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October 1, 2003
While the tragedy of the bombing in Bali was bad enough,
evidence has surfaced that the bomb was incorrectly assembled, resulting in less than 1/3 of the device exploding (bare-bones
link). Experts using computer modelling have worked out the net explosive quantity of the vehicle bomb outside the Sari Club was between 150kg and 300kg – as opposed to a potential 1150kg and that the toll could have been in the thousands had the bomb exploded as planned.
posted by dg at 4:00 PM PST - 12 comments
Take Action: Iranian woman to be executed for killing a rapist who happened to be the Head of Police Intelligence unit in a southern city of Iran.
Afsaneh Nouroozi was arrested in 1997 after she killed the in Kish, Southern Iran. She allegedly acted in self-defense in order to protect herself from being raped. Afsaneh Nouroozi is now at imminent risk of execution after the death sentence against her was upheld by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei, is the only authority able to grant clemency at this stage.
Amnesty International has more detail.
posted by hoder at 1:57 PM PST - 17 comments
Wisconsin has picked its quarter design! Gov. Jim Doyle Tuesday overruled an advisory panel and told the U.S. Mint to put a cow, wheel of cheese and ear of corn on Wisconsin's commemorative quarter, despite fears that it won't reflect the state's cities or its rich ethnic heritage
posted by Durwood at 1:20 PM PST - 34 comments
Here's A Really Neat "
Ask Slashdot" feature on how much we rely on the good 'ol Net for our daily dose of news and knowledge.
I've gradually abandoned almost all other sources of news, to the point where TV, magazines and news papers have pretty much disappeared from my life, but unlike the Slashdot guy, I still get a fair amount of "
Information" from books.
He's got a good question, and there are some really
Good Answers at Slashdot, but I'm curious about the mefites... "
Is the Internet Your Source of Knowledge?"
From his post:
"...but if I'm trying to look up something and can't find it online in a couple minutes I generally just blow it off, as if there's no other place to look. This realization seems sort of stunning. I'm very curious if other Slashdot readers have become dependent on the Internet to that level, and what their thoughts are on the subject." "
According to
a study Teens and young adults spend more time online than watching TV, and looking at
Other Studies, they all seem to point the same way.
Is print dead?
posted by Blake at 12:47 PM PST - 15 comments
Iraq: What Went Wrong By General Wesley K. Clark. I appreciate this article. It is simple, easy to read, and represents what I've been feeling for quite some time now. (NY Review of Books)
posted by y2karl at 11:46 AM PST - 21 comments
Tea. More than a beverage served hot or cold, for some it is a way of life. The British are renowned for their love of tea, so it comes as no surprise that
The Tea Home Page is a vast compendium of tea knowledge, games, quizzes and
leaf reading. Not so trite is the
Japanese tea ceremony. This site is beautiful in its calm approach to not only tea, but the digital world itself. Be sure to read
A Brief History of Chanoyu. You've heard of green and black teas, but what about
white tea? Lastly, I introduce you to
Yogi Tea, a company that is more than a tea seller. Do yourself a favour and have a cup today.
posted by ashbury at 6:21 AM PST - 66 comments
The story of
Fred Harvey and the
Harvey Girls is the story of
the civilization of the American West. From
1896 to 1945,
Harvey House Restaurants and Hotels along the route of the
Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe represented
first-rate food served in
clean, stylish surroundings at reasonable cost. His corps of
well-trained waitresses, wearing their
distinctive uniforms and bound by a code of
hard work and
good conduct, provided both adventure and
independence to generations of
young women. Today, all that is left of the Harvey empire is the
remembrances of former employees,
beautiful buildings which
dot the southwest, some
vintage recipes, a
1946 Judy Garland film, and (possibly) the enduring term
"Blue-Plate Special".
posted by anastasiav at 5:35 AM PST - 8 comments
U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Privacy & Piracy: The Paradox of Illegal File Sharing on Peer-to-Peer Networks and the Impact of Technology on the Entertainment Industry. View the hearing of September 29.
[Real Media].
posted by nthdegx at 5:25 AM PST - 3 comments
Two women have just lost their right to use frozen embryos from IVF treatment while they were in previous relationships because UK law states that both parties must give consent before embryos can be emplanted.
The women are claiming it's a breach of thier human rights. The men claim that they shouldn't be forced to have children.
The London Fertility Centre claims double standards because they would have the right if it was naturally conceived. But what's your opinon?
posted by twine42 at 5:11 AM PST - 60 comments
The Cali candidates, Adam to Zellhoefer, are all listed at California-Recall.com ...and each gets their own page to tell you about themselves. Interesting lesser-known candidates include:
Angelyne ("I'm EXTRA large on top, I have a TINY waist, and my hips are JUST RIGHT!"),
Joel Britton, "retired meat packer,"
Art Brown - "I started for publicity, but now that I'm running, I kind of want to run" (such enthusiasm!),
William Chambers, "railroad switchman/brakeman,"
Mary Cook, an "adult film actress" who wants to tax breast implants and wire the Governor’s Mansion with live web cams ("We've had Brown, we've tried Gray, now it's time for some blonde").
Then there's
Michael Jackson (no, not that one; this guy's a Satellite Payload Project Manager),
Trek Thunder Kelly, "Business Executive/Artist,"
Paul "Chip" Mailander, "Golf Professional," and
Paul Mariano - "I am the only candidate who will appoint Davis as Chief of Staff in charge of the day-to-day governance of California, the job he was duly elected to do." And many more...
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:57 AM PST - 11 comments
Chickenhawk Down The Daily Kos
challenges readers to come up with a new name for the CIA-Wilson-Plame business that doesn't include the term "gate." Many amusing suggestions have been logged in comments. Entries include The Plame Game, Intimigate, FrogMarch, Novack-aine, and Karl's Bad. Whatever your political persuasion, the name game can be fun. Surely MeFi wags can come up with a few witty ideas.
posted by madamjujujive at 12:43 AM PST - 35 comments
