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False Consensus Effect

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 01:11:00 +0100

We tend to overestimate how the degree to which our own behavior, attitudes, beliefs, and so on are shared by other people.

This may be because our friends and people we spend time with are indeed like us, and we use the Availability Heuristic to deduce that many other people are similar (our own beliefs, etc. are also very available). When there is limited information on which to base a good estimate, then what we believe is a fair alternative to a wild guess. We will use false consensus more when we attribute our own behavior to external factors as these are the same factors which presumed to affect others. False consensus also helps reinforce my own motivations.

False Consensus Effect

empathy

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0100

empathy

Drunk Peruvians Torched Ancient Brewery

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:57:00 +0100

By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Around a thousand years ago, a group of people gathered in a Peruvian brewery, drank copious amounts of brew, smashed their drinking vessels to the ground and torched the building as part of a complicated abandonment ritual, according to a new study.

The authors of the study in the latest Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences believe the structure was one of the earliest and largest state-sponsored breweries in the Andes.

They also discovered that a group of elite women served as the brewmasters, unusual both for ancient times and even for today.

Discovery Channel :: News :: Drunk Peruvians Torched Ancient Brewery

Socioloog Said Bouamama: "Alleen verrassend dat pot niet sneller overkookte"

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 05:09:00 +0100

by Keltoum en Vanessa Saturday, Nov. 05, 2005 at 5:37 PM

Er lijkt niet meteen een einde te komen aan de rellen in de Parijse voorsteden. Het geweld breidt zich uit naar andere steden. De rellen zijn geen verrassing voor socioloog Said Boumama. « Verrassend is alleen dat de explosie zo lang uitbleef, » zegt hij.

Said Bouamama was in het begin van de jaren '80 één van de organisatoren van de zogenaamde 'Marches des Beures'. Die marsen voor gelijkheid, zoals hij ze zelf liever noemt, brachten tienduizenden jonge allochtonen op de been. De beweging viel al snel uitéén, maar slaagde er wel in om de dagelijkse problemen van de allochtone jongeren op de agenda te zetten. Twintig jaar later lijkt er echter niet veel veranderd.

-- Wie zijn die jongeren?

Said Bouamama: « Die jongeren maken deel uit van de arbeidersklasse van vandaag. Op de televisie worden ze vooral benaderd als migrantenjongeren, maar het gaat om een gemengde jeugd die vandaag op straat komt. Het gaat om jongeren die al lang hun woede opkroppen. De dood van hun twee kameraden was de druppel die de emmer deed overlopen. Het is een opstand tegen de situatie in de volkse wijken die al twintig dertig jaar achteruitgaat. »

-- De dood van de twee jongens was dus slechts een aanleiding?

« Wat die jongens overkwam is een grote onrechtvaardigheid want hun recht op leven werd geschonden. Maar in de wijken wordt een hele resem rechten geschonden: recht op werk, recht op een waardige woning. De wijken staan onder permanente politiecontrole en krijgen te maken met pesterijen. Dat is jong zijn en migrant in het Frankrijk van vandaag. Het lijkt wel alsof men die jongeren afschildert als de nieuwe gevaarlijke klasse. »

-- Hun woede is zeer agressief. Is dat de enige manier waarop ze zich kunnen uiten?

« Die jongeren proberen al jaren op verschillende manieren de aandacht te trekken op hun situatie. Maar aangezien de economie steeds liberaler wordt en aangezien armen niet bepaald centraal staan in de economische keuzes, wordt er niet naar hen geluisterd. Dat is ook de verantwoordelijkheid van de verschillende politieke krachten die geen rekening houden met de bevolking van deze wijken. De werkloosheidsgraad is er hoger dan 40 %. Dat is vier keer meer dan het nationaal gemiddelde. Eén op twee jongeren is werkloos. Dat is onleefbaar. De armoede neemt schrikwekkende proporties aan. Als daar dan ook nog eens de dagelijkse pesterijen van politie bijkomen, krijg je een pot die klaar is om over te koken. Vandaar mijn conclusie dat het niet verrassend is dat al die wagens in brand worden gestoken, maar wel dat een echte explosie zo lang uitbleef. Ik denk dat de woede van de jongeren zich heel lang tegen henzelf heeft gekeerd. Ze vechten onder elkaar. Over dat soort geweld wordt zelden gesproken. »

-- De situatie is niet nieuw, maar sleept al vele jaren aan. Waarom doet de regering hier niets aan?

« De regering heeft andere prioriteiten: de economie hervormen in liberale zin. Dat betekent dat er steeds minder overblijft voor zaken die niet dadelijk iets opbrengen zoals onderwijs, sociale woningen en gezondheidszorg. De politieke keuzes zorgen er voor dat wat nog restte om te kunnen overleven, verwaarloosd wordt. »

-- Wie goed geschoold is, kan ontsnappen aan die situatie, zegt men. Wat loopt er verkeerd in het onderwijs?

« Ik denk niet dat het hier een probleem van scholing is, maar een kwestie van overleven. Als je twintig bent en je ziet dat 40 % van de buurtbewoners zonder werk zit, dat de wijk achteruitgaat, dat je broers met hun diploma toch geen werk vinden, dan weet je dat dit geen probleem van onderwijs is. Wie over vorming en scholing begint, wijst eigenlijk de jongerne en de ouders zelf met de vinger. Ik ben daar niet van overtuigd. De ouders doen wat ze kunnen in de moeilijke omstandigheden waarin ze leven. »

-- Is de werkloosheid dan een gevolg van discriminatie?

« Voor de migrantenjongeren is het evident dat er gediscrimineerd wordt. Een discriminatie die toeneemt door de economische crisis. Jobs worden zeldzaam en de eersten die aan de kant worden gezet zijn de migrantenjongeren. »

-- Wat vindt u van de reactie van minister Sarkozy die de jongeren 'uitschot' noemde?

« Dat is onaanvaardbaar en schandalig. Zie daar iemand die in een eerste reflex na de dood van de jongeren de politie in bescherming neemt zonder het onderzoek af te wachten. Die zich begeeft in de wijken en zegt dat er goede en slechte jongeren zijn, uitschot en geen uitschot. Hij houdt er geen rekening mee dat hij daar met mensen te maken heeft. Ik verdenk Sarkozy er van dat hij het onveiligheidsgevoel wil aanscherpen want bij de verkiezingen hoopt hij daar garen bij te spinnen. »

-- Hoe kan er een einde komen aan het geweld?

« Ik denk dat alle democraten, alle verenigingen, alle politieke partijen die het niet eens zijn met deze situatie, nu op straat moeten komen. Ik wacht vol ongeduld op bijeenkomsten of grote betogingen zodat dit geen zaak blijft van jongeren tegenover politieagenten, maar een politiek probleem dat de grenzen van de volkse wijken overstijgt. »

-- Ziet u al iets bewegen?

« Helaas niet, nee. Ik schud al enkele dagen aan de boom om iets te doen bewegen. Ik hoop op een grote betoging die alle politieke krachten van extreemlinks tot democraten samen brengt. »

-- Hoe kan zo'n beweging ontstaan?

« Momenteel vragen we aan iedereen die zich het lot van die jongeren aantrekt om de hoofdkwartieren van politieke partijen en vakbonden te bombarderen met mails. Zij moeten zich nu uitspreken. »

-- Denkt u dat deze rellen georganiseerd zijn?

« Er zullen wel kleine groepjes jongeren zijn die elkaar ontmoeten en die hun acties afspreken, maar een echte organisatie zit er niet achter. Het is een spontane en richtingloze opstand. De jongeren zullen de rekening moeten betalen. »

-- Kan het resultaat van het onderzoek naar de dood van de twee jongeren een gunstig effect hebben?

« Het onderzoek zal zeggen dat de politie geen schuld treft. Dat zal niet de eerste keer zijn want we zitten al aan honderden dergelijke sterfgevallen. In de meerderheid van de gevallen worden de politieagenten vrijgesproken. Wettige zelfverdediging, luidt meestal het verdict. Ik geloof niet in zo'n onderzoek. »

Socioloog Said Bouamama: "Alleen verrassend dat pot niet sneller overkookte" : Indymedia Belgium

An Activist Left Behind

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Fri, 4 Nov 2005 00:46:00 +0100

By Kari Lydersen

Building peace in Colombia was the focus of the international conference in Chicago where Orlando Valencia, an Afro-Colombian activist, was invited to speak about his community’s struggle to defend its land from agribusiness interests and paramilitary forces. He never showed up.

Valencia was representing Jiguamiandó, a “peace community” that has declared itself neutral in the country’s ravaging civil war and has no alignment with either right-wing paramilitary or left-wing guerrilla factions. Displaced by violence in 1997, the community won the right to return in 2000 under collective land rights granted to Afro-indigenous people. But during their absence the land had been illegally planted with African palm, as part of a large-scale palm oil export operation. Since then, the community has been struggling to claim their land while paramilitaries continue to protect the illegal agriculture, which poses a serious threat to the surrounding Choco rainforest.

A week before he was to leave for Chicago, Valencia was denied a visa, for the second time, by the U.S. Embassy in Bogata. Fed up with the process, he started the long trek back home. A group of fellow Colombians and international observers accompanied him.

An Activist Left Behind -- In These Times

World's earliest observatory discovered

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Tue, 1 Nov 2005 18:38:00 +0100

TAIYUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese archaeologists said they have found the world earliest observatory, dated back to some 4,100 years ago, in north China's Shanxi Province.

The ancient observatory in the Taosi relics site in Shanxi Province is at least 2,000 years older than the 1,000-year-old observatory built by the Maya in central America, said He Nu, a research follow with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

He told Xinhua on Sunday that the observatory, built at the endof the primitive society, "was not only used for observing astronomical phenomena but also for sacrificial rites."

The remains of the observatory, in the shape of a semicircle 40meters in diameter in the main observation platform and 60 meters in diameter in the outer circle, were made by rammed earth in three circles.

Archaeologists inferred that 13 stone pillars, at least four meters tall, stood on the foundation of the first circle originally, forming 12 gaps between them.

"The ancient people observed the direction of sunrise through the gaps and distinguished the different seasons of the year," said He.

In order to test the conjecture, archaeologists spent a year and a half simulating the observations of the ancients at the site.

To their surprise, the seasons marked by observation at the site were only one or two days different from the seasonal division of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is still widely used in rural China.

www.chinaview.cn 2005-10-30 10:38:03

Europe study shows climate risks

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 04:42:00 +0100

By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter

Mediterranean and mountain regions of Europe will be hardest hit by the changes set to affect the continent's natural resources this century

That is the conclusion of a Europe-wide assessment that highlights the threat posed by climate change.

The Mediterranean will be at increased risk of forest fires, water shortages, loss of agricultural land and from its tree species shifting northward.

The study, by an international team, appears in the journal Science.

The assessment set out to forecast the impact of climate change, shifting land use and socio-economic factors on Europe during the 21st Century.

It simulated the effects of changes in soil fertility and water availability as the climate changes and humans respond, for example, by modifying land use patterns or moving to new areas.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Europe study shows climate risks

On Del.icio.us: environment, climate, europe, globalwarming, science, future

forget about privacy

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 01:43:00 +0200

america "the land of the free":

Who Hijacked Our Country: Big Brother is Spying on YOU, With YOUR Help

On Del.icio.us: bigbrother, usa, government, spying, communication, internet, privacy

green green water

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 17:16:00 +0200

green green water is a documentary film about hydroelectric power and its impact on the lives of thousands of Aboriginal people in northern Manitoba. This power is then sold to U.S. utilities companies and passed on to their customers.

This is a story about power...power from hydroelectric dams...the power to destroy an ancient culture...the power of big money...the power of Indigenous people who refuse to be powerless in their struggle to survive...and the power of activism.

A cross-cultural collaboration from a team of award-winning filmmakers behind such films as THIS obedience, Alcatraz Is Not an Island, Voices for the Land, and Treading Water: a documentary.

The Gift of ADHD

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 12:59:00 +0200

by Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D. for iVillage (excerpted from The Gift of ADHD)

Studies suggest that many of the traits kids with ADHD exhibit can be expressions of deeper gifts: powerful imagination, searching insight and unusual intuition. Find out how to transform your child's problems into strengths.

Finding creativity
Without paying careful attention to your child's inner process, it is easy to miss his creativity in everyday life. While the teacher complains that he is spacing out during her presentation on the structure of our government, your child may be generating possible solutions for eliminating wasteful governmental spending. While your child appears to be trying to get out of going to his music lessons, he may be singing Broadway show tunes in his mind with perfect tempo and memory for all the words. If a child isn't doing what he's supposed to be doing, we commonly think he is misbehaving. In fact, he may be exploring and expressing his own unique gifts that do not match up with your tight schedules and plans for him.

For example, what adults often think of as goofing off can be one of the most important activities for any child, but particularly a creative child. If your child is diagnosed with ADHD, you may recognize that he does not have the same attention span and focus of other children, but you must also acknowledge his superior creativity that, as a parent, you are entrusted to nourish and nurture. You do not do this by getting him to conform to the demands of traditional ideas of achievement. You nurture his creativity by making allowances for his differences and unstructuring his life accordingly.

MSN Health & Fitness - The Gift of ADHD

Capitalism & Kids'

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 22:30:00 +0200

Welcome to the Gallery, eventually this will be the place to see all the videos you're never likely to get a look at on the mainstream media. It's hoped that all you radical types will be inspired to pick up a video camera and tell everyone your point of view.

The first of what we hope will be many films to appear on this site is Capitalism & Other Kids' Stuff. It was made by four socialists on one freezing Saturday afternoon in a church hall at Hebburn in the north east of England. On a budget of £80 which was spent on travel expenses the cost of hiring the hall and some cold cheese pasties the film may be rough and ready but it's hoped that it says something real to you. The ideas it proposes are one's you're unlikely to see on any TV show, art house play or even the news networks.

The original version or 'the white version' as we now call it - nothing to do with the Beatles album - has now been replaced by a newer version known as the CGI version. This is a lot more colourful and has more jazzy bits! It's hoped that this does not detract from the points raised in the video. Also, it has to be pointed out that this is still not the final edit as we're waiting for some great artwork done by Mat Brady, which will be included in the video. Mat is a real talent and we are delighted that he has joined the team.

Already seen by many to critical acclaim (and some critical comments too but we don't mention that) we're proud to present

Capitalism & Other Kids' Stuff -The CGI Version

Runtime 51 Minutes

Why the Corporate Rich Oppose Environmentalism

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 11:06:00 +0200

EnergyBulletin.net | Energy and Peak Oil News
by Michael Parenti

In 1876, Marx's collaborator, Frederich Engels, offered a prophetic caveat: "Let us not . . . flatter ourselves overmuch on account of our human conquest over nature. For each such conquest takes its revenge on us. . . . At every step we are reminded that we by no means rule over nature like a conqueror over a foreign people, like someone standing outside of nature--but that we, with flesh, blood, and brain, belong to nature, and exist in its midst. . . ."

With its never-ending emphasis on production and profit, and its indifference to environment, transnational corporate capitalism appears determined to stand outside nature. The driving goal of the giant investment firms is to convert natural materials into commodities and commodities into profits, transforming living nature into vast accumulations of dead capital.

This capital accumulation process treats the planet's life-sustaining resources (arable land, groundwater, wetlands, forests, fisheries, ocean beds, rivers, air quality) as dispensable ingredients of limitless supply, to be consumed or toxified at will. Consequently, the support systems of the entire ecosphere--the Earth's thin skin of fresh air, water, and top soil--are at risk, threatened by global warming, massive erosion, and ozone depletion. An ever-expanding capitalism and a fragile finite ecology are on a calamitous collision course.

It is not true that the ruling politico-economic interests are in a state of denial about this. Far worse than denial, they have shown utter antagonism toward those who think the planet is more important than corporate profits. So they defame environmentalists as "eco-terrorists," "EPA gestapo," "Earth Day alarmists," "tree huggers," and purveyors of "Green hysteria" and "liberal claptrap."

...

Why the Corporate Rich Oppose Environmentalism | EnergyBulletin.net | Energy and Peak Oil News

Afrique XX1 - Revue des Alternatives Africaines

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 00:37:00 +0200

Afrique XX1 est une revue à but non lucratif réalisée par des bénévoles. Elle a pour objectif de se faire l’écho d’analyses, d’informations et d’initiatives d’organisations associatives et syndicales qui luttent afin d’obtenir une réelle alternative pour les peuples africains. Afrique XX1 est et restera indépendante financièrement et dans son fonctionnement de toutes les institutions politiques, économiques et religieuses. Son comité de rédaction est composé d’associations, de syndicats ainsi que de personnes se reconnaissant dans sa ligne éditoriale et dans son mode de gestion collectif.

Associations membres de la rédaction

Afrique XX1 - Revue des Alternatives Africaines

Kif Kif, de interculturele site van Vlaanderen.

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 17:57:00 +0200

over Kif Kif: De missie en uitgangspunten van vzw Kif Kif

Missie

Kif Kif wil meebouwen aan een interculturele samenleving die de actieve participatie van àlle burgers in onze democratische rechtstaat bevordert. Via onafhankelijke, interactieve en sensibiliserende initiatieven wil Kif Kif een diversiteit aan stemmen en verhalen een forum bieden.

Algemene doelstellingen

Uit deze missie putten wij de volgende algemene doelstellingen:

1. Een diversiteit aan stemmen en verhalen een forum bieden.
2. De actieve participatie van álle burgers bevorderen.
3. Stereotiepe en negatieve beeldvorming ontkrachten.
4. Stimuleren tot kritische reflectie.
5. De onafhankelijkheid en het unieke karakter van de organisatie bewaken.

Uitgangspunten

Bij het realiseren van de missie en de doelstellingen vertrekken wij vanuit het volgende referentiekader:

Progressief
Kif Kif wil niet lijdzaam toekijken hoe alles bij het oude blijft. De hervorming van een aantal maatschappelijke aspecten en instellingen dringt zich hoe langer hoe meer op. Dit betekent dat we als organisatie in vele gevallen een standpunt moeten durven innemen. Daarom willen we er op een doordachte manier naar streven om discussies te bevorderen. We mogen niet aan de kant blijven staan, maar richten ons op vooruitgang en vernieuwing zodat iedereen een gelijkwaardige plaats in een rechtvaardige samenleving kan innemen. De samenleving zoals we die vandaag kennen is niet dezelfde als ongeveer dertig jaar terug. De migratie, de steeds toenemende mobiliteit, versnelde communicatiemiddelen, globalisering, enz. maken dat de diversiteit in de samenleving voortdurend toeneemt. Dit brengt nieuwe onrechtvaardigheden en ongelijkheden met zich mee die op een innovatieve, creatieve en eigentijdse manier benaderd moeten worden. Kif Kif wil zich hiervoor actief engageren en wil haar sympathisanten de mogelijkheid bieden om hieraan mee te werken.

Pluralistisch
Kif Kif stelt zich van bij de start open en pluralistisch op. Dit betekent dat we open staan voor eventuele samenwerking met andere democratische verenigingen. Iedere mens is gelijk en moet, ongeacht de sociaal-culturele achtergrond, gelijke kansen krijgen om zich maximaal te ontplooien en op een volwaardige manier kunnen deelnemen aan het maatschappelijke leven. Niemand mag uitgestoten of achtergesteld worden omwille van sociale achtergrond, huidskleur, nationaliteit, verstandelijke of lichamelijke handicap, seksuele geaardheid, enz. Dit betekent ook dat Kif Kif zich niet tot een welbepaalde etnisch-culturele groep richt. Kif Kif wil de leden van de verschillende gemeenschappen met elkaar in contact brengen. Daarnaast willen we een einde maken aan de strakke opdeling tussen ‘allochtoon’ en ‘autochtoon’, tussen ‘Vlaming’ en ‘vreemdeling’ en tussen man en vrouw. Kif Kif streeft naar een samenleving waarin diversiteit geen holle slogan blijft en in volle vrijheid beleefd kan worden. We leven samen in eenzelfde geografische, institutionele en economische ruimte en kunnen maar beter leren om dit op een vreedzame en respectvolle manier te doen.

Solidair
Gezien de toenemende internationale ongelijkheden, wil Kif Kif over rechtvaardige en democratische alternatieven voor het huidige economische wereldsysteem nadenken. Aangezien het een wereldwijde onrechtvaardigheid betreft, hechten wij veel belang aan grensoverschrijdende solidariteit. We besteden dan ook ruim aandacht aan onderwerpen als migratie, mondialisering, armoede en oorlog. Kif Kif meent dat de socio-economische positie cruciaal is voor de maatschappelijke plaats die het individu inneemt of toebedeeld krijgt. We zijn ervan overtuigd dat de emancipatie van álle inwoners van Vlaanderen/België en de wereldbevolking een ijdele droom zal blijven zolang er geen structurele maatregelen op het vlak van onderwijs, tewerkstelling en huisvesting genomen worden. Het is evenzeer zo dat de socio-culturele achtergrond steeds vaker als uitsluitend mechanisme functioneert. Al te lang heeft de ‘linkerzijde’ het belang van de culturele identiteit verwaarloosd en onderschat. Kif Kif wil dan ook actief nadenken hoe die op een passende manier binnen een linkse wereldbeschouwing geplaatst kan worden.

Antiracistisch
Kif Kif profileert zich als uitgesproken antiracistisch en wenst het racisme in al haar verschijningsvormen te ontmaskeren en bespreekbaar te maken. We besteden daarom uitgebreid aandacht besteden aan de oorsprong, de werking, de functie en de gevolgen van het racistische mechanisme. Wanneer de situatie het vereist, zal Kif Kif ook bepaalde wanpraktijken aan de kaak stellen.

Democratisch
Kif Kif wil dat álle gemeenschappen gehoord worden en medezeggenschap hebben. Het kan niet langer dat er boven de hoofden van sommige groepen beslissingen worden genomen. De maatschappij moet in al haar facetten en op alle niveaus toegankelijk en bereikbaar zijn voor alle leden van die maatschappij. Het is duidelijk dat heel wat mensen worden geconfronteerd met een dagelijkse realiteit waarin ze zelfs niet eens als een volwaardige gesprekspartner worden beschouwd. Er moet werk gemaakt worden van een verregaande democratisering van een aantal structuren en instellingen. Alle burgers moeten op een actieve manier kunnen participeren in het beleid. Dit veronderstelt een eerlijke verdeling van de middelen en de mogelijkheden waarover iedereen moet beschikken, zowel op lokaal als globaal vlak. Kennis vormt de belangrijkste grondstof in de postindustriële samenleving. In ons streven naar een rechtvaardige maatschappij achten wij het dan ook van primordiaal belang om ook deze grondstof voor iedereen beschikbaar en bruikbaar te maken. Via de website en onze werking hopen wij hieraan een bescheiden maar zinvolle bijdrage te leveren.

Kif Kif, de interculturele site van Vlaanderen. :: De interculturele site van Vlaanderen

Addiction/Crime

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 02:18:00 +0200

©1996-2004 PFPC

In 1999 Masters reported on crime rates and deaths from alcoholism in fluoridated areas:

* Crime rates in the cities using SiF were significantly higher than in non-fluoridating cities (H2SiF6 = 1486 per 100,000; Na2SiF6 = 1480 per 100,000; non-fluoridated = 1100 per 100,000), as were rates of death from alcoholism (H2SiF6 = 56.1 per 100,000; Na2SiF6 = 53.8 per 100,000; non-fluoridated = 44.1 per 100,000).” Masters RD - “Poisoning the Well: Neurotoxic Metals, Water Treatment, and Human Behavior” Plenary Address to Annual Conference of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, Four Seasons Hotel, Atlanta, GA -- 9:00AM, Sept. 2, 1999 LINK

Regarding cocaine addiction, Masters reported:

* Among 30,000 criminals in 24 cities studied by NIJ, those living where SiF is in water were more likely to have been using cocaine at the time of their arrest (H2SiF6 = 44%; Na2SiF6 = 43%; non-fluoridated = 32%).

Why would this be? While Masters stipulates that this might be due to increased lead uptake caused by silicofluorides, this is only partially the reason. Fluorides reduce thyroid hormone which is further compounded by increased lead uptake. Thyroid hormones regulate the critical pathways involved in alcoholism, as well as cocaine addiction and violent behaviour.

Addiction/Crime

Treasure America ANWR Video is Out - Have a Look!

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 02:59:00 +0200

3P followed the adventures of the Treasure America team this summer as we visited the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in search of economic arguments against opening the refuge to oil development. The project successfully showed that tourism and other locally born industry could be a more viable long term economic strategy than oil exploration. The second part of the project was to produce a video for the rest of America demonstrating that drilling in the refuge will do next to nothing for our economy, and ironically, NOT drilling is a better economic stimulator.

Triple Pundit: Treasure America ANWR Video is Out - Have a Look!

Sleepwalking to the End of the Earth

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sat, 1 Oct 2005 12:49:00 +0200

Maria Gilardin writes: Floods, storms, and droughts. Melting polar ice, shrinking glaciers, oceans turning to acid. Scientists from the fields of glaciology, biology, meteorology, oceanography, and ecology reported seeing a dramatic rise over the last 50 years of all the indicators of climate change: increase in average world temperatures, extreme weather events, in the levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and in the level of the oceans. The award winning environmental writer Geoffrey Lean wrote: “Future historians, looking back from a much hotter and less hospitable world . . . will puzzle over how a whole generation could have sleepwalked into disaster -- destroying the climate that has allowed human civilization to flourish over the past 11,000 years.” ... There is a set of figures that is both deeply depressing and hopeful. The last published World Bank data for CO2 emissions per capita indicate that, while every man, woman, and child in the US puts out 20 metric tons of CO2 per annum, those in the European Union put out 8 per person per year; China 2; and the output of Nigerians, who supply us with much of the oil that we burn into CO2, is zero -- below scale. In 2002, US-Americans used over 12,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per person; Europeans used less than half the amount, while the use in China is 987 kilowatt-hours per person. The US per-capita use of oil is twice that of the European Union, and more than 8 times that of China. What if China aspires to our standard of living? And why not, if we are not willing to cut back? Europe gets by with so much less CO2-output and energy-input, while already planning for further cuts. Where is the measure of global justice, between those who cause no harm and those whose extravagant use of fossil fuels harms everybody else? Regardless of who is driving this: industry, the military, religious fundamentalists, or any permutation of government, be it red or blue, responsibility for the approaching climate collapse will fall overwhelmingly on the United States. Since the US government and corporations not only refuse to cut back but are driving eco-collapse forward, it is up to ordinary people to refuse collaboration and to control the perpetrators. For us living in the US, the opportunity and time to make a difference that will affect the entire planet is now. (09/27/05)

News for a Synergic Earth : Sleepwalking to the End of the Earth

Shirky: Ontology is Overrated -- Categories, Links, and Tags

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 21:45:00 +0200

Clay Shirky's Writings About the Internet
Economics & Culture, Media & Community

This piece is based on two talks I gave in the spring of 2005 -- one at the O'Reilly ETech conference in March, entitled "Ontology Is Overrated", and one at the IMCExpo in April entitled "Folksonomies & Tags: The rise of user-developed classification." The written version is a heavily edited concatenation of those two talks.

Today I want to talk about categorization, and I want to convince you that a lot of what we think we know about categorization is wrong. In particular, I want to convince you that many of the ways we're attempting to apply categorization to the electronic world are actually a bad fit, because we've adopted habits of mind that are left over from earlier strategies.

I also want to convince you that what we're seeing when we see the Web is actually a radical break with previous categorization strategies, rather than an extension of them. The second part of the talk is more speculative, because it is often the case that old systems get broken before people know what's going to take their place. (Anyone watching the music industry can see this at work today.) That's what I think is happening with categorization.

What I think is coming instead are much more organic ways of organizing information than our current categorization schemes allow, based on two units -- the link, which can point to anything, and the tag, which is a way of attaching labels to links. The strategy of tagging -- free-form labeling, without regard to categorical constraints -- seems like a recipe for disaster, but as the Web has shown us, you can extract a surprising amount of value from big messy data sets.

Shoe Leather As A Renewable Resource: Penn Biologists Invent Power-Generating Backpack

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:45:00 +0200

Source:
University Of Pennsylvania
Date:
2005-09-10

PHILADELPHIA --
If you already have a little spring in your step, a team of biologists at the University of Pennsylvania would like to put it to good use by adding a few more springs in the form of a power-generating backpack. Details of their prototype "Suspended-load Backpack" were announced today in the journal Science. The device converts mechanical energy from walking into electricity up to 7.4 Watts more than enough energy to power a number of portable electronic devices at once.

Shoe Leather As A Renewable Resource: Penn Biologists Invent Power-Generating Backpack

the City of Freiburg

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 08:37:00 +0200

A Short History
of the District Freiburg-Vauban, Germany

Abstract

In the South of Freiburg, on the former area of a French barrack site, Vauban, a new district is being developed for more than 5,000 inhabitants and 600 jobs. In 1993 the planning for the district started and in 2006, after three development phases, the district (38 hectares) will be completed. By the beginning of the year 2001, 2000 people had moved in.

The main goal of the project is to implement a city district in a co-operative, participatory way which meets ecological, social, economical and cultural requirements. The citizen's association "Forum Vauban e.V." (which has NGO-status) applied to coordinate the participation process and was recognized as its legal body by the City of Freiburg in 1995.

Through this process, many ressources became available: the biggest strength of the project is the involvement of people who are forming the district. Major driving forces for the development of Vauban are the ideas, the creativity and commitment of the people involved and the common goal to create a sustainable, flourishing neighbourhood.

In the fields of energy, traffic / mobility, building and participation / social interaction / public spaces new concepts were successfuly put into practice. In Freiburg-Vauban

the project's structure integrates legal, political, social and economical actors from grassroot-level up to the city administration,
all houses are built at least with improved low energy standard (65 kWh/m²a, calculated similar to the Swiss SIA 380/1 standard) plus at least 100 units with "passive house" (15 kWh/m²a) or "plus energy" standard (houses which produce more energy than they need, another 100 plus energy houses are planned),
a highly efficient co-generation plant (CHP) operating on wood-chips is operating since 2002 and connected to the district's heating grid.
solar collectors (about 450 m² until 2000) and photovoltaics (about 1200 m² until 2000) will be common "ornaments" on the district's roofs,
an ecological traffic / mobility concept is implemented with a reduced number of private cars to be parked in the periphery (about 40% of the households agreed to live without an own car), good public transport, a convenient car sharing system and a higher quality of living,
streets and other public spaces are playground for kids and places for social interaction,
joint building projects (about 30 groups of building owners, the Genova co-operative and the self-organized S.U.S.I.-settlement initiative) are the fertile ground for a stable district's community and rise ecological awareness,
a far-reaching participation and the social work organized by Forum Vauban gives voice to the people's needs and supports their initiatives, invents innovative ecological and social concepts and sets up a communication and participation structure including meetings, workshops, a three-monthly district news magazine, publications on special issues and internet-presentations.

Introduction

Background of the Project "Sustainable Model District Vauban"

In the South of Freiburg, on the former area of a French barrack site, Vauban, a new district is being developed (a map is available here) for more than 5,000 inhabitants and 600 jobs. In 1993 the planning for the district started and in 2006, after three development sections, the district (38 hectares) will be completed.

The City of Freiburg has bought the area from the Federal Authorities and paid for this 20,000,000 €. As owner of the Vauban area, the City is responsible for its planning and development. The principle "Learning while Planning" adopted by the city allowed flexibility in reacting to new developments. This allowed an extended citizen participation that went far beyond the legal requirements and enabled citizens to participate even in the planning process. The citizen's association "Forum Vauban e.V." applied to coordinate the participation process and was recognized as its legal body by the City of Freiburg in 1995. From the very beginning, Forum Vauban did not want to restrict itself to merely organizing but also developed own suggestions for the planning and building of the district. Therefore the project was created and implemented together with the City of Freiburg and several other partners.

Next page: Main Objectives

English Introduction to the Vauban District, Freiburg

Synergic Containment: Science & Rationale

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 19:58:00 +0200

Synergic Containment of an Adversary Event
Timothy Wilken, MD writes:

Synergy at its most basic simply means "working together." Synergic science is then the study of "working together." As science has progressed in helping us understand the human condition, it is now clear that we are an interdependent species. Sometimes I depend on others, and sometimes others depend on me. Another important fact of being in interdependent species is we share the same environment—the same reality. At home, we share the same living space with friends or family. If I turn the heater thermostat up, the room will become warmer for everyone. Control of that reality is shared. If I start yelling and screaming, things will get much noisier for everyone. Control of that reality is shared. If I make a mess or don't clean up the kitchen, then we are all living in that mess. This is just as true in the workplace, our neighborhoods, our communities, and in fact in the whole world. We live on a single planet, we all share the same water, the same air and the same resources of the single small planet. Because control of reality is shared, if I foul the water or air, I foul your water and your air. Whatever I do, will effect you. Whatever you do, will effect me. If we work together and act responsibly, we can minimize the harm we do each other, and maximize the benefits of solving our problems together. Freedom of action in a shared environment is a privilege, not a right. When we use Synergic Containment to protect a child, we are teaching the child that in a shared environment, he is free to act as long as those actions do not hurt others. We are teaching him to work together and act responsibly. Synergic containment is probably most attractive to parents because it is a technique to control adversary behavior when you love and care about the individual behaving adversarily. Most parents love and care about their children. Containment is about protecting both the victim and the aggressor. It does this by stopping adversary behavior. Now synergic containment could be used just as effectively outside the family. (09/05/05)

Synergic Containment: Science & Rationale

it's like a balance

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 18:32:00 +0200

How the US Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions

Interview with John Perkins by Ant Goodman

John Perkins, who worked from 1971 to 1981 for the international consulting firm of Charles T. Main, has written a book entitled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. A former respected member of the international banking community, Perkins describes how as a highly paid professional, he helped the US cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then taking over their economies. Perkins, who started writing the book twenty years ago, writes, “The book was to be dedicated to the presidents of two countries, men who had been clients whom I respected and thought of as kindred spirits—Jaime Roldós, president of Ecuador, and Omar Torrijos, president of Panama. Both had just died in fiery crashes. Their deaths were not accidental. They were assassinated because they opposed that fraternity of corporate, government, and banking heads whose goal is global empire. We economic hit men failed to bring Roldós and Torrijos around, and the other type of hit men, the CIA-sanctioned jackals who were always right behind us, stepped in.”

John Perkins goes on to write: “I was persuaded to stop writing that book. I started it four more times during the next twenty years. On each occasion, my decision to begin again was influenced by current world events: the US invasion of Panama in 1980, the first Gulf War, Somalia, and the rise of Osama bin Laden. However, threats or bribes always convinced me to stop.”

Amy Goodman: It is a remarkable story that you tell. Why don’t you start at the beginning, about how you came to be recruited first by the National Security Agency—far larger than the CIA—and then this international consulting firm of Charles T. Main.

...> Sentient Times Feb/Mar 2005: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man <...

Dangerous Ignorance

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 21:24:00 +0200

US teens 'reject' key freedoms

A significant number of US high-school students regard their constitutional right to freedom of speech as excessive, according to a new survey.

Over a third of the 100,000 students questioned felt the First Amendment went "too far" in guaranteeing freedom of speech, press, worship and assembly.

Only half felt newspapers should be allowed to publish stories that did not have the government's approval.

BBC NEWS | Americas | US teens 'reject' key freedoms

Wired News: How Google Got Its Groove On

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 13:08:00 +0200

By Ryan Singel

Journalist John Battelle's The Search is a surprisingly gripping story of hackers turning insights about information into a billion-dollar business and giant corporations shaping the web to their profit models.

Battelle, a longtime tech journalist, became fascinated with Google and spent three years wandering Silicon Valley, talking to the wizards, the investors and the naysayers.

Battelle's book shows how search is pushing technology toward the dream of artificial intelligence. He explains how thousands of small businesses thrive and die by the quirks of search-engine algorithms, and details how an unorganized consortium of nonprofits, bloggers and corporations are rebuilding the Library of Alexandria in a digital, distributed and democratic form.

Battelle, who launched one of the internet's seminal business magazines, The Industry Standard, and co-founded Wired magazine, is certainly qualified to tell the story of how pure search triumphed over bloated portals and in the process revitalized the dream of a revolutionary wired world.

Wired News: How Google Got Its Groove On

Environmental History Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (slÖ) — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 02:46:00 +0200

Environmental issues have surfaced throughout human history.

Dangerous myths emerged in the vacuum of history. For example:

• That one book -- Rachel Carson's Silent Spring -- started all the uproar;
• That environmentalism is just an hysterical reaction to science and technology;
• That environmentalism is a passing fad with no serious ideas to offer.

The myths call us like sirens, telling us that environmental issues can be safely ignored. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This educational website is just a starting point for people who would like to learn more about the wide variety of environmental issues and green crusaders in history.

Environmental History Timeline

tag: environment