Clipmarks | tabsey's clips

Top 10 Anti-Abortion Myths

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:46:56 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: All statements are false. At the site you will see the reasons for the falseness.

Clip Source: civilliberty.about.com

1. "You can't be pro-choice and be anti-death penalty/anti-war at the same time."

False. The pro-choice position is predicated on the idea that women have the right to decide whether to carry their pregnancies to term. The victims of the death penalty and war are fully conscious persons rather than presentient entities in a woman's womb, so the moral questions involved are entirely different.

2. "Abortion causes breast cancer."

3. "This is what an abortion looks like."

4. "Even first-trimester fetuses can feel pain."

5. "Fetuses become conscious at 8 weeks."

6. "Emergency contraception causes abortions."

7. "Banning abortion will get rid of it, once and for all."

8. "Pro-choice activists want to increase the number of abortions."

9. "Pro-choice activists want abortion on demand until the moment of birth."

10. "Human life begins at conception."

Tags: men, make, abortion, rights, a, necessity

News Middle East Israel 'doubling' settlement growth

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:26:49 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: While Israel has been bullying the surrounding countries, this has received little coverage.

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

Israel has nearly doubled settlement construction activity in the occupied West Bank since 2007, a report by the rights group Peace Now says.

The report on settlement expansion coincided with the 18th visit by Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, to the Middle East, on Tuesday.

Rice urged Israel to stop expanding settlements, deemed illegal under international law, arguing that they were not helpful to the peace process.

"The settlement activity is not conducive to creating an environment for negotiations," Rice said at a news conference with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Earlier in Jerusalem, after talks with Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, Rice referred to settlements, saying "anything that undermines confidence between the parties ought to be avoided".

A US-backed "road map" for peace calls on Israel to halt all settlement activity in the West Bank and for Palestinians to rein in armed groups.

Vets, military families: McCain has been 'AWOL' on needs

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:19:44 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.michaelmoore.com

Democratic veterans praised Republican John McCain’s Vietnam service today, but said he’s been “AWOL” when it comes to boosting funding for vets’ medical care and the GI Bill.

“Senator McCain had honorably served as a POW and was courageous and was steadfast and he kept faith with his fellow POWs,” retired Air Force Col. Dick Klass told the DNC Veterans and Military Families Caucus.

“He has not kept faith with American’s veterans,”

It was Barack Obama, vets and military family members said, who had fought to repair the scandalously decrepit facilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and pushed legislation to help an estimated 200,000 homeless vets.

Now, Democratic vets, say it’s the non-veteran Obama – not the revered war hero McCain – whom they can trust to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and combat brain injuries and military families strained by the pressure of four or five combat tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Corruption seen as grave threat to Iraqi democracy

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:52:41 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: At first I thought that the Iraquis had been quick learners, but it is a way of survival in countries where incomes are low due to greed

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Corruption is a grave and gathering threat to Iraq's fragile democracy and its strides in curtailing bloodshed, a senior U.S. official in Baghdad said.

Unchecked, corruption "threatens the stability of the democracy, because people won't support a government that is widely viewed as corrupt through and through," Ambassador Lawrence Benedict, anti-corruption coordinator at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, said in an interview this week.

"Senior officials in the Iraqi government have characterized corruption as the second insurgency -- that's pretty strong language in a place like this," Benedict said. "Iraqis view it a serious problem, and we certainly share that view."

Widespread graft is drawing scrutiny as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government seeks to match success on the battlefield with government reforms and political progress.

After more than five years of war, violence across Iraq has dropped to levels not seen since 2004.

Huge statue of Roman ruler found

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:18:35 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Seems an early habit among politicians was to hang round these baths.
Nothing changes.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Parts of a giant, exquisitely carved marble sculpture depicting the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius have been found at an archaeological site in Turkey.

Marcus Aurelius ruled over the empire for 19 years

Fragments of the statue were unearthed at the ancient city of Sagalassos.

So far the statue's head, right arm and lower legs have been discovered, high in the mountains of southern Turkey.

Marcus Aurelius was portrayed by Richard Harris in the Oscar-winning 2000 film Gladiator and was one of the so-called "Five Good Emperors".

He reigned from 161AD until his death in 180AD.

In addition to his deeds as emperor, Marcus Aurelius is remembered for his writings, and is considered one of the foremost Stoic philosophers.

The partial statue was unearthed in the largest room at Sagalassos's Roman baths.

The cross-shaped room measures 1,250 sq m (13,500 sq ft), is covered in mosaics and was probably used as a frigidarium - a room with a cold pool which Romans could sink into after a hot bath.

Computer viruses make it to orbit

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:59:24 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: What better place than in the games, smuggled on laptops for those sleepless nights, for a virus to lurk.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A computer virus is alive and well on the International Space Station (ISS).

Nasa has confirmed that laptops carried to the ISS in July were infected with a virus known as Gammima.AG.

The worm was first detected on earth in August 2007 and lurks on infected machines waiting to steal login names for popular online games.

Nasa said it was not the first time computer viruses had travelled into space and it was investigating how the machines were infected.

Orbital outbreak

Space news website SpaceRef broke the story about the virus on the laptops that astronauts took to the ISS.

Nasa told SpaceRef that no command or control systems of the ISS were at risk from the malicious program.

The laptops infected with the virus were used to run nutritional programs and let the astronauts periodically send e-mail back to Earth.

The laptops carried by astronauts reportedly do not have any anti-virus software on them to prevent infection.

Spaceship Could Fly Faster Than Light

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:41:44 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Interesting theory. Anyone want the job of supreme crash test dummy?

Clip Source: www.space.com

Travel by bubble might seem more appropriate for witches in Oz, but two physicists suggest that a future spaceship could fold a space-time bubble around itself to travel faster than the speed of light.

We're talking about the very distant future, of course.

The idea involves manipulating dark energy — the mysterious force behind the universe's ongoing expansion — to propel a spaceship forward without breaking the laws of physics.

"Think of it like a surfer riding a wave," said Gerald Cleaver, a physicist at Baylor University. "The ship would be pushed by the spatial bubble and the bubble would be traveling faster than the speed of light."

In theory, the universe grew faster than the speed of light for a very short time after the Big Bang, driven by the dark energy that represents about 74 percent of the total mass-energy budget in the universe. Dark matter constitutes 22 percent of the budget, and normal matter (stars, planets and everything you see) makes up the remaining 4 percent or so.

Tags: does, time, reverse, at, speed, of, light

Photo Shows Stars Born in Huge Cosmic Wombs By Jeanna Bryner

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:38:52 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.space.com

A glitzy new family portrait of a star-forming region supports a theory that the universe's most massive stars carve out these wispy wombs and thereby enable stellar embryos to take shape.

The infrared photograph, which will be detailed in the Dec. 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal, bolsters a long-held theory of star formation.

Clip Source: www.space.com

In the W5 star-forming region, the oldest stars (blue dots) reside at the centers of two hollow cavities (other blue dots are background and foreground stars). Younger stars (pink dots) line the rims of the cavities, and some can be seen dots at the tips of the elephant-trunk-like pillars. The very youngest stars are forming in the white knotty areas, with heated dust (red) pervading the region's cavities. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

Tags: astronomy, beauty

Spitzer Space Telescope Celebrates 5th Birthday With Portrait of Stellar Nursery

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:16:44 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Good pic.

Clip Source: cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com

The team behind NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is celebrating the orbiting observatory's fifth birthday with a glittering, multigenerational picture of a star-forming region.

Stars young and old glitter in the Spitzer Space Telescope's latest infrared view of the W5 star-forming region. Click on the image for a larger version.

The new infrared view of the W5 region in the constellation Cassiopeia was unveiled today at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory as part of a celebration marking five years since Spitzer's launch in 2003. The view takes in an area of the sky equivalent to four full moons, 6,500 light-years from Earth, in one of our Milky Way's most picturesque stellar nurseries.

Tags: astronomy

SScientists have Created the World's 1st Blood Factory

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:53:31 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Not so sure about the picture. Seen her before.

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

This isn't a scene from "Hellraiser XXV: Dear God The Franchise Is Still Going", but a major breakthrough in medical technology. With the ability to grow blood in bulk we might never have to sit through another "Please please give blood" ad ever again.

A combination of commercial and academic researchers have produced a hundred billion blood cells by emulating the blood production system in human bone marrow. While that's only 1% of the blood in a human body, once you've got the process down you can just leave it running like the world's goriest tap - with the advantage that lab equipment very rarely does drugs or engages in unprotected sex, so the blood will be guaranteed disease free.

Zimbabwe Opposition MPs arrested in Parliament amid rigging claims

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:52:32 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Zimbabwe's Opposition claims Robert Mugabe is rigging a majority in Parliament by arresting opposition MPs.

Police walked into Zimbabwe's Parliament on Monday morning and arrested two members of the opposition who were preparing to be sworn in as MPs.

President Robert Mugabe is due to open Parliament tomorrow, five months after elections which saw the ruling Zanu-PF party lose its majority.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims police are looking to arrest 15 Opposition MPs as part of a ploy to regain a parliamentary majority by evil means.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that opening Parliament could derail a proposed power sharing agreement.

Tags: one, against, so, many; and, winning

Kids with pets grow up to be snorers: study

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:50:03 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Thinking of buying a pet for junior? Consider this: children who grow up in the company of cats, dogs or other furry friends are more likely to become snoring adults, according to a new study.

Snoring is no laughing matter. Besides sleep deprivation - for the snorer, and especially for anyone within earshot - snoring is linked to more serious consequences.

It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks or a stroke, and can even result in premature death.

Earlier research has shown that a tendency to snore can be established early in life.

To find out why, researchers led by Karl Franklin of University Hospital in Umea, Sweden asked more than 15,500 randomly selected people in Nordic countries about their early childhood, and their snoring habits.

Just over 18 per cent of the respondents fit the profile of habitual snorers, defined as "loud and disturbing snoring at least three nights in a week."

40 Unusual Websites you should Bookmark [2]

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:20 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: I posted the predecessor last year, this came out earlier. For those not sick of looking at new sites and comparing products.

Clip Source: www.makeuseof.com

1. beFunky - Awesome web app that turns images to cartoonized paintings and videos to cartoons.

2. DisplayWars - Incredibly simple tool that helps lots of people. Want to buy a new screen? DisaplyWars lets you compare screen sizes by mapping one display size on top of the other. For smaller items see SizeEasy.

3. DocSyncer - Synchronize office documents in your ‘My Documents’ folder with Google Docs account.

4. JotYou - By using this service you can send messages to others so they get them only when they are in the area you specify. [Video]

5. Keybr - Online keyboard to practice your touch typing skills.

6. Mint - The simplest way to manage your finances. More about Mint.

7. Numbr - Free disposable phone numbers.

8. PDFHammer - Merge, edit and rearrange PDF documents online.

9. PhoneSpell - Ever wondered if you phone number spells something memorable ? PhoneSpell will find it out.

Tags: gadgets, keep, you, off, the, scene

Amish population climbs 86%

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:52:45 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: This group don't have much of a carbon footprint. The simple life.

Clip Source: www.theage.com.au

AMERICA'S Amish — a quiet, reclusive people who disdain trappings of the modern world such as electricity and who travel in horse-drawn buggies — have seen their population nearly double in the past 16 years.

Members of the Anabaptist Protestant sect moved from Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and founded communities in the north-eastern states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

Today there are Amish communities in 28 US states and the Canadian province of Ontario, according to a new study released by the Anabaptist and Pietist studies department at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.

While in 1992 the researchers put the Amish population at 125,000, that figure rose to 231,000 in 2008 — an 86% increase.

During that period, Amish communities were founded in the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Mississippi and West Virginia.

Meanwhile, the Amish population grew 400% in Virginia, 200% in Kentucky, and 150% in Montana.

Crime gangs 'shunning weak US dollar'

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:37:22 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

The weakened US dollar has fallen out of favour with organised crime groups who need to pay for drug shipments or settle scores, a Canadian Government report has said.

And if the greenback continues its slide in 2008, as expected, more and more criminals are likely to use euros to pay for illicit goods, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada said in its annual report.

"The US dollar weakened significantly against other major currencies in 2007 and according to some economists, is expected to depreciate further in 2008," said the report.

"As a consequence, other currencies, particularly the euro, are poised to weaken the US dollar's dominance as the currency of choice for international remittances and payments.

"This trend could also drive an increase in observed instances of bulk-cash transfers denominated in currencies other than Canadian and US dollars," the report added.