Oops
RadioLab Podcast 06/29/10 - "Oops"
Rutgers vs. Imus
I don't care about Don Imus's recent remarks on the news. I think it was racist, but I also think it's getting sensationalized. I don't care about Rutgers University women's basketball team, I don't care about all the media coverage it's getting, I don't care about Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton going to the media and demanding retribution.
I do hope that for whatever the outcome is, that Imus, the Crypt Keeper, is finally pulled off the air. Who is listening to this guy? The only time I ever hear him is if I pull an all-nighter working and he comes on like 5am on the television in the background.
I think it's pretty big of the Rutgers Team to agree to talk to Imus, by doing so they come across as magnanimous and thereby discredit the very remarks that were made about them.
Four Years
It's been four years since we declared war in Iraq and I am amazed at how this has all gone. Shock and awe was going to bring down the terrorists and Saddam Hussein and we were going to go in kicking ass and taking names and come out with everyone taking our photo and asking for our autograph. The justification for going to war was never realized and for some reason that seems to be unimportant now. I made this point at the time in a blog post while I was living in Australia and my country was starting to scare the hell out of the rest of the world and slowly losing all that new found support after 9/11.
Bottled water can make you fat
In the news today, was this little nugget of health information;
According to the Economist, a researcher from the University of California has concluded that chemical compounds that interfere with the body's normal processing hormones such as oestrogen may encourage obesity. According to the article, some environmental-health experts suggest that fetal exposure to "nasties" found in "everyday plastics might be the underlying explanation of the recent obesity trend." The article further reports that other researchers have found a link between obesity and bisphenol-A, a component of plastic bottles, as well as a link between the chemical and cancer.
Excellent, it's not all the big macs, it's the plastic. And good luck trying not to be exposed to plastic while pregnant.
24: ATHF
Adult Swim and Cartoon Network have apologized and paid the city of Boston two million dollars for the mishap. Generous, considering that other cities such as New York and Seattle didn't freak right the hell out over the same objects that had been there for weeks and looked nothing like a bomb.
If you were a terrorist, would make a bomb that lit up?
Mooninites Attack!
Fake bombs are found all over the city of Boston today. None seem to be deadly except they were meant to instill fear and disrupt the city and the authorities of Boston. Terrorism? Or is it just some college kids pulling a bad prank? In any case, the mastermind behind all of this used the likeness of Irr from the Mooninites, off the Adult Swim cartoon: Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Sheppard Smith from Fox News described the ATHF show several times today as "Stoner stuff".
She gotta pack much back
Apparently, the new (openly) big thing is enhancing your butt to look bigger according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Buttock lifts increased 283 percent from 2000 to 2005, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. There were 542 buttock implant procedures in 2005, the first year the ASPS started keeping track. There are no stats on the more popular fat transplantation procedures, but plastic surgeons report doing between two and three a week. The procedure was included in ABC's ''Extreme Makeover,'' making it even more popular.
Something that made me laugh: I found it funny that the link to this story when I hit the page had a McDonald's advert in the upper right. I smell targeted placement advertisement for those who want to go about it the old fashioned way.
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, satets it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt
(tanhks cahd)
Violence, Protests, Speeches, and Martial Law
Thailand is under Martial law as the military has decided to overthrow the Prime Minister from his position of power as he attends ceremonies at the UN this week here in New York.
Prime Minister Gyurcsany from Budapest, Hungary has vowed to respond in force against more rioting, the worst Hungary has seen since the fall of communism. The rioting however, was a result to a leaked tape where Mr Gyurcsany admitted his government had lied to the public in the recent elections. Thereby undermining his authority in making such threats.
It is odd to think of two places I have been to where I felt at such peace can be experiencing such turmoil.
The Iranian president attended a UN meeting while French President Jacques Chirac changed positions today in saying sanctions against Iran are not needed. Which seems to be a 180 change from their position when the resolution against Iran using nuclear weapons was drawn up. Bipolar or not, I agree with Chirac when he said that he had never seen sanctions being effective in the past.
I am actually going to give our president some praise today when he made it a point in his UN speech to say that America is not at war with the Muslim faith.
Pope Benedict has been withstanding a lot of protests and criticism from the Muslim community from his recent remarks that portray Islam as a violent faith. Honestly, I have no idea what he said as I did not hear the speech, and perhaps it was inappropriate in general or as a man of his position, but something has to be said when responses like the following from the Mujahedeen Shura Council are released in response;
You infidels and despots, we will continue our jihad (holy war) and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism, when God's rule is established governing all people and nations...
This isn't fair to moderate Muslims; to portray them in the same light. But when your loudest public voice seems to be those like the Mujahedeen Shura Council, it's understandable how many not of the Muslim faith start to get tunnel vision with their view of the religion.
Crocodile Hunter
Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, dies today when a stingray barb went through his chest as he was filming an underwater documentary off the coast of Queensland.
