In a early look at tonight’s Rotten Tomatoes Show, the Extra Man star shares his all-time favorite movies.<br>ALL-NEW SHOW: TONIGHT 10:30/9:30c
Read More
Behind on your glossy reading? Check out Conor’s rapid-fire magazine recap from last week, then tune in tonight at 10/9c to see what all the mags were up to this week.
Read More
Welcome to my Blog...I have posted my latest paper from my studies at the University of Oregon - Political Science on US Foreign Policy. Also in light of the recently leaked documents of regarding alleged atrocities committed by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan...this paper is all the more poignant and compelling.
Given the growing consensus with regard to the dismal failure of the Bush Doctrine’s unilateral approach to conducting and prosecuting foreign policy objectives[i] [ii] and the startling revelation from a Washington Post Investigation regarding the unprecedented creation of a top secret world of bureaucratic intelligence programs (in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks) that is literally growing out of control and financially unsustainable[iii], a careful reassessment of the entire intelligence apparatus is imperative in the interest of national security[iv]. Serious questions about its size, scope, and effectiveness have been raised. The Bush Doctrine which some would argue is now the Obama Doctrine[v], rooted in American Exceptionalism, has resulted in a backlash of international Anti-American distrust[vi]; and domestically, since the election of President Obama, governmental distrust and dissatisfaction has reached the level of rage[vii]. I propose that the United States must take revolutionary steps, first, by returning to a posture of Off-Shore Balancing[viii], second, initiate a comprehensive non-prosecutorial reassessment of the facts surrounding the events leading up to and resulting from the 9/11 attacks and the ongoing Global War on Terror[ix] [x] [xi] in order to restore its credibility both domestically and internationally. These steps are vital before the US can focus on Hegemony and Primacy—time honored commitments to national security, domestic tranquility and prosperity, and to peaceful transnational alliances promoting free trade and international prosperity.
More at the link above...
What do you think should be done? Should we end this war or should we continue indefinitely....endless war?
This is for real folks...if you need a job...there are thousands available now.
There are two issues facing our nation--high unemployment and undocumented people in the workforce--that many Americans believe are related.
Missing from the debate on both issues is an honest recognition that the food we all eat - at home, in restaurants and workplace cafeterias (including those in the Capitol) - comes to us from the labor of undocumented farm workers.
Agriculture in the United States is dependent on an immigrant workforce. Three-quarters of all crop workers working in American agriculture were born outside the United States. According to government statistics, since the late 1990s, at least 50% of the crop workers have not been authorized to work legally in the United States.
We are a nation in denial about our food supply. As a result the UFW has initiated the "Take Our Jobs" campaign.
Farm workers are ready to welcome citizens and legal residents who wish to replace them in the field. We will use our knowledge and staff to help connect the unemployed with farm employers. Just fill out the form to the right and continue on to the request for job application.
Republican objections blocked progress on a small-business bill in the Senate Thursday, leaving the measure’s future in doubt.
An effort by Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., to limit debate on a substitute amendment to the bill fell short of the 60 votes needed as all 41 Republicans united against it.
The vote diminished but did not entirely extinguish prospects for passage of the bill before the August recess. Democrats and President Obama continue to urge the Senate to act quickly.
Republicans complained that they were not given a fair chance to get votes on amendments. Democrats on Wednesday night had offered them votes on three amendments, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., wanted to consider eight amendments, including votes on the estate tax, nuclear-plant loan guarantees and border security.
“My frustration is pretty high,” Reid said after further talks with McConnell failed to produce a deal.
McConnell insisted the bill was not dead. “We’re getting closer,” he said of his negotiations with Reid. “There’s a chance of significant progress very soon.”
Reid remained skeptical. “I don’t think they want an agreement. We agreed to everything they wanted,” he said.
The measure pending before the Senate would create a $30 billion small business lending fund, extend $12 billion in tax breaks and enhance federal programs designed to help small businesses.
By suggesting that mass, time, and length can be converted into one another as the universe evolves, Wun-Yi Shu has proposed a new class of cosmological models that may fit observations of the universe better than the current big bang model. What this means specifically is that the new models might explain the increasing acceleration of the universe without relying on a cosmological constant such as dark energy, as well as solve or eliminate other cosmological dilemmas such as the flatness problem and the horizon problem.
Shu, an associate professor at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, explains in a study posted at arXiv that the new models emerge from a new perspective of some of the most basic entities: time, space, mass, and length. In his proposal, time and space can be converted into one another, with a varying speed of light as the conversion factor. Mass and length are also interchangeable, with the conversion factor depending on both a varying gravitational “constant” and a varying speed of light (G/c2). Basically, as the universe expands, time is converted into space, and mass is converted into length. As the universe contracts, the opposite occurs.
“We view the speed of light as simply a conversion factor between time and space in spacetime,” Shu writes. “It is simply one of the properties of the spacetime geometry. Since the universe is expanding, we speculate that the conversion factor somehow varies in accordance with the evolution of the universe, hence the speed of light varies with cosmic time.”
As Shu writes in his paper, the newly proposed models have four distinguishing features:
• The speed of light and the gravitational “constant” are not constant, but vary with the evolution of the universe.
• Time has no beginning and no end; i.e., there is neither a big bang nor a big crunch singularity.
• The spatial section of the universe is a 3-sphere [a higher-dimensional analogue of a sphere], ruling out the possibility of a flat or hyperboloid geometry.
• The universe experiences phases of both acceleration and deceleration.
He tested one of the models against current cosmological observations of Type Ia supernovae that have revealed that the universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate. He found that, because acceleration is an inherent part of his model, it fits the redshift data of the observed supernovae quite well. In contrast, the currently accepted big bang model does not fit the data, which has caused scientists to search for other explanations such as dark energy that theoretically makes up 75% of the mass-energy of the universe.
Shu’s models may also account for other problems faced by the standard big bang model. For instance, the flatness problem arises in the big bang model from the observation that a seemingly flat universe such as ours requires finely tuned initial conditions. But because the universe is a 3-sphere in Shu’s models, the flatness problem “disappears automatically.” Similarly, the horizon problem occurs in standard cosmology because it should not be possible for distant places in the universe to share the same physical properties (as they do), since it should require communication faster than the speed of light due to their great distances. However, Shu’s models solve this problem due to their lack of big bang origin and intrinsic acceleration.
“Essentially, this work is a novel theory about how the magnitudes of the three basic physical dimensions, mass, time, and length, are converted into each other, or equivalently, a novel theory about how the geometry of spacetime and the distribution of mass-energy interact,” Shu writes. “The theory resolves problems in cosmology, such as those of the big bang, dark energy, and flatness, in one fell stroke.”
Two colonies of a prehistoric shrimp that evolved when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth have been found alive and well in the Caerlaverock nature reserve on the Solway coast
A field near Gretna in Dumfriesshire might not be an obvious place to find the world's oldest living creatures, but a team of scientists has done just that
.
The discovery has led experts to think there could be more of the little crustaceans, which are listed as endangered species, elsewhere in the area.
The ancient creatures, known as Triops cancriformis or tadpole shrimps, are thought to have the oldest pedigree of any living animal. Fossil evidence suggests they have hardly changed in the more than 200m years that they have been around.
Wild tadpole shrimps can grow to more than 10cm long and are remarkable in surviving three major extinctions in the Earth's history. The shrimps have an extraordinary lifecycle. They live in temporary pools of water in which they lay eggs. When the pools dry out, the adults die off, but their eggs remain dormant until the pools fill up again.
Researchers at Glasgow University discovered the rare shrimps after collecting samples of mud, which were dried out and then made wet again before being placed in glass tanks. A fortnight later Elaine Benzies, a research student, noticed a tadpole shrimp swimming around in one of the aquariums. "I hadn't expected to find it and was just going in to check on the heat and lights. It was great to see everyone in the lab gathering round and peering into the tank to look at this ancient survivor from the past," she said.
Until recently, researchers believed the ancient shrimps lived only in a single pond in the New Forest in Hampshire. Six years ago, Larry Griffin, a scientist at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, discovered what appeared to be an isolated colony of the creatures in a pool at Caerlaverock.
"At the time it seemed that the Caerlaverock colony was a vulnerable historic outlier," he said. "But now that we know how this curious creature survives, we have realised that there's a good chance there are more populations out there.
"Triops matures rapidly and produces hundreds of eggs in just a couple of weeks. The pond they live in may dry out, but the eggs can survive in the mud for many years. Although in the UK they are all females, they have both male and female reproductive parts, so just one egg needs to survive to regenerate a whole population."
Call it the mystery of the humping whales. When the March mating season is over, male beluga whales at an aquarium in Ontario, Canada, thrust their pelvises at other males an average of almost 3 times per hour.
Researchers say the unusual behavior—reported here this week at the 47th annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society and published in the August issue of Polar Biology—could be a way for the males to establish dominance. It could also be some sort of play behavior. But lead author Michael Noonan, a biologist at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, isn't convinced by either explanation. He's hoping more observations will help explain what's going on.
While "Don't Ask Don't Tell" is still being implemented in this country, last night on "The Daily Show," Jason Jones sat down with Defend the Family President Scott Lively to talk about the much-debated topic. While many oppose gays in the military because of a moral stance, Lively's reason for restricting gays is that the Nazis, including Hitler, were gay themselves, and used gay men in their armies because "open homosexuals are distinct from everyone else, men and women, in being exceptionally brutal and savage."
On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."
The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"
So God agreed......
On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
And God agreed......
On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"
And God agreed again......
On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."
But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God. "You asked for it."
So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family.. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service. If you are looking for me I will be on the front porch.
all for around $4,000. Ashton, with the help of his father, equipped the Beetle with nine golf cart batteries, used to power a single motorized shaft which can propel the car for nearly 50 miles on less than 10 cents worth of electricity.
The converted Beetle is no slow-poke either, able to reach speeds upwards of 45 miles per hour. As the car gets more time on the road, an onboard computer will gather performance data as well.
'I think any vehicle can be converted to electricity. It is so simple to get one I don't know why more people don't own one. It doesn't have to be a Bug, it can be any light weight vehicle: a Porsche, a Toyota or a Honda. It would be a great neighborhood or commuter vehicle and would save a fortune on gas"
More than 300 scientists from around the world, including several Canadians, hope to blunt some growing skepticism about climate change with a new report that says global warming is a fact and the Earth is hotter than ever.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando police warned the public Tuesday morning that making a false claim is a crime after they said the 18-year-old woman who claimed she was raped Monday was lying.
"We want victims to continue to report crime, we do not want to spend needless resources chasing ghosts," Sgt. Art Eld said in a press conference.
Police said false reporting has reached an epidemic level. They said they will arrest anyone who makes a false report about a crime because doing so is against the law.
"False reports cause unnecessary fear in the community," Eld said.
Samaria Renford called police after she wrecked her boyfriend's BMW on Rosamond Drive near North Orange Blossom Trail.
Local police are planning to discuss Tuesday morning the recent spike in false rape being reported.
The 18-year-old has been arrested after confessing when she was questioned about the details of the case.
The arrest report states that Renford told detectives she found her boyfriend cheating on her. So, she took his car and intentionally crashed it.
The report states Renford hoped if her boyfriend found out she was raped, he'd take her back and be nicer to her.
A report of a rape near Lake Eola in May was deemed fake after possible suspects were questions. Police are looking to arrest the woman who made that claim.
Police said another woman, Luisa Martinez, also made a false claim she was raped on East Pine Street in downtown Orlando.
"False reports take personnel away from other calls for service, increasing response time for real victims," Eld said. "It also taints the jury pool in Orange County for true legitimate rape cases."
Cops said they don't want to arrest the women, but feel they must. They have the public's support.
"There's a lot better ways to get attention than making false police reports about something so serious," resident Karen Hansen said.
(AP) Authorities say a federal judge in Phoenix has been getting some threats since her ruling on Arizona's controversial immigration law.
David Gonzales, the U.S. Marshal for Arizona, says U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton has received thousands of phone calls and e-mails since her preliminary injunction Wednesday that put key provisions of the state's immigration law on hold.
Gonzales says some of the messages sent to Bolton are positive, but others are "from people venting and who have expressed their displeasure in a perverted way."
Gonzales says his agents are taking some of the threats to Bolton seriously. He refused to discuss any extra security measures, which U.S. marshals routinely provide federal judges.
Arizona officials have appealed Bolton's ruling.
Sean Smith was embedded for six weeks with a special forces helicopter rescue team picking up wounded soldiers and with US Marines fire-fighting for every yard of ground in southern Helmand. After 9 years of war and approaching 2,000 coalition dead, little has been achieved and the stalemate is taking it's toll in blood.
I have changed the title of this fine article to show my fellow Americans that if 7 million evangelical voters can turn an election around for a dry drunk Republican that sent this country into the depths of hell for a decade and longer. Then I say a political force is and has been forged to create 15 million strong and time on their hands to march for the continued change we have seen staled by GOP obstructionist. The fear of the rabble taking more than the crumbs of a stale cake has been on the minds of the Rich and powerful since the French revolution and it is high time we make them even more uneasy. Apparently they think they can make us vote for their way again, against our best interests again. Well I say never again can we or will we let them fool us again. We have the numbers the revolution that started just a few years ago is gaining momentum with every new laid off or unemployment check that has come to an end person in this country. We bailed their asses out in 2008, and now it's our turn.
Raised in Montana and a resident of Alaska for 18 years, Robin Rae Brown, 48, always made time to explore in the wilderness. On March 20, 2009, she parked her pickup truck outside Weston, Florida, and hiked off the beaten path along a remote canal and into the woods to bird watch and commune with nature. “I saw a bobcat and an osprey,” she recalls. “I stopped once in a nice spot beneath a tree, sat down and gave prayers of thanksgiving to God.” For that purpose, Robin had packed a clay bowl and a “smudge stick,” a stalk-like bundle of sage, sweet grass, and lavender that she had bought at an airport gift shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Under the tree, she lit the end of the smudge stick and nestled it inside the bowl. She waved the smoke up toward her heart and over her head and prayed. Spiritual people from many cultures, including Native Americans, consider smoke to be sacred, she told me, and believe that it can carry their prayers to the heavens.
As darkness approached, she returned to her pickup truck to find Broward County’s Deputy Sheriff Dominic Raimondi and Florida Fish and Wildlife’s Lieutenant David Bingham looking inside the cab. The two men asked what she was doing and when she said she had been bird watching, Bingham asked whether she had binoculars. As she opened her knapsack, Officer Raimondi spotted her incense and asked if he could see it. He took the bowl and incense, asking whether it was marijuana. “No,” she recalls saying. “It’s my smudge, which is a blend of sage, sweet grass, and lavender.” “Smells like marijuana to me,” said Raimondi, who admitted he had never heard of a smudge stick. He then ordered Robin to stand by her truck, while he took the incense back to his car and conducted a common field test, known as a Duquenois-Levine, or D-L, test. The result was positive for marijuana.
Robin protested, telling them the smudge was available for purchase online for about $7 and gave them the name of a Web site that sold it — information Officer Bingham used his laptop to verify. But the men still searched her truck. After an hour and a half they finally allowed Robin to go home and told her that if a lab test confirmed the field test results, a warrant would be issued for her arrest.
Exactly 90 days later, Robin was arrested at the spa in Weston, Florida where she has worked as a massage therapist for three years. She was handcuffed in front of clients and co-workers, and charged with felony possession of marijuana. She was brought to a local police precinct in the town of Davie where she was booked and held for three hours. Unable to post the $1,000 bail because she was not allowed to call her boyfriend Michael, she was transferred to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Pompano Beach. At no time was she read her rights.
It's one thing to say you're in favor of legalizing cannabis, but it's another thing entirely to say that while holding a bong.
Asking about legalization in California, Public Policy Polling (PPP) found just 36 percent of respondents were opposed to Proposition 19, which would tax and regulate cannabis. The majority, 52 percent, favor legalization.
But the real story is a separate set of numbers: 38 percent of respondents had used cannabis, while 62 percent said they had not. If only 36 percent of respondents opposed Prop. 19, that means, in a random sampling of 614 California voters, there were more actual cannabis consumers than legalization opponents.
Though a two percent split is probably statistically insignificant, the revaluation is stunning nonetheless.
Now even the luxury car makers are getting their hands dirty playing with electricity! After the recent article about the Chevy Volt electric car being priced at $41,000, Porsche has a similar concept at works and good news hit today ..