Monday, September 17, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Like baboons, our elected leaders are literally addicted to power.
A baby Sacred Baboon is held by its mother at the zoo in the northern German city of Osnabrueck.
Political power has a similar effect on the brain to cocaine - and it's not surprising that, as the Leveson Inquiry shows, our political leaders are hooked on it, says Dr Ian Robertson.Democracy, the separation of judicial powers and the free press all evolved for essentially one purpose – to reduce the chance of leaders becoming power addicts. Power changes the brain triggering increased testosterone in both men and women. Testosterone and one of its by-products called 3-androstanediol, are addictive, largely because they increase dopamine in a part of the brain’s reward system called the nucleus accumbens. Cocaine has its effects through this system also, and by hijacking our brain’s reward system, it can give short-term extreme pleasure but leads to long-term addiction, with all that that entails. Unfettered power has almost identical effects, but in the light of yesterday’s Leveson Inquiry interchanges in London, there seems to be less chance of British government ministers becoming addicted to power. Why? Because, as it appears from the emails released by James Murdoch yesterday, they appeared to be submissive to the all-powerful Murdoch empire, hugely dependent on the support of this organization for their jobs and status, who could swing hundreds of thousands of votes for or against them. Submissiveness and dominance have their effects on the same reward circuits of the brain as power and cocaine. Baboons low down in the dominance hierarchy have lower levels of dopamine in key brain areas, but if they get ‘promoted’ to a higher position, then dopamine rises accordingly. This makes them more aggressive and sexually active, and in humans similar changes happen when people are given power. What’s more, power also makes people smarter, because dopamine improves the functioning of the brain’s frontal lobes. Conversely, demotion in a hierarchy decreases dopamine levels, increases stress and reduces cognitive function. But too much power - and hence too much dopamine - can disrupt normal cognition and emotion, leading to gross errors of judgment and imperviousness to risk, not to mention huge egocentricity and lack of empathy for others. The Murdoch empire and its acolytes seem to have got carried away by the power they have wielded over the British political system and the unfettered power they have had - unconstrained by any democratic constraints - has led to the quite extraordinary behaviour and arrogance that has been corporately demonstrated. We should all be grateful that two of the three power-constraining elements of democracy - the legal system and a free press - have managed to at last reign in some of the power of the Murdoch empire. But it was a close call for both, given the threat to financial viability of the newspaper industry and to the integrity of the police system through the close links between the Murdoch empire and Scotland Yard.
Dr Ian Robertson is professor of psychology at Trinity College, Dublin. His book, The Winner Effect: How Power Affects Your Brain, is published by Bloomsbury on 7 June 2012.
Telegraph.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Not Funny Anymore, Isn't It? There is a reason Russians sometimes are very mean people.
It's because they had to live that shit in real, not in virtual life.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
End Of The World? Elementary, My Dear Watson....Just Spray Viagra All Over China...
Dick Clark Cremated—Will There Be a Public Memorial?
The confirmation comes after a report surfaced today that Clark—who passed away on Wednesday at a Santa Monica hospital at age 82 after suffering a massive heart attack following an outpatient procedure—was not going to have a burial. Instead, his body was to be cremated and the ashes scattered over the Pacific.
No word yet if the American Bandstand host's family has performed the latter.
In the wake of his death, a host of Clark's fellow celebrities offered up tributes to the New Year's Rockin' Eve emcee, among them E!'s own Ryan Seacrest, who spoke movingly of his mentor and friend at the beginning of Wednesday night's episode of American Idol.
Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/dick_clark_crematedmdashwill_there_be/310472#ixzz1scKFodfJ
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
DEADLY, BAT-KILLING EPIDEMIC TRAVELED BY SHOE.
THE GIST
There looks to be a link between an implicated fungus and the deaths of millions of bats in North America.
The fungus first traveled to North America from Europe, probably on a human shoe.
North American bats are more vulnerable to the fungus than European bats are.
New clues are helping explain the mysteries surrounding white-nose syndrome, a devastating epidemic that has killed more than five and a half million bats in the eastern United States and Canada in just a few years.
In the latest advance, the strongest evidence yet suggests that infection with a suspected fungus causes the deadly disease. What's more, the fungus appears to have traveled to North America from Europe, most likely on a human shoe.
Once the fungus arrived here in 2006, North American bats were defenseless against the infectious killer, leading to the worst epidemic of wild mammals ever observed on this continent. Last week, the disease turned up for the first time in bats west of the Mississippi.
While many questions remain unanswered, each new detail brings scientists closer to figuring out how to stop a devastating and bewildering wildlife disease.
“Before we can even know whether a solution is possible, we have to know what the disease is doing and where it came from,” said Craig Willis, a wildlife biologist at the University of Winnipeg in Canada. “That may still be a long time away, but getting at these fundamental questions is really important.”
“This is probably our fault,” he added, referring to the likely role that tourists played in carrying the fungus from a cave in Europe to a popular cave in upstate New York, where the North American white-nose epidemic began. “For that reason, we have an obligation to figure out what is going on, to invest in understanding it, and to do our best to try and fix it or at least make it not as bad as possible.”
Ever since March 2006, when an annual survey of hibernating bats turned up thousands of dead animals in the New York cave, scientists have been racing to decode the secrets of a rapidly spreading killer.
Studies have narrowed in on a fungus called Geomyces destructans (Gd), which thrives in cold temperatures, causes lesions on bats’ wings and can be spread through direct contact from bat to bat. But proof that the fungus kills bats has remained elusive.
To investigate, Willis and colleagues collected 54 hibernating little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from a cave in Manitoba and transported them to a carefully protected facility at the University of Saskatchewan. All of the bats were healthy and free of disease.
Using a pipette, the researchers put Gd fungi that had been isolated from North America on the wings of one group of bats. They put European Gd on another third. And they put fungus-free liquid on a third group. Then, they placed the bats in specially designed incubators that were kept cold with high levels of humidity, which are the conditions that little brown bats prefer for hibernating.
All of the bats quickly returned to a state of torpor. The scientists waited and watched.
Pretty soon, both groups of infected bats developed lesions on their wings. By day 70, some of the bats infected with the European fungus began to die, the researchers report today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. By day 90, some of those with the North American version followed -- showing for the first time that infection with the fungus alone was enough to kill the animals.
Even while still alive, infected bats displayed some unusual behaviors. Normally during hibernation, healthy bats periodically warm their bodies up for about an hour before dropping back into a chilly torpor again -- probably as a way to get rid of wastes.
All of the bats in the study experienced occasional temperature spikes, but infected bats warmed up significantly more often. Each warming event takes energy, and extra warnings caused infected bats to deplete their fat stores before hibernation was over.
Besides helping to explain how white-nose syndrome develops, the study was also able to show where the disease came from. Because both geographic strains of fungus caused similar symptoms, the study ruled out the possibility that white-nose syndrome arose from a random mutation in fungus that already existed in North America. Instead, the fungus appears to have traveled here from Europe.
European bats aren’t dying en masse from the disease, though, which might mean that overseas, flying mammals have developed immune defenses against the infectious fungus. That would explain why the European strain hit North American bats harder in the new study. Once on this side of the Atlantic, the fungus may have mutated to become less virulent because bats here were already so vulnerable.
“As much as it breaks my heart, this tells us that people inadvertently brought it from one place to another by not cleaning their boots or pants,” said Brock Fenton, a bat biologist at Western University in London, Ontario. “Before, you could at least say here’s a calamity but it was not caused by humans. Now, I don’t think you can believe that anymore.”
Theoretically, understanding how the disease works and spreads could lead to interventions that would slow or stop it. But there are still many unanswered questions, and a cure remains elusive.
“I don’t think this paper gives us any better handle on solving the problem than we had before, which was no handle at all,” Fenton said. “Right now, the outlook is really bleak.”
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
England hooker Dylan Hartley suspended for eight weeks for biting Irleand's Stephen Ferris.
England and Northampton voiced their disappointment last night over the eight-week ban handed out to hooker Dylan Hartley after he had been found guilty at a three-hour hearing in London of biting the finger of Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris.
The offence, which occurred during the Six Nations match at Twickenham on March 17, could have carried a suspension of up to six months or, in extreme circumstances, four years.
However, the independent three-man panel decreed that the lowest-entry point tariff of 12 weeks should be applied and that four weeks mitigation should be deducted.
What do you think of the Hartley ban?
Given that Hartley pleaded not guilty to the charge and that he had a previously blemished record of a six-month ban for gouging in 2007, it is fair to assume the mitigation relates to either provocation or an element of uncertainty in the incident itself.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Hartley’s case was based on the fact that he was caught up in a tangle of other bodies and that he felt he was being pulled out forcibly around the head area and responded to that. Hartley did not dispute that he had bitten Ferris’s finger but was at pains to explain why. The full judgment will be released on Friday. Hartley was taken aback by the decision.
“I am disappointed by the result and I will wait for the written judgment as to how the panel came to their conclusion,” said Hartley. “I now have to put it behind me.”
Hartley is banned until May 13 and will only play for his club again this season if they reach the Aviva Premiership final on May 26. He will be free, however, to tour South Africa with England in June.
England will not impose any further sanction on Hartley even though interim head coach Stuart Lancaster has cracked down on ill-discipline, notably banishing scrum-half Danny Care from the England squad for drink-driving and demoting London Irish full-back Delon Armitage.
England, though, defended Hartley at Tuesday's hearing through the services of Richard Smith, QC. There was no doubting that they backed their man and that they expect Hartley to be on duty for England in South Africa no matter who the head coach is.
“It’s unfortunate for Dylan as he was in good form during the Six Nations and he has developed as a player and as a leader,” said England forwards coach Graham Rowntree, who also attended the hearing. “However, we are looking forward to him being available for South Africa.”
Hartley does have the right of appeal but there is a sense that he is likely to take the punishment.
Northampton director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, was also present, while Ferris gave testimony via a video link. The incident was not picked up by referee Nigel Owens or by TV footage.
Ferris, however, did complain immediately to Owens and showed his finger to the official, who issued a warning to England.
Hartley has made great efforts to curb the hot-headedness, which was a weakness in his game as evidenced by his six-month suspension.
Northampton forwards’ coach, Dorian West, defended his man on Tuesday night, insisting: “There was a time when Dylan did step over the mark but that was long ago and he has been outstanding in recent years. He’s now a well-respected player and deals really well with all sorts of provocation. He plays to the limit, but legally.”
England play the Barbarians at Twickenham on May 27 before departure to South Africa.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
.jpg)
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
After Hours.
After Hours: 120,900 radar images of US weather systems stitched together to form a 14-year weather time-lapse.
The Daily What.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Hackers claim to have intercepted call between FBI, Scotland Yard.
A screenshot from a video posted by the Anonymous hacking group to YouTube purporting to be the recording of a conference call between FBI and Scotland Yard.
DEVELOPING: A sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard was recorded and released online by the hackers in Anonymous, the group claimed Friday.
The group released a roughly 15-minute-long recording of what appears to be a Jan. 17 conference call devoted to tracking and prosecuting members of the loose-knit hacking group and its spinoff group LulzSec. There was no classified information on the call, FBI sources tell Fox News, noting that unsecure phones are not used for sensitive information.
"The information was intended for law enforcement," the source said, and those responsible will be held accountable.
The authenticity of the recording could not be immediately verified and it's unclear how the hacking group obtained it. Names of some of the suspects being discussed were apparently edited from the recording.
"The information was illegally obtained and a criminal investigation is underway," FBI spokesman Tim Flannelly told FoxNews.com. He did not provide any additional details.
If authentic, the discussion itself appears quite sensitive. Those on the call talk about what legal strategy to pursue in the cases of Ryan Cleary and Jake Davis -- two British suspects linked to Anonymous -- and discuss details of the evidence gathered against other suspects
"We've set back arrests of Kayla and T-flow until we know what's happening," one person notes.
The conversation focuses for a time on hacker who's named is mentioned by obscured in the recording.
"He goes by the moniker "Tehwonhgz." He is the face behind CSL Sec (Can't Stop Laughing Security), which is a Lulzsec corner group ... he's just a pain in the bum ... we have copy of his hard drive here," one of the British voices says.
"Did anyone join on late," one of the voices asks at the end of the call.
Anonymous also published an email purportedly sent by an FBI agent which gave details and a password for accessing the call.
"The FBI might be curious how we're able to continuously read their internal comms for some time now," the group gloated in a message posted to Twitter.
Amid the material published by Anonymous was a message purportedly sent by an FBI agent to international law enforcement agencies. It invites his foreign counterparts to join the call to "discuss the on-going investigations related to Anonymous ... and other associated splinter groups." The email contained a phone number and password for accessing the call.
The email is addressed to officials in the U.K., Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and France, but only American and British officials can be heard on the recording.
Graham Cluley, an expert with data security company Sophos, said that hackers had been able to eavesdrop on the call because they had compromised an investigator's emails.
"No doubt the police authorities will be appalled to realize that the very people that they are trying to apprehend, could have been tuning in to their internal conversations," he wrote in a blog post.
An email to the FBI agent who sent the email was not immediately returned, while one of the British investigators on the call referred questions to Scotland Yard's press office.
Karen Todner, a lawyer for Cleary, said that the recording could be "incredibly sensitive" and warned that such data breaches had the potential to derail the police's work.
"If they haven't secured their email it could potentially prejudice the investigation," she told The Associated Press.
Anonymous was believed to have also hacked into a website run by the Boston Police Department Friday morning. BPDNews.com, a public safety resource and community outreach site, was offline as technicians worked to get it up and running again.
“It is unfortunate that someone would go to this extent to compromise BPDNews.com,” Elaine Driscoll, director of communications for the Boston Police, said in a written statement. Driscoll declined to comment on whether the hack was the work of Anonymous, citing an ongoing investigation into the matter.
Anonymous is an amorphous collection of Internet enthusiasts, pranksters and activists whose targets have included the Church of Scientology, the music industry, and financial companies such as Visa and MasterCard.
Following a spate of arrests across the world, the group and its various offshoots have focused their attention on law enforcement in general and the FBI in particular.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/03/hackers-claim-to-have-intercepted-call-between-fbi-scotland-yard/#ixzz1lL4bjhpv
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
HEY HEY HEY.
Am I fuck face? Is that little girl there fuck face? Who are you saying “hey” to? I’m just trying to figure this out because from my viewpoint you haven’t been cool since your 15 minutes of nerd glory during the Dot-com boom, so I can’t imagine who you are trying to impress.
peopleofwalmart.com
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Glee's Grant Gustin To Guest Star On CSI: Miami!!
OMG!!!
Grant Gustin is bringin' his hotness to the Miami heat, LOL!!!
Ahh!!! We just love him! We think the Gleek is such a stud, and we're sure he's gonna flex those acting muscles when he guest stars on CSI: Miami!!
Looks like he's getting into some mischief here… hmmm… we can't wait to watch!!!
Aren't U excited!?! We mean, just look at him!! And press play too!!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)