Zeitgeist - Nonsense
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søndag, januar 31, 2010
UK 'using obscure legal principle' to dismiss torture claims in colonial Kenya
The government is invoking an obscure legal principle to dismiss claims of torture and rape by the British colonial administration in Kenya, campaigners claimed.
The Foreign Office has said four elderly Kenyans alleging that they suffered serious physical and sexual abuse at the hands of the British during the Kenyan "emergency" of 1952 to 1960 should not be allowed to proceed with their claim because of the law of state succession.
The government argues it is "not liable for the acts and omissions of the Kenyan colonial administration", claiming the Kenyan government was now responsible for events that took place while Kenya was a British colony. But a cross-party group of MPs will this week publish an open letter demanding an apology and the creation of a welfare fund to help the alleged victims through old age.
Allegations that the British abused suspected Mau Mau fighters have continued since the Kenyan government lifted a 30-year ban on membership in 2003.
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Metal Søndag 31. januar
Spinal Tap - This Is Spinal Tap
MGM, 1984
Spinal Tap er et av de klassiske metalbandene som kanskje er mer kjent og populær blant filmnerder enn metalheads. This is Spinal Tap er en spillefilm satt opp som en dokumentar om bandet heavy metal/hard rock bandet Spinal Tap. Bandet var en parodi på metal og hard rock band som var populære rundt den tiden filmen kom ut, og filmen i seg selv var en parodi på dokumentarer om rockeband. Filmen er et mesterverk innfor mockumentary sjangeren, og selv om den ikke var den første, så er den uten tvil en av de mest innflytelsesrike. Medlemmene i Spinal Tap er i likhet med mange virkelige musikere ikke de mest intelligente og oppgående folkene der ute. Mye av humoren kommer i fra deres dumskap, og med filmens naturlige tone og stemning gjennom at mye av den er improvisert, så føler man at man faktisk ser en dokumentar. Det var en god del folk som trodde dette var en virkelig dokumentar da denne filmen kom ut.
Selv om dette er en spillefilm og bandets historie er oppdiktet, er Spinal Tap et virkelig band. De har gitt flere album og spiller livekonserter. Musikken er simpel heavy metal og hard rock, men den er faktisk bra nok til at man kan høre på den utenfor filmens kontekst. Musikken er en stor del av både filmen, og albumene deres er verd å høre på utover humoristiske lyrikken. Lyrikken er dum nok til å være skrevet av et metal band, noe som gir dem troverdighet nok til at This Is Spinal Tap blir virkelig. Filmen har humor så det holder, og bandet har virkelig personalitet som gjør at du bryr deg om hva som skjer med dem. This Is Spinal Tap står som et evig bevis på at metal og humor kan gå sammen uten at det blir banalt eller platt, og som et bevis på hvor sterk komedie er som en sjanger. This Is Spinal Tap er en av de store filmklassikerne alle burde se.
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Deafening er et nederlandsk heavy metal band som har gitt ut to demoer. Du kan høre dem på deres Myspace.
Nå over til metal musikkvideoer.
Malignant Tumour - Infernor
Immortal - Antarctica
Gamma Ray - Into The Storm
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lørdag, januar 30, 2010
Historical Lessons From Spartacus: Blood And Sand
You might have assumed the Starz channel's new series Spartacus: Blood And Sand was a mix between the slow-motion green-screened bare-chested violence of 300, the incredibly fake cgi blood from the 2008 installment of Rambo and the, well, everything else of HBO's Rome minus the good writing and acting and historical accuracy.
If so, you were wrong. This is a serious show that tackles some lofty subjects while treating the past with all due reverence. I know this because just before the gore and surgically augmented breasts come on the screen, a disclaimer pops up informing us that:
"Spartacus is a historical depiction of ancient Rome's society and culture."
Not knowing a whole lot about the society and culture of ancient Rome, this seems like a great opportunity to expand my horizons. Let's see what lessons are waiting to be gleaned from this historical work.
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fredag, januar 29, 2010
torsdag, januar 28, 2010
Teacher With Bible Divides Ohio Town
Most people in this quiet all-American town describe themselves as devoutly Christian, but even here they are deeply divided over what should happen to John Freshwater.
Mr. Freshwater, an eighth-grade public school science teacher, is accused of burning a cross onto the arms of at least two students and teaching creationism, charges he says have been fabricated because he refused an order by his principal to remove a Bible from his desk.
After an investigation, school officials notified Mr. Freshwater in June 2008 of their intent to fire him, but he asked for a pre-termination hearing, which has lasted more than a year and cost the school board more than a half-million dollars.
The hearing is finally scheduled to end Friday, and a verdict on Mr. Freshwater’s fate is expected some months later. But the town — home to about 15,000 people, more than 30 churches and an evangelical university — remains split.
To some, Mr. Freshwater is a hero unfairly punished for standing up for his Christian beliefs. To others, he is a zealot who pushed those beliefs onto students.
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onsdag, januar 27, 2010
HD PREMIERE! The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon by Richard Gale
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tirsdag, januar 26, 2010
Single Iraqi Checkpoint Seeks Bomb for Not Exploding and Maybe More
The ADE-651 is a hand held device that looks a bit like a paint sprayer with the nozzle replaced with the chrome stub of a car antenna. Like most everything in life, the ADE-651 absolutely cannot detect an unexploded bomb.
Unfortunately, that's the one thing the ADE-651 is supposed to do.
Bombs are very easy to detect as they are exploding and after they have exploded. This phase in the bomb life cycle is not a helpful time to spot the bomb unless you are part of a bomb-watching group. Police and militaries expend a great deal of effort to find bombs before they reach this stage. They also spend a great deal of money.
The government of Iraq spent 85 million dollars worth of money on the ADE-651 ($8,000 per unit) in a no-bid contract to its manufacturer, UK firm ATSC. The company belongs to Jim McCormick, the man who developed the ADE-651 by, presumably, jamming the chrome stub of a car antenna into a paint sprayer. Friday, January 22nd, McCormick was arrested for failure to sell a device that detects bombs before they explode, a charge known in the complex British legal system as "fraud."
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For Good Reason
For Good Reason is the interview program hosted by D.J. Grothe, promoting critical thinking and skepticism about the central beliefs of society. Interviews often focus on the paranormal, pseudoscience and the supernatural. Each episode of For Good Reason also features an audio essay by Jamy Ian Swiss, The Honest Liar. The show is produced in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation.
D.J. Grothe is President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, the international educational non-profit founded by celebrated social critic and activist James Randi. Grothe has lectured widely on topics at the intersection of education, science and belief at universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and dozens of others. Formerly a professional magician, he has special interests in the psychology of belief and processes of deception and self-deception.
Jamy Ian Swiss is a magician, author, and public speaker with more than twenty years of skeptical activism experience. He has appeared internationally for presenters ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the Smithsonian Institution. His U.S. television appearances include CBS 48 Hours, Comedy Central, PBS Nova and the PBS documentary The Art of Magic, and repeat appearances on The Today Show. He is the author of books including a collection of essays entitled Shattering Illusions, and The Art of Magic. He has produced and written for television, including Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular, and created the Discovery Channel special, Cracking the Con Games. He is producer of New York’s longest-running Off-Broadway magic show, Monday Night Magic, now in its 12th consecutive year. Jamy is a founder of the National Capital Area Skeptics; a founder of the New York City Skeptics; has spoken and performed across the U.S. on behalf of the Center for Inquiry; has been a contributor to Skeptic magazine; and he has presented or performed annually at James Randi's "The Amaz!ng Meeting" since its inception.
Thomas Donnelly produces For Good Reason. A 2004 graduate in media study from the State University of New York at Buffalo, he is interested in how the media treats topics such as religion and nonbelief, science, and skepticism and the paranormal. He is currently a law student in St. Louis, Missouri.
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mandag, januar 25, 2010
søndag, januar 24, 2010
Metal Søndag 24. januar
Primal Fear - Primal Fear
Nuclear Blast, 1998
Er det en ting tyskerne kan, så er det power metal. Selv power metal har røtter mange forskjellige band fra forskjellige deler av verden, så er det ingen tvil om at det var tyskerne som gjorde power metal til power metal. Da er det neppe noe overraskelse at de fleste store bandene innenfor sjangeren er tyske.
En ting som er typisk for sjangeren er at mange av bandene ønsker at de var Iron Maiden og ender ofte opp som en mer dobbelbassdreven kopi av dem. Det er på dette feltet at Primal Fear skiller seg ut. De ønsker ikke at de var Iron Maiden, de ønsker heller å være Judas Priest.
Det er tydelig at Primal Fear gjør alt for å høres ut som oppfølgeren til Painkiller av Judas Priest, bare med litt mer hint av Accept og tysk power metal. Ralf Scheepers er kanskje ikke Rob Halford, men han prøver så godt han kan, og det er det som teller i lengden.
Det er det ene stereotypiske power/speed metal riffet etter det andre som man har mest sannsynlig har hørt tusen ganger før, men fordi man elsker metal over alt annet her i verden, så får man gåsehud og den fantastiske følelsen god power metal gir.
Dette er klisjeer på klisjeer som faktisk fungerer. Dette er metal for de av oss som hører på metal for å høre metal, og ikke noe annet.
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Fuil Na Seanchoille er et irsk enmanns black metal band med to demoer ute. Er du ute etter å høre lyden av primitivt mørke, så sjekk ut denne fyrens Myspace.
Nå over til metal musikkvideoer.
Nekrogoblikon - Army of Goblins
Bolt Thrower - ...for victory
Fanvideo.
Kreator - Betrayer
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lørdag, januar 23, 2010
Condoms? Useless!
Welcome to the Webcam Ward where we magically make the unwatchable watchable! In this week's update, a man with long hair talks about condoms! Is it real? Who cares!?
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Export ban for useless 'bomb detector'
The UK government has announced a ban on the export to Iraq and Afghanistan of some so-called "bomb detectors".
It follows an investigation by the BBC's Newsnight programme which found that one type of "detector" made by a British company cannot work.
The Iraqi government has spent $85m on the ADE-651 and there are concerns that they have failed to stop bomb attacks that have killed hundreds of people.
The ban on the ADE-651 and other similar devices starts next week.
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fredag, januar 22, 2010
Death of Gay Activist Brings Turkey's Attitude Toward Gays Into Focus
For 26-year-old Ahmet Yildiz, the choice to live openly as a gay man in Turkey proved deadly. Prosecutors say his father, charged with allegedly killing his son in what is being dubbed as the first gay honor killing, traveled more than 900 kilometers from his hometown to shoot his son in an old neighborhood of Istanbul. The case has drawn international attention and is putting the spotlight on Turkey's attitude towards homosexuality.
The young physics student, Ahmet Yildiz, was one of the few openly gay men in Turkey, a country in which the military, the guardian of Turkey's secular state, regards homosexuality as a disorder.
Yildiz represented his country at a gay meeting in San Francisco and wrote for gay publications in Turkey. Observers believe his activism is probably what got him killed.
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torsdag, januar 21, 2010
onsdag, januar 20, 2010
Solar-powered Bibles sent to Haiti
As international aid agencies rush food, water and medicine to Haiti's earthquake victims, a United States group is sending Bibles.
But these aren't just any Bibles; they're solar-powered audible Bibles that can broadcast the holy scriptures in Haitian Creole to 300 people at a time.
The Faith Comes By Hearing organisation says its Bible, called the Proclaimer, delivers "digital quality" and is designed for "poor and illiterate people".
It says 600 of the devices are already on their way to Haiti.
The Albuquerque-based organisation says it is responding to the Haitian crisis by "providing faith, hope and love through God's word in audio".
The audio Bible can bring the "hope and comfort that comes from knowing God has not forgotten them through this tragedy," a statement on its website says.
"The Proclaimer is self-powered and can play the Bible in the jungle, desert or ... even on the moon!"
Tens of thousands of Port-au-Prince residents are living outdoors because their homes have collapsed or they fear aftershocks following Wednesday's quake.
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Failure Report: Space Shuttle Excursion
On January 16th, 2010, Space Shuttle Excursion experienced a catastrophic failure during the launch process, resulting in the complete explosive disintegration of the craft shortly after takeoff. All crew members on board, including astronauts Dan Peppergrave, Ruth LaGatta, Roger Birdcastle, Jack Hug and Lawrence DeLong, suffered mild to moderate injuries, including second-degree burns, fractured ribs and the total death of all of them.
This document, as ordered by the NASA Accountability and Safety Agency (hereafter referred to as "NASA"), seeks to outline the cause or causes of this launch failure. While NASA is still collecting evidence from the site of the Excursion explosion and a final accident report cannot be completed until the investigative process has concluded, our preliminary investigation points to several possible faults in the launch process that may have partially contributed to the catastrophe.
The shuttle's orbiter vehicle and rocket boosters are comprised of hundreds of thousands of extremely sophisticated components; even a failure rate of 0.01% would result in thousands of components failing, so it's very difficult to pinpoint the exact malfunction or malfunctions that resulted in the shuttle's rapid destruction upon takeoff. Some evidence suggests that the relatively warm weather on the launch day may have caused the O-rings that connect the orbiter's cooling system to its secondary subwoofer to expand, resulting in decreased output to the shuttle's life support and stereo systems. Some weathering of the craft's external shingling was observed, as well as light mossing around the rain gutters, but these factors were determined to be narrowly within standard safety parameters.
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tirsdag, januar 19, 2010
The 10:23 'overdose' event
At 10:23am on January 30th, more than three hundred homeopathy sceptics nationwide will be taking part in a mass homeopathic 'overdose' in protest at Boots' continued endorsement and sale of homeopathic remedies, and to raise public awareness about the fact that homeopathic remedies have nothing in them.
Sceptics and consumer rights activists will publicly swallow an entire bottle of homeopathic 'pillules' to demonstrate that these 'remedies', prepared according to a long-discredited 18th century ritual, are nothing but sugar pills.
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søndag, januar 17, 2010
Metal Søndag 17. januar
Ancient Rites - The Diabolic Serenades
After Dark Records, 1994
Belgiske Ancient Rites er et bands som kanskje mer kjent for sine mer folkemusikkbaserte album der de hyller sine hedenske forfedre, men før de begynte med det spilte de god gammeldags satanistisk black metal.
Dette er den mer brutale typen av black metal med hint av death metal som er fylt opp med blast beats og riff det går an å headbange til. Det er ingen steder hvor musikken stopper opp for å gå inn i mykere partier eller noe sånt tull, bare brutal headbanging hele veien. Med dette mener jeg ikke at det monotont, men at det ikke er noe ambient tull eller unødvendige akustiske partier som bare er der som fyll eller dårlige forsøk på atmosfære. All atmosfæren kommer fra de tunge riffene, og det er sånn det skal være i ekstrem metal.
Som nevnt er det hint av death metal. Om vokalen hadde vært dypere og mindre hes, og om man bare forandret litt på noen riff her og der, så hadde dette vært et ganske tøft death metalalbum. Det er brutalt og tungt nok, og lydproduksjonen er ikke så langt unna.
Hvis du bare er kjent med Ancient Rites mer melodiøse album burde du absolutt sjekke ut dette albumet for å høre en mer rettfrem ekstrem metalutgave av dem. Har du ikke hørt dem før er dette albumet et like bra startsted som de senere albumene, spesielt hvis du er ute etter black metal som minner om Celtic Frost.
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Ars Goetia er et tysk black metal band som har gitt ut to demoer. Du kan høre dem på deres Myspace.
Nå over til metal musikkvideoer.
Stormtroopers of Death - Sargent D
Austrian Death Machine - Get To The Choppa
Black Tribe - Victory of Conscience
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lørdag, januar 16, 2010
Pakistani couple charged with 'occult killing' of baby
A couple in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi have been charged with murdering their baby daughter as part of an alleged "black magic" ritual.
Officers found the body of the four-month-old girl buried in the couple's house, a court heard. Doctors say it had been there for about four days.
They believe the couple were planning to murder their second daughter, a girl of three, who police found tied up.
Superstitious rituals are not uncommon in Pakistan, but rarely lead to murder.
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fredag, januar 15, 2010
torsdag, januar 14, 2010
Advanced Prayer Strategies
Allow me to entertain you with an anecdote: The Greater Wichita Heating and Plumbing Little Sluggers say a team prayer before the big game. Three hours later, they win, and each player is given a personal pan pizza coupon for their hard work during the season. Hundreds of miles away, a small, starving girl in Honduras, delirious with fever, begs God for a single grain of rice to sustain her through the night. By morning, she is reduced to an unflattering, riceless corpse.
The difference between these two stories? Only one message to God was aided by my Advanced Prayer Strategies. (The one without the dead Mexican.)
Hi, I'm Len Haverfield. You may know me best from my line of Beanie Baby-themed nativity scenes, but after being successfully sued by Ty, Inc. over the rights to Virgin Mandrill Mary, I've since changed my entrepreneurial focus to the world of prayer. As you know, most Christians consider their conversations with God to be an essential part of their faith; but with over a billion prayers transmitted to Heaven every day, how can you be sure He's even listening? It's going to take more than some bent knees and folded hands to get God's attention, and with Len Haverfield's Advanced Prayer Strategies, you'll learn how to kick those wimpy, "traditional" prayers to the curb with some truly sacred showboating.
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onsdag, januar 13, 2010
tirsdag, januar 12, 2010
mandag, januar 11, 2010
søndag, januar 10, 2010
Metal Søndag 10. januar
Rush - Rush
Mercury, 1974
Jeg har tidligere (på klønete vis) introdusert Rush og skrevet både om dem som prog rockere og hvordan enkelte utgivelse av dem er metal. Jeg tror de fleste av oss forstår deres betydning for både prog og metal, så i denne utgaven av Metal Søndag skal vi hoppe tilbake til en tid hvor de var ingen av delene.
Dette deres debutalbum hvor man ikke finner noen av delene, men allikevel er dette et av mine favorittalbum av dem. Det er ikke noe prog å finne her, men i gjengjeld spiller de virkelig solid og teknisk bra. Alle instrumentene flyter så perfekt og på toppen av det hele har vi den unike vokalen til Geddy Lee. Man finner heller ikke noe særlig metal, men det er hardt og tungt nok til å holde oppmerksomheten. Det hele er en mer teknisk og fantastisk versjon av 70-talls hard rock med riff som knuser det meste som kom ut i samme tidsperioden. Dette får Deep Purple og Led Zeppelin fra samme tiden til høres ut som kjedelig pop (noe som ikke er så langt fra sannheten når det kommer til førstnevnte).
Har du ikke hørt dette albumet har du ingen rett til å kalle deg selv for en fan av verken Rush, 70-talls hard rock eller god musikk. Nå er jeg glad for alle prog rock metalutgivelsene til Rush, men om de hadde fortsatt i denne retningen hadde jeg kanskje vært en større fans. Dette albumet er kanskje ikke metal, men det er uten tvil en klassiker.
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Mystika er et fransk gothic metal band som har gitt ut en demo. Du kan høre dem på deres Myspace.
Nå over til metal musikkvideoer.
Warrior - Fighting for the Earth
Belphegor - Der Geistertreiber
Satan's Host - Metal From Hell
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lørdag, januar 09, 2010
fredag, januar 08, 2010
Human sacrifices 'on the rise in Uganda' as witch doctors admit to rituals
Witch doctors in Uganda have admitted their part in human sacrifice amid concerns that the practice is spreading in the African country.
One man said he had clients who had captured children and taken their blood and body parts to his shrine, while another confessed to killing at least 70 people including his own son.
The latter has now given up the ritual and is campaigning to stamp it out, according to BBC News.
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torsdag, januar 07, 2010
onsdag, januar 06, 2010
mandag, januar 04, 2010
25 blasfemiske sitater
Fra og med 1. januar ble blasfemi på ny forbudt i Irland. I den anledning har gruppen Atheist Ireland publisert 25 blasfemiske sitater. Gakk gjerne over og les!
Og ja, godt nytt år!
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