On Wednesday night, Jon Stewart appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s FOX News Channel series The O’Reilly Factor for the first time in nearly six years. The pundits spent much of the chat trading barbs about FOX News’ ability — or lack thereof — to present “fair and balanced news.” More footage airs tonight, but you can check out a recap of Part I @ Politico.com……
Article Tags: Will Alexander
‘We are now witnessing the disintegration of the IPCC’. That is what I wrote in Email GLACIERGATE sixteen days ago.
The bombardment continues with increased ferocity. The IPCC cannot possibly survive.
Regards,
Will
DISINTEGRATION OF THE IPCC
It is very difficult to get the message of the disintegration of the IPCC across to those who do not have a close interest in the subject, particularly to South African recipients. Until now, the IPCC scientists have protected themselves by developing a strong herd instinct. Their South African counterparts vigorously countered any attempts to criticise their science. Nevertheless, climate change is not a political issue in South Africa. It does not feature on the priorities of any political party. No South African government, now or in the future, would dare impose the measures now in force in the UK, EU and Australia.
My personal concern, which has not yet been expressed in the overseas media or discussions, is how will the countries that have already imposed costly and unpopular measures on their own citizens, react when they realise that the world’s major developing countries are unlikely to follow their example? The IPCC documentation, the Stern Review and other sources have made it very clear that this is an all or nothing exercise. Trade wars and sanctions are on the horizon. These in turn could lead to loss of confidence in all United Nations bodies.
Please download PDF file to read FULL report by Will Alexander
File attachment: DisintegrationoftheIPCC.pdf
The Pontiac brand is dead and there’s nothing we can do about it. And the bad news is that not many people want a piece of the Pontiac history, as General Motors is still struggling to get rid of all the stock.
The latest Pontiac related incentive comes from GM Certified Used Vehicles, a certified used vehicle brand, and it applies nationwide. The program offers 3.9% GMAC financing for terms up to 60 months on all GM Certified Pontiac G6 models for qualified buyers.
With the spring season… (read more)
Usually, humanoid robots seem to be a thing that only Japanese automakers venture into. Honda has its popular robot named ASIMO and Toyota has its robot, which plays a trumpet and can beat the ASIMO is a running race. Not to be left behind in the quest to build the best humanoid robot, General Motors announced today that it is working with NASA through a Space Act Agreement at its Johnson Space Center in Houston to build a new robot capable of working side by side with people.
GM said that using the cutting-edge technology could assist astronauts in hazardous space missions and could help the automaker build safer cars and plants.
“For GM, this is about safer cars and safer plants,” said Alan Taub, GM’s vice president for global research and development. “When it comes to future vehicles, the advancements in controls, sensors and vision technology can be used to develop advanced vehicle safety systems. The partnership’s vision is to explore advanced robots working together in harmony with people, building better, higher quality vehicles in a safer, more competitive manufacturing environment.”
GM and NASA’s robot, known as the Robonaut 2 or R2, is faster and more technologically advanced, at least according to them. GM says that the R2 can use its hands to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid robots and can work safely alongside people.
On a side note – he kind of reminds us of Iron Man.
Make the leap for more details.
Press Release:
NASA and GM Create Cutting Edge Robotic Technology
WASHINGTON — NASA and General Motors are working together to accelerate development of the next generation of robots and related technologies for use in the automotive and aerospace industries.
Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM worked together through a Space Act Agreement at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants.
The two organizations, with the help of engineers from Oceaneering Space Systems of Houston, developed and built the next iteration of Robonaut. Robonaut 2, or R2, is a faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced robot. This new generation robot can use its hands to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid machines. R2 can work safely alongside people, a necessity both on Earth and in space.
“This cutting-edge robotics technology holds great promise, not only for NASA, but also for the nation,” said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “I’m very excited about the new opportunities for human and robotic exploration these versatile robots provide across a wide range of applications.”
The idea of using dexterous, human-like robots capable of using their hands to do intricate work is not new to the aerospace industry. The original Robonaut, a humanoid robot designed for space travel, was built by the software, robotics and simulation division at Johnson in a collaborative effort with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency 10 years ago. During the past decade, NASA gained significant expertise in building robotic technologies for space applications. These capabilities will help NASA launch a bold new era of space exploration.
“Our challenge today is to build machines that can help humans work and explore in space,” said Mike Coats, Johnson’s center director. “Working side by side with humans, or going where the risks are too great for people, machines like Robonaut will expand our capability for construction and discovery.”
NASA and GM have a long, rich history of partnering on key technologies, starting in the 1960s with the development of the navigation systems for the Apollo missions. GM also played a vital role in the development of the Lunar Rover Vehicle, the first vehicle to be used on the moon.
– By: Kap Shah
Epix, the movie and entertainment streaming network that works across your TV, computer, and mobile phone, has landed its fourth cable deal: Charter Communications. In the past few weeks, the network also landed a deal with Cox Communications and Mediacom Communications. We wrote about the service here and here. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Jointly backed by Viacom, Lionsgate, Paramount, and MGM, EPIX provides access to over 15,000 movie titles. The company originally signed a deal with Verizon FIOS, which was somewhat limiting considering only some 2 million people use Verizon’s cable service. Cox brings more clients to EPIX with its base of 6.2 million customers, which including 2.7 million digital cable subscribers. Mediacom, the 7th largest cable provider in the U.S., will bring with it a base of 1.3 million subscribers in 22 states. And Carter, which is the fourth largest cable provider in the U.S. will bring EPIX to 5.7 million homes by May 2010.
One of our main issues with EPIX was that it was tied to Verizon FIOS but it appears that the company is steadily adding more cable providers to distribute its service. Epix was also said to be close to an agreement with the Dish Network, which would bring a large list of 14 million subscribers. Unfortunately, the platform offers a sliver of available movies out there, since it only includes the movies available through the studios that are backing the company. But EPIX is useful because it transcends the TV and your computer and it’s fairly easy to use. Now that EPIX has scored deals with Cox and Charter, I’m sure the company is looking to cross Time Warner and Comcast off the list.
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Hey Justin, if you’re free on Oscar Night there’s a Academy Award nominee who may have an extra ticket with your name on it.
Gabourey Sidibe has named pop crooner Justin Timberlake as her ideal Oscars date. The 26-year-old actress is nominated for Best Actress Academy Award for her role as a horribly-abused Harlem teen in the critically-acclaimed drama Precious. Gabby appeared on Canada’s eTalk on Wednesday, where she revealed that she’d like Justin to battle it out with The Hurt Locker actor Anthony Mackie for a chance to escort her to next month’s coveted ceremony.
“I’m just going to throw them in the ring and make them do it!” she joked.
The actress then turned to the camera and said: “Justin, if you’re not doing anything on that night, maybe you could be my date or something. It’s fine. No pressure!”
Though his contract with Yamaha expires this season, Valentino Rossi’s career in MotoGP might not come to an end, as himself hinted in recent interviews. The Italian admitted that he could continue his motorcycling career thanks to the forthcoming change from 800cc to 1000cc power, which will take place in 2012 at the latest.
"Theoretically, I am very happy to go back to the 1000cc, because I like it more than 800cc and it is more fun," he said. "Of course we will have to see h… (read more)
Virgin Racing yesterday unveiled their first ever Formula One single-seater, designed and prepared for the team’s maiden campaign in the Great Circus. While becoming the first team from the newly-entrants to reveal their 2010 car to the public, it was also confirmed that the VR-01 was made entirely based on CFD work (no wind tunnel included).
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the team’s owner Sir Richard Branson to state his proud feeling when talking about his new car, as this was actually the … (read more)
After Honda and, more recently Toyota, American manufacturer GM previewed a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people, dubbed for the time being Robonaut R2. Yet unlike the two Japanese carmakers, who can only rely on their native appeal for electronics, the Americans have the backing of the almighty NASA.
Not many details on how the robot is built or for what precise purpose were given, apart from the vague reference to its use in the automotive and aerospace industries…. (read more)
Much like a bad penny, iMate just keeps turning up. The latest showing of this zombie-like smartphone pioneer is at the Mobile World Congress in 2 weeks, where the company will be presenting at the ShowStoppers event, likely with very big promises but also likely with very small deliverables.
iMate has long taken credit for the development of the first Windows Mobile phone, but has floundered since HTC divested itself of its re-banders.
We look forward to see what iMate has to offer, if only for the entertainment value.
If you have an urge to see iMate too the venue is:
Sunday, 14 Feb. 2010
5 to 8 p.m.
Hilton Barcelona
Av. Diagonal 589-591
Barcelona
Via TamsPPC.
Article Tags: BBC, World Temperatures
January was rather cold in the UK. But across the whole of the world, January was warmer than usual. Why?
According to provisional figures from the Met Office, the Britain’s national weather service, January 2010 was the eighth coldest on record for the UK – the worst since 1987. A swath of northern Europe and parts of the US also experienced unseasonably cold temperatures.
And yet, explains Met Office research scientist David Parker, many areas, including large parts of South America, Africa, Asia, and Canada, had a warmer January than usual.
Click source for more.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Across the nation, people believe prescription and over-the-counter drugs should be banned from U.S. wastewater systems. Judging by growing efforts, the day may be near.
Anti-drug dumping laws are pending in a few states, and “take-back” centers have sprung up in 28 Illinois counties.
While formal efforts pick up steam, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois medical director Elif Oker, M.D., says everyone must be environmentally responsible.
“There are guidelines from the FDA and the Office of National Drug Control Policy with consumer tips on how to properly and safely dispose of prescription drugs. Check with your local pharmacy or community drug take-back program.”
“Also check package labels or inserts for the latest (safe disposal) instructions specific to a medication,” says Oker, whose specialties include toxicology and emergency medicine.
“Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet or drain unless the package label instructs you to do so. Take drugs out of their original containers. Mix with kitty litter or used coffee grounds. Put the mix into a sealable container. Make sure packaging doesn’t have any personal identifiers.”
Oker says traces of drugs and personal products contaminants that routinely turn up in public and private water supply studies is really one aspect of the management of medical waste.
Traditionally, we think of hospitals, doctors’ offices and research labs as main producers of medical waste.
Quoting the World Health Organization, ‘Waste generated by health care activities includes a broad range of materials, from used needles and syringes to soiled dressings, body parts, diagnostic samples, blood, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and radioactive materials.’”
Oker adds, “There is also the issue of containers and other non-biodegradables. Other challenges are pets and children getting into these medications when they are simply tossed in the trash. The key problem is we do not (yet) know the scope.”
Striking a balance
Scientists and water supply officials walk a fine line between those seeking immediate action and others urging a “wait-and-see” approach since “drugs in water” studies don’t find nearly enough chemicals to convince most experts humans face any threat today (though they do wonder about Potomac River male bass fish found carrying eggs. Might it be mutation due to discarded drugs?).
Increasingly, they favor taking steps now, rather than facing unforeseen drug damage to people, plants and the earth later on.
One is Paul Ritter who teaches ecology at Pontiac (Ill.) Township High School.
For several years, his students have led a program in which Pontiac residents drop off unused/outdated drugs at spots around town. Police stand by to ensure legal handling.
“I know it’s imperative that I give every ounce of my energy to this,” says Ritter, often asked to lecture on Pontiac’s safe drug disposal program. “When I see what young people do when given a goal, I never worry about the next generation.”
The Web site for Ritter’s program is p2d2program.org (Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal). “We will help any community set up a p2d2 disposal plan.”
The acorn fell close to the oak in Ritter’s case; his mother Delores is as passionate about keeping drugs out of water supplies as son Paul and his Pontiac ecology classes.
“I was a farm girl. I learned early on about chemical threats to water when my dad had to stop applying fertilizers and other crop chemicals because of the dangers,” says the Peoria, Ill., resident.
“So that’s why every time I go to a drug store, I ask what they’re doing to set up drug take-back centers. I urge others to do the same.”
Susan Garrett is former chair of the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee. The Highwood legislator offered a bill to create a “cost-effective, efficient and environmentally responsible” take-back law for hospitals and like institutions.
She thought she had all players aboard, but then came the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The DEA fears controlled substances (Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, e.g.) might be easy for drug abusers to find at take-back sites.
So while the DEA comes up with nationwide drug take-back procedures it considers ironclad, Garrett’s bill waits.
Measuring the problem
Illinois EPA and Public Health Department toxicologists reported in June 2008 they sampled for water impurities over four days in March in Chicago, Elgin, Aurora, Rock Island and the Illinois American Water Co.’s East St. Louis facility.
Their conclusion: “This project identified 16 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the untreated or potable water of five public water supplies in Illinois … found not to present a public health hazard at this time. However, there are also considerable uncertainties suggesting further sampling is appropriate.”
At the same time, a unit of the state’s Department of Natural Resources ran a symposium on the status of PPCPs research in Illinois.
Most presentations by university chemists and biologists, Illinois American Water Co., Waste Management, water districts, the U.S. and state EPAs, and the Illinois State Water Survey are at istc.illinois.edu.
The symposium report urges Illinois to create a working group to coordinate water safety research and be the recipient of state and federal dollars that may be budgeted.
With some 7 million members, BCBSIL, which is operated by Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, is the largest health insurance company in Illinois.
Started in 1936, BCBSIL is committed to promoting the health and wellness of its members and its communities through accessible, cost-effective, quality health care.
BCBSIL is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
| Published: | February 4, 2010 |
| Author: | Jim Heskett |
In his book Blink, discussed in this column in February 2005, Malcolm Gladwell advised us to place faith in intuition based on experience in deciding many things quickly. Now Michael Mauboussin, with his book Think Twice, makes the case for a more careful approach, suggesting that we place too much emphasis on intuition and personal experience as opposed to the “wisdom of crowds,” mathematical models, and systematically-collected data. He argues that “blink” serves us well in stable environments where feedback from previous decisions is clear and where cause-and-effect relationships can be identified. Unfortunately, in his view these conditions are more and more rare. As he puts it, “intuition is losing relevance in an increasingly complex world … more is different.” You ask, what’s new here? Perhaps these sound like “dog bites man” assertions.
I’ll risk oversimplifying a complex set of arguments this way: Mauboussin, citing a wide range of examples and research, argues that we use experts (as opposed to diverse “crowds”) too frequently, that we too often fail to: identify the nature of the problem, match solution techniques with problems, seek diversity in our feedback, and use technology where possible.
Among other things, he argues, we ignore the subtle and ignored biases that our experiences impose on our independence as decision-makers, we decide too frequently on our emotional reactions to risk (playing the lottery even when we know better, for example), and we succumb to pressures to follow the group. As decision-makers, we are products of our environment to a greater degree than we realize. We take credit for things out of our control while blaming others for failure in similarly uncontrollable circumstances. We hire “stars,” only to watch them burn out in a new and different managerial environment. We look for “best practice” (à la Jim Collins in Good to Great and others) in highly complex situations where there is little comparability and therefore no best practice, only “it all depends.” Worse yet, we are often not conscious of these influences.
Mauboussin maintains that we too often underestimate the importance of luck in the outcomes of our decisions, employing Nobel Prize-winner Daniel Kahneman’s observation that success requires some talent and some luck, while great success requires some talent and a lot of luck. The importance of this observation is that systems that involve significant amounts of luck, such as investing for many people, revert to the mean for the group over time, a fact that can be used to make better decisions without the influences described above. It’s why, for example, some successful investors simply choose stocks of the bottom companies in the Dow Jones average in the preceding year in making their investments for the coming year.
Is intuition losing its relevance in an increasingly complex world? Will we need to turn increasingly to such things as quantitative models, “prediction markets” (where people bet on their views), the wisdom of crowds, and even such things as models based on “system dynamics” developed at MIT in the 1960s? And should we rely less on so-called “experts” and “stars”? In short, should we be spending more time examining our true decision-making abilities and the things that influence our results, i.e., more time “thinking twice” than “blinking”? What do you think?
To read more:
Michael J. Mauboussin, Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition, (Boston: HBS Press, 2009) 
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a Monster Rancher on a console, and the closest the franchise got to stepping into this generation is the upcoming DS installment. But for fans still hoping to hoard
It’s been a few months since Micron became the second to introduce the world’s first SATA 6Gbps hard drive (Seagate was the other), and regardless about who was earliest we now know which is currently the fastest. TweakTown put a Crucial-branded C300 through its paces and came to a rather simple conclusion: “At this point in time there is no other drive, platter or solid state that is in the same league as the Crucial RealSSD C300.” It blitzed through all their tests and at the end, when others would be a smoking ruin of high access times, it still performed as good as new. There was one catch, though: Windows Media Player performance was abnormally low, something that testers believe is a glitch to be addressed in firmware. Other than that, if you want the best this is it. But can you afford it? A 128GB model will set you back $499, and the 256GB one is $799. Yeah, ouch.
RealSSD C300 tested, offers sublime speed at superlative prices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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After all the hubbub and controversy caused by the release of SingPlayer for iPhone back in May, we knew it would take a serious change of heart for AT&T to reverse course on the issue of 3G streaming. The app’s super-conspicuous lack of 3G was one of the clearest statements around that the iPhone represented a level of data consumption that AT&T was fairly unprepared for, and that certain uses like VoIP over 3G and live video streams were just not going to fly. Well, we’ve just now gotten over that VoIP hump, and now AT&T has given in to SlingPlayer demand at last. AT&T says it has been testing an “optimized” version of the app on its 3G network since December, and Sling says the dynamic bandwidth adjustment should keep the app from bringing the network to grinding halt — in not so many words. The 3G-friendly version will be a free upgrade to the $30 application, and should be available as soon as the revised software makes its way through the App Store approval process.
AT&T letting SlingPlayer stream over 3G on the iPhone at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Meet America’s newest Entertainment Tonight correspondent, once-jilted Bachelor star, Melissa Rycroft.
Her first assignment for the syndicated entertainment series was covering Monday night’s “We Are The World” recording session in Los Angeles. The 26-year-old newlywed also works as a correspondent for Good Morning America.
As reported yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 100 complaints involving the brakes of the 2010 Toyota Prius, adding to the Japanese automakers headaches of a global recall of nearly 4.5 million vehicles for faulty accelerator pedals.
Toyota confirmed today that there was a design problem with the brakes of its Prius and that it found the issue with the antilock brake system and corrected them for Prius models sold since late January. Toyota said that the company was still investigating how to inform customers who had bought the hybrid before it fixed the braking issue.
Company spokesman, Paul Nolasco, said that the lag in the brakes felt by drivers stems from two systems in a gas-electric hybrid, the engine and the electric motor. He said that when the car moves on a bumpy or slippery surface, the driver can feel a pause in the braking when the vehicle switches from hybrid mode to gasoline mode.
Whether Toyota will issue a recall is still undecided.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: Detroit News
UN member states should urge Nicaragua to repeal its ban on abortion following a human rights’ review of the country on 8 February, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
During the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review, UN members will have the opportunity to raise questions about the country’s absolute ban on abortion.
Nicaragua’s revised Penal Code, which came into effect in July 2008, stipulates prison sentences for girls and women who seek an abortion and for health professionals who provide health services associated with abortion. The prohibition includes cases where the life of the woman is at risk or when pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
"Nicaragua’s ban on abortion is the result of a shocking and draconian law that is compelling rape and incest victims to carry pregnancies to term and causing a rise in maternal deaths," said Widney Brown, Senior Director of International Law and Policy at Amnesty International. "UN member states should take this opportunity to hold Nicaragua to account for a law that violates women’s right to life, health and dignity."
The organization also reiterated its call on the Nicaraguan authorities to decriminalize abortion in all circumstances. Amnesty International said Nicaragua should ensure that women and girls have access to safe and legal abortion services when an unwanted pregnancy is a result of rape or incest or when it threatens the woman’s health or life.
The revised Penal Code introduces criminal sanctions for doctors and nurses who treat a pregnant woman for medical conditions such as cancer or cardiac emergencies where the treatment may cause injury to or death of the embryo or foetus.
Nicaragua’s Penal Code is in conflict with the country’s Obstetric Rules and Protocols issued by the Ministry of Health. The protocol mandates therapeutic abortions as clinical responses to specific cases.
Amnesty International’s researchers have found that in Nicaragua the absolute ban on abortions particularly affects young girls who are victims of rape or incest.
According to a survey of media reports between 2005 and 2007; 1,247 girls were reported in newspapers to have been raped or to have been the victims of incest in Nicaragua. Of these crimes, 198 were reported to have resulted in pregnancy. The overwhelming majority of the girls made pregnant as a result of rape or incest (172 of the 198) were between 10 and 14 years old.
The organization also found an increase in maternal deaths since the introduction of the ban.
In the first 19 weeks of 2009, some 16 per cent of all maternal deaths were as a consequence of unsafe abortion compared to none in the same period in 2008.
Four UN expert committees established by treaties, the Committee against Torture, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have already condemned this law and urged its revision, but the Nicaraguan government continues to ignore these calls.
"Nicaragua’s law criminalizing abortion goes against the advice of four UN treaty bodies and fails to meet its obligations under international human rights laws," said Widney Brown. "Nicaragua needs to repeal this law immediately and enact laws and policies that promote the rights of women and girls by ensuring their rights to health, life and to be free from violence, coercion and discrimination."
Nicaragua’s ban on abortion is a cause of grave concern in the wider international community. Tens of thousands of Amnesty International activists appalled at the impact of the ban on women’s and girl’s human rights, have signed petitions and contacted the Nicaraguan authorities to call for the repeal of the law.
The Universal Periodic Review is an opportunity for the UN Human Rights Council to examine the human rights record of all member states. Each country is reviewed every four years with the aim of ensuring states are meeting all of their human rights obligations.
Article Tags: Marc Sheppard
Unquestionably the world’s final authority on the subject, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s findings and recommendations have formed the bedrock of literally every climate-related initiative worldwide for more than a decade. Likewise, virtually all such future endeavors — be they Kyoto II, domestic cap-and-tax, or EPA carbon regulation, would inexorably be built upon the credibility of the same U.N. panel’s “expert” counsel. But a glut of ongoing recent discoveries of systemic fraud has rocked that foundation, and the entire man-made global warming house of cards is now teetering on the verge of complete collapse.
Simply stated, we’ve been swindled. We’ve been set up as marks by a gang of opportunistic hucksters who have exploited the naïvely altruistic intentions of the environmental movement in an effort to control international energy consumption while redistributing global wealth and (in many cases) greedily lining their own pockets in the process.
Perhaps now, more people will finally understand what many have known for years: Man-made climate change was never really a problem — but rather, a solution.
For just as the science of the IPCC has been exposed as fraudulent, so have its apparent motives. The true ones became strikingly evident when the negotiating text for the “last chance to save the planet” International Climate Accord [PDF], put forth in Copenhagen in December, was found to contain as many paragraphs outlining the payment of “climate debt” reparations by Western nations under the watchful eye of a U.N.-controlled global government as it did emission reduction schemes.
Then again, neither stratagem should come as any real surprise to those who’ve paid attention. Here’s a recap for those who have, and a long-overdue wake-up call for those who haven’t.
Click source to read more
Source: americanthinker.com
