120 MetaFilter comments by mikegre (displaying 51 through 100)

Lying with video. Researchers at MIT have created videos of people uttering sentences they never said that consistently fool viewers and are accepted by them as real. Once upon a time, it was a lot harder to be false with film, but whether the medium will be in any way trustworthy going forward seems doubtful. What will it mean when you can't even believe your own eyes?
comment posted at 8:38 AM on May-15-02

So why does John Malkovich want to shoot Robert Fisk?
Is Fisk right to be scared or does he deserve what he gets when he criticises the US and Israel? Read about Malkovich's threats here.
comment posted at 6:50 AM on May-14-02

Saudi Arabia considers allowing women into legal profession. Justice Minister cautions that "female lawyers would not be allowed to attend court...Women would instead be asked to write out their arguments, which would be presented on their behalf by men."
comment posted at 6:33 AM on May-12-02

the Arafat file a complete listing of the Arafat connection to terror, terror groups, and economic corruption. Materials taken by IDF. Of course if one wants to disbelieve this, one merely says to look at the source. But then here are the documents and the Arafat actions are in total keeping with these materials. Unless you can show/prove otherwise.
comment posted at 4:41 PM on May-10-02
comment posted at 7:03 PM on May-10-02

Rich Man's Castle - A Guardian piece which suggests the introduction of land-zoning to ensure that all the prime pieces of land aren't snapped up for luxury, new build homes and are instead designated for affordable housing. With UK house prices on an ever-upward trajectory, it's unlikely that developers would embrace such a move. At least, not when there are masterpieces to construct.
comment posted at 1:04 PM on May-9-02

A fascinating Salon (Premium, alas) article asks why we haven't heard more about the purported Israeli art student spy ring. Depending on who you ask, there's either nothing *to* ask, or there's a cover-up of positively Oliver Stone-ian proportions underway. Riveting reading, whichever explanation you subscribe to.
comment posted at 1:10 PM on May-9-02

Prince Phillip is great with the public. Firstly he tells British students in China that "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed.", then he suggests that Papua New Guineans are cannibals. Now he tells us that "they have eating dogs for the anorexic now". Pure champagne comedy.
comment posted at 5:43 AM on May-4-02

Chicken or Egg? Well .... neither, apparently.

"One little chap thought that you got orange juice from milk, because the milkman delivered orange juice to his door ".

Anyone else have amusingly misguided, yet (slightly) logical assumptions as a kid?.

comment posted at 8:50 AM on May-2-02

against capitalism..against war a tad late but allows you to immerse in the world of anti-globalisation campaigners.
comment posted at 9:03 AM on May-2-02

attention rice-boys, live in f43r. your civic has nothing on this ride...
comment posted at 4:46 PM on May-1-02

Oh yes! It's that month of the year again; read about it, do the quiz, talk and think about it at various events, earn some money for a cause. Or join in: the fun should be well underway in about 7 hours. (All links NSFW. I wonder why. Do you wonder why?)
comment posted at 5:06 PM on May-1-02

(.) (.) The United Nations: Non partisan independant arbiter of international matters or hyper-politicized arena? You make the call
comment posted at 6:39 AM on May-1-02

Could the end be near for cult television cartoon family "The Simpsons?"

"I think we are closer to winding it up," the television show's creator, Matt Groening told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday."
comment posted at 4:54 PM on Apr-30-02

In re: the middle-east conflicts, you can't believe everything you read, if only because so much that is rather obviously important and relevant seems to be never-the-less falling off the map, so-to-speak. Want proof? Perhaps someone can give me a rationale explanation as to why this story is not to be found in any major news outlet.
comment posted at 10:24 AM on Apr-29-02

The Saudis are about to deliver an ultimatum to Bush In a bleak assessment, he [Prince Abdullah] said there was talk within the Saudi royal family and in Arab capitals of using the "oil weapon" against the United States, and demanding that the United States leave strategic military bases in the region. Such measures, he said, would be a "strategic debacle for the United States." How should Bush respond?
comment posted at 12:16 PM on Apr-25-02

'The veil? It protects us from ugly women.' Jean-Marie Le Pen interviewed by Ha'aretz. Yow!
comment posted at 10:58 AM on Apr-25-02
comment posted at 11:50 AM on Apr-25-02
comment posted at 12:10 PM on Apr-25-02


"The Myth of Ownership." Financial Columnist Stephen Moore's review of a new book which claims that it is a "compelling fantasy that we earn our income and the government takes some of it away from us."
comment posted at 1:46 PM on Apr-24-02
comment posted at 2:55 PM on Apr-24-02
comment posted at 5:44 AM on Apr-25-02
comment posted at 11:09 AM on Apr-25-02

Pick your narrative. A selection of articles on the MidEast crisis from Foreign Affairs, providing various views of the interests, goals, and political dynamics on all sides, as well as the history of the two parties' recent interactions and American involvement in the region. Some stuff to consider at least before mouthing off.
comment posted at 9:05 AM on Apr-22-02
comment posted at 9:06 AM on Apr-22-02

Happy Earth Day! Calculate your ecological footprint. How many earths would we need if everyone lived like you?
comment posted at 9:45 AM on Apr-22-02

Is "Green" Al Gore Back? In a NY Times Op-ed he slams the Bush "energy policy": "Under the presidency of George W. Bush, the environmental and energy policies of our government are completely dominated by a group of current and former oil and chemical company executives who are trying to dismantle America's ability to force them to reduce the extremely dangerous levels of pollution in the earth's atmosphere."
comment posted at 4:26 PM on Apr-21-02

Treesitter Falls to Her Death in Mt. Hood National Forest. 95% of our old-growth forests are gone. A coalition of grassroots organizations are dedicated to peacefully protecting our forests and watersheds, and have been quite sucessfull in Oregon and northern California. Sen. Ron Wyden D-Ore., an opponent of the timber sale, had announced a few days before that the U.S. Forest Service had reached an agreement to cancel the logging contract after an independent review determined the deal required significant modifications to prevent environmental harm, and tree sitters were days away from leaving the site after a three-year vigil. I appreciate the work and risks taken by these activists. More info at tree-sit.org.
comment posted at 4:48 PM on Apr-21-02

Sacre Bleu! The French presidential election run-off will be between the conservative Chirac and the extreme-right Le Pen. What's a French liberal to do?
comment posted at 12:57 PM on Apr-21-02

Apparently, over the past months, the IRA has been secretly rearming itself. and many of the arms seem to be coming from the U.S.. Post 9/11, peace seemed to be coming to Ireland, but now it appears that just like in the Middle East we're back to business as usual. I believe in a united Ireland, myself, but I don't want a return to the barbarism of the past 30-odd years. The U.S. has pledged neutrality in Ireland, but I honestly dont know if that's the best course. I was honestly hoping that the Emerald Isle would set an example for the other conflicted nations but it seems it's not to be.
comment posted at 12:32 PM on Apr-21-02

A bit of a sea change at CNN.com: the "War on Terror" news heading, which has been part of the right column of CNN's home page since late September 2001, is gone, and not coincidentally, the massive non-news of the arrest of actor Robert Blake is the lead story. Not the growing world outrage over the Israel action in Jenin, nor the death of four Canadian soldiers by an errant US bomb.
comment posted at 8:32 AM on Apr-19-02

"horrific beyond belief" says United Nations envoy. Strong stuff from the BBC this time. Personally I suspect Jenin may end up being a turning point, i just wish I knew towards what.
comment posted at 7:27 PM on Apr-18-02
comment posted at 8:39 AM on Apr-19-02

Strike Blog! When Société Radio-Canada/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Jean-Hugues Roy was locked out by management with 1400 of his colleagues, he didn't just head for the picket line; he started his own blog (in French) to present the workers' side of the conflict. Interestingly, this isn't the first time SRC/CBC journalists have taken their argument to the web; Radio Canada International (the international section of the SRC/CBC) workers have been fighting their management for years, and last year set up a web site of their own to get the word out to interested listeners. They've also been locked out as part of the dispute, and have gone with their strengths and started an online strike radio station.
comment posted at 2:38 PM on Apr-18-02

A hell of a way to thank someone... "Teachers would keep more money in their pocket each payday and send less of it to the IRS...Hard-earned money always goes further in a household than in a rat hole."

Sen. Zell Miller (D-GA) wants to attract teachers and keep them...by decreasing or removing their income tax liability. As an aspiring teacher, I like the idea...but does it actually have legs, or does the legislation have the proverbial snowball's chance of survival? Has any politician ever tried to introduce a bill that would give a tax cut to a particular profession? How did it fare? Discuss amongst yourselves.
comment posted at 6:46 AM on Apr-18-02

French culture in crisis ? After the Vivendi Universal french CEO Jean-Marie Messier fired Canal+ chairman Pierre Lescure yesterday, many questions arise in France. Will Vivendi, through Canal+, continue to help French cinema the way Canal+ did in the past ? Is this the last straw in a long series of acts and declarations from Vivendi's CEO against "Franco-French cultural exception" ? Has The Man finally won in France ? What's to happen in all the other countries were Vivendi (or any of the BigCo) basically owns the culture through local companies ?
comment posted at 11:06 AM on Apr-17-02
comment posted at 2:57 PM on Apr-17-02

Malcom Gladwell's got a new one in the New Yorker about a guy whose investment strategy positions him to profit from unlikely and scary random catastrophes like 9/11. Its' not on newyorker.com, but the story's subject was kind enough to scan it and post it.
comment posted at 4:46 PM on Apr-16-02

<Jaws theme> Legislating a sin tax on soda </Jaws theme> California state Senate Bill 1520 would impose an excise tax on sweetened beverages sold to retail dealers after July 1, 2003. Sen. Deborah V. Ortiz, the bill’s author, anticipates that pop distributors would pass the cost along to consumers. Just let me keep buying Entenmann's crumb cake, ok?
comment posted at 11:21 AM on Apr-15-02

Right-Wing Bullies Caught in Crossfire "No doubt all of the above qualities irritate the conservatives who follow party instructions to shun Crossfire. What has shocked them is that the new hosts don’t quite fit TV’s stereotypical 97-pound liberal, ready to be worked over like a talking speedbag. Mr. Carville is a tall, rangy Marine veteran, sports fanatic and jock; Mr. Begala is a born-and-bred Texan who grew up with guns and still likes to hunt. Both have expressed their powerful distaste for the Democratic tendency to wilt under attack."
comment posted at 6:10 PM on Apr-14-02

Why Europeans And Arabs Hate America And Israel: In this brash, provocative essay for The Weekly Standard, good old David Brooks blames what he calls bourgeoisophobia. He may have gone too far in his desire to make his point, but there's something in what he says. Is it envy? Is it anti-semitism? Is it hypocrisy pure and simple? There's definitely a ressurgence of the pushy, garish, ostentatious and arrogant "ugly American" stereotype after September 11. Apart from the conservative Daily Telegraph and Spectator, it's becoming more and more difficult for Atlanticists such as myself to avoid ritual America-bashing in the European mainstream press. What in the hell is going on? My feeling is that Americans themselves are going out of their way to reaffirm their way of life and reinforce those prejudices. It's as if you vont to be alone. Or is it, as I suspect, just us? [More inside]
comment posted at 6:22 PM on Apr-14-02

New Missile Defense angle: blow everything out of the sky with nuclear interceptors Anybody else impressed by Rumsfeld 's insight?
comment posted at 11:14 AM on Apr-11-02
comment posted at 12:45 PM on Apr-11-02
comment posted at 2:50 PM on Apr-11-02
comment posted at 3:38 PM on Apr-11-02
comment posted at 4:27 PM on Apr-11-02

Please, Dad, Tell Me: How Do I Stop Being Complicit? I actually came across this in another thread (props to cell divide), but I think it's worth it's own discussion. As a 30-year-old American Jew, this essay completely echoes the exasperation I feel whenever I have a "discussion" (read:argument) with someone of my parents' generation about the Middle East Conflict. It's true that my generation, in America, has never seen widescale Jewish hatred in our lifetime, but has that made us blind or allowed us to gain a better perspective on Israel?
comment posted at 1:25 PM on Apr-10-02

Anthrax and the Agency "Now that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has officially put the anthrax investigation on a back burner, it is time for Americans to think the unthinkable: that the FBI has never been keen to identify the perpetrator because that perpetrator may, in fact, be the U.S. Government itself. Evidence is mounting that the source of the anthrax was a top secret U.S. Army laboratory in Maryland and that the perpetrators involve high-level officials in the U.S. military and intelligence infrastructure." Granted, there's more than a few blips on the radar screen these days, but...whatever happened to this investigation? I'm no conspiracy theorist, but the case laid out in this piece gives me pause. Any other good theories out there?
comment posted at 1:28 PM on Apr-10-02

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