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Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:29:04 GMT

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80pc say Australia has drinking problem

Fri, 08 May 2009 13:08:31 GMT

Research commissioned by a public health group has found an increase in the number of Australians who are worried about the issue of binge drinking.

Fair enough; guilty as charged your worship.

[ABC News: Health]

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Tue, 05 May 2009 13:37:57 GMT

quaff:

to drink heartily.

I've been known to do this.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]

Desert research centre fails to win funding

Mon, 04 May 2009 11:51:53 GMT

A prominent desert research centre has failed in its bid to secure another seven years funding from the Commonwealth.

The Desert Knowledge Co-operative Research Centre was set up with the aim of achieving sustainable livelihoods for people in Australia's desert regions, and has a campus in Alice Springs.
The vice chancellor of Charles Darwin University (CDU), Professor Barney Glover, says he is surprised and disappointed that the centre has not had its funding renewed.
He says the centre plays an important role in desert Australia and CDU is committed to its partner programs.
"We're already in discussion with the CRC about its future," he said.

This is very sad for many reasons; the obvious one is how important the work is, and how little understood fragile desert ecologies are. The importance to indigenous Australians can't be underestimated. But, on a personal note, the managing director is a long time friend of mine who gave up an extremely well paid senior government position to do something she believes in. I imagine her future is uncertain. I must admit she probably did not intend to do this for the rest of her life.

[ABC]

Jon Stewart Backs Down?! Disappointing.

Sat, 02 May 2009 15:13:58 GMT

On a recent show, Jon Stewart said that he thought Harry Truman should have been tried as a war criminal for authorizing dropping nuclear bombs on the civilian population of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He backed it up with some justification as to why the acts were just plain wrong. I cheered when I heard it because it[base ']s very rarely that I hear Americans recognize the fact that the bombings were completely unjustified and a war crime of huge proportions. Even my American friends who are pro-justice and anti-war find it extremely hard to say [base "]Yes, the bombings were wrong[per thou]. They justify it anyway they can.

Then, on last night[base ']s show, he started by apologizing, saying he was wrong, and completely backing down!

You have to wonder what happened behind the scenes? I totally don[base ']t believe his whole [base "]Oh I knew it was wrong when I said it[per thou] shtick. The powers-that-be obviously came down on him HARD. But which powers? The Comedy Central powers? MTV? Viacom? And why? It[base ']s not like Stewart doesn[base ']t say lots of things that the elite don[base ']t like on a nightly basis. Why this one statement?

If anyone can help me understand it, I[base ']d appreciate it. Here[base ']s Stewart talking about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Cliff May Unedited Interview Pt. 3

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

First 100 Days

Here[base ']s the segment where he backs down:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Harry Truman Was Not a War Criminal

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

First 100 Days

[TPN :: GDay World]

White tea contains anti-obesity substances

Sat, 02 May 2009 04:31:43 GMT

BioMed Central's Nutrition and Metabolism journal published the results of a study at Beiersdorf AG that found that an extract of white tea inhibits the growth of new fat cells and and breaks down the fat in existing fat cells.

After treating lab-cultured human pre-adipocytes with the tea extract, the authors found that fat incorporation during the genesis of new adipocytes was reduced. According to Winnefeld, "The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain."

White tea -- the solution to the obesity epidemic?

I wonder if anyone has tested whether

The active ingredient(s) remain effective in the gut; ie do they survive digestion?
the amount needed to be consumed to be effective would be prohibitive.

[Boing Boing]

A sustainable Sydney needs bikes and trams

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:21:12 GMT

Improving inner-Sydney transport should be a national priority, writes the city's mayor Clover Moore.

And of course this is true of any city, I think. I live in Adelaide, South Australia, a city flatter than Sydney, that would benefit from such improvements more than most. There are many cyclists here.

[The Sydney Morning Herald News Headlines]

African villages denounce female circumcision

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:22:46 GMT

Ten villages in western Niger have publicly denounced the practice of female genital mutilation, according to a UNICEF report.

Good stuff, BUT!
People are still calling it female circumcision. It has no relation to circumcision at all.
I am circumcised (not Jewish or Muslim, just a cultural thing), but I can experience sexual pleasure (God and partner willing), but a circumcised woman has had her clitoris smashed, and can experience no or little sexual pleasure. Pure power play from men. Fuckers.

[CNN.com]

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:57:46 GMT

outré:

unconventional; eccentric; bizarre.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:12:54 GMT

susurrus:

a whispering or rustling sound.

I love onomatopoeia.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]

New population of endangered orangutans found

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:00:04 GMT

Conservationists have found a new population of orangutans in a steep, mountainous corner of Indonesia -- a discovery that significantly adds to the number of the endangered red-haired primates.

It seems to be anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand unexpected individuals. I remember a few years ago when the same happened, but with gorillas. Good isn't it?

[CNN.com]

Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:02:48 GMT

nescience:

lack of knowledge or awareness.

Here is a wonderful word of which I was unaware; I'll make a point of using it in the future.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]

Hudson plane crash audio released

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:00:48 GMT

A recording of communications between air traffic controllers and a pilot of a plane which ditched in a New York river is released.

I've only just finished listening to these recordings. The striking thing for me is the air of calm as highly competent people deal with an emergency. I would feel entirely safe in the hands of that pilot and those air traffic controllers.

[BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition]

I now understand the financial crisis much better

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:56:42 GMT

I now understand the financial crisis much better. Back in September when the credit freeze was first becoming a matter of public discourse, I listened to a fantastic episode of This American Life that explained in layman's terms, what the crisis was about. This was followed up by a great FreshAir interview with NY Times financial reporter Gretchen Morgenson. Both highly recommended.

After those two shows I thought I understood, but the other day I had a flash of insight that brought it home in a much more personal way.

I'm lucky in many ways, one of those is that I have a good savings account that basically allowed me to retire at a very young age. Managing this nest egg is super important for me, it's what I live off. So in January I got the willies about the stock market and sold everything, moved it into cash. I did eventually start buying stocks again, slowly, but let's keep it simple and assume everything I own now is either in government bonds or the most conservative money market fund possible.

Turns out I was early, I saved a lot of value by selling in January, because later in 2008 a lot of other people did the same, causing the market to crash. At that point I never once entertained the thought of buying bonds or stocks of any kind. Never mind the explanation of not knowing which banks had a dishonest balance sheet or toxic assets, I was basically keeping my assets in a shoebox under the bed. I was and still am totally risk averse. I won't lend my money to anyone, I'm keeping it all for myself. I don't care if I earn zero interest, or even negative interest. I want to hold, hold, hold. As close as possible. I'm scared, freaked out even by what I see in the financial world.

There you have it. I'm not lending money to anyone. Same with everyone else. That's exactly why the economy is stuck.

You want to go first? I don't.

That smiley is there just so you know that there's still something worth laughing at in this crazy mess we call an economy.

BTW, what made me think of writing this up was an email I got from Citibank this morning offering unprecedented rates on a CD to which I said out loud "Fat chance buddy."

Dave is, of course, spot on. Banks don't even trust each other enough to lend to each other. It hasn't quite got that bad here in Australia.
Yet.
Dave's right about another thing too. The link he suggests is an excellent explanation of what's been happening.
In fact, This American Life has had several excellent specials about the crisis which explain the full horror very well.
As well, National Public Radio (US) has a daily podcast which has been following economic developments in an interesting and revealing way.
Check it out.

[Scripting News]

Really?: The Claim: Sitting in a Sauna Can Relieve Cold Symptoms

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:31:56 GMT

Really?: The Claim: Sitting in a Sauna Can Relieve Cold Symptoms. Saunas have been recommended for arthritis, asthma and chronic fatigue, but do they work for colds?

The short answer? Probably.

[NYT > Health]

Eric Idle, on John CleeseÃs Approach to Writing

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:16:06 GMT

John Cleese sweated every word[~]to the point of exhausting collaborators like Eric Idle.

In other places, I've heard Cleese himself talk about his work ethic within the Pythons, mentioning how Graham Chapman might slip out early to start drinking, while Cleese would stick around and revise a sketch for another half-hour or longer. Over time, he felt the extra effort was what made the difference in the enduring appeal of his material.

It also helps explain why a classic like the Cheese Shop still delights a word nerd like me. Specificity

What I've always said; there is no talent really; there is interest, desire, and hours and hours of practice and hard work.

[Note: This post originally appeared on our daughter site, "43 Folders Clips," and we liked it enough to republish it here.]

[43 Folders]

Individual space

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:58:36 GMT

Charts: 3.

(Charles Platt is a guest blogger)

To what extent do we feel overcrowded, as a species? I[base ']m not talking about resources; just psychological factors.

To create this chart I turned to the CIA Factbook, where I looked up the populations of various nations and then divided this number into their land area (excluding lakes and rivers) to get the number of square feet available per person. I represented the results in squares that are all drawn to the same scale.

Of course if you are in Australia, where each resident has almost 4 million square feet to play with, you won[base ']t make full use of your land ration, if only because most of it is desert. On the other hand, when I was in Australia I did feel intuitively aware that the country was, so to speak, empty. As soon as I drove out of an urban area, the emptiness was right there. Conversely, in Hong Kong, where citizens have barely more than 1,600 square feet each, everyone is intensely aware of being crammed into a very crowded place.

Personally I enjoy wilderness areas, but I wouldn[base ']t claim that open spaces are essential for my mental health. I do, after all, still have an apartment in New York City containing just 350 square feet. The apartment next to mine, identical in size, used to be a home not only to a married couple, but also their young child.

I suspect that our romantic yearnings for [base "]freedom to roam[per thou] may be just that: Romantic yearnings.

I remember reading studies of queues in which it was found that people in Europe (maybe it was just Britain, because who else queues in Europe?) stand closer together than people in Australia. Don't know about Americans. I suspect they don't queue, but I have definitely seen Americans line up. Which is the same thing.

Seriously, here in Oz, there is definitely a feeling of space. And it's scarey.

[Boing Boing]

Best Mac Ever? Duh. SE/30

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:25:12 GMT

Best Mac Ever? Duh. SE/30..

The best Mac ever | Editors[base '] Notes | Macworl

I knew what the near-consensus would be before the page opened. Everybody knows.

The SE/30 (with a hard drive) was, pound for pound, the best Mac ever made. Not only was it when the Mac arrived as a serious tool for normal (albeit deep-pocketed) people, but it felt faster than homemade snot, and still had the awesome old-school form factor.

I liked using Ci[base ']s and Cx[base ']s and Fx[base ']s and Quadras and whatnot, but no Mac ever brought the total package like the SE/30. In 1991, I laid the shit out of some PageMaker on my SE/30 and a big-ass Radius monitor. Good times.

If I could get away with it, I[base ']d probably still be writing on one right now.

[via Daring Fireball Linked List: The Best Mac Ever]

This is the first computer I ever bought. My parents bought an SE; two in fact, the first one upgraded in a matter of months. My brother had a IIcx which was colour and cool and fast, but the SE/30 was a IIcx in the carriable form factor of the original Mac. Sex on legs.
After years of service, giving me pleasure and making me money writing music for computer games and multimedia products, I replaced it with a Umax Mac clone (remember them?). I continued to use the SE/30 even then, but, alas it eventually failed. I could probably have had it fixed, but the cost would have been prohibitive. So I bought a new board for $25 sand tried that out. Couldn't get it to work. If I had I still would use it, because there is software that I would like to run (Music Publisher, Orlando Poon's Toxic Ravine) that won't run on anything I have now. Sigh.
Shit it started up fast.

[43 Folders]