Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Friday, December 26, 2003
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
BBC NEWS | Health | How to avoid being a glutton BBC News Online examines how best to ensure that you don't become a victim of your own stomach.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
BBC NEWS | Americas | America's controversial Christmas trees For an overwhelmingly Christian country which prides itself on freedom of expression, removing "offensive" Christmas trees and censoring school Santas may seem curious.
Monday, December 22, 2003
BBC NEWS | Business | Argentina's threadbare recovery Two years on from Argentina's worst-ever economic crisis, the economy is growing strongly again.
BBC NEWS | Health | Romance health alert splits sexes Getting married may be bad for men's health but good for women, according to a study.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Circumcision FAQ
When and why was routine neonatal circumcision introduced in English-speaking Western countries?
Doctors in the English-speaking countries started circumcising babies in the mid-1800s to prevent masturbation, which some doctors claimed caused many diseases, including epilepsy, tuberculosis and insanity. Of course, these arguments are not accepted today.
Nonreligious infant circumcision is not an issue in European, Asian or South American countries. In Canada the average rate of infant circumcision for boys is roughly 25%, with large regional variations. The rate in the United States has dropped to less than 60%, and will drop below 50% in a few years if present trends continue. This is already true in the Western US (35% in 1993).
When and why was routine neonatal circumcision introduced in English-speaking Western countries?
Doctors in the English-speaking countries started circumcising babies in the mid-1800s to prevent masturbation, which some doctors claimed caused many diseases, including epilepsy, tuberculosis and insanity. Of course, these arguments are not accepted today.
Nonreligious infant circumcision is not an issue in European, Asian or South American countries. In Canada the average rate of infant circumcision for boys is roughly 25%, with large regional variations. The rate in the United States has dropped to less than 60%, and will drop below 50% in a few years if present trends continue. This is already true in the Western US (35% in 1993).
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Malaysia moots cross-cultural circumcision Malaysia mulls mass circumcision to help racial harmony.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Monday, December 15, 2003
Sunday, December 14, 2003
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam to face justice - Bush US forces found Saddam Hussein on Saturday, hiding in a tiny cellar at a farmhouse about 15km (10 miles) from his home town Tikrit.
Friday, December 12, 2003
Thursday, December 11, 2003
BBC NEWS | Europe | Headscarves: contentious cloths A number of European countries have been struggling with the dilemmas posed by the Muslim headscarf, which throws up a variety of difficult issues relating to tolerance and equality.
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Nobel winner blasts rights abuses Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has criticised states for infringing human rights "under the cloak of the war on terrorism".
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
BBC NEWS | Americas | Gore supports Dean for Democrats "Dean's been knighted by the ultimate insider. It's game, set and match. It's over," Democratic consultant Dean Strother told the Associated Press.
Monday, December 08, 2003
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
BBC NEWS | Europe | German cannibal tells of fantasy Mr Meiwes told investigators he took Mr Brandes back to his home in Rotenburg, where Mr Brandes agreed to have his penis cut off, which Mr Meiwes then flambéed and served up to eat together.
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Cat banned for scaring residents A black cat has been barred from the stairwell of a housing block in Israel because he scares local residents.
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft suffers Longhorn loss Pirated versions of Microsoft's next generation computer operating system are on sale in Malaysia, more than a year before the official release date.
Saturday, November 29, 2003
MobiTV MobiTV is a service that transforms your mobile phone into a TV, enabling you to watch the news, get sports updates, and catch your favorite shows wherever you are. MobiTV is live TV, not canned clips or slide shows. The same broadcast and premium channels you watch on your television at home are now available on your mobile phone.
Friday, November 28, 2003
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Bollywood gets message across Bollywood has found a new, cost-effective way to publicise Hindi films - through mobile phone text messages.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Fiji's 'extinct' bird flies anew A small songbird believed to have become extinct more than a century ago has been found alive and well in Fiji.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians Doctors and experts are baffled by an Indian hermit who claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for several decades - but is still in perfect health.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Friday, November 07, 2003
Thursday, November 06, 2003
Sunday, November 02, 2003
BBC NEWS | Americas | Fiennes completes marathon feat Sir Ranulph has fought back from a heart attack and a double heart bypass operation to carry out his latest test of endurance.
BBC NEWS | Americas | German crowned world beard champion Men sporting anything from classic Euro moustaches to "free-style" shapes were up before the judges in 17 categories.
Friday, October 31, 2003
The Russia Journal Daily::Economy - Russia to nationalize natural resources The semi-official version is that Mr. Khodorkovsky, Russia's richest man and YUKOS’ largest shareholder, has mostly himself to blame for his troubles. After all, he started to meddle in politics, supporting various opposition groups and breaking an implicit agreement between Russian oligarchs and President Vladimir Putin, according to the newspaper.
CNN.com - Girls pummel man who exposed himself - Oct. 31, 2003 A man described by authorities as a known sexual predator was chased through the streets of South Philadelphia by an angry crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked and punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police said Friday.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
I read something interesting today. "Bush is the Devil himself, and you can't beat a Shaitan. Saddam will magically appear in cuffs two months before the elections and American soldiers will be at their homes partying by New Year's. The ground will start spitting up WMD's and al-Qaeda links the moment he touches the ground with his nose, and he will be the next american president."
Here's me making an effort at being politically conscious. At heart, I am actually extremely apolitical - I hate conflict and arguing moot issues, I mostly prefer to be couped up in my bubble listening to the Beatles; and not be bothered by all the suffering and injustice that goes on in the world. It is a daily struggle between the half of me that just wants to chill and enjoy what's going on in my surroundings--knowing fully well that my voice can't make an impact on people's lives halfway across the world--and the side that feels selfish and beligerant not speaking out against what I know is wrong...
Here's me making an effort at being politically conscious. At heart, I am actually extremely apolitical - I hate conflict and arguing moot issues, I mostly prefer to be couped up in my bubble listening to the Beatles; and not be bothered by all the suffering and injustice that goes on in the world. It is a daily struggle between the half of me that just wants to chill and enjoy what's going on in my surroundings--knowing fully well that my voice can't make an impact on people's lives halfway across the world--and the side that feels selfish and beligerant not speaking out against what I know is wrong...
Monday, October 27, 2003
With Cable TV at M.I.T., Who Needs Napster? AWESOME. "The quirk in the law that makes the system legal, Mr. Winstein said, has much to do with the difference between digital and analog technology. The advent of the digital age, with the possibility of perfect copies spread around the world with the click of a mouse, has spurred the entertainment industry to push for stronger restrictions on the distribution of digital works, and to be reluctant to license their recording catalogues to permit the distribution of music over the Internet.
So the M.I.T. system, using the analog campus cable system, simply bypasses the Internet and digital distribution, and takes advantage of the relatively less-restrictive licensing that the industry makes available to radio stations and others for the analog transmission."
So the M.I.T. system, using the analog campus cable system, simply bypasses the Internet and digital distribution, and takes advantage of the relatively less-restrictive licensing that the industry makes available to radio stations and others for the analog transmission."
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Questions & Answers: Touch wood/knock on wood “What is the origin and true meaning of knock on wood or touch wood?” And an interesting addition - "A Jewish version says it originated during the Spanish Inquisition under Torquemada during the 1490s. During that time Jews were in flight and since temples and synagogues were built of wood, they evolved a code to use in knocking on doors to gain admission. Since this resulted in lives being saved, it became commonplace to knock on wood for good luck."
NYTimes - Apple's Latest 0.1 Adds a Lot This much is certain: In Panther, Apple has taken an already sparkling, super-stable operating system and made it faster, better equipped and more secure.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Home @ 1&1 Internet Inc. Sign up for 1&1's unique pre-launch promotion and upgrade to the next generation of web hosting. It's completely free for 3 full years, with our firm guarantee to back it up!
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Fool.com: VeriSign Out of Solutions [Motley Fool Take] October 17, 2003 As has happened with so many big-ticket Internet assets, the business known as Network Solutions was sold off relatively quietly yesterday. Authentication software vendor VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN) said Thursday morning it was selling Network Solutions to Pivotal Private Equity for $100 million -- $60 million in cash, a $40 million note, and a 15% stake in the company.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Fast Company | If It's Broke, Fix It Put yourself in your customers' shoes, see what's broken about what you do, and fix it. / Interesting fastcompany article. Typical Godin.
"What about tollbooths? If you live in the Northeast, you know that bridges almost always have tolls, which were originally put in place to pay for the bridges. But do we need tolls today? For every dollar collected on the George Washington Bridge, the government is effectively taxing the people waiting in line. That's at least several dollars in wasted time. You lose the time, but the government gains nothing. There's probably no less efficient way to collect a tax (and that's what a toll is) than making people wait anywhere from five minutes to an hour to pay a few bucks to use a small piece of road. There are dozens of ways to fix this and other things that are broken -- ways that save everyone time and money."
"What about tollbooths? If you live in the Northeast, you know that bridges almost always have tolls, which were originally put in place to pay for the bridges. But do we need tolls today? For every dollar collected on the George Washington Bridge, the government is effectively taxing the people waiting in line. That's at least several dollars in wasted time. You lose the time, but the government gains nothing. There's probably no less efficient way to collect a tax (and that's what a toll is) than making people wait anywhere from five minutes to an hour to pay a few bucks to use a small piece of road. There are dozens of ways to fix this and other things that are broken -- ways that save everyone time and money."
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Fool.com: Oil's Not Well [Motley Fool Take] September 25, 2003 If you've been waiting for gas prices to settle down, as many experts expected they would after Labor Day weekend, you might want to stop waiting.
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
A Fast Climber Who Has Made Some Enemies (washingtonpost.com) Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark entered a crowded and wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
New Scientist: "Mays Swicord spent 26 years searching for a health effect of radio-frequency radiation. He tried and tried to falsify the notion that this radiation - the kind emitted by mobile phones - has no effect. He failed. He changed sides, and for the past 8 years he has been working for the mobile phone maker Motorola. Now he is trying to convince us that mobile phones are safe, and that enough research is enough. David Cohen caught up with him when he visited London "
New Scientist The NHC predicts that major East Coast cities could fall in Isabel's path, with a five per cent probability that it could pound New York City by Thursday morning. But Saunders says: "Unless there are dramatic changes in its track, New York should be quite safe."
MSN Money - Extra!: 7 reasons the job market is about to take off Here's hope for those who've lost jobs or worry they will. A better economy is unfolding right now, and the Great American Jobs Machine is about to kick into high gear.
BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Girls more confident of success Women have overtaken men at every level of education in developed countries around the world.
Monday, September 15, 2003
Thursday, September 04, 2003
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Yale man Martin creates buzz Demetri was a colleague in this lame company just a few months ago. Now he's out doing it. I saw his show. Funny shit.
Album: Carey's I'm not sure how linkable imagestation albums are - they might require registration (free and spam free, though). Anyhow Carey's wedding was so enjoyable and beautiful, you'd think it could not have happened in the midwest.
ABCNEWS.com : Dean Braces for Criticism in Dem Debate Wow, now the press writes like Dean is the man to beat for the Dems. I feel like it's 2000 and Dean is a dot-com. But then, I went dot-com and am still working dot-com. So go figure.
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Hip Hop Lyrics, Rap Lyrics, R&B Lyrics, Modern Rock Lyrics Good site for quick lyrical look at popular jams.
New Scientist.com - The World's No. 1 Science and Technology News Service Very good site. Think smart, intellectual -- not dork. Well ok, some dork.
Friday, August 29, 2003
Sunday, August 17, 2003
City Battles Lovers' Padlocks BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The Hungarian city of Pecs is fighting a losing battle against padlocks which lovers are secretly clamping on statues and gates all over the city center as symbols of their enduring affection.
NewsForge: The Online Newspaper of Record for Linux and Open Source One of the world's largest IT companies is declaring that the Linux desktop will capture 20% of the market for desktop computers in large enterprises within 5 years.
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Full on Jersey Grrrl Blog You piece of s***. You wanted a battle, baby you got a war. F*** with me and you'll get the horns. How manly of you to go to my mothers job this morning and ATTEMPT at getting a 25 YEAR OLD in trouble. How manly of you to threaten me through my mother. How very, very manly. Although your behavior this morning was childish and ridiculous you started forth a battle. And I will win this war if you think your going to mess with me. Do you have any clue who you are fucking with??? Your about to find out.
audioBLOGGER: Listen to this Create audio posts from any phone. audioBLOGGER is a service that provides bloggers with the ability to post audio to their blogs from any phone. At the end of the trial sign up we will provide you with the telephone number that connects directly to your blog...all you have to do is call the number and the world hears you. Use it for fun...Use it to make a difference...Use it to make your voice be heard.
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Brazil's new green pastures See Paulo Cabral's pictures of life in this newly fertile part of Brazil.
Monday, August 11, 2003
.: Snoop Dogg - Official Site :. I have been hot to get to Brazil for a while. Then this video comes and basically taunts me. "Beautiful."
Economist.com | Britain's cosmopolitan capital The world comes to London, Net immigration into Britain is higher than it has ever been.
Friday, August 08, 2003
Miss Teen USA Pictures July 27, 2003 - On August 12 Mario Lopez and Brooke Burns Host Miss Teen USA 2003 in Palm Springs, California
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Hola! Old VW Beetle gets one last run - Jul. 30, 2003 Today is the last day for the old-style VW Beetle.
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
e.thePeople: "Welcome to e.thePeople, the digital town hall for the nation. In cooperation with over 1,000 sites around the Internet, e.thePeople promotes intelligent and diverse discussion and political action." I am on a rare political investigation - don't make me get all democratic on yo' ass.
Meetup: Organizing local interest groups. "Meetup is a free service that organizes local gatherings about anything, anywhere." I heard about this site via press on Howard Dean's campaign. Dean in 2004 is their most popular group. The site will tell you about local gatherings for just about anything.
Bureaucrash is an international network of activists of all political persuasions who believe that bloated, sprawling governments and the bureaucrats and politicians who control them ought to be mocked. Mercilessly.
Economist.com | America's power - By invitation: "The United States is likely to be the world's top power for many years. This brings challenges that it should not try to face alone, writes Joseph Nye"
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