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The mystery of moving rocks is yet to be revealed...

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:16:04 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: "Over the years there were many speculations and possible explanations made on how the stones move, ranging from supernatural to very complex. Most hypotheses favored by interested geologists posit that strong winds when the mud is wet are at least in part responsible. But some stones weigh as much as a human, which some researchers feel is too heavy for the area's wind to move. They maintain that ice sheets around the stones either help to catch the wind or move in ice flows. But both theories don't explain how two rocks right next to each other could go in two opposite directions or one could stay put while the one three times the size, doesn't. So far every attempt of explanation has been insufficient and purely assumptive. The mystery of moving rocks is yet to be revealed".

Clip Source: stressbuster1.com

The moving rocks, also known as sliding rocks or sailing stones, are a geological phenomenon found in Racetrack Playa, a seasonally dry lake (a playa) located in the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley National Park , California. The rocks move across the surface of the playa, leaving long tracks behind them as they go, without human or animal intervention. They have never been seen or filmed in motion.

Racetrack rocks only move once every two or three years and most tracks last for just three or four years. Rocks with rough bottoms leave straight striated tracks while those with smooth bottoms wander. Most of the moving stones originate from an 850 foot (260 m) high hillside made of dark dolomite on the south end of the playa, but some are intrusive igneous rock from adjacent slopes. Tracks are often tens to hundreds of feet (low to high tens of meters) long, a few to 12 inches (8 to 30 cm) wide, and typically less than an inch (2.5 cm) deep.

Uncritical thinking kills

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:49:23 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: blogs.discovermagazine.com

When I saw this website, I laughed. I couldn’t help it; it’s a funny idea.

That webcam site is a joke. It’s not real, it’s a satire on people who think the LHC would cause the end of the world. I laughed when I saw it.

But I’m not laughing now.

In India the other day, a young girl, distraught with fear that the world was ending when the LHC turned on, killed herself. She died, because she didn’t understand the truth.

Now that site is less funny, isn’t it? All over the world, in all different countries, people are raised to believe in superstitious nonsense, and raised to believe with all their hearts that it’s real.

And when we do that, we do far more than remove people from reality. We leave them vulnerable to all manners of nonsense, from believing in fairies to truly and honestly thinking the LHC will destroy the planet

Children die

Question authority. Be skeptical of claims. Ask for evidence. Apply good logic. Avoid bad logic. Analyze the results. Look for bias.

And doubt. Doubt doubt

I now have foriegn experience similar to Palin's

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:50:19 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: So, in order to get a grasp of Sarah Palin’s impressive foreign policy experience, particularly her unique perspective on Russia, I decided to visit Google Images and take a look at some pictures of Russia. Incredible how seeing what a place looks like from afar can enhance your understanding of their strategic place in the world and prepare you to deal with them in international affairs.

Honestly, after taking a hard look at these pictures, and realizing that Sarah Palin has actually seen Russia from miles away with her own eyes, I feel entirely confident that she has the proper experience and expertise necessary to be President. In fact, I’m thinking that Russia must be shaking in their boots at the prospects of someone with such a unique perspective on their landscape being in the White House.

You know what, this has me thinking that maybe i could be President. I’ve started a business, I take my daughter to soccer practice (I guess that would make me a soccer dude) and I

Clip Source: blog.ratestogo.com

Clip Source: www.juneauempire.com

Clip Source: www.flickr.com

Clip Source: www.illywhacker.com

Clip Source: alaska.org

Tags: palin, russia, politics, election

Professor: McCain may incite war with Russia

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:07:10 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Andrei P Tsygankov is professor of international relations and political science at San Francisco State University and the author of Anti-Russian Lobby and American Foreign Policy (forthcoming)

Clip Source: www.atimes.com

Few people in the American political class have contributed more to provoking possible military escalation with Russia than Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain.

A prominent member of the American establishment, McCain has been an extremely partisan advocate of US ties with the small Georgia at the expense of relations with Russia. McCain advisors are also known to have worked as paid lobbyists for Georgia. In the words of the New York University law professor Stephen Gillers, the latter "poses valid questions about McCain's judgment" in choosing those who "are paid to promote the interests of other nations".

If McCain is elected president, it is likely that Russia will be treated as an enemy, rather than a potential partner, and US-Russia relations will escalate into a military confrontation.

there is

the possibility that McCain will do what he says, and chose steps leading to a military escalation with the second largest world nuclear power

Tags: mccain, russia