Now that people have started to receive their JooJoo tablets, it was only a matter of time before someone tore it down and revealed its inner secrets. The question is, what did they find? More »
Radical Islamic demonstrators in front of the Palestinian House in Toronto yell anti-Semitic slogans at Jewish counter-demonstrators across the street. One of them is caught on video, yelling, "We need another Holocaust." (Comment at 5 seconds in.)
Mark Steyn at National Review reports on other slurs yelled at the gathered Jews including:
"We love jihad..." We love killing dogs..." "your bitches with you".
HUMAN RIGHTS FROM THE RIGHT
Ayaan Ali Hirsi spoke on the campus of North Michigan University last Wednesday. The former Dutch Parliamentarian and friend/colleague of Dutch MP Geert Wilders, addressed an audience of over 400 attendees.
The title of her speech was "Refuse to be Silenced." Hirsi is a victim of Islamic violence, and threats. First, as a young girl, she was forced to undergo female circumsicion. From her speech:
"There is female genital mutilation that happens at the age of 5, 6 or 7 that is a sewing of the genitals and the cutting off of the clitoris to ensure that you are a virgin when you reach the age of marriage,” Ali said. “It’s justified in the name of Islam..."
When she fled to the Netherlands, Islamic radicals from her homeland in Somalia and even in Western Europe, threatened her life. As a Freedom-supporting Member of the Dutch Parliament she watched as an ally Pim Forturn was murdered on the street from a Muslim-sympathizing political extremist. And then two years later her partner Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was similarly murdered.
From Booker T. Rising "Libertarian Activist gives Speech on Islam & Woman's Rights":
“It’s very important to know that Islam as a theology, the political and social dimension of Islam, and not the religious aspects, are not just dangerous but also incompatible with the American doctrine of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Ms. Hirsi Ali, a libertarian feminist who was born in Somalia, said.
Ms. Hirsi Ali, who is an atheist, said that the peace-loving and law-abiding majority of Muslims turn a blind eye to the injustices that occur often in their culture. “When Muslims commit violent crimes in the name of the Qur’an...the peace-loving majority goes into denial, they become defensive,” she said.
Ms. Hirsi Ali, who is a former Dutch parliamentarian, said she was attracted to the U.S. because of the freedom of expression and the freedom to dissent. Under sharia law, Ms. Hirsi Ali said women have to be especially careful to not speak...
From the North Wind (NMU):
Junior Melanie Bell, chairperson for the event, said Ali has a unique viewpoint being an apostate in the eyes of her Muslim family and friends.
“Ali has faced adversity in her life that most will never come close to knowing,” Bell said.
Bell also said that because of her outspoken nature, Ali has angered some Islamic extremists.
“Her short film ‘Submission,’ about the oppression of women under the Islamic faith, drew great attention,” she said.
Even though Ali has become a target of Islamic extremists who wish to silence her, she continues speaking because the message she conveys transcends the blind hatred of radicals.
“As more people become aware of the violence, it will become more difficult for people to ignore it,” Ali said.
Note - in 2007, Libertarian Republican blog proclaimed. Ms. Ali "Libertarian of the Year."
by Eric Dondero
The roots of the Tea Party at its core, stem from the annual Tax Day protests sponsored by the Libertarian Party going back decades. Way back in the late 1970s, Libertarians would gather on April 15, in localities across the Nation and wave signs calling for the Abolishment of the IRS, and other Anti-Tax slogans. The protests became a fixture at Post Offices each Tax Day.
Some further background:
• As far back as 2006, a renegade Libertarian Party group, broke with the LP for perceived moderation of National LP leaders and formed a rival organization called "Boston Tea Party." The name was picked up by other Libertarians. And some have credited the use of that term with the launching of the national Tea Party movement.
• Throughout 2008, Libertarian Party members were calling for nationwide "Tea Party like" protests against Bush's bailouts and TARP.
• The very first Tea Party protests organized in 2008 and early 2009 (most especially Denver and Seattle), were formed by the Libertarian Party and the Campaign For Liberty, supporters of 1988 Libertarian Presidential candidate and 2008 GOP Presidential contender Ron Paul.
• The first unofficial leader/organizer of the burgeoning Tea Party movement was Eric Odom, at the time an Executive Board member of the Libertarian Party of Illinois.
Now, surprise, surprise. A government-funded institution for learning, the University of South Florida (St. Pete), has come out with a major study that finds, the Tea Party movement does not emenate or comfortably coincide with the Republican Party, but rather it's more of a Libertarian Party movement.
Yet, in their entire report, the government-funded institution doesn't even mention the Libertarian Party by name, nor give the 37-year old third party any credit.
From The Hill "Tea Parties not beholden to GOP":
A poll released Saturday depicts the Tea Party movement as a staunchly libertarian group that is unhappy with both political parties, suggesting that the group is still not sold on voting for Republicans in the fall.
From TampaBay.com "Deficit stirs up the tea party":
A new national survey portrays the tea party movement as largely Ross Perot-style libertarians, who are almost as unhappy with Republicans as they are with Democrats.
The polling runs counter to popular perceptions of tea partiers as either a wing of the Republican Party or as people from the cultural fringes who are mad at almost everything.
The movement, all agree, is not attracting many social conservatives. "We're not seeing right-to-lifers or Christian fundamentalists," [study co-author] O'Neal said. "We're seeing a lot of libertarians."
And this further info:
People were asked if they considered themselves part of the tea party movement. Overall, 17 percent of those called said they did. Of that group, 57 percent called themselves Republicans; 28 percent said they were independents; 13 percent were Democrats.
Two-thirds claimed to be conservatives, 26 percent were moderates, and 8 percent called themselves liberal.
Okay, you would think then, that the story line which would logically follow would be that the Republican Party is in danger of losing votes on its limited government Right flank to the Libertarian Party in 2010 elections. After all, a near 1,000 candidates are planning to run for local, state and national offices on the LP ticket in 2010; 200 in Texas alone.
But no. The liberal media ignores that angle, choosing instead to focus in on the problems in general the GOP will have in winning over these voters. Continuing from The Hill:
The survey indicates that Republicans still have more work to do to woo Tea Party voters to their side in November... Tea Partyers are still wary of shacking up with the Republicans. Several third-party and insurgent Republicans are running in primary races across the country against more established GOP candidates.
There's a simple explanation: The liberal media is loathe to report on anything about the Libertarian Party. Doing so, automatically shifts the political spectrum to the limited government Right.
Republicans want tax relief? Well, the Libertarian Party wants to slash taxes across the board, and abolish the IRS.
Republicans want Social Security reform? Well, the Libertarian Party wants to abolish S.S.
Republicans want Charter Schools, Educational Choice and greater Parent participation in schooling? Libertarians want to privatize public Eduction altogether and eliminate all compulsory Public School Attendance laws.
It's easy to see why it would not be advantageous for the liberal media to give any play to the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian Party makes Republicans look downright moderate.
Thus, we have the absurdity of the Tampa Bay Tribune, and the respected Beltway publication The Hill, coming out with a survey finding admitting that the Tea Party is "libertarian," but not even mentioning the Libertarian Party at all.
Note - standard disclaimer on Ron Paul applies: absolutely fantastic on domestic issues, particularly free market economics; we disagree wholeheartedly with his foreign policy.
From Eric Dondero:
While swank Republican fundraisers at gentlemen's clubs and fundraising letter errors from Michael Steele and the RNC, seem to be gaining a great deal of attention from the liberal media these days, this one has oddly escaped coverage from national media outlets except the local LA Times.
Apparently the Democratic Congressional Committee (DCC) believes Libertarian Republican congressman and card-carrying he-man Dana Rohrabacher is a chic.
From the L.A. Times:
Need any proof of Washington's basic cluelessness these days? The D.C.-based Democratic committee apparently needs help figuring out exactly who or what it is really after.
Today it put out a news release headlined:
Not an April Fools’ Day Joke: Representative Dana Rohrabacher Caught Trying to Take Credit for Jobs She Voted Against
Too bad the release wasn't an April Fool's Day joke. It would have made sense then. Because Dana Rohrabacher is a guy.
In case there's still any lingering questions, Rohrabacher is a former semi-pro surfer, carried an M-16 in the mountains of Afghanistan in the 1980s fighting the Soviets, and has a daily work-out routine, including barbells, and the bench press.
Photo of Dana Rohrabacher's beach gal wife Rhonda, and their three kids in Huntington Beach, California, submitted as further proof of his male virility.
(H/t our friends at RedState.)
From Eric Dondero:
Democrats and the liberal media have been savaging libertarian-leaning Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele over the recent controversy of RNC funds used at a Topless club in Los Angeles. Now, an odd partner has joined in. The Religious Right is now attacking Steele, as well. Some religious conservatives (not all), have even advised their adherents to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee cause of Steele's "reckless" behavior.
But as gay gal Bridgette P. LaVictoire of the aptly named LezGetReal blog states, other GOPers, particularly libertarian Republicans are rather laissez faire on such matters.
From LezGetReal.com:
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council has put out a missive telling those who will listen to him to not give money to the RNC or the Republican Party itself. This comes after a $2000 trip by Republican staffer Alyson Myers and several donors to a voyeuristic bondage club where women simulate lesbian sex acts.
According to Perkins “This latest incident is another indication to me the RNC is completely tone-deaf to the values and concerns of a large number of people they are seeking financial support from.” Of course, the GOP’s libertarian wing, which is growing rather stronger lately, has little interest in many of the issues that Perkins and his fellow Social Conservatives support.
As LaVictoire suggests, a loss of Religious Right donors could all be made up for, by a gain of more socially tolerant younger voters, and even gay voters who have a great deal of disposable income; both groups having been previously skeptical of the GOP.
Tells Obama supporting patients to seek health care services elsewhere
From Eric Dondero:
Leslie Campione is an attorney in Lake County, Florida. She has just declared her candidacy for Lake County Commissioner as a Republican.
Ms. Campione's husband, a Mt. Dora urologist, has recently received a great deal of local, and even national media attention. Dr. Jack Cassell has posted a sign in the window of his practice:
"If you Voted for Obama, seek Urologic Health Care elsewhere"
According to the Orlando Sentinel, while Dr. Cassell, a staunch Republican, discourages visits by Democrat Obama supporters, he does not turn them away. But he does offer them plenty of GOP literature, and anti-ObamaCare information in the waiting room of his office.
According the HuffPo a little sign on the table reads:
"This is what the morons in Washington have done to your health care. Take one, read it and vote out anyone who voted for it."
Campione told the Sentinel that the reactions from her husband's patients have been "overwhelmingly supportive."
Lake County happens to be in the heart of loudmouth Democrat Congressman Tray Grayson's district. Of course, Grayson, never a loss for words, had this to say:
"I'm disgusted. Maybe he thinks the Hippocratic Oath says, ‘Do no good.' If this is the face of the right-wing in America, it's the face of cruelty…Why don't they change the name of the Republican Party to the Sore Loser Party."
(H/t Memeo)
Venus and Mercury over Japan on March 30th. Image: Mitsuo Muraoka via Science@NASA
UPDATE: This is a VERY nice pairing. Mercury popped out nicely at 7:52 pm EDT. Look more to the northwest at around 7:52 your local time. They pair are much closer than in the image above.
There will be a great chance to see a great pairing of Mercury and Venus coming up very soon.
Both planets are reaching eastern elongation. That is the point in their orbits where they appear to reach the point in their travels furthest east of the sun. When that happens the planets are visible after the sun sets for a few days either side of the elongation. Venus is visible for quite some time, Mercury not so much, so be sure to have a look and don’t forget to point it out to the kids.
Dates of Eastern Elongation:
Look to the western horizon as light fades some, you will pick up Venus first, it will be well above the horizon. Mercury will become visible shortly afterwards and a bit lower in the sky. The two planets will get as close as 3o so as I said they will make for a great sight. April 3rd and 4th is probably the best nights to look to see the close pairing.
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The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the red planet doing NASA’s work since 2006. Now, it’s finally following your direction. Using the HiWish page, Mars enthusiasts have been requesting sites for the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) on board the orbiter to photograph. This week, NASA released the first batch of images from what it’s calling “the people’s camera.”
This image of an area, Deuteronilus Mensae, shows high mesas surrounded by buildups called lobate debris aprons. These are particularly interesting as they seem to contain nearly pure ice.
All images: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
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With so much personal information floating around the Internet, managing an online reputation can be a challenge, especially for people looking for a job or hoping for a promotion. Professional networking sites like LinkedIn have helped people manage their reputations by allowing them to post tightly controlled professional profiles–on LinkedIn, users can request recommendations from colleagues, which they can first approve before posting them on their profiles. But while those profiles are useful, some people see them as a little more than organized puffery.
Soon, however, more daring professionals can also use the services of Unvarnished–a controversial new Web site where users can leave anonymous reviews of a person’s work. Billed as Yelp for people, the site is built on user-generated reviews, and it aims to present an “unvarished” picture of a worker’s strengths or weaknesses. So far, the reviews of the beta version of the site have been scathing. Apart from being named “2010’s worst startup” [Econsultancy], the site has also been described as a “clean, well-lighted place for defamation” [Vator News].
The site, created by Peter Kazanjy, is currently available by invitation-only and was released in its beta form a few days ago. You can either join a waiting list or wait for someone to send you an invite via Facebook, asking for a review. Once you connect, you have to submit a review for your account to be activated; that allows you to “claim” your profile–because if someone has already submitted a review of you, your profile already exists. Once your profile exists you can request reviews of your work. And of course, you can submit as many anonymous reviews as you like.
If someone posts a nasty review of your work, however, the site does not allow you the option of removing the post or deleting your profile, leading some to worry that the anonymous reviews opens the forum up to personal vendettas and amplifies everything that is awful about the web right now: anonymous, drive-by, ad hominem attacks that can’t be erased or edited and that live in search forever [CNET].
There is also no way of judging the value of the reviews left on a user’s profile, which some people argue diminishes the value of the whole site. After all, an endorsement from a top executive at a well-known company is going to be far more compelling than a negative review by a former entry-level co-worker who never worked with you directly. In the absence of any ability to truly assess a reviewers credibility (either through identity or review history), Unvarnished anonymous reviews have little to no inherent value [Econsultancy].
Other critics worry that Unvarnished may do more harm than good to professional reputations as people tend to magnify the negative; an employee with 50 extremely positive reviews and 5 very negative reviews would be at a disadvantage against someone with no Unvarnished profile [Techcrunch].
Creator Peter Kazanjy stands by his decision to allow anonymous posts which cannot be deleted by the user, pointing out that other review sites such as TheFunded.com, where people can rate venture capitalists and Tripadvisor, where people rate hotels and vacation spots would be useless, if the business owners could delete negative reviews. “The idea is to create a place, not where people only give F-minuses, but a place where people can feel comfortable to give B-pluses or A-minuses,” Kazanjy said. “Reviews then actually mean something” [Los Angeles Times].
There are some brave souls who are willing to give the new site a shot, describing it as a LinkedIn with teeth: minus the sappy reviews people post to each others’ profiles on that site. LinkedIn with teeth makes it seem more mundane, and that is the truth of the matter. Browse around a little and you’ll calm down pretty quickly. Come back later when you’re considering working with someone and you may find it useful [ReadWriteWeb].
Related Content:
80beats: Some M.D.s Try to Amputate Online Reviews
80beats: Hey Perp: That Facebook Friend Request May Come From the FBI
Discoblog: Class-Action Lawsuit Accuses Yelp of Extortion
Discoblog: Worst Science Article of The Week: Facebook Causes Syphilis
Image: Unvarnished
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I met Kirk Crippens at the Photo Alliance portfolio review in San Francisco a few weeks back, and was psyched to view his project Pixel Nation. I liked that the images in this series isolate everyday textures we take for granted, revealing the unexpected.
Crippens reports that while photographing pixels he discovered an ornate world of color and structure that he photographed at varying magnifications. Crippens: “Many of the photographs were taken with long exposures while the images on the screen were changing. This process meant that I did not know what the photo would look like until after the image was captured. With analog television ending in 2009, I decided to include the patterns of older screens, the pre-pixel screens. Changes have occurred in pixel design over the years – from the simple dashes and dots of early color TVs and computer monitors to plasma’s gaseous pixels and HD television’s intricately designed pixels. The ubiquitous pixel has been transforming just under our gaze.” Behold, the lowly pixel!
Sony Trinitron
Images courtesy Kirk Crippens
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[Note: This post honors the day that is April 1.]
I have posted many a picture purporting paranormal parts that are actually just our minds playing tricks on us. But this one really puts us to the test. Or testis.
Yes. It’s a haunted scrotum.
It looks more like a monkey to me than a ghostly face, and there’s a vas deferens between them. Maybe you see something different. Leave a comment if you do, and please keep it clean… but have a ball.
Tip o’ the urethra to Dr. Joe Albietz.
Letter from Rep. Posey to President Obama Regarding The Space Summit
"I understand you will visit Kennedy Space Center on April 15, 2010, presumably to provide details on your vision and plan for America's human space flight program. My office has not yet received an invitation, agenda, or any other preliminary information on this event. I write to inform you that I would very much appreciate the opportunity to participate in the event with you."
Keith's note: Lets see, things are already rather raw down in Florida as a result of the proposed FY 2011 NASA budget. So ... what does OSTP do? Why, they just make things worse by continuing to ignore the very people most affected by the new space policy.
But the fact that Rep. Posey is being kept in the dark should not be at all surprising. You see, no one knows exactly what this Space Summit/Conference is or is not going to be. There is currently a three-way tug of war between OSTP, NSC, and NASA over topics, content, agenda, expected outcome, attendees, and participants. With 2 weeks to go, and the course of NASA's future direction at stake, to say nothing of thousands of jobs, one would hope that all of the actors in this drama start to quickly figure out what is going to be happening.
Gov. Paterson launches NASA call in attempt to help New York's quest to land space shuttle, NY Daily News
"Paterson phoned NASA Administrator William Holden this week to plug the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum's bid to win one of the soon-to-be-retired shuttles - Discovery, Atlantis or Endeavour."
Keith's note: "NASA Administrator William Holden"? Oh well, its April Fool's day.
Buzz Aldrin App Now Available for the iPhone
"The APP Company announced the release of the Buzz Aldrin Portal To Science and Space Exploration iPhone App. Available for $1.99 on the Apple iTunes and App Stores, this iPhone app launched by the pioneering Apollo astronaut and moonwalker Buzz Aldrin takes the user on a journey through the world of everything that is Space Exploration."
This week's image:
Be sure to vote for your favorite caption!
"American locomotives," claims Robert Campanile, are the "heavy metal pride of engineering." A former lecturer at New York's American Museum of Natural History, Campanile is the original designer and former director of the North Adams Museum of History and Science in North Adams, Massachusetts
Yesterday, Obama shocked a lot of people and announced he was lifting a long-term ban on offshore drilling off the coast of the U.S. It was even more shocking considering this directly goes against a campaign pledge. (See that in the video below). No one is happy about this. This is from Grist:
President Obama will open large swaths of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Alaskan coasts to offshore oil and natural gas drilling in a stunning concession to fossil-fuel companies, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and others are reporting.
. . . The Arctic Ocean north of Alaska will be opened too, while the Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would be protected—the sole new protection. [Yesterday I heard Bristol Bay would be opened for drilling]. New areas of the southeast Gulf Coast would also be opened, despite bipartisan opposition from political leaders in Florida and Alabama. The Times has a map of all of this, and you need to see it to comprehend the size of the affected area.
“This is not a decision that I’ve made lightly,” Obama said (full speech here).
Who was twisting his arm? This wasn’t necessary. Huge expanses of coastline along the south and east of the U.S. are now going to be opened, sadly, to drilling and oil exploration. This will result in completely unnecessary environmental and ecosystem damage, and will open the areas up to new disasters like oil spills. This just makes no sense. There is hardly any oil there in any of these locations, not enough to provide us with oil beyond a year or two after the drilling begins. Meanwhile, the drilling itself could harm the environment. Later yesterday afternoon, some blowhard on MSNBC spent a half hour yelling about how we need to transition all our cars and vehicles to run on natural gas. No, that’s a terrible idea — almost as badly advised as drilling in the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
Unfortunately science is not guiding our climate change policy, as Obama promised us during the campaign, when he also told he we needed an Apollo plan to deal with the threat of climate change. Obama’s environmental credibility has been destroyed for only a little bit of oil and more fossil fuels we don’t even need. Political reality has set in for Obama — he wants Democrats re-elected and himself, too, and that supercedes everything. He should have emphasized conservation and alternative fuels, and if Obama was a true leader he would have done that. Even Steven Chu seems to be onboard. Remember this version of Obama?
I don’t know where this Obama has gone. He’s been replaced by one that is difficult to trust and who breaks his campaign promises. Meanwhile, the EPA continues to expand its regulations of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Interestingly, this comes only a week after [...]
