On August 24, 2009, Motortrend and Automobile Magazine conducted a one-of-a-kind race up Loveland Pass, pitting four high-cost, high performance vehicles – a Mercedes Benz E550, a Maserati Quattroporte, a BMW 550i, and a Jaguar XF Premium 5L V8 – against…a 6-cynlinder Lincoln MKS. The race itself is not a straight line story, but a climb up one of the highest passes in America, with the winner determined by the treacherous, winding road with thousand-foot drop-offs and torturous hairpin turns.
Watch each burst of acceleration and wheel-clenching turn to see which vehicle emerges as challenging course’s the top performer.
See more and join the discussion about the showdown at http://www.6versus8.comOn August 24, 2009, Motortrend and Automobile Magazine conducted a one-of-a-kind race... more
Container Art approda nella città sabauda. La spendida Torino accolgie Current Draft e la sua community di artisti.
Le installazioni sono visibili da tutti in piazza Vittorio Veneto, in via Garibaldi e in piazza C.L.N., alle spalle della magnifica piazza San Carlo.
Torino, con il suo fermento culturale, artistico e musicale, accolgie per una settimana Current Draft, dando voce a chiunque volesse esprimere la propria creatività utilizzano i mezzi che Current mette a disposizione.
Current Draft traccia una bozza, draft appunto, sul significato dell'espressione creativa oggi.
Chiacchierando con gli artisti, con chi ama l'arte e la sostiene, Angela e Filippo curioseranno nel fitto intreccio che lega l'arte alla
cultura metropolitana, dando visibilità ai talenti emergenti e raccontando il loro mondo, le loro difficoltà e i loro progetti.
CURRENT DRAFT Ogni venerdì LIVE alle 23.00 su Current // Canale 130 di SKY
"Officials at the Advertising Standards Authority are now considering whether to tackle the question that has taxed the minds of the world's greatest thinkers for centuries.
It has recorded 48 complaints since Tuesday when buses first hit the streets emblazoned with the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." At least 40 more people were understood to have made objections by last night.
Most of those who have contacted the ASA consider the adverts offensive and say they break guidelines on taste and decency.
However Stephen Green, the Christian campaigner who led the protests against the BBC's broadcast of Jerry Springer – The Opera, is claiming they should be taken down because the statement in the adverts cannot be substantiated.
He said: "If you're going to put out what appears to be a factual statement then you have to be able to back it up. They've got to substantiate this proposition that in all probability, God doesn't exist."
The ASA is now considering whether to investigate his complaint, which could lead to it reaching a deep ontological conclusion about a supreme being.
If it ruled that the wording in the posters was unsubstantiated, it would be interpreted as effectively saying that in all probability God does exist.
Ruling that the words were justified could be taken as an agreement that God probably does not exist."
Wow! So what do you think- is it more probable that god does or does not exist?
Please note I said PROBABLE, so I want to avoid the "we can't know everything" sentiments and get into the meat and potatoes of this conversation- what do you REALLY believe?
Also, do you think the ASA should be ruling on something like this?"Officials at the Advertising Standards Authority are now considering whether to... more
A radical Islamic group in Somalia said Friday it will fight the pirates holding a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil...A radical Islamic group in Somalia said Friday it will fight the pirates holding a... more
When John McCain and Barack Obama started running for president in 2007, they were two of the most universally liked and respected politicians in America — men who even members of the opposite party saw as decent, unifying characters — and neither inspired much loathing.
That was then.
Now, partisans deluge reporters and editors with e-mails and vent on blogs about why the media is suppressing stories about one candidate or the other.
The unwritten Obama stories supposedly concern his Americanness: They raise doubts about his birth, his citizenship and his patriotism. The unpenned anti-McCain stories go to the quality he's made central to his career: honor. They suggest that he's used foul language to his wife and that his military record isn't what it seems.When John McCain and Barack Obama started running for president in 2007, they were two... more
"A University of Texas poll finds that in McCain-favoring Texas, 23% of voters believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim. This has been one of the campaign's most bizarre issues. The first question this raises is: so, what of it, are Muslims disqualified from being president? The "Obama is a Muslim" issue started during the Democratic primaries--Politico wrote about it way back in October 2007. Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo calls all this "McCain's Edge."
This certainly must be frustrating for the Obama campaign, which has spent a great deal of time explaining to the public that Obama is Christian. According to the University of Texas Poll, Obama convinced 45% of the 545 registered Texas voters they asked that he is a Protestant. Has another candidate for president ever had to spend so much time and effort reassuring the public over religion? It's enough to make JFK think that he had it easy over the Catholic issue.
Do nearly a quarter of Texas voters really believe that Obama is a Muslim? There's another possibility: McCain supporters using badly conceived polls as political weapons. If you ask people in a hardcore McCain state, a good number of them will says "Yes, Obama is a Muslim" whether they believe it or not, just to get the idea that Obama is a Muslim out there. All's fair in war and politics, after all.
Maybe "Is Barack Obama a Muslim?" just isn't that great a poll question. If that's the case, the 23% figure says more about inflamed passions in the final days of the race than it does about ignorance in Texas."
I can't believe people still think this!"A University of Texas poll finds that in McCain-favoring Texas, 23% of voters believe... more
Universities are reviewing their plagiarism policies to clamp down on students who use Facebook to cheat.
Plagiarism experts have warned universities and colleges to be aware of students copying from each other when discussing coursework on social networking sites.
Gill Rowell, from the consultancy Plagiarism Advice, said universities needed to rework their plagiarism policies with "internet working in mind" but insisted institutions were taking cheating seriously enough.
The warning comes after almost one in two Cambridge University students in a poll of 1,000 admitted to cheating in their studies.
Student newspaper, Varsity, found 49% of undergraduates who anonymously took part in their poll confessed to passing off other people's work as their own.
Law students were the most likely to plagiarise, with 62% saying they had broken university rules.
Some 82% of those who admitted to plagiarising said they had taken sentences from online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
One anonymous student said: "Sometimes, when I am really fed up, I Google the essay title, copy and throw everything on to a blank word document and jiggle the order a bit. They usually end up being the best essays."
Just 5% of the students admitted they had been caught.
"It is a depressing set of statistics," Robert Foley, a professor in Biological Anthropology at King's College, Cambridge, said.
University plagiarism experts will discuss cheating with Universities UK, the umbrella group for vice-chancellors, on November 19.Universities are reviewing their plagiarism policies to clamp down on students who use... more
Fierce fighting between government and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, the Red Cross says.Fierce fighting between government and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of... more
If John McCain’s supporters are hoping for a “Bradley effect” bounce on Election Day, some pollsters and strategists say they may have another thing coming.
Beware of the “bandwagon effect.”
While the Bradley effect posits that some white voters who tell pollsters that they will vote for a black candidate often have second thoughts in the voting booth, the “bandwagon effect” suggests that a small but significant number of persuadable voters will decide at the last minute to go with "the winner."
[...]
While the politically savvy may scoff at the idea that people are voting based on popularity, Mutz says the notion of being influenced by others isn’t so unusual when taken out of the context of politics.
"It's not at all stupid to rely on consensus," she said. "If everyone's saying that a particular restaurant is horrible, are you going to insist on going there yourself? The idea that we shouldn't turn to others for help in decision making is kind of dumb in some ways."
Even if we won’t admit it.
"Some people are proud of being a racist," said a Democratic strategist. "Nobody's proud of being a lemming."
(more at link)
If John McCain’s supporters are hoping for a “Bradley effect” bounce on... more
The final ads hit the air, the House picture comes into focus, and the Bush Administration can't get the Justice Department to do what it wants.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdate.The final ads hit the air, the House picture comes into focus, and the Bush... more
Obama invades televison-land, McCain attacks on the economy, and last-minute political ads get desperate.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdate.Obama invades televison-land, McCain attacks on the economy, and last-minute political... more
McCain and Obama skirmish, the Round Mound of Rebound declares his intentions, and Charlie Crist does democracy a solid.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateMcCain and Obama skirmish, the Round Mound of Rebound declares his intentions, and... more
Barack Obama and John McCain hit the homestretch. One of them is winning. One is named John McCain. Watch to find out which is which!
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateBarack Obama and John McCain hit the homestretch. One of them is winning. One is named... more
Ted Stevens goes down, Barack Obama's got unlikely company, and John McCain fights friendly fire.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateTed Stevens goes down, Barack Obama's got unlikely company, and John McCain fights... more
A handful of professional environmental advocates were placed on a Maryland State Police list of suspected terrorists, activists charged this morning.
Three staffers for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network have learned they were on a list compiled by the state police, which also included nonviolent peace activists and anti-death penalty advocates, said Mike Tidwell, the group's founder and executive director.
Mr. Tidwell was shocked when he opened a letter informing him he was on the list.
"I was astonished," he said. "I immediately wondered how I was being spied on. Has my phone been tapped? Have they been reading my e-mails? Have they posed as concerned environmentalists and been coming to our meetings?"
Maryland State Police officials have acknowledged that in 2005 and 2006, officers conducted surveillance on peace and anti-death penalty groups. A police spokesman did not immediately return a call for comment this morning.
This is the first time it's been made clear that environmental professionals were targeted.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network employees are regulars in Annapolis, lobbying state lawmakers and holding rallies and marches during the General Assembly session.
The surveillance and the existence of peace activists on the suspected terrorist list were exposed this summer after the ACLU sought documents under the Maryland Public Information Act.
In recent weeks, the state police admitted to wrongly listing 53 activists as terrorists.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network organized a rally this morning outside the Silver Spring Metro station to draw attention to the issue.
Environmental activists held signs that said "Environmentalism is not terrorism" and "Stop global warming, not activism."
"This is alarming on so many levels," said Cindy Schwartz, executive director of the League of Conservation Voters. "This is wrong." Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, said he will introduce legislation next session to make sure that the Maryland State Police cannot conduct surveillance on political groups unless there is "reasonable suspicion" they will break the law.
"There's a difference between community organizers and terrorists," he said. "They are the very opposite of terrorists."
David Rocah, an attorney with the Maryland ACLU, said the discrepancies in the dates and the explanation that the Maryland State Police were only doing surveillance on anti-death penalty groups emphasized the need for a full and transparent accounting of how far the spying went.
"The Maryland State Police are not being straight with the people of Maryland," he said during the rally.
Mr. Tidwell said at the rally that none of the environmentalists were connected with the groups previously mentioned as having been spied on.
He said it's dangerous territory when the police focus on people who just want to improve the environment.
"The fact that the Maryland State Police was presumably surveilling mainstream environmental organizers puts a chill on all potential organizing for the environment, and that's bad for Maryland," he said.
Members of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network have occasionally engaged in demonstrations that extend beyond the typical chanting and waving banners. But even their most dramatic demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, Mr. Tidwell said.
In 2004, Mr. Tidwell was part of a group arrested while demonstrating outside a power plant in Southern Maryland. He was found guilty of one count of "impeding passage of persons/vehicle." A charge of disturbing the peace was dropped.
snip
"We at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network are innocent of everything except peacefully improving the health of the state of Maryland ... It's a sad day when people who promote windmills and solar panels are described as suspected terrorists," Mr. Tidwell said. A handful of professional environmental advocates were placed on a Maryland State... more
Ralph Nader and Chuck Baldwin debate, John Murtha's in hot water, and the RNC enters the triage stage.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateRalph Nader and Chuck Baldwin debate, John Murtha's in hot water, and the RNC enters... more
The latest request from the Pentagon jars the senses. At least, it did mine. They are looking for contractors to provide a "Multi-Robot Pursuit System" that will let packs of robots "search for and detect a non-cooperative human".
One thing that really bugs defence chiefs is having their troops diverted from other duties to control robots. So having a pack of them controlled by one person makes logistical sense. But I'm concerned about where this technology will end up...
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And everyone laughed at the "ROBOCOP" movies.The latest request from the Pentagon jars the senses. At least, it did mine. They are... more
Barack visits his granny, Joe the Plumber gets a whole new crew of NAME the VOCATION friends to play with, and a few House races get a little nasty. Oh, and the Viking children's show you wish you grew up with.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateBarack visits his granny, Joe the Plumber gets a whole new crew of NAME the VOCATION... more
John McCain deals with some infighting on robocalls, Saxby Chambliss fights for love and power, and Sarah Palin strikes out on her own.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateJohn McCain deals with some infighting on robocalls, Saxby Chambliss fights for love... more
Colin Powell endorses, third-party folks disappoint, and Barack Obama rakes it in.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE knows that election news and weird jokes go together like a popped-collar meathead and a vacant-eyed blonde. Created by Mark Ganek and Brett Erlich, Campaign Update strives to be the dumbest smart show on television.
Bookmark us and check us out every weekday at current.com/campaignupdateColin Powell endorses, third-party folks disappoint, and Barack Obama rakes it in.... more
