Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - William Morrow, 2005: "http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/100303_eating_oil.html"
Need to read.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
SHAME! HORRIBLE!
komo news | Police Need Your Help In Capturing Beating Suspects: "SEATTLE - Two soldiers who just returned from a year in Iraq were badly beaten in an attack outside Pioneer Square. But believe it or not, someone caught the beating on videotape. Now, police are asking for your help identifying the suspects.
The brutality of it all was captured on tape outside of Larry's Nightclub on First and Yesler on July 31.
Police say the victims were with two women who'd been groped by the suspects. One of the women threw a hot dog at the suspects and walked away.
They didn't get very far. The three suspects ran after them and began attacking the two men -- two soldiers who'd come home from the war."
The brutality of it all was captured on tape outside of Larry's Nightclub on First and Yesler on July 31.
Police say the victims were with two women who'd been groped by the suspects. One of the women threw a hot dog at the suspects and walked away.
They didn't get very far. The three suspects ran after them and began attacking the two men -- two soldiers who'd come home from the war."
military news about Afghanistan
military news about Afghanistan: "AFGHANISTAN: Where the Taliban Don't Roam
August 24, 2005: So far this month, counter-terrorist operations have killed about 110 Taliban, mainly along the Pakistani border. Several hundred suspects have been arrested. Most of the Taliban were killed last week, in the southern province of Zabul and the eastern province of Kunar. These two areas have been the scene of most Taliban violence. Only a few hundred Taliban are causing all the terror and violence in the southern part of the country, with an estimated 2,000 Pushtun tribesmen actively supporting the Taliban cause.
So far this year, about a thousand people have died in Taliban related violence (compared to 850 during the same period last year.) About half the dead are Taliban, with the rest being Afghan troops and civilians."
Here is the full article.
August 24, 2005: So far this month, counter-terrorist operations have killed about 110 Taliban, mainly along the Pakistani border. Several hundred suspects have been arrested. Most of the Taliban were killed last week, in the southern province of Zabul and the eastern province of Kunar. These two areas have been the scene of most Taliban violence. Only a few hundred Taliban are causing all the terror and violence in the southern part of the country, with an estimated 2,000 Pushtun tribesmen actively supporting the Taliban cause.
So far this year, about a thousand people have died in Taliban related violence (compared to 850 during the same period last year.) About half the dead are Taliban, with the rest being Afghan troops and civilians."
Here is the full article.
What if we just left??
The full article.
August 25, 2005: The more extreme critics of American strategy in Iraq demand that American forces just leave. "Bring the troops home." What if that were done? It's certainly possible. We withdrew a force from Lebanon in 1984, four months after suffering over 250 dead from suicide bomb attacks. The Lebanese civil war went on without us for another seven years. The fifteen year civil war in Lebanon left about two percent of the population dead, and twenty percent driven from their homes. For a country the size of Iraq, that would translate to half a million dead. ">military news about Iraq: "IRAQ: What If We Just Left?
August 25, 2005: The more extreme critics of American strategy in Iraq demand that American forces just leave. 'Bring the troops home.' What if that were done? It's certainly possible. We withdrew a force from Lebanon in 1984, four months after suffering over 250 dead from suicide bomb attacks. The Lebanese civil war went on without us for another seven years. The fifteen year civil war in Lebanon left about two percent of the population dead, and twenty percent driven from their homes. For a country the size of Iraq, that would translate to half a million dead. "
August 25, 2005: The more extreme critics of American strategy in Iraq demand that American forces just leave. "Bring the troops home." What if that were done? It's certainly possible. We withdrew a force from Lebanon in 1984, four months after suffering over 250 dead from suicide bomb attacks. The Lebanese civil war went on without us for another seven years. The fifteen year civil war in Lebanon left about two percent of the population dead, and twenty percent driven from their homes. For a country the size of Iraq, that would translate to half a million dead. ">military news about Iraq: "IRAQ: What If We Just Left?
August 25, 2005: The more extreme critics of American strategy in Iraq demand that American forces just leave. 'Bring the troops home.' What if that were done? It's certainly possible. We withdrew a force from Lebanon in 1984, four months after suffering over 250 dead from suicide bomb attacks. The Lebanese civil war went on without us for another seven years. The fifteen year civil war in Lebanon left about two percent of the population dead, and twenty percent driven from their homes. For a country the size of Iraq, that would translate to half a million dead. "
Monday, August 22, 2005
$2 for water for a year
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � $2 for water for a year: "Perhaps as many as a billion people around the world do not have regular access to safe drinking water. Several million people per year die from drinking contaminated water.
But the new LifeStraw may just be “the invention of the century.” At a cost of $2, one straw can filter up to 700 liters of water, about a year’s worth at 2 liters per day. The user just sticks one end in the water and sucks the water through the filtering elements.
Medgadget reports,
What first meets the water when sucked up is a pre-filter of PE filter textile with a mesh opening of 100 micron, shortly followed by a second textile filter in polyester with a mesh opening of 15 micron. In this way all big articles are filtered out, even clusters of bacteria are removed. Then the water is led into a chamber of iodine impregnated beads, where bacteria, viruses and parasites are killed. The second chamber is a void space, where the iodine being washed off the beads can maintain their killing effect. The last chamber consists of granulated active carbon, which role is to take the main part of the bad smell of iodine, and to take the parasites that have not been taken by the pre-filter or killed by the iodine. The biggest parasites will be taken by the pre-filter, the weakest will be killed by the iodine, and the medium range parasites will be picked up by the active carbon. The main interest to everyone is the killing of bacteria, and here our laboratory reading tells us that we have a log. 7 to log 8 kill of most bacteria. This is better than tap water in many developed countries.
This sounds like the kind of device that American churches could easily buy and supply to churches overseas for distribution."
Source for this amazing health Aid!
But the new LifeStraw may just be “the invention of the century.” At a cost of $2, one straw can filter up to 700 liters of water, about a year’s worth at 2 liters per day. The user just sticks one end in the water and sucks the water through the filtering elements.
Medgadget reports,
What first meets the water when sucked up is a pre-filter of PE filter textile with a mesh opening of 100 micron, shortly followed by a second textile filter in polyester with a mesh opening of 15 micron. In this way all big articles are filtered out, even clusters of bacteria are removed. Then the water is led into a chamber of iodine impregnated beads, where bacteria, viruses and parasites are killed. The second chamber is a void space, where the iodine being washed off the beads can maintain their killing effect. The last chamber consists of granulated active carbon, which role is to take the main part of the bad smell of iodine, and to take the parasites that have not been taken by the pre-filter or killed by the iodine. The biggest parasites will be taken by the pre-filter, the weakest will be killed by the iodine, and the medium range parasites will be picked up by the active carbon. The main interest to everyone is the killing of bacteria, and here our laboratory reading tells us that we have a log. 7 to log 8 kill of most bacteria. This is better than tap water in many developed countries.
This sounds like the kind of device that American churches could easily buy and supply to churches overseas for distribution."
Source for this amazing health Aid!
gizmag Article: The LifeStraw – the invention of the century?
gizmag Article: The LifeStraw – the invention of the century?
Wonderful invention. Revolutionize 3rd world health!
Wonderful invention. Revolutionize 3rd world health!
Sunday, August 21, 2005
The War in Iraq:Coatings for Protection
The War in Iraq:: "U.S. Navy researchers have discovered that polyurea, a high strength, spray-on plastic normally used to provide a non-skid surface on ship decks and truck beds, and for corrosion control, also absorbs the blast effects of bombs. About 3-4mm of polyurea was sprayed on the outside of a hummer and then a bomb was set off next to the vehicle, to recreate a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. There was much less damage inside the vehicle than when the same bomb was set off next to a hummer without the polyurea coating. The polyurea also prevents the metal body of the vehicle from splintering and turning into dangerous fragments. Had there not been a war going on in Iraq, that featured frequent attacks on unarmored vehicles, this unexpected use of polyurea would probably never have been discovered. The navy might end up coating the top side of small surface ships with the stuff, to give the crew additional protection in the event of missile or bomb attacks. The air force and army are also using polyurea as a wall coating for buildings that might be bombed. Tests have shown that the polyurea coating greatly reduces the bomb damage. Coating a hummer would cost several thousand dollars.
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The War in Iraq: Shotguns
The War in Iraq:: "American troops are testing a new 12 gauge automatic shotgun in Iraq. Weighing 10.5 pounds unloaded, the Auto Assault 12 (AA12) has a rate of fire of 360 rounds per minute, and uses either an 8-round box magazine (adding 12 ounces to weapon weight) or a 20 round drum magazine (adding 2.5 pounds). Recoil on the system has been reduced to that of a light rifle, due to a sophisticated recoil system. The low rate of fire makes it possible to easily fire bursts of one, two, or three shots and is capable of using and mixing all types of 12 gauge ammunition, from shot to solid slugs, as well as non-lethal rounds. Allegedly, Iraqi insurgents have little respect for the M4 rifle and the 5.56mm round, but they fear shotguns, especially a 'street sweeper' like the AA12.
If that's not enough of a firepower increase at the squad level, the Marine Corps is testing a family of 12 gauge shells designed to deliver blast, fragmentation, and high-explosive armored piercing projectiles out to 200 meters. The high-explosive armor piercing projectile uses a shaped charge that has been demonstrated to put a 1 inch hole in quarter-inch steel plate. A total of 100 projectiles have been bought for testing as well as some quantity for 'experimental use' in Iraq.
At first glance, packing an armor-piercing charge into a 12 gauge round sounds like overkill, but Iraqi terrorists are becoming increasingly sophisticated in fortifying themselves, vehicles, and fixed positions."
If that's not enough of a firepower increase at the squad level, the Marine Corps is testing a family of 12 gauge shells designed to deliver blast, fragmentation, and high-explosive armored piercing projectiles out to 200 meters. The high-explosive armor piercing projectile uses a shaped charge that has been demonstrated to put a 1 inch hole in quarter-inch steel plate. A total of 100 projectiles have been bought for testing as well as some quantity for 'experimental use' in Iraq.
At first glance, packing an armor-piercing charge into a 12 gauge round sounds like overkill, but Iraqi terrorists are becoming increasingly sophisticated in fortifying themselves, vehicles, and fixed positions."
Special Rifle Sights
The War in Iraq:: "The U.S. Marine Corps is equipping most of their M-16 and M-4 rifles with ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight). This device, which does not use batteries, is a well designed scope that provides a red chevron-shaped reticle and bullet drop compensator. For daytime use, a fiber optic system collects available light for brightness and controlled contrast in the scope. At night, the system relies on tritium for illumination. The 4x32 sight allows you to get first round hits at 300 meter, or longer ranges. The sight also allows for better accuracy at closer ranges, with both eyes open. The manufacturer, Trijicon, has been making similar sights for years, and they are popular for police, hunting and military use. SOCOM has long used them, and many marines and soldiers have bought the civilian version of the ACOG with their own money. At a thousand bucks each, ACOG costs more than the rifle it’s mounted on, and the users consider it well worth the price.
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Saturday, August 20, 2005
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Words are powerful
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Words are powerful: "A fanatic who straps a bomb to his chest and walks into a market crowded with women and children, then detonates a bomb that is sometimes laced with rat poison to hamper blood coagulation, is properly called a “mass murderer.” There is nothing good to say about mass murderers, nor is there anything good to say about a person who encourages these murders. Calling these human bomb delivery devices “suicide bombers” is simply incorrect. They are murderers. A person or media source defending or explaining away the actions of the murderers supports them. There is no wiggle room.
Calling homicide bombers martyrs is a language offense; words are every bit as powerful as bombs, often more so. Calling murderers “martyrs” is like calling a man “customer” because he stood in line before gunning down a store clerk. "
Calling homicide bombers martyrs is a language offense; words are every bit as powerful as bombs, often more so. Calling murderers “martyrs” is like calling a man “customer” because he stood in line before gunning down a store clerk. "
Friday, August 19, 2005
Free Iraqi
Free Iraqi: "had Iraq's neighbors been really cooperative it would be very difficult for Al Qaeda to maintain their efforts in the same magnitude or even closer. And it would be naive to think that such police states know nothing about fighters and cars loaded with bombs that travel thousands of miles and cross their lands to reach Iraq. Now most of the totalitarian regimes in the region are not friends with the terrorists and in fact terrorists have attacked those regimes occasionally while using their lands as a passage, but the bigger cause has forced them to cooperate in Iraq and form a sort of an unwritten contract that regulates this cooperation.
I say they know, they're facilitating it but they still want it to be controlled, i.e. they want to make sure that the people they're supporting -or even not doing anything against them- are not going to use this support to attack America because that would bring their end, and very fast."
I say they know, they're facilitating it but they still want it to be controlled, i.e. they want to make sure that the people they're supporting -or even not doing anything against them- are not going to use this support to attack America because that would bring their end, and very fast."
Free Iraqi
Free Iraqi: "if the war in Iraq is not part of the war on terror as some westerns think then why do we have almost all the terrorists in the world racing each other to achieve 'martyrdom' in our land? Why not Afghanistan, Israel or their ultimate enemies; the west and America in particular? Sure they have attacked Europe but is that the best they can do there? I really doubt it. The terrorists have shown us that they have people almost everywhere in the world that are waiting for an order to blow themselves up in a bus, a train or a street crowded with civilians. So why are they putting most of their resources in Iraq instead of the west?
It's amazing how the terrorists themselves keep showing us in words and actions how vital the war in Iraq is for them and at the same time we have westerns and Americans saying that this war has nothing to do with fighting terrorism and that it's only increasing the danger of terrorism!"
It's amazing how the terrorists themselves keep showing us in words and actions how vital the war in Iraq is for them and at the same time we have westerns and Americans saying that this war has nothing to do with fighting terrorism and that it's only increasing the danger of terrorism!"
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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