Rusted Sky

Had a Cub Scout campout this weekend. It was a lot of fun - rained a bit this morning but overall the weather was fine and the kids pretty well behaved themselves. Got home, got everything cleaned up, and I'm about done for the day.

Goodnight, all.

J.

Had a Cub Scout campout this weekend. It was a lot of fun - rained a bit this morning but overall the weather was fine and the kids pretty well behaved themselves. Got home, got everything cleaned up, and I'm about done for the day.

Goodnight, all.

J.

Had a Cub Scout campout this weekend. It was a lot of fun - rained a bit this morning but overall the weather was fine and the kids pretty well behaved themselves. Got home, got everything cleaned up, and I'm about done for the day.

Goodnight, all.

J.

than the Amish.

And some bastard decided to kill Amish children in a school.

It's hard to make sense of a crime like this. Insanity? Someone who wanted to win martyrdom by restaging the Beslan massacre?

There were also notes left by the gunman, identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk delivery man from nearby Bart, Pa., Miller said. The notes, left for Roberts' wife, indicated that he was seeking revenge for something that happened decades ago. Roberts has three children.

It is indeed the crazy years. May God crant the parents of these children peace, and embrace the souls of the departed into the Light...

J.

than the Amish.

And some bastard decided to kill Amish children in a school.

It's hard to make sense of a crime like this. Insanity? Someone who wanted to win martyrdom by restaging the Beslan massacre?

There were also notes left by the gunman, identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk delivery man from nearby Bart, Pa., Miller said. The notes, left for Roberts' wife, indicated that he was seeking revenge for something that happened decades ago. Roberts has three children.

It is indeed the crazy years. May God crant the parents of these children peace, and embrace the souls of the departed into the Light...

J.

than the Amish.

And some bastard decided to kill Amish children in a school.

It's hard to make sense of a crime like this. Insanity? Someone who wanted to win martyrdom by restaging the Beslan massacre?

There were also notes left by the gunman, identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk delivery man from nearby Bart, Pa., Miller said. The notes, left for Roberts' wife, indicated that he was seeking revenge for something that happened decades ago. Roberts has three children.

It is indeed the crazy years. May God crant the parents of these children peace, and embrace the souls of the departed into the Light...

J.

They just can't stand being laughed at.

NBC: It's anti-militant season on Arab TV - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com

At Ramadan, TV turns up heat on extremists
Satirical Saudi show makes mockery of militants, draws fundamentalist ire

...

An example is "Tash Ma Tash," a wildly popular Saudi TV series that is deploying satire to poke fun at the fundamentalists.

Staff on the show have received death threats for what some consider brazen impertinence; meanwhile, senior sheikhs issued a religious edict which deemed it was sinful to watch "Tash MaTash" after an episode skewered religious judges for working only three hours a day. Another episode was heavily criticized by clerics and others when it ridiculed the practice of requiring women to be accompanied by a male relative or a husband when dining out.

Recognizing the huge viewership of "Tash Ma Tash," a contributor to a militant site bemoaned the effectiveness of the show. "This episode of 'Tash Ma Tash' turned everything upside down," he wrote.

Either way, it's interesting to see that humor is being directed against those who use terror. It's hard to be afraid when you're laughing.

J.

They just can't stand being laughed at.

NBC: It's anti-militant season on Arab TV - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com

At Ramadan, TV turns up heat on extremists
Satirical Saudi show makes mockery of militants, draws fundamentalist ire

...

An example is "Tash Ma Tash," a wildly popular Saudi TV series that is deploying satire to poke fun at the fundamentalists.

Staff on the show have received death threats for what some consider brazen impertinence; meanwhile, senior sheikhs issued a religious edict which deemed it was sinful to watch "Tash MaTash" after an episode skewered religious judges for working only three hours a day. Another episode was heavily criticized by clerics and others when it ridiculed the practice of requiring women to be accompanied by a male relative or a husband when dining out.

Recognizing the huge viewership of "Tash Ma Tash," a contributor to a militant site bemoaned the effectiveness of the show. "This episode of 'Tash Ma Tash' turned everything upside down," he wrote.

Either way, it's interesting to see that humor is being directed against those who use terror. It's hard to be afraid when you're laughing.

J.

They just can't stand being laughed at.

NBC: It's anti-militant season on Arab TV - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com

At Ramadan, TV turns up heat on extremists
Satirical Saudi show makes mockery of militants, draws fundamentalist ire

...

An example is "Tash Ma Tash," a wildly popular Saudi TV series that is deploying satire to poke fun at the fundamentalists.

Staff on the show have received death threats for what some consider brazen impertinence; meanwhile, senior sheikhs issued a religious edict which deemed it was sinful to watch "Tash MaTash" after an episode skewered religious judges for working only three hours a day. Another episode was heavily criticized by clerics and others when it ridiculed the practice of requiring women to be accompanied by a male relative or a husband when dining out.

Recognizing the huge viewership of "Tash Ma Tash," a contributor to a militant site bemoaned the effectiveness of the show. "This episode of 'Tash Ma Tash' turned everything upside down," he wrote.

Either way, it's interesting to see that humor is being directed against those who use terror. It's hard to be afraid when you're laughing.

J.

And from the inside. This won't be broadcast by the media - it doesn't fit the script.

The person writing this is a Major, in psychiatric services. He contacted Patterico, established his bonafides in the first of a 4 part series and said that the reason he wasn't contacting the major media (indeed, has refused to be interviewed) is because he has no faith in them presenting the story accurately. With much, much contact with the prisoners, he writes the following in part 2:

Stashiu is not able to share specific details of conversations he had with specific individuals, for reasons having to do principally with patient confidentiality, and in part with operational security. But he can give you, the reader, a good overview of what types of human beings are being detained at Guantánamo Bay.

I asked him that very question: what are the detainees like? Stashiu said:

For many of them, think Ted Bundy. Educated, charming, and without conscience for those they consider infidels. Some are truly ill and were taken advantage of because of it. For example, one routinely asked us for an explosive suicide vest so he could assassinate Osama Bin Laden or George Bush for us, whoever he could find first (he was completely serious).

But we’ve heard that many of the detainees at GTMO were innocent, I said. Does Stashiu believe that — and does he have a basis to know one way or the other?

I didn’t see any that I believe were totally innocent, although it wasn’t my call and it really didn’t matter to their care. We got how much I could know about their history changed because I contended that if I couldn’t validate their history as given to us, my staff couldn’t give adequate treatment. It would be too easy for detainees to lie about the presence or absence of a family history. If they told us the truth about some of the circumstances relating to their capture, we could have some confidence in other information they gave. And they almost always tried to tell that part of their story. The biggest rule we had to follow in guiding staff was to never share any specific intel so that intel and therapy were as separated as possible while still providing good care.

Although he couldn’t discuss specifics, he said:

[M]y opinion is that there are some truly evil people there. To be fair, some honestly believe that what they do is right.

Of course, that is true of many evil people.

Stashiu learned many interesting stories about the detainees during the course of these conversations. Some of these were occasionally amusing.

One guy was living proof of Murphy’s Law… no matter what he did, it ended up turning to shit on him and he is lucky just to still be alive.

Can the detainees be reasoned with? I asked. Or is their indoctrination so complete that there’s just no reaching them? Are there any of them who are reasonable enough that Stashiu would feel safe if we were to let them go free?

I don’t know that anyone is beyond reason, but I also don’t know more than a couple who I think might be ok to release. “Might” being the operative word there, I wouldn’t give the go-ahead on my own for any of them. There I are couple I could understand and would not go out of my way to protest their release. I can tell you that if I ever saw a detainee face-to-face here in the States, I would immediately assume that I was targeted and do my best to kill them without further warning. If I turned out to be wrong about their intent, I could live with that.

J.

And from the inside. This won't be broadcast by the media - it doesn't fit the script.

The person writing this is a Major, in psychiatric services. He contacted Patterico, established his bonafides in the first of a 4 part series and said that the reason he wasn't contacting the major media (indeed, has refused to be interviewed) is because he has no faith in them presenting the story accurately. With much, much contact with the prisoners, he writes the following in part 2:

Stashiu is not able to share specific details of conversations he had with specific individuals, for reasons having to do principally with patient confidentiality, and in part with operational security. But he can give you, the reader, a good overview of what types of human beings are being detained at Guantánamo Bay.

I asked him that very question: what are the detainees like? Stashiu said:

For many of them, think Ted Bundy. Educated, charming, and without conscience for those they consider infidels. Some are truly ill and were taken advantage of because of it. For example, one routinely asked us for an explosive suicide vest so he could assassinate Osama Bin Laden or George Bush for us, whoever he could find first (he was completely serious).

But we’ve heard that many of the detainees at GTMO were innocent, I said. Does Stashiu believe that — and does he have a basis to know one way or the other?

I didn’t see any that I believe were totally innocent, although it wasn’t my call and it really didn’t matter to their care. We got how much I could know about their history changed because I contended that if I couldn’t validate their history as given to us, my staff couldn’t give adequate treatment. It would be too easy for detainees to lie about the presence or absence of a family history. If they told us the truth about some of the circumstances relating to their capture, we could have some confidence in other information they gave. And they almost always tried to tell that part of their story. The biggest rule we had to follow in guiding staff was to never share any specific intel so that intel and therapy were as separated as possible while still providing good care.

Although he couldn’t discuss specifics, he said:

[M]y opinion is that there are some truly evil people there. To be fair, some honestly believe that what they do is right.

Of course, that is true of many evil people.

Stashiu learned many interesting stories about the detainees during the course of these conversations. Some of these were occasionally amusing.

One guy was living proof of Murphy’s Law… no matter what he did, it ended up turning to shit on him and he is lucky just to still be alive.

Can the detainees be reasoned with? I asked. Or is their indoctrination so complete that there’s just no reaching them? Are there any of them who are reasonable enough that Stashiu would feel safe if we were to let them go free?

I don’t know that anyone is beyond reason, but I also don’t know more than a couple who I think might be ok to release. “Might” being the operative word there, I wouldn’t give the go-ahead on my own for any of them. There I are couple I could understand and would not go out of my way to protest their release. I can tell you that if I ever saw a detainee face-to-face here in the States, I would immediately assume that I was targeted and do my best to kill them without further warning. If I turned out to be wrong about their intent, I could live with that.

J.

And from the inside. This won't be broadcast by the media - it doesn't fit the script.

The person writing this is a Major, in psychiatric services. He contacted Patterico, established his bonafides in the first of a 4 part series and said that the reason he wasn't contacting the major media (indeed, has refused to be interviewed) is because he has no faith in them presenting the story accurately. With much, much contact with the prisoners, he writes the following in part 2:

Stashiu is not able to share specific details of conversations he had with specific individuals, for reasons having to do principally with patient confidentiality, and in part with operational security. But he can give you, the reader, a good overview of what types of human beings are being detained at Guantánamo Bay.

I asked him that very question: what are the detainees like? Stashiu said:

For many of them, think Ted Bundy. Educated, charming, and without conscience for those they consider infidels. Some are truly ill and were taken advantage of because of it. For example, one routinely asked us for an explosive suicide vest so he could assassinate Osama Bin Laden or George Bush for us, whoever he could find first (he was completely serious).

But we’ve heard that many of the detainees at GTMO were innocent, I said. Does Stashiu believe that — and does he have a basis to know one way or the other?

I didn’t see any that I believe were totally innocent, although it wasn’t my call and it really didn’t matter to their care. We got how much I could know about their history changed because I contended that if I couldn’t validate their history as given to us, my staff couldn’t give adequate treatment. It would be too easy for detainees to lie about the presence or absence of a family history. If they told us the truth about some of the circumstances relating to their capture, we could have some confidence in other information they gave. And they almost always tried to tell that part of their story. The biggest rule we had to follow in guiding staff was to never share any specific intel so that intel and therapy were as separated as possible while still providing good care.

Although he couldn’t discuss specifics, he said:

[M]y opinion is that there are some truly evil people there. To be fair, some honestly believe that what they do is right.

Of course, that is true of many evil people.

Stashiu learned many interesting stories about the detainees during the course of these conversations. Some of these were occasionally amusing.

One guy was living proof of Murphy’s Law… no matter what he did, it ended up turning to shit on him and he is lucky just to still be alive.

Can the detainees be reasoned with? I asked. Or is their indoctrination so complete that there’s just no reaching them? Are there any of them who are reasonable enough that Stashiu would feel safe if we were to let them go free?

I don’t know that anyone is beyond reason, but I also don’t know more than a couple who I think might be ok to release. “Might” being the operative word there, I wouldn’t give the go-ahead on my own for any of them. There I are couple I could understand and would not go out of my way to protest their release. I can tell you that if I ever saw a detainee face-to-face here in the States, I would immediately assume that I was targeted and do my best to kill them without further warning. If I turned out to be wrong about their intent, I could live with that.

J.

Wow. Sure wish we'd get honest reporting like this in the media. But I can just see it - in the interests of being 'fair', they'd leaven in a whole bunch of folks blathering about how terribly the prisoners are being treated, playing that aspect up and downplaying reality.

Patterico’s Pontifications � Patterico’s Exclusive Interview with a Man Who Has Spoken to the Terrorists at Guant�namo (Part Three: Hunger Strikes, Suicides and Suicide Attempts, and the Detainees’ Mental Health)

Man, I'm glad we've got the internet.

J.

Wow. Sure wish we'd get honest reporting like this in the media. But I can just see it - in the interests of being 'fair', they'd leaven in a whole bunch of folks blathering about how terribly the prisoners are being treated, playing that aspect up and downplaying reality.

Patterico’s Pontifications � Patterico’s Exclusive Interview with a Man Who Has Spoken to the Terrorists at Guant�namo (Part Three: Hunger Strikes, Suicides and Suicide Attempts, and the Detainees’ Mental Health)

Man, I'm glad we've got the internet.

J.

Wow. Sure wish we'd get honest reporting like this in the media. But I can just see it - in the interests of being 'fair', they'd leaven in a whole bunch of folks blathering about how terribly the prisoners are being treated, playing that aspect up and downplaying reality.

Patterico’s Pontifications � Patterico’s Exclusive Interview with a Man Who Has Spoken to the Terrorists at Guant�namo (Part Three: Hunger Strikes, Suicides and Suicide Attempts, and the Detainees’ Mental Health)

Man, I'm glad we've got the internet.

J.

Damn.

The Blotter

Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

ABC News now has obtained 52 separate instant message exchanges, which former pages say were sent by Foley, using the screen name Maf54, to two different boys under the age of 18.

First - Foley's out of office. That's good. That's the right thing to do. He did this sort of crap, he doesn't deserve to be in office. And that's as far as it needs to go. All Hastert had to go on were some suggestive e-mails - not IMs. (and it does make you wonder - where were the IMs all this time? Who'd keep a copy of them, and NOT turn them in? Someone waiting to use this for blackmail? Someone planning on using this for political purposes?) and he told Foley to keep his hands off the kids based on the Emails. If he wasn't aware of the IMs, I don't see why Hastert should resign. Oddly enough, Congress is full of adults - and adults are responsible for their own behavior. That Foley was behaving badly, got called on it (and I presume was told not to do it again, only he did in secret) was what Hastert was supposed to do. When Foley did the IM thing, there was no reasonable way to expect Hastert to know about it. But that Foley interrupted a vote to go pull his pud over IMs - damn, that's sleazy. Good riddence to the man. If Hastert knew about the IMs, then bounce him out also.

Second - if the kids were 16 or above, in DC that's good enough, they were old enough for consensual sex. THAT doesn't excuse his actions, and doesn't make it right by any means. This is a classic case of misuse of power for sexual purposes (IMHO) and his providing booze (and maybe other things) WAS illegal as hell. As such, I don't care if he's an alcoholic and goes into rehab (hey, it works for damn near everyone else caught with their pants down in Washington, or a celebrity doing something stupid - go into rehab and all's supposed to be forgiven) I want to have them indict and prosecute his ass.

Third: We seem willing (at least some are) to give a pass to reprehensible behavior based on our political affiliations. Personally, I think Foley should have been tossed out ASAP when the original emails occured. Frankly, I'd like to see a house cleaning by BOTH parties, though I know that's not going to happen. Too many of the senior 'statesmen' on both parties have crap in their histories that would get them booted out. I'd love to see a tightening of standards, and as I said, it needs to come from both sides. No fingerpointing, no hysterics - just quiet withdrawls and resignations, from both sides.

Jay Tea's summary of things over at Wizbangblog pretty well sums it up for me.

Foley: Rot in hell, you sick bastard. I don't care if you actually broke the letter of the law or not.

Hastert and the rest of the House leadership: Shame on you for not keeping a closer eye on him. But if you had access to the Instant Messages, then to hell with you, too.

The "get Hastert" people: Unless you have solid evidence that they knew about the Instant Messages, shut your pieholes, you partisan hacks.

The people who exposed Foley: You have our thanks. But if you sat on that information for one minute longer than necessary, just to further your own political ends, then you're almost as guilty as Foley, and ought to rot in hell, too.

Update: Looks like the page was 17/18. Doesn't make it any more right, but it does make it a bit more legal. Still, I'm not sorry to see Foley go.

J.

Damn.

The Blotter

Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

ABC News now has obtained 52 separate instant message exchanges, which former pages say were sent by Foley, using the screen name Maf54, to two different boys under the age of 18.

First - Foley's out of office. That's good. That's the right thing to do. He did this sort of crap, he doesn't deserve to be in office. And that's as far as it needs to go. All Hastert had to go on were some suggestive e-mails - not IMs. (and it does make you wonder - where were the IMs all this time? Who'd keep a copy of them, and NOT turn them in? Someone waiting to use this for blackmail? Someone planning on using this for political purposes?) and he told Foley to keep his hands off the kids based on the Emails. If he wasn't aware of the IMs, I don't see why Hastert should resign. Oddly enough, Congress is full of adults - and adults are responsible for their own behavior. That Foley was behaving badly, got called on it (and I presume was told not to do it again, only he did in secret) was what Hastert was supposed to do. When Foley did the IM thing, there was no reasonable way to expect Hastert to know about it. But that Foley interrupted a vote to go pull his pud over IMs - damn, that's sleazy. Good riddence to the man. If Hastert knew about the IMs, then bounce him out also.

Second - if the kids were 16 or above, in DC that's good enough, they were old enough for consensual sex. THAT doesn't excuse his actions, and doesn't make it right by any means. This is a classic case of misuse of power for sexual purposes (IMHO) and his providing booze (and maybe other things) WAS illegal as hell. As such, I don't care if he's an alcoholic and goes into rehab (hey, it works for damn near everyone else caught with their pants down in Washington, or a celebrity doing something stupid - go into rehab and all's supposed to be forgiven) I want to have them indict and prosecute his ass.

Third: We seem willing (at least some are) to give a pass to reprehensible behavior based on our political affiliations. Personally, I think Foley should have been tossed out ASAP when the original emails occured. Frankly, I'd like to see a house cleaning by BOTH parties, though I know that's not going to happen. Too many of the senior 'statesmen' on both parties have crap in their histories that would get them booted out. I'd love to see a tightening of standards, and as I said, it needs to come from both sides. No fingerpointing, no hysterics - just quiet withdrawls and resignations, from both sides.

Jay Tea's summary of things over at Wizbangblog pretty well sums it up for me.

Foley: Rot in hell, you sick bastard. I don't care if you actually broke the letter of the law or not.

Hastert and the rest of the House leadership: Shame on you for not keeping a closer eye on him. But if you had access to the Instant Messages, then to hell with you, too.

The "get Hastert" people: Unless you have solid evidence that they knew about the Instant Messages, shut your pieholes, you partisan hacks.

The people who exposed Foley: You have our thanks. But if you sat on that information for one minute longer than necessary, just to further your own political ends, then you're almost as guilty as Foley, and ought to rot in hell, too.

Update: Looks like the page was 17/18. Doesn't make it any more right, but it does make it a bit more legal. Still, I'm not sorry to see Foley go.

J.

Damn.

The Blotter

Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

ABC News now has obtained 52 separate instant message exchanges, which former pages say were sent by Foley, using the screen name Maf54, to two different boys under the age of 18.

First - Foley's out of office. That's good. That's the right thing to do. He did this sort of crap, he doesn't deserve to be in office. And that's as far as it needs to go. All Hastert had to go on were some suggestive e-mails - not IMs. (and it does make you wonder - where were the IMs all this time? Who'd keep a copy of them, and NOT turn them in? Someone waiting to use this for blackmail? Someone planning on using this for political purposes?) and he told Foley to keep his hands off the kids based on the Emails. If he wasn't aware of the IMs, I don't see why Hastert should resign. Oddly enough, Congress is full of adults - and adults are responsible for their own behavior. That Foley was behaving badly, got called on it (and I presume was told not to do it again, only he did in secret) was what Hastert was supposed to do. When Foley did the IM thing, there was no reasonable way to expect Hastert to know about it. But that Foley interrupted a vote to go pull his pud over IMs - damn, that's sleazy. Good riddence to the man. If Hastert knew about the IMs, then bounce him out also.

Second - if the kids were 16 or above, in DC that's good enough, they were old enough for consensual sex. THAT doesn't excuse his actions, and doesn't make it right by any means. This is a classic case of misuse of power for sexual purposes (IMHO) and his providing booze (and maybe other things) WAS illegal as hell. As such, I don't care if he's an alcoholic and goes into rehab (hey, it works for damn near everyone else caught with their pants down in Washington, or a celebrity doing something stupid - go into rehab and all's supposed to be forgiven) I want to have them indict and prosecute his ass.

Third: We seem willing (at least some are) to give a pass to reprehensible behavior based on our political affiliations. Personally, I think Foley should have been tossed out ASAP when the original emails occured. Frankly, I'd like to see a house cleaning by BOTH parties, though I know that's not going to happen. Too many of the senior 'statesmen' on both parties have crap in their histories that would get them booted out. I'd love to see a tightening of standards, and as I said, it needs to come from both sides. No fingerpointing, no hysterics - just quiet withdrawls and resignations, from both sides.

Jay Tea's summary of things over at Wizbangblog pretty well sums it up for me.

Foley: Rot in hell, you sick bastard. I don't care if you actually broke the letter of the law or not.

Hastert and the rest of the House leadership: Shame on you for not keeping a closer eye on him. But if you had access to the Instant Messages, then to hell with you, too.

The "get Hastert" people: Unless you have solid evidence that they knew about the Instant Messages, shut your pieholes, you partisan hacks.

The people who exposed Foley: You have our thanks. But if you sat on that information for one minute longer than necessary, just to further your own political ends, then you're almost as guilty as Foley, and ought to rot in hell, too.

Update: Looks like the page was 17/18. Doesn't make it any more right, but it does make it a bit more legal. Still, I'm not sorry to see Foley go.

J.

U*nder Saddam's reign, the Marsh Arabs had their living areas drained - specifically the Tigris-Euphrates Alluvial Salt Marsh. After the downfall of Saddam, programs were established to rewater the marshes.

Over at OpFor, in you can see some of the results - there's a lot that's been recoved though it will take decades for a good reversal to set in.

There's also some personal stories there - I'll let you read them and tell me what you think.

J.

U*nder Saddam's reign, the Marsh Arabs had their living areas drained - specifically the Tigris-Euphrates Alluvial Salt Marsh. After the downfall of Saddam, programs were established to rewater the marshes.

Over at OpFor, in you can see some of the results - there's a lot that's been recoved though it will take decades for a good reversal to set in.

There's also some personal stories there - I'll let you read them and tell me what you think.

J.

U*nder Saddam's reign, the Marsh Arabs had their living areas drained - specifically the Tigris-Euphrates Alluvial Salt Marsh. After the downfall of Saddam, programs were established to rewater the marshes.

Over at OpFor, in you can see some of the results - there's a lot that's been recoved though it will take decades for a good reversal to set in.

There's also some personal stories there - I'll let you read them and tell me what you think.

J.

Starting small, Scientists teleport two different objects

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Beaming people in "Star Trek" fashion is still in the realms of science fiction, but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.

But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter.

"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

IIn ten years, who knows what will be possible?

J.

Starting small, Scientists teleport two different objects

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Beaming people in "Star Trek" fashion is still in the realms of science fiction, but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.

But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter.

"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

IIn ten years, who knows what will be possible?

J.

Starting small, Scientists teleport two different objects

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Beaming people in "Star Trek" fashion is still in the realms of science fiction, but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.

But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter.

"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

IIn ten years, who knows what will be possible?

J.

Over at http://Patterico's Pontifications.

If you've been tempted to view the Gitmo detainees as a bunch of peaceful farmers caught up in a bad situation, you won't after you read this.

And if you're thinking we're not abiding by the Geneva Convention re their treatment - we're going well above and beyond any GC requirements here. Don't forget to read the other parts, too.

J.

Over at http://Patterico's Pontifications.

If you've been tempted to view the Gitmo detainees as a bunch of peaceful farmers caught up in a bad situation, you won't after you read this.

And if you're thinking we're not abiding by the Geneva Convention re their treatment - we're going well above and beyond any GC requirements here. Don't forget to read the other parts, too.

J.

Over at http://Patterico's Pontifications.

If you've been tempted to view the Gitmo detainees as a bunch of peaceful farmers caught up in a bad situation, you won't after you read this.

And if you're thinking we're not abiding by the Geneva Convention re their treatment - we're going well above and beyond any GC requirements here. Don't forget to read the other parts, too.

J.

To what extent is growth in the economy fueled by the easy transfer of money within it? For instance, pre-ATMs you had to plan ahead, write a check for cash, get the cash out of the bank - you had to stand in line to deposit your check - and the bank was only open during certain hours, and not on weekends or holidays.

Credit cards helped some - but until the mid '60s, credit cards weren't exactly a staple of commerce. If you're of a pre-ATM age, you probably at one point got Travellers Checks for a trip you were taking. Now, it's hard to find a place that'll take them - credit cards are indeed accepted almost everywhere.

Now, you can stop at an ATM day or night and get cash. Buy groceries, and get an extra $20 in change. How much does that ready availability of cash and the easy mobility of funds affect the buying habits of people - and in what direction?

Yeah, I know - you don't really have an answer either. But it's something interesting to think about, isn't it?

J.

To what extent is growth in the economy fueled by the easy transfer of money within it? For instance, pre-ATMs you had to plan ahead, write a check for cash, get the cash out of the bank - you had to stand in line to deposit your check - and the bank was only open during certain hours, and not on weekends or holidays.

Credit cards helped some - but until the mid '60s, credit cards weren't exactly a staple of commerce. If you're of a pre-ATM age, you probably at one point got Travellers Checks for a trip you were taking. Now, it's hard to find a place that'll take them - credit cards are indeed accepted almost everywhere.

Now, you can stop at an ATM day or night and get cash. Buy groceries, and get an extra $20 in change. How much does that ready availability of cash and the easy mobility of funds affect the buying habits of people - and in what direction?

Yeah, I know - you don't really have an answer either. But it's something interesting to think about, isn't it?

J.

To what extent is growth in the economy fueled by the easy transfer of money within it? For instance, pre-ATMs you had to plan ahead, write a check for cash, get the cash out of the bank - you had to stand in line to deposit your check - and the bank was only open during certain hours, and not on weekends or holidays.

Credit cards helped some - but until the mid '60s, credit cards weren't exactly a staple of commerce. If you're of a pre-ATM age, you probably at one point got Travellers Checks for a trip you were taking. Now, it's hard to find a place that'll take them - credit cards are indeed accepted almost everywhere.

Now, you can stop at an ATM day or night and get cash. Buy groceries, and get an extra $20 in change. How much does that ready availability of cash and the easy mobility of funds affect the buying habits of people - and in what direction?

Yeah, I know - you don't really have an answer either. But it's something interesting to think about, isn't it?

J.

I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait?

The Australian: 'Too late' to stop N Korea's bomb [ 05oct06 ]

WHILE the rest of the world looks to Beijing to stop North Korea from exploding a nuclear bomb, a leading Chinese analyst says it is too late - China cannot act without doing worse harm to its own interests.

"Basically, our country's work of persuasion with the (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in the 12 years that the DPRK developed its nuclear program had been a failure," writes highly regarded Shen Dingli, of Shanghai's Fudan University.

"The DPRK considers its national interests to be greater than its relations with China," Mr Shen says in his remarkably frank commentary, published in a newspaper of the official China Youth League and circulated yesterday by a North Korea-focused think tank, the Nautilus Institute.

And apparently, NK's leadership has decided they've delayed long enough. It's time to show the world what they've got, and magically they'll be seen as a grown-up country and they can take their place in the realmof first-world nations.... never mind they're on life support from China.

So let's see... they pop off (or attempt to pop off) a nuke. And, just hypothetically, the imports from China dry up. After all, they've demonstrated they're no longer in need of babying - they're a fully grown country now. So obviously they don't need aid from anyone else... besides, their national interests have priority over everything else. Food, fuel, industrial parts, consumer goods, medicine... nothing comes across the border.

How long do you think they'll last? And do you think they'd, um, 'blackmail' neighboring countries into supporting them? If they try that particular course of action, how long do you think it would be before the 'nuclear war' that Kim's been blathering about for so long actually happens, with them on the receiving end?

But watch - we'll do the sanctions dance again and see if it works. I'm betting it won't.

But it will delay the inevitable confrontation. And who knows what might happen, given enough time?

J.

I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait?

The Australian: 'Too late' to stop N Korea's bomb [ 05oct06 ]

WHILE the rest of the world looks to Beijing to stop North Korea from exploding a nuclear bomb, a leading Chinese analyst says it is too late - China cannot act without doing worse harm to its own interests.

"Basically, our country's work of persuasion with the (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in the 12 years that the DPRK developed its nuclear program had been a failure," writes highly regarded Shen Dingli, of Shanghai's Fudan University.

"The DPRK considers its national interests to be greater than its relations with China," Mr Shen says in his remarkably frank commentary, published in a newspaper of the official China Youth League and circulated yesterday by a North Korea-focused think tank, the Nautilus Institute.

And apparently, NK's leadership has decided they've delayed long enough. It's time to show the world what they've got, and magically they'll be seen as a grown-up country and they can take their place in the realmof first-world nations.... never mind they're on life support from China.

So let's see... they pop off (or attempt to pop off) a nuke. And, just hypothetically, the imports from China dry up. After all, they've demonstrated they're no longer in need of babying - they're a fully grown country now. So obviously they don't need aid from anyone else... besides, their national interests have priority over everything else. Food, fuel, industrial parts, consumer goods, medicine... nothing comes across the border.

How long do you think they'll last? And do you think they'd, um, 'blackmail' neighboring countries into supporting them? If they try that particular course of action, how long do you think it would be before the 'nuclear war' that Kim's been blathering about for so long actually happens, with them on the receiving end?

But watch - we'll do the sanctions dance again and see if it works. I'm betting it won't.

But it will delay the inevitable confrontation. And who knows what might happen, given enough time?

J.

I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait?

The Australian: 'Too late' to stop N Korea's bomb [ 05oct06 ]

WHILE the rest of the world looks to Beijing to stop North Korea from exploding a nuclear bomb, a leading Chinese analyst says it is too late - China cannot act without doing worse harm to its own interests.

"Basically, our country's work of persuasion with the (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in the 12 years that the DPRK developed its nuclear program had been a failure," writes highly regarded Shen Dingli, of Shanghai's Fudan University.

"The DPRK considers its national interests to be greater than its relations with China," Mr Shen says in his remarkably frank commentary, published in a newspaper of the official China Youth League and circulated yesterday by a North Korea-focused think tank, the Nautilus Institute.

And apparently, NK's leadership has decided they've delayed long enough. It's time to show the world what they've got, and magically they'll be seen as a grown-up country and they can take their place in the realmof first-world nations.... never mind they're on life support from China.

So let's see... they pop off (or attempt to pop off) a nuke. And, just hypothetically, the imports from China dry up. After all, they've demonstrated they're no longer in need of babying - they're a fully grown country now. So obviously they don't need aid from anyone else... besides, their national interests have priority over everything else. Food, fuel, industrial parts, consumer goods, medicine... nothing comes across the border.

How long do you think they'll last? And do you think they'd, um, 'blackmail' neighboring countries into supporting them? If they try that particular course of action, how long do you think it would be before the 'nuclear war' that Kim's been blathering about for so long actually happens, with them on the receiving end?

But watch - we'll do the sanctions dance again and see if it works. I'm betting it won't.

But it will delay the inevitable confrontation. And who knows what might happen, given enough time?

J.

Clark says Saddam death penalty will unleash 'catastrophic' violence - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Ramsey Clark, a former US attorney general who is one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers, said that any death sentence against the former Iraqi president would increase violence in the strife-torn country.

"It seems clear that a guilty verdict will set off catastrophic violence" and that a death sentence would be even worse, Clark told a Washington press conference.

"It's hard to know how many Iraqis, dozens, hundreds, thousands, will die because of the sentence," he said.

Hey, I've got an idea. I think we OUGHT to let him go, under certain conditions. Find a courtyard somewhere with a long side with two doors on either end. Bring in about 100-150 people who testified against Saddam, and give them automatic weapons. Only one per person, though. And the weapons have to stay on the ground, unloaded, until Saddam appears, going from one door to the other, and to his freedom. See diagram below. (My Paint skillz are not l33t.)

Obviously, you want the spectators to have body armor and helmets. It could get a bit hazardous with everyone quickly trying to load their weapons and bring them to bear on whatever target they might choose.

Just make sure the "Out" door is locked, and the back wall is high and thick enough to stop any stray shots. You don't want anyone to wander into the line of fire accidentally.

J.

Clark says Saddam death penalty will unleash 'catastrophic' violence - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Ramsey Clark, a former US attorney general who is one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers, said that any death sentence against the former Iraqi president would increase violence in the strife-torn country.

"It seems clear that a guilty verdict will set off catastrophic violence" and that a death sentence would be even worse, Clark told a Washington press conference.

"It's hard to know how many Iraqis, dozens, hundreds, thousands, will die because of the sentence," he said.

Hey, I've got an idea. I think we OUGHT to let him go, under certain conditions. Find a courtyard somewhere with a long side with two doors on either end. Bring in about 100-150 people who testified against Saddam, and give them automatic weapons. Only one per person, though. And the weapons have to stay on the ground, unloaded, until Saddam appears, going from one door to the other, and to his freedom. See diagram below. (My Paint skillz are not l33t.)

Obviously, you want the spectators to have body armor and helmets. It could get a bit hazardous with everyone quickly trying to load their weapons and bring them to bear on whatever target they might choose.

Just make sure the "Out" door is locked, and the back wall is high and thick enough to stop any stray shots. You don't want anyone to wander into the line of fire accidentally.

J.

Clark says Saddam death penalty will unleash 'catastrophic' violence - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Ramsey Clark, a former US attorney general who is one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers, said that any death sentence against the former Iraqi president would increase violence in the strife-torn country.

"It seems clear that a guilty verdict will set off catastrophic violence" and that a death sentence would be even worse, Clark told a Washington press conference.

"It's hard to know how many Iraqis, dozens, hundreds, thousands, will die because of the sentence," he said.

Hey, I've got an idea. I think we OUGHT to let him go, under certain conditions. Find a courtyard somewhere with a long side with two doors on either end. Bring in about 100-150 people who testified against Saddam, and give them automatic weapons. Only one per person, though. And the weapons have to stay on the ground, unloaded, until Saddam appears, going from one door to the other, and to his freedom. See diagram below. (My Paint skillz are not l33t.)

Obviously, you want the spectators to have body armor and helmets. It could get a bit hazardous with everyone quickly trying to load their weapons and bring them to bear on whatever target they might choose.

Just make sure the "Out" door is locked, and the back wall is high and thick enough to stop any stray shots. You don't want anyone to wander into the line of fire accidentally.

J.

Mashing a number of economic myths today. It's an interesting post - The Anchoress - No one to credit for the good economy… and has this little bit of unheralded news...

Budget Deficit Drops to $250 Billion
The federal budget estimate for the fiscal year just completed dropped to $250 billion, congressional estimators said Friday, as the economy continues to fuel impressive tax revenues.

The Congressional Budget Office’s latest estimate is $10 billion below CBO predictions issued in August and well below a July White House prediction of $296 billion.

The improving deficit picture _ Bush predicted a $423 billion deficit in his February budget _ has been driven by better-than-expected tax receipts, especially from corporate profits, CBO said. [Emphasis mine - admin]

Say it again: TAX CUTS WORK! And then remember what Charles Rangel said: he, “could not think of one’ of President George W. Bush’s first-term tax cuts that merit renewal.”

The Dems can’t think of a single tax cut they’d want to keep in place. Remember that. It’s important, and no one wants you to know it.

J.

Mashing a number of economic myths today. It's an interesting post - The Anchoress - No one to credit for the good economy… and has this little bit of unheralded news...

Budget Deficit Drops to $250 Billion
The federal budget estimate for the fiscal year just completed dropped to $250 billion, congressional estimators said Friday, as the economy continues to fuel impressive tax revenues.

The Congressional Budget Office’s latest estimate is $10 billion below CBO predictions issued in August and well below a July White House prediction of $296 billion.

The improving deficit picture _ Bush predicted a $423 billion deficit in his February budget _ has been driven by better-than-expected tax receipts, especially from corporate profits, CBO said. [Emphasis mine - admin]

Say it again: TAX CUTS WORK! And then remember what Charles Rangel said: he, “could not think of one’ of President George W. Bush’s first-term tax cuts that merit renewal.”

The Dems can’t think of a single tax cut they’d want to keep in place. Remember that. It’s important, and no one wants you to know it.

J.

Mashing a number of economic myths today. It's an interesting post - The Anchoress - No one to credit for the good economy… and has this little bit of unheralded news...

Budget Deficit Drops to $250 Billion
The federal budget estimate for the fiscal year just completed dropped to $250 billion, congressional estimators said Friday, as the economy continues to fuel impressive tax revenues.

The Congressional Budget Office’s latest estimate is $10 billion below CBO predictions issued in August and well below a July White House prediction of $296 billion.

The improving deficit picture _ Bush predicted a $423 billion deficit in his February budget _ has been driven by better-than-expected tax receipts, especially from corporate profits, CBO said. [Emphasis mine - admin]

Say it again: TAX CUTS WORK! And then remember what Charles Rangel said: he, “could not think of one’ of President George W. Bush’s first-term tax cuts that merit renewal.”

The Dems can’t think of a single tax cut they’d want to keep in place. Remember that. It’s important, and no one wants you to know it.

J.

You know, I can think of other countries I'd rather see with nuclear weapons.

My Way News - North Korea warned against nuclear weapon test.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday urged North Korea not to carry out a planned nuclear-weapon test and warned Pyongyang of unspecified consequences if it did.
The warning, in a formal statement adopted unanimously, came three days after North Korea's announced it planned its first underground nuclear test, saying its hand had been forced by a U.S. "threat of nuclear war and sanctions."

U.S. officials have said the reclusive state might detonate a device as early as this weekend, and a Chinese source said Pyongyang planned to carry out the test deep inside an abandoned mine.

However - if NK DOES do this, within 24 hours Foleygate will be a non-issue, and the Democrats are going to be demanding Bush Do Something. They won't have any ideas, but they're sure going to demand immediate results.

J.

You know, I can think of other countries I'd rather see with nuclear weapons.

My Way News - North Korea warned against nuclear weapon test.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday urged North Korea not to carry out a planned nuclear-weapon test and warned Pyongyang of unspecified consequences if it did.
The warning, in a formal statement adopted unanimously, came three days after North Korea's announced it planned its first underground nuclear test, saying its hand had been forced by a U.S. "threat of nuclear war and sanctions."

U.S. officials have said the reclusive state might detonate a device as early as this weekend, and a Chinese source said Pyongyang planned to carry out the test deep inside an abandoned mine.

However - if NK DOES do this, within 24 hours Foleygate will be a non-issue, and the Democrats are going to be demanding Bush Do Something. They won't have any ideas, but they're sure going to demand immediate results.

J.

You know, I can think of other countries I'd rather see with nuclear weapons.

My Way News - North Korea warned against nuclear weapon test.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday urged North Korea not to carry out a planned nuclear-weapon test and warned Pyongyang of unspecified consequences if it did.
The warning, in a formal statement adopted unanimously, came three days after North Korea's announced it planned its first underground nuclear test, saying its hand had been forced by a U.S. "threat of nuclear war and sanctions."

U.S. officials have said the reclusive state might detonate a device as early as this weekend, and a Chinese source said Pyongyang planned to carry out the test deep inside an abandoned mine.

However - if NK DOES do this, within 24 hours Foleygate will be a non-issue, and the Democrats are going to be demanding Bush Do Something. They won't have any ideas, but they're sure going to demand immediate results.

J.

One of the things we're not really in on is what the actual plan is in Iraq. There's a number of reasons for this - but the two major ones are (in my opinion) that the media can't boil it down into a pithy phrase they can use to slam Bush, and security concerns - because what WE find out, the enemy will know in very short order. (Unless you believe they can't figure out how to use a computer, which is pretty dumb and short-sighted of you. The information superhighway has a LOT of on-ramps, and once on you can get anywhere fast.) Those two reasons, dovetailed together, means we're not getting a good overview as to what the plan is. Getting the Iraqi people to stand up for their own country (which they've been doing, despite the attacks claiming thousands of lives) is the ONLY way to a long-term success.

Over on Instapundit, at the bottom of the post, you find this little gem

Instapundit.com -

MORE: A reader who prefers anonymity emails:

We're not losing momentum in Iraq. The Pentagon strategy is a very deliberate form of tough love that is forcing the Iraqis to defend their own country.

Arabs are culturally the most passive, fence-sitting people on the planet. By their own admission they follow the strongest leader out there. If we had sent 500,000 troops to Iraq and fought a Soviet-style counterinsurgency, the end result would have been an Iraq with no incentive to do the very hard work of creating viable fighting forces from scratch. We would've been their new masters in perpetuity.

We also can't attack Iran and Syria right now because the Iranians would then activate their Iraqi militias and send a million Basij into Iraq. Syria would do a Saddam and start firing WMD-tipped missiles at Israel. The entire region could go up in flames.

Don't let the media convince you that things are going badly in Iraq. The Anbar tribes are now fighting al Qaeda on their own initiative, and the Shi'ite-dominated government is slowly dismantling al Sadr's Mahdi Army. "Experts" predicted that neither of these things would ever happen because of secular loyalties, but they are happening, and only because we're forcing the Iraqis to stand up and fight for their country.

Finally, take a look at what happened when the French, Soviets, and Russians fought Muslim insurgencies with the kind of aggressive, "proactive" approach so many Americans claim to want.

The French lost 18,000 in Algeria, a KIA rate three and a half times ours. The Soviets lost 14,000 in Afghanistan, a KIA rate twice ours. The Russians officially lost 5500 in the First Chechen War of 1994-96, but Soldiers' Mothers of Russia puts the actual number at 14,000, a KIA rate ten times ours. Nobody knows how many Russian troops have died in the Second Chechen War, but Soldiers' Mothers of Russia had the number at 11,000 by 2003.

Our strategy in Iraq is sound. It's keeping our own casualties down, and it's forcing the Iraqis to defend themselves.

Don't despair. We're winning.

I certainly hope so.

The only way to create a strong, free Iraq is to ge them built up to the point where they can support themselves. Anyone who's done any exercise knows, you don't get stronger by sitting back and letting others do the work for you. More and more the Iraqi forces are gaining strength, gaining experience, and most importantly gaining CONFIDENCE that they can protect their country from those who would tear it apart. This is not something that could happen overnight - but it is happening.

But - it's a complex story, and not likely to fit into the evening news anytime soon.

J.

One of the things we're not really in on is what the actual plan is in Iraq. There's a number of reasons for this - but the two major ones are (in my opinion) that the media can't boil it down into a pithy phrase they can use to slam Bush, and security concerns - because what WE find out, the enemy will know in very short order. (Unless you believe they can't figure out how to use a computer, which is pretty dumb and short-sighted of you. The information superhighway has a LOT of on-ramps, and once on you can get anywhere fast.) Those two reasons, dovetailed together, means we're not getting a good overview as to what the plan is. Getting the Iraqi people to stand up for their own country (which they've been doing, despite the attacks claiming thousands of lives) is the ONLY way to a long-term success.

Over on Instapundit, at the bottom of the post, you find this little gem

Instapundit.com -

MORE: A reader who prefers anonymity emails:

We're not losing momentum in Iraq. The Pentagon strategy is a very deliberate form of tough love that is forcing the Iraqis to defend their own country.

Arabs are culturally the most passive, fence-sitting people on the planet. By their own admission they follow the strongest leader out there. If we had sent 500,000 troops to Iraq and fought a Soviet-style counterinsurgency, the end result would have been an Iraq with no incentive to do the very hard work of creating viable fighting forces from scratch. We would've been their new masters in perpetuity.

We also can't attack Iran and Syria right now because the Iranians would then activate their Iraqi militias and send a million Basij into Iraq. Syria would do a Saddam and start firing WMD-tipped missiles at Israel. The entire region could go up in flames.

Don't let the media convince you that things are going badly in Iraq. The Anbar tribes are now fighting al Qaeda on their own initiative, and the Shi'ite-dominated government is slowly dismantling al Sadr's Mahdi Army. "Experts" predicted that neither of these things would ever happen because of secular loyalties, but they are happening, and only because we're forcing the Iraqis to stand up and fight for their country.

Finally, take a look at what happened when the French, Soviets, and Russians fought Muslim insurgencies with the kind of aggressive, "proactive" approach so many Americans claim to want.

The French lost 18,000 in Algeria, a KIA rate three and a half times ours. The Soviets lost 14,000 in Afghanistan, a KIA rate twice ours. The Russians officially lost 5500 in the First Chechen War of 1994-96, but Soldiers' Mothers of Russia puts the actual number at 14,000, a KIA rate ten times ours. Nobody knows how many Russian troops have died in the Second Chechen War, but Soldiers' Mothers of Russia had the number at 11,000 by 2003.

Our strategy in Iraq is sound. It's keeping our own casualties down, and it's forcing the Iraqis to defend themselves.

Don't despair. We're winning.

I certainly hope so.

The only way to create a strong, free Iraq is to ge them built up to the point where they can support themselves. Anyone who's done any exercise knows, you don't get stronger by sitting back and letting others do the work for you. More and more the Iraqi forces are gaining strength, gaining experience, and most importantly gaining CONFIDENCE that they can protect their country from those who would tear it apart. This is not something that could happen overnight - but it is happening.

But - it's a complex story, and not likely to fit into the evening news anytime soon.

J.

One of the things we're not really in on is what the actual plan is in Iraq. There's a number of reasons for this - but the two major ones are (in my opinion) that the media can't boil it down into a pithy phrase they can use to slam Bush, and security concerns - because what WE find out, the enemy will know in very short order. (Unless you believe they can't figure out how to use a computer, which is pretty dumb and short-sighted of you. The information superhighway has a LOT of on-ramps, and once on you can get anywhere fast.) Those two reasons, dovetailed together, means we're not getting a good overview as to what the plan is. Getting the Iraqi people to stand up for their own country (which they've been doing, despite the attacks claiming thousands of lives) is the ONLY way to a long-term success.

Over on Instapundit, at the bottom of the post, you find this little gem

Instapundit.com -

MORE: A reader who prefers anonymity emails:

We're not losing momentum in Iraq. The Pentagon strategy is a very deliberate form of tough love that is forcing the Iraqis to defend their own country.

Arabs are culturally the most passive, fence-sitting people on the planet. By their own admission they follow the strongest leader out there. If we had sent 500,000 troops to Iraq and fought a Soviet-style counterinsurgency, the end result would have been an Iraq with no incentive to do the very hard work of creating viable fighting forces from scratch. We would've been their new masters in perpetuity.

We also can't attack Iran and Syria right now because the Iranians would then activate their Iraqi militias and send a million Basij into Iraq. Syria would do a Saddam and start firing WMD-tipped missiles at Israel. The entire region could go up in flames.

Don't let the media convince you that things are going badly in Iraq. The Anbar tribes are now fighting al Qaeda on their own initiative, and the Shi'ite-dominated government is slowly dismantling al Sadr's Mahdi Army. "Experts" predicted that neither of these things would ever happen because of secular loyalties, but they are happening, and only because we're forcing the Iraqis to stand up and fight for their country.

Finally, take a look at what happened when the French, Soviets, and Russians fought Muslim insurgencies with the kind of aggressive, "proactive" approach so many Americans claim to want.

The French lost 18,000 in Algeria, a KIA rate three and a half times ours. The Soviets lost 14,000 in Afghanistan, a KIA rate twice ours. The Russians officially lost 5500 in the First Chechen War of 1994-96, but Soldiers' Mothers of Russia puts the actual number at 14,000, a KIA rate ten times ours. Nobody knows how many Russian troops have died in the Second Chechen War, but Soldiers' Mothers of Russia had the number at 11,000 by 2003.

Our strategy in Iraq is sound. It's keeping our own casualties down, and it's forcing the Iraqis to defend themselves.

Don't despair. We're winning.

I certainly hope so.

The only way to create a strong, free Iraq is to ge them built up to the point where they can support themselves. Anyone who's done any exercise knows, you don't get stronger by sitting back and letting others do the work for you. More and more the Iraqi forces are gaining strength, gaining experience, and most importantly gaining CONFIDENCE that they can protect their country from those who would tear it apart. This is not something that could happen overnight - but it is happening.

But - it's a complex story, and not likely to fit into the evening news anytime soon.

J.

You wouldn't think so - but based on a speed test I just uninstalled Google's Web Accelerator. I've been clocking a 6 megabit download speed from the Speakeasy.net Speed Test, thought I'd see what would happen with the accelerator...

And I went from 6 mbit to 1.5 mbit. I didn't notice that web pages loaded any faster, and didn't see it was worth the 75% reduction in speed.

Your mileage, of course, may vary - but this is one program that just doesn't seem to do what it says it will - quite the opposite in fact...

J.

You wouldn't think so - but based on a speed test I just uninstalled Google's Web Accelerator. I've been clocking a 6 megabit download speed from the Speakeasy.net Speed Test, thought I'd see what would happen with the accelerator...

And I went from 6 mbit to 1.5 mbit. I didn't notice that web pages loaded any faster, and didn't see it was worth the 75% reduction in speed.

Your mileage, of course, may vary - but this is one program that just doesn't seem to do what it says it will - quite the opposite in fact...

J.

You wouldn't think so - but based on a speed test I just uninstalled Google's Web Accelerator. I've been clocking a 6 megabit download speed from the Speakeasy.net Speed Test, thought I'd see what would happen with the accelerator...

And I went from 6 mbit to 1.5 mbit. I didn't notice that web pages loaded any faster, and didn't see it was worth the 75% reduction in speed.

Your mileage, of course, may vary - but this is one program that just doesn't seem to do what it says it will - quite the opposite in fact...

J.

If true, wouldn't it be appropriate if it were prostate cancer?

TIME.com: Report: Castro Has Cancer -- Page 1

Ever since President Fidel Castro was sidelined for what was said to be abdominal surgery last July, Cuban officials have maintained that the country's leader will return to his post. ''We will again have him leading the revolution,'' said Foreign Minister Felipe P�rez Roque just two days ago, speaking at an outdoor rally to protest the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, according to the Communist Party daily newspaper Granma.

But U.S. officials tell TIME that many in the U.S. government are now convinced that Castro, 80, has terminal cancer and will never return to power. "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer," said one U.S. official.

J.

If true, wouldn't it be appropriate if it were prostate cancer?

TIME.com: Report: Castro Has Cancer -- Page 1

Ever since President Fidel Castro was sidelined for what was said to be abdominal surgery last July, Cuban officials have maintained that the country's leader will return to his post. ''We will again have him leading the revolution,'' said Foreign Minister Felipe P�rez Roque just two days ago, speaking at an outdoor rally to protest the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, according to the Communist Party daily newspaper Granma.

But U.S. officials tell TIME that many in the U.S. government are now convinced that Castro, 80, has terminal cancer and will never return to power. "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer," said one U.S. official.

J.

If true, wouldn't it be appropriate if it were prostate cancer?

TIME.com: Report: Castro Has Cancer -- Page 1

Ever since President Fidel Castro was sidelined for what was said to be abdominal surgery last July, Cuban officials have maintained that the country's leader will return to his post. ''We will again have him leading the revolution,'' said Foreign Minister Felipe P�rez Roque just two days ago, speaking at an outdoor rally to protest the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, according to the Communist Party daily newspaper Granma.

But U.S. officials tell TIME that many in the U.S. government are now convinced that Castro, 80, has terminal cancer and will never return to power. "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer," said one U.S. official.

J.

But now that they have (IF they have) it'll be instructive to see what happens in the 6-way diplomatic dance in that area.

Report: N. Korea appears to conduct nuke test - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean government officials said North Korea performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test Monday, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the report.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported.

On the other hand, the scandal du jour centered around Foley will probably be forgotten by Tuesday.

Update: USGS hasn't confirmed the report either. There should be a short, sharp shockwave generated by the explosion, that should easily be picked up by seismographs worldwide. No shockwave, no nuke. It's impossible to hide, and was a means of verification of underground tests during the Cold War. Go down to Figure 2 (on the left of the page) here. The top trace is a nuclear test, the bottom one an earthquake. They're not terribly similar in shape.

If there's no trace - then I'd say there was no test, no matter what the NK news agencies report.

J.

But now that they have (IF they have) it'll be instructive to see what happens in the 6-way diplomatic dance in that area.

Report: N. Korea appears to conduct nuke test - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean government officials said North Korea performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test Monday, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the report.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported.

On the other hand, the scandal du jour centered around Foley will probably be forgotten by Tuesday.

Update: USGS hasn't confirmed the report either. There should be a short, sharp shockwave generated by the explosion, that should easily be picked up by seismographs worldwide. No shockwave, no nuke. It's impossible to hide, and was a means of verification of underground tests during the Cold War. Go down to Figure 2 (on the left of the page) here. The top trace is a nuclear test, the bottom one an earthquake. They're not terribly similar in shape.

If there's no trace - then I'd say there was no test, no matter what the NK news agencies report.

J.

But now that they have (IF they have) it'll be instructive to see what happens in the 6-way diplomatic dance in that area.

Report: N. Korea appears to conduct nuke test - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean government officials said North Korea performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test Monday, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the report.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported.

On the other hand, the scandal du jour centered around Foley will probably be forgotten by Tuesday.

Update: USGS hasn't confirmed the report either. There should be a short, sharp shockwave generated by the explosion, that should easily be picked up by seismographs worldwide. No shockwave, no nuke. It's impossible to hide, and was a means of verification of underground tests during the Cold War. Go down to Figure 2 (on the left of the page) here. The top trace is a nuclear test, the bottom one an earthquake. They're not terribly similar in shape.

If there's no trace - then I'd say there was no test, no matter what the NK news agencies report.

J.

Looks like SOMETHING happened about 1430 -- Live Internet Seismic Server.

I leave it to the experts to figure out what. (By the way, that server updates quickly - you might want to look ASAP, because this time tomorrow it's going to be gone.)

J.

Looks like SOMETHING happened about 1430 -- Live Internet Seismic Server.

I leave it to the experts to figure out what. (By the way, that server updates quickly - you might want to look ASAP, because this time tomorrow it's going to be gone.)

J.

Looks like SOMETHING happened about 1430 -- Live Internet Seismic Server.

I leave it to the experts to figure out what. (By the way, that server updates quickly - you might want to look ASAP, because this time tomorrow it's going to be gone.)

J.

North Korea Wants Congratulations

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council should congratulate North Korea for its nuclear test instead of passing "useless" resolutions or statements, North Korea's U.N. ambassador said Monday.

As such, you obviously won't be needing any more aid. All food and fuel shipments in transit are going to be stopped and recalled immediately, and no more allowance will be paid into your account. From here on in, you'll pay for everything you get - cash up front. Sorry, but you need to establish you're good for it before anyone will provide you credit. Yeah, it sucks - but that's the way it is between big countries. Er, you DO have enough for your people for the winter, don't you?

J,

North Korea Wants Congratulations

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council should congratulate North Korea for its nuclear test instead of passing "useless" resolutions or statements, North Korea's U.N. ambassador said Monday.

As such, you obviously won't be needing any more aid. All food and fuel shipments in transit are going to be stopped and recalled immediately, and no more allowance will be paid into your account. From here on in, you'll pay for everything you get - cash up front. Sorry, but you need to establish you're good for it before anyone will provide you credit. Yeah, it sucks - but that's the way it is between big countries. Er, you DO have enough for your people for the winter, don't you?

J,

North Korea Wants Congratulations

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council should congratulate North Korea for its nuclear test instead of passing "useless" resolutions or statements, North Korea's U.N. ambassador said Monday.

As such, you obviously won't be needing any more aid. All food and fuel shipments in transit are going to be stopped and recalled immediately, and no more allowance will be paid into your account. From here on in, you'll pay for everything you get - cash up front. Sorry, but you need to establish you're good for it before anyone will provide you credit. Yeah, it sucks - but that's the way it is between big countries. Er, you DO have enough for your people for the winter, don't you?

J,

US detects second N Korea 'blast' | NEWS.com.au

US intelligence has detected an explosion of less than one kilotonne in magnitude in North Korea but has not been able to determine whether it was nuclear or not, a senior intelligence official said. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that first-time nuclear tests historically have been in the several kilotonne range.
“We are aware that there was a sub-kilotonne explosion in North Korea,” said the official. “We have not been able to determine at this point whether it was in fact nuclear.”

Interesting discussion over on Metafilter - apparently plutonium comes in a number of different isotopes, only one of which (239) is useful for nuclear warheads. The others, and they're bit difficult to separate, will poison any nuclear reaction.

It's got to be nearly pure 239 to go off properly... and that may be hard to refine given NK's current abilities.

J.

US detects second N Korea 'blast' | NEWS.com.au

US intelligence has detected an explosion of less than one kilotonne in magnitude in North Korea but has not been able to determine whether it was nuclear or not, a senior intelligence official said. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that first-time nuclear tests historically have been in the several kilotonne range.
“We are aware that there was a sub-kilotonne explosion in North Korea,” said the official. “We have not been able to determine at this point whether it was in fact nuclear.”

Interesting discussion over on Metafilter - apparently plutonium comes in a number of different isotopes, only one of which (239) is useful for nuclear warheads. The others, and they're bit difficult to separate, will poison any nuclear reaction.

It's got to be nearly pure 239 to go off properly... and that may be hard to refine given NK's current abilities.

J.

US detects second N Korea 'blast' | NEWS.com.au

US intelligence has detected an explosion of less than one kilotonne in magnitude in North Korea but has not been able to determine whether it was nuclear or not, a senior intelligence official said. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that first-time nuclear tests historically have been in the several kilotonne range.
“We are aware that there was a sub-kilotonne explosion in North Korea,” said the official. “We have not been able to determine at this point whether it was in fact nuclear.”

Interesting discussion over on Metafilter - apparently plutonium comes in a number of different isotopes, only one of which (239) is useful for nuclear warheads. The others, and they're bit difficult to separate, will poison any nuclear reaction.

It's got to be nearly pure 239 to go off properly... and that may be hard to refine given NK's current abilities.

J.

US detects second N Korea 'blast' | NEWS.com.au

US intelligence has detected an explosion of less than one kilotonne in magnitude in North Korea but has not been able to determine whether it was nuclear or not, a senior intelligence official said. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that first-time nuclear tests historically have been in the several kilotonne range.
“We are aware that there was a sub-kilotonne explosion in North Korea,” said the official. “We have not been able to determine at this point whether it was in fact nuclear.”

Interesting discussion over on Metafilter - apparently plutonium comes in a number of different isotopes, only one of which (239) is useful for nuclear warheads. The others, and they're bit difficult to separate, will poison any nuclear reaction.

It's got to be nearly pure 239 to go off properly... and that may be hard to refine given NK's current abilities.

J.

US detects second N Korea 'blast' | NEWS.com.au

US intelligence has detected an explosion of less than one kilotonne in magnitude in North Korea but has not been able to determine whether it was nuclear or not, a senior intelligence official said. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that first-time nuclear tests historically have been in the several kilotonne range.
“We are aware that there was a sub-kilotonne explosion in North Korea,” said the official. “We have not been able to determine at this point whether it was in fact nuclear.”

Interesting discussion over on Metafilter - apparently plutonium comes in a number of different isotopes, only one of which (239) is useful for nuclear warheads. The others, and they're bit difficult to separate, will poison any nuclear reaction.

It's got to be nearly pure 239 to go off properly... and that may be hard to refine given NK's current abilities.

J.

Report: N. Korea Threatens to Fire Nuclear Missile if U.S. Won't Commit to Talks

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea stepped up its threats aimed at Washington, saying it could fire a nuclear-tipped missile unless the United States acts to resolve its standoff with Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday from Beijing.

I don't know where this is all going to end up, but more and more it looks like NK's going to be REALLY ruined by the end of the decade.

J.

Report: N. Korea Threatens to Fire Nuclear Missile if U.S. Won't Commit to Talks

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea stepped up its threats aimed at Washington, saying it could fire a nuclear-tipped missile unless the United States acts to resolve its standoff with Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday from Beijing.

I don't know where this is all going to end up, but more and more it looks like NK's going to be REALLY ruined by the end of the decade.

J.

Neil Boortz points out a book by Mark Steyn - "America Alone - the End of the World As We Know It". In it, he points out the population crash that Europe's experiencing.

Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia are running out of babies. Greece has a fertility rate of 1.3 per couple. Demographers cite that as a low point from which no human society has ever recovered. The fertility rate for Spaniards is 1.1. In Italy it's 1.2. Steyn writes "... by 2050, 60% of Italians will have no brothers, no sisters, no cousins, no aunts, no uncles."

Why is this important? Because in Europe the Muslim fertility rate is sky high. Muslims are out-producing the French in France, the Germans in Germany, the Italians in Italy ... etc.

The demographics for Europe at the end of the 21st Century won't look anything like the beginning... unless some pretty drastic steps are taken.

J.

Neil Boortz points out a book by Mark Steyn - "America Alone - the End of the World As We Know It". In it, he points out the population crash that Europe's experiencing.

Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia are running out of babies. Greece has a fertility rate of 1.3 per couple. Demographers cite that as a low point from which no human society has ever recovered. The fertility rate for Spaniards is 1.1. In Italy it's 1.2. Steyn writes "... by 2050, 60% of Italians will have no brothers, no sisters, no cousins, no aunts, no uncles."

Why is this important? Because in Europe the Muslim fertility rate is sky high. Muslims are out-producing the French in France, the Germans in Germany, the Italians in Italy ... etc.

The demographics for Europe at the end of the 21st Century won't look anything like the beginning... unless some pretty drastic steps are taken.

J.

Leave behind, if you will, the discussion of exactly who is to blame for NK going nuclear. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush - all thought diplomacy/containment would work to alleviate the threat of NK. As I've pointed out in comments, diplomacy is useless when one side has no intention of negotiating in good faith. We could have had the best diplomatic corps in the world (which brings the question - which country has the most effective diplomats?) and they'd have been useless in this scenario. Kim's strung out the process until he had what he wanted. And since diplomacy seems to look on delay as being a good thing absent actual conflict (since presumably the parties involved are thinking things over and coming to agreements) there seemed little to no sense of urgency to get NK to the barganing table.

So now what? How do we treat with a nuclear NK, and the blackmail that's almost certain to follow? Cut their supplies? Try to directly contact the people? Foment internal rebellion?

The time to come will be quite interesting indeed.

J.

Leave behind, if you will, the discussion of exactly who is to blame for NK going nuclear. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush - all thought diplomacy/containment would work to alleviate the threat of NK. As I've pointed out in comments, diplomacy is useless when one side has no intention of negotiating in good faith. We could have had the best diplomatic corps in the world (which brings the question - which country has the most effective diplomats?) and they'd have been useless in this scenario. Kim's strung out the process until he had what he wanted. And since diplomacy seems to look on delay as being a good thing absent actual conflict (since presumably the parties involved are thinking things over and coming to agreements) there seemed little to no sense of urgency to get NK to the barganing table.

So now what? How do we treat with a nuclear NK, and the blackmail that's almost certain to follow? Cut their supplies? Try to directly contact the people? Foment internal rebellion?

The time to come will be quite interesting indeed.

J.

Google Earth Community: N Korea's underground nuke test site.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey these are coordinates of the N Korea's underground nuke test site. These are the coordinates: Location 41.294°N, 129.134°E

Anyway - if you've got Google Earth, the Community there has lots of INTERESTING links.

G'night!

J.

Google Earth Community: N Korea's underground nuke test site.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey these are coordinates of the N Korea's underground nuke test site. These are the coordinates: Location 41.294°N, 129.134°E

Anyway - if you've got Google Earth, the Community there has lots of INTERESTING links.

G'night!

J.

The Ultimate Game Desk - Kotaku - is impressive. And that'd be one nice system installed on it.

There's also the Poetic Tech desk system, if you're so inclined... Cost? If you have to ask, as the saying goes...

J.

The Ultimate Game Desk - Kotaku - is impressive. And that'd be one nice system installed on it.

There's also the Poetic Tech desk system, if you're so inclined... Cost? If you have to ask, as the saying goes...

J.

Looks like at least some folks are starting to wake up.

Moderate Europeans losing faith in Islam - muslims, europe, eu, islam - Europe - International Herald Tribune

BRUSSELS Europe appears to be crossing an invisible line regarding its Muslim minorities: More people in the political mainstream are arguing that Islam cannot be reconciled with European values.

"You saw what happened with the pope," said Patrick Goeman, 43, the owner of Raga, a funky wine bar in central Antwerp, half an hour outside Brussels. "He said Islam is an aggressive religion. And the next day they kill a nun somewhere and make his point.

"Rationality is gone."

Goeman is hardly an extremist. In fact, he organized a protest last week in which 20 bars and restaurants closed on the night when a far-right party with an anti-Muslim message held a rally nearby.

His worry is shared by centrists across Europe disturbed that any criticism of Islam or Muslim immigration provokes threats of violence.

I think Europe's going to find out. Certainly the extreme left or right get a lot of attention... but are their views representative of the whole?

Time will tell.

J.

Our government beats like a butterfly wing. Geo-politically, we've got an attention span measured in 4-8 year lengths. Heck, our politicians pretty much bank on our not remembering from election to election what the issues are and what they've promised - because if we DID remember their promises and note how they ignored them, we'd bounce them all out and try some new folks who might actually have the idea that campaign promises are something that are supposed to be kept. As it is, every year there's a budget fight, every year is a scramble for funding. It's hard to plan projects for the long term, when there's a really good chance you won't have any money next year.

Contrast that to a dictatorship, where the geopolitical attention span is measured in literal lifetimes. We in the West don't really understand that a dictator/dictatorship can make plans that'll take decades to carry out - our government turns over so comparatively fast that all they've got to do is wait for the next shift and they'll see the old opposition fade away and nothing new until the particular issue is forced again.

Now, contrast THAT with the longevity that a theocratic bureaucracy might have. You're looking at a stratified, rigid philosophy that is (ideally) self-correcting for the long term. Against something like that, our current political system with frequent elections beats like a hummingbird wing.

It would help if the two parties here in the US actually got their act together and figured out that there's an external enemy that will kill BOTH of them if they don't deal with the problem. But right now there's too much fingerpointing and not enough thinking and cooperation. Yeah, it's a lot of fun to do that, and while it's terribly satisfying, it won't produce any results to speak of.

Bipartisan cooperation's going to be the key to long-term survival. We're going to have to change from an attention span measured in minutes to one that lasts AT LEAST five years, better a decade... But hey, what do I know? If I were any good at political prognoistication and analysys, I'd be maiking a lot more money now...

J.

My Way News - Russia, China Oppose N. Korea Sanctions

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Russia and China on Thursday opposed tough sanctions the U.S. wants to impose against North Korea this week for its claimed nuclear test, saying they want more time to work out a more moderate response to Pyongyang's nuclear brinkmanship.

But I do hope they realize they're playing with fire...

J.

Looks like they're switching from "An Army of One" to "Army Strong". We'll see if this embed works right.

The ad wouldn't make me join the Army - but I like it. To folks looking for a challenge, for a way to prove themselves, it'd be pretty powerful. Makes me wonder what the Air Force and Navy are going to come up with. (I've seen some pretty impressive Marine ads in the theaters...)

J.

Air America Files Chapter 11

You don't pay, you don't play. And it looks like AA just couldn't make itself pay...

J.

No, not the site. Instead...

N. Korea Air Sample Has No Radioactivity

By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Results from an initial air sampling after North Korea's announced nuclear test showed no evidence of radioactive particles that would be expected from a successful nuclear detonation, a U.S. government intelligence official said Friday.

The test results do not necessarily mean the North Korean blast was not a nuclear explosion, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the sampling results.

(Like Kim would care, of course...)

J.

Was it, or wasn't it? At this point, it looks like it was.

U.S.: Test points to N. Korea nuke blast - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON - An air sampling taken after North Korea's claimed nuclear test detected radioactive debris consistent with an atomic explosion, Bush administration and congressional officials said Friday night. They said no final determination had been made about the nature of last weekend's mystery-shrouded blast.

One U.S. government official said intelligence officials assigned an 80 percent probability that the North Korean explosion was a nuclear detonation, based on the air sample collected Wednesday.

The official said it appeared highly unlikely that the sample of radioactive material was produced by any other source, including a nuclear power reactor.

The official also said additional sampling might be conducted, not necessarily by airborne means. He would not elaborate, citing security concerns.

A senior administration official suggested that the North Korean test was a dud. "The betting is that this was an attempt at a nuclear test that failed," the official said. "We don't think they were trying to fake a nuclear test, but it may have been a nuclear fizzle."

Apparently.

There's been some speculation that it was a suitcase nuke type. I don't think so - the engineering for one of those is REAL tricky, I understand, and they use rather hard-to-manage isotopes. At this point - with it failing - the nuke scientists in NK must be wondering how much longer THEY have to live. I understand Crazy Kim isn't the most forgiving soul when it comes to failure...

J.

Pardon me for the pity party here, but it's been an interesting day and one that I would have preferred not to deal with, though not dealing with it would mean one of two things - either my brother had pulled his head out of his ass about ten, twenty years back and actually done something more with his life than seen janitor at WalMart as the pinnacle of a long and undistinguished career of minimum (and sub-minimum) wage jobs, or my folks had indeed died before I could get them moved out here.

What am I talking about, o my three or four consistent readers? Just wait, and ye shall see and hopefully understand.

About a week or two back, my paternal units dropped the bombshell I'd been pretty much urging them to do for the last three or four years, since my father had his heart attack back around 2002, and his heart bypass surgery around 2003, and mother had a BAD case of pneumonia and the osteoporosis she had cultivated diligently for the last few decades (note to young women reading this - smoking and avoiding exercise is an excellent way to set yourself up for this dandy of a disease when you reach dowager age, and though you may think you'll never get there, unless you do something terminally stupid the likelyhood is you'll reach grandmotherly age and probably older, at which point the kewl tatts you got in the 20s will be muddy and indistinguishable from spilled ink on your leathery hide.. and have I mentioned avoiding tanning salons and the like in order to stave off skin cancers 20-30 years down the road? If not, consider yourself so warned) has advanced to the point where her calcium-deficient spinal vertabrae (not that there's any other vertabrae in the body that I'm aware of) started collapsing like a cheap ladder with resultant pain and disability. Yet always they'd demurred actually making the choice to either bail to the locality we're living in and letting me handle getting the estate sale set up and the house on the market, or doing it themselves and then uprooting and transplanting themselves here.

Yea, verily, they FINALLY have decided decided they are going to bail. Kind of. Real Soon Now. They've contacted a real estate agent (and to be honest I think she's blowing smoke up their collective asses with her assessment of the value of the house - a Zillow.com assessment comes in a good 100K less than what she thinks they can sell the house for, and the sale prices for comparable houses in the area aren't exactly in the range she's telling them - but IANA real estate agent, so maybe she knows something about that sort of thing which I do not. In fact, I think it extremely likely - so we'll see) and are starting to see about getting an estate sale done.

Bear in mind my parental units are 86 and 87 respectively, so they've accumulated a good bit of stuff. If the Estate Sale agent takes 20%, they're gonna make out like a damn bandit. But it's not like I can do it for them - I've got a good bit of miscellaneous experience, but estate sales give me the willies. I don't mind garage sales (since they're caused by too much living and a need to clear away old stuff to make room for new in a lot of cases) but going to an estate sale reminds me of a vulture picking at the flesh of a life - all the mementos and accumulated treasures of decades on display for a pittance, and the actual cost of them nowhere near the value of the thing to the person - it rather reeks.

When first discussed a few years back, my folks thought they'd be able to get by with a house, and a caregiver looking in on them every other day or so. However, things have gotten to a point where such a plan is insufficent to cover the needs of the people involved (except that of the caregiver, who would need (it is to be assumed) to both take care of someone and receive money for doing such) because mother's macular degeneration has progressed to the point where she pretty much can't see.

So, we are looking at either independent living facilities, or assisted living facilities in this area. And there, my earnest friends, comes the major suckitude. How do you go about selecting a place where your parents are (it is to be assumed) going to be spending the rest of their lives?

Ah, well. Such is the duty which I must accomplish, and so far I've had an interesting time looking at the assisted/independent living facilities. One of which we visited today seemed like a rather nicely appointed warehouse for the pre-corpse set - nice furnishings... kind of... nice dining room... kind of... but the few people we saw there seemed to have a zombie-like vitality and demeanor that made me want to either run out of there or whale around me with a cricket bat ala Shaun of The Dead. And a more than cursory look at the bookshelves used for decoration revealed old encyclopedias and Readers Digest Condensed book sets. None of which looked read.

Sigh. My father would not like that. He likes a bit of intellectual stimulation, he does.

Scratch that place off the list. It's just... no. I have no doubt that those there rather like it, but as I said it's just a waiting room for the grave.

Another place we visited today seemed a BIT better - at least there was something more on their bookshelves than obsolete encyclopediae and RDCBs. But not all that much. Very nice place, though a trifle on the crowded side. (They have two seatings at dinner. Hmmm.) Other than that, we got a fairly good feeling about the place. Where the first was a D, this was a C+, maybe a B-.

The third place visited (which we actually visited last week, but I've been a bit remiss reporting on that until I got everything properly digested and sorted out) had a LARGE library, with a wide variety of books, and even had things pretty much sorted out on the Dewey Decimal system. The rooms seemed larger, and nicer - though we saw the 'independent living' facility and it had a very nice (if small) kitchenette and a full sized fridge. The others... well, you were doing good to find a place to put a coffeepot on top of the tiny fridge.

The assisted living facilites there, however, left much to be desired re size. The one bedroom AL suite was a tiny thing. But what they call assisted living is darn near bedridden, and although my moter is NOT a happy pain-free camper she's not bedridden. Yet.

Oddly, the cost of this dwelling place is less than the other two by a fair margin. Go figure. Of the three places sampled, I think my folks would be happiest there.

But man, I really, REALLY do not want to have to make this choice. By rights and custom, I understand such a choice devolves down to the oldest son - and I ain't him. My parents are not incapable of making the choice - they're simply just not in a position to do the research necessaary.

I could wish I don't have to do this - but I've got the duty, and will do it as well as I can...

J.

SEAL falls on grenade to save comrades - Yahoo! News

CORONADO, Calif. - A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.

J.

Popular Mechanics has an article on North Korea's CBW setups. Looks like they've been doing a lot of work, and nobody's been paying much attention to it.

Well, nukes tend to sterilize things pretty well. Of course, for best results you'll want it to go off just a bit above ground level, which will cause a good bit of fallout. If Crazy Kim really does go off the deep end, I can see China and the US resuming above-ground testing on NK. It'll be tough on Japan, but so would smallpox and a modified typhoid.

Also, looks like they're prepping for a second nuke test. China's already ticked, I understand. A second test is not going to make them happy. (But on the good side, he's got a limited stock of fissionable material. The more tests he runs, the less he'll have remaining.)

I think we're at a point where we can no longer afford to ignore dictatorships as malignant as North Korea's on the premise that they're not causing anyone a whole lot of harm. What we should do is certainly open to debate, but as I've commented to Jason, Kim conned the whole world and got the time to develop the things he wanted through abusing the diplomatic process. Strongly-worded UN resolutions just don't seem to have much effect.

J.

TV might cause autism. By Gregg Easterbrook - Slate Magazine

Last month, I speculated in Slate that the mounting incidence of childhood autism may be related to increased television viewing among the very young. The autism rise began around 1980, about the same time cable television and VCRs became common, allowing children to watch television aimed at them any time. Since the brain is organizing during the first years of life and since human beings evolved responding to three-dimensional stimuli, I wondered if exposing toddlers to lots of colorful two-dimensional stimulation could be harmful to brain development. This was sheer speculation, since I knew of no researchers pursuing the question.

Today, Cornell University researchers are reporting what appears to be a statistically significant relationship between autism rates and television watching by children under the age of 3. The researchers studied autism incidence in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. They found that as cable television became common in California and Pennsylvania beginning around 1980, childhood autism rose more in the counties that had cable than in the counties that did not. They further found that in all the Western states, the more time toddlers spent in front of the television, the more likely they were to exhibit symptoms of autism disorders.

Now the kicker - what causes it? The TV flicker as the screen refreshes? If so, would LCD and DLP projection TVs have the same effect?

It closes with this...

Researchers might also turn new attention to study of the Amish. Autism is rare in Amish society, and the standing assumption has been that this is because most Amish refuse to vaccinate children. The Amish also do not watch television.

Could certain refresh rates have a damaging effect on a developing central nervous system? I think it possible. It'll be interesting to see where this goes. I'm just glad we didn't use the boob tube as a babysitter for the little guy...

J.

Looks like the NK fizzle was a plutonium bomb that didn't pop off properly. The implosion device is a pretty tricky one, and the folks at Los Alamos in WW2 spent a lot of time and a LOT of effort to get it right. All it takes is one segment of the explosive lenses that focus the shock on the center plutonium core going off a fraction early or late, and you get a fizzle.

In fact, nuclear weapons are almost impossible to set off by accident. (A high-yeild explosion, that is - the low-order explosives to either propell two chunks of uranium together or implode around a plutonium core ARE explosives, after all.) For instance, if a warhead was in a truck that caught fire, a cordon of about a half-mile to a mile would be set up. Yeah, the explosives in a warhead might cook off and scatter radioactive crap across the landscape, but you won't see a high-yeild explosion.

It strikes me I've worked in a lot of rather peculiar jobs in my time, and picked up a lot of rather esoteric knowledge along the way. I wouldn't have thought I'd have remembered the cordon distance in case of a nuclear accident, but it was something I had to know at one time, just in case something we were transporting caught fire.

J.