Clipmarks | BitDrifter's clips

2006: McCain letter demanding regulation of Fannie and Freddie

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:14:26 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter

Angry Pakistani tribesmen attack Taliban after bombing

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:38:31 GMT

clipped by: tommy2balmy
clipper's remarks: Militants have unleashed a new wave of violence in Pakistan in recent months after the military launched major offensives against them in the rugged northwest including Bajaur and Swat regions.

The mounting militant threat prompted the government to convene a closed joint session of the two-chambered parliament for a briefing by intelligence officials on internal security.

The parliamentarians are due to begin debate on the situation after Pakistan's newly appointed intelligence chief briefed them this week on the militant threat.

The growing violence comes amidst a stepped-up campaign by the United States against militant targets inside Pakistan

Clip Source: www.khaleejtimes.com

Pakistan tribes raze Taliban houses after bombing

KOHAT, Pakistan - Angry Pakistani tribesmen traded fire with Taliban militants and demolished their houses in a northwestern tribal region after a car suicide attack killed at least 30 people, residents said on Saturday.

Television channels put the death toll at as high as 70.

The bomber drove his explosive-laden car into the middle of a tribal council meeting in Orakzai tribal region on Friday where hundreds of tribesmen were discussing a government-backed plan to raise a lashkar or tribal militia to force militants out of the region.

"Everyone is angry and upset here. The tribesmen attacked houses of the Taliban in Khadizai after the bombing. Two houses have been demolished," Noorzad Orakzai, a resident of the Khadizai area where attack took place, told Reuters by telephone.

The attack in Orakzai came a day after a suicide blast inside the heavily guarded police headquarters in the capital Islamabad in which eight policemen were wounded.

Tags: afganistan, war on terror, pakistan, taliban, bombing

World Bank Under Cyber Siege - "unprecedented crisis"

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:06:22 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

The World Bank Group's computer network — one of the largest repositories of sensitive data about the economies of every nation — has been raided repeatedly by outsiders for more than a year, FOX News has learned.

It is still not known how much information was stolen. But sources inside the bank confirm that servers in the institution's highly-restricted treasury unit were deeply penetrated with spy software last April. Invaders also had full access to the rest of the bank's network for nearly a month in June and July.

In total, at least six major intrusions — two of them using the same group of IP addresses originating from China — have been detected at the World Bank since the summer of 2007, with the most recent breach occurring just last month.

In a frantic midnight e-mail to colleagues, the bank's senior technology manager referred to the situation as an "unprecedented crisis."

Military Times Poll: Troops back McCain

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:35:57 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter

Clip Source: www.airforcetimes.com

Sen. John McCain enjoys overwhelming support from the military’s professional core, though race appears to be a decisive factor for career-oriented black service members, a Military Times survey of nearly 4,300 readers indicates.

McCain, R-Ariz., handily defeated Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., 68 percent to 23 percent

Officers and enlisted troops, active-duty members and reservists, those who have served in combat and those who haven’t, all backed McCain by large margins

Derriel D. Collins, who is black, said he was influenced by McCain’s service record, though he acknowledges black friends question his decision.

“I’m not going to give [my vote] to you just because you’re black,”

“John McCain went to war for this country, even though he had an admiral father who probably could have gotten him out of the service,” Collins said. “He stuck it out five years in a prisoner of war camp. If that ain’t fortitude, showing your willingness to go all the way, I don’t know what the credentials are.”

Ninja cat comes closer while not moving!

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:43:50 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter
clipper's remarks: LOL, this video had me LMAO.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Iraq Progress: Peace Wall Being Taken Down

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:34:36 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter
clipper's remarks: More great news for Iraqis and the United States.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The Sunni leader stood on the base of the crane next to his Shia counterpart, and inveighed against sectarianism.

"Iraq is one family," he said - to cheers from the crowd. "We are united now, Sunni, Shia, Christian, Turkmen and Kurd. One Iraq."

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

People are profoundly relieved fighting has stopped here.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Over in west Baghdad, Ameriya district was occupied by al-Qaeda for months.

Now, there are checkpoints jointly operated by the Iraqi army and by the local Awakening movement.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Life is returning to normal in Ameriya for Mohammed, who can now enjoy a walk with his daughter, Reen.

He said life under the al-Qaeda occupation was terrible.

"They wouldn't even let us smoke, and we couldn't buy bananas because they said they looked rude."

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The Americans are in the background in Ameriya now.

Superholographic Model of the Universe

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 23:56:46 GMT

clipped by: jimbo1000
clipper's remarks: An extraordinary article. The idea seems to hark back to Leibniz's monads which always seemed very strange but has followers in the philosophy world. The discoveries of science seem to be getting more counter-intuitive as time goes by

Clip Source: www.opednews.com

Superholographic Model of the Universe

Superholographic Model of the Universe Bridges the Worlds of Quantum Physics, the Electric Universe Model, ESP, and Religion.

Perhaps the most exciting model of the basic nature of the universe is the superholographic model. This is an astonishing theory which holds that the entire universe, including everything even the smallest subatomic particle, is like a hologram.

This interconnection of all, at the subatomic level with all things being infinitely interconnected , is a radical new way of viewing the universe. It does however, solve a number of problems in such diverse fields as quantum physics, the Electric Universe model, extra sensory perception (ESP), and offers a scientific basis to many theology based beliefs.

Religion is not separate from science, ESP and quantum physics are not mutually exclusive,

Tags: science, theology, philosophy

Best Ground-Based Image of Jupiter

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:35:30 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.universetoday.com

Everyone loves twinkling stars and moonlit nights—EXCEPT astronomers. But astronomers are crafty people, so they've come up with ways to mitigate the distortion that Earth's thick atmosphere causes for ground based telescopes (from which stars appear to twinkle). And now, a new image-correction technique has delivered the sharpest whole-planet ground-based picture ever. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) performed a record two-hour observation of Jupiter using a breakthrough technique to remove atmospheric blur. And what a result! Just take a look at that gorgeous image…And this new image reveals changes in Jupiter's smog-like haze, probably in response to a planet-wide upheaval more than a year ago.

GUILTY: OJ Simpson

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:58:45 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter
clipper's remarks: Could spend rest of life in prision.

Clip Source: www.breitbart.com

O.J. Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after he was acquitted of murder in 1995, was found guilty Friday of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Simpson, 61, could spend the rest of his life in prison. Sentenced was set for Dec. 5.

Ocean Shows Up In The Middle of Africa

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:05:57 GMT

clipped by: infopunk

Clip Source: io9.com

At the same time as Paraguay is drying up, Africa is ripping open, a slow process that will result in the emergence of a whole new ocean, according to Scientific American.

The rip you see above can't be resewn — as Eitan Haddock's photographs document.

Last year, scientists watched an 8 meter rip in the earth appear in only three weeks.

Change is nothing new for this part of the world: researchers recently revealed that the Sahara was entirely covered in vegetation at many points during the last 120,000 years.

Watch an ocean appear before your disbelieving eyes, after the jump.

This is lava from Erta Ale, an active shield volcano in the East African Rift.

You can view the full breakdown of how an ocean is born here, with more stunning photography from Haddock.

Birth of an Ocean: How It Works [Scientific American]
Scientists Witness 'Ocean Birth' [BBC News]

Tags: ocean, africa

Because of Obama

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:51:24 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Rare photo of frozen Niagara Falls, circa 1911

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:48:51 GMT

clipped by: pcmkrfn

Clip Source: www.amazingposts.com

Ants commit suicide to protect colony

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:24:11 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: sciencenow.sciencemag.org

Every night, the Brazilian ant Forelius pusillus takes self-sacrifice to a whole new level. At sunset, the colony protects its nest by sealing off the entrances with sand, and a few ants remain outside to complete the job. Unable to reenter, they die by the next morning--making them the first known example of a suicidal defense that is preemptive rather than a response to immediate danger.

Social insects are well-known for their willingness to die for their colonies; a number of bees, wasps, and ants succumb after their stings lodge in targets and break off. But until now, these insects were thought to engage in such suicide missions only when enemies were present.

These findings, which will appear in the November issue of the journal American Naturalist, show that staying outside was suicidal

Uncovering the pressures that drive this self-sacrifice could shed light on the evolution of altruism,

Tags: insects, ants, suicide, community, social, nature

CNN polls: Obama surges in swing states

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:23:06 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Voters in Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Virginia suggest a shift toward the Democratic presidential nominee

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- Polls in five crucial battleground states in the race for the White House released Wednesday suggest that Sen. Barack Obama is making some major gains.

The CNN/Time Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. polls of likely voters in Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Virginia suggest a shift toward the Democratic presidential nominee.

In Florida

51 percent of likely voters say Obama

47 percent

McCain

The last CNN poll taken in Florida

showed the race

tied at 48

Minnesota

Fifty-four percent

Obama

McCain

11-point lead is much larger than the 2-point

in the last CNN poll

similar story in Missouri, where 49

are backing Obama

48 percent supporting McCain

gain for Obama, who was down 5 points

Obama has a 4-point lead over McCain in Nevada, 51- 47

CNN's last survey

had McCain up slightly

In Virginia, which hasn't voted for the Democrats in a presidential contest since 1964, the new poll suggests Obama has a 9-point lead, 53-44 percent.

The last CNN survey in Virginia

had McCain up by 4

Tags: polls, politics, obama

Do We Live in a Giant Cosmic Bubble?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:30:18 GMT

clipped by: spherepet

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Do We Live in a Giant Cosmic Bubble?

30 September 2008

By Clara Moskowitz

This Chandra X-ray photograph shows Cassiopeia A (Cas A, for short), the youngest supernova remnant in the Milky Way. Credit: NASA/CXC/MIT/UMass Amherst/M.D.Stage et al.

If the notion of dark energy sounds improbable, get ready for an even more outlandish suggestion.

Earth may be trapped in an abnormal bubble of space-time that is particularly void of matter. Scientists say this condition could account for the apparent acceleration of the universe's expansion, for which dark energy currently is the leading explanation.

Dark energy is the name given to the hypothetical force that could be drawing all the stuff in the universe outward at an ever-increasing rate. Current thinking is that 74 percent of the universe could be made up of this exotic dark energy, with another 21 percent being dark matter, and normal matter comprising the remaining 5 percent.

no good way to choose between dark energy or the void explanation

Tags: cosmic bubble, existence