Optimists called the first world war “the war to end all wars”. Philosopher George Santayana demurred. In its aftermath he declared: “Only the dead have seen the end of war”. History has proved him right, of course. What’s more, today virtually nobody believes that humankind will ever transcend the violence and bloodshed of warfare. I know this because for years I have conducted numerous surveys asking people if they think war is inevitable. Whether male or female, liberal or conservative, old or young, most people believe it is. For example, when I asked students at my university “Will humans ever stop fighting wars?” more than 90 per cent answered “No”. Many justified their assertion by adding that war is “part of human nature” or “in our genes”. But is it really?
The (Texas) State Board of Education spent the morning hearing from members of the public regarding proposed changes to how science is taught in Texas schools. Although the standards cover a range of topics and changes, most of this morning’s discussion was about proposed changes on the teaching of the origins and evolution of life on Earth (aka evolution).
The first thing that came to mind here is the seven day theory religious nuts bringing the hate on evolution again. Turns out they wanted to teach the ’strengths and weaknesses’ of the theory of evolution. I agree that when we teach evolution the first point that should be made is that it is a theory. However, I believe it is pretty much accepted as scientific fact. So then, what are the ‘weaknesses’ of evolution? First Google result yields…
I got a little sick to my stomach today. No, it wasn’t the sub par Chinese food that I ate. It was something that saw on TV while eating my sub par Chinese food. The obscene spectacle of douchebaggery that is The Ram Challenge! Now that “We the people” own GM, Chrysler, and probably soon Ford. I seriously think that they should reconsider wasting our money on this kind of crap. They are going to let the macho men (cowboys, firemen, military) depicted in the commercial drive all these companies and this country into the ground. Maybe, If this were the trailer for the next Vin Diesel movie it might be OK, but this is a legitimate publicly owned company selling a very real product. They are expounding the virtues of a truck that you can drive through flamethrowers and exploding houses like its some kind of movie! Well… its not a movie and I think it’s time to come back to reality and realize that this is not an acceptable practice anymore. Now that I think about it a little more, it’s actually making me laugh because it’s just so ridiculous that this is real. It seems more like it should have been one of those fake commercials before Tropic Thunder or something.
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. The area is known internationally for its youth style and fashion.The term “Harajuku Girls” has been used by English-language media to describe teenagers dressed in any fashion style who are in the area of Harajuku.[7] These girls may be members of various sub-cultures including Gothic Lolita, Ganguro, Gyaru, and Kogal. They may also be dressed as characters from an anime, movie, or manga (known as cosplay).
The phenomenal Chicago spire (pictured above), when completed in 2010, will be the world’s tallest residential building and the tallest building of any kind in the western world. seemingly modeled on the image of a giant drill poking through the ground, the 609m structure will dominate the Chicago skyline. Obviously, construction technologies are advancing extremely quickly. couple that with multi-billionaires / deep-pocketed companies trying to outdo each other in the quest for the next standout design and you have a near-future filled with mile-high skyscrapers and buildings that no longer look like buildings. Below are 9 strange and unique structures which have either been approved or are in the final stages of approval. some have already been partially constructed. Welcome to the future landscape.
While a class action lawsuit is definitely one way to get Comcast to behave, another perhaps more productive way to do so is to have politicians step in and regulate. On Tuesday, I discussed the issue of Comcast’s anti-BitTorrent “network management” with Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who is a strong supporter of consumer rights and has led the battle to undo the damage caused by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. He was named Politician of the Year for 2006 by Library Journal, largely due to his efforts to protect the fair-use doctrine and expand Internet technologies to rural areas. “Comcast has made a major mistake in attempting to hinder peer-to-peer file sharing as an aspect of its network management,” Boucher said. “The inability of customers to (share files) significantly diminishes their ability to utilize the Internet for one of its most important applications, which is user-to-user content.” He also noted that “file sharing is already being used for a wide variety of perfectly lawful and appropriate applications.”
For some, it would be unthinkable — certain social suicide. But Gabe Henderson is finding freedom in a recent decision: He canceled his MySpace account. No longer enthralled with the world of social networking, the 26-year-old graduate student pulled the plug after realizing that a lot of the online friends he accumulated were really just acquaintances. He’s also phasing out his profile on Facebook, a popular social networking site that, like others, allows users to create profiles, swap message and share photos — all with the goal of expanding their circle of online friends.
In the endless daily battle against the fear and isolation of life under lock-down, the people of Baghdad have found a way to keep their city alive: moving it online. Instead of enjoying an outdoor meal at one of the fish restaurants along the Tigris embankment, 28-year-old housewife Dunya Saad spends her evenings at the computer in her living room, chatting with her friends on Yahoo! Messenger. Most of her relatives and friends live on the far side of the Tigris, and seeing them in person is nearly impossible. “It’s sad not to see your friends like in the good old days,” she sighed. “But online chatting has made things better.”
Is social networking changing the way people relate to each other? For some people, things move from “I have a feeling, I want to call a friend” to “I want to feel something, I need to make a call”. In either case, what is not being cultivated is the ability to be alone and to manage and contain one’s emotions. When technology brings us to the point where we’re used to sharing our thoughts and feelings instantaneously, it can lead to a new dependence, sometimes to the extent that we need others in order to feel our feelings in the first place.
'Lightpaintings' coined by Stephen Knapp were on display in the eisemann. The City of Richardson and supporters of the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations celebrated the completion and unveiling of the lightpainting, “Seven Muses” by internationally renowned artist Stephen Knapp, at an April reception in the Leftwich Grand Foyer. The commission of the lightpainting was made possible by a $250,000 gift to the City from Jim and Gayla Von Ehr of Richardson.
The metric system!? Where do you think you are — some country that values logic? This is America, buddy. Home of hopelessly complex tax laws! Birthplace of the nonsensical Electoral College! For well over 200 years, thanks to tradition and good old-fashioned patriotic stubbornness, the U.S. has been doing things that make no sense.
Posted by eneve 
Posted by eneve 
Posted by eneve 
