Clipmarks | cazzo1's clips

Egypt: World's Oldest Footprint

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:47:48 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1
clipper's remarks: Zahi Hawass, I met that guy in Egypt...he was my tour guide! So clearly, he knows what he's talking about. Nice discovery, man.

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Egyptian archaeologists have found what they said could be the oldest human footprint in history in the country's western desert, the Arab country's antiquities' chief, Ahi Hawass, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said on Monday.

"This could go back about two million years," said Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. "It could be the most important discovery in Egypt," he told Reuters.

Khaled Saad, the director of prehistory at the council, said that based on the age of the rock where the footprint was found, it could date back even further than the renowned 3-million year-old fossil Lucy, the partial skeleton of an ape-man, found in Ethiopia in 1974.

Tags: ancient history, egypt, footprint

America in Denial

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:12:00 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1
clipper's remarks: 'I am what I am, damnit.' No matter how hard politicians try, they cannot fool the intelligent. The idea of a false liberal choice in the presidential election is not new, however, this test turns the qualitative into quantitative reasoning. In a statistical world, this conversion is basic but accurate and provides a solid explanation for what is recognized yet left widely unsaid. Right on, math.

Clip Source: deepthought.newsvine.com

The Theory

The diagrams are based on a modified model developed by Hans Eysenck in the early 1960s. A test is used that poses questions that are typical indicators of various political and social belief systems and allows that to be plotted on a chart.

The formula and the questions are related so that the corresponding viewpoint will be mapped accurately to the grid.

The Problem

What can be observed from the US primaries of 2007 is that all the candidates, whether they identify themselves as left or right wing, are in fact right wing.

As such, the US has no real choice when entering the 2008 elections. It will be a choice of a right-wing conservative, or a right-wing conservative in denial.

Tags: left, right, conservative, liberal, president, election, 2008

America is to Superpower as Donald Duck is to Super Hero

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:53:12 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1
clipper's remarks: Once again, America is seen as becoming a lame duck.

Clip Source: www.thenation.com

When it comes to discovering regular signs like these of the visible decline of American global power, you can actually do this exercise yourself. Just keep an eye on your daily paper--or start by checking out the latest sweeping piece, "America on the Downward Slope," by Middle Eastern expert Dilip Hiro

When viewed globally and in the great stretch of history," he concludes, "the notion of American exceptionalism that drove the neoconservatives to proclaim the Project for the New American Century in the late 20th century--adopted so wholeheartedly by the Bush administration in this one--is nothing new.... No superpower in modern times has maintained its supremacy for more than several generations. And, however exceptional its leaders may have thought themselves, the United States, already clearly past its zenith, has no chance of becoming an exception to this age-old pattern of history."

Tags: america, bush, superpower, global, decline, power

Liberals Read More, so ha!

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:23:46 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1
clipper's remarks: "Peeling the onion" is what it gets down to in today's political hoo-ha. In an age of exacting technology and sciences where nobody believes much unless it is backed by extensive research, wouldn't it just make sense that the more you read, the more information you have and the better off you are to have informed opinions? I, for one, prefer informed opinion making, which ultimately leads to a thorough analysis and decision making. Slogans are catchy and for the dumb-witted followers.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON - Liberals read more books than conservatives. The head of the book publishing industry's trade group says she knows why — and there's little flattering about conservative readers in her explanation.

She said liberals tend to be policy wonks who "can't say anything in less than paragraphs. We really want the whole picture, want to peel the onion."

"Obfuscation usually requires a lot more words than if you simply focus on fundamental principles, so I'm not at all surprised by the loquaciousness of liberals," he said.

Among those who had read at least one book, liberals typically read nine books in the year, with half reading more than that and half less. Conservatives typically read eight, moderates five.

Tags: book, read, conservative, liberal, democrat, republican

Bush Blunders Bemuse and Befuddle

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:09:15 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1
clipper's remarks: Often in discourse, one finds himself waiting to rebut, not listen. In this case, George W Bush needs to do one of two things: stop being a god-driven absolutist with a knack for impatience or, simply, retrieve the worlds largest Q-tip and get down to business. Listen, George, the first option's your best bet.

Clip Source: www.newsvine.com

"The ideals and interests that led America to help the Japanese turn defeat into democracy are the same that lead us to remain engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq," Bush said in advance excerpts of a Wednesday speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Progress on national level issues has been extremely disappointing and frustrating to all concerned — to us, to Iraqis, to the Iraqi leadership itself," Crocker said.

Tags: bush, president, iraq, war, national, afghanistan

Chomsky: If US was a true Democracy!

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:41:54 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: On all these topics, White House policy is completely at odds with what public opinion wants. But the media rarely publish the polls that highlight this persistent public opposition. Not only are citizens excluded from political power, they are also kept in a state of ignorance as to the true state of public opinion. There is growing international concern about the massive US double deficit affecting trade and the budget. But both are closely linked to a third deficit, the democratic deficit that is constantly growing, not only in the US but all over the western world.

The US press sometimes publishes even my work, and the US is not a totalitarian country. But anyone who fails to fulfil certain minimum requirements does not stand a chance of becoming an established commentator.

One of the big differences between the propaganda system of a totalitarian state and democratic societies go about things. Exaggerating slightly, in totalitarian countries the state decides the official li

Clip Source: mondediplo.com

There’s an alternative world... if only we can find it
Democracy’s invisible line

Chomsky talks about the mechanisms behind modern communication, an essential instrument of government in democratic countries – as important to our governments as propaganda is to a dictatorship

Take the eventuality of a war against Iran. Three-quarters of Americans think the United States should stop its military threats and concentrate on reaching agreement by diplomatic means

But you would have to search long and hard to find this kind of information in the media.

If Iran and the US were true democracies, in which the majority really decided public policy, they would undoubtedly have already solved the current nuclear disagreement.

Look at the US federal budget. Most Americans want less military spending and more welfare expenditure, credits for the United Nations, and economic and international humanitarian aid.

cancel the tax reductions decided by

Bush for the benefit of the biggest taxpayers.

Tags: usa, media, democracy, iran

Speed Reading

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:34:00 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1

Clip Source: speedreading.successfaculty.com

Shifting your eyes from left to right - This is quite common among readers. However, this might make you think that you are a speed reading, but you will notice your folly after reading a few paragraphs. Letting your eyeballs jump from left to right, slow your speed down after a while. The best way to maintain speed is to focus your eyes at the center of the line and shift then down the lines. This is particularly helpful in reading columns. You will be surprised at the tremendous speed!

Tags: reading, habits

Indigenous Peoples: taken advantage of

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:23:42 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1

Clip Source: race.eserver.org

The annual market value of drugs derived from medicinal plants discovered, developed and passed from generation to generation by indigenous peoples exceeds $43 billion. Drug companies tap into this indigenous knowledge basis but rarely share the profits with indigenous peoples. Thus indigenous peoples are attempting to gain greater protection for their intellectual property.

Tags: pharmacology, drugs

Indigenous Peoples

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:18:34 GMT

clipped by: cazzo1

Clip Source: race.eserver.org

The world's estimated 300 million indigenous people are spread across the world in more than 70 countries. Among them are the Indians of the Americas, the Inuit and Aleutians of the circumpolar region, the Saami of northern Europe, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and the Maori of New Zealand.

Tags: history, ancestory, descent

The Best Online Research Apps/Sites You've Never Heard Of

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:26:16 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: oedb.org

Research can be a time consuming and sometimes tedious task. How can you make it easier for yourself? While there is no complete substitute for a good old-fashioned trip to the library, you can find a wide variety of information with many research tools. Here are a few sites listed in alphabetical order. You might not be familiar with some of the resources, but they can help supplement and improve your research.

Artcyclopedia

BioMedCentral

Digital History

FindArticles.com

Internet History Sourcebooks

Internet Public Library

Librarians Internet Index

Library of Congress

Perseus Digital Library

Project Gutenberg

Research Guide for Students -

U.S. Government Manual

Tags: research

Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:09:21 GMT

clipped by: sam.reckoner

Clip Source: www.ft.com

Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned

The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector has warned.

Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were “striking similarities” between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including “declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government”.

“They need to make fiscal responsibility and inter-generational equity one of their top priorities. If they do, I think we have a chance to turn this around but if they don’t, I think the risk of a serious crisis rises considerably”.

Tags: politics, government, finance, economy

A Celebration of the English Language

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:44:53 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: www.rinkworks.com

A Celebration of the English Language

Letter Frequencies - How often does each letter of the alphabet appear in English?

Word Oddities - A collection of miscellaneous fun facts about words.

Palindromes - Sentences that read the same backward as they do forward.

Pangrams - Sentences that contain every letter of the alphabet.

Autograms - Sentences that self-document their letter content.

Conflicting Proverbs - Pairs of wise sayings that contradict each other.

Commonly Looked Up Words - What words are most frequently looked up in dictionaries, and what do they mean?

Glossary of Linguistics and Rhetoric - What do euphemism, hendiadys, cacophony, and procatalepsis mean?

Glossary of Fun Words - What word means to throw out of a window? To dance a child on one's knees?

Contronyms - Words that serve as their own antonyms.

Unusual Word Forms - Strange ways certain words are pluralized or are changed from one gender to the other.

Tags: a celebration of the english language, funny