant when they entered. The house was examined by officials from several government agencies and then shuttered by the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections.
"This leaves me homeless, without access to things I need. My whole life is disrupted," Moffat said yesterday.
The raid on the property on Ridge Avenue near Parrish Street was led by 9th District Police Capt. Dennis Wilson, who was quoted in an online story by the City Paper as saying of the residents: "They're a hate group. We're trying to drum up charges against them, but unfortunately we'll probably have to let them go."
My favorite quote is at the end, where the Police Captain calls them a hate group and seems outright pained at having to let them go just because they didn't do anything legally wrong.
from the Philadelphia Daily News:
Four young residents of a North Philadelphia house who circulated petitions questioning police-surveillance cameras were rousted from their home Friday and detained 12 hours without charges while police searched their house.
Daniel Moffat, 28, a co-owner of the house, said police had no warrant when they entered. The house was examined by officials from several government agencies and then shuttered by the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections.
"This leaves me homeless, without access to things I need. My whole life is disrupted," Moffat said yesterday.
The raid on the property on Ridge Avenue near Parrish Street was led by 9th District Police Capt. Dennis Wilson, who was quoted in an online story by the City Paper as saying of the residents: "They're a hate group. We're trying to drum up charges against them, but unfortunately we'll probably have to let them go."
Journalist Covers Own Murderer Beat
Serial Killers are a damaged, despicable lot who don't deserve the idolatry heaped upon them by a society almost numb to shock. That said, damn! The guy covered his own murders? Ballsy. I've worked with a few reporters in my time, and that would've been seen at the very least as unprofessional. Conflicting interests, man.
Have fun in prison, Taneski.
from the BBC:
Police in Macedonia have arrested a journalist on suspicion that he is behind three murders he reported on.
The journalist, Vlado Taneski, is accused of raping, torturing and killing three elderly women in the south-western town of Kicevo.
Macedonian police began to suspect him after he included details in his reports that they had not made public.
Have fun in prison, Taneski.
from the BBC:
Police in Macedonia have arrested a journalist on suspicion that he is behind three murders he reported on.
The journalist, Vlado Taneski, is accused of raping, torturing and killing three elderly women in the south-western town of Kicevo.
Macedonian police began to suspect him after he included details in his reports that they had not made public.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Guantanamo Bay on the Open Seas
The U.S. continues to dig itself into even deeper holes. Experts reckon that the U.S.s' reputation is somewhere in the lower Stygian depths. It wasn't enough that we had an off-country base, or a network of black prisons, or even an even shadier network of third connection countries that are more then willing to do the torture for us. No, we weren't satisfied with those impossibly questionable places of confinement.
We needed to put them on black prison cruises, too. At this point, I think it's not out of the question to prepare for things like Moon Prison Colonies and Detention Cells in Alternate Planes of Reality.
From The Guardian:
The United States is operating "floating prisons" to house those arrested in its war on terror, according to human rights lawyers, who claim there has been an attempt to conceal the numbers and whereabouts of detainees.
Details of ships where detainees have been held and sites allegedly being used in countries across the world have been compiled as the debate over detention without trial intensifies on both sides of the Atlantic. The US government was yesterday urged to list the names and whereabouts of all those detained.
Information about the operation of prison ships has emerged through a number of sources, including statements from the US military, the Council of Europe and related parliamentary bodies, and the testimonies of prisoners.
We needed to put them on black prison cruises, too. At this point, I think it's not out of the question to prepare for things like Moon Prison Colonies and Detention Cells in Alternate Planes of Reality.
From The Guardian:
The United States is operating "floating prisons" to house those arrested in its war on terror, according to human rights lawyers, who claim there has been an attempt to conceal the numbers and whereabouts of detainees.
Details of ships where detainees have been held and sites allegedly being used in countries across the world have been compiled as the debate over detention without trial intensifies on both sides of the Atlantic. The US government was yesterday urged to list the names and whereabouts of all those detained.
Information about the operation of prison ships has emerged through a number of sources, including statements from the US military, the Council of Europe and related parliamentary bodies, and the testimonies of prisoners.
Billboards shove us toward surveillance state
The lengths to which advertisers will go to get to us are ingenious. The War to Part Us From Our Money is being fought by some of the most clever, unscrupulous bastards not in politics.
It's odd how the tactics seem to mirror one another, that's damned sure. Big Brother has an economic side as well. That said, where is stuff like this going? The evolution of advertising is putting us on a road toward increasingly invasive, hostile and omnipresent advertising campaigns. I see a future of hard light logos eviscerating themselves in the air above us, the winner shaking broken shards of his foe from his corporate defined war form, then shifting to his advertising form. His advertising form, cuter by far then the razor lined puma, tells us that Coke is better then Pepsi in taste, not just combat.
From the New York Times:
Now, some entrepreneurs have introduced technology to solve that problem. They are equipping billboards with tiny cameras that gather details about passers-by — their gender, approximate age and how long they looked at the billboard. These details are transmitted to a central database.
Behind the technology are small start-ups that say they are not storing actual images of the passers-by, so privacy should not be a concern. The cameras, they say, use software to determine that a person is standing in front of a billboard, then analyze facial features (like cheekbone height and the distance between the nose and the chin) to judge the person’s gender and age. So far the companies are not using race as a parameter, but they say that they can and will soon.
The goal, these companies say, is to tailor a digital display to the person standing in front of it — to show one advertisement to a middle-aged white woman, for example, and a different one to a teenage Asian boy.
It's odd how the tactics seem to mirror one another, that's damned sure. Big Brother has an economic side as well. That said, where is stuff like this going? The evolution of advertising is putting us on a road toward increasingly invasive, hostile and omnipresent advertising campaigns. I see a future of hard light logos eviscerating themselves in the air above us, the winner shaking broken shards of his foe from his corporate defined war form, then shifting to his advertising form. His advertising form, cuter by far then the razor lined puma, tells us that Coke is better then Pepsi in taste, not just combat.
From the New York Times:
Now, some entrepreneurs have introduced technology to solve that problem. They are equipping billboards with tiny cameras that gather details about passers-by — their gender, approximate age and how long they looked at the billboard. These details are transmitted to a central database.
Behind the technology are small start-ups that say they are not storing actual images of the passers-by, so privacy should not be a concern. The cameras, they say, use software to determine that a person is standing in front of a billboard, then analyze facial features (like cheekbone height and the distance between the nose and the chin) to judge the person’s gender and age. So far the companies are not using race as a parameter, but they say that they can and will soon.
The goal, these companies say, is to tailor a digital display to the person standing in front of it — to show one advertisement to a middle-aged white woman, for example, and a different one to a teenage Asian boy.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Fast Food Restaurant Want You Additcted
When you need a snack, you aren't too far apart from drug addicts.
From New Scientist:
When volunteers received a dose of a natural hunger-inducing hormone called ghrelin, their brains responded to pictures of food in the same way that addicted people's brains do to cigarettes or drugs, says Alain Dagher, a neurologist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who led the study.
This mechanism probably helped humans to load up on life-saving calories when food was scarce – a likely scenario during much of evolutionary history. But with well-stocked supermarkets and a fast-food outlet on every corner, such brain signals can make food addicts of us all.
From New Scientist:
When volunteers received a dose of a natural hunger-inducing hormone called ghrelin, their brains responded to pictures of food in the same way that addicted people's brains do to cigarettes or drugs, says Alain Dagher, a neurologist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who led the study.
This mechanism probably helped humans to load up on life-saving calories when food was scarce – a likely scenario during much of evolutionary history. But with well-stocked supermarkets and a fast-food outlet on every corner, such brain signals can make food addicts of us all.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Science censored at EPA
Scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency are complaining about political manipulation affecting their work. A lobby group dug up just how widespread the censorship is.
From New Scientist:
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a lobby group based in Washington DC, surveyed 1583 EPA scientists and found that many feel unable to speak openly for fear of retaliation from senior officials appointed by the Bush administration.
Over half said they were not allowed to talk freely with the media, while a quarter said they would not be allowed to publish results that contradicted the agency's official line. Researchers were often pressured not to publicly discuss issues linked to climate change, such as the coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels. The EPA did not respond to a request for comment.
But the survey does note some small victories for free speech. When one researcher was barred from talking about climate change at a conference, the meeting's organisers told the EPA that they would hold a 20-minute silence in place of the missing talk. The agency reversed its decision.
From New Scientist:
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a lobby group based in Washington DC, surveyed 1583 EPA scientists and found that many feel unable to speak openly for fear of retaliation from senior officials appointed by the Bush administration.
Over half said they were not allowed to talk freely with the media, while a quarter said they would not be allowed to publish results that contradicted the agency's official line. Researchers were often pressured not to publicly discuss issues linked to climate change, such as the coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels. The EPA did not respond to a request for comment.
But the survey does note some small victories for free speech. When one researcher was barred from talking about climate change at a conference, the meeting's organisers told the EPA that they would hold a 20-minute silence in place of the missing talk. The agency reversed its decision.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Gas Prices To Destroy You With More Price Hikes
You thought gas prices were bad now? Some analytical energy industry trackers foresee, extrapolating from current rising oil prices, gas prices to rise up even as high as $10 a gallon.
from the New York Sun:
Gasoline nationally is in an accelerated upswing, having jumped to $3.58 a gallon from $3.50 in just the past week. In some parts of the country, including New York City and the West Coast, gas is already sporting a price tag above $4 a gallon. There was a pray-in at a Chevron station in San Francisco on Friday led by a minister asking God for cheaper gas, and an Arco gas station in San Mateo, Calif., has already raised its price to a sky-high $4.62.
In Manhattan, at a Mobil gas station at York Avenue and East 61st Street, premium gas is now $4.03 a gallon. Two days ago, it was $3.96. Why such a high price? "Blame the people at STOPEC (he meant OPEC) and the oil companies," an attendant there told me.
These increases are taking place before the all-important summer driving season, signaling even higher prices ahead.
That's also the outlook of the Automobile Association of America. "As long as the price of crude oil stays above $100 a barrel, drivers will be forced to pay more and more at the gas pump," a AAA spokesman, Troy Green, said.
from the New York Sun:
Gasoline nationally is in an accelerated upswing, having jumped to $3.58 a gallon from $3.50 in just the past week. In some parts of the country, including New York City and the West Coast, gas is already sporting a price tag above $4 a gallon. There was a pray-in at a Chevron station in San Francisco on Friday led by a minister asking God for cheaper gas, and an Arco gas station in San Mateo, Calif., has already raised its price to a sky-high $4.62.
In Manhattan, at a Mobil gas station at York Avenue and East 61st Street, premium gas is now $4.03 a gallon. Two days ago, it was $3.96. Why such a high price? "Blame the people at STOPEC (he meant OPEC) and the oil companies," an attendant there told me.
These increases are taking place before the all-important summer driving season, signaling even higher prices ahead.
That's also the outlook of the Automobile Association of America. "As long as the price of crude oil stays above $100 a barrel, drivers will be forced to pay more and more at the gas pump," a AAA spokesman, Troy Green, said.
Life expectancy dropping in some parts of US
According to a new study, life expectancy for certain Americans has either stagnated or fallen. Perhaps new criteria needs to be designated for a country to count as a superpower. Healthy citizens would be a good criteria to judge by.
from New Scientist:
Majid Ezzati and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston studied mortality rates in all US counties between 1961 and 1999. They found that the inequality between counties' rates had been narrowing until the 1980s, when the trend reversed and the gap began to widen again.
Although average life expectancy in the US rose steadily over all four decades, the researchers found that it declined significantly in 11 counties for men and 180 for women. Such trends signal a healthcare failure, say the authors.
Many of the counties with the worst decline were in the Deep South and the Midwest. Smoking, obesity and high blood pressure appear to be the causes, the researchers say.
from New Scientist:
Majid Ezzati and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston studied mortality rates in all US counties between 1961 and 1999. They found that the inequality between counties' rates had been narrowing until the 1980s, when the trend reversed and the gap began to widen again.
Although average life expectancy in the US rose steadily over all four decades, the researchers found that it declined significantly in 11 counties for men and 180 for women. Such trends signal a healthcare failure, say the authors.
Many of the counties with the worst decline were in the Deep South and the Midwest. Smoking, obesity and high blood pressure appear to be the causes, the researchers say.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Lawsuit filed to cease CERN activities
An eccentric botanist filed a lawsuit in Hawaii hoping to stop experiments by the Large Hadron Collider. He cites the threat of space-time continuum ripping, so on, so forth.
from The Register:
Walter L Wagner and his fellow Hawaiian Luis Sancho, according to a report on MSNBC, filed suit in the Hawaii federal court last Friday. The men are worried about one of several planet-busting physicists' nightmares being unleashed in the LHC's bowels deep beneath the Franco-Swiss countryside. (According to Wagner's website, as of publication, the LHC is located "near Geneva, Switzerland".)
Firstly Wagner is concerned that careless atom boffins might slip up and create a miniature black hole. This would then suck in surrounding mass, gaining unstoppably in size and power in a runaway process until it had engulfed the entire Earth and packed it down inside its swelling, unescapable event horizon.
----------------
Now playing: Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra - Africa Challenge
via FoxyTunes
from The Register:
Walter L Wagner and his fellow Hawaiian Luis Sancho, according to a report on MSNBC, filed suit in the Hawaii federal court last Friday. The men are worried about one of several planet-busting physicists' nightmares being unleashed in the LHC's bowels deep beneath the Franco-Swiss countryside. (According to Wagner's website, as of publication, the LHC is located "near Geneva, Switzerland".)
Firstly Wagner is concerned that careless atom boffins might slip up and create a miniature black hole. This would then suck in surrounding mass, gaining unstoppably in size and power in a runaway process until it had engulfed the entire Earth and packed it down inside its swelling, unescapable event horizon.
----------------
Now playing: Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra - Africa Challenge
via FoxyTunes
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Airport spies on your face
I never thought I'd see the day when counter-terrorism tactics could be foiled by a good poker face and some chipper conversation. Behold, the new crime of the year: Facecrime!
from the Seattle PI:
Travelers at Sea-Tac and dozens of other major airports across America are being scrutinized by teams of TSA behavior-detection officers specially trained to discern the subtlest suspicious behaviors.
TSA officials will not reveal specific behaviors identified by the program -- called SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Technique) -- that are considered indicators of possible terrorist intent.
But a central task is to recognize microfacial expressions -- a flash of feelings that in a fraction of a second reflects emotions such as fear, anger, surprise or contempt, said Carl Maccario, who helped start the program for TSA.
"In the SPOT program, we have a conversation with (passengers) and we ask them about their trip," said Maccario from his office in Boston. "When someone lies or tries to be deceptive, ... there are behavior cues that show it. ... A brief flash of fear."
from the Seattle PI:
Travelers at Sea-Tac and dozens of other major airports across America are being scrutinized by teams of TSA behavior-detection officers specially trained to discern the subtlest suspicious behaviors.
TSA officials will not reveal specific behaviors identified by the program -- called SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Technique) -- that are considered indicators of possible terrorist intent.
But a central task is to recognize microfacial expressions -- a flash of feelings that in a fraction of a second reflects emotions such as fear, anger, surprise or contempt, said Carl Maccario, who helped start the program for TSA.
"In the SPOT program, we have a conversation with (passengers) and we ask them about their trip," said Maccario from his office in Boston. "When someone lies or tries to be deceptive, ... there are behavior cues that show it. ... A brief flash of fear."
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About Me
- Troy
- I'm Troy Doney. I'm on the internet. I'm the writer of the blog "Off the Reservation" at New West. I also write a blog at Reznet. My personal blog is Man Bites Dog. I post my pictures at Flickr and I write short sentences at Twitter.