Don't they have unions in the UK?

Allow me to play devil's advocate:
The sentence "3% of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images" can mean two things.

Does it mean "3% of the solved street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images"
or
"3% of all street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images".

If the latter is the case, then the statistic is useless without knowing the percentage of street robberies solved overall.

About the Swedish model:
Forcing part of the business underground forces the entire business underground, with all the problems that entail.

Even if the prostitutes are not breaking the law, in the eyes of the public they are aiding and abetting a crime, thus they are ostracised.

The Dutch model is, perhaps, a better alternative.
Unfortunately, it moves an activity many people think of as 'dirty' and shameful into the broad light of day.

Addendum to my previous post:
If you not only want to destroy your own property, but also prevent any possibility of anyone recovering your travel history, try this:
Break off the corner (or part of the corner) holding the microchip. Dispose of the corner holding (part of) the microchip, e.g. in a garbage disposal.

Then demand a refund. If anyone asks why the corner is missing, simply claim that your dog/cat/ferret ate it.

I have never seen an oyster card in first person, but a sure-fire way to destroy thin plastic objects with thin embedded wires are to sit on them.

Keep them in your back pocket and they would rarely last two weeks. After a little while, fine cracks will appear in the plastic, disconnecting the copper wire.

I go through several ATM cards a
year for this reason, and magnetic stripes are a lot hardier than embedded copper wires in this regard.

Another method, which I have not tried, would be to repeatedly subject the card to alternating freezing and boiling. Plastic and copper have wildly different coefficients of thermal expansion, so this should, in theory, dislodge and snap the copper antenna.

But then again, why on earth would anyone want to destroy something so useful?

I ask because, last I checked, things like the electricity used to make and show the movie, and the photography used in the movie, and the nylon in his clothing he wore in the movie, and the vehicles he drove or rode in to and from the set of the movie, and the computer he's using to promote the movie ... all of those are around because of science.

Balderdash, I say!
Automobiles sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus, and you know it.

What is the rate of mutation around coal-fired power plants? I remember reading somewhere that coal plants release more radioactive waste than nuclear plants, since radioactive isotopes occur naturally in coal seams.

That looks like some sort of medieval torture device.

I would never put my fingers anywhere near it.

If this means we'll have to wait even one less day for a vaccine for HIV, I say go for it.

I would be hesitant to people using this to improve exam results, but then not take it during their working life. Because that would mean having to wait longer for a vaccine.

Science is competitive, yes, but it's not a competition - 'fairness' is irrelevant, only results matter.

No, he's not committing suicide to halt an advancing army. See the guy poking his head up out of the threads, close to the middle of the picture? His body has to be where the threads are, hence the tank is stationary or he would be chopped in two. Furthermore the tank has to be missing a significant portion of its threads for him to fit in there in the first place.

So the tank is going nowhere.

And no, he's not taking out a tank that would take him out regardless. See the construction of the turret? The bluish add-on to the left of the turret proper (put there to fit more bad guys on the tank, I guess) means that the turret can't rotate.

So if G-had Joe just takes a few steps to the left or right, he won't have to worry about this tank at all.

And no, he's not necessarily in uniform - how do you know he's got pants on?

See how silly it is to pick at details here?

The point is that the underlying message presented in this picture is that killing yourself in order to kill others is heroic. I very much doubt that the below-average teenage boys this sort of propaganda is aimed at are able to perceive the finer points, although valid, raised in this thread.

@#46 Jonro:
Funny that wikipedia doesn't mention that. Must be that government coverup, huh?

The astute reader may notice that there are several labs researching human contagious diseases located in the continental United States.

Remember when we all died from Anthrax, Bird Flu and Ebola?

Chill out.

@ #1 musicman sez:
"Sounds like something that would happen in a developing nation"[...]

It is.

My first thought was "well, what can you expect from an American politician?"

But then I read that Davis is 71 years old. Her little outburst is nothing more than common senile dementia.
So your country is not going to hell in a handbasket. Atheists are not about to be burned at the stake.

Take a deep breath. Relax.

So the word "invalid" is no longer valid? The mind boggles.

I call to mind Asimov's defence of the word "niggardly". Look it up.

@ #11 Takuan:
No, that's both sexes' fantasy. Women just keep it to themselves.

#7 "Either way, a can of diet soda, with all the sodium and unpronounceable chemicals, CAN'T be equated with water for any kind of benefit. That's just foolhardy."

[sarcasm]It's got what plants crave.[/sarcasm]

Seriously, if you suffer from sodium deficiency you have very serious problems indeed.

What's this?
They're saying we have a built in sensory apparatus for telling us when we should drink water?

In other words:
They're saying evolution has given us enough sense to keep our bodies alive and at peak condition?

[sarcasm]Inconceivable![/sarcasm]

#13. Indeed.
"Medial thigh injury to kill, posterior thigh to permanently disable and lateral thigh to punish."

#26:
True that, but it also means that the only source we have for this actually having been reviewed and accepted by Neuroquantology is the authors themselves.

Verdict: April fools joke.

It claims to be in Vol 6, issue 2, which is not out yet:
http://www.neuroquantology.com/journal/index.php/nq/issue/current/showToc

My guess is that this is what Dr. Josephson means when he says it looks "flaky".

While it's currently popular to diss the space program, I have to say that I think this is awesome.

We can't build a moon base without the right tools, and this is a step in the right direction.

And $2 million is pocket change when it comes to engineering research.

#11: If you can get a cheek swab from a woman while she's sleeping, more power to you.

I've never met a woman that doesn't sleep with her mouth open once in a while.
Maybe you need to dowgrade?

Once their mouth is open, you can pretty much stick anything you want in there before their sleep-delayed reflexes kick in.

"a massive, moneyed global phenomenon that aims to fight globalization"

"oday it is a thriving ganglion of local chapters, called convivia, which number about 83,000 people in more than 100 countries."

A global anti-globalisation movement. This is a joke, right?

#31: "It's so unfair that women bear all of the burden and pain."

Well, men have to listen to them complain about it, so it all evens out.

/I keed, I keed

"But this product doesn't seem to solve the problem very much since, in order to be reliable, you need to get a cheek swab from the mother. How the hell are you going to explain that?"

Do it while she sleeps?

If you're not sleeping with the mother of your alleged child, there is really not that much need for a test kit.

"The current Amendment corrects many of these errors - although it continues to demand a system that will police and criminalize students."

I'm having difficulties seeing this as a win. The RIAA can continue their prosecution of p2p-users as before, but now the universities are forced to do the legwork for them.

Gemini,
I checked out the book you recommended today.
Regrettably, it does not present "solid information".
As is my habit, I immediately skipped to the end, where the references are listed. I have only parsed the first three pages of references (out of a total of 15), but this is my impression so far.

Most references were not from peer reviewed scientific articles, but other sources such as:
*Newspaper articles.
*Websites with a clear agenda, such as mindfully.org or psrast.org(popup alert).
*Online articles written by adherents of the Natural Law Party (remember those? They wanted to reduce crime through 'yogic flying').

I could actually not find one peer-reviewed, published study that supported the view that GM food is generally harmful. There might be some, though, because several of the articles referenced in the book were so old I could not find an online copy. One was even from 1976!

The papers I could find were either not peer reviewed, in favour of more research, or both. One called GM crops potentially beneficial. None presented studies or referenced other papers that had found detrimental health effects of GM food.

Oh, by the way, that salesblurb I mentioned earlier? It went like this: "And you will learn why the FDA withheld information from Congress after a genetically modified supplement killed nearly a hundred people and disabled thousands." It turns out that yes, a supplement probably killed at least 37 people. Yes, it contained GM ingredients. What the book doesn't mention is that the deaths were caused by the manufacturer's lax filtering practice and/or overconsumption of the supplement. In the end, FDA banned all forms of the supplement, not just the GM variants. Read more here.

All that aside, I could still have gone along with it. But then, on page 57, he quotes (as an authority) Richard Strohman, professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Yes, that Prof. Richard Strohman.

At that point, I had to put the book down in disgust.

The author is not a scientist (nor is he a journalist) so he can be excused for writing a book that contains more snappy quotes than scientific facts, but that does not matter to those of us who search facts.

I remain ambivalent on the whole GM/Organic issue.

"the program has caught approximately 1,000 minor immigration cheats who'd overstayed their visas"

So let me get this straight, they were trying to leave the country, then they were caught and prevented from leaving the country. Wasn't not leaving the country the reason they where apprehended in the first place?

"I'm sorry, sir, but we can't let you leave the country. We're going to kick you out."

Please tell me I have misunderstood this in some way. Please. Human beings can't be that stupid.

"A human is an animal with no fur and two legs."

"What about ducks?"

"Correction: A human is an animal with no fur, two legs and an upright gait."

Simple, really.

Gemini, thanks for that.
I can't help but notice that, so far as I can tell, the site does not contain any peer-reviewed scientific studies at all.

It does, however, contain copy designed to sell books:
" In [this book] you will will read internal memos by the US Food and Drug Administration scientists warning of toxins, allergies, and new diseases — all ignored by their superiors, including a former attorney for Monsanto. You will discover how industry studies are designed to avoid finding problems. And you will learn why the FDA withheld information from Congress after a genetically modified supplement killed nearly a hundred people and disabled thousands."

This verges, IMO, on a sensationalist rant, and does not inspire confidence in the scientific quality of the book, I'm sorry to say.

Anyways, my local library has a copy, so I'll have a look.

Dear Takuan, thanks. I've seen that video before.
I agree that Monsanto are evil, but what does this have to do with whether organic foods or GMO foods are generally safe and beneficial?

To use an analogy: If Microsoft, a producer of operating systems, is evil, does that mean all operating systems are evil? Should I stay away from OS X?

What I'm interested in is health information about the technologies and products themselves, not the moral and legal failings of some of the producers.

Any pointers to where I can get more info on the benefits of organic food and the dangers of GMO food?

You know, double blind, placebo controlled studies published in peer-reviewed journals, not blog rants?

"Dodging faster-than-light weapons (e.g. lasers)"

Now that's bull. Nothing moves faster than light, especially not laser beams, since they consist of nothing but light.

#4 "They want this device to defend themselves, not assault their neighbors. So what's to complain about?"

If they get weapons to make rockets harmless, what will the IDF use as an excuse to launch punitive attacks?

"...they said they preferred certain kinds of pictures (monkeys in a tree or a group of houses along a river) over others (an empty parking lot or a pile of old paint cans)."

What about pictures of cats? With captions?

I can has *shoots self*

You know, citizens of a free country would be able to travel anywhere they please...

Now show me your papers.

1. It's not a robot, it's a remote controlled car with a water gun and a speaker. A waldo.

2. A bar owner is upset that someone is selling unhealthy, addictive intoxicants? Cue the hypocrisy award.

3. How is this different from the Japanese volunteers that chase away loiterers?
I'm pretty sure that if you interviewed them, they'd claim that the people they were expelling were "drug dealers and bums", too.

Thanks, Phloodpants, I enjoyed that.

I once knew a guy who believed these cables were the "world's best".

Of course, he also believed in the War Against Drugs, UFO abductions and that 9/11 was and inside job.

Meanwhile, the government of Australia is testing their own Great FireWall.

Humans are not an endangered species. In fact, the human population has exploded worldwide and some argue that there are too many humans.

That might be why they're fighting all the time.

Sorry, guys.
Modern AI algorithms are smart enough to figure out that if someone walks on camera, sits still and blends into the background; he's still there.

Cool pix, though.

Is it time for our five minute of hate again?

#3 @ noen

Around 0:14, if you look closely. That's not the blade that hit the pole.
And the poles are steel.

Notice how the disconnected blades falling down after the collapse are trailing smoke.
The forces involved must be enormous.

Most of the Danish words I could pick out were profanities, btw.

Can one die from RSI?
That's a bit hackneyed.

Geert Wilders is an ass, but banning an entire site on the basis of that serves only to fuel his fire.

#7 @ g.park,

Oil is a fungible resource.
I like saying fungible.

Furthermore, the news sites that turn up on a google search of this gives the source of this article variously as Reuter [sic], Reuters or TT.

The only 'source' I can find of this is Wikipedia. The WP article gives no sources other than a blog post that gives the WP article as its source.

In other words:
[Citation needed]

I guess since he'd be around 18 now, Mr. Albin Gustaf Tarzan Hallin would be able to confirm these rumours himself, if he exists.

I, for one, can't wait for this law to be passed so I can start sending fake infringement notices to MPs, ministers, priests, police officers, recording industry officials, newspapers and any person or organisation who might have been even remotely instrumental in getting this thing passed.

Let them eat cake.

I can't decide if the "oh no, spychips"-crowd is serious on this one, or just being sarcastic.

Some are starting to sound like the "barcodes are the mark of the beast" crowd in the 80's.

@#12: Engineers are humans too.
I'm guessing that Zahn, fed up with being constantly bombarded with crank claims, agreed to meet Heins in order to tear him and his silly idea a new assh*le.
But when confronted with the reality; an unemployed, divorced, broke man, an utter failure with all his remaining hopes, dignity and money tied up in a clearly idiotic last-ditch bid for salvation, I think Zahn lost his nerve.
He simply couldn't be the one to squash the only think Heins has left, even if it might have been the kindest thing in the long run.

I think the best part of the entire article is at the end:
"Driving home – he can't afford to fly – Heins is exhausted but encouraged. He says Zahn will, and must, evaluate what he saw on his own terms and time. What's preventing the engineer from grasping it right away, he says, is his education, his scientific training."

Yes, clearly the poor engineer has been educated stupid.

Really. How the journalist kept a straight face during the interview I'll never know.

Another day, another crackpot on the internet.
There's not enough info in the article to debunk this, but in general:
The problem of boiling water is not how to get the energy into the water (microwaves or submerged resistors work quite well), but how to get enough energy. A wall socket only delivers so many Joules per second, and heating an amount of water from room temperature to boiling takes a set amount of Joules, no matter how you transfer them.

If I had a gun to my head (which I don't) and had to make a guess, I'd say that this device vibrates with enough energy to cavitate, which creates bubbles of gas (water vapour) in the liquid. To the casual observer, this makes it look like the water is boiling. I'm betting the poor retired professor didn't get to use his own thermometer.

Erm... is't there at least some good in this idea?

Part of the reason behind Britain's terrible record on animal diseases (e.g. foot-and-mouth) is that farmers "borrow" livestock from each other, so that they appear to have a larger herd when the dept. of Agriculture inspector comes by to calculate their subsidy. (Farms are subsidised based on the number of cattle.)

With ID chips, this sort of fraud would be much more difficult and thus rarer, thereby reducing the risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease.

So that's one good thing. Apart from the cost, why is it a bad thing?

I'm with Tom and Moon on this one.
Any society that can deal with identical twins can deal with clones, and I think more people would realise this if they were not blinded by bad sci-fi or religious dogma.

In short:
Cloning != genetic modification.

But I would like to single out one particular argument against genetic manipulation for closer study: The don't-play-god argument.
We are already playing god in a number of ways: Ailments that would have been fatal/debilitating if left to the care of "god" (whatever that means) are routinely cured - e.g. difficult childbirths, myopia, syphilis, malaria and so on.
In fact, nearly every aspect of our bodies and their reproduction is under human control. There's no reason our genetic makeup should somehow be sacrosanct. If it creates "perfect" humans - so much the better - this world needs all the extra brainpower it can get.

Littering is now sexy and praise-worthy!

Let me join the chorus heaping scorn on this report.

3000 mph? That's nearly Mach 4, double of what the F-16 fighter jet is capable of with afterburners.

The human sensory apparatus is not a reliable judge of size, distance, or velocity - especially at the scales we are talking about here. Furthermore, the human visual system has several well-known bugs that further reduces reliability.

To sum up:
Pix or it didn't happen.

A philosophy prof, you say?

"The theoretical broadening which comes from having many humanities subjects on the campus is offset by the general dopiness of the people who study these things..."
--Richard Feynman

"The most amazing part of this story is that this moose somehow swam all the way to Norway. Moose live only in North America. This was something else. A reindeer maybe?"

"Actually a Moose is far larger than an Elk, and an Elk live in the forests of northern Europe - a moose live in marshlands and forests of the north americas.

These are probably related, but far from the exact same thing."

Wrong, both of you. Look up Elk and Moose in WP, for starters.

As others have already pointed out:
The boy is Norwegian, not Swedish. The story is in Norwegian, not Swedish.
To verify this, check two simple facts:
1. The story is published on a site under the .no (Norwegian) top-level domain.
2. The boy spells his middle name with an o with a ring through it. If he had been Swedish, he would have used an o with umlauts.

Norway is not a part of Sweden, or vice versa. They are separate countries - like USA and Canada.

Sorry about repeating this. I know I'm beating a dead moose here.