8. “Iraq is the central front in the war on terror.” From the beginning of history until 2003 there had never been a suicide bombing in Iraq. There was no al-Qaeda in Baath-ruled Iraq. When Baath intelligence heard that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi might have entered Iraq, they grew alarmed at such an “al-Qaeda” presence and put out an APB on him! Zarqawi’s so-called “al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia” was never “central” in Iraq and was never responsible for more than a fraction of the violent attacks. This assertion is supported by the outcome of a US-Jordanian operation that killed Zarqawi this year. His death had no impact whatsoever on the level of violence. There are probably only about 1,000 foreign fighters even in Iraq, and most of them are first-time volunteers, not old-time terrorists. The 50 major guerrilla cells in Sunni Arab Iraq are mostly made up of Iraqis, and are mainly: 1) Baathist or neo-Baathist, 2) Sunni revivalist or Salafi, 3) tribally-based, or 4) based in city quarters. Al-Qaeda is mainly a boogey man, invoked in Iraq on all sides, but possessing little real power or presence there. This is not to deny that radical Sunni Arab volunteers come to Iraq to blow things (and often themselves) up. They just are not more than an auxiliary to the big movements, which are Iraqi.
+ The first part of a five part series on the oceans: A Primeval Tide of Toxins - Los Angeles Times
In many places — the atolls of the Pacific, the shrimp beds of the Eastern Seaboard, the fiords of Norway — some of the most advanced forms of ocean life are struggling to survive while the most primitive are thriving and spreading. Fish, corals and marine mammals are dying while algae, bacteria and jellyfish are growing unchecked. Where this pattern is most pronounced, scientists evoke a scenario of evolution running in reverse, returning to the primeval seas of hundreds of millions of years ago.
Jeremy B.C. Jackson, a marine ecologist and paleontologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, says we are witnessing “the rise of slime.”
For many years, it was assumed that the oceans were too vast for humanity to damage in any lasting way. “Man marks the Earth with ruin,” wrote the 19th century poet Lord Byron. “His control stops with the shore.”
Even in modern times, when oil spills, chemical discharges and other industrial accidents heightened awareness of mans capacity to injure sea life, the damage was often regarded as temporary.
But over time, the accumulation of environmental pressures has altered the basic chemistry of the seas.
Giant Ice Shelf Breaks Off in Canadian Arctic
A huge Canadian ice shelf 500 miles (800 kilometers) from the North Pole has disintegrated, leaving a large floating island of ice stranded 30 miles (48 kilometers) offshore, scientists reported yesterday.
The entire 25.5-square-mile (66-square-kilometer) Ayles Ice Shelf broke free from the northern coast of Ellesmere Island on August 13, 2005
YouTube - chinese brutalityChinese citizens attempts to publicize government injustices against them. Landgrabs, brutal disregard for the elderly and infirm..
+ Been a good day, in spite of having a stomach virus, nearly an ear infection, and being dizzy. I spent a few hours in my studio trying to bring a picture back from the edge of no return. It’s been in the lower left and right of my mind for a few days. Analyzing, getting a feel for it. Dreaming about it. Not because I think the image will be anything special, but because of how I pushed it till it looked badly. There were points when it looked okay, acceptable..but I kept going. I like the edge of my seat, kind of mild anxiety, of taking risks while making stuff. So I went at it again today, pushed it even closer to being trashed. At some point I was in that zone and everything came together. It might look good now. I won’t go back and look for a while.
In the meantime, I spent a few hours checking out david foldvari, who I came upon at graniph while looking for a t-shirt to buy. There was an old post I did of hoogerbrugge in 2001, but fook if I can find it..anyway that’s where I was reminded of graniph. But nevermind that. Check out david’s portfolio site. -awesome.
+ here’s an old post from when I used Pitas.com as my Blogging host.
.: Saturday, October 12, 2002, 12:25 a.m.. “good clean fun”.
Found during this morning’s brief bathroom reading, in a copy of NewScientist: “Textile experts at Cornell University have tested out the best ways to remove 250 kinds of stains, from antiperspirant to whiskey, using everyday products found in grocery stores or pharmacies.” Of particular interest to me is the removal of antiperspirant stains. A lot of my T-SHIRT’s, bought for their graphics, have these linear streaks of antiperspirant stains on them. I suspect it’s from being drenched in sweat when I go out and dance hard for hours, and the antiperspirant is sponged into the T-SHIRT. Then when it’s being washed the T-SHIRT folds and creases and the antiperspirant settles into linear patterns. All my T-Shirts have these faint markings on them, and it irritates my sense of orderliness.—so I’ll try this solution…..
PROCEDURES - GROUP 6 WATER SOLUBLE BODY WASTE, DEODORANTS, RED DYES
Follow these procedures for non-washable fabrics, testing all removers first on an inconspicuous area of the article. For washable articles, the same methods may be used for localized stain removal before laundering.
1. SPONGE with water.
2. With ABSORBENT PAD apply mild detergent solution and a few drops of ammonia. Press stain every 5 minutes with clean pad moistened with solution! FLUSH with water.
3. With ABSORBENT PAD apply detergent solution with a few drops of vinegar. Press stain every 5 minutes with clean pad moistened with solution. FLUSH with water.
4. With ABSORBENT PAD apply alcohol. Let stand as long as stain is being removed. For stronger fabrics, TAMP occasionally with spoon or brush. FLUSH with water.
5. BLEACH to remove final traces of stain. Apply bleach solution with MEDICINE DROPPER. Do not use chlorine solution on wool, silk, or spandex. Do not allow bleach to remain more than two minutes. FLUSH with water after each bleach application. Apply vinegar solution to remove excess chlorine, then FLUSH with water.
MILD LIQUID HAND DISHWASHING DETERGENT - DO NOT USE dishwashing machine detergent or strong built laundering detergents.
DETERGENT SOLUTION - Use mild liquid hand dishwashing detergent. Mix 1 teaspoon detergent with 1 cup of warm water.
WHITE VINEGAR SOLUTION - May be diluted. Add 2/3 cup of water to 1/3 cup of vinegar or add vinegar to detergent solution.
RUBBING OR DENATURED ALCOHOL - Sold in drug stores. DO NOT USE alcohol with added color or fragrance.
CHLORINE BLEACH - Used for local applications applied with medicine dropper. Mix 1 teaspoon of bleach with 1 tablespoon of water. DO NOT leave chlorine bleach solution in contact with fabric for more than 2 minutes. Flush with water after each application, then with vinegar solution. DO NOT USE chlorine bleach on wool, silk or spandex. For soaking or laundering, follow directions on the container.
Absorbent Materials: absorbent cotton, white facial tissues, white paper towels, soft white cloths, sponges (test for damage by chemicals first).
By taking into consideration total assets minus total debts, the first-ever study of global wealth distribution finds that a net worth of $2,161 (U.S.) is enough to belong to the top half of the world’s wealth, but to be a member of the top 10 per cent requires at least $61,000 and membership of the top 1 per cent requires more than $500,000 per adult.
Where the wealthy live
Percentage breakdown of the world’s wealthiest 1%
United States: 37%
Germany: 4%
Italy: 4%
France: 5%
Britain: 6%
Japan: 27%
Netherlands: 2%
Canada: 2%
Spain: 1%
Switzerland: 1%
Taiwan: 1%
Rest of world: 10%
What the rich own
1% of richest adults
own
40% of total global wealth
2% of richest adults
own
51% of total global wealth
5% of richest adults
Own
71% of total global wealth
10% of richest adults
Own
85% of total global wealth
SOURCE: UNU-WIDER RICHARD JOHNSON/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
“How can it be that in the most talked about case in Canada, that was raised in the House of Commons in 2002, that the commissioner didn’t find out about his glaring mistake until four years later?”
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