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Comparison/Contrast comic proving Huxley the visionary, not Orwell. As a fan of Orwell, I should have also read Huxley, but haven't. Not because I was forbidden, but because I'm easily distracted and intellectually lazy. There is so much information to choose from, the choice to read significant works like Huxley is diluted by my access to thousands of other competing stimuli. Which proves Huxley's point perfectly.
Still wondering why the really staunch homophobes always end up in the gaysex sex scandals? It's not proven yet, but it certainly feels like Eddie Long is a SecretHomo. This quote explains why: Long frequently denounces homosexual behavior. A 2007 article in the Southern Poverty Law Center's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement."To come to this determination,that's really all I need: We hate what we fear presented to us in our external reality, whatever that may be. We hate passionately when The Fear invades our internal reality. And, I think that, no matter the effort, our most extreme polarities(like homophobia) always find ways to manifest, and usually, we are the last to know about it. I'd be really surprised if Eddie Long isn't feeling guilty regarding that aspect of his existence, and the roar of his brain is now projecting outward onto CNN. The polarity begins manifest.
From Wired Science "After nearly 6 months of smashing particles, the Large Hadron Collider has seen signs of something entirely new. Pairs of charged particles produced when two beams of protons collide seem to be associated with each other even after they fly apart."
Too.. Many.. Spiders.. Upside? They were really tiny. Downside? There were 10s of Millions of them. Bonus ooohgy, creepy pictures at the link. Excerpts in italic:Halorates ksenius is not a big spider. "One could fit comfortably on a Smartie with plenty of room to spare," says Brian Thair, a cell biologist at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George. (Or to put it another way, it's about as big as a capital "O" printed on this page.) A typical barbwire fence on wood posts surrounded the field about six kilometres east of McBride in the Robson Valley. Thair said it looked like the whole area was covered with an opaque, white plastic grocery store bag. The thin, elastic coasting was not soft and fluffy like webs built by individual spiders. There were about two spiders per square centimetre laying the silk, which first appeared in early October. Thair said the web showed great tensile strength - enough to put a handful of coins on it without them falling through. There were "in the order of tens of millions of spiders running frantically back and forth," but they weren't interacting with each other. It's just because so many of them were in the field that the web grew and grew until at its largest, 60 acres, it was as big as the triangle-shaped field it covered. Thair had never seen anything like it before. "It was astounding to see," he said. "I couldn't believe my eyes. From two kilometres away it looked like a sheet of wet aluminium. It was the size of several city blocks. I have never in my 30 years as a biologist seen anything like this, in terms of quantity of spiders and quantity of web. Nothing even remotely approaching this."I don't really have a concluding thought, other than: If spiders made noise, they'd freak me out much less than they do now. And, of course, "Stupid bug! You go squish now!"
Stuxnet malware is 'weapon' out to destroy ... Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant? Really scary excerpts in italic black:
The Stuxnet malware has infiltrated industrial computer systems worldwide. Now, cyber security sleuths say it's a search-and-destroy weapon meant to hit a single target. One expert suggests it may be after Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.
The preceding paragraph doesn't really convey the terror, destruction, and havoc this weapon can wreak. Let this blow your mind..
Cyber security experts say they have identified the world's first known cyber super weapon designed specifically to destroy a real-world target – a factory, a refinery, or just maybe a nuclear power plant.
The cyber worm, called Stuxnet, has been the object of intense study since its detection in June. As more has become known about it, alarm about its capabilities and purpose have grown. Some top cyber security experts now say Stuxnet's arrival heralds something blindingly new: a cyber weapon created to cross from the digital realm to the physical world – to destroy something.
At least one expert who has extensively studied the malicious software, or malware, suggests Stuxnet may have already attacked its target – and that it may have been Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, which much of the world condemns as a nuclear weapons threat.
The appearance of Stuxnet created a ripple of amazement among computer security experts. Too large, too encrypted, too complex to be immediately understood, it employed amazing new tricks, like taking control of a computer system without the user taking any action or clicking any button other than inserting an infected memory stick.
And:
"Until a few days ago, people did not believe a directed attack like this was possible," Ralph Langner, a German cyber-security researcher, told the Monitor in an interview. He was slated to present his findings at a conference of industrial control system security experts Tuesday in Rockville, Md. "What Stuxnet represents is a future in which people with the funds will be able to buy an attack like this on the black market. This is now a valid concern."
And:
Stuxnet surfaced in June and, by July, was identified as a hypersophisticated piece of malware probably created by a team working for a nation state(hmm.. Which one?), say cyber security experts. Its name is derived from some of the filenames in the malware. It is the first malware known to target and infiltrate industrial supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software used to run chemical plants and factories as well as electric power plants and transmission systems worldwide.
And:
"What we're seeing with Stuxnet is the first view of something new that doesn't need outside guidance by a human – but can still take control of your infrastructure," says Michael Assante, former chief of industrial control systems cyber security research at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory. "This is the first direct example of weaponized software, highly customized and designed to find a particular target."
And:
Langner's analysis also shows, step by step, what happens after Stuxnet finds its target. Once Stuxnet identifies the critical function running on a programmable logic controller, or PLC, made by Siemens, the giant industrial controls company, the malware takes control. One of the last codes Stuxnet sends is an enigmatic “DEADF007.” (Dead Fool?)Then the fireworks begin, although the precise function being overridden is not known, Langner says. It may be that the maximum safety setting for RPMs on a turbine is overridden, or that lubrication is shut off, or some other vital function shut down. Whatever it is, Stuxnet overrides it, Langner’s analysis shows.
"After the original code [on the PLC] is no longer executed, we can expect that something will blow up soon," Langner writes in his analysis. "Something big."
But Lance, how will this effect me?
For those worried about a future cyber attack that takes control of critical computerized infrastructure – in a nuclear power plant, for instance – Stuxnet is a big, loud warning shot across the bow, especially for the utility industry and government overseers of the US power grid.
I keep thinking "On August 29, 1997, Skynet became self-aware.."
Turns out, all did end well.. Kind of.. Some reports today said this was a case of Media Overreaction. But after reading this article on this group's background(Four women 28 to 39, four teenage boys, two 12 year olds, and two three year olds-highly impressionable, End Times Jesus beliefs), they were no doubt waiting for The Apocalypse.
Excerpt:The group left behind cell phones, identification, deeds to property and disturbing letters before disappearing on Saturday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Captain Mike Parker. Authorities said it appeared they had gone off to await an apocalyptic event.
"Essentially, the letters say they are all going to heaven to meet Jesus and their deceased relatives," Whitmore said at an earlier news conference today. "Some of the letters were saying goodbye."
"They indicated they were going to the next life, if you will. I'm not quoting exactly, I'm paraphrasing of course, but that's essentially what they said," he added.
I don't think they were suicidal. I think they fully expected to die in whatever cataclysm they had deemed was happening. When it didn't happen, the leader became disoriented and unable to process. That's my take, anyway..
Wow.. What's this mean? Excerpts:Archaeologists are stumped after finding a 100-year-old Swiss watch in an ancient tomb that was sealed more than 400 years ago.They believed they were the first to visit the Ming dynasty grave in Shangsi, southern China, since its occupant's funeral.But inside they uncovered a miniature watch in the shape of a ring marked 'Swiss' that is thought to be just a century old.The mysterious timepiece was encrusted in mud and rock and had stopped at 10:06 am.
CSPAN: Report of suspicious new "monitors" put on lifevests by BP -- "Nobody knows what they are"Interesting phone call signifying, possibly, a new phase of the oil spill catastrophe.. Although we might not hear about it for awhile, or ever.. The background is good, but The Statement occurs at 1:53. Of course, this is an unverified rumor(for the moment), but what if it's accurate? This gentleman doesn't seem to be leaning towards taking BP's money, and he doesn't seem to be going for sensationalism, either. This rings true. We'll see..
A mind reading machine is a step closer to reality after scientists discovered a way of translating people's thoughts into words.Fantastical thoughts and theories are becoming concrete and real at an amazing rate these days. If this rate of technological advancement continues, where will we be in another 10 years? I'm not sure we can realistically envision the furthest advances, as we probably won't have enough information to form Context.
Another alteration to the world's official history. In the last several years, archaeologists have found large pyramids and/or ancient urban centers in Central and South America, Africa, and now, Europe. Experts are dating these pyramids 12 to 26 thousand years old, which begs the question: Where is the rest of this history? Was Bosnia the world's seat of power, or one of many more, yet to be discovered pyramids?
During the course of several different conversations with friends who garden(or know those who do), there seems to be a consensus regarding the declining output in their respective harvests. Nothing is producing like it has in years past. Firsthand, I agree. This might be my first year of flying solo, but dad has tended large gardens for well over 50, maybe close to 60 years, and so my "consultant" has a vast storehouse of knowledge and technique he's imparted to me over the last several years. Our vines(The ones not destroyed or repeatedly maimed by a family of groundhogs) didn't come close to last year's yield, and won't. Same with the peppers. Nothing is producing like years past.This might be why. Excerpts:Researchers have found that pollination levels of some plants have dropped by up to 50 per cent in the last two decades.The "pollination deficit" could see a dramatic reduction in the yield from crops.The research, carried out in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, is the first to show that the effect is real and serves as a "warning" to Britain which if anything has seen an even greater decline in bees and pollinators.And:"I believe that this is the first real demonstration that pollination levels are getting worse. I believe it is a significant decline. I believe the pollination levels have dropped by as much as 50 per cent."Bee numbers may have declined at our research site, but we suspect that a climate-driven mismatch between the times when flowers open and when bees emerge from hibernation is a more important factor."And:It is estimated bees are responsible for one in three mouthfuls of our food, and that insect pollinators contribute £440 million to the British economy through their role in fertilising crops.For the latest study, Prof Thomson carried out a 17-year examination of the wild lily in the Rocky Mountains.It is one of the longest-term studies of pollination ever done.It reveals a progressive decline in pollination over the years, with particularly noteworthy pollination deficits early in the season.And:"Early in the year, when bumble bee queens are still hibernating, the fruiting rates are especially low," he says."This is sobering because it suggests that pollination is vulnerable even in a relatively pristine environment that is free of pesticides and human disturbance but still subject to climate change."So whether or not "Global Warming" is real or not, the effects of "Climate Change" continue to manifest in non, "can't be global warmin' cuz it's cold outside" ways.. How much more information or consequences will it take to sway people's opinions, how do we stop this, and how do we immediately proceed? And how quickly will circumstances degenerate into something much, much worse?
Belgium might be breaking up with itself.. Excerpts: One of Belgium's top politicians has warned the country's citizens to "get ready for the break-up of Belgium," as King Albert II seeks to relaunch knife-edge coalition talks.And:Albert II tasked late on Saturday the respective speakers of the French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders state parliaments to try once more to navigate seven-party talks aimed at securing some form of government, other than the existing day-to-day formation.And:Belgium, which holds the administrative chair of the European Union until the end of the year, adding a further layer to the pressure on the sovereign, has not been able to point to a stable government since June 2007.
This is the first I've heard regarding any political turmoil in Belgium. So, to recap.. The King thinks the country could break up, the previous seven weeks of seven party talks(so politically doomed..) were unsuccessful, the Belgian Parliaments form their government on a day to day basis(!!), and they haven't had a stable government in three years. Oh, yeah, and the whole Administrative Chair of the EU thing.. Will Belgium indeed split up? Will it remain peaceful, or will there be unrest during any "reorganization" of the country? If there is violence, just how violent will the situation become? Having no background whatsoever in Belgian politics, I don't know what the best outcome is, I only hope it is the one undertaken..
Nice. It's always good to have another choice of cancer fighting superfoods, correct?Excerpts: "Black rice - revered in ancient China but overlooked in the West - could be the greatest 'superfoods', scientists revealed today. The cereal is low in sugar but packed with healthy fibre and plant compounds that combat heart disease and cancer, say experts...Anthocyanins provide the dark colours of many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and red peppers. They are what makes black rice 'black'.Research suggests that the dark plant antioxidants, which mop up harmful molecules, can help protect arteries and prevent the DNA damage that leads to cancer.Food scientist Dr Zhimin Xu said: 'Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar, and more fibre and vitamin E antioxidants."
"Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra had been inactive for more than 400 years. It had been classified as inactive by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation."While this is rather insignificant in the whole USA or Northern or Western Hemisphere scheme of things, it does procedurally fit into a number of alternative theories regarding Earth changes, manifesting from forces originating from space(several different locations), from within the earth, and from some of humanity's creations. This post should be more developed, but I have very little follow through, at the moment. Apologies.