The Arabs (well, some of them) are arguing among themselves over the question, "Is Jewish blood equal to Palestinian blood?"
A Palestinian politician, Mahmoud al-Habbash, accidentally let it slip that Jewish blood was equal to Arab blood. He is being roundly criticized and there are threats of, pardon the expression, bloodshed.
Israeli hospitals will transfuse blood from one to another whenever needed, and nobody complains about it. So I guess equality wins out.
How much extra-tribal blood do you have to receive before you're considered a convert?
The issue has generated some bad blood.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Science is a Scam. Again. (Androphobia Version)
A study has proved that studies are worthless.
This reminds me of the logic puzzle: "This sentence is false". If it's false, it's true, but if it's true, it's false.
Anyway, remember all those "Studies" that used mice or rats to prove some point or other about medicine or behavior? Well, it turns out that mice and rats are scared of men, but not women. So if the mouse was dosed or poked by a man, the measured reaction was different depending on the gender of the lab tech.
Now, whether the gender of the mouse matters in responding to the gender of the human, it does not say.
Here's a more scientific version of the report in Nature.
The fear of men is called Androphobia.
Perhaps planning should be left to the women.
Déjà vu is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced before: Science is a Scam.
This reminds me of the logic puzzle: "This sentence is false". If it's false, it's true, but if it's true, it's false.
Anyway, remember all those "Studies" that used mice or rats to prove some point or other about medicine or behavior? Well, it turns out that mice and rats are scared of men, but not women. So if the mouse was dosed or poked by a man, the measured reaction was different depending on the gender of the lab tech.
Now, whether the gender of the mouse matters in responding to the gender of the human, it does not say.
Here's a more scientific version of the report in Nature.
The fear of men is called Androphobia.
"The best-laid plans of mice and men — Often go awry"
Robert Burns (more or less)
Perhaps planning should be left to the women.
Déjà vu is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced before: Science is a Scam.
Green Snakes in My House
I'd made dinner, cleaned up and gone to bed. My mistake.
I got thirsty or something and went to the sink. And jumped. A green snake!
On reflection, maybe a small snake, or a green worm...
So I knocked it about and turned on the light. One lone string bean had escaped the pot, and lay there, ready to pounce.
String beans are not only a good diet food, but it gives you jumping exercise, too.
I got thirsty or something and went to the sink. And jumped. A green snake!
On reflection, maybe a small snake, or a green worm...
So I knocked it about and turned on the light. One lone string bean had escaped the pot, and lay there, ready to pounce.
String beans are not only a good diet food, but it gives you jumping exercise, too.
 | |
| Not Green Snakes |
Free Assault Rifles
You too can be the master of the streets! Sign up for a free Israeli Tavor assault rifle now! Today is the last day!
I don't think it will actually fire NATO 5.56 rounds, and not on full automatic, but your opponents will be scared to death!
Ain't America Great!
I don't think it will actually fire NATO 5.56 rounds, and not on full automatic, but your opponents will be scared to death!
Ain't America Great!
Friday, April 25, 2014
The War on Women
The War on Women is going swimmingly. In the western world, women are being denied reproductive medical care such as birth control and access to abortion. Even in workplace medical coverage.
But Nigeria does it better than anybody. 230 schoolgirls were abducted over a week ago, by the Boko Haram Islamists as punishment for getting a western education. The article says nobody knows where the missing girls are. But hold that thought.
The Telegraph, on the other hand, says that the girls were tracked down by their parents. The parents were forced to turn back after direct threats. And when the parents gave the location data to the police, the police ignored it.
Now that's a war on Women!
The name Boko Haram actually means "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language. The group is a bunch of radical Islamists.
But don't fear for the lives of the girls, they are used as slaves and sexual servants, so they're kept alive. "The girls who are kidnapped are raped, forced into servitude -- but rarely killed", said CNN.
I think if you drop by the local grammar school, you might find some kids who will testify that "Western education is a sin". So everything is normal and the world will continue turning. Carry on.
But Nigeria does it better than anybody. 230 schoolgirls were abducted over a week ago, by the Boko Haram Islamists as punishment for getting a western education. The article says nobody knows where the missing girls are. But hold that thought.
The Telegraph, on the other hand, says that the girls were tracked down by their parents. The parents were forced to turn back after direct threats. And when the parents gave the location data to the police, the police ignored it.
Now that's a war on Women!
The name Boko Haram actually means "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language. The group is a bunch of radical Islamists.
But don't fear for the lives of the girls, they are used as slaves and sexual servants, so they're kept alive. "The girls who are kidnapped are raped, forced into servitude -- but rarely killed", said CNN.
I think if you drop by the local grammar school, you might find some kids who will testify that "Western education is a sin". So everything is normal and the world will continue turning. Carry on.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Morning Coffee
I'm going to tell you how to save the earth and still wake up in the morning.
Now that spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere, it's warmer, even in the morning. To make the morning coffee (or even tea), you have to boil water and steam up the kitchen, or maybe your whole house.
In the warmer climes, this means that you also turn on the air conditioner in the morning, and you may even accidentally leave it running all day in an empty house.
Perish the thought!
In the warm morning, it's actually nicer to have cold coffee than hot. I'm not talking about iced coffee, American style. That is a weak brew made by pouring perfectly good coffee over a half-dozen ice cubes, diluting away all the flavor.
My suggestion is to brew the hot coffee late at night. The night air is cool and opening a window will be enough to keep things pleasant. Then let the pot cool, and after 20 minutes or so put it in the fridge.
Next morning, pour a nice cold cup of strong coffee, add the usual stuff to taste, and enjoy. It simplifies the morning rush and saves electricity.
Now that spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere, it's warmer, even in the morning. To make the morning coffee (or even tea), you have to boil water and steam up the kitchen, or maybe your whole house.
In the warmer climes, this means that you also turn on the air conditioner in the morning, and you may even accidentally leave it running all day in an empty house.
Perish the thought!
In the warm morning, it's actually nicer to have cold coffee than hot. I'm not talking about iced coffee, American style. That is a weak brew made by pouring perfectly good coffee over a half-dozen ice cubes, diluting away all the flavor.
My suggestion is to brew the hot coffee late at night. The night air is cool and opening a window will be enough to keep things pleasant. Then let the pot cool, and after 20 minutes or so put it in the fridge.
Next morning, pour a nice cold cup of strong coffee, add the usual stuff to taste, and enjoy. It simplifies the morning rush and saves electricity.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
85,000 Videos Released. Some of the Best. Must See.
British Pathé released 85,000 old newsreels to YouTube. Bloggers and researchers have gone through the list as best they can and here are some about Israel/Palestine in the 20th century on the ElderOfZiyon blog. Truly great stuff.
If you go through the few selected videos, you'll notice the tiny size of the prayer area in front of the Western Wall (called "Wailing Wall" in the newsreel). It's since been fixed.
Perhaps the most significant (so far) is this video, "Arabs Declare Holy War":
"Two states are being born", the narrator intones. If only he knew.
At the opposite end of the importance scale, the filmmakers realize the only thing that shows up clearly on film are the various hats:
I watched a bunch of the films. The silent films taught me something: You can't tell which side is which without either a narrator or clearly marked hats. You can't even tell which war, which continent, or which year. There is no way to tell aggressor from defender, winner from loser. You can tell forest from desert.
For talking films, the strongest effect of the visual is to make the sound of the narrator authentic and believable. You think you're seeing what is being said. Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't.
American Dr. Ralph Bunch, UN mediator, tells us "The war is over in Palestine", proving the effectiveness of the United Nations. A lot of wisdom in 19 seconds:
A lot of wisdom, that is, if you can read between the lines.
If you go through the few selected videos, you'll notice the tiny size of the prayer area in front of the Western Wall (called "Wailing Wall" in the newsreel). It's since been fixed.
Perhaps the most significant (so far) is this video, "Arabs Declare Holy War":
"Two states are being born", the narrator intones. If only he knew.
At the opposite end of the importance scale, the filmmakers realize the only thing that shows up clearly on film are the various hats:
I watched a bunch of the films. The silent films taught me something: You can't tell which side is which without either a narrator or clearly marked hats. You can't even tell which war, which continent, or which year. There is no way to tell aggressor from defender, winner from loser. You can tell forest from desert.
For talking films, the strongest effect of the visual is to make the sound of the narrator authentic and believable. You think you're seeing what is being said. Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't.
American Dr. Ralph Bunch, UN mediator, tells us "The war is over in Palestine", proving the effectiveness of the United Nations. A lot of wisdom in 19 seconds:
A lot of wisdom, that is, if you can read between the lines.
50 Years Ago — A Scandal?
There was a sort of scandal 50 years ago in which Israel was accused of stealing uranium from the US. If there was a final resolution, it is still classified.
This month, the US government is applying pressure to Israel on the Middle East Peace Process negotiations, and purely by coincidence, out pops an article in the Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists rehashing that old controversy.
I have no idea myself, of course, of what happened to the uranium. I doubt it would still be in condition to explode a bomb. Uranium decays, that's part of the point.
If you have the uranium, or know where it is, please leave a comment, below.
This month, the US government is applying pressure to Israel on the Middle East Peace Process negotiations, and purely by coincidence, out pops an article in the Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists rehashing that old controversy.
I have no idea myself, of course, of what happened to the uranium. I doubt it would still be in condition to explode a bomb. Uranium decays, that's part of the point.
If you have the uranium, or know where it is, please leave a comment, below.
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