The events unfolding in Burma this week are tragic. Inspired by the courage of a handful of Buddhist monks, people hungry for change- for something even remotely close to freedom-are taking to the streets. And like many people, I can’t help think this is going to end badly. Nine people have already died. Here’s hoping we don’t see [...]
The US Navy announced plans today to mask the shape of a Coronado, California barracks complex that looks suspiciously like a swastika. The Navy has budgeted up to $600,000 for new walkways, special landscaping, and rooftop solar cells to obscure the buildings’ unfortunate shape. Said Navy Spokesman Scott Sutherland: “We don’t want to be associated with [...]
Reuters is reporting that Chinese media watchdog State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) is cracking down on sexually suggestive programming. Said SARFT: “Sexually suggestive advertisements and scenes showing how women are influenced into a life of crime are detrimental to society. Commercials containing sexually provocative sounds or tantalizing language as well as vulgar [...]
Interesting article in the MediaGuardian today on how Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez uses TV to govern. Chavez spent a record-setting 8 hours on the air this past Sunday, hosting his weekly show Alo Presidente. Says Venezuelan Political Scientist Arturo Serrano: “Chávez governs from Aló Presidente. It is on this show that ministers find out if they [...]
Sotheby’s Auction House has announced it will be selling a 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta. Start saving your pennies: acquiring the big MC will set you back $20-$30 million. Various cranky and/or rebellious Barons forced King John (0f England, where all good stuff comes from…at least until 1850) to sign the Magna Carta in [...]
Not the kind of introduction you’d want at a speaking engagement. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got the worst into ever from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger: “Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.” He went on to attack Ahmadinejad’s moronic views on the holocaust, saying that they only appeal to [...]
Ah, science. Humanity’s most attractive offspring. Your pantheon of horrors never ceases to amaze. Exciting news today- scientists sent a bunch of salmonella germs into space to see how they change. Turns out, they get a whole lot more deadly. Mice given the space bugs were three times more likely to get sick and died [...]