Common Sense?

"Physicists think that the existence of a highly technological civilization here on earth makes the existence of similar civilizations elsewhere highly probable. The real experts on life, biologists, find this view ludicrous, because they know how much contingency÷just plain luck÷is involved in evolution. Stephen Jay Gould, the Harvard paleontologist, has said that if the great experiment of life were re-run a million times over, chances are it would never again give rise to mammals, let alone mammals intelligent enough to invent television." Makes you think there may be something to 'intelligent design' rather than mere 'survival of the fittest'. However, not unexpectedly, Horgan is not fond of the idea as he states elsewhere. Personally, I think Bush must be right about something... :o)

I must admit I have not kept up with the developments of Darwinian evolution so I was quite surprised to read "...the sightless bacteria from which multicelled animals evolved more than a half-billion years ago." in Daniel C. Dennett (author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea) critique of 'Intelligent Design". http://www.abctales.com/forum/2005/08/27/common_sense So chuck out the Domestos you could be wiping out a whole host of distant relatives :o)

Freedom Of The Press :oO Another Reuters man (soundman Waleed Khaled) was killed in Baghdad on Sunday - by a US sniper. The only known eye witness (Reuters cameraman Kadhem) was held by US troops for 3 days despite needing treatment for a wound in his back. Meanwhile another Reuters cameraman has been ordered by a secret tribunal to be held without charge in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison until his case is reviewed within six months http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/news/national/story.htm?linkfrom=Today&link=new...

Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based media rights group, called the shooting "extremely disturbing" and said the Reuters soundman was the 66th journalist or media assistant killed in Iraq since the invasion of 2003, three more than died in 20 years in Vietnam. http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/news/national/story.htm?articleid=MCC862498&lin...

"The big bang is often described as an event that occurred long ago, a great explosion that created the universe. In actuality, the theory says nothing about the moment of creation, which is a job for quantum physics (or metaphysics). It simply states that as far back as we can extrapolate, the cosmos has been expanding, thinning out and cooling down. The big bang is best thought of not as a singular event but as an ongoing process, a gradual molding of order out of chaos." http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0005DCFC-253F-1FFB-A53F83414B...

Since the UN Secretary General, Koffi Anan, called the occupation of Iraq "illegal" it's no surprise that his planned reforms have been challenged by US ambassador to the UN (John Bolton) who, amoungst many, many, other things, insists that all mention of Koyoto be removed. He mustn't live on the Gulf coast then...

Anybody know any more about the barbed-wire barriers on the Baghdad 'stampede' bridge? Were they a response to earlier mortar fire and if so to what end? All I can find is that Iraqi security adviser Dr Mowaffaq al-Rubaialks told Channel 4 News: "The bridge did not collapse, there was nothing wrong with the bridge," and went on to describe how removal of a barrier at one end created a 'funnel' onto the bridge. I have to say that it always draws my attention when an 'Official' source starts denying things that have never even been suggested. More today (Thursday) : Ali Karim Jabbar who was on the bridge when the stampede started said "Everyone was crossing the bridge; it was suddenly closed and then someone shouted there was a suicide bomber. The crowd in the front tried to go back and the people in the back tried to push them to the front." It was suddenly CLOSED? http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/news/national/story.htm?linkfrom=Today&link=new...

Reading between the lines I would guess - that (for whatever reasons) it was decided to close the bridge using barbed-wire barriers but when the pilgrims arrived they moved a barrier on one-side of the bridge to gain access... the bridge filled and someone decided to close it off again... panic! Considering the pressure to get the new constitution passed it would be politically useful to try to implicate the Sunnis (in the cause of the tragedy) - who it seems did everything they could to help. Interesting that three Iraqi criminals were hanged today, the first executions since the fall of Saddam.

Ten and a half Billion dollars... September 2, 2005: Aid for the Gulf States devestated by hurricane Katrina (cost to US tax payer about same as 2 months for Iraq) One-Hundred-Sixty-Six Billion dollars ... this represents the total amount of money President Bush spent in Iraq & Afghanistan by the beginning of fiscal year 2004 : the $87 billion he asked for, plus the $79 billion he'd already spent. $166 billion is $568 for every man, woman and child in the United States. It's $3,269 for every person in Iraq and Afghanistan. source : U.S. Census Bureau PopClock source : Iraqi Demographics source : Demographics of Afghanistan One-Hundred-Ninety-One Billion dollars ... April 17, 2004. "The President wants Congress to grant him another $25 billion to continue the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, but members of both parties in Congress indicated strong reservations about giving the Pentagon the free hand it is seeking to spend the money." "Responding to tough questions from senators in both parties, (Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D.) Wolfowitz acknowledged that, with war costs running about $4.5 billion a month, far more money will be needed next year than is now on the table. 'There will be a request for a full year supplemental early next year. It will sure be much larger than $25 billion,' he said." source : Washington Post Two-Hundred-Seventy-Two Billion dollars ... UPDATE : April 25, 2005 : Senate agrees $81billion In Spending for Iraq & Afghanistan. The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved $81 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in a spending bill that would push the total cost of combat and reconstruction past $300 billion. Both the Senate and House versions of the measure would give President Bush much of the money he requested but the bills differ over what portion should go to military operations. The Pentagon says it needs the money by the first week of May, so Senate and House negotiators are expected to act quickly to send the president a final version of the spending bill. source : Chicago Tribune

It seems to me , although no-one is admitting it, that any consideration of a breach of the New Orlean's Levee system was imagined to be caused by terrorism and not by natural causes - hence everyone was caught on the hop. The fact that the Levee system was only designed to withstand a catagory 3 hurricane when several recent huricanes have been catagory 4 explains why New Orleans have been fighting to get money to improve their flood defences... but not why they couldn't get the money (by golly it would have made so much difference)! It makes you realise that terrorism pales into insignificance when compared to the bigger dangers we all face. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4201060.stm

Thanks George... silly anyway I suppose but I was rather enjoying it.

I'll take your advice and look into getting my own blog, Rokkit.

I haven't read a paper in many years but stuck on the train yesterday evening it got so dark I couldn't see out of the window and I found a something to reade to pass the time... it went something like this: George and Condoleezza after denying all the evidence that America is polluting the planet so badly it's making hurricanes more lethal - then blame everyone but themselves when Katrina destroys half of the Gulf Coast and nobody notices for a week. Then they set up an inquiry into the results of their own criminal negligence and shamelessly hand the rebuilding contracts to the same people who got the contracts to rebuild Iraq - blow it down then rebuild it with Bush... well, practice makes perfect.

Sorry Rokki, it eventually occured to me that the welfare of your tits was not of paramount importance on my 'things to care about' list - but the thought of you cursing me in camp Chinese suddenly seemed to explain why it might be to you :o)