"Trust those who seek the truth,
distrust those who find it." ~Gide
3/4/06 Altruistic behaviour in infants as young as 18 months of age.
* Archivist of the United States wants declassified documents back.
* 70% of Earth's fresh water is held in The Antarctic Ice Sheet.
* Google hints at infinite online storage G Drive. [rw]
* Alpha Blogger defends parody video vs Cosby legal threat hypocrisy.
* Federal DHS Agents crack down on New Orleans' anti-FEMA T-Shirts.
* Opinion: Christians should resist RFID Tags, aka Mark of the Beast.
* The Onion: US Democratic Leaders vow not to give up Hopelessness.
* Credit Card Co alerts Homeland Security when large payment is made.
* US State Department pre-election poll foreshadowed Hamas victory.
* Analog & Satellite Radio Broadcast Flag introduced in US Congress.
* Assasination #1 cause of death for Journalists. * Gitmo guest list.
* Oscar Film rant from Gay escort & White House shill Jeff Gannon.
* Soda Pop newest demon of crash diets. * Bush in India pics.
* Domestic US Renditions? * DeLay on Tuesday's Texas ballot.
* Personal: seeking Kellogg's Johnny Depp edition.
3/3/06 430 BC Fall of Athens may have been caused by Typhoid.
* Internet: You Tube starting to tangle with content providers.
* Star-Spangled Banner became US nat'l anthem 75 yrs ago today.
* US First Lady visits India's version of Sesame Street. [Pic]
* Revised US Patriot Act satisfies most Democratic Senators.
* FOX News asks... "Civil War in Iraq: Made Up By The Media?"
* Bush says Nov. 2004 bin Laden tape aided his re-election.
* US Armed Services Committee Chairman vows to kill Port Deal.
3/2/06 English Wikipedia publishes their 1,000,000th article.
* Trove of rare Alabama civil rights movement photos unearthed.
* Federally funded scientists contradict White House policies.
* Video & minutes of Chertoff/Brown/Bush pre-Katrina meeting.
2/28/06 Personal: Tomorrow at Northstar we'll remember my Father.
* Domestic cat is the 1st non-human mammal diagnosed w/ Bird Flu.
2/27/06 Recent well written civilian accounts of Baghdad. [rw]
* Middle Eastern nations use US made software to censor Internet.
* Civil Rights leader addresses UK Muslims regarding Free Speech.
* Free Speech & Race Relations in Europe. Denmark censors Speech.
* Germany denies giving US the Iraqi plan for defense of Baghdad.
* Former CIA Mid East Intel coordinator offers tips to The Press.
* Bush siezes power from Vice President in mostly bloodless coup.
* Low-cost housing designer runs NPO Architecture for Humanity.
2/26/06 Jamaica is to have it's first female prime minister.
* Telcos would sell faster connections to Internet backbone.
[AT&T's CEO called Google, Yahoo and others freeloaders.]
* Bad US patents hamper innovation; mired in legal disputes.
2/25/06 Osaka hatsuhana blossoms are 1 month early this year. [rw]
* Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno's "perfect race" takes 500m gold.
* German automaker Loremo introducing 157MPG production model. [via]
* Word of the Day: cogent. [Latin cogere, "to drive together.."]
2/24/06 Science of Life: H2O's many anomalous physical properties.
* Astronomers see new type of cosmic blast. May herald supernova.
* South Pole team of Physicists find 1st neutrinos in the wild.
* Primate neurons affected by boredom, stress, poverty, status.
* Rock Stars Bono & Bob Geldof nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.
* Hoax teen ragamuffin turned bard JT Leroy fostered by celebs.
* Church of SubGenius appeals for help in child custody case.
* How to bypass Internet Firewall restrictions at work. [via]
* US Port deal showdown: Bush veto vs. Senate over-ride. [Alt]
* FBI to Pentagon: harsh tactics at Gitmo are less effective.
* Pentagon TIA [RIP] was reborn as NSA data-mining program.
* US Bronze is first ever American medal in Curling. [CNBC]
2/23/06 Baghdad civilians ordered into rare "daytime curfew".
* Quantum computer solves photon question w/out running program.
* Palaeontologists stunned to find living Jurassic beaver. [via]
* Coral Reef discovered near Thailand, untouched by 2004 Tsunami.
Personal: looks like I will be working as a school photographer
again this Spring. And while I start to clear my schedule for
that gig, I might not see a day off until Sunday March 19th.
That is, with the exception of next Wednesday March 1st, when
I'll join my Dad's friends for the "1st Annual David MacDonald
Memorial Ski Trip".
We'll re-enact routines established over many years, beginning
with a 5AM departure from Lafayette, followed by a fast food
breakfast just off the highway in the foothills of Auburn.
Northstar's Lodge at Big Springs will host a lunch featuring
film footage of Dad and his skiing buddies up on the mountain.
I'm grateful to Hal Hill for facilitating this living tribute
to my Father's spirit.
2/22/06 Iraqi Shiites & Sunnis attack one another's Mosques.
2/21/06 Chapters of Koran not chronological; ordered by size.
* Despite paradigm, Early Man was not aggressive killer. [RW]
* McSweeney's 5 most dangerous Children's books of all time.
* Naked couple hike 800 mile length of Britian with a message.
* White House knows the Arab Co. buying US ports. Would force deal.
* Halliburton detention camps can hold all 325k on watchlist. [RW]
* In 1999 CIA began reclassifying documents made avail in 1995.
* IRS audits John Young of Cryptome. FBI paid a visit Feb 8th.
2/20/06 Etymology of WebLog. Coined here at RobotWisdom in 1997.
* Google calls US DOJ request "so uninformed as to be nonsensical".
* 1st successful quantum telecloning has cryptographic application.
[Is this about sending/collecting data in a sort of subspace?]
* Israeli anti-semitic cartoon contest. I think it's a great idea.
* Iranian Foreign Minister urges an end to violence over drawings.
* Iranian delegation in Moscow. Foreign minister at EU in Brussels.
* UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in Iraq on a surprise visit.
* US Senate Intel Chair wants FISA review of domestic NSA program.
* On the bright side, Bush says US on verge of alt. energy breakthru..
* Wildlife: UK countryside moth population down by 1/3 since 1968.
* Satire: Retroactive terror alert. The challenge of soup post 9/11.
2/19/06 Blake watercolors at Sotheby's after desperate struggle.
* Hobbyist builds remote controlled steam powered robots. [via]
* Drug called "Modafinil" enables full night sleep in 2 hours.
* DNA tests undermine Mormon doctrine of Native American origins.
* US Great Lakes are All Ice-Free mid-winter 1st time in memory.
* Bush & Cheney: Signs they might not be on speaking terms. [RW]
* Iran & Russia once again discuss deal to defuse Nuke tensions.
* NSFW digitized Victoria's Secret catalogue circa 1977. [Via]
2/18/06 Sociobiology of human infants' caterwauling. [RW]
* History: Glasgow, where my Granny spent her 1st year [1900].
* Disguised UNIX executable is 1st wild Mac OSX trojan? [Via]
* Librarian escorts County Homeland Security officers outside.
* KidsPost illustrates Cheney predicament for children & adults.
* Google's formal response to US DOJ demand for search data.
* Carolina Republican Party wants member's Church Directories.
* Wartime leader w/ 5 military deferments not safe with guns.
2/17/06 Blake art collection to be split at Sotheby's auction.
* Researchers say Viruses are precursors to all Life on Earth.
* The Secret Life of Buildings: historic New Orleans exhibit.
* 1,000 attend Pillow Fight Club at San Francisco Ferry Bldg.
* Dwight D. Eisenhower's Military Industrial Complex Speech.
* US Judge orders DOJ to release NSA domestic spying records.
* March 2003 Bush Executive Order 13292 gave Cheney new power.
[Does power to classify documents = power to declassify Plame?]
Cheney's mea culpa reminds language mavens of a Nursery Rhyme.
"I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that
hit Harry" ...that milked the cow that pushed the plow that
lived in the house that jack built. Did Cheney have Mother
Goose in mind when concocting his quail-hunting confession?
Q&A for the Vice President: Why didn't you follow your friend
of 30 years to the hospital? Why not keep your boss and the
millions of people you serve informed? You only encouraged
speculation about the involvement of alcohol, with 2 DUI's
on your record. What were you doing on Saturday night, Mr.
Vice President? [albion at stryder dot com]
2/16/06 Political appointees at NASA have been altering the
agency's press releases when Scientific results conflict with
White House policy, the NY Times reported today. [Prev. Story]
* Momentum dying in US Congress for NSA domestic spying probe.
* US Sen. Feingold's Patriot Act amendments lose on 96-3 vote.
* Condoleezza Rice interview betrays Islamists' ascendancy. [RW]
* Batman Comics to feature hunt for Osama bin Laden. [batmobile]
* Steve Martin: "Cheney shoots 3 Presidents in the Rose Garden."
* In Iran, Danish Pastries are now called Roses of the Prophet.
* Henry Rollins reported as a Terror Threat for reading a book.
* Armstrong Ranch pics & more documentation of Cheney incident.
* Scientists: "for complex decisions, it's best to sleep on it."
* Bixblog writes about therapy; why she's never been suicidal.
[I addressed the idea of suicide today at grief counseling]
* Performance art of Li Wei. [More] [Reminds of Wang Qingsong]
2/15/06 EU Lawmakers back IAEA referral of Iran to UN Sec. Council.
* US Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff Doesn't Use Email.
* Cheney's Aim: something made reporting delay worth criticism.
* Not the 1st time someone's been shot by a US Vice President.
The Cheney Story has taken on a life of it's own, because
it recalls so many other slow responses by the White House.
It's emblematic of how Bush & Co. deals with the Press,
the public's inherent right to information, and the right
to call government to account in the information age.
Days after Hurricane Katrina, Bush told the head of FEMA he
was doing a great job. In that case the President did not
succeed in changing public perception of goverment inaction,
and paralysis. In the case of Dick Cheney the public has
a right to know immediately if the VP has been in an
accident. This right trumps immediate attempts to protect the
privacy of parties involved, as has been argued. And it also
trumps the argued need "to get the facts straight". This is
not a credible argument. For example, a "factual" headline
might have looked something like this on Saturday Evening:
* Breaking News: "VP Cheney unhurt in hunting accident"
Cheney doesn't regret the way he handled the press, releasing the
story to a local newspaper 18 hours after the shooting accident.
Issuing a press release to a small town newspaper belies the
obviously global impact of the story. White House Chief of Staff
Andrew Card knew the basic facts of the story by 730pm Saturday.
And regardless of whether Cheney wanted to hold the story until
Sunday, Andrew Card and George Bush suffered a loss of authority
when they did not insist on getting the story out right away.
Politics is often simply about "appearances", and in this age
of instant communication, it most certainly looks like Cheney
had something to hide on Saturday night. And if there was
nothing to hide, Bush's Chief of Staff Andrew Card should
have insisted the story go on the wire immediately. ***
Disrespect for a free press and informed populace runs far & wide.
Dictatorships like Saudi Arabia also treat the Press as an organ
of government propoganda, a public relations firm. The free flow
of ideas as a necessary evil that can be throttled and
utilized for political gain. The media also provides a way to
pomote official versions of events.
Saudi Arabia's relationship to Sunni Muslims is somewhat akin to
the Vatican's relationship to Catholics. During this year's Hajj
in Saudi Arabia, 350 pilgrims died in crowd control mishaps. 250
died similarly in 2004. Embarrassed by repeated failure this year
to protect Muslim pilgrims, Saudi Arabia needed a way to distract
Muslim attention from their failed stewardship of the sacred Hajj.
"Their plan was to mount an offensive against the Danish cartoons.
After 350 pilgrims were killed on January 12 - during the Hajj -
Saudi newspapers (which are all controlled by the state) began
running up to 4 articles per day condemning the Danish cartoons.
[Showing their lack of appreciation for any difference between
State and Media,] Saudi Arabia requested a formal apology from
the Danish government.
When that was not forthcoming, they began calling for world-wide
protests. After two weeks of this, Libya decided to close it's
embassy in Denmark. Then there was an attack on a Danish embassy
in Indonesia. And that was followed by attacks on the embassies
in Syria and then Lebanon."
Note that the US never criticizes the Wahhabist leaders of Saudi
Arabia, which shape that country, it's schools, and it's media,
into the World's biggest promoter and exporter of Muslim religious
xenophobia, hate & intolerance. As Secretary Rice put it, people
don't protest in Arab countries unless encouraged by religious
leaders, gov't officials, and finally, state media. The timing,
scope & intensity of protests over the Danish Cartoons are due
in large part to an embarrassed Saudi Security establishment
using state controlled media influential amongst Arabs & Muslims
to target & scapegoat a common external enemy, with the intent
of diverting anger away from Saudi security failures at the Sacred
yearly pilgrimage, aka Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Western governments respond to these tactics with tactical silence.
And US Secrtetary of State Rice criticizes Syria and Iran without
mentioning the Saudi role. Why is the West so sympathetic toward
Saudi Arabia, is it simply the massive Oil Reserves that have us
tongue tied? Their size, along with their political control of
Holy Lands enables that country to become the world's most
powerful state sponsor of Muslim xenophobia in the world.
[Last edited 2/17 10:45 PST] [fez at stryder dot com]
2/14/06 Willie Nelson recently recorded a cover of an ode to
Gay Cowboys, Frequently Secretly. By googling that phrase I
learned that the country musician turned Texas politician
Kinky Friedman once used it to suggest he and Willie may
be more than friends. Nelson also made news in the Fossil
Fuel Community recently, when his BioWillie clean-burning
soybean fuel went on sale at a San Diego filling station.
[More at BoingBoing]
2/13/06 BBC opinion piece against idea of two-tier Internet.
* Internet: close up look at historic US Network Access Point.
* Physics: Team confirms UCLA room temperature Tabletop Fusion.
* Activists won't buy anything new but food, underwear, medicine.
* US Lawmakers would bar Google from nations deemed repressive.
* Clinton nemesis Ken Starr accused of faking clemency pleas.
* The announcement of Cheney's accident was made by his host.
* Texas Sheriff's Hunting Accident Report and Press Release.
* NSFW 1995 occult book relates now plausible pathology. [via]
"Dick Cheney, then assistant White House Chief of Staff to
President Ford, was the reason my family had travelled to
Wyoming where I endured yet another form of brutality, his
version of 'A Most Dangerous Game,' or human hunting. Dick
Cheney had an apparent addiction to the 'thrill of the sport.'
* And speaking of a Manhunt, on this date in 1989...
A fatwa was issued for the execution of Salman Rushdie,
author of The Satanic Verses - considered "blasphemous".
* Need precise coordinates? On this date in 1989...
The first satellite in the satellite constellation of
the Global Positioning System was placed into orbit.
2/12/06 Ancient tales and folk-lore of Japan [1918]. [plep]
* VA Nurse investigated for "sedition", for criticizing Bush.
* Cheney hits lawyer with birdshot in Texas hunting accident.
[The Vice Presidential Medical Vehicle was close at hand]
2/11/06 EFF warns: Google Desktop Search copies files remotely.
* Mars Rover finds collapsed brick wall? aka Home Plate [Pic/RW]
* US Congress mandates all Analog Broadcasts terminated in 3 yrs.
* Canadian Red Cross prosecutes unlicensed use of it's symbol.
2/10/06 2006 Winter Olympics open today in Torino Italy [Turin].
* Gallery of winners of the World Press Photos of the Year 2005.
* NSA Kids' Mascots: like Power Rangers for warrantless wiretaps.
* Maps & Photos of newly discovered Egyptian Pharaonic tomb. [Via]
* US Homeland Security Dept plans massive data sweep, aka ADVISE.
* Retired CIA official coordinated Iraq intel, was not consulted.
* Jack Abramoff was invited to Bush's Crawford ranch home. [NYT]
* Coastal Florida Oil Drilling supported by Bush Administration
* Craigslist faces Federal suit alleging Fair Housing violation.
* US FTC may try to humiliate companies advertising via adware.
* Lawsuit challenges new US law targeting Internet "annoyances".
* Former FEMA Director Mike Brown blames DHS & the White House.
2/9/06 Historic London Rimbaud/Verlaine flat for sale. [RW]
* Global Flyer 2: Steve Fossett was over the Atlantic today.
* Colleges and Churches mark Darwin Day this Sunday Feb. 12th.
* Bush appointed NASA Science Censor fibbed College Graduation.
* Newly discovered pharaonic Tomb in Egypt's Valley of Kings.
* London Imam convicted of inciting the murder of non-Muslims.
* EU Justice Commissioner calls for media code in Cartoon row.
* NSFW/Graphic! Contemporary American Christian sacrilege.
Two Jordanian newspaper editors were arrested Feb. 4th
in that country after publishing the Danish caricatures
of Muhammed. A BBC report quotes one of them asking
the following rhetorical question: "What brings more
prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures
of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim
in front of the cameras or a suicide bomber who blows
himself up during a wedding ceremony in Amman?" Bail
has been denied. I wonder if they're safer in custody?
* US Politics: Libby told Grand Jury Bosses authorized leaks.
* New version of Patriot Act nixes Library Records searches.
* Abramoff's emails describe relationship with The President.
[Jack: "He has one of the best memories of any politician"]
This week the US Congressional Republican Majority rewarded
indicted former Congressional Majority Leader Tom DeLay with
seats on the Congressional Subcommittee overseeing the Justice
Dept investigation into K-Street lobbyist Jack Abramoff's ties
with Congress, and on the House Appropriations committee which
is responsible for "discretionary spending". We also learned
this week that US Senate Majority Leader Dr Bill Frist snuck
liability protections for Corporate Pharmaceutical giants into
a Military Appropriations bill last December. More than mere
chutzpah, these events demonstrate the contempt GOP legislators
have for willfully ignorant voters. Contempt that is truly
earned by voters who re-elect these hoods.
NSA: Senate Republican Judiciary Chairman Arlin Specter
yesterday invoked Congressional authority in Article 1 of
the US Constitution, calling on the White House to submit
the recently reported NSA domestic eavesdropping program
to the FISA Court to determine it's Constitutionality.
2/8/06 Republican who oversees NSA breaks ranks with Bush. [NYT]
* NASA's 24 yr old Bush PR appointee resigns in disgrace. [Why]
* Reaganite mega-church evangelical leaders want Greener Laws.
* Wall Street Journal: "White House can't sweep aside Abramoff."
With regard to Danish cartoon caricatures of Muhammed,
I want to point to an interview in the German magazine
Der Spiegel with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali born Danish
politician who is herself in hiding after death threats.
"There is no freedom of speech in those Arab countries
where the demonstrations and public outrage are being
staged. The reason many people flee to Europe from
these places is precisely because they have criticized
religion, the political establishment and society.
Totalitarian Islamic regimes are in a deep crisis.
Globalization means they're exposed to considerable
change..."
2/7/06 Possible breakthrough AIDS cure at BYU awaits peer review.
* 1000's offer tribute to Coretta Scott King, support to family.
* Both Slashdot & BoingBoing fall for latest Internet hoax. [rw]
* New Orleans may ask foreign nations for help in rebuilding.
* Conservative Newspaper endorses Murtha after CBS appearance.
Senator Feingold on what we heard from Attorney Gen. Gonzales.
"The administration reacts to anyone who questions [the NSA]
program by saying that those of us who demand the truth and
stand up for our rights and freedoms somehow has a pre-9/11
world view. In fact, the President has a pre-1776 world view.
Our government has three branches, not one. And no one, not
even the President, is above the law."
2/6/06 Newly discovered French cave drawings are 25k yrs old.
* Scientists find ability for grammar is hardwired in humans.
* Dozens of new species discovered in remote New Guinea jungle.
* Astronomers share new clues about ubiquitous Dark Matter.
* SciFi Geeks hail the "end of cyberspace", seek new term.
* 1000's of barges could save Europe from expected deep freeze.
* Al Gore wrote about Oil Addiction 14 yrs ago. Bush last month.
* Pictures of NSA's Threat Operations Center during Bush visit.
* AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc.. cooperated with NSA domestic spying.
* US Attorney Gen. refuses to be put under oath before Senate.
* Some Presidents spied on US citizens before it became illegal.
* Rove will blacklist Republicans who don't back Bush on spying.
* Colin Powell's Chief of Staff calls US drive to War a hoax.
* Middle-Easterners share in-your-face personality trait. [rw]
* Relatives attack offices of sunken Egyptian ferry's owners.
* Arab & Muslim Press is replete with anti-Jewish caricatures.
* Images of Mohammed thoughout history, depite Islamic ban.
* Illustrated stories, fables, legends of the Buddha. [plep]
* Alpha Blogger Anil Dash defends Craig of CraigsList. [note]
* UK Gaurdian starting Huffington Post style "rolling blog".
* Ariana's prescription for White House unrelenting mendacity.
2/5/06 Stanford Physicist claims that time is geometric.
* Daguerreotype, pinhole, alt photography making comeback.
* You Tube is what Google Video wants to be. [Vid] [Via]
* Guy Kawasaki on how to write emails that get responses.
* Attorney Gen. Gonzales defends Bush instead of US Constitution.
* New GOP leader calls Iraq War gift to US Grandchildren. [.mov]
* Bush can't sell the Iraq War. 53% think it will "not succeed".
* 53% of Americans say they were "deliberately misled" on Iraq.
* Prosecutor Fitzgerald on the case. White House emails missing.
* Social Security tollfree # so busy that patients crowd offices.
* NASA scientist squelched by 24 yr old Bush PR appointee. [via]
[As a Texas A&M Journalism student he once wrote about Satan]
* Leader of Palestinian Hamas Party begins tour of Arab states.
* Sudan supported Darfur Militias crossing border into Chad.
* Embassies in Beirut and Damascus burn in cartoon protest.
* 19th century photographic tour of the Holy Land.
Stryder.com visitorship increased by over 100% between February 2nd and 3rd. I've temporarily moved the MP3 honeypot directory and edited the robots.txt file to bar search engine robots from all local files - so I can gain some control over referrals and bandwidth in the short term. Thus far this month more than half of all hits are from two AOL media search sites. Two days running bandwidth broke 1 Gig, and visitorship exceeded 1000 unique hits/day - though most of the images and MP3's seen and heard here aren't even hosted at stryder.com.
I've been posting new stuff just about every day, and intend to keep doing so. Welcome to stryder.com, and please come back again soon.
Regards, Ross MacDonald. [About the site] [About me] [Email]
2/4/06 IAEA refers Iran to Security Council. Moscow deal dead.
* Danish cartoonists now in hiding. Public appeal. Inside story.
* FAQ on web search privacy and protections law provides (none).
* SOTU oil addiction reference reveals blood was spilt for oil.
* LA Judge releases Courtney Love from a court home detention.
2/3/06 Google developing alternate Internet [with new protocols]?
* Google refuses to project quarterly earnings for Wall Street.
* More successive US Fed Rate hikes predicted by Jim Cramer [TV].
* Opt-In cell-phone tracking can be opted-in by stealth. [via]
* ACLU Map of NSA's domestic phone and Internet surveillance.
* NASA pre & post-Katrina images available on Google Earth. [via]
* Arson at white Alabama churches. Black churches burned in 1996.
* Bada Bing: Did Jack Abramoff have knee replacement surgery?
* US renews Patriot Act 5 weeks. IAEA delays Iran vote 1 month.
* Downing St Memo 3: UK support for US invasion w/out UN backing.
* Cheney aide's trial postponed until after US midterm elections.
* Cheney complains of attn. on his health [after 4 heart attacks].
2/2/06 Tanker broke mooring in Nikiski Alaska, lodged onto silt.
* Punxsatawnee Phil sees long winter despite balmy 48F weather.
* Science Quiz: do peanuts grow above or below ground? [via]
* More signs of a multi-tiered Internet of the future.
* Cartoon about Rumsfeld comment draws letter from Joint Chiefs.
* Depiction of Mohammed with bomb shaped turbin offends Muslims.
* IAEA meeting to decide on reporting Iran to Security Council.
* Genetic Modification could speed H5N1 vaccine production.
* Election of Delay's replacement for US House Majority Leader.
[2nd vote required after 1st tally had more votes than voters]
* White House files sought in CIA leak case may be missing.
* | * | *
[2000-2006] Some Rights * Contact * Archive
"You are who you love, not who loves you."
-Charlie Kaufman, Adaptation, 2002
We came whirling out of nothingness ...
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