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"I am the world crier, & this is my dangerous career... I am the one to call your bluff, & this is my climate."

—Kenneth Patchen (1911-1972)

Saturday, April 5

The U.S.'s First Black President? 

"Will Americans vote for a black president? If the notorious historian William Estabrook Chancellor was right, we already did. In the early 1920s, Chancellor helped assemble a controversial biographical portrait accusing President Warren Harding of covering up his family’s “colored” past. According to the family tree Chancellor created, Harding was actually the great-grandson of a black woman. Under the one-drop rule of American race relations, Chancellor claimed, the country had inadvertently elected its “first Negro president.”" (New York Times Magazine)

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Design & Mystique of the Japanese School Uniform 

"The U.K., Malaysia and Ireland have nice school uniforms, but how come Japanese school attire seemingly takes it to another level, leaving the students looking like little sailors and marching band leaders? Having worked as a public school English teacher in rural Fukushima and downtown Tokyo, I’ve been amazed by the variety of uniforms as well as the ways students customise them as far as they are allowed. PingMag shows you interesting details in fashion and the social performance that accompany this apparel to a point where the traditional Japanese school uniform has developed beyond the schoolyard and into pop culture." (PingMag)

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Do pencils point to the Holy Grail of physics? 

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Scientists create material one atom thick: "The foundations of the universe have been glimpsed in Manchester by scientists who have created the thinnest possible material.

Flat, parallel sheets of carbon atoms in the graphite of pencil lead have been peeled apart by the scientists to yield a sheet a single atom thick that has peculiar properties which made the fundamental feat possible.

...Today, in the journal Science, Prof Andre Geim of Manchester University and his colleagues at The University of Minho in Portugal, say they have used [the material] to measure an important and enigmatic fundamental constant of nature - the fine structure constant.

Working with Rahul Nair and Peter Blake he made large suspended membranes of graphene so that one can easily see light passing through this thinnest of all materials.

The 2.3 per cent of light that it absorbed could then be used to calculate the constant, which shows the interaction between very fast moving electrical charges in the material and light, and it is close to 1/137." (Telegraph.UK)

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Friday, April 4

"Now I am Become Shiva, Destroyer of Worlds..." 

8 Amazing Technicolor Images of Nuclear Fireballs
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(Environmental Graffiti)

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Would Mugabe Relinquish in Return for Amnesty? 

The Guardian reports: "Following the party's electoral reverses, senior aides to the Zimbabwean president approached the MDC.

They said Mugabe was prepared to step down in return for an amnesty from prosecution for crimes such as the Matebeleland massacres in the 1980s and other guarantees.

However, it was unclear whether the approach was a delaying tactic while Mugabe weighed up his options under considerable pressure from different factions within Zanu-PF's politburo."
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Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone 

"These days, when a kid dies, the world — i.e., cable TV — blames the parents. It’s simple as that. And yet, Trevor Butterworth, a spokesman for the research center STATS.org, said, 'The statistics show that this is an incredibly rare event, and you can’t protect people from very rare events. It would be like trying to create a shield against being struck by lightning.' " (NY Sun)

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(Video) Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do 

"Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, talks about our new wave of overprotected kids — and spells out five (and really, he’s got six) dangerous things you should let your kids do. Allowing kids the freedom to explore, he says, will make them stronger and smarter and actually safer. This talk comes from TED University 2007, a pre-conference program where TEDsters share ideas.

To sum up, let children:

1. Play with fire
2. Own a pocket knife
3. Throw a spear
4. Deconstruct appliances
5. Break the DMCA / Drive a car"

(DivineCaroline)
I'm not sure I would go fully 6 for 6 with my kids...

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Unchaining U.S. Rivers 

[Image 'http://www.geotimes.org/mar08/feature_dams1.jpg' cannot be displayed]"...what can happen when a large dam is removed from a river." (Geotimes)

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Time to Stop Caricaturing Chimps 

"They have been used to sell everything from tea bags to bicycles and designer watches but the days of showing chimpanzees in TV commercials could be numbered, if a group of leading scientists gets its way.

The primatologists, who include the world-famous Jane Goodall, have attacked the advertising industry for exploiting chimps as 'frivolous subhumans' who can be viewed as objects of fun and ridicule for the sake of commercial gain.

Dressing up chimps in human clothes or making them perform everyday activities gives people the impression that they are not a species in danger of extinction..." (Independent.UK)
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The Next Slum? 

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"The subprime crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Fundamental changes in American life may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements." (The Atlantic)

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Philosophical Psychopathology 

"This text is a benchmark volume for an emerging field where mental disorders serve as the springboard for philosophical insights. It brings together current research by Owen Flanagan, Robert Gordon, Robert Van Gulick and others on mental disorders of consciousness, self-consciousness, emotions, personality, and action and belief as well as general methodological questions about the study of mental disorder. Topics include the problem of despair, multiple personality disorder, autism and the theory of the mind debate, and the effectiveness of psychotherapy. An introduction shows how to interpret philosophical psychopathology as an interdisciplinary field and locates the contributions in the book conceptually and in terms of the surrounding literature. Psychopathology promises to clarify and illuminate a host of philosophical issues. The 12 chapters focus chiefly on issues in applied philosophy of mind (personal identity and self-consciousness, voluntary action and self-control, cognition and practical reasoning), in the science of mind (the medical model of mental disorders, philosophy of science and psychiatry, psychopathology and folk psychology), and in the ethical and experimential dimensions of psychopathology." (Blackwell Press)

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Marian Wright Edelman: Honoring King is Not Enough 

"Too many of us would rather celebrate than follow Dr. King. Some of us have enshrined Dr. King the dreamer, but have ignored Dr. King the disturber of all unjust peace. Many celebrate King the orator, but ignore his words and warnings about the need for reordering the misguided values and priorities he believed to be the seeds of America's downfall. Many remember King the vocal opponent of violence, but not King who called for massive nonviolent civil disobedience to challenge the stockpiling of weapons of death and the wars they fuel." (Huffington Post)
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Karl Rove Praises Hillary's 3 A.M. Ad As "Gutsy" 

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Josh Marshall: "As I've noted here before, should Obama be the nominee, we're going to see a GOP assault very similar to what hit Gore and Kerry — Obama thinks he's better than you ordinary Joes, and he thinks patriotism is for rubes. Get ready." (Talking Points Memo)

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Why the demise of civilisation may be inevitable 

"...[W]hat if the very nature of civilisation means that ours, like all the others, is destined to collapse sooner or later? A few researchers have been making such claims for years. Disturbingly, recent insights from fields such as complexity theory suggest that they are right. It appears that once a society develops beyond a certain level of complexity it becomes increasingly fragile." (New Scientist)

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Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More 

"None of ... the grimness on the front page today will matter a bit... if two men pursuing a lawsuit in federal court in Hawaii turn out to be right. They think a giant particle accelerator that will begin smashing protons together outside Geneva this summer might produce a black hole or something else that will spell the end of the Earth — and maybe the universe. Scientists say that is very unlikely — though they have done some checking just to make sure." (New York Times [thanks, Mark] )
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Thursday, April 3

Deliberate Mispronunciation of Words 

Lexicographer Grant Barrett reflects on this apparently widespread phenomenon and its rationales. (The Lexicographer's Rules via kottke)

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Obama would consider Gore for cabinet position 

"A woman at a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania asked whether Obama, if elected, would tap Gore for such a position to address global warming issues.

'I would,' Obama said. 'Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem.'" (The Raw Story)

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Red-faced Clinton tirade stuns superdelegates behind closed doors 

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"'It was like someone pulled the pin from a grenade,' according to San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross." (The Raw Story)

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Male rock fans likely to vote Republican: survey 

"The Jacobs Media's Media/Technology Web Poll IV of more than 27,000 respondents cited stronger than expected interest in the November 2008 election among fans of rock, classic rock, and alternative radio stations.

It also found that John McCain, the Republican candidate for U.S. president, was the top pick for the Oval Office for men and classic rock partisans -- those people who tune in to stations playing music from the 'original classic rock era' of 1964 to 1975, comprised of bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd." (Yahoo! News)
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Time and Mind 

[Image 'http://a465.g.akamai.net/f/465/1984/1d/www.ingentaconnect.com/images/journal-logos/berg/tmdj.gif' cannot be displayed]Vol. 1, no. 1 contents (free downloads) include:



(Time and Mind)

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English Heretic 

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"It is our task at English Heretic, ostensibly, to maintain, nurture and care for the psychohistorical environment of England. Availed of the services of some of the country’s very finest occult archaeologists, astral geographers and mystical toponymists, we aim to help people decode and realise the alchemical ciphers and conspiratorial interplay of the buildings and landscapes around them.

Whether it be via the transcript of an imaginal ordnance survey, documentary evidence of a psychogeographic derivé, or technical guide on passage through a liminal gateway, we aim to provide a comprehensive set of resources for both novice and experienced inner landscape investigators. With these tools at their disposal we hope to encourage more people to undertake voyages to exciting, uncanny and often terrifying interdimensional spaces."

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Sidewalk Psychiatry 

[Image 'http://www.candychang.com/artdesign/pages/image/sidewalk_whosef.jpg' cannot be displayed]"While doing some habitual walking and thinking one morning, Candy thought it would be nice to have some help along the way. Pedestrians in the city often find themselves walking in deep thought. A routine trip can prompt reflections on everything from future goals to last night’s dinner conversation. As people sacrifice personal time for hectic schedules, these casual occasions for reflection become all the more important.

Sidewalk Psychiatry encourages self-evaluation in transit by posing critical questions on the pavements of New York City. Now your daily ponderings and emotional problems can be prodded and treated on the go - and, best of all, it's free of charge!" (candychang.com via boing boing)

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Ex Post Facto Legal Mumbo Jumbo to Justify the Imperial Presidency 

Memo: Laws Didn't Apply to Interrogators: "The Justice Department sent a legal memorandum to the Pentagon in 2003 asserting that federal laws prohibiting assault, maiming and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators who questioned al-Qaeda captives because the president's ultimate authority as commander in chief overrode such statutes." (Washington Post)

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Rupert Sheldrake stabbed at conference while talking about thought transference 

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Police arrest suspect after attack at lecture: "...Sheldrake had been talking about how thoughts can be transferred by staring into another's eyes. During the lecture in the main ballroom on La Fonda's second floor, an Asian man left the room and when he returned, he didn't take a seat but stood near the podium with his eyes closed like he was meditating, Edwards said.

The attack came when Sheldrake called for a break about 3 p.m. Edwards said he started to leave the room when he heard a commotion. By the time he looked back, he said, an Asian man was being held on the floor by four people while a fifth held a knife in a napkin. Mecham said the knife was a folding type that hunters typically use.

Edwards said Sheldrake had a 2- or 3-inch cut on the front of his left thigh, just above his kneecap..." (Santa Fe New Mexican)
This was as much of the account as was included in Boing Boing, at which point in my reading I assumed that the assailant was probably suffering from schizophrenia. One of the cardinal, terrifying, symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia is thought control or, specifically, thought insertion, the experience that one's thoughts have been inserted into one's mind by another, that one is not in control of one's own thoughts and does not have privacy in their mind. It is often accompanied by the symptoms of thought withdrawal or thought broadcasting. Although there is some dispute about what the cardinal features of schizophrenia are, these symptoms are core in the schema of illustrious German psychiatrist Kurt Schneider, and have come to be known as Schneiderian signs. When I went from the Boing Boing excerpt to the more complete account in the New Mexican, the following illuminated the man's plight further:

"Hirano had been attending the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness. Other attendees said he had been acting oddly. They said he confronted Sheldrake earlier this week, telling him he heard voices and saw demons."
These frightful schizophrenic symptoms are experiences in need of an explanation to the sufferer. Often, the explanations are delusional. Delusions are outlandish, irrational but comforting theories to explain the bewildering and horrifying experiences, since any explanation is better than having none at all. Once hit upon, delusions are rigidly adhered to. A delusion is, in this sense, not a core symptom of schizophrenic experience but a compensatory effort on the sufferer's part, to my way of thinking.

Someone who claims familiarity with the techniques of thought insertion, claims of which by the psychotic sufferer have usually been scoffed at by listeners, is immediately suspect as responsible for the sufferer's symptoms.

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Tuesday, April 1

Occupational Eponymy 

A huge list of aptonyms, names which suit their bearers' occupations or roles. As readers of FmH will recognize, I am charmed by and have written about aptonyms before here, although I did not know the (dare I say? apt?) term. Again, my favorite was a psychiatric conference on violence I attended several years ago at which the three keynote speakers were Schouten, Swearinigen and Blood. (via Language Log) I am sure FmHers have their own wonderful examples.
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Pinakothek 

Writer Luc Santé has a weblog 'about pictures'... "Subjectivity is my middle name, a trick memory is my pack mule, and self-contradiction is my trusty old jackknife." (Pinakothek) [From Wikipedia: "A pinacotheca is a picture gallery in either ancient Greece or ancient Rome. The name is specifically used for the building containing pictures which formed the left wing of the Propylaea on the Acropolis at Athens, Greece...(The word) is used for a public gallery on the continent of Europe, as at Bologna and Turin. At Munich there are three galleries known as the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne."]

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Incredibly Poignant 

Click over to Open Reading Frame for this striking picture of an 'athymic mouse'.

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Could we hear alien physics experiments? 

"If aliens have built a massive collider to smash particles together, a new detector could soon pick up the signs." (New Scientist)

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How to transform your arm into a wing 

"...[A] reconstructive surgeon at the University of Wisconsin in Madison ...has now described the steps that would be needed to transform human arms into wings." (New Scientist)

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How to be reincarnated as a queen 

"After a miserable life of hard labour and daily suffering – ending in death – it would be great to be reincarnated as royalty. Now we are able to reveal what to do to ensure just that outcome." (New Scientist)

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'They're here': 

The mechanism of poltergeist activity revealed: "The sight of small blonde girls watching television is guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of anyone who has watched the movie Poltergeist.

We're right to be terrified, say physicists. Children generate poltergeist activity by channelling energy into the quantum mechanical vacuum." (New Scientist)

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Monday, March 31

Once Upon a Time in the North 

Philip Pullman's forthcoming prequel to His Dark Materials excerpted in The Guardian.

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Are We Really That Ill? 

"America has reached a point where almost half its population is described as being in some way mentally ill, and nearly a quarter of its citizens - 67.5 million - have taken antidepressants.

These statistics have sparked a widespread, sometimes rancorous debate about whether people are taking far more medication than is needed for problems that may not even be mental disorders. Studies indicate that 40% of all patients fall short of the diagnoses that doctors and psychiatrists give them, yet 200 million prescriptions are written annually in America to treat depression and anxiety. Those who defend such widespread use of prescription drugs insist that a significant part of the population is under-treated and, by inference, under-medicated. Those opposed to such rampant use of drugs note that diagnostic rates for bipolar disorder, in particular, have skyrocketed by 4,000% and that overmedication is impossible without over-diagnosis..." — Christopher Lane, professor of English at Northwestern University and author of Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness (The New York Sun op-ed)
A plea, with which as a practicing psychiatrist (even though I have no desire to be out of a job!)I very much agree, for reining in rampant overdiagnosis, setting the bar higher to qualify for having a mental illness, and "resurrecting the distinction between chronic illness and mild suffering." Lane quite rightly observes that if everyone is mentally ill then no one is.

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Sunday, March 30

Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients via Computer 

Possibly the first computer attack to inflict physical harm on the victims: "Internet griefers descended on an epilepsy support message board last weekend and used JavaScript code and flashing computer animation to trigger migraine headaches and seizures in some users. The nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation, which runs the forum, briefly closed the site Sunday to purge the offending messages and to boost security." (Wired News)

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Free Copyrighted eBooks 

Free Downloads in PDF Format at Wowio: "Want a free ebook copy of a Kurt Vonnegut novel? Free ebook site Wowio has five of them, along with lots of other copyrighted fiction, literature, comics, and other works. The site offers the wares through sponsorships, and only limits your downloads to three books per day, 30 per month. The two caveats are a somewhat limited selection (as you might expect) and that the site's U.S.-only due to licensing restrictions. Otherwise, it's not a bad place to check for fresh content for your PDA, cell phone or computer screen. For more free page-turners, try the top ten sites for free books and the 100 best free Project Gutenberg books." (Lifehacker) Do FmH readers do ebooks? Or do you continue to prefer flesh and blood?

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British TV company accused of bringing epidemic to isolated Indians 

[Image 'http://www.survival-international.org/lib/img/gallery/User_Galleries/news/news/matsigenka-man.jpg' cannot be displayed]"A fierce controversy is raging in the Peruvian Amazon over the activities of a film crew working for the British TV company Cicada Films. Local Indians, government officials and independent scientists have accused the film-makers of visiting very isolated Indian communities, despite being warned not to. The isolated Indians reported later that the visit provoked an epidemic of respiratory disease that left four people dead and others seriously ill." (Survival International)

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Iraqi disease Named After Blackwater 

"What Iraqis now call Blackwater Fever is really a well-known medical condition, and while it has nothing to do with Blackwater Worldwide, Iraqis in al-Anbar province have decided to make the connection between the disease and the lethal U.S.-based company which has been responsible for the death of countless Iraqis." (IPSNews)

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Five Things* You Need to Know to Understand the Latest Violence in Iraq | War on Iraq 

"The traditional media is incapable of reporting what's going on in Southern Iraq." (AlterNet)

*(Only question I cannot for the life of me figure out is whether this, Dubya's explanation, is one of them:)

"My first reaction to watching the Iraqi government respond forcefully and to make it abundantly clear that -- I think the exact -- I can't remember the exact words of the Prime Minister, but "criminal elements" I know were a part of his declaration -- would be dealt with. I thought that was a very positive moment in the development of a sovereign nation, that is willing to take on elements that are -- you know, that believe they're beyond the law."


Related: 

Bush: Iraq is Returning to Normal



"Some ... seem unwilling to acknowledge that progress is taking place," Bush said in a speech at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. He accused war opponents of constantly shifting their critique, adding: "No matter what shortcomings these critics diagnose, their prescription is always the same — retreat." (McClatchy )
Pot? Kettle? Black?

And: 

American Enterprise Institute's Fred Kagan:

"The civil war in Iraq is over..." (Salon)

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