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Swimming with Tigers

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:28:22 GMT

clipped by: cakebelly

First shots of tigers swimming with humans

An animal park in Florida has found a unique way to develop bonds between humans and tigers.

Traditionally, trainers have struggled to build an attachment with the largest of the big cats because the sheer bulk of the animals limits the potential for physical interaction.

But the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, or TIGER, near Miami, claims to have overcome the problem by encouraging both tigers and humans to swim together in a specially adapted pool.

Tigers are known as the best swimmers of all the big cats with modified webbing between their toes to make their feet more like flippers.

Bhagavan Antle, director of the centre, said he wanted to give the 200lb, two metre long creatures an opportunity to exercise properly without giving them meat.

Filled with 100,00 gallons of water, one side of the entire pool is made of glass, so the public can see the handlers and the animals up close swimming together.

Black and white TV generation have monochrome dreams

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:18:01 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Fascinating. This is an unexpected influence of technology on the mind. It is interesting to know how colored dreams affect one's worldview.

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Do you dream in black and white? If so, the chances are you are over 55 and were brought up watching a monochrome television set.

While almost all under 25s dream in colour, thousands of over 55s, all of whom were brought up with black and white sets, often dream in monchrome - even now.

"It suggests there could be a critical period in our childhood when watching films has a big impact on the way dreams are formed.

"What is even more interesting is that before the advent of black and white television all the evidence suggests we were dreaming in colour."

The crucial time is between three and 10 when we all begin to have the ability to dream

Television and films which by their very nature are interesting and emotionally engaging and even dreamlike. So when you dream you may copy what you have seen on the screen

Tags: dreaming, technology, psychology

John Cleese on Sarah Palin

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:25:04 GMT

clipped by: brightlight4

Clip Source: video.tagged.com

John Cleese on Sarah Palin

[Video]

Berlin Protest Organizers Call European ISP Rules "Stasi 2.0"

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:14:24 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: spectrum.ieee.org

Demonstrators in Germany and elsewhere voice their dissatisfaction with a European directive on data retention

8 October 2008—Life in the former German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, was no picnic. This grim socialist state was known for the extraordinary amount of spying it carried out on its own citizens. Conservative estimates suggest that 1 in 50 East Germans regularly collaborated with the Ministry for State Security—the infamous Stasi. Although such pervasive intrusions into their personal lives are outside the direct experience of young Germans today, some of them have dubbed their government’s latest rules on the retention of Internet data by Internet service providers “Stasi 2.0.” And they’re angry enough about it to take to the streets. Demonstrations are planned this Saturday for Berlin and other cities.

The rationale, of course, is that this information will help officials combat serious crimes, such as acts of terrorism.

Tags: privacy, isp, data retention

ESP Experiment

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:57:42 GMT

clipped by: carrerinyes
clipper's remarks: He gets it right every time! How does he do it...?

Clip Source: sprott.physics.wisc.edu

I am conducting a fascinating ESP experiment.
Recent statistics suggest that my system can predict the correct outcome of your choice with 98% accuracy.

To prime the system, please select one of the three eyes below.

Clip Source: sprott.physics.wisc.edu

There are six small cards below. Do not select your card by clicking on it. Instead, please say the name of your card out loud so that you remember it.

Stare at your card above. When you have committed your card to memory, please click on one of the eyes below.

Clip Source: sprott.physics.wisc.edu

I have removed your card!

Quantum consistency is: 154 .

Was my ESP program correct? You can TRY the ESP test again

Here are explanations of the ESP results.
Contact Cliff if you wish to send your own explanation of the results.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. If I can guess your card, what else can I know about you?

Only 1 thing can slow military-industrial complex

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:51:19 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Excellent B-1 Bomber example: politically engineered.
While voting is essential, it is not enough. “Unless we see our vote as part of a commitment to involve ourselves consistently and unrelentingly in the political process , our vote is wasted. This is because the forces that have led us to this economic, military, and political precipice exert such awesome power over...Washington that no single candidate or group of legislators, whatever their intentions, can possibly go up against them unless armed with an irrepressible public mandate.”

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

the only thing that can slow it is what Eisenhower called an alert and knowledgeable citizenry, basically all of us being deeply engaged

the B-1 bomber has a piece of it made, a piece of the plane made, in every single US state. Now, why? I mean, that’s not an efficient way to make a product

the end, it turns out, that it serves is that the B-1 bomber was designed by its makers according to a process called political engineering

distributing the contracts and subcontracts to build a given weapons system to as many states, as many congressional districts as possible, not let’s make it as efficient as possible, but rather, let’s put it in as many districts as possible, so that if this thing ever comes up for review, everybody’s getting a piece of the action

as a result, when

the questions arise—Do we need the B-1 bomber?

there is a constituency built in in Congress that’s going to keep that thing going

involve ourselves consistently and unrelentingly in the political process

Tags: military-industrial complex

Is America Fascist?

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:20:22 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: You think it can’t happen to you...

Clip Source: www.informationclearinghouse.info

Is America Fascist?

If it hasn’t gone the way of Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, it’s sure teetering on the brink. America is a nation in deepening crisis

Americans that can clearly see the totalitarian machinations of Vladimir Putin in Russia and Hu Jintao in China are blind to the fascism threatening to envelop them as well.

A comparison of 20th century fascist and communist regimes with President Bush’s USA indicates the machinery for a full-blown totalitarian takeover is now in place, even if no coup has occurred.

“a totalitarian governmental system led by a dictator and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism, militarism, and often racism.”

the Military Commissions Act of 2006

“The Decider”

If there have been no mass arrests of native-born Americans it is only because the president has not chosen to exercise this authority.

enemy combatants

no charges

no lawyers

no family visits

no court reviews

no rights to anything

no right to release until the mythical end to the ‘war on terror.’”

First Colin Powell, Now…

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:58:52 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Ken Adelman is a lifelong conservative Republican. Campaigned for Goldwater, was hired by Rumsfeld at the Office of Economic Opportunity under Nixon, was assistant to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld under Ford, served as Reagan’s director of arms control, and joined the Defense Policy Board for Rumsfeld’s second go-round at the Pentagon, in 2001.

Clip Source: www.newyorker.com

Primarily for two reasons, those of temperament and of judgment.

When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.

Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.

That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.

Tags: politics, united states, republicans