Puzzlepieces

From science and computers, a new face of Jesus - a computer-generated picture of Jesus made using forensic evidence is quite unlike most depictions of him today. Via ContraFactos & Argumentos. See the Popular Mechanics article and related news (Google).

Life in plastic - “The average American girl aged between three and 11 owns a staggering ten Barbie dolls.” Via ContraFactos & Argumentos. In related news, Barbie’s pregnant friend gets the push [out of WalMart] and related news (Google).

What the world’s poor watch on TV - lots of information here, the most significant being the trend towards local programming in the developing world. Via ContraFactos & Argumentos.Update, January 2, 2003: See also American TV losing out in global ratings war, via ContraFactos & Argumentos.

Searching for a Hollywood ending - Peter Livingston has made an anti-war documentary, Over Nine Billion Dead Served, about death in popular movies, and the movie studies don’t want it shown. More interesting than his lawsuit is the figures about the most popular movies and how death is treated in them. See the documentary link above for more information and a trailer. Via dangerousmeta!.

Environmentalists cotton on to dangers - about efforts to replace the plastic grocery bag with an environmentally friendly alternative. The alternatives seem to be hemp and jute. Trade Aid is making jute bags. Note to self: check out Green Living. Via dangerousmeta!. On a related note, Taiwan bans plastic shopping bags to reduce waste. Actually there seems to be quite a lot of plastic bag news (Google).

Putting a Lid on Chernobyl - about efforts to contain the radioactive remains of Chernobyl. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

Raelians - there is so much news about the Raelians, a religious cult, and their cloning efforts that I have just linked to a query on Google News. See also the Raelians official website.

U.S. Revises Sex Information, and a Fight Goes On - more on the continuing saga of the Bush administration pushing anti-abortion and abstinence. For example, “The National Cancer Institute, which used to say on its Web site that the best studies showed "no association between abortion and breast cancer," now says the evidence is inconclusive.” See my previous post and earlier post on the subject, related news (Google), and the Kuro5hin discussion. Via Daypop.

RUBBISH! - it seems that there is a debate going on in Portland, Oregon about whether police can search your garbage without obtaining a warrant. The police think they can. This article is the story of two journalists who turned the tables and went through the trash of the Mayor, District Attorney, and Police Chief. Two of those three were not exactly pleased (see Mayor Considers Lawsuit Against Snooping Reporters). Via Daypop. My opinion: taking furniture, books, etc., from someone’s garbage is okay, but not reading their papers and other intrusions of privacy (without a warrant). See also related news (Google) and the Metafilter discussion.

International poll finds U.S. more religious than other wealthy nations - people who said religion was “very important” in their lives: United States 59%, Britain 33%, Canada 30%, Italy 27%, South Korea 25%, Germany 21%, Japan 12%, France 11%. Senegal had the most with 97%; more data is in the article. Via dangerousmeta!. See also related news (Google).

Rebuilding the Food Pyramid - apparently the food pyramid is “grossly flawed.” No surprise to many people. Via ContraFactos & Argumentos. See also related news (Google).

On following the [immigration] rules - the bureaucracy Danny O’Brien experiences trying to become a US permanent resident. Via Boing Boing.

Body Image Woes Add Up - a study has found that while men do equally well on math tests while wearing a swimsuit or sweater, women do much worse when wearing a swimsuit. Via Metafilter, where many posters dismiss the results.
Update, 3:41 PM: On a related note, see Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield who has just written a book by that name, about girls and body image. Via Metafilter.

Gene Study Identifies 5 Main Human Populations - a Stanford lab, studying the DNA from 52 human groups suggests that there are five principal groups, roughly corresponding to “Africa, Europe, Asia, Melanesia and the Americas.” Melanesia is a group of Pacific islands. Via New Scientist. See also related news (Google).

Fingerprints out, body odor in - just one of the many biometric methods being studied. Others including fingerprints/finger scan, retina/iris scan, faces, hands, voices, and gaits. See the Biometrics FAQ. Via FARK. See also related news (Google).

Roh wins S Korean elections - Roh Moo-Hyun will take over from Kim Dae Jung, who the law prevented from running again, as president of South Korea. “Turnout among the nation’s 35 million eligible voters was 70.2% - almost 11 percentage points lower than in the 1997 presidential election.” Via Google News.

Public misled over fire-safe cigarettes - “While tobacco companies succeeded in developing "fire-safe" cigarettes, they consistently claimed smokers would find them unacceptable...At the beginning of January 2003, New York state will achieve a world first by introducing fire safety regulations for cigarettes to combat the problem.” See also related news (Google).

Genocide warning in Ivory Coast - not great news in Côte d’Ivoire, which “was regarded as one of the most prosperous countries in West Africa” until several years ago. Via dangerousmeta!. See also related news (Google).

Warring Congo factions sign peace deal - if this holds it would be truly great news. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and seven neighbouring countries have been fighting since 1998. See Global Issues: The Democratic Republic of Congo and Great Lakes Conflict for more information. “In theory, rebel and militia leaders will form an interim government in January to bring enough peace and stability to allow the first democratic elections since independence from Belgium in 1960.” Via Google News.

Poll shows Bush’s support waning for attack on Iraq - “more than two-thirds of Americans believe the president has failed to make the case that a war with Iraq is justified.” However, “traditionally, support is low before a president declares war, but increases after troops are in the field.” Via Google News.

McDonald’s to report first-ever quarterly loss - “same-store sales — receipts at locations open at least a year — are down 2 per cent so far this year.” Much of the loss seems to be in their “Asia-Pacific/Middle East/Africa arm.” Via Google News.
Update, 4:16 PM: If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Pander to ’Em, which describes McDonald’s responses to anti-Americanism around the world, via FARK.

US missile defence shield operational by 2004 - “The first components of the controversial US missile defence system will be operational by 2004 under plans announced by US President George Bush on Tuesday.” Here in Canada (which would be necessary for the system), the government has been reluctant to support the plan. See Canada not part of missile defence shield from a few days ago. See also related news (Google).

Iraqis would support war to overthrow Saddam, says survey - that’s what the survey says; I’m not sure of the accuracy. Via Metafilter. See also related news (Google).

Canadian Senate Approves Kyoto Protocol - this follows [Canadian] Parliament votes to ratify Kyoto from a few days before. Good news for Canada, I only hope we’ll implement it. Also, [Prime Minister] Clark signs Kyoto Protocol, in New Zealand. Via Google News. See also Kyoto Protocol.

Master memories are made not born - this study, by University College London, using an MRI, suggests that people with better memories just use better mnemonic techniques. See also related news (Google), and memory improvement.

Bin Laden ‘exploits Palestinian cause’ - “Yasser Arafat has accused Osama Bin Laden of exploiting the Palestinian struggle for an independent state.” Via Blogdex.

Fake tree may hide new cellular tower - is disguising cellular towers a good idea? Via Geisha asobi blog.

A Mighty Wind Against Waste - the Windhexe, or “tornado in a can,” by Vortex Dehydration, seems to be a tool looking for an application. It seems to be finding some. Very neat. Via Metafilter. See also the Slashdot discussion and the photo library.

EU poised for historic deal - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia may all be joining the EU by 2004. “But there was disappointment for Turkey after the leaders decided it would have to wait at least two more years before it is invited to hold membership talks.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

U.S. has photos of secret Iran nuclear sites - “Commercial satellite photographs taken in September show a nuclear facility near the town of Natanz and another one near Arak.” Via Blogdex. Also Iran: Nuclear Plants Open to Inspection, a rebuttal. See also related news (Google).

The News Can Kill You - about articles collected in one day about things that could kill people. Via ContraFactos & Argumentos. Update, December 31: see also Happy New Fear.

War with Iraq could cost US $2 trillion: Study - via dangerousmeta!.

Science of Art: Walking on the Wind - Theo Jansen has created machines that “walk” when the wind blows. Check out these videos. Very neat. Via Boing Boing. Update, 4:19 PM: see also the FARK discussion.

First passenger maglev train set for lift-off - The maglev (magnetic levitation) train in Shanghai, China, was built by Transrapid (a German company). “It will be the fastest commercial train in the world.” See also Transrapid-USA, and related news (Google).

Confronting China’s hidden epidemic - “Two Canadians are leading a campaign to lift [the] veil of secrecy surrounding suicide.” Apparently rural Chinese women have the highest suicide rate in the world, “China has a suicide rate of 23 per 100,000 people, about twice the rate in many Western countries,” and everyone is afraid/ashmed to talk about it. One of the Canadians is Mark Rowswell, “China’s best-loved foreigner,” who is a comedian on Chinese television (his character is Dashan). The other is Dr. Phillips, who now leads the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Centre. See also related news (Google).

Chechen rebels phoned Gulf during siege - just another article that leads me to think that al Qaeda has been successful in turning many regional conflicts into one global conflict. Via Daypop.

Water found at Martian south pole - the water found on Mars is frozen, according to the study led by Timothy Titus of the US Geological Survey. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

Forgotten Pippi Longstocking Work Unearthed - written in 1949, “Pippi Longstocking Celebrates Christmas” may be published next Christmas. Via FARK. See also related news (Google).

What the World Thinks in 2002 - “How Global Publics View: Their Lives, Their Countries, The World, America... The Pew Global Attitudes survey interviewed more than 38,000 people in 44 nations.” Lots of interesting results. Via Blogdex. See also the Metafilter discussion, the FARK discussion, and related news (Google).

Fly with Nudists - once in the air on this airplane trip to Mexico, “the captain will announce that passengers may remove all of their clothes.” Note that it is the second article on the page. Via the Globe and Mail.

US States with More Gun Owners Have More Murders - that’s a big surprise. The study was by the Harvard School of Public Health. Via dangerousmeta!.

The mother of all package tours - read about Johann Hari’s experiences from his trip to Iraq. Via Blogdex.

A Military History Timeline of War and Conflict Across the Globe - from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1999. Via Metafilter.

Underneath, Saudi Women Keep Their Secrets - “Many women are so humiliated by the prospect of discussing their bodies with male salesmen that they just guess. As a result, Ms. Basheer says, about 85 percent of Saudi women are wearing the wrong size bras... More than half of the graduates from the kingdom’s universities and colleges are now women, though they make up less than 7 percent of the work force.” Via dangerousmeta!.

Toyota, Honda deliver first zero-emission hydrogen cars - these “market ready” hydrogen fuel cell cars will only be in California. According to First US Fuel Cell Car Delivered, “Honda has built a solar powered fuel station in Los Angeles, and plans to provide its clients with mobile refueling facilities.” Via FARK. See also related news (Google), a Honda press release, and Toyota Advances Marketing of Fuel Cell-Electric Hybrid SUV.

The Obsolescence of Deterrence - this article suggests that deterring Iraq from using it’s weapons was working before Bush’s idea of preemptive war. Via Blogdex. Also, UK unveils Iraq ‘torture’ dossier, about the Iraq dossier released by the UK government which describes the human rights violations in Iraq. See also my previous post. Via Blogdex.

White House Faith-Based Advisor Turns on Rove; Claims all Decisions are Politisized - John J. DiIulio Jr. says that “all decisions are politicized by Bush’s top adviser Karl Rove, and that the policy staff is afraid to confront him... There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. What you’ve got is everything, and I mean everything, being run by the political arm. It’s the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google). Update, Dec. 4 9:45 PM: The DiIulio Letter (full text), via Blogdex.

RadioShack ends asking for customer info - Radio Shack wants to “focus on providing a better shopping experience for customers.” Via Daypop. See also Radio Shack’s press release and the Slashdot discussion.

China to lift condom ad ban - to help stem the tide of HIV/AIDS. Via Linkfilter. See also related news (Google).

At Justice, Freedom Not to Release Information - US Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has told federal FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) officers that the Department of Justice will always defend them if they withhold information. As the Washington Post puts it, they “can bend -- perhaps even break -- one law.” Via Boing Boing. See also related news (Google).

UK man ‘makes rain with a giant egg-beater’ - Stephen Salter, a professor at The University of Edinburgh, will “create a 60m-high turbine to suck water out of the sea and turn it into water vapour through nozzles, spraying it into the atmosphere.” Via Google News.

Patriot Act earns council’s ‘no’ vote - Eugene, a city in Oregon is “the 15th city in the United States... to formally seek reform or repeal of the USA Patriot Act.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

Study: GM mutants as toxic as parent plants - when a genetically modified plant with an “anti-pest gene” was bred with its natural relative, almost half of the resultant plants were toxic to insects. As a Greenpeace spokesperson says, “Once we release GM crops there’s no going back. The genie is out of the bottle.” Via Google News.

In Terror War, 2nd Track for Suspects - “The Bush administration is developing a parallel legal system in which terrorism suspects...may be investigated, jailed, interrogated, tried and punished without legal protections.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google). Update, 12:55 PM: Administration Begins to Rewrite Decades-Old Spying Restrictions via Blogdex.

Husbands and wives who cheat on each other are more likely to stay together - the results of an Italian study. Via Linkfilter. Update, Dec. 5 6:50 PM: Extramarital sex hazardous to health? - “Extramarital sex can increase your risk of having a heart attack.” Via Linkfilter. See also related news (Google).

Norway set to ban public smoking - the plan, for 2004, would be the first in the world. Via Linkfilter. See also related news (Google).

Jews and Proselytizing - an interesting post and discussion on Metafilter.