Monthly Archives: July 2009

Expelled redux? Creationists Misrepresent Historians

From the NCSE:

Three historians of science are unhappy about their treatment in a creationist movie about Darwin, as they explain in a note in the July 2009 Newsletter of the History of Science Society. Peter Bowler, Janet Browne, and Sandra Herbert write, “We have recently been featured in a documentary film, ‘The Voyage that Shook the World,’ produced by Fathom Media of Australia and directed by Stephen Murray of Synergy Films, New Zealand. We were led to believe that the movie was being made to be shown as an educational film on Australian broadcast television and possibly elsewhere. Fathom Media was revealed to be a subsidiary of Creation Ministries International when publicity for the movie began to appear on the internet.
Continue reading Expelled redux? Creationists Misrepresent Historians

Windows Update Can Ruin Your Day, Maybe Your Computer

Our desktop support folks couldn’t do anything with it. When I told them my story about what happened (at least I’m honest) they realized it would be easier to re-install the machine with a fresh image of Windows Vista.

Read this sad but unsurprising tale of woe at Linux in Exile. And find out how Windows Update and system management in Linux are different. Also, you Linux users, please do visit Exile and check out the comments. It appears to me that numerous Microsoft Symps are trying to take over. Go kick some ass.

Rabbis and Politicians Busted in Graft Sting

Who would think that men of the cloth or elected officials would be involved in graft?!?!?

NEWARK, N.J. – Three New Jersey mayors, two state lawmakers, a deputy mayor and five rabbis were among 44 people charged Thursday in a two-track corruption and international money-laundering probe, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey announced.

FBI and IRS agents arrested most of the suspects Thursday morning in what is being described as one of the biggest investigations of its kind in New Jersey history, according to NBC affiliate WNBC.

Details here

Remember Abscam?

This appears to be a connected, macabre story:
Continue reading Rabbis and Politicians Busted in Graft Sting

Large Hadron Collider Startup Date Delayed

Over the last week two vacuum leaks have been found in sectors 8-1 and 2-3 (Sector 7g is still holding). The leaks are similar to each other in position and therefore in likely cause. Unfortunately, these leaks are in already chilled down parts of the LHC and they will have to be warmed up to make repairs.

The delay will probably be a couple of weeks, so a planned (hoped for) October startup will now likely be mid November.

The details can all be found in this report.

Nooz of Interest

Vaccine

Human trials of a vaccine to protect against the H1N1 swine flu virus have begun in Australia.

Riots spread in South Africa

Violence in South Africa’s townships has spread as residents protest about what they say is a lack of basic services, such as water and housing.


Scientist will make human brain.
Mwahahahahah!

A detailed, functional artificial human brain can be built within the next 10 years, a leading scientist has claimed.

New Zealand, Australia, expected to collide. Eventually.

A massive earthquake last week has brought New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists say….The 7.8 magnitude quake in the Tasman Sea has expanded New Zealand’s South Island westwards by about 30cm (12in).

Michele Bachmann’s Son is a Commie Pinko!

… or something. You will recall that Michele Bachmann has lambasted Americorps, the Bill Clinton Legacy program like the Peace Corps, as a political re-education camp in the service of the Liberal Left Wing. WEll, Harrison Bachmann, son of Michele, entered the program just a couple of weeks ago.

Details at DMB, who has broken this news exclusively. (Chalk up one for the Blogosphere.)