Highlights from today's ABC news

Couldn't resist sharing these gems:

Winner for the Best (or Worst) headline pun Award, for a story on Eddie Izzard completing his Ultra-Marathon:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/16/2687143.htm?section=justin

Winner of the Unintended Irony Award, for providing a phone number to people whose phone connections have been cut off in Sydney CBD:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/16/2687107.htm

Favorite story update

I just found this update from the world's favorite bank robbers (excluding Ronnie Biggs of course).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/26/2667264.htm

Interesting that the bank teller has now been fired after a second mistake. I guess they won't ever really be able to justify the 'attention to detail' component on their future job applications...

Reason to become a Scientist #1

Reason #1: So you can tell poisonous salad from non-poisonous salad in your local supermarket.

A trained botanist in Hanover, Germany was buying some pre-packaged salad when he noticed the abundance of common groundsel (senecio vulgaris, also known as Ragweed). He alerted the store, who removed all the salad and sent a sample to the University of Bonn for testing.

They detected 2,500 micrograms of poison in 150g of salad (and in a brilliant bit of journalism, Reuter's online points out that this is 2,500 times more than the recommended amount of daily poison).

Scientists 1: Retailers, Farmers and Journalists 0.

I have a new hero

Lubna Hussein.

If you don't recognise the name, you might know the story. She is a former journalist from Sudan who was arrested a few weeks ago for wearing pants (trousers for those in the UK) in a restaurant. She was with 10 other women also wearing trousers, who were all arrested for indecent dress - the penalty is a whipping.

Unfortunately, while the penatly is pretty well established, the interepretation of 'indecent dress' isn't so it's pretty much up the individual cop as to whether to charge a woman for wearing trousers or not.

In this case, 10 of the women pled guilty to indecent dress and recieved lashes the next day. Lubna is pleading not guilty and has taken her case to court in a test of the law. And what makes this story even more amazing is that to force the issue and avoid any potential backing-out by the authorities in Sudan, she has quit her post at the UN Council and waived any right to immunity as a result. She is putting herself forward as a test case for women in Sudan and their rights - not so much to wear pants (I'm pretty sure that isn't really a right but a fashion statement although no doubt some people would think it was) but to not be subjected to vagarities and inequality in the justice system and to have a right to choice and know the consequences rather than being coerced into choices because of fear or lack of knowledge. Or maybe she is fighting for the right to wear pants because she has thick ankles and can't wear skirts.

Either way, she's pretty damn brave and definately a new hero of mine.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5734IP20090804?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

TED 2009

Another quickie - just wanted to draw your attention to the 2009 TED lecture series. My sister introduced me to TED and I'm rapidly becoming addicted to this site...

Basically it's an website that provides high quality videos of lectures by some pretty amazing people on topics near and dear to their hearts - so you get to hear Dan Gilbert explain what makes people happy, Richard Dawkins on militant atheism or people like Hans Rosling with some pretty amazing and fairly friendly statistics on poverty ect.

Think Stephen Fry, Bill Gates, Gordon Brown and others all have a lecture up there. Definately worth checking out on a lazy afternoon.

www.ted.com

Goodbye Chaser, Goodbye.

The Chaser finale was on Wednesday night. Sob.

I've been reading the obituary (comments) from the ABC website and I think this was my favorite because it managed to slam everyone under the age of 50 while acknowledging a slight flaw in their own reasoning:

Chris Theunissen:
30 Jul 2009 3:54:28pm
Good riddance. They symbolise all that is offensive about Generation Y even if they might be Gen X'ers.
Agree (0) Alert moderator

Nice.

One small step

In 1969, the Beatles played their final concert on the roof of a shopping mall; the Brady Bunch premiered on TV; the Vietnam War protest stepped up a notch; 32 of the best musicians of the era played at Woodstock...

And man walked on the moon.

Time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Moonwalk (years before Micheal Jackson). It's happened again a few times since but now that we know we can do that, the focus has been on the international space station, designed as not only an outer space research station but a potential stepping stone towards journeys further into our solar system. Already pychological and physical tests are underway to simulate a journey to Mars, and as our understanding of space and time improve, there is the potential to go wider and further.

Which brings up an interesting debate on the value of space research and exploration - many people would argue that charity begins at home, that the resources spent on space exploration would be better invested in dealing with issues like poverty, climate change and famine.

I personally am a huge supporter of space research and exploration but wonder what reactions to another moon mission would be today in the face of the GFC and climate change...

Why we should all feel incredibly guilty for even reading this blog...

My favorite quote from an online article today:

"We are uninterested, verging on contemptuous, of the marketing strategies that were supposed to pay for us to enjoy online services for free. We've become totally unwilling to pay for them directly, either; we simply figure that someone, somehow, will pick up the tab."

Any guesses regarding context?

Apparently, our desire for free access to global networking sites that rely on content and participation from the community like YouTube is incredibly selfish, ignoring poor, hard-working companies like News Ltd who scrape an honest living out of selling us things like access to information.

Feeling guilty?

Here is the link in all it's 'young generation expect everything for free' glory: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/how-can-youtube-survive-1734267.html

The Other White Flu

Well, my brother in law is awaiting his final lab results. Will it be H1N1? Will it be the boring old version of the flu? Will it be a brand new superflu, previously unnamed (and hereby known as Murphy's Flu)?

Time will tell. Here is a snippet from 'New Scientist' that kind of explains what the fuss is all about http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/05/so-is-it-a-pandemic-or-not.html

On an unrelated note, my two favorite bank robbers are apparently living it up in China. The girl's sister facebooked (is that a verb?) her status, enjoying the sun and a local asian beer.

Of course, I'm still not convinced that it's robbery when you actually give someone the money and they run off with it. It's kind of your own fault - I'm pretty sure I couldn't walk up to someone who asked for me for money, give them a couple of thousand and then chase them two hours later with police to demand it back and ask for them to be charged because I was only meant to give them two dollars.

Favorite story of the year nomination #1

The NZ couple who, when a Westpac bank error gave them $100,000 instead of $10,000, put their gas station into recievership and ran for the hills.

Interpol is chasing them - last I heard they were in China/Korea. I can smell a movie deal already!!!

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE54K54520090521?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews