tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88313841722092180212023-11-16T09:41:55.109+02:00PollyannaThis is a blog devoted to nice and interesting things that we can be glad about, just as Pollyanna was always glad about everything no matter how difficult. For those who would like to see my reality blog in which I rant away about politics, human rights and things I dislike, there is always arkee-titan.blogspot.comarkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-44446826685426444042017-01-19T10:28:00.001+02:002017-01-19T10:28:15.489+02:00Pollyanna starts off her new yearTitan and Pollyanna like to think of themselves as retirees who are
relaxing after years of hard labor and ranting. They have, in their
joint persona of T_P decided that it is not fair to their countless fans and readers to deprive them of the wisdom they can dispense. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBqOE7RWCKL_7zT3LuSI_3GG4Vy841tpX3pG0jL2Ceb8kzntTXnNv4ZsHpvILP0E-mnvDyXbzvcvFm-U7z06IvnkKaez_PFekRl38Ep0h6DvwwsV1CDb51UN2qGlc3l3xfUErSC69bWw/s1600/images_pollyanna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBqOE7RWCKL_7zT3LuSI_3GG4Vy841tpX3pG0jL2Ceb8kzntTXnNv4ZsHpvILP0E-mnvDyXbzvcvFm-U7z06IvnkKaez_PFekRl38Ep0h6DvwwsV1CDb51UN2qGlc3l3xfUErSC69bWw/s1600/images_pollyanna.jpg" /></a><br />
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Yes, Virginia, we have a sense of the absurd. We also think that age is
not a big deal; Pollyanna at over 100 and Titan at 4.5 billion hold out
hope for all of us to say nothing of Biblical figures.<br />
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<img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm-xPb80tP3ow_1Fwaj7cmeRBYqXXJ51y8E36vBr5k5fy2e_6KEARiRPYrDz69W0XFsuCuLPghdt869ANp23z9rDiiI4Z7IP2F9g0uhBMPSp4hf6yqfWcvNOT8pxsc-jmbIDMTLIl7gg/s400/methusela.jpg" width="400" />
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The Charity Corner has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger HumanRights Action site.</a> Titan and Pollyanna hope that you will visit there, take the actions and make the donations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">IN MEMORIAM</span><br />
A truck driven by a terrorist ran into a group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem on Sunday and killed four of them. The victims have been identified as:<br />
<ul>
<li>20-year-old Yael Yekutiel from Givataiym,</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>22-year-old Shir Hajaj from Ma’ale Adumim</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>20-year-old Shira Tzur from Haifa</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>20-year-old Erez Orbach from Alon Shvut.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The scene of the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, January 8, 2017. " src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.763687.1483885785%21/image/944580841.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_625/944580841.jpg" height="" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The scene of the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, January 8, 2017. " width="" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scene of the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, January 8, 2017. credit Emil Salman<br />
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</tbody></table>
Hajaj was a commander in the Israel Defense Forces officer's course, while the others were cadets in the same course. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.763673">read more</a>:<br />
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Pollyanna weeps for the victims of this senseless act of terror. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.763988">As Chemi Shalev writes in Haaretz,</a> there can be no possible justification for this action. <i>"The fact that they were soldiers or that the attack took place in an area of Jerusalem which is supposedly in dispute or that the Palestinians have a legitimate right to fight the occupation cannot justify what is essentially an<br />act of barbaric cruelty – and inexcusable stupidity." </i><br />
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The killer not only struck a mortal blow at four Israeli families, he also knew what he was bringing on his own family. As Amira Hass writes in Haaretz <i>"He knew that his body would not be returned to the family for burial – a particularly humiliating and painful blow. He knew that relatives would be arrested immediately and be beaten while in detention. That some might be fired from their jobs in West Jerusalem. And that female relatives without Israeli identity cards who are married to Jerusalem residents might find themselves expelled from their homes and separated from their children. He knew that for months, and perhaps years, his family would be harassed by the police and state authorities. He also knew that the family home would be demolished. All this has happened to other Palestinian attackers from East Jerusalem."</i> <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.763796">read more:</a><br />
Nonetheless, he carried out the attack. It is clear, as each stated in his/her way, that the terrible stupidity of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders places on this blood on their hands.<br />
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W<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.763758">ill this endless tragedy</a> of two peoples condemned to share a land and spill each others blood ever be resolved?<br />
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<h3>
ZYGMUNT BAUMAN 1925-2016 </h3>
<h3>
Zygmunt Bauman, a Polish-Jewish sociologist and philosopher who authored more than 50 books, has died.</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="courtesy-of-the-resizer zoom-in" data-hi-res-src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2017/01/09/Obituaries/Images/2017-01-09T191822Z_1284389814_RC1BB6E8B550_RTRMADP_3_PEOPLE-BAUMAN-0805.jpg?uuid=xOoXhta3Eea4sstRZL66aw" data-low-res-src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_480w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2017/01/09/Obituaries/Images/2017-01-09T191822Z_1284389814_RC1BB6E8B550_RTRMADP_3_PEOPLE-BAUMAN-0805.jpg?uuid=xOoXhta3Eea4sstRZL66aw" data-raw-src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2017/01/09/Obituaries/Images/2017-01-09T191822Z_1284389814_RC1BB6E8B550_RTRMADP_3_PEOPLE-BAUMAN-0805.jpg?uuid=xOoXhta3Eea4sstRZL66aw" height="257" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2017/01/09/Obituaries/Images/2017-01-09T191822Z_1284389814_RC1BB6E8B550_RTRMADP_3_PEOPLE-BAUMAN-0805.jpg?uuid=xOoXhta3Eea4sstRZL66aw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="pb-caption">Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman in 2010. (Eloy Alonso/Reuters)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/zygmunt-bauman-sociologist-who-wrote-identity-in-the-modern-world-dies-at-91/2017/01/09/ba6f821e-d6b2-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html?utm_term=.3753fb6cefb9">Bauman, who wrote on subjects</a> ranging from the fluidity of identity in the modern world to consumerism, died Monday at his home in Leeds, England. He was 91.<br />
He was one of the first sociologists in postwar Poland, but was eventually driven out of the country in 1968 along with many other Jews. From 1969 to 1971 he lectured at universities in Tel Aviv and Haifa. In 1971 he moved to the United Kingdom, where he became involved with the University of Leeds, becoming head of the sociology department until his retirement in 1990. <a href="http://www.jta.org/2017/01/09/news-opinion/world/zygmunt-bauman-polish-jewish-sociologist-and-philosopher-dies-at-91">In recent years he became an outspoken critic </a>of Israel’s government for its treatment of the Palestinians.<br />
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In his recent book “Strangers at Our Door” he analyzed the refugee crisis, the panic it caused and the narrative built around it by politicians and the media.<br />
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In a 2009 interview, Bauman was optimistic about the Jews’ place in the Diaspora and the possibilities for societies to embrace pluralism.<br />
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<i>“Now, however, it looks like that diasporic context of our living<br />will not go away — it will be there forever, so learning how to<br />live with strangers day in, day out without abandoning my own<br />strangeness is high on the agenda,” he said. “You are a stranger, I<br />am a stranger, we all remain strangers, and nevertheless we can<br />like or even love each other.”</i> RIP Professor Bauman<br />
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<h3>
<i> </i>YAHRZEIT--ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH RABBI ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL (1907-1972)</h3>
The yahrzeit (death-anniversary) of <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/AHeschel2.html">Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel </a>is the 18th day of the Jewish midwinter lunar “moonth” of Tevet. In the Western calendar, this year it falls on Sunday evening and Monday, January 15-16 -- the real and the officially observed birthdays of Dr. Martin Luther King. T<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/project/portfolio/long-road">hey stood together 50 years ago </a>against racism, against the Viet Nam war, against poverty. In the midst of WWII, when he already knew that his parents had perished in the holocaust, Heschel could write:"<i><a href="https://theshalomcenter.org/content/rabbi-heschel-let-fascism-not-serve-alibi-our-conscience">We have failed to offer sacrifices on the altar of peace; now we must offer sacrifices on the altar of war..</a>.. Let Fascism not serve as an alibi for our conscience.... Where were we when men learned to hate in the days of starvation? When raving madmen were sowing wrath in the hearts of the unemployed? ..."Good and evil, which were once as real as day and night, have become a blurred mist. In our everyday life we worshiped force, despised compassion, and obeyed no law but our unappeasable appetite. The vision of the sacred has all but died in the soul of man."</i> ("The Meaning of This War [World War II]," pp. 210-212, in Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, Susannah Heschel, ed. [Farrar Straus Giroux, 1996]).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="335" src="https://theshalomcenter.org/sites/default/files/imce/heschelmlkriversidechurch1967apr4-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="570" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Riverside Church, April 4, 1967</td></tr>
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Pollyanna says that because we refuse to offer sacrifices on the altar of peace, we offered up to the Moloch of fascism and racism and aggressive expansion of our borders, four young lives<i>. As Bob Dylan wrote and sang, "...Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows That too many people have died?" </i>For us the answer is not even blowing in the wind.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">POLLYANNA IS NOT GLAD AND WANTS TO RANT AS MUCH AS TITAN</span><br />
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<h2>
PROVOCATION AT KALANSUA</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Israeli officials demolished 11 buildings put up without proper permits in the Israeli Arab city of Kalansua. January 10, 2017." src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.764281.1484083999%21/image/446912015.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/446912015.JPG" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Israeli officials demolished 11 buildings put up without proper permits in the Israeli Arab city of Kalansua. January 10, 2017." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Israeli officials demolished 11 buildings put up without proper permits in the Israeli Arab city of Kalansua. January 10, 2017. Moti Milrod<br />
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</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Thousands protest in Kalansua against house demolitions, January 13, 2016." src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.764907.1484325062%21/image/2098028844.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/2098028844.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Thousands protest in Kalansua against house demolitions, January 13, 2016." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands protest in Kalansua against house demolitions, January 13, 2016. Courtesy<br />
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.764896</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.764274">Israeli officials demolished Tuesday 11 buildings</a> put up without proper permits in the Israeli Arab city of Kalansua, stirring political tensions regarding law enforcement and housing in Israel's Arab communities. Their owners, four local families, said they only received notice two days ago and were not given proper time to respond through legal channels. The structures were built on land designated for farming.<br />
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In Israel, a Jew can get a building permit and a rezoning easement fairly easily. An Arab will usually encounter a bureaucratic wall that typically would require 7 to 8 years to get a permit issued.It is straightforward ethnic discrimination. As a result Arabs who need housing for expanding families have no choice but to build without permits which leaves them vulnerable to demolition. The present demolitions serve the purpose of distracting attention from the evacuation of the illegal West Bank outpost Amona and the investigation into the prime minister. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.764896">Pollyanna hangs her head in shame at these despicable actions taken in her name.</a><br />
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<h2>
CORRUPTION IN HIGH PLACES--SURPRISE!!</h2>
<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.764931">Our First Couple, the PM Netanyahu and his spouse Sara</a> are both facing investigations that have every chance of leading to indictments of both of them for exploitation of their position, accepting expensive gifts from various people and a corrupt and extravagant managing of the household of the Prime Minister. Worse than that, evidence in the form of taped conversations shows that the PM and the owner of the mass circulation daily Yediot Ahronot negotiated a deal under which Netanyahu would get favorable publicity from the newspaper in return for choking the competing handout paper. New excerpts from recordings of the secret discussions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes, reported by Channel 2 on Friday, illustrate how the two men got down to the nuts and bolts of how they would implement a deal for better coverage for Netanyahu and reduced commercial competition for Mozes. In details published later, Mozes told Netanyahu: <i>"We'll make sure you remain Prime Minister."<br /> </i>To say that the deal stinks is an olfactory understatement, even if it was not consummated.<br />
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<h2>
A HOMELESS GIRL DIES ON A TEL AVIV STREET </h2>
<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.764888">This is the story of M.</a> who died on the street in Tel Aviv of an overdose. As she lay there K., a homeless woman addicted to drugs, was the only person who tried to offer her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, while also asking passersby to call an ambulance. From a gang rape at the club <i>Allenby 44 </i>at age 17 to a pitiful death on the street at age 21, she lived a life of drugs and prostitution. Over 2700 years ago the prophet Isaiah found the words to describe a society in which such a horrible life could take place. Women in prostitution continue to die and no one sees it happening.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "david"; font-size: 150%;">שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר יְהוָה קְצִינֵי סְדֹם הַאֲזִינוּ תּוֹרַת אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַם עֲמֹרָה.</span><br />
<i>Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. </i>Isaiah I,10<br />
Yes. the brutality of our life has turned us into the people of the Cities of the Plain. Pollyanna ventures to think that nearly 50 years of occupation and brutal rule of another people might play a major role in creating our callous society. <br />
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<h2>
ADVICE FOR THE FUTURE </h2>
In the unlikely case that Netanyahu and his spouse get sent to jail, they can continue to run the country from their cell. The public will hardly notice.<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2004/12/how_to_govern_from_the_clink.html"> Slate magazine published an article </a>on ruling from a jail cell. In particular the case of James Michael Curley, the popular and corrupt Boston politician often credited with coining the winking phrase, <i>"Vote early and often"</i> is the most interesting and amusing.<br />
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<h2>
MORAL BRUTES </h2>
Our beloved army that claims to be the most moral army in the world has taken up a new tactic-<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.764648">abuse and intimidation of children</a> in the middle of the night. Gideon Levy and Alex Levac describe how IDF soldiers burst into a Palestinian home after midnight, and awakened two boys to warn them not to take part in protests. On their way out, they tossed stun grenades into neighbors' yards. Gideon Levy notes what these <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.765005">great heroes never tell their mothers. </a>After all enemies aged 6,11 and 13 are frightening enough to cause a combat soldier to dirty his underpants. God help Israel if these fighters ever have to confront a real army. We are told that the army is having problems finding soldiers from the higher socio-economic strata who are willing to serve in these units. It is attributed to their desire to serve in technological units that are said to give them an advantage in later life. The truth is that they are less eager to commit crimes than the national-religious scum and their friends from the periphery. Not PC, but true.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Kadum's juvenile lineup, from left: Shahad, Mohammed, Muaman, Mahmoud, Maliq, Khaled, Tariq. Since the protests began, 85 residents, 11 of them children, have been hit by live bullets." src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.764741.1484237478%21/image/777333968.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/777333968.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Kadum's juvenile lineup, from left: Shahad, Mohammed, Muaman, Mahmoud, Maliq, Khaled, Tariq. Since the protests began, 85 residents, 11 of them children, have been hit by live bullets." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kadum's juvenile lineup, from left: Shahad, Mohammed, Muaman, Mahmoud, Maliq, Khaled, Tariq. Since the protests began, 85 residents, 11 of them children, have been hit by live bullets. Alex Levac<br />
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.764648</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>We must ask ourselves how our young men became capable of such monstrous actions. The abuse of children, the destruction of the only clinic in a Palestinian village, the killing for no real reason, they have become part of our norm. We steadfastly fail to have any empathy for three million people under our rule. Indeed we deplore, as we must, their acts of terror aimed against civilians, but we continue to drive them to the dead end of total despair that can generate a suicide bomber. As failed imperialists have done through the centuries, we are building on political fairy tales and fortifying them with brute force.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Israeli security forces taking a child into custody during a protest in Kafr Qaddum, December 2016." src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.765008.1484421033%21/image/1613343517.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/1613343517.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Israeli security forces taking a child into custody during a protest in Kafr Qaddum, December 2016." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Israeli security forces taking a child into custody during a protest in Kafr Qaddum, December 2016. Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency<br />
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.765005</td></tr>
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<a href="http://mlk50.org/writings/the-sermon/full-text-beyond-vietnam/">Fifty years ago Martin Luther King</a>, a close friend and colleague of Rabbi Heschel spoke of the people of Viet Nam in terms that hold well by analogy with the Palestinian people of today. Let us quote:<i>"Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence when it helps us to see the enemy’s point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."</i> We have heard similar statements from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. If we cannot wake up to reality, "...<i>hard rain is going to fall."</i><br />
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<h2>
TRUMP TAKES OVER </h2>
On January 20 the greatest democracy in the world <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.764870?utm_source=trendemon&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=flow">will fall into the hands of Donald Trump</a> and his coterie of thugs. As Sasha Abramski writes in Haaretz, in the year 2017, the American Republic – founded by Washington, Jefferson and other Enlightenment luminaries, saved by Lincoln, brought to its modern pre-eminence by Roosevelt – is being handed over to an unholy alliance-of-convenience made up of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Islamophobes, Russophiles, supporters of the ultranationalist wing of Israeli politics, billionaire plutocrats and conspirators. In the wider world a sense of uncertainty prevails--both China and Europe have reason to fear a Trump foreign policy that caters to Russia while denigrating traditional relationships. The people who obtained their first health insurance via the ACA (Obamacare) are due for a shock. <br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="436" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/150/15016/1501618.gif" id="comic-zoom" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/150/15016/1501618.gif" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/opinion/trump-trapped-in-his-lies-keeps-lying-sad.html?mabReward=CTM&recp=1&module=WelcomeBackModal&contentCollection=Politics&region=FixedCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article">The use of lies goes on.</a><br />
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<h2>
HORROR OF HORSE BLOOD USE </h2>
<a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/horse_blood_loc/?pv=672&rc=fb">Avaaz asks you to sign a petition</a> to put a stop to the draining of the blood of pregnant mares for pharmaceutical use.<br />
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<h2>
BOOK REVIEW</h2>
<h4>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590177177?ie=UTF8&tag=thneyoreofbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1590177177" target="_blank">Zama</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thneyoreofbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1590177177" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </h4>
<div class="attribution">
by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated from the Spanish by Esther Allen</div>
<div class="details">
New York Review Books, 201 pp., $15.95 (paper)</div>
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<div class="details">
<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/01/19/antonio-di-benedetto-great-writer/">This book is reviewed in the NYRB</a> by J.M. Coetzee. In addition to an extensive review of a book set in 18th century colonial Argentina, we are given a grounding in Latin American literature which should be enlightening to all of us.</div>
<h3>
</h3>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">SCIENCE TIDBITS</span><br />
<h2>
ASTRONOMY CATCHES A THIEF--OUR OWN GALAXY </h2>
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<a href="http://www.space.com/images/i/000/061/563/original/milky-way.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&downsize=*:1400" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.space.com/images/i/000/061/563/original/milky-way.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&downsize=*:1400" height="198" width="400" /></a></div>
Some of the most distant stars in the Milky Way <a href="http://www.space.com/35298-milky-way-galaxy-stolen-stars-astronomy-dwarf-sagittarius.html">may have been lifted from another galaxy,</a> research released Wednesday shows.<br />
<br />
The unintended donor, known as the Sagittarius dwarf, is one of dozens of miniature galaxies that loop around the Milky Way. The Sagittarius dwarf is currently located about 70,000 light-years from Earth. It appears that our large and massive galaxy manages to rip off stars from any smaller galaxy that passes by. Pollyanna offers a cosmic apology.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
FETAL BRAINS IMAGED </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="fragment-image lazyloaded" data-src="https://d2ufo47lrtsv5s.cloudfront.net/content/sci/355/6321/117.2/F1.large.jpg" height="191" src="https://d2ufo47lrtsv5s.cloudfront.net/content/sci/355/6321/117.2/F1.large.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colored regions in these MRI images of a human fetus (shown from two
perspectives) indicate brain regions where connectivity grows stronger
between the 20th and 40th weeks of gestation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Babies born prematurely are prone to problems later in life—they're more likely to develop autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and more likely to struggle in school. <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6321/117.2">A new study </a>that is among the first to investigate brain activity in human fetuses suggests that the underlying neurological issues may begin in the womb. The findings provide the first direct evidence of altered brain function in fetuses that go on to be born prematurely, and they might ultimately point to ways to remediate or even prevent such early injuries. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME </span><br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/147/">WhatIf? Niagara Straw</a><br />
<br />
What would happen if one tried to funnel Niagara Falls through a straw?[1]<br />
<br />
—David Gwizdala<br />
The answer is quite interesting to say the least.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE EFFECTIVE</h2>
<h2>
</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/150/15045/1504511.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/150/15045/1504511.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
THE TRUTH ABOUT EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/150/15033/1503399.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/150/15033/1503399.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<h2>
<i> </i></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-72004220063542000582016-12-18T23:13:00.000+02:002016-12-18T23:13:32.781+02:00Pollyanna greets youTitan and Pollyanna like to think of themselves as retirees who are relaxing after years of hard labor and ranting. They have, in their joint persona of T_P decided that it is not fair to their countless fans and readers to deprive them of the wisdom they can dispense. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBqOE7RWCKL_7zT3LuSI_3GG4Vy841tpX3pG0jL2Ceb8kzntTXnNv4ZsHpvILP0E-mnvDyXbzvcvFm-U7z06IvnkKaez_PFekRl38Ep0h6DvwwsV1CDb51UN2qGlc3l3xfUErSC69bWw/s1600/images_pollyanna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBqOE7RWCKL_7zT3LuSI_3GG4Vy841tpX3pG0jL2Ceb8kzntTXnNv4ZsHpvILP0E-mnvDyXbzvcvFm-U7z06IvnkKaez_PFekRl38Ep0h6DvwwsV1CDb51UN2qGlc3l3xfUErSC69bWw/s1600/images_pollyanna.jpg" /></a><br />
Yes, Virginia, we have a sense of the absurd. We also think that age is not a big deal; Pollyanna at over 100 and Titan at 4.5 billion hold out hope for all of us to say nothing of Biblical figures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm-xPb80tP3ow_1Fwaj7cmeRBYqXXJ51y8E36vBr5k5fy2e_6KEARiRPYrDz69W0XFsuCuLPghdt869ANp23z9rDiiI4Z7IP2F9g0uhBMPSp4hf6yqfWcvNOT8pxsc-jmbIDMTLIl7gg/s1600/methusela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm-xPb80tP3ow_1Fwaj7cmeRBYqXXJ51y8E36vBr5k5fy2e_6KEARiRPYrDz69W0XFsuCuLPghdt869ANp23z9rDiiI4Z7IP2F9g0uhBMPSp4hf6yqfWcvNOT8pxsc-jmbIDMTLIl7gg/s400/methusela.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
They will try to alleviate the effects of climate change through which we are all laboring. If you can find a denier, try to keep him/her away from air conditioning--they are not worthy of it. The fact that in the US both the President-elect and his EPA appointee are of that breed does not bode well.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOep2QVB49BGuKAGKEWR2WmgHWn0uWV5srcQo1SQJSqikgFTYNQ6Zkd4t8dcLWcc2Cy7sUXVDQ8NABDENzemR34atXY-YnEq9TYc0iPoBybe2ZOAiP1rSHjBmVsEAcvu5_qcJm5ebYNwk/s1600/hot-sun-thermometer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOep2QVB49BGuKAGKEWR2WmgHWn0uWV5srcQo1SQJSqikgFTYNQ6Zkd4t8dcLWcc2Cy7sUXVDQ8NABDENzemR34atXY-YnEq9TYc0iPoBybe2ZOAiP1rSHjBmVsEAcvu5_qcJm5ebYNwk/s1600/hot-sun-thermometer.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
T_P have noted that things have not become better since they retired from active ranting. They have decided, therefore, that they will come back to a schedule, with Pollyanna at mid month and Titan at the end of the month. Their recent move with their amanuenses YandA to a place full of retired people has renewed their energy and desire to bug people. As usual, Titan will rant mightily while Pollyanna will try to be glad, but will allow herself rants about women and girls or blatant human rights violations.<br />
<br />
The Charity Corner has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger HumanRights Action site.</a> Titan and Pollyanna hope that you will visit there, take the actions and make the donations.<br />
<br />
Pollyanna, Titan and Yanda hope all their friends enjoy the winter holiday season with Christmas, Hannuka and Kwanzaa awaiting to give us joy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM JOHN GLENN 1921-2016</h2>
<a href="http://www.biography.com/people/john-glenn-9313269#american-pioneer">He was the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth</a>, Feb. 20, 1962.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a1.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.3,q_80,w_620/MTQyMzI2ODE3OTE3NzczNjU0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://a1.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.3,q_80,w_620/MTQyMzI2ODE3OTE3NzczNjU0.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="tml-image--caption ng-binding" itemprop="caption">
On
February 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn entered the spacecraft
Friendship 7 to begin the first American-manned mission to orbit Earth.</div>
<a class="" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn#/media/File:John_Glenn_Entering_Friendship_7_-_GPN-2000-000652.jpg" target="_blank">(Photo: NASA [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
At a time when the US was suffering from lack of confidence in the wake of the Soviet achievements in space, the short, three orbit flight brought back faith that the United States could indeed hold its own against the Soviet Union in the Cold War and might someday prevail. After leaving NASA, Glenn served as a US Senator from his native Ohio for 24 years. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/john-glenn-dies.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0">The NYTimes</a> has an obituary as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/08/john-glenn-obituary">does the Guardian.</a><br />
<br />
<h2>
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRK DOUGLAS </h2>
<h3>
BORN DECEMBER 9, 1916 </h3>
Kirk Douglas is a great American actor, the last survivor of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was born to a poor Jewish immigrant family as Issur Danielovitch Demsky and broke out of poverty with the aid of a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His career really began after WWII when the lead role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers got him rave reviews and he never looked back. A <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000018/bio">detailed biography</a> can be found in IMDb and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/12/09/arts/ap-us-kirk-douglas-100th-birthday.html">his birthday party i</a>s described by the media.<br />
<img alt="Image result for Kirk Douglas birthday" class="irc_mi inulFix3_RcE-pQOPx8XEepE" src="http://a4.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,h_1200,q_80,w_1200/MTE4MDAzNDEwNTA3MTA1ODA2.jpg" height="405" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="405" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">RANTS OF THE MONTH</span><br />
<h2>
<br />ABUSE OF WOMEN </h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="woman in white with black tape covering her eyes" class="gallery__img gallery__img--portrait" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6c8f76a3afac37ee33a617e7b7120a3923b500b7/0_0_2000_2670/master/2000.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=519a8b5735e4bf77997ed2542ee4e5d8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls are more likely than boys
<a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-all/single-view/news/263_million_children_and_youth_are_out_of_school_from_primar/">to be denied an education</a>, which could open their eyes to new possibilities and job opportunities
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna calls your attention to a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2016/nov/28/whitewashing-abuse-women-in-pictures-bhargavi-joshi">study of the abuse of women </a>shown in the Guardian. Photographer Bhargavi Joshi’s series of images represents the violence and injustices that confront women worldwide, regardless of their age, race, culture, education and socio-economic background. The women are painted white to shift the focus from their physical traits, race or culture to their gender, says Joshi. Pollyanna recommends this series of images strongly--it gets the message about misogyny across most<br />
effectively.<br />
<br />
<h2>
FOR MALTA, A POSITIVE RANT </h2>
Malta has become the first country in <a class="u-underline" data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news">Europe</a>
to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/07/malta-becomes-first-european-country-to-ban-gay-cure-therapy">ban gay conversion therapy</a> after the parliament in Valetta
unanimously approved a bill outlawing attempts to<i> “cure”</i> homosexuals of
their sexuality.<br />
Under the new Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and
Gender Expression Act, anyone found guilty of trying to “change, repress
or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or
gender expression” will face fines or a jail sentence.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A reveller waves a rainbow flag during the Gay Pride parade" class="maxed responsive-img" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/02005ca24552258f0dd70208d28220de4e9a42a9/0_49_4695_2817/master/4695.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=8ab1bad94e589d38880e7f9fe7efd26e" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new law states that ‘no sexual orientation, gender identity or
gender expression constitutes a disorder, disease or shortcoming of any
sort’.
Photograph: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/07/malta-becomes-first-european-country-to-ban-gay-cure-therapy">Pollyanna is glad and applauds.</a><br />
<br />
<h2>
THE OBSCENITY OF ALEPPO</h2>
Pollyanna is outraged, as are all decent people <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/1.758513">at the reports of massacre of civilians</a> as the Syrian-Russian-Iranian axis completes its conquest of Aleppo. Syrian rebels prepared to withdraw from Aleppo on Wednesday after a
ceasefire agreement that ended years of fighting in the city and gave
President Bashar al-Assad his biggest victory yet after more than five
years of war.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Syrian civilians flee towards safer southeastern Aleppo, on December 12, 2016, during an operation by Syrian government" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.758673.1481611385%21/image/2022980724.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/2022980724.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Syrian civilians flee towards safer southeastern Aleppo, on December 12, 2016, during an operation by Syrian government" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Syrian civilians flee towards safer southeastern Aleppo, on December 12, 2016, during an operation by Syrian government STRINGER/AFP<br />
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/1.758513</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/aleppo-rebels-truce_us_5850cf84e4b092f086862d64">There appeared to be a truce</a> of sorts that should have enabled civilians and rebel fighters to leave the city. The
United Nations earlier on Tuesday voiced deep concern about reports it
had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily
shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused
them of “slaughter”.<br />
<i>“The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to
flee and shot in their homes,”</i> said Rupert Colville, a U.N. spokesman.
“<i>There could be many more.”</i><br />
The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among
those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday that rebels had<i> “kept over 100,000
people in east Aleppo as human shields</i>."<br />
Fear stalks the city’s streets. Some survivors trudge in the rain
past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still
in rebel hands. Others stay in their homes and await the Syrian
army’s arrival. For all of them, fear of arrest, conscription or summary execution adds to the daily terror of bombardment.<br />
“<i>People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and
are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then
either left or shot and left to die,”</i> said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif
al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.<br />
Terrible conditions were described by city residents. Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies
lay in the streets.<i> “There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan
al-Qasr with </i><a href="http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/aleppo-exit-to-be-quick-peaceful-un/news-story/0c2fe710f0868cbdded389ba71bd1d8ehttp://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/aleppo-exit-to-be-quick-peaceful-un/news-story/0c2fe710f0868cbdded389ba71bd1d8e"><i>no one to bury them,”</i> he said.</a><br />
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/aleppo-exit-to-be-quick-peaceful-un/news-story/0c2fe710f0868cbdded389ba71bd1d8ehttp://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/aleppo-exit-to-be-quick-peaceful-un/news-story/0c2fe710f0868cbdded389ba71bd1d8e"> Pollyanna hopes the people </a>can really leave safely as reported. It appears now that the truce is at the point of collapsing and the future appears very dim.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for aleppo buses" class="irc_mi ixuUVjc_Abl8-pQOPx8XEepE" height="225" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnews.com/content/fox-news/world/2016/12/18/aleppo-syrian-activists-say-evacuation-buses-burned/_jcr_content/par/featured_image/media-0.img.jpg/0/0/1482079745390.jpg?ve=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buses burn--evacuation stalled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<section class="extra-content">
<h2 class="extra-content__title">
DYLAN THE NOBEL LAUREATE
</h2>
<div class="extra-content__title">
Bob Dylan (born in Duluth MN, cheers!!) received the Nobel Prize for literature this year, which raised some controversy. He did not attend the ceremony, but sent a speech. Patti Smith sang <i>Hard Rain is Gonna Fall. </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="extra-content__title">
<a href="http://www.spin.com/2016/12/patti-smith-bob-dylan-lyric-nobel-prize/">She was so excited </a>and nervous that she forgot a line and had to restart. That is OK Patti. Here are the lyrics and they are true today as ever. Click to hear her.</div>
<div class="extra-content__title">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrBmDqDytHI"><b>"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"</b></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?<br />
And where have you been my darling young one?<br />
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains<br />
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways<br />
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests<br />
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans<br />
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard<br />
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard<br />
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.<br />
<br />
Oh, what did you see, my blue eyed son?<br />
And what did you see, my darling young one?<br />
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it<br />
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it<br />
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'<br />
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'<br />
I saw a white ladder all covered with water<br />
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken<br />
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children<br />
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard<br />
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.<br />
<br />
And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?<br />
And what did you hear, my darling young one?<br />
I heard the sound of a thunder that roared out a warnin'<br />
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world<br />
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin'<br />
I heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'<br />
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin'<br />
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter<br />
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley<br />
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard<br />
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.<br />
<br />
Oh, what did you meet my blue-eyed son ?<br />
Who did you meet, my darling young one?<br />
I met a young child beside a dead pony<br />
I met a white man who walked a black dog<br />
I met a young woman whose body was burning<br />
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow<br />
I met one man who was wounded in love<br />
I met another man who was wounded in hatred<br />
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard<br />
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.<br />
<br />
And what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?<br />
And what'll you do now my darling young one?<br />
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin'<br />
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest<br />
Where the people are a many and their hands are all empty<br />
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters<br />
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison<br />
And the executioner's face is always well hidden<br />
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten<br />
Where black is the color, where none is the number<br />
And I'll tell and speak it and think it and breathe it<br />
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it<br />
And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin'<br />
But I'll know my song well before I start singing<br />
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard<br />
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
</div>
</section><br />
<div class="tag-cloud js-tag-cloud" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"more"}}">
<h2>
TRUMP IS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE US</h2>
The Trump presidency is coming at us and we are indeed afraid of what is to be expected. His appointees are the denizens of the Wall Street swamp that he promised to drain. When the unemployed coal miners of Pennsylvania and West Virginia see that the mines are not reopening because there is no real market for polluting coal, perhaps they might realize that the offer of alternate industries that the Democrats put forward was the preferred option. The New Yorker presents us with the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/21/aftermath-sixteen-writers-on-trumps-america#mantel">views of 16 writers</a> on the aftermath of the election. All are worth reading. We expect very little from Trump.<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="436" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/149/14966/1496647.gif" height="290" id="comic-zoom" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/149/14966/1496647.gif" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If he compiles an enemies' list as did Nixon, we agree with Taj James <i>"If they create an Enemies/List," </i>says the poet Taj James, "<i>Sign me up."</i>
Only by showing our solidarity with those so-called enemies can we hope
that the listmakers themselves become the "enemies" of the people.
These are words for our unfortunate times.<br />
<h4>
#EnemiesList</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
By Taj James</h4>
If they create an Enemies<br />
List
Sign me up<br />
But that hour has not come<br />
The sun has not set and
<br />
Though it is cold
<br />
Winter is not yet upon us<br />
While we still can<br />
Stop them from making an enemies list<br />
but if we can’t stop them
<br />
Sign up<br />
While we still can<br />
Stop them from creating a Muslim registry
<br />
and if we can’t stop them
<br />
Sign up<br />
While we still can<br />
Stop them from creating internment camps<br />
but if we can’t stop them
<br />
Show up<br />
While we still can<br />
Stop them from seizing power<br />
But if we can’t stop them
<br />
Bring down their Dictatorship<br />
If they create an enemies list
<br />
Sign me up<br />
That is the only way to love & defend my family and neighbors
<br />
That is the only way to not lose my humanity<br />
when invited to participate
<br />
in the dehumanization of myself and others
<br />
in our global human family<br />
If all of the people
<br />
are enemies of the state
<br />
at that point
<br />
it becomes clear
<br />
that the State is an enemy of the people<br />
We must protect all from violence<br />
Especially those with the power
<br />
to do violence to others.
<br />
All those who have lost their humanity<br />
We express our love for them
<br />
by denying their ability to do harm<br />
to themselves and others<br />
Now is the time to show
<br />
our limitless Love<br />
We are building a world in which
<br />
#AllOfUs can thrive<br />
Even those who have lost their own humanity
<br />
and don’t have the capacity to see ours<br />
Even those who celebrate our death
<br />
and the death of our children<br />
We believe in redemption
<br />
We believe in healing and reconciliation
<br />
For All and for the Whole<br />
But the harm that is done must be repaired<br />
And we must stand against those
<br />
who seek greater power
<br />
to do unimaginable and unthinkable harm<br />
We show our love by protecting all people from harm<br />
They gain that power
<br />
only when we allow them to have it<br />
Let us reclaim our power
<br />
In the name of Love.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">WE ALL ARE WITH YOU, SAYS POLLYANNA </span><br />
<br />
<h2>
WHAT IS NOT CRICKET NOW WILL HAVE A COST</h2>
Pollyanna is shocked at the news that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/07/mcc-recommend-red-cards-sending-off-laws-of-cricket">red cards and sending players off </a>is going to become part of the sport of gentlemen. The new rules state that <i>“threatening an umpire, physically assaulting another player, umpire,
official or spectator; or any other act of violence” </i>will be a
sending-off offense that will result in a team being reduced to 10
players for the remainder of the match. What is the world coming to asks Pollyanna.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The red-card penalty, which will apply to all levels of competition from Test to village green, is expected to come into effect next October." class="maxed responsive-img" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5c8fe2448567bfaa935f46f8cdd046fd745f2caa/0_0_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=8e825377e7f4c1894882a83012cbc013" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red-card penalty, which will apply to all levels of competition from
Test to village green, is expected to come into effect next October.
Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
FEMINISM INVOLVES EQUALITY</h2>
<h3>
RAPE IS A CRIME </h3>
The writer Irin Carmon <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/opinion/sunday/what-women-really-think-of-men.html?action=click&contentCollection=Book+Review&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article&_r=0">discusses the question of what women really think of me</a>n in the Sunday Review of the NYTimes. She makes many valid points including the idea that simply declaring that men are louts and that there is no way of changing that really lets men off the hook for whatever behavior they choose. We see this now in Israel where a general who raped two woman soldiers under his command is being helped by his buddies in the military justice system to <a href="http://www.jta.org/2016/12/18/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/israeli-general-convicted-of-prohibited-sexual-relations-under-plea-bargain">cook up a plea bargain</a> that will keep the slime out of jail. Ms Carmon is right that in a world in which men and women are equal, men would not get the cop-out pass for any kind of action. Pollyanna sincerely hopes that women and men in Israel will raise their voices against the sort of "boys will be boys" treatment that Brig.Gen. Buchris is getting from this colleagues in the military mafia.<br />
<br />
<h2>
SCIENCE OF 2016 IN REVIEW</h2>
Pollyanna would like to link you to a<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2016-in-news-the-science-events-that-shaped-the-year-1.21159"> summary of 2016 in science</a> as presented by the science journal Nature. One of the most worrisome problems that is raised is the fate of the planet when the President of the United States thinks that climate change is a hoax of the Chinese. Let us hope that enlightenment comes, although his appointments bode ill for science and humanity.<br />
<br />
Another troubling matter is the spread of the Zika virus. <br />
<h2>
What we know</h2>
<ul>
<li>Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected <i>Aedes</i> species mosquito (<i>Ae. aegypti</i> and <i>Ae. albopictus</i>). These mosquitoes bite during the day and night.</li>
<li>Zika can be passed from a <a class="tp-link-policy" href="https://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/index_bckp.html">pregnant woman</a> to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.</li>
<li>There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.</li>
<li>Local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission has been reported in the continental United States. <a class="tp-link-policy" href="https://www.cdc.gov/zika/intheus/florida-update.html">Learn more</a>.</li>
</ul>
The apparent link to microcephaly in infants in Brazil has not been proven. According to the World Health Organization, the expected explosion in microcephaly cases and other Zika-linked
birth defects across the Americas has not materialized, despite the
virus’s spread across the continents. <br />
Even in
Brazil, extremely high rates of microcephaly remained confined to the
country’s northeast region — and researchers began to suspect <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/brazil-asks-whether-zika-acts-alone-to-cause-birth-defects-1.20309">the influence of confounding factors</a>.
In July, Brazilian authorities launched a study to find out whether
environmental, socio-economic or biological elements, when combined with
Zika infection, could explain the odd distribution of elevated rates.
They expect preliminary results early next year. On the other hand, CDC laboratories in the US have found that z<a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/3/16-1499_article">ika virus replicates in fetal brains and placentas</a> implying that it does cause many birth defects including microcephaly.<br />
<br />
The virus is still spreading and <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-latest-zika-news-is-more-bad-news/">the news is still bad</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.41255.1481808035%21/image/zika_web.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/zika_web.jpg" height="252" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> A four-month-old baby born in Brazil with microcephaly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
JUNO IN ORBIT </h2>
<br />
On the positive side of science, we saw the Juno spacecraft get into its polar orbit around Jupiter. The mission’s goal is to <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/nasa-s-juno-spacecraft-prepares-to-probe-jupiter-s-mysteries-1.20179">determine what Jupiter is made of</a>
— including how much water it contains, what powers its Great Red Spot,
and whether it has a core. Jupiter is the Solar System’s biggest planet
and was the first to condense around the Sun 4.5 billion years ago.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.37588.1467713218%21/image/pia13746-whereisjunonotext_900px.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/pia13746-whereisjunonotext_900px.jpg" height="311" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="credit">
NASA/JPL</div>
<div class="caption">
From its orbit around Jupiter, the spacecraft Juno will probe what powers the planet's Great Red Spot.</div>
<div class="caption">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
FILM REVIEW </h2>
<h3 class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA </h3>
<h3 class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What happens to people when the worst thing in the world happens to
them? What happens when someone just like you has a normal, happy life,
and then in one moment, it’s gone? How do you go on living? That is the
subject of director Kenneth Lonergan’s beautiful new film, Manchester By The Sea.</span></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We have seen it and we suggest you make sure to see it. It is wonderful and will leave you thinking about basic questions. <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/12/15/limits-of-forgiveness-manchester-by-the-sea/">It is reviewed </a>in the New York Review of Books (if you can open it) and<a href="http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/12/16/should-i-see-manchester-by-the-sea-review-movie-film/"> in Hollywood Life.</a></span></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Michelle Williams as Randi Chandler and Affleck as Lee Chandler in Manchester by the Sea , 2016" class="size-full wp-image-55396" src="http://www.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/manchester2.jpg" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><small>The Affleck/Middleton Project/Roadside Attractions/K Period Media</small>Michelle Williams as Randi Chandler and Affleck as Lee Chandler in <i>Manchester by the Sea </i>, 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2 class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> SILLY TIME</span></h2>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We have not visited Zack and SMBC for a long time. Perhaps you will understand why, although we like this, unlike Pollyanna who thinks it is idiotic.</span></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20131127.png" height="640" id="cc-comic" title="2013-11-27" width="243" /> </span></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="caption">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.6px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
THE WORLD'S BEST STARTUP HAS A STAFF MEETING...</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<img alt="Startup Opportunity" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/startup_opportunity.png" title="While there's no formal regulation, it turns out their industry group is NOT one you want mad at you." /> </div>
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td 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center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-6023874100203524352016-11-15T13:53:00.001+02:002016-11-15T13:53:03.997+02:00Pollyanna is with you againPollyanna <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mxonTnNw-OGLLtSWSux4ukpARYZjad2ODsPS5_sX4a3okiBDvuS9qrArxH8tvesZ3chDm9aRumxs6K2WHPSnGeUBljuRZdutuP13yn-nFKNCjErRB97sYFRZ3h__HV4RcVvfWieza80/s1600/spring2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mxonTnNw-OGLLtSWSux4ukpARYZjad2ODsPS5_sX4a3okiBDvuS9qrArxH8tvesZ3chDm9aRumxs6K2WHPSnGeUBljuRZdutuP13yn-nFKNCjErRB97sYFRZ3h__HV4RcVvfWieza80/s1600/spring2012.jpg" /></a></div>
is taking her turn now.She has successfully navigated past the holiday season and is now waiting for some winter weather and rain. Anyone, including President-elect Trump who still thinks that climate change is not real, is totally delusional.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Charity Corner</span> has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human </a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Rights Action</a> site. Pollyanna and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Titan </span>hope that you will visit </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">there, take the actions and make the donations.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM </h2>
<h3>
LEONARD COHEN 1934-2016 </h3>
<img alt="" src="http://img.wennermedia.com/featured-promo-551/rs-leonard-cohen-2c24a166-affc-4250-a4a5-a8fd0a52a730.jpg" /><br />
Leonard Cohen, the hugely influential singer and songwriter whose work spanned nearly 50 years, died Monday at the age of 82. Cohen's label, Sony Music Canada, confirmed his death on the singer's Facebook page Thursday evening. Cohen was the dark eminence among a small pantheon of extremely influential singer-songwriters to emerge in the Sixties and early Seventies. Only Bob Dylan exerted a more profound influence upon his generation, and perhaps only Paul Simon and<br />
fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell equaled him as a song poet. <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/leonard-cohen-dead-at-82-w449792">A biography is given in Rolling Stone.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YrLk4vdY28Q/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YrLk4vdY28Q?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
POLITICAL SHOCKERS </h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Pollyanna, Titan and YandA are all shocked at the victory of Donald Trump in the US elections. In general, we have had surprise results recently, including the Brexit and the initial rejection of the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37965392">peace deal with the FARC</a> by the Colombian public. It appears that the pundits are totally out of touch with what the masses of people are thinking. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/opinion/election-night-2016/the-unknown-country"> Paul Krugman writing in the NYTime</a>s puts it in basic terms: <i>"We thought that the nation, while far from having transcended racial prejudice and misogyny, had become vastly more open and tolerant over time. We thought that the great majority of Americans valued democratic norms and the rule of law. It turns out that we were wrong. There turn out to be a huge number of people — white people, living mainly in rural areas — who don’t share at all our idea of what America is about. For them, it is about blood and soil, about traditional patriarchy and racial hierarchy. And there were many other people who might not share those anti-democratic values, but who nonetheless were willing to vote for anyone bearing the Republican label."</i><br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="437" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/148/14867/1486798.gif" height="291" id="comic-zoom" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/148/14867/1486798.gif" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
These failures of prediction tell us that the media and the pundits, to say nothing of the liberal political class, must become more attentive to the needs and frustrations of the people who have been left behind by technological and cultural changes and who see their familiar world crashing around them. It is indeed not realistic of them to believe that the likes of Trump or Boris Johnson will turn back the clock, revive the moribund coal industry and restore the America or Britain that they remember and in which they held a position of value and prestige. This is particularly true of men--one day you are a foreman at a steel plant and the next day you are on the dole. So you vent your anger and frustration at the voting place in the futile hope that something will change. Punditry has again turned out to be a false guide as shown so clearly by <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/08/11/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-political-punditry/">David Schulz in Counterpunch.</a> Of course, one pundit may have it right.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMD7tbttLUMlQPmD1zNtP6nUlvxgQVC7BvPYUfdtNNB1rf-1I-8NQ42p_XSrG-WTrSr2Jskblhdety0jTbQO9abBd5-xHGESMjEL4YnaiTZnjZ-cEaxfVaAS3eAD6K8dke-HI1vFPpaw/s1600/pundit_right.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMD7tbttLUMlQPmD1zNtP6nUlvxgQVC7BvPYUfdtNNB1rf-1I-8NQ42p_XSrG-WTrSr2Jskblhdety0jTbQO9abBd5-xHGESMjEL4YnaiTZnjZ-cEaxfVaAS3eAD6K8dke-HI1vFPpaw/s320/pundit_right.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The failure of punditry did not keep Anthony Dimaggio from providing us with an interesting <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/11/88237/">analysis of what the Trump presidency might hold </a>for all of us. It is not a pleasant prospect by any means. He puts the question why tens of millions of people voted for Trump. There is no single
magic bullet answer to this question, and anyone who claims to have one
is not giving you the full story. It seems silly at
this point to deny considering a mountain of polling data that much of
Trump’s support originates from a noxious blend of sexist, racist, and
xenophobic beliefs. <br />
The future of punditry is indeed secure:<br />
<img alt="Image result for punditry" class="irc_mi ihmbjjUoE3dg-pQOPx8XEepE" height="433" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/politics-pundit-punditry-political_commentators-spin_doctor-ninja-wmi110602_low.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="327" /><br />
<br />
It is worthy to consider the situation of minorities under a regime such as may well evolve under Trump. We consider two cases,<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.752402"> an Arab-Israeli who went to the US</a> to seek asylum from the position of a second-class citizen in Israel and the other the case of a native <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/world-news/u-s-election-2016/1.752020">American Jew pondering</a> whether he can still trust the country he loves. The two articles are important in that the breaking of faith that comes when the regime changes is a trauma toward all should feel empathy.<br />
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<h2>
COPS, BE CAREFUL WHOM YOU BEAT. </h2>
Ali Afshar a California physician was driving along when he saw a black man in police custody. As you may or may not know, the incidence and relapse rates of schizophrenia in African-Caribbean males in Western countries has been reported as being much higher than equivalent white male cohorts. E.g.<br />
<br />
<i>We found remarkably high IRRs (</i><i><span class="st"><i>inter-rater reliability</i>) </span>for both schizophrenia and manic psychosis in both African-Caribbeans (schizophrenia 9.1, manic psychosis 8.0) and Black Africans (schizophrenia 5.8, manic psychosis 6.2) in men and women </i>Fearon et al, 2006 <br />
<br />
He saw what looked like severe mental issues with the prisoner and stopped to offer medical help. <a href="http://portside.org/2016-10-22/4-white-male-policemen-who-beat-me-checking-health-sick-black-man-their-custody%E2%80%A6">The reaction of the cops is something you must read.</a><br />
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<h2>
A GREAT ARTIST</h2>
Enough of politics says Pollyanna and calls our attention to a<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/05/yuja-wang-and-the-art-of-performance"> profile article in the New Yorker</a> by Janet Malcom about the pianist Yuja Wang. At age 29 she is on top of her field and her virtuosity is matched by her mode of presenting herself visually. Yuja Wang has appeared in Israel with the Philharmonic and every concert has been an amazing experience for us<br />
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This photograph shows how she attacks the piano. Rather than quote from the profile, Pollyanna says go read it all and be glad that you did.<br />
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<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160905_r28631-320x445-1472148797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160905_r28631-320x445-1472148797.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
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<h2>
A BIT FROM HOME </h2>
Ilana Dayan is a major TV journalist in Israel. She has put many a public figure in the frying pan, the latest the PM himself. Pollyanna invites you to<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.750971"> read a detailed interview with her</a> by Ravit Hecht. The PM responded to the critique by sending her a vituperative letter <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.751954">which she read out</a> on live television. You can dig out the details yourself, Pollyanna wants you to get into the world of Ilana Dayan. It is worth the read.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
Since we seem to be living in an alternate universe in which people like Trump and Netanyahu are elected, let us look at some <a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/120">whatif's from an alternate</a><br />
universe--ye gads!!<br />
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<h2>
THE WORST RECORD LABELS EVER</h2>
The Talmud tell us (Avot, IV) <i>Said Rabbi Meir: Look not at the vessel, but at what it contains. There
are new vessels that are filled with old wine, and old vessels that do
not even contain new wine.</i><br />
Apparently this applies to classical records as well. The good folks at KUSC (Los Angeles) have compiled <a href="http://kusc.org/culture/staff/worst-classical-album-covers-time-ever-really-part/">a list of the worst record labels.</a> They have come out with the first ten. For example:<br />
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<img alt="Oh…busts…I get it.: " src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/25/ec/b1/25ecb179814daf7ff48fb0c2a49c995c.jpg" /><br />
Open the link for the rest of the goodies!! <br />
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</h2>
<h2>
YES, YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU</h2>
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="191" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/cache/lw725/148/14875/1487508.jpg" id="comic-zoom" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/lw600/148/14875/1487508.jpg" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<br />
WUMO show real insight into the male psyche<br />
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<a href="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/148/14875/1487520.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/148/14875/1487520.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h2>
INTEGRITY ON THE WALL</h2>
<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic zoomed" data-height="188" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/148/14874/1487456.gif" id="comic-zoom" src="https://www.arcamax.com/newspics/148/14874/1487456.gif" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-61938794259102218452016-10-14T11:05:00.001+03:002016-10-15T23:06:45.241+03:00Pollyanna is glad about the holiday seasonPollyanna <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mxonTnNw-OGLLtSWSux4ukpARYZjad2ODsPS5_sX4a3okiBDvuS9qrArxH8tvesZ3chDm9aRumxs6K2WHPSnGeUBljuRZdutuP13yn-nFKNCjErRB97sYFRZ3h__HV4RcVvfWieza80/s1600/spring2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mxonTnNw-OGLLtSWSux4ukpARYZjad2ODsPS5_sX4a3okiBDvuS9qrArxH8tvesZ3chDm9aRumxs6K2WHPSnGeUBljuRZdutuP13yn-nFKNCjErRB97sYFRZ3h__HV4RcVvfWieza80/s1600/spring2012.jpg" /></a></div>
is taking her turn now. She spent Yom Kippur with her brother Titan at his lakeshore (methane) synagogue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLj-Xt60X43QFGRigfeRq6GAgIRO3IRaGTwRtjTRjhUZ1xd9I5RKyUWGnHgIuRFdBszyj0CCIuvBk0xTHpjVXIvRXeIgrxjAslZh9DNrmgOWgGiUIngNtuQ1JvFazusEpOJFBf8Y2ZUY/s1600/070313_titan_lakes_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLj-Xt60X43QFGRigfeRq6GAgIRO3IRaGTwRtjTRjhUZ1xd9I5RKyUWGnHgIuRFdBszyj0CCIuvBk0xTHpjVXIvRXeIgrxjAslZh9DNrmgOWgGiUIngNtuQ1JvFazusEpOJFBf8Y2ZUY/s320/070313_titan_lakes_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and is happy to wish you all a very happy Succot(Tabernacles) holiday, coming up on Sunday night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">אתרוג,לולב,הדס וערבה</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They (Pollyanna, Titan and YandA) hope you will try to alleviate the effects of climate change </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">through which we are all laboring. If you can find a denier, try to </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">keep him/her away from air conditioning--they are not worthy of it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2859tZhJhSPFS5aDmfxFs4ON3zwzdX5rmykMmm4a-KMrZS4IO53_EDSqUZYFl0IbT92n6ZcrOqO8G5vAzjNdc2kir8kWU6_Noix9daGmy9hove60XiLjIy5HVrFmwnXVMLmpvivHu3Ys/s1600/hot-sun-thermometer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2859tZhJhSPFS5aDmfxFs4ON3zwzdX5rmykMmm4a-KMrZS4IO53_EDSqUZYFl0IbT92n6ZcrOqO8G5vAzjNdc2kir8kWU6_Noix9daGmy9hove60XiLjIy5HVrFmwnXVMLmpvivHu3Ys/s1600/hot-sun-thermometer.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this holiday blog, Pollyanna will try to be glad, but will allow </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">herself rants about women and girls or blatant human rights </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">violations while mostly trying to be glad and positive. As usual, Murphy will provide companionship, humor and legal advice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Charity Corner has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human </a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Rights Action</a> site. Pollyanna and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Titan </span>hope that you will visit </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">there, take the actions and make the donations.</span></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">IN MEMORIAM </span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NEVILLE MARINNER 1924-2016</span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Conductor Neville Marriner, who led the Academy of St Martin in the Fields to become one of the world's most-recorded classical music groups, has died, the academy said Sunday. He was 92.<br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Marriner, a violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra, joined with several other musicians in 1959 to form a chamber group, which was intended to perform without a leader. The group's mouthful of a name, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, was inspired by the<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>church in central London where they performed. The rest is history.<br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.asmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MA_Sir_Neville_Marinner_90_RFH_460b-1200x700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.asmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MA_Sir_Neville_Marinner_90_RFH_460b-1200x700.jpg" height="186" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have all enjoyed Sir Neville's musicianship and he will certainly be missed. He became music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from 1968-77. He then became music director of the Minnesota Orchestra 1979-1986, and directed the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart, Germany from 1984-89.He leaves behind a <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/835735-Sir-Neville-Marriner">huge discography</a>. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/02/world/europe/ap-eu-britain-obit-marriner.html">NYTimes has an obituary</a> and the<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/04/neville-marriner-1924-2016-he-was-one-of-us-academy-st-martin-fields-appreciation"> Guardian a personal appreciation</a> by one of his players. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span>Then there’s the famous encore story. Our three stock encores for many
years were Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro overture, a Brahms Hungarian
dance and the slow movement of Mendelssohn’s Reformation symphony. We
had them ready in a prescribed order, all beautiful in their own right,
but not when played simultaneously. Neville was standing there waving
frantically shouting “idiots, idiots”. I think the Brahms triumphed
after about 16 bars..."</i></div>
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<h2>
PEACE REJECTED-WHY? </h2>
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37543817">Colombians have rejected a peace deal</a> to end 52 years of war with FARC guerrillas, throwing the country into confusion about its future. With counting completed from 98.98% of polling stations, the no vote led by 50.2% to 49.8%, a difference of fewer than 54,000 votes out of almost 13 million cast. Turnout was low, with less than 38% of the electorate casting a vote. Analysis of Colombia’s "Brexit " moment showed how politicians misjudged popular anger at FARC amnesty. All sides were left shocked by the narrow rejection of the peace deal which would have seen guerrillas guilty of war crimes escape jail. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/DBE1/production/_91498265_8ea3a163-f754-4747-a52c-2009c2f7809e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/DBE1/production/_91498265_8ea3a163-f754-4747-a52c-2009c2f7809e.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="media-caption__text">Those who supported the peace agreement were shocked when the result was "no"
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This result means that the deal cannot now be implemented. Polls before the vote predicted that the yes camp would win with a comfortable 66% share. Santos had been confident of a yes result and said during the campaign that he did not have a plan B and that Colombia would return to war if the no vote won. His opponents, led by former president Álvaro Uribe, said a win for their side would be a mandate for the government and rebels to negotiate a “<i>better agreement”.</i><br />
<br />
While it is unlikely that fighting will resume, it is indeed not clear what happens next. Uribe will certainly play a role in the next stage. Pollyanna wishes the best to the people of Colombia and hopes they manage to work out the problems.</div>
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<h2>
GOOD NEWS </h2>
</div>
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<a href="http://campaigns.walkfree.org/q/55DCx6sNCOkz8Xucq0aLV27Qg4qmyhFTkvJWQkLISndubWhQTpMI1tpCP">Pollyanna is delighted to tell you</a> that on Thursday 22 September, Andrew Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, announced the ratification of ILO Convention 189 – an international standard to protect domestic workers from exploitation. The Prime Minister announced the ratification in front of a global audience, while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York (UNGA).<br />
<br />
Mr. Holness said, <i>“We are committed to the protection of rights of the most vulnerable among us and to ensure the welfare of domestic workers within the framework of our determination to promote a decent work for all.”</i><br />
<br />
In the three weeks leading up to the UNGA, the <a href="https://www.walkfree.org/">Walk Free movement </a>collected 52,412 signatures showing the Prime Minister the international support behind his mission to end domestic slavery in Jamaica. Pollyanna says <span style="font-size: large;">Cheers </span>and asks all to ensure that their country does the same.<br />
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<h2>
SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS </h2>
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Pollyanna would like to call your attention to an Amnesty International campaign on<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/education/2016/10/young-people-have-a-unique-vision-and-we-must-be-heard-defending-sexual-and-reproductive-rights-in-south-america/"> sexual and reproductive rights of young people</a> in South America. We hear from six activists from South America working together through Amnesty’s <b>It’s My Body!</b> program empowering young people aged 13 to 19 years old to claim and promote their rights.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amnesty.org/remote.axd/amnestysgprdasset.blob.core.windows.net/media/13758/233046_young_activists_defending_sexual_and_reproductive_rights_in_south_america.jpg?preset=proportional_639_hi" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://www.amnesty.org/remote.axd/amnestysgprdasset.blob.core.windows.net/media/13758/233046_young_activists_defending_sexual_and_reproductive_rights_in_south_america.jpg?preset=proportional_639_hi" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joaquin, from Argentina, and Sofia, from Chile (in the foreground)
exchange their point of view on issues related to sexual and
reproductive rights at the kick-off meeting of the It's My Body!
programme. Lima, Peru, May 2016 © Amnesty International</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They are from Peru, Argentina or Chile, yet all share the same goal: <i>make sure they have the power and freedom to demand and access their sexual and reproductive rights.</i> Over five years these young activists will work together to empower others to make informed decisions about their bodies and sexuality, and provide their peers with information and training on issues related to<br />
sexual and reproductive rights.<br />
<br />
As they meet for the first time in Lima, Peru, we learn what their participation means to them, and how they intend to change attitudes in the region. Pollyanna recommends that you read the full post and wishes them all success.<br />
<br />
In this context Pollyanna<a href="http://portside.org/2016-10-08/polands-parliament-rejects-near-total-ban-abortion-after-protests"> is delighted at the action of the Polish Parliamen</a>t. The members rejected by an overwhelming majority a law that would have added new restrictions to abortion rights. Poland already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, with terminations legally permitted only when there is severe foetal abnormality, when there is a grave threat to the health of the mother, or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.<br />
<br />
The new law would criminalize all terminations, with women punishable with up to five years in prison. Doctors found to have assisted with a termination would also be liable for prosecution and a prison term. No one can say that Poland is liberal, but a social catastrophe was warded off for the moment.</div>
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<h2>
AWID</h2>
<a href="http://www.awid.org/get-involved">Pollyanna calls your attention</a> to this organization. <i>The</i><i> Association for Women's Rights in Development </i>(AWID) is an international, feminist, membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. A dynamic network of women and men around the world, AWID members are researchers, academics, students, educators, activists, business people, policy-makers, development practitioners, funders, and more. Pollyanna suggests that anyone interested in promoting women's rights and gender equality might wish to use AWID as a vehicle of activism.</div>
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<h2>
ELECTORAL MADNESS </h2>
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Usually Pollyanna does not vent in Titanesque manner about politics, but the tragicomedy of the elections in the US is beyond the pale. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/opinion/sunday/shakespeare-explains-the-2016-election.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0">Let us look to Shakespeare for some insight.</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="" data-mediaviewer-credit="JooHee Yoon" data-mediaviewer-src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/10/09/opinion/sunday/09greenblatt/09greenblatt-superJumbo-v2.jpg" height="400" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/10/09/opinion/sunday/09greenblatt/09greenblatt-master768-v2.jpg" itemprop="url" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/10/09/opinion/sunday/09greenblatt/09greenblatt-master768-v2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">JooHee Yoon</span></td></tr>
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In the early 1590s, <a class="meta-per" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/william_shakespeare/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about William Shakespeare.">Shakespeare</a> sat down to write a play that addressed a problem: How could a great country wind up being governed by a sociopath?</div>
<div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="404" data-total-count="551">
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The
problem was not England’s, where a woman of exceptional intelligence
and stamina had been on the throne for more than 30 years, but it had
long preoccupied thoughtful people. Why, the Bible brooded, was the
kingdom of Judah governed by a succession of disastrous kings? How could
the greatest empire in the world, ancient Roman historians asked
themselves, have fallen into the hands of a Caligula?</div>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/opinion/sunday/shakespeare-explains-the-2016-election.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0">For his theatrical test case</a>, Shakespeare chose an example closer to home:
the brief, unhappy reign in 15th-century England of King Richard III. Read and draw your own analogies.</div>
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BOOK REVIEW</h2>
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<b>TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT</b></h3>
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By Maria Semple<br />Illustrated. 259 pp. Little, Brown & Company. $27.</h4>
Reviewed in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/books/review/maria-semple-today-will-be-different.html?ref=headline&nl=bookreview&emc=edit_bk_20161007&_r=0">the NYTimes </a>by <span class="byline" itemprop="author creator" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="byline-author" data-byline-name="MEG WOLITZER" itemprop="name">MEG WOLITZER and in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/09/maria-semple-today-will-be-different-interview">the Guardian</a> by </span></span><br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="tone-colour" data-link-name="auto tag link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/vivgroskop" itemprop="sameAs" rel="author"><span itemprop="name">Viv Groskop</span></a>. </span><br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/058037b44218c07b95688d6a52f2c9c6857833db/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?w=620&q=20&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f35fb49bf4881b21fa707fbf3861c273" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/058037b44218c07b95688d6a52f2c9c6857833db/0_0_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?w=620&q=20&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f35fb49bf4881b21fa707fbf3861c273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Semple: ‘It takes me a long time to get my point across.’
Photograph: Leta Warner
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Maria Semple, 52, is the author of the bestselling <i>Where’d You Go, Bernadette</i>,
which was shortlisted for the 2013 women’s prize for fiction and is
currently being adapted for a film directed by Richard Linklater. Her latest novel, <i>Today Will Be Different</i>, is about a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, a woman who vows every day that she’ll be a better person. The reviews are favorable and she appears to be a writer worthy of further attention. Pollyanna recommends.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/10/09/books/review/1009-BKS-Wolitzer-COVER-WEB/1009-BKS-Wolitzer-COVER-WEB-master768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/10/09/books/review/1009-BKS-Wolitzer-COVER-WEB/1009-BKS-Wolitzer-COVER-WEB-master768.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">Édith Carron </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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NEWS FROM PHYSICS </h3>
<a href="http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2016/oct/11/flash-physics-strong-summer-ice-spying-the-nearest-exoplanet-and-Ecole-polytechnique-degrees-in-english">Pollyanna is delighted to</a> pass on to you some recent updates from the world of physics. This is a website to which you can subscribe and it is always interesting.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.iop.org/objects/phw/news/thumb/20/10/17/PW-2016-10-11-flash-two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.iop.org/objects/phw/news/thumb/20/10/17/PW-2016-10-11-flash-two.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proxima Centauri as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. (Courtesy: ESA/Hubble)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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SILLY TIME<br />
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An old but amusing <a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/122/">What If--beware these wild elementary school teachers.</a><br />
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RELATIVITY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT</h2>
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MILITARY TECHNOLOGY STRIKES AGAIN</h2>
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arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-24578613157882958162016-09-16T23:17:00.001+03:002016-09-16T23:17:49.767+03:00Pollyanna and Titan are returning in force<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Titan </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQJqZhb1WS2kUsMKFWShxZlVtQqzfGAjyWmF2L0cjr7OJfUGKh4eTUwEzfnxcFHdoslTM2c-mVq3D-cGnci9U0GTJiR83HKQDuMsBHjozK5pTS6TuoTIPImzNRRuAfL_cmhZNeKbBkBU/s1600/titan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQJqZhb1WS2kUsMKFWShxZlVtQqzfGAjyWmF2L0cjr7OJfUGKh4eTUwEzfnxcFHdoslTM2c-mVq3D-cGnci9U0GTJiR83HKQDuMsBHjozK5pTS6TuoTIPImzNRRuAfL_cmhZNeKbBkBU/s1600/titan.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and Pollyanna</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgRwugtJhzkkMNbktC56h9m_0waf619pZxcAMWhR5thPh95CA-apGm4c0s8Oh7GbVyCh-cUCW9kZaz2RcXhryxQ4bPBKYYaYoYQ9hLjNaPabmXiGa_JraEm3mKg9tbWJ1Ub29AJNrpiw/s1600/images_pollyanna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgRwugtJhzkkMNbktC56h9m_0waf619pZxcAMWhR5thPh95CA-apGm4c0s8Oh7GbVyCh-cUCW9kZaz2RcXhryxQ4bPBKYYaYoYQ9hLjNaPabmXiGa_JraEm3mKg9tbWJ1Ub29AJNrpiw/s1600/images_pollyanna.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">like to think of themselves as retirees who are </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">relaxing after years of hard labor and ranting. They have, in their </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">joint persona of T_P decided that it is not fair to their countless </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fans and readers to deprive them of the wisdom they can dispense. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, Virginia, we have a sense of the absurd. We also think that </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">age is not a big deal; Pollyanna at over 100 and Titan at 4.5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">billion hold out hope for all of us to say nothing of Biblical </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">figures. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaYQdDWM86FhbtLJsQ1z0r4bFFmUcfZ1Z07cKHYBop_1Hp0FdL4688vvNoSPn8id8xd57HPBupNyBM1fkAI23h2twXg0sEqYXnfDoiVHMuKCUVvvMXmzfpizLrEmUTtWraiiA2aJ2P20/s1600/methusela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaYQdDWM86FhbtLJsQ1z0r4bFFmUcfZ1Z07cKHYBop_1Hp0FdL4688vvNoSPn8id8xd57HPBupNyBM1fkAI23h2twXg0sEqYXnfDoiVHMuKCUVvvMXmzfpizLrEmUTtWraiiA2aJ2P20/s400/methusela.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They will try to alleviate the effects of climate change </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">through which we are all laboring. If you can find a denier, try to </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">keep him/her away from air conditioning--they are not worthy of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T_P have noted that things have not become better since they </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">retired from active ranting. They have decided, therefore, that </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">they will come back to a schedule, with Pollyanna at midmonth and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Titan at the end of the month. Their recent move with <a href="http://yandawander.blogspot.co.il/">their </a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://yandawander.blogspot.co.il/">amanuenses YandA </a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEU8xrNIXOz4ufNmgsZ47dgaTSnLlqtu10kEr4LMT4QNkVWF8nWkUIF3iOzKmWIOfLt4eHsjp-BTksWfsV3kS5ugGHUmE8XObNvx8HdX_mp_6APSW7trsTBHaE2V8VM34KDjRm6cUtF8U/s320/IMG-20160828-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEU8xrNIXOz4ufNmgsZ47dgaTSnLlqtu10kEr4LMT4QNkVWF8nWkUIF3iOzKmWIOfLt4eHsjp-BTksWfsV3kS5ugGHUmE8XObNvx8HdX_mp_6APSW7trsTBHaE2V8VM34KDjRm6cUtF8U/s320/IMG-20160828-WA0000.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to a place full of retired people has renewed </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">their energy and desire to bug people. As usual, Titan will rant </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mightily while Pollyanna will try to be glad, but will allow </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">herself rants about women and girls or blatant human rights </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">violations while mostly trying to be glad and positive. As usual, Murphy will provide companionship, humor and legal advice.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0LYGwEcry6qtl9SxCO8n502fa4L-oePL4jXkdM8IPduMcW_e3PtbMvWqwB5gU7bNlOZEOM2ZgAZOATVccVD3oc8qur0ZOI8wAd1ZvPcK3owa-czQ7W_SWke691riEaEzLMHapdO8BTE/s1600/murphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0LYGwEcry6qtl9SxCO8n502fa4L-oePL4jXkdM8IPduMcW_e3PtbMvWqwB5gU7bNlOZEOM2ZgAZOATVccVD3oc8qur0ZOI8wAd1ZvPcK3owa-czQ7W_SWke691riEaEzLMHapdO8BTE/s400/murphy.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Charity Corner has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human </a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Rights Action</a> site. Titan and Pollyanna hope that you will visit </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">there, take the actions and make the donations.</span></div>
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DEATH SENTENCE OF MARY JANE VELOSO. </h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Philippine national who was a domestic worker in Indonesia <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/12/indonesia-permission-philippines-execute-drug-mule-rodrigo-duterte-mary-jane-veloso">is under a death sentence. </a>Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2010 while carrying a suitcase containing 2.2kg of heroin. Her supporters say poverty made her susceptible to people traffickers, who promised her a job as a maid in Malaysia but instead made her an unwitting drug mule. It is believed in general that she was duped into carrying the drugs. Her execution was stopped in April 2015 with a temporary reprieve hours before she was due to be killed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/65bc8f85922c624a89b6e0b06d754f57f370ae0c/125_222_1733_1040/master/1733.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=6b99e7dada034d73d1dc152fd084c367" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/65bc8f85922c624a89b6e0b06d754f57f370ae0c/125_222_1733_1040/master/1733.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=6b99e7dada034d73d1dc152fd084c367" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #767676; font-family: "guardian text sans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Mary Jane Veloso was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drugs trafficking. Photograph: Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her reprieve came after Maria Kristina Sergio, a woman accused of recruiting Veloso, handed herself in to police in Manila. The former Philippine president, Benigno Aquino, made an appeal to Jokowi on the basis that Veloso would be needed as a witness in the case against Sergio.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pollyanna agrees that drug lords should face prison terms, but is certainly against capital punishment and killing unwitting dupes who are victims of the drug empires.</span><br />
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY </h2>
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Erik Satie 1866-1925 </h3>
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T<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">his year we note the 150th anniversary of the birth of an interesting and often underrated </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">French composer. He was scorned by the musical establishment, but has in recent decades enjoyed a revival of interest and appreciation. A complete CD recording of his solo piano music has </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">been published in honor of the anniversary. We refer you to the KUSC site:</span></div>
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<a href="http://kusc.org/radio/album-of-the-week/jean-yves-thibaudet-marks-150th-anniversary-birth-eccentric-french-composer-erik-satie/">Erik Satie: The Complete Solo Piano Music Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>A fixture in the avant-garde in Paris at the turn of the 20th-century, Satie was an important influence on such diverse figures as Stravinsky, Debussy,and Philip Glass. This new compilation includes 5 CDs of solo piano music performed by acclaimed French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and a bonus CD of four-handed piano music with Jean-Philippe Collard and Pascal Roge. Magnifique!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His short piece <a href="https://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwi46qaSvpPPAhUHBsAKHaAvANYQ3ywIHDAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdBhjGIdL5cM&usg=AFQjCNH9XXvRyT0UkKHTvSmp1f9E7NIk4A&sig2=hh-EENjLOXD1T9-ZusbN2w&bvm=bv.133053837,d.bGs">Vexation</a>, designed to be repeated 840 times had its world premier 70 years after its composition, on 9 September 1963 before a gathering of off-Broadway actors and artists at the Pocket theater in Manhattan. It took John Cage and his relay team of pianists, including John Cale who would later co-found the <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-velvet-underground-mn0000840402">Velvet Underground</a>, 18 hours and 40 minutes to perform the musical marathon from start to finish, playing continuously from 6pm until lunchtime the following day. Patience was rewarded: those who attended were refunded five cents of their $5 dollar ticket for every 20 minutes they stayed, with a bonus for anyone who crossed the finish line. Only one man did; another, as it finished, called out “encore”. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/25/erik-satie-vexations-furniture-music">Pollyanna is properly impressed.</a></span></div>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/25/erik-satie-vexations-furniture-music"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #767676; font-family: "guardian text sans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span><a href="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/40ab3aad8734e9a0d828cc5c0669aa18677de572/0_410_4368_6086/master/4368.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=06da6116c65bc458bc38c3f2da85065a" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/40ab3aad8734e9a0d828cc5c0669aa18677de572/0_410_4368_6086/master/4368.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=06da6116c65bc458bc38c3f2da85065a" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #767676; font-family: "guardian text sans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Portrait of Erik Satie playing the harmonium by Santiago Rusiñol. Photograph: Heritage Images/Getty Images</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">IN MEMORIAM </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Hieronymus Bosch 1450-1516 </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year marks the 500th </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">anniversary of the death of Jheronimus van Aken, the Flemish master </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">who signed his works as Jheronimus Bosch. His imagination ranged </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">from a place beyond the spheres of Heaven to the uttermost depths </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of Hell, but for many of his earliest admirers the most striking </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">aspect of his art was what they described as its “truth to nature.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The round anniversary has generated two major exhibitions and a </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">spate of books. The New York Review of Books provides an interesting </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">article to those who can reach it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The exhibitions and books </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">include:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>an exhibition at Noordbrabants</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Museum, ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, February 13–May 8, 2016</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Catalog of the exhibition by Matthijs Ilsink and Jos Koldeweij</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Brussels: Mercatorfonds, 191 pp., $35.00 (paper) (distributed by</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Yale University Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Bosch: The Fifth Centenary Exhibition an exhibition at the Museo</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Nacional del Prado, Madrid, May 31–September 11, 2016 Catalog of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">the exhibition edited by Pilar Silva Maroto Madrid: Museo Nacional</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">del Prado, 397 pp., €33.25 (paper)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.popmatters.com/review/hieronymus-bosch-visions-and-nightmares-nils-buettner-pales-in-light-subjec/">Hieronymus Bosch: Visions and Nightmares<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>by Nils Büttner</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Reaktion, 208 pp., $22.50</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/travel/hieronymus-bosch-netherlands.html"><br /></a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/travel/hieronymus-bosch-netherlands.html">Jheronimus Bosch: The Road to Heaven and Hell<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>by Gary Schwartz</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Overlook Duckworth, 254 pp., $70.00</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://eclecticlight.co/2016/05/22/book-review-hieronymus-bosch-painter-and-draughtsman-catalogue-raisonne-ilsink-and-koldeweij/">Hieronymus Bosch, Painter and Draughtsman: </a>Catalogue Raisonné<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>by</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">the Bosch Research and Conservation Project Brussels:</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Mercatorfonds, 607 pp., $150.00 (distributed by Yale University</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15983.Hieronymus_Bosch">Hieronymus Bosch: Garden of Earthly Delights<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>by Hans Belting</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Prestel, 125 pp., $14.95 (paper)</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">The highlights mark links to reviews.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/El_jard%C3%ADn_de_las_Delicias,_de_El_Bosco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/El_jard%C3%ADn_de_las_Delicias,_de_El_Bosco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Garden of Earthly Delights</td></tr>
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RANTS OF THE DAY </h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The world refugee crisis continues to fester. <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/i-welcome/">Amnesty International has issued a call for people action. </a>Right now, record numbers of people worldwide have beenforced to flee their homes. But instead of showing true leadership and protecting refugees, most countries are slamming their doors shut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The world’s wealthiest nations are leaving a handful of countries to cope alone with nearly all the world’s 21 million refugees. Powerful media and politicians are manipulating reality and dehumanizing them, portraying refugees as “illegal”, or faceless “invaders” who are “a security threat”. They are evading their responsibility to protect people fleeing violence, persecution and conflict. And every single day that goes by, their indecision and inaction are causing immense human </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">suffering.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amnesty.org/remote.axd/amnestysgprdasset.blob.core.windows.net/media/13537/231617_william_11_from_south_sudan_.jpg?center=0.555%2c0.34154929577464788&preset=proportional_401" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://www.amnesty.org/remote.axd/amnestysgprdasset.blob.core.windows.net/media/13537/231617_william_11_from_south_sudan_.jpg?center=0.555%2c0.34154929577464788&preset=proportional_401" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b6b6b6; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 21px;">William, 11, is a refugee living in a camp in northern Kenya. “I was born here in Kakuma, but I know we had a lot in Sudan. We had three houses: one for cattle, a shed and one that we lived in." © Amnesty International (Photo: Richard Burton)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But if we can’t rely on our politicians to change the world, we shall do it ourselves. <b style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; line-height: 21px;">Our recent survey of people’s attitudes across the world showed that <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/05/survey-4-in-5-worldwide-welcome-refugees/" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out;">80% of us stand ready to welcome refugees</a> into our countries, communities – even our own homes. </b><span style="line-height: 21px;">Together,</span><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span><a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/who-we-are/" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 238); color: #336699; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none !important; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out;" target="_blank">we are a movement of people</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21px;">who believe that the things that unite us are far more powerful than those that divide us. We do not see refugees as a threat, but as people <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/09/miraculous-journeys-stranded-hopes/">whose lives are under threa</a>t-people who need a safe place to start again and a chance to make a <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/08/refugees-in-kakuma-watch-team-refugees-compete-at-rio-olympics/">positive contribution to society. </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">We appreciate <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/currentnews/newsheadlines/s-1872963">the <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">commitment</span> of President Obama </a>to accept 110,000 Syrian refugees, but the 10,000 so far is a <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">paltry fraction and the attitude of state governors is shameful</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please sign the Pledge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SCIENCE GOODIES </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pollyanna is very excited about the <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/earth-mass-planet-proxima-centauri-habitable-space-science/">apparent </a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/earth-mass-planet-proxima-centauri-habitable-space-science/">discovery of an Earth-like planet </a>just around the corner at Proxima </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Centauri, 4.2 light years away. European Southern Observatory (ESO) </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">officials have finally confirmed that they have discovered a new</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">exoplanet candidate named Proxima b inside the habitable zone of </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Proxima Centauri - a red dwarf star in our closest <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">neighboring</span> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">star system, Alpha Centauri. While the experience of other recent </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"discoveries" </i>that were later debunked (Big Bang echoes for </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">example) should be kept in mind, this finding appears quite solid.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nonetheless, as put so well by the late Carl Sagan, "Extraordinary cl</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">aims require extraordinary evidence" and David Hume wrote in </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1748: "A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence", and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish." In the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">case of Proxima b a group of researchers launched a campaign to </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ferret out the planet. They called this effort the Pale Red Dot — a </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nod to Carl Sagan's famous description of Earth as a "pale blue </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dot," and the fact that Proxima Centauri is a small, d</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">im star known </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as a red dwarf. The results are most convincing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CLIMATE CHANGE EXPLAINED</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here us a link to a timeline of the variation of Earth's temperature. Thank you Munro.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This might be useful depending on the degree of idiocy of the denier you are foolhardy enough to engage in a discussion.<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/many-in-nation-tired-of-explaining-things-to-idiots"> As Andy Borowitz pointed out </a>the in New Yorker (June 23, 2015) <i>"Many Americans are tired of explaining things to idiots, particularly when the things in question are so painfully obvious, a new poll indicates...Of the many obvious things that people are sick and tired of trying to get through the skulls of stupid people, the fact that climate change will cause catastrophic habitat destruction and devastating extinctions tops the list, with a majority saying that they will no longer bother trying to explain this to cretins."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the subject of climate change, Pollyanna is disgusted with the pussyfooting and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-supran/scientific-organizations_b_11990708.html">hypocrisy of scientific organizations</a> refusing to stand up to polluting corporations. In particular, as members of the American Geophysical Union, we signed the petition calling for the <a href="http://blog.ucsusa.org/peter-frumhoff/why-the-american-geophysical-union-should-reject-corporate-sponsorship-from-exxonmobil">AGU to drop support from Exxon.</a> The AGU board just received the petition with 50,000 signatures and we hope it will show courage and integrity.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-13-1473807320-5919735-labcoatblueexact011024x576-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-13-1473807320-5919735-labcoatblueexact011024x576-thumb.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: NotoNashkArabic, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px; text-align: start;">Image Credit: The Natural History Museum</i></td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
SILLY TIME </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is a What If from the archive</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Is there any way to </i><i>fire a gun so that the bullet flies through the air and can then be </i><i>safely caught by hand? e.g. shooter is at sea level and catcher is</i><i>up a mountain at the extreme range of the gun. </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/81/">The answer is yes</a> and we find it amusing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ed Hui, London <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">THE JOYS OF STEP FAMILIES</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our leaders have a wonderful grip on reality</span></div>
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arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-75179263943824216912016-06-11T16:51:00.001+03:002016-06-11T18:51:23.669+03:00Pollyanna and Titan are with you again.Titan and Pollyanna like to think of themselves as retirees who are relaxing after years of hard labor and ranting. They have, in their joint persona of T_P decided that it is not fair to their countless fans and readers to deprive them of the wisdom they can dispense. Yes, Virginia, we have a sense of the absurd. We also think that age is not a big deal as long as you<a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/05/28/479751942/could-thinking-positively-about-aging-be-the-secret-of-health"> live with a sense of purpose.</a> Pollyanna at over 100 and Titan at 4.5 billion hold out hope for all of us to say nothing of Biblical figures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0lXRhzMNqBO316rE5Lo58uccbFdpw19Y6orSmMUbgPoB_z_oHMqNvwDy55MOSKPdofiESfvQo4ob2aaLA7sg0X9TRLpb2eaXMmZ6fXWNLp-RH3gY6l4lsdZIJedtxPYQeu464bP9qhU/s1600/methusela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0lXRhzMNqBO316rE5Lo58uccbFdpw19Y6orSmMUbgPoB_z_oHMqNvwDy55MOSKPdofiESfvQo4ob2aaLA7sg0X9TRLpb2eaXMmZ6fXWNLp-RH3gY6l4lsdZIJedtxPYQeu464bP9qhU/s640/methusela.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
HAPPY SHEVUOT AND RAMADAN KAREEM. </h2>
Titan, Pollyanna and YandA wish their MOT readers a happy Shevuot holiday. It marks the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai and the bringing of the first fruits to the Temple. <br />
<img alt="" class="irc_mi iq4PrSLBrVcM-pQOPx8XEepE" src="http://www.119ministries.com/monkimage.php?mediaDirectory=mediafiles&mediaId=3916279&fileName=shavuot-feast-1200-630-0-0.jpg" height="210" style="margin-top: 38px;" width="400" /><br />
<br />
It is customary to read the Book of Ruth in the synagogue.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for book of ruth" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSDRH30-26K9ZvOxWKbLFGoSCXRHph3-KbtUF0xHKoj24Dyimvn" data-sz="f" name="4G3tdYZF1kxcEM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSDRH30-26K9ZvOxWKbLFGoSCXRHph3-KbtUF0xHKoj24Dyimvn" style="height: 179px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; width: 240px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gleaning in the field</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
We wish our Muslim readers Ramadan Kareen. <br />
<img alt="" src="http://science-all.com/images/wallpapers/ramadan-kareem-images/ramadan-kareem-images-2.jpg" height="266" style="max-height: 500px; padding: 0px;" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
The Charity Corner has found a home on the<a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/"> Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights Action site</a>. Titan and Pollyanna hope that you will visit there, take the actions and make the donations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM </h2>
<h3>
MOHAMMED ALI 1942-2016</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, stands over challenger Sonny Liston, in 1965." class="gu-image" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/23d4807f8ebfb4aefea35f81eb2b1bc138abed1f/0_0_2000_1422/master/2000.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=55f0b568c73dbcdfeae861b7d624dd13" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, stands over challenger Sonny Liston, in 1965. Photograph: John Rooney/AP
</td></tr>
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The famous boxer, philanthropist and social activist Muhammad Al died this month. He won fame not only as arguably the greatest boxer of all time, but also as a political activist who paid a huge price for his opposition to the Vietnam war. In a racist time and place, he never consented, as did many black athletes, to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/opinion/muhammad-ali-never-the-white-mans-negro.html?emc=edit_ty_20160606&nl=opinion&nlid=2336875&_r=1">be a"white man's n***r"</a> which ultimately earned him respect. In later life, beset himself by illness, he supported research on Parkinson's disease and founded the Mohammed Ali Center in Louisville KY with a stated mission<i>:"... to preserve and share the legacy and ideals of<br />Muhammad Ali, to promote respect, hope, and understanding, and to inspire adults and children everywhere to be as great as they can be." </i>A full obituary may be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/muhammad-ali-dies">found in the Guardian.</a><br />
<h2>
</h2>
<h3>
VIKTOR KORCHNOI, 1931-2016 </h3>
<br />
Victor Korchnoi, who died this month aged 85, was one of the most enduringly consistent grandmasters on the international chess circuit and reckoned by some to have been the strongest chess player never to have been world champion; in 1976 he became the first Russian chess grandmaster to defect from the Soviet Union and much of his later career was overshadowed by Cold War politics.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Viktor Korchnoi watches as his opponent Anatoly Karpov makes a move during their world title final match in Merano, Italy, in 1981. " class="maxed responsive-img" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1ee52d6e52620d82726328853c938fbfaa7a5de0/0_734_2829_1697/master/2829.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=a8fbab37a1eaed61cc1a9104b015fd83" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viktor Korchnoi watches as his opponent Anatoly Karpov makes a move
during their world title final match in Merano, Italy, in 1981.
Photograph: Mary Delaney Cooke/Corbis via Getty Images
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He had an interesting and turbulent life both on the chess board and in the real world. The<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/world/europe/viktor-korchnoi-chess-giant-who-drew-soviet-ire-dies-at-85.html?_r=0"> NYTimes</a> has an obituary as does the<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/06/viktor-korchnoi-obituary"> Guardian.</a><br />
<br />
<h2>
SUMMER AT THE MUSEUM </h2>
As usual, the summer cultural agenda is rich. The NYRB lists a few such gems, as the <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/05/12/degas-invents-a-new-world/">Degas exhibit </a>at the MOMA in New York,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Edgar Degas: Frieze of Dancers, oil on canvas, circa 1895" class="size-full wp-image-52654" src="http://www.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/muhlstein_1-051216.jpg" height="139" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edgar Degas: <i>Frieze of Dancers</i>, oil on canvas, circa 1895</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/05/12/which-matisse-do-you-choose/"> Matisse </a>at the Morgan in NY and the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Henri Matisse: Icarus, plate VIII in his book Jazz, 1947; from the Morgan Library and Museum’s recent exhibition ‘Graphic Passion: Matisse and the Book Arts’" class="size-full wp-image-52658" src="http://www.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/perl_1-051216.jpg" height="400" width="276" /><br />
<br />
The first fully illustrated edition of the <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/05/26/botticelli-love-wisdom-terror/">Divine Comedy by Botticell</a>i was at the Courtauld Gallery, in London which we managed to see before it closed in mid-May but a similar exhibition can be found at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, March 5–July 3, 2016.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="‘Inferno XVIII’; Virgil and Dante in the eighth circle of Hell, showing the punishment of panderers, seducers, flatterers, and whores; illustration by Sandro Botticelli, circa 1490" class="size-full wp-image-52846" src="http://www.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/butterfield_2-052616.jpg" height="271" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">‘Inferno XVIII’; Virgil and Dante in the eighth circle of Hell, showing
the punishment of panderers, seducers, flatterers, and whores;
illustration by Sandro Botticelli, circa 1490</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Last summer we visited the new Whitney in the meatpacking district of Lower Manhattan and it was a lovely experience. In case you wondered what was going to happen with the old Whitney, it has been leased by the Metropolitan Museum and become The Met Breuer. To quote the blurb--<i>"The Metropolitan Museum of Art's modern and contemporary art program includes a new series of exhibitions, performances, artist commissions, residencies, and educational initiatives in the landmark building designed by Marcel Breuer [BROY-er] on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. Now open to the public, The Met Breuer provides additional space for the public to explore the art of the 20th and 21st centuries through the global breadth and historical reach of The Met's unparalleled collection."</i> Modesty was never their long suit.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/05/12/near-the-new-whitney/">The poet Frederick Seidel also went to the new Whitney:</a><br />
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<h2>
Near the New Whitney</h2>
<div class="author">
<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/contributors/frederick-seidel/">Frederick Seidel</a> </div>
<div class="details">
<time>
<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/issues/2016/05/12/">May 12, 2016 Issue</a>
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<section class="article_body">
<br />
In the Meatpacking District,<br />
Not far from the new Whitney,<br />
In a charming restaurant,<br />
I showed how charming I can be.<br />
I showed how blue my eyes can be.<br />
I showed I can be Dante first catching sight of Beatrice.<br />
<br />
The maître d’ was new to me.<br />
The sudden sight of her, so gently lovely,<br />
Threw me at the pressed-tin ceiling, where I stuck.<br />
I asked her where I was, her name was Emily.<br />
I don’t know who the ceiling was.<br />
I doubt pressed-tin was what it was.<br />
<br />
I was moonstruck.<br />
Now I could only look up.<br />
American art used to be risky.<br />
American art used to be frisky<br />
And drink a lot of whiskey.<br />
I looked up at Emily, not far from the new Whitney.<br />
<br />
Seventy years ago,<br />
There were violently drunkard painters downtown who,<br />
Many of them, painted violently<br />
In the Hamptons also.<br />
Now they were in the splendid new Whitney, dead<br />
Instead.<br />
<br />
I wished I had a sled dog’s beautiful eyes,<br />
One blue, one brown,<br />
To mush across the blizzard whiteout<br />
Of sexy chirping chicks and well-trimmed<br />
Bearded white young men.<br />
You see how blue my old eyes aren’t.<br />
<br />
I drank an after-dinner tumbler of whiskey<br />
Not far from the new Whitney,<br />
A present from the maître d’.<br />
Sweet Lagavulin single malt filled me with infinity<br />
Sixteen years old, while the girl<br />
Smiled softly.<br />
<br />
</section>The exhibitions and the museum get a mixed review in the NYRB:<br />
<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/05/12/wonders-met-breuer/">Wonders in the Met’s New Box I</a>ngrid D. Rowland <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nasreen-Mohamedi-Waiting-intense-living/dp/8480265213?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=8480265213&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&tag=thneyoreofbo-20">Nasreen Mohamedi: Waiting Is a Part of Intense Living an exhibition at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía,Madrid, September 22, 2015–January 11, 2016; and The Met Breuer,New York City, March 18–June 5, 2016 </a><br />
<br />
Relation: A Performance Residency by Vijay Iyer The Met Breuer, New<br />
York City<br />
<br />
<br />
Alas, YandA and TP are moving this summer and will perforce be<br />
staying home.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">SOMETHING FROM SCIENCE </span><br />
It appears that morphine usually used as a pain-killer has the opposite effect and actually extends the duration of the pain. The result was found in male rats and published in PNAS. Pollyanna and Titan <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1507136#t=article">recommend you read this review</a> of the subject of the treatment of chronic pain, highlighting all
the causes that can contribute to the severity of pain and the
necessity of relating to them, in the context of the alarming increase
in abuse of opioids in the US, some even available OTC.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">RANT AROUND A ROSIE, A POCKET FULL OF...</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
IS CLIMATE CHANGE REAL?</h2>
<br />
As Pollyanna noted in her last blog, a debate with a climate change denier is one of the worlds's greatest exercises in futility. Nature on the other hand, does not bother debating with anyone. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-europe-flooding-photos_us_57519a3ae4b0c3752dcd5d60">Flooding across Western Europe t</a>his week has killed at least 18 people and displaced tens of thousands. That figure includes 10 dead in southern Germany, two in France, two in Romania, and one in Belgium, with more rain expected . <a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/06/06/deadly-european-floods-are-in-line-with-climate-predictions/">Multiple studies confirm t</a>hat these catastrophes are consistent with the predictions of global warming and will be exacerbated with time unless the political establishment of the world manages to get its act together before the tipping point is<br />
reached.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="image__src" src="http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_960_noupscale/5751a76f130000d60538383e.jpeg?cache=afssch8mrl" height="416" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="image__credit js-image-credit" style="width: 960px;">
Philippe Wojazer / Reuters
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<br />
<br />
<figure class="content-list-component image"><figcaption class="image__caption js-image-caption" style="width: 960px;">
View of the flooded Seine near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 3, 2016, after days of almost nonstop rain.
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<br />
<h3>
THE DEATH OF A WONDER </h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/aus/2016/may/reef/gallery-link/img/1300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="100%" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead and dying coral at Lizard Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The once brilliant coral is blanketed by </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Te great wonder of Australia is The Great Barrier reef. It has been stressed for a long time by climate change and now it appears to be in its death throes. It is being killed by bleaching which is caused by the rise of water temperature. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/07/the-great-barrier-reef-a-catastrophe-laid-bare">The Guardian has published an expose </a>on the subject that is very hard reading but must be confronted. When the coral dies, the entire ecosystem around it transforms. Fish that feed on the coral, use it as shelter, or nibble on the algae that grows among it die or move away. The bigger fish that feed on those fish disappear too. But the cascading effects do not stop there. Birds that eat fish lose their energy source, and island plants that thrive on bird droppings can be depleted. And, of course, people who rely on reefs for food, income or shelter from waves – some half a billion people worldwide – lose their vital resource. The people and governments who have caved into business interests that care only about short term profits are accountable for this catastrophe. <i>Homo sapiens </i>is not very sapiens, alas.<br />
<br />
<h2>
US PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS </h2>
P_T are<a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/24/how-to-save-america-from-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-presidential-election/"> fed up with the campaign </a>and will settle for what Mike Lukavich has to say about the choices.<br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="435" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/144/14475/1447541.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/144/14475/1447541.gif" height="290" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">HOME SWEET HOME</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
AIRBNB IN THE WEST BANK </h2>
<a href="http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/77804/airbnbs-west-bank-listings-draw-s.f.-protest-at-fidelity/">Airbnb has been</a> sending unsuspecting tourists to homes in the West Bank illegal settlements. The blog <a href="http://972mag.com/airbnb-lets-you-vacation-in-illegal-west-bank-settlements/115666/">+972 has raised an outcry. </a>A coalition of international organizations organized protests in cities across the world Friday against Airbnb’s operations in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. In addition to the international actions, local popular committees of Palestinian villages and cities like Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, and Hebron also participated. We hope the pressure works.<br />
<br />
<h2>
WOMEN OF THE WALL UNDER PRESSURE AGAIN </h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.716099.1461494297%21/image/3293111432.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/3293111432.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo: Olivier Fitoussi, License: N/A2016-04-24" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Members of Women of the Wall praying at the Western Wall on Passover, April 24, 2016.Olivier Fitoussi<br />
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.723580</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.723580">A leader of Women of the Wall</a>, the feminist prayer group, was detained by police on Tuesday morning after she was caught carrying a Torah scroll at the Western Wall, in defiance of regulations imposed by the custodian of the Jewish holy site. Law enforcement officials stopped Lesley Sachs, the executive director of Women of the Wall, as she was leaving the area at the conclusion of the group’s monthly prayer service, and took her in for questioning at the nearby police station in Jerusalem’s Old City. Pollyanna and Titan object to this violation of human rights and call upon all liberal people to make their protest and disgust known.<br />
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<h2>
KOSHER BUT IT STINKS </h2>
There is an old story of a woman who asked the rabbi if it is kosher to cook a chicken in a chamber pot. The answer was yes it its kosher, but it stinks. This is a good description of a judgement rendered this week by the Supreme Court of Israel t<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.723557">hat ruled by 2-1 th</a>at the term "kosher" is a monopoly of the official Chief Rabbinate and all attempts to provide kashruth supervision by alternate bodies are illegal. This confirms our long held opinion that kashruth is mostly a racket. Uri Misgav writing in Haaretz r<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.724182">aises the issue of one of the judges</a> who ruled in favor of the monopoly being a resident of a West Bank settlement, i.e. a criminal in his own right.<br />
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<h2>
DEATH IN SARONA </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class=" lazyloaded" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002%21/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/3506431889.JPG" data-src="/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/3506431889.JPG" data-srcset="/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/3506431889.JPG 609w,/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_720x405/3506431889.JPG 720w,/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_857x482/3506431889.JPG 857w,/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_1218x685/3506431889.JPG 1218w,/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_1434x807/3506431889.JPG 1434w,/polopoly_fs/1.723958.1465414002!/image/3506431889.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_1714x964/3506431889.JPG 1714w" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo: Haaretz, License: N/A2016-06-08" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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The Sarona Market is an upscale complex in Tel Aviv that claims to be the heartbeat of Israeli culinary art. On an area of 8,700 square meters with 91 shops, stalls and restaurants of all categories, Sarona Market is Israel's largest, most unique indoor culinary complex. Last week two Palestinian terrorists<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.723941"> gunned down visitors to the mall, </a>killing four and wounding six. <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Tel-Aviv-shooting-attack-strongly-condemned-by-US-UN-456326">Outrage is universal </a>although there was <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinians-celebrate-terror-attack-in-Tel-Aviv-Saudis-strongly-condemn-456344">some celebrating on the Palestinian side.</a> If they think that this is going to help their cause, they are greatly in error. On the other hand a fierce collective punishment on the part of Israel would be equally useless. Those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/"><br /></a>
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<h2>
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">WHAT IF? </a> </h2>
Since rainbows are caused by the refraction of the sunlight by tiny droplets of rainwater, what would a rainbow look like on Earth if we had two suns like Tatooine? —Raga.<br />
In fact we have primary and secondary rainbows on Earth, but the answer for binary systems is interesting.<br />
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<h2>
SILLY TIME </h2>
The Kingdom of Id has its own take on jurisprudence.<br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="188" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/144/14475/1447589.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/144/14475/1447589.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<img alt="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/144/14468/1446887.gif" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/144/14468/1446887.gif" /><br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="188" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/144/14485/1448541.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/144/14485/1448541.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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Cynthia has a good question<br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="211" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/144/14486/1448625.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/144/14486/1448625.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /> <br />
<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-77509731937698464802016-03-19T22:16:00.000+02:002016-03-19T22:26:21.691+02:00Pollyanna and Titan are with you again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl85wzyvtS67Yrqpsqvpm2HJ6YIYfANfvGe-x8kyRWwKYMJgvyYVJH1pqXw0tbBMEKL6_UzcFxDrQzaGq9C2EzWmwKNHZ3mMLV-LmA27rvvS8X1kbxmCumBABAXrYoGFnQI3VIroZh3Q/s1600/imagespolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl85wzyvtS67Yrqpsqvpm2HJ6YIYfANfvGe-x8kyRWwKYMJgvyYVJH1pqXw0tbBMEKL6_UzcFxDrQzaGq9C2EzWmwKNHZ3mMLV-LmA27rvvS8X1kbxmCumBABAXrYoGFnQI3VIroZh3Q/s1600/imagespolly.jpg" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg358s31Z2Z5asCEUS3lFMejpyP_2zjaP2vPb9yCCR5y4EsfrWR8AG8k0AdetGImybibycMJhRAUd7u1p_ORjUC3AraIztAYHCKIcuO7DiFiHrSgQr_oWpAvD2vPlTavp7SEiVBkuDFI0w/s1600/titan.jpg" /><br />
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Pollyanna and Titan have decided to pay you a visit again, this time on Pollyanna's site for the sake of equality, under the <i>nom de plume</i> of P_T. This is best represented by an image of an inverted teepee..<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOINjTP1OcvnefRunA2yyCFpU3Mpn8Rj8DEvvxIExBcEH0hYvgVZgPkAerY0m8dIQkmM-WhbAlMeOTuJm2RZ0CzflWKCIsaO1DsJ-xnljnnJlGuBHG_xh7byk84JhrWoE8414DrmzEhWU/s1600/Inverted-Teepee2-717x960.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOINjTP1OcvnefRunA2yyCFpU3Mpn8Rj8DEvvxIExBcEH0hYvgVZgPkAerY0m8dIQkmM-WhbAlMeOTuJm2RZ0CzflWKCIsaO1DsJ-xnljnnJlGuBHG_xh7byk84JhrWoE8414DrmzEhWU/s320/Inverted-Teepee2-717x960.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inverted teepee...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Pollyanna, Titan and YandA, the amanuensis and imaginary playmates, would like to wish a Happy Purim<br />
<img alt="Image result for purim 2016" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTb1s1WyjcLiVCByDo2Cxgkv0XeG_LmqkGPh0DC2JqfCj8QSpbraQ" data-sz="f" name="STE2uP5JsHowuM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTb1s1WyjcLiVCByDo2Cxgkv0XeG_LmqkGPh0DC2JqfCj8QSpbraQ" style="height: 165px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 303px;" /><br />
and a Happy Easter<br />
<img alt="Image result for happy easter 2014" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="8NHwZ3wXN8RKZM:" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="height: 176px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 176px;" /><br />
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to those who celebrate them. They also congratulate those born in the <a href="http://www.yourchineseastrology.com/zodiac/monkey.htm">Year of the Monkey</a> <img alt="Monkey" src="http://g.yourchineseastrology.com/images/zodiac/animal/monkey.png" /><br />
which began on February 8, 2016 (called the Lunar Chinese New Year or Chinese Spring Festival) and will last to January 27, 2017. They also note that Daylight Saving Time begins in Israel next Friday and would like to remind everyone to move his/her clock forward,<br />
well almost everyone.<br />
<img alt="Doomsday Clock" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/doomsday_clock.png" height="248" title="After a power outage at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the new Digital Doomsday Clock is flashing 00:00 and mushroom clouds keep appearing and then retracting once a second." width="640" /><br />
<br />
<h2>
CHARITY</h2>
The Charity Corner has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights Action site.</a> Pollyanna hopes that you will visit there, take the actions and make the donations. We also invite you to go there for the sake of indigenous peoples and enslaved persons.<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM </h2>
<h3>
Harper Lee April 28, 1926-February 19, 2016</h3>
<br />
<a href="http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021#to-kill-a-mockingbird">Writer Harper Lee </a>was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. In 1959, she finished the manuscript for her Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="President George W. Bush awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harper Lee during a ceremony on November 5, 2007, in the East Room of the White House. "'To Kill a Mockingbird' has influenced the character of our country for the better,” said President Bush. “It's been a gift to the entire world. As a model of good writing and humane sensibility, this book will be read and studied forever.” (Photo: Eric Draper, via The White House)" src="http://a2.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.3,q_80,w_620/MTMxNTcwNTY5NDY3NDM0MjU4.jpg" height="266" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President George W. Bush awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to
Harper Lee during a ceremony on November 5, 2007, in the East Room of
the White House. "'To Kill a Mockingbird' has influenced the character
of our country for the better,” said President Bush. “It's been a gift
to the entire world. As a model of good writing and humane sensibility,
this book will be read and studied forever.” (Photo: Eric Draper, via
The White House)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Soon after, she helped fellow-writer and friend <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/truman-capote-9237547">Truman Capote</a> write an article for The New Yorker which would later evolve into his nonfiction masterpiece, In Cold Blood. In July 2015, Lee published her second novel Go Set a Watchman, which was written before To Kill a Mockingbird and portrays the later lives of the characters from her first novel. Lee died on February 19, 2016, at the age of 89. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/19/harper-lee">A detailed obituary can be found in the Guardian.</a><br />
<br />
<h2>
SCIENCE, FRAUD AND TRAGEDY </h2>
Pollyanna is linking you to <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/the-stem-cell-scandal">a New Yorker article</a> about a scientific breakthrough that fizzled and came down to allegations of fraud and a suicide. A group of scientists in Japan and the US came up with the idea of STAP, for <i>stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency</i>. The idea was so simple as to be heretical: ordinary cells could be turned into stem cells by subjecting them to profound stress.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A group of researchers believed that subjecting tissues to trauma could give ordinary cells stem-cell-like properties." class="post-load vertical attachment-medium" src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/160229_r27722-320.jpg" data-src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/160229_r27722-320.jpg" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="vertical attachment-medium portrait img-expandable featured"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="description">
<span class="caption-text">A group of researchers believed that subjecting tissues to trauma could give ordinary cells stem-cell-like properties.</span> <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="hideFromView">Credit</span> Illustration by Chad Hagen </span> </figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Few cells could survive the abuse, but those which did emerged transformed, apparently able to make any cell in the body. Alas, it turned out to be wrong and terrible things happened. It would have provided an infinite source of stem cells free of the ethical issues involved today in harvesting of embryonic cells. There is a message here for all scientists. We have also posted it to Facebook.<br />
<br />
<h2>
THE RANT </h2>
Pollyanna and Titan always have a rant. This time they are outraged over a few things including the <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/03/honduras-brutal-murder-of-indigenous-leader-a-tragedy-waiting-to-happen/">brutal murder of Berta Cáceres,</a> leader and co-founder of the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras (COPINH), who was shot dead in her home on 3 March in the town of La Esperanza, in the province of Intibuc?, west Honduras.<br />
<img alt="Image result for berta Cáceres" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="sduAi0xznQ3hLM:" 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" 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Her murder sends a chilling message to all human rights defenders in Honduras. If the perpetrators are not found and brought to justice, the Honduran government will have blood on its hands.<br />
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We also wish to call your attention to the widespread trafficking in human beings that has become a plague on humanity. Please lend your support to<a href="http://www.stopthetraffik.org/global"> Stop the Traffik</a> who are fighting the slave trade worldwide.<br />
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<h2>
US POLITICS </h2>
Pollyanna et al. are for Bernie, but of course will line up with whomever the party nominates. Otherwise...<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="436" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/142/14288/1428880.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/142/14288/1428880.gif" height="310" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
<h2>
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES OBSERVED!! </h2>
For the first time ever, a <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/gravitational-waves-exist-heres-how-scientists-finally-found-them">gravitational wave has been observed.</a> A team of global researchers announced the finding on Thursday, February 11. The discovery comes 100 years after Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in his theory of general relativity. This is a most exciting finding.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of moving ripples in space and time." class="post-load horizontal attachment-large" src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Twilley-Gravitational-Waves1-690x345-1455147474.jpg" data-src-mobile="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Twilley-Gravitational-Waves1-290x149-1455147308.jpg" data-src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Twilley-Gravitational-Waves1-690x345-1455147474.jpg" height="200" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<br />
<figure class="horizontal attachment-large landscape img-expandable featured"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="description">
<span class="caption-text">A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of moving ripples in space and time.</span> <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="hideFromView">Credit</span> Illustration by Aleks Sennwald </span> </figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If the New Yorker link does not open for you, there are <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35524440">other descriptions</a>. Pollyanna has long regarded this as the Holy Grail of all science and is delighted. We recall our old professor at Maryland, Joseph Weber, who devoted his career to the search and our late colleague in Tel Aviv, Dror Sadeh, who thought he had nailed the waves in seismic observations. Imagine two monster black holes spinning down on each other in space. One has a mass which is about 35 times that of our Sun, the other roughly 30. At the moment just before they coalesce, they are turning around each other several tens of times a second. And then, their event horizons merge and they become one - like two soap bubbles in a bath. The amount of energy released was so huge that it was detectable at a distance about 1.3 billion light-years from Earth. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/opinion/sunday/finding-beauty-in-the-darkness.html?_r=0">Cheers to science done properly</a> says Pollyanna.<br />
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<h2>
THE BIGGIE IS COMING. </h2>
Many people think that the San Andreas fault will be the source of the next major earthquake in the Pacific Northwest. Wrong, the<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/11/us/cascadia-subduction-zone-earthquakes/"> Cascadia subduction zone </a>will provide something much worse. The New Yorker gives us a <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one--?intcid=mod-most-popular">detailed description of this calamity</a> waiting to happen.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The next full-margin rupture of the Cascadia subduction zone will spell the worst natural disaster in the history of the continent." class="post-load vertical attachment-medium" src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/150720_r26752-320.jpg" data-src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/150720_r26752-320.jpg" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<br />
<figure class="vertical attachment-medium portrait img-expandable featured"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="description">
<span class="caption-text">The next full-margin rupture of the
Cascadia subduction zone will spell the worst natural disaster in the
history of the continent.</span> <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="hideFromView">Credit</span> Illustration by Christoph Niemann; Map by Ziggymaj / Getty </span> </figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
WHIG HISTORY OF SCIENCE </h2>
You might find the<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/12/17/eye-present-whig-history-science/"> essay on this topic</a> by the Nobel Laureate physicist Steven Weinberg in the New York Review of Books interesting as well as the<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/02/25/the-whig-history-of-science-an-exchange/"> comment and exchange</a> that followed. Whig history is a form of liberalism, putting its faith in the power of human reason to reshape society for the better, regardless of past history and tradition. It proposes the inevitable progress of mankind.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="‘Scenography of the Copernican World System’; engraving from Andreas Cellarius’s Harmonia macrocosmica, 1660" class="size-full wp-image-50814" src="http://www.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/weinberg_1-121715.jpg" height="337" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">‘Scenography of the Copernican World System’; engraving from Andreas Cellarius’s <i>Harmonia macrocosmica</i>, 1660</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna posted it to Facebook for those who might have difficulty in opening NYRB. P_T certainly agree with this attitude and pin their hopes for the future on the ability of human beings to be rational. Of course, a look at a newspaper paints a different picture. It may be rational in some perverted sense for the Koch brothers to deny climate change for the sake of their short term profits. What is depressing is that there are countless people who deny climate change out of contrariness or simple ignorance. We cannot but be reminded of the famous quote attributed to Giordano Bruno<i>:"Ignorance is the most delightful science in the world because it is acquired without labor or pains and keeps the mind from melancholy."</i> Pollyanna will risk being sued by WUMO in order to get this point across.<br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="208" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/142/14272/1427210.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/142/14272/1427210.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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In this context, P_T tell you of something that would be funny if it
were not so tragic. It is hard to believe, but a town in the U.S.,
<a href="http://www.iflscience.com/environment/solar-farm-rejected-over-fears-it-could-drain-sun-cause-cancer">Woodland, North Carolina, has just blocked </a>construction of a solar farm,
in part due to fears it would drain the Sun’s energy, <a href="http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/2015/12/08/woodland-rejects-solar-farm/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald reports.</a> By a vote of 3-1, council members approved the
rejection of the planned rezoning on the grounds of concerns that had
been raised by the public. For instance, Woodland resident Jane Mann, a
retired science teacher, feared that vegetation in the area would suffer
through a lack of photosynthesis, an energy-making process that
requires sunlight. Her anecdotal evidence comes in the form of dead
plants she has observed around solar panels. Disappointingly, she is not
alone in her beliefs: another resident also said that the farm would
suck up the Sun’s energy. Obviously science education leaves much to be
desired, Lord help us!<br />
<h2>
BOOK REVIEW </h2>
The Irish-language writer Máirtín Ó Cadhain published a novel in 1950 entitled <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-irish-novel-thats-so-good-people-were-scared-to-translate-it?intcid=mod-most-popular"> “Cré na Cille”</a> (“Churchyard Clay”). It is considered one of the great masterpieces of Irish language literature, but languished without an English translation for nearly seventy years, mainly because no one dared to take on the task lest its place in the canon could be damaged. Now we have two translations, The first one, published under the title “The Dirty Dust,” appeared last March; the second one, more literally titled “Graveyard Clay,” is out this month. These two translations—different from one another in ways large and small—lay to rest the fable of the “perfect” translation. The New Yorker reviews both and a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/15/the-dirty-dust-cre-na-cille-mairtin-o-cadhain-review-alan-titley">review of "The Dirty Dust" is in the Guardian.</a> It is a novel in which all the characters are dead. They are buried in a graveyard in Connemara and continue with venom the disputes that sustained them in their previous lives.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="'Ó Cadhain achieves a perfect synthesis of style and subject' … a graveyard in Ireland." class="maxed responsive-img" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2015/4/13/1428938802771/--Cadhain-achieves-a-perf-009.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=49b565523260ffa5b581337e5ff46ae1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">‘Ó Cadhain achieves a perfect synthesis of style and subject’ … a
graveyard in Ireland. Photograph: Design Pics/Gareth McCormack/Getty
Images/Perspectives
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Their only sustenance is when a new corpse arrives to tell them about the latest tittle-tattle, scandals, suppositions, rumors and even occasionally the truth about what is happening “up there”. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0971161/">A film,</a> in Irish, has also been made of the story.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
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<h2>
What IF? </h2>
What percentage of the Sun's heat (per day) does the population of Earth eat in calories per year? What changes could be made to our diets for the amount of calories to equal the energy of the Sun?<br />
<br />
—James Mitchell <a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">The answer is interesting as usual.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
SIDE EFFECTS </h2>
Anyone who has gone through any form of therapy for nasty diseases in which the<br />
the side effects are not much better than the disease will appreciate this.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic zoomed" data-height="211" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/142/14274/1427443.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/142/14274/1427443.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOINjTP1OcvnefRunA2yyCFpU3Mpn8Rj8DEvvxIExBcEH0hYvgVZgPkAerY0m8dIQkmM-WhbAlMeOTuJm2RZ0CzflWKCIsaO1DsJ-xnljnnJlGuBHG_xh7byk84JhrWoE8414DrmzEhWU/s1600/Inverted-Teepee2-717x960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-49072053837687603412016-01-01T15:32:00.000+02:002016-01-01T15:38:05.169+02:00T_P bring you a wigwam.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="irc_mi" src="http://www.iaismuseum.org/exhibits/village/wigwam-001.jpg" height="471" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="628" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Algonquin wigwam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Titan and Pollyanna like to think of themselves as retirees who are relaxing after years of hard labor and ranting. This week, however, we are witnessing the end of a year and the usual hopeful thoughts for the New Year. In the light of this,T_P have decided to bring out an end of year wigwam. In general, they will show up together whenever the urge hits them.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Charity Corner </span>has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights Action</a> site. Titan and Pollyanna hope that you will visit there, take the actions and make the donations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM KURT MASUR 1927-2015.</h2>
The great conductor Kurt Masur died this month. He was well known to us in Israel for he visited often from 1986 on. He was given credit for the rehabilitation of the NY Philharmonic after the tenures of Boulez and Mehta. He will certainly be missed. There are detailed obituaries in both the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/arts/music/kurt-masur-new-york-philharmonic-conductor-dies.html?_r=0">NYTimes</a> and t<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/20/kurt-masur">he Guardian.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="Kurt Masur leading the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in 1998 as it played compositions by George Gershwin, including “An American in Paris.”" data-mediaviewer-credit="Chris Lee" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/12/20/nyregion/20OBITMasur1/20OBITMasur1-superJumbo-v2.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/12/20/nyregion/20OBITMasur1/20OBITMasur1-master675-v2.jpg" height="266" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/12/20/nyregion/20OBITMasur1/20OBITMasur1-master675-v2.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" id="media-100000004103677" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/12/20/nyregion/20OBITMasur1/20OBITMasur1-master675-v2.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" role="group"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
<span class="caption-text">Kurt Masur leading the New
York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in 1998 as it played compositions
by George Gershwin, including “An American in Paris.”</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
Chris Lee </span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
RANT AROUND A ROSIE, A POCKET FULL OF...</h2>
<br />
There is, as usual, much to rant about, but since this a joint effort we shall try to be a bit more gentle than Titan on his own. We start with something positive, the concept of <i>"basic income."</i><br />
This is defined as: <i>A basic income is an income unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement. </i>It is a form of minimum income guarantee that differs from those that now exist in various European countries in three important ways:<br />
<br />
1. It is being paid to individuals rather than households;<br />
2. It is paid irrespective of any income from other sources;<br />
3. It is paid without requiring the performance of any work or the willingness to accept a job if offered.<br />
<br />
It is a guarantee by society of a minimum standard of living and is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/26/dutch-city-utrecht-basic-income-uk-greens">now being implemented</a> in the Dutch city Utrecht. This is an idea that goes back to Thomas Paine who wrote his last pamphlet,<i> Agrarian Justice</i>, in 1795.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrarian_Justice"> In this pamphlet</a> Paine advocated the creation of a social insurance scheme for the aged and for young people just starting out in life. The benefits were to be paid from a national fund accumulated for this purpose. The fund was to be financed by a 10% tax on inherited property. A tax on inherited property was used because of Paine's general philosophy of property rights. Although he based his social insurance scheme on a line of argument that might sound quaint in the present era, in other respects his plan was quite modern, recognizing the problem of income security for the elderly, and the desirability of creating a national fund for this purpose. The idea is being promoted by a<a href="http://www.basicincome.org/basic-income/"> worldwide network that started in Europe</a>, but has expanded greatly. Common to all is the belief that some sort of economic right based upon citizenship – rather than upon one’s relationship to the production process or one’s family status – is called for as part of the just solution to social problems in advanced societies.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Basic Income, conceived as a universal and unconditional, if modest, continuous stream of income granted throughout life to all members of a political community is just the simplest and most striking element in an expanding set of social policy proposals inspired by this belief and currently debated, if not already implemented.<br />
<br />
The most famous implementation of this idea in modern times was in the <a href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/dauphins-great-experiment.html">city of Dauphine,</a> in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was called Mincome and between the years 1972 to 1979 checks were issued to the working poor of the town. In 1971, at a federal-provincial conference held in Victoria, Manitoba expressed interest in being the testing ground for a guaranteed income project. The Schreyer government applied for funding. In June, 1974, Mincome was approved.<br />
<br />
The program quickly grew from modest origins. The NDP thought it would cost slightly more than $500,000 and involve somewhere between 300 and 500 families. It was perceived that teenagers stayed in school longer because they didn't have to get jobs to support their families. People could afford medical and dental care. Stress was down because people didn't have to worry about providing for their families.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The project ultimately cost more than $17 million and helped 1,000 families. When Conservatives came to power in Winnipeg and Ottawa, the program came to an end. The Utrecht program differs in that it is limited to people on welfare. It will be interesting to see how it works and whether if spreads to other cities and countries.<br />
<br />
<h2>
ON ISLAMOPHOBIA </h2>
Despite constituting a significant minority in western countries, Muslims around the world are subject to disproportionate, unjustifiable bias. Such attitudes distance them from their most fundamental social rights by portraying them as extremists and fanatics. The group is represented as able to endanger the interests of Europe and America. Overall, what is clear is that Muslims in the West are treated as second-class citizens; their social rights and freedom seem to be abrogated.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Western mainstream media regularly associate terrorism with Islam and attribute terrorist activities to Muslims. The European governments overtly express their disdain for Islam and the Muslims, allowing the enactment of laws which limit and restrain social liberties of Muslims.<br />
<br />
The integration of the tens of millions of Muslims living in the Western world should be a matter of prime importance both to the governments and societies and to the leadership of the Muslim communities. <a href="http://www.ispu.org/people/Haroon-Moghul">Haroon Moghul</a> writing in <a href="http://www.atlanticmedia.com/brands/quartz/">Quartz</a>, puts forward a<a href="http://qz.com/579526/a-letter-to-a-young-muslim-on-the-future-of-western-islam/"> road map for the Muslim communities in the West</a>. It is worth reading since it is a voice of reason in a sphere which is full of bigotry and ranting. T_P believe firmly that the pathways of blind hatred can only lead to greater disasters.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/rtr2hl0v.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=3200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/rtr2hl0v.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=3200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No turning back now. <span class="featured-image-credit">(Reuters/Lucas Jackson)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<h2>
COMFORT WOMEN</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Protestors sit next to a statue (C) of a South Korean teenage girl in traditional costume called the 'peace monument' for former 'comfort women' who served as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War Two, during a weekly anti-Japanese demonstration near the Japanese embassy in Seoul on 11 November 2015." class="js-image-replace" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/405F/production/_87397461_gettyimages-496585252.jpg" height="254" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="media-caption__text">Activists for comfort women erected a
statue of a girl which they call a 'peace monument' outside the Japanese
embassy in Seoul in 2011
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In WWII over 200,000 Korean women were kidnapped to be sex slaves ("comfort women") for Japanese soldiers. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35188135">Japan has at last apologized</a> deeply for this crime against and will pay 1bn yen ($8.3m, £5.6m) - the amount South Korea asked for - to fund victims. Over 70 years have passed and only a few of them are still alive. Let us wish the survivors some comfort in these last years of their lives.<br />
<br />
<h2>
JUSTICE FOR RANA PLAZA VICTIMS </h2>
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12/23/rana-plaza-disaster-murder-charges_n_8868254.html">Murder indictments have been handed down</a> against those alleged to be responsible for the disaster. The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory, on the outskirts of Dhaka on 24 April 2013, is widely thought to be one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.At least 1,135 people died in the tragedy and more than 2,000 people were injured. Let us hope for justice to be done.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="rana plaza" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3815694/thumbs/o-RANA-PLAZA-570.jpg?7" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rescue workers and volunteers search for victims amongst the debris of the collapsed Rana Plaza building in April 2013</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">HOME SWEET HOME</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
FASCISM ANYONE? </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Im Tirtzu activists clashing with students at Tel Aviv University while calling for closure of left-leaning Political Science Department at Ben-Gurion University." src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.422271.1450805681%21/image/706633085.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/706633085.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo: Oren Ziv, License: N/A2012-04-03" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Im Tirtzu activists clashing with students at Tel Aviv University while calling for closure of left-leaning Political Science Department at Ben-Gurion University. credit Oren Ziv</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For years we, especially Titan, have raved and ranted about the erosion of democracy in Israel. More and more anti-democratic legislation is being passed, the latest aimed at NGO's that criticize the government or heaven forbid,the army. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.693304">Bradley Burston, writing in Haaretz</a>, points out that we on the liberal side have to do something before it is too late. <i>"I'm sick to death of the Zionism of horseshit, of the incitement which prides itself on hatred and, yes, that 'beautiful face' of fascism. It's up to every one of us.We can stand up now, or be put down later. Like dogs." </i><br />
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What used to be regarded as shameful<a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/groom-among-4-arrested-over-hate-wedding-video/"> has become mainstream</a>. <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/police-open-probe-into-wedding-video-celebrating-duma-murders/">The glorification of the Dawabsha family murder</a> at a wedding is a symptom of what we have become.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Screenshot from a video showing extremist Israeli Jewish wedding-goers celebrating the killings of the Dawabsha family. (screen capture: Channel 10)" class="attachment-large wp-post-image" src="http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2015/12/wedding-635x357.jpg" height="357" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Screenshot from a video showing extremist Israeli Jewish wedding-goers celebrating the killings of the Dawabsha family. (screen capture: Channel 10)" width="635" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="caption">
Screenshot from a video showing
extremist Israeli Jewish wedding-goers celebrating the killings of the
Dawabsha family. (screen capture: Channel 10)</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
A few years ago Titan evaluated us by the <a href="http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html">Britt scale of fascism</a> and found that we were only part way to the full fledged version. T_P suggest we look again at the 14 criteria and note how we have devolved. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.693999">Note that the law being pushed through the Knesset </a>against NGO's who support human rights is another facet of the rise of fascism in Israel.<br />
<img alt="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.684074.1446593736%21/image/1457048104.PNG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/1457048104.PNG" height="225" title="Photo: Eran Wolkowski, License: N/A2015-11-04" width="400" /><br />
We now have something new-Dorit Rabinyan’s new novel, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.694620">“Borderlife” (Gader Haya, Am Oved Publishers, 344 pages; in Hebrew) </a> has been removed from the high school advanced literature curriculum on the grounds that it might encourage assimilation, Lord help us. The novel itself received a<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/books/.premium-1.617425"> less than rave review</a> from Itzhak Laor, but that may have been colored by Laor's politics. We noted, on Facebook, that Rabinyan is in good company. The state of New Hampshire banned Shakespeare's<i> Twelfth Night</i> on the grounds that it encourages homosexuality. It is scant comfort to know that other education systems are administered by the same brand of idiots. In New Hampshire the idiots backed down and now it appears that their counterparts in Israel are <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.694854">trying to climb down</a> the proverbial tree as well. The novel, "Borderlife," by Dorit Rabinyan, can be studied in advanced literature studies classes, but not as part of the regular school curriculum, the ministry announced. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Copy of "Borderlife," by Dorit Rabinyan, at Israeli book store. " class=" lazyloaded" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072%21/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/1960534058.JPG" data-src="/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/1960534058.JPG" data-srcset="/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/1960534058.JPG 609w,/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_720x405/1960534058.JPG 720w,/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_857x482/1960534058.JPG 857w,/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_1218x685/1960534058.JPG 1218w,/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_1434x807/1960534058.JPG 1434w,/polopoly_fs/1.694863.1451587072!/image/1960534058.JPG_gen/derivatives/headline_1714x964/1960534058.JPG 1714w" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo: Ofer Vaknin, License: N/A2015-12-31" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copy of "Borderlife," by Dorit Rabinyan, at Israeli book store. credit Ofer Vaknin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
BREAKING THE SILENCE </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A public reading of Breaking the Silence testimonies in Tel Aviv to mark 10 years since the organization was founded, June 6, 2014. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)" class="size-full wp-image-114764" src="http://static1.972mag.com/wp-content/uploads//2015/12/bts-thumb.jpg" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A public reading of Breaking the Silence testimonies in Tel Aviv to mark
10 years since the organization was founded, June 6, 2014. (Oren
Ziv/Activestills.org)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/">This is an NGO of soldiers</a> who have been forced to commit war crimes or have witnessed them and want the truth to be known about the <i>"most moral army in the world." </i>Recently fascist groups such as Im Tirzu (google it yourself, T_P will not contaminate their blog with their link), have launched nasty attacks to the point of questioning the loyalty of the people involved. Haggai Matar writing in +972 provides an analysis of <a href="http://972mag.com/why-do-so-many-israelis-hate-breaking-the-silence/114763/">why these soldiers are so hated </a>by the right and by extension by the public. T_P love them.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Randal provides us with questions for the New Year </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/2016_conversation_guide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/2016_conversation_guide.png" height="246" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h4>
Your kid has a science project...</h4>
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<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/baking_soda_and_vinegar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/baking_soda_and_vinegar.png" /></a></div>
<h4>
</h4>
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<br />
Have you raised a kid...<br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="212" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/138/13824/1382483.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/138/13824/1382483.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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or are you unclear on the concept of something<br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="318" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/lw600/138/13807/1380746.jpg" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/138/13807/1380746.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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We too went to see Star Wars...<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="436" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/137/13749/1374930.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/137/13749/1374930.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-47119098481890981222015-09-27T15:22:00.002+03:002015-09-27T15:22:44.144+03:00Pollyanna is back for a visit <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgX7v2hGpl70IhIGe6xf9qRUFLbGXEVayfDBwdA7X_6EsBZ14yR2zSsIn0NgF2iA_pshFM-SDvhdiLAFASSK5VxBhMahLZlzCVnpLVtkRsSB_uA4LnMnRHXbn1Rxab25CLCL9B4aI0Xo/s1600/imagespolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgX7v2hGpl70IhIGe6xf9qRUFLbGXEVayfDBwdA7X_6EsBZ14yR2zSsIn0NgF2iA_pshFM-SDvhdiLAFASSK5VxBhMahLZlzCVnpLVtkRsSB_uA4LnMnRHXbn1Rxab25CLCL9B4aI0Xo/s1600/imagespolly.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember Pollyanna?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna has become jealous of <a href="http://arkee-titan.blogspot.co.il/">Titan, </a>who has had a chance to blather at you. She would like to celebrate Succot with you.<br />
<img alt="Image result for succoth" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSkEvFiM4vCMUAN9aaIbP54Ql6fBtxaIQgeAqkvyK_eCe9lML57g" data-sz="f" name="bGABDM8rJR6GWM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSkEvFiM4vCMUAN9aaIbP54Ql6fBtxaIQgeAqkvyK_eCe9lML57g" style="height: 155px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 229px;" /><br />
<br />
The Charity Corner has found a home on the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights Actio</a>n site. Pollyanna hopes that you will visit there, take the actions and make the donations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM </h2>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/sports/baseball/yogi-berra-dies-at-90-yankees-baseball-catcher.html?_r=0">Yogi Berra (1925-2015)</a> , one of baseball’s greatest catchers and characters, who as a player was a mainstay of 10 Yankees championship teams and as a manager led both the Yankees and the Mets to the World Series —but who may be more widely known as an ungainly but lovable cultural figure, inspiring a cartoon character and issuing a seemingly limitless supply of unwittingly witty epigrams known as Yogi-isms — died on Tuesday. He was 90.<br />
<img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2013/01/03/obituaries/20130103Yogi-Berra-Obit-slide-N90W/20130103Yogi-Berra-Obit-slide-N90W-videoSixteenByNine1050-v2.jpg" height="225" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2013/01/03/obituaries/20130103Yogi-Berra-Obit-slide-N90W/20130103Yogi-Berra-Obit-slide-N90W-videoSixteenByNine1050-v2.jpg" itemprop="url" width="400" /><br />
He may or may not have said all the things attributed to him and he certainly was no fool or dummy.<br />
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–63, 1965), all but the last for the New York Yankees. An 18-time All-Star and 10-time World Series champion as a player, Berra had a career batting average of .285, while compiling 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He is one of only five players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. Widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/sep/23/a-gay-rights-advocate-and-businessman-yogi-berra-was-more-than-a-loveable-dope">He was also an astute businessman and a supporter of many causes</a>. He supported the Yogi Berra learning center with the idea to teach children important values such as sportsmanship and dedication, both on and off the baseball diamond.<br />
<br />
He is famous for many malapropisms most of which are apocryphal. He himself said <i>"I never said the things I said." </i>We link you <a href="http://www.people.com/article/yogi-berra-advice-quotes"> to a collection of quotes or non quotes</a>. RIP Yogi, you exemplified worthy values both on and off the field. Mike Luckavich puts it well:<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="443" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/130/13013/1301330.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/130/13013/1301330.gif" height="295" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<h2>
THE POPE IN THE US</h2>
The Pope is doing a good job of <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/24/politics/pope-francis-washington-congress-updates/">rattling the cages in the US</a> and making people look at themselves.<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="443" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/130/13023/1302371.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/130/13023/1302371.gif" height="295" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
Cheers Your Holiness! says Pollyanna.<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="362" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/129/12951/1295106.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/129/12951/1295106.gif" height="241" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" width="400" /><br />
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<br />
<h2>
POT FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH </h2>
Thanks to Judy <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v525/n7570_supp/full/525S12a.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20150924&spMailingID=49614214&spUserID=MTU0ODY5ODg5NzQ5S0&spJobID=763182077&spReportId=NzYzMTgyMDc3S0">who posted this article</a> on Facebook. It appears that Israel is a major focus of research on the medicinal use of cannabis. Researchers come from other countries to work in the relaxed atmosphere. Israel's approach to cannabis is more liberal than those of most countries, but it is far from a free-for-all. The drug remains illegal for recreational use (although there are signs that this may be changing). Israel also refuses to export cannabis to other countries, despite plenty of interest.<br />
Many researchers consider that this kind of balanced approach may be an important factor in why cannabis research in Israel is taken seriously; the herb is treated as a drug that needs to be studied in order to be safely used, just like any other. We cannot but be reminded of the cancer patient who was told by his oncologist that he could get cannabis to alleviate the effects of the chemotherapy. His reply-<i>"Doctor, I am 56 years old. Where were you 40 years ago when I really needed you?"</i> Titan recently discussed<a href="http://arkee-titan.blogspot.co.il/"> cannabis and Shakespeare.</a><br />
<br />
<h2>
THE RANT </h2>
Of course, we cannot go without a rant. <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/action-mbmr-burkina-faso/">Pollyanna chooses to rant </a>about the status of women and girls in Burkina Faso. Imagine not knowing that sex could make you pregnant. Imagine finding out how to prevent a pregnancy only after you’d had your third or fourth child. Now imagine being refused contraception – the pill or condoms – just because you don’t have your partner’s or in-law’s permission. This is the reality for many women and girls in Burkina Faso today. Even if they have permission, they may not have enough money to pay for it: emergency contraception can cost as much as one-fifth of your monthly income if you are earning minimum wage. The consequences of these barriers to contraception are unwanted, unplanned and sometimes risky pregnancies. In the end, women and girls are denied the right to make crucial choices that belong to them – an abuse of their sexual and reproductive rights. Pollyanna asks you to open the link and to take action to end this sorry state of affairs. She also would like to link you to an interview on gender equality with <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2015/09/the-gender-equality-agenda/">Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,</a> the UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.<br />
<img alt="Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women" class="image--fullwidth print-hidden lazyloaded" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><br />
<img alt="Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women" class="image--fullwidth print-hidden lazyloaded" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amnesty.org/remote.axd/amnestysgprdasset.blob.core.windows.net/media/10616/phumzile-mlambo-ngcuka.jpg?center=0.475%2c0.49824561403508771&preset=proportional_639_hi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://www.amnesty.org/remote.axd/amnestysgprdasset.blob.core.windows.net/media/10616/phumzile-mlambo-ngcuka.jpg?center=0.475%2c0.49824561403508771&preset=proportional_639_hi" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
IN PRAISE OF TEACHING IGNORANCE</h2>
Far too often, students and the public, fall into the trap of believing that the conventional wisdom at any time on any subject is the full extent of knowledge about that subject. The truth is that the gaps in our knowledge, be they in medicine or in physics or whatever, are the engine that drives our curiosity and motivates our efforts to carry out research in order to learn more. In a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/24/opinion/the-case-for-teaching-ignorance.html?action=click&contentCollection=Science&module=MostPopularFB&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article&_r=0">NYTimes article, Jamie Holmes</a> makes the case, with ample references, for the need to emphasize the interface between the unknown and the known. In our experience, the Voyager, Galileo and Cassini spacecraft projects confounded our expectations and the old received wisdom in an wonderful way. Yes, Titan, we hear you chuckling out there...<br />
<img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="" data-mediaviewer-credit="Post Typography" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/08/24/opinion/24Holmes/24Holmes-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/08/24/opinion/24Holmes/24Holmes-master675.jpg" height="290" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/08/24/opinion/24Holmes/24Holmes-master675.jpg" itemprop="url" width="400" /><br />
<h2>
FILM REVIEW </h2>
Pollyanna brings you reviews of the film <i>Ex Machina</i> by Alex Garland. This is a challenging sci-fi that we intend to see. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/25/ex-machina-review-mark-kermode-alex-garland-vikander">The Guardian gives us a discussion</a> by Mark Kermode and <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/ex-machina/critic-reviews">Metacritic </a> sums up the reviews of 42 critics, most of them positive.<br />
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<h2>
BOOK REVIEW </h2>
<a href="http://tim-parks.com/">Tim Parks</a> reviews the<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/jun/04/italys-seriously-playful-genius/"> latest translation to English </a>of a collection of stories by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/apr/03/antonio-tabucchi">Antonio Tabucchi (1943-2012) </a>in the NY Review of Books. In the process, as a translator of Tabucchi, he draws on several other books to fill in the background on this interesting writer. Tabucchi was a major figure in the anti-Berlusconi camp. He also would have no truck with the attempts to rehabilitate Italy's Fascist past. Interviewed in <i>La Stampa </i>he declared that: <i>"This correction of history which is frequently produced by a rich, cynical society, totally insensitive to moral questions, is repellent to me … I think that fascism is a great historical wound which is not yet healed."</i> Pollyanna says a great Amen to that.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="parks_1-060415.jpg" src="http://www.nybooks.com/media/photo/2015/05/13/parks_1-060415_jpg_250x1410_q85.jpg" id="photo-5247-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><small>David Clifford/4SEE/Redux</small>
Antonio Tabucchi, Lisbon, Portugal, November 2011
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What IF? </a>What if the Earth were made entirely of protons, and the<br />
Moon were made entirely of electrons?<br />
<br />
—Noah Williams WOW! Nothing like this has ever come up in What If?<br />
and it is about as destructive as you can imagine, but fun to think<br />
about.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CEREBRAL PROSTITUTION</h2>
Woody Allen, writing in the New Yorker over 40 years ago, introduces us to a <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1974/12/16/the-whore-of-mensa">different kind of call girl, </a>with a university degree and the kind of stimulation that you never find elsewhere.<br />
<img alt="" class="post-load horizontal attachment-large" src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/1974/12/741216_ra358-690.jpg" data-src-mobile="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/1974/12/741216_ra358-290-150.jpg" data-src="http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/1974/12/741216_ra358-690.jpg" height="220" itemprop="image" width="400" /><br />
<br />
DANGERS OF TIME TRAVEL<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="410" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/lw600/129/12932/1293207.jpg" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/cache/lw725/129/12932/1293207.jpg" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
<br />
<h2>
FOR THOSE WHO WOULD BE TEACHERS, THERE IS A CYNTHIA IN YOUR FUTURE</h2>
<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="212" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/128/12864/1286464.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/128/12864/1286464.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<img alt="" class="img-responsive the-comic" data-height="212" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/128/12899/1289902.gif" data-width="600" data-zoom-image="/newspics/128/12899/1289902.gif" id="comic-zoom" style="max-width: 600px;" title="click or tap to zoom" /><br />
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<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-63635351878666038732015-03-28T18:18:00.000+03:002015-03-29T11:26:31.365+03:00Pollyanna goes to Canada and the USA<br />
<br />
<img class="irc_mut" height="346" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSHdPr1wDod8B07ghACFSQbNs-2avhGkM1JxaGS4Ub3ey_0CVeY" style="margin-top: 24px;" width="598" /><br />
Pollyanna has gone through an election campaign and its aftermath and now would like to get on with her life and yours. We shall presumably get a right wing government based on 67 out of 120 members and we shall see how well these idiots can really run a country. Maybe. if the public gets a good look at them not hiding behind some scapegoat such as Lapid, we can hope for an awakening. Pollyanna also announces that she, Titan and YandA are going to Canada in order to come out of Egypt and there will be no blogs until late April. Enjoy your respite. All four of them wish all their readers a happy and kosher Pesach. We wish all our Christian friends and readers a Happy Easter.<br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CHARITY CORNER</h2>
Pollyanna refers you this week to the <a href="http://www.awf.org/">African Wildfife Foundation</a>. Their mission:The African Wildlife Foundation, together with the people of Africa, works "<i>to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever."</i> In addition to the link given above to the Foundation Web site, Pollyanna offers you also a link to the <a href="https://www.charitywatch.org/ratings-and-metrics/african-wildlife-foundation/237">Charity Watch analysis</a> of the society. We think this charity is worthy of your support.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Rhinoceros" src="http://www.awf.org/sites/default/files/styles/twotwenty_square/public/media/gallery/wildlife/Rhino/Rhino_Federico_Veronesi.jpg?itok=A11284PO" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhinoceros</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">IN MEMORIAM</span><br />
<h2>
FIRE IN BROOKLYN</h2>
Pollyanna mourns terrible and unnecessary loss of life. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/nyregion/7-children-die-in-brooklyn-fire.html?_r=0">Seven children of one family died </a>in a fire in their home in Brooklyn a week ago Friday. The mother and one daughter who managed to escape are in critical condition in the hospital. The children were taken to Jerusalem for burial. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/03/23/us/23reuters-usa-new-york-fire.html">The father </a>is naturally distraught and no one can blame him. Yet, one must ask why there were no smoke detectors in the living quarters of the home and why a defective hot plate was left on overnight. He was away from his family for a Talmud study retreat. The poor man must be racked with guilt.. This is not the first fire in Brooklyn connected with observance of the Shabbat. It is wonderful to trust in the Lord, but one also needs to be competent. The tragedy has sparked a lively discussion of Shabbath safety. <a href="http://blogs.forward.com/jj-goldberg/217210/a-deadly-plague-of-shabbat-fires/">J.J. Goldberg in the Forward </a>points out the dangers in observance. Certainly this is not a time for <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.648568">bashing the Orthodox,</a> but more care should be taken with Sabbath observance.<br />
<br />
<h2>
AIR DISASTER</h2>
An Airbus 320 of Germanwings (a subsidiary of Lufthansa) <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html">collided with a mountain in the French Alps </a>on Tuesday while en route to Dusseldorf from Barcelona. All 150 people on board perished. It is one of the worst air disasters in recent history and initially was inexplicable. The aircraft was flying in perfect weather and there were no distress calls from the crew. The plane crashed after an eight-minute descent from 38,000 feet.When French air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane at 10:53 a.m., it was flying at just 6,000 feet and it flew into the mountainside shortly afterward. The terrain in that region reaches heights well over 6,000 feet.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="A rescue helicopter over the French Alps near the crash site of the Airbus A320 on Tuesday." data-mediaviewer-credit="Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/25/world/25PLANE5/25PLANE5-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/25/world/25PLANE5/25PLANE5-master675.jpg" height="231" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/25/world/25PLANE5/25PLANE5-master675.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<figure class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" id="media-100000003590295" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/25/world/25PLANE5/25PLANE5-master675.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" role="group"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
<span class="caption-text">A rescue helicopter over the French Alps near the crash site of the Airbus A320 on Tuesday.</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters </span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Among the passengers there was a class of 16 German high school students and two teachers, who were returning from a study program near Barcelona. It has now come out that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, locked the captain out of the cockpit and<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html?_r=0"> crashed the plane deliberately. </a>It is hard to imagine why and it is doubtful if we shall ever know.<br />
<br />
Loss of life is terrible and the loss of young life is the worst. Pollyanna weeps.<br />
<br />
<h2>
REST IN PEACE KING RICHARD </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="British Army pallbearers carried a coffin containing the exhumed remains of King Richard III to his final resting place: a marble tomb next to the altar in Leicester Cathedral." data-mediaviewer-credit="Matt Short/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/27/world/27RICHARD1/27RICHARD1-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/27/world/27RICHARD1/27RICHARD1-master675.jpg" height="412" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/27/world/27RICHARD1/27RICHARD1-master675.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<figure class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" id="media-100000003596238" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/03/27/world/27RICHARD1/27RICHARD1-master675.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" role="group"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
<span class="caption-text">British Army pallbearers
carried a coffin containing the exhumed remains of King Richard III to
his final resting place: a marble tomb next to the altar in Leicester
Cathedral.</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
Matt Short/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images </span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The skeletal remains of Richard III <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/world/europe/king-richard-iii-burial-leicester.html?rref=world%2Feurope&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Europe&pgtype=article">were reburied this week in Leicester Cathedral</a>. He was killed at Bosworth Field in 1485 in the battle that led to the Tudor dynasty founded by Henry VII. He is still a controversial historic figure and the question of his guilt in the murder of his two nephews has never been fully resolved. In the meantime, we see him laid to rest with the final words of the Archbishop of Canterbury. <i>“We have entrusted our brother Richard to God’s mercy,”</i> he said, <i>“and we now commit his human remains to the ground, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”</i><br />
<br />
<h2>
CHEATING IN EXAMS </h2>
Exams that can determine a future for a person are far too often the motivation for massive cheating. Academic and educational institutions try to fight against it,but often the scale is too great. <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/21/394486567/police-in-india-arrest-hundreds-in-10th-grade-cheating-scandal?sc=tw">In India a new level of cheating </a>has caused a major scandal to erupt. Family members scaled the walls of buildings in which the exams were held and over 300 people were arrested in Bihar province. Near riots took place as police were forced to evacuate the area by firing in the air. It is obviously a societal issue of massive scale and the government will have to address it, if they really want to preserve the integrity of the education system.<br />
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300 arrested in anti-cheating operations in <a class="hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bihar?src=hash" rel="tag">#<b>Bihar</b></a> <a class="link customisable" data-expanded-url="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-anti-cheating-operations-nitish-kumar-matriculation-examination/1/425045.html" data-scribe="element:url" dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/9i8nrQVPlu" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-anti-cheating-operations-nitish-kumar-matriculation-examination/1/425045.html"><span class="tco-hidden">http://</span><span class="tco-display">indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-an</span><span class="tco-hidden">ti-cheating-operations-nitish-kumar-matriculation-examination/1/425045.html</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="tco-hidden"> </span>…</span></a> </div>
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<a class="u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2015-03-21T09:44:35+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/IndiaToday/status/579217027862110208"><time class="dt-updated" datetime="2015-03-21T09:44:35+0000" pubdate="" title="Time posted: 21 Mar 2015, 09:44:35 (UTC)">11:44 AM - 21 Mar 2015</time></a>
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<h2>
RAPE WITH IMPUNITY </h2>
<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/03/24/darren_sharper_prison_sentence_too_short.html">Former star NFL safety Darren Sharper </a>has pleaded (or plans to plead) guilty or no contest to rape and sexual assault charges involving nine women in four states. But thanks to his plea agreements and parole laws, it appears that he will end up serving only 10 years in prison for all those crimes.<br />
Pollyanna thinks that this is outrageous as do many other progressives including one of his former teammates.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="rtr4ujnu" src="http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_slatest/2015/03/24/darren_sharper_prison_sentence_too_short/rtr4ujnu.jpg.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge.jpg" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="rtr4ujnu" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharper with attorney Leonard Levine.</td></tr>
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One year per rape--give us a break.<br />
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<h2>
BIRTHDAY PAUL ERDOS March 26 1913-September 20, 1996. </h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Erdos and Terence Tao" class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.648815.1427295854%21/image/1879779444.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/1879779444.jpg" height="231" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Erdos and Terence Tao" width="400" /></td></tr>
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<span class="imageText">In this 1985 photo taken at
the University of Adelaide, Erdős explains a problem to young
mathematician Terence Tao — who was 10 years old at the time. </span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by Wikipedia</span>
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<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/this-day-in-jewish-history/.premium-1.648811">He was one of the great mathematicians of the last century.</a> During his stay in Israel in the 1950's, we actually heard a lecture from him. He was in many ways an eccentric, but his genius was beyond dispute.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SCIENCE GOODIES</span><br />
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<h2>
LIFE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM?</h2>
We have promised to keep you up to date on the Dawn-Ceres news.<br />
<br />
<img class="article-img-full" src="http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/mg22530143.800/mg22530143.800-1_1200.jpg" height="426" width="640" /><br />
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It appears that Ceres may be <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530143.800-dwarf-planet-ceres-might-have-right-stuff-for-life.html#.VRPuIeE9T3g">spewing water from a geyser </a>as do Europa and Enceladus. If this works out, Ceres will join the club of objects in the solar system that may harbor life or have done so in the past. Curiosity, the rover on Mars, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-mars-nitrates-curiosity-rover-nitrogen-life-nasa-20150323-story.html">has come up with more indications</a> that, in the past, Mars may well have supported life. Stay tuned.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Curiosity rover on Mars" class="trb_embed_imageContainer_img" data-baseurl="http://www.trbimg.com/img-55109968/turbine/la-sci-sn-mars-nitrates-curiosty-nitrogen-life-001" data-content-naturalheight="812" data-content-naturalwidth="1024" data-height="450" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-55109968/turbine/la-sci-sn-mars-nitrates-curiosty-nitrogen-life-001/750/750x422" data-ratio="16x9" data-width="750" height="225" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Curiosity rover on Mars" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, shown at the John Klein drill site, has
found signs of nitrates, compounds that could have provided essential
nutrients to living things, if they ever existed on the Red Planet.
(NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)</td></tr>
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Pollyanna likes this stuff.<br />
<br />
<h2>
THE PORCUPINE AS ARCHAEOLOGIST</h2>
Ruth Schuster, writing in Haaretz, tells us that<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/life/archaeology/1.648533"> a porcupine, innocently making a burrow </a>in an archeological site, came up with a perfectly preserved oil lamp from the Roman-Byzantine period, about 1,400 years ago. Alas, it was confiscated by human archaeologists before the poor critter could sell it to a collector. Read all about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Byzantine-era lamp found by a porcupine at Horbat Siv (IAA)" class="" height="231" itemprop="image" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.648536.1427192912%21/image/2069613169.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/2069613169.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The Byzantine-era lamp found by a porcupine at Horbat Siv (IAA)" width="400" /></td></tr>
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<span class="imageText">The Byzantine-era lamp found by a porcupine at Horbat Siv.</span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by Israel Antiquities Authority</span>
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<h2>
EINSTEIN CONFIRMED AGAIN </h2>
Over the last century various challenges have been raised against Einstein's Theory of General Relativity and they have all failed. The problem is that the theory is not consistent with Quantum Mechanics and one or both will have to be modified. The Grand Unified Theory is the Holy Grail of physics. <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/space/if-spacetime-has-bubbles-theyre-smaller-we-thought">A new study,</a> led by <a href="http://www.phys.huji.ac.il/~tsvi/">Tsvi Piran of the Hebrew University</a>, a former student of ours, has provided another buttress for General Relativity in that it shows that photons in a vacuum have the same speed, regardless of their energy. One of the models that tries to reconcile General Relativity and Quantum Theory postulates a "foamy" structure of space-time. The result obtained by Piran and his team shows that if such foam exists it is on an impossibly small scale and the larger bubbles predicted do not exist. Cheers Tsvi!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="265" src="http://www.iflscience.com/sites/www.iflscience.com/files/styles/ifls_large/public/blog/%5Bnid%5D/grb_shell_final2.jpg?itok=PblepGA4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="field-label">Photo credit:
</span>
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The different energies of light from a gamma ray burst arrived </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
<br />
There is no new What If? this week, so we will go with the latest Solar System prediction by Randall. Indeed, the Mars Rovers are wonderful.<br />
<img alt="Opportunity" height="240" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/opportunity.png" title="We all remember those famous first words spoken by an astronaut on the surface of Mars: "That's one small step fo- HOLY SHIT LOOK OUT IT'S GOT SOME KIND OF DRILL! Get back to the ... [unintelligible] ... [signal lost]"" width="640" /><br />
<br />
Squirrel astrophysics is also of interest.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Squirrel Plan" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/squirrel_plan.png" title="[Halfway to the Sun ...] Heyyyy ... what if this BALLOON is full of acorns?!" /><br />
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<h2>
POOR NEWTON </h2>
We know people who blame Isaac Newton whenever something falls inconveniently. It apparently held in his lifetime as well:<br />
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<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Mar/25/2015" rel="image_src" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/113/11344/1134472.gif" /><br />
<br />
Below the Beltway used to be a feature of the Washington Post and Pollyanna loved it. Gene Weingarten still writes it now and again and <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/entertainment/belowthebeltway/s-1627118">here is the latest</a> with which we identify strongly.<br />
<br />
WuMo do a great job of making Shakespeare relevant to our times, both with <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/113/11331/1133183.gif">Hamlet</a> and <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/wumo/s-1627459">Romeo and Juliet..</a>arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-59575944083391252832015-03-12T21:05:00.003+02:002015-03-13T15:55:12.275+02:00Pollyanna gears up for elections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pollyanna is with you again. Purim and Women's Day have passed and we are now waiting for spring to show up for real. In the meantime we gear up for an election which may or may not lead to a real change in policy and priorities. In this fractious country, no one has ever won a majority and coalitions of one type or the other have always governed, for good or for ill. It appears that the Herzog-Livni ticket is leading and Netanyahu is limping. We shall wait and see.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Haaretz Daily Cartoon - 12/03/15" class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.646496.1426120713%21/image/1571798094.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/1571798094.jpg" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Haaretz Daily Cartoon - 12/03/15" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note Bibi limping and Sheldon Moneybags pushing </td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CHARITY CORNER</h2>
Pollyanna refers you this week to<a href="https://www.latettikva.co.il/en/"> Latet Tikva לתת תקווה</a> or To Give Hope, the National Center for Children's Health Care in Israel. LatetTikva was established in 2002 as a nonprofet organization that aims at giving hope and assistance to children, the ill and the needy, and their families. The Web site shows you a large variety of their projects and of course has a donation tab. It is a most worthy cause and has the appropriate financial transparency and responsibility.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Being happy at Schneider Children’s Hospital" src="https://www.latettikva.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/000279-160x100.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
<a class="focusedLink" href="https://www.latettikva.co.il/en/being-happy-at-schneider-childrens-hospital/">Being happy at Schneider Children’s Hospital</a></h4>
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<br />
<h2>
SALUTE WOMEN JOURNALISTS </h2>
Pollyanna refers you to a posting by Reporters without Borders. To mark International Women’s Day, Reporters Without Borders<a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html"> pays tribute to ten women journalists </a>from the four corners of the globe, ten women with different backgrounds who have told us about their jobs, their commitment and the specific challenges and dangers they face in the course of their work. Pollyanna recommends strongly that you read this story of these brave women and join her in saluting them. You may click on each image to read the story of the woman shown.<br />
<ul id="mars8-trombi">
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#khadija"><img alt="Khadija" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L83xH84/Khadijajpg-aabd3-e80d3.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 83px;" width="83" /></a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Brankica"><img alt="Brankica" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L84xH84/Brankicajpg-eb5a-95b54.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 84px;" width="84" /></a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Hla"><img alt="HlaHla" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L83xH84/HlaHlajpg-e2e21b-2e4bf.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 83px;" width="83" /></a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Farida"><img alt="Farida" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L83xH83/Faridajpg-b2b266-4ea04.jpg" height="83" style="height: 83px; width: 83px;" width="83" /></a></li>
<br />
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Noushin"><img alt="Noushin" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L84xH84/Noushinjpg-0045c-7687a.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 84px;" width="84" /></a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Solange"><img alt="Solange" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L86xH84/Solangejpg-441e1-cd6a6.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 86px;" width="86" /></a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#mae"><img alt="Mae" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L83xH84/Maejpg-5e28c5e28-a9c16.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 83px;" width="83" /></a></li>
<br />
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Marcela"><img alt="Marcela" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L83xH84/Marcelajpg-44227-0fa08.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 83px;" width="83" /></a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Zaina"><img alt="Zaina" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L84xH84/Zainajpg-b96b966-5c40b.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 84px;" width="84" /></a></li>
<br />
<li><a href="http://en.rsf.org/women-journalists-commitment-and-05-03-2015,47647.html#Fatima"><img alt="Fatima" src="http://en.rsf.org/local/cache-vignettes/L84xH84/Fatimajpg-7373cc-5c650.jpg" height="84" style="height: 84px; width: 84px;" width="84" /></a></li>
</ul>
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<h2>
IN MEMORIAM </h2>
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/10/argentina-helicopter-crash-the-sports-stars-who-died">France is in mourning </a>and Pollyanna sympathizes deeply. Ten French nationals, including three Olympic stars, were killed in the collision of two helicopters at the site in Argentina where they had gone to film a reality show. Profiles of the sports figures are given in the link.<br />
The most famous victims are:<br />
Camille Muffat, 25<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Camille Muffat with her gold medal from the London Games." class="gu-image" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-140/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/3/10/1425979678890/11aaddad-6097-4404-8b3a-342051ffd11c-160x240.jpeg" itemprop="contentURL" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camille Muffat with her gold medal from the swimming competition of the London Games. Photograph:
Niviere/Chamussy/Sipa/ Rex</td></tr>
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Alexis Vastine, 28<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Alexis Vastine, pictured in Paris." class="gu-image" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-140/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/3/10/1425979815738/6fd38051-01a1-4c23-a47d-7d86aba58855-160x240.jpeg" itemprop="contentURL" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexis Vastine, pictured in Paris. Photograph: Reau Alexis/Sipa/Rex</td></tr>
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Florence Arthaud, 57<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Florence Arthaud" class="gu-image" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-140/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/3/10/1425979937743/8a2d7cc5-d81c-4a4d-86b9-1ac1fb28f640-160x240.jpeg" itemprop="contentURL" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florence Arthaud, known as the ‘fiancee of the Atlantic’. Photograph: Baltel/Sipa/Rex
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<br />
Here is the actual collision as filmed on a phone camera:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mkZI4a1dt2o?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<h2>
SIR TERRY PRATCHETT 1948-2015</h2>
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31858156">The famous British fantasy writer died this week at age 67</a> after a prolonged bout with Alzheimer disease. He is best known for his Discworld series, although we liked his Good Omens novel best. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/13/my-hero-terry-pratchett-helen-lewis">An obituary is given in the Guardian</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Sir Terry Pratchett" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/81605000/jpg/_81605421_02864380-a0c7-4171-b052-42ca996cea47.jpg" height="410" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="624" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="width: 624px;">Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series had a huge fan following</span></td></tr>
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“DON’T THINK OF THIS AS DYING,” says Death in <i>Good Omens</i>. “JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.”<br />
<br />
Randall mourns him with the rest of us:<br />
<h4>
Terry Pratchett </h4>
<img alt="Terry Pratchett" height="462" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/terry_pratchett.png" title="Thank you for teaching us how big our world is by sharing so many of your own." width="640" /><br />
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
RANT ABOUT WITCHCRAFT ACCUSATIONS</h2>
Pollyanna is livid about the report that over 700 women have been killed in Tanzania because of allegations of "witchcraft." Many victims are elderly, vulnerable or marginalized -- or own property that greedy relatives seize after accusing of witchcraft. Often the targets are young widows since the husband's family wants
to grab the property while young women who are seeking liberation are
also in danger. We quote an observer <i>“Rebellious, economically
independent women who insist on their right to speak freely, to choose a
spouse, to plan their pregnancy, to be active outside of the home, come
and go without prior authorization etc., fall into this category of
people accused of witchcraft. In short, women who suffer from social
exclusion as a result of witchcraft allegations are usually women
without support, who constitute a burden on the family, or women who
refuse to comply with their socially-sanctioned roles and status."</i><br />
<br />
But while some are killed, falsely accused of black magic, others are murdered by the "sorcerers" themselves: scores of people with albinism have been killed and their body parts cooked up for spells, that are used for good luck, even by politicians seeking election.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.awid.org/News-Analysis/Friday-Files/Witchcraft-Accusations-Perpetuate-Women-s-Oppression-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa">The issue is discussed in detail on the AWID website</a> and it makes chilling reading. The government has been<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-2923005/Murder-magic-Tanzania-tackles-witchcraft-killings.html"> most ineffectual on cracking down </a>on these practices. Pollyanna calls upon human rights organizations to take steps to apply pressure to African governments to be more proactive in this area. We note that a search for witchcraft allegations on the new tarted-up Web site of Amnesty International had no results. The UN High Commission for Refugees <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/4981ca712.html">has published a detailed paper on the subject </a>since many accused "witches" flee and become refugees.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CHELSEA MANNING ON TORTURE </h2>
<a href="http://www.chelseamanning.org/uncategorized/manning-on-torture-in-new-guardian-op-ed">Chelsea Manning in an op-ed in the Guardian </a>calls for accountability and prosecution for torture offenses committed by CIA and Defense Department people under the cover of high government officials. As she writes "<i>It is important to hold the officers, supervisors and, to a lesser extent, the politicians involved in creating and executing these programs, accountable. To let their horrific actions go unanswered would send an awful message to the world: it is wrong to torture and mistreat people, except when those doing it have the supposed blessing of the law and with the permission of high-ranking supervisors and politicians."</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="An actor demonstrates the "banana" method of torture." class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.645793.1425776175%21/image/3085437217.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/3085437217.jpg" height="231" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="An actor demonstrates the "banana" method of torture." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="imageBottomLineWrapper">
<div class="content_container">
<span class="imageText">An actor is seen
demonstrating the "banana" method, one of several standard torture
techniques reportedly used by the Shin Bet during interrogations of
Palestinian prisoners. (file photo) </span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by AP</span>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In view of recent disclosures of torture in Israel in Haaretz and the disclosure that a<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.627014"> doctor participated in torture,</a> the issue brought up by Ms Manning transcends the US context. Haaretz has protested the increase in the use of torture <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.645789">in an editorial,</a> which certainly will influence all ten readers of the newspaper.<br />
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<h2>
IN DARKNESS, LIGHT </h2>
As we all know the US is one of the few countries where maternity leave is not mandated by the central government. It fits in with executing people, not providing universal health services and union-busting as a norm. Now the Vodaphone company has announced a new maternity leave policy worldwide that is extremely enlightened. A mother gets 16 weeks paid maternity leave and then for the next six months works for 30 hours a week for full pay. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2015/03/06/an-unusual-new-policy-for-working-mothers/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_3_na">The Washington Post approves strongly</a> and so does Pollyanna.<br />
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<br />
<h2>
STATE WITHIN A STATE </h2>
In 1971 Eli Avivi and his spouse Rina<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Eli Avivi in 2006" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/81530000/jpg/_81530148_eliavivi_alamy624.jpg" height="257" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="width: 624px;">President Eli Avivi, photographed in Achzivland in 2006</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
decided to secede from Israel and to found a mini-state of their own called Achzivland. This is an idyllic place where people can just hang out and enjoy life. It occupies the space of an abandoned Arab village on the coast, near the Lebanese border. <br />
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<img alt="Map of Achzivland" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/81499000/jpg/_81499267_achzivland_israel_624map--2.jpg" height="287" width="400" /><br />
Of course, the government gave them a hard time for many years, but now some level of accommodation has been reached. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31800580">The BBC tells the story</a> and it is something nice to read, a salute to the individual in this overly conformist world. <a href="http://pechkin.rinet.ru/vera/">The place has been known and mapped</a> since ancient times. Here is a relatively modern example:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Akhziv on the map of Abraham ben Yaakov (ca. 1695)" height="354" src="http://pechkin.rinet.ru/vera/akhziv.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="393" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Akhziv on the map of Abraham ben Yaakov (ca. 1695)</h3>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIDBITS FROM SCIENCE</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
EXOLIFE </h2>
There has long been discussion about the existence of life outside of Earth, somewhere in the universe. <a href="http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-03-08/forget-planets-universes-best-bet-life-might-be-its-moons">In a recent discussion on Public Radio International (PRI) </a>the idea is raised that it might be more profitable to seek life on the moons of planets in the habitable zone of a star than on the planet itself. If the planet is Jupiter-like, i.e. a gas giant, a moon might be a more hospitable environment. The article is based on a radio interview with astronomer Sarah Ballard, the NASA Carl Sagan Fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle and others. The interview itself is embedded in the article. Pollyanna recommends it to you.<br />
<br />
<h2>
DAWN IN ORBIT AROUND CERES </h2>
<a href="http://www.space.com/28736-dawn-spacecraft-ceres-arrival-full-coverage.html">The Dawn spacecraft entered orbit </a>around the dwarf planet Ceres on Friday March 6. The NASA link tells you the whole exciting story.<br />
<img alt="Facts about protoplanet Ceres." src="http://i.space.com/images/i/000/046/030/i300/ceres-protoplanet-dawn-150128b-02.jpg?1425332052" /><br />
Ceres may be regarded as a fossil remnant of the early Solar System and should have much to tell us about how all of our worlds came about. Pollyanna and Titan will continue to update you about the project. It was nice to read an <a href="http://www.space.com/28776-nasa-dawn-ceres-russell-interview.html">interview with an old friend,</a> Chris Russell from UCLA, about the Dawn mission of which he is the Principal Investigator.<br />
<br />
<h2>
BOOK REVIEW </h2>
Henry Kissinger, at age 90+, has come out with a new book on the <i>World Order.</i> (Penguin, 2014). He sums up a great deal of history and explains the historic scope of the challenge to the political future of the world. It has been extensively reviewed and discussed and should certainly be of great interest. As<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/mar/19/road-from-westphalia/?insrc=toc"> Jessica T. Mathews writes in the New York Review of Books</a> the book "...i<i>s a learned, thoughtful, often fascinating global tour through the various clashing views of world order that are present today and go as far back as the fourth century BC. Its perspective throughout (even for events that occurred more than a millennium before the negotiators met) is the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years’ War. The book’s center of gravity is eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe. Its heroes are “great statesmen,” specifically Cardinal Richelieu, Klemens von Metternich, and Otto von Bismarck, about whom Kissinger has written admiringly for many years. "They deserve the highest accolade because they had to know where [their] strategy is leading and why…[and] act at the outer edge of the possible…. Because repetition of the familiar leads to stagnation, no little daring is required.""</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="mathews_1-031915.jpg" src="http://www.nybooks.com/media/photo/2015/02/24/mathews_1-031915_jpg_600x701_q85.jpg" id="photo-5063-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><small>FP/Getty Images</small>
Henry Kissinger meeting with Zhou Enlai during his secret trip to China, July 1971
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Pollyanna also directs you to a review by <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-reviews-henry-kissingers-world-order/2014/09/04/b280c654-31ea-11e4-8f02-03c644b2d7d0_story.html">Hilary Clinton in the Washington Post</a> and by <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/books/review/henry-kissingers-world-order.html?_r=0">John <span class="byline" itemprop="author creator" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="byline-author" data-byline-name="JOHN MICKLETHWAIT" itemprop="name">Micklethwait</span></span><time class="dateline" datetime="2014-09-11"></time> in the NYTimes.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> SILLY TIME</span><br />
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<a href="http://what-if.xkcd.com/">WHAT IF? </a>asks: I saw a sign at a hot springs tub saying "Caution: Water is hotter than average" with water at about 39°C. Although they were presumably trying to say "hotter than the average swimming pool," this got me wondering: What is the average temperature of all water on the Earth’s surface, and how does that temperature compare to 39°C?<br />
—Graham Ward<br />
<br />
Randall gives a nice answer except that we saw an error. He said that the air temperature is that determined by heating by sunlight. Not really exact, since as we know the atmosphere is transparent to the visible solar spectrum (which is why it is visible since we evolved to see through the atmosphere). What happens at the surface is that the ground absorbs the solar energy and then heats the lower atmosphere by conduction near the surface and then by turbulent transfer up to about 100 km altitude. Indeed, the source of the energy is the Sun, but the heating is indirect. Above 100 km the atmosphere is heated directly by absorption of ultraviolet solar radiation (thank you ozone for shielding us). Otherwise his answer is fine.<br />
<br />
Some have asked why we bother with a personal trainer at gym. <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/wumo/s-1622312">WUMO have the answer</a>.<br />
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Yes, Grandpa and Cynthia share our tastes:<br />
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<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Mar/10/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/113/11311/1131131.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
Why everyone loves Big Pharma:<br />
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<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Mar/09/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/113/11308/1130850.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
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<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-73702927588000476542015-02-27T11:30:00.000+02:002015-02-27T11:53:05.430+02:00Pollyanna is waiting for spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img alt="A" border="0" src="http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2015/02/polarisation_of_the_cosmic_microwave_background/15238147-1-eng-GB/Polarisation_of_the_Cosmic_Microwave_Background_highlight_std.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of polarization of dust in the universe as seen by Planck--more below</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Pollyanna is with you again as we enter the Hebrew month of Adar during which we are all supposed to be very happy.<br />
<img alt="Image result for happy adar" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="OoPHHfkH6SzstM:" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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We soon will have our Purim holiday and spring is right around the corner.<br />
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For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
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<h2>
CHARITY CORNER </h2>
This week Pollyanna refers you to <a href="http://www.pciglobal.org/">Project Concern International.</a> PCI is rated highly by Charity Watch and is committed to fighting poverty worldwide. PCI’s mission is to prevent disease, improve community health, and promote sustainable development worldwide. We recommend it to your consideration. In particular, Pollyanna recommends the WE-Women Empowered initiative as worthy of support.<br />
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<h2>
GOOD NEWS COMES BEFORE THE RANTS</h2>
Rodney Reed in Texas was about to be executed for a crime for which he was convicted on flimsy evidence. We are told that<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/24/rodney-reed-texas-appeals-court-grants-stay-of-execution"> a stay of execution has been granted</a> for the presentation of new evidence that may exonerate him. Also, a Dominican man arbitrarily deported to Haiti on 19 February was able <a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/uaa04115_2.pdf">to return to his hometown </a>in the Dominican Republic. These things show that human rights actions really work, so please join the activists, says Pollyanna. She is also pleased with the legalization of pot, not that she encourages its use, but thinks that the resources expended on fighting it should be used for stopping the spread of hard drugs. She also adds a cartoon that won the Herblock award this year and congratulates Jen Sorensen the artist:<br />
<img alt="" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/64149/large/potheads720.png?1389042403" height="550" width="550" /><br />
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<h2>
CHEERS FOR NORWEGIAN MUSLIMS </h2>
Pollyanna is pleased to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rabbi.melchior/posts/1019753274719893">share with you a posting</a> by Rabbi Melchior of Oslo. A ring of young Muslims came to protect the synagogue this week.<br />
<img alt="" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/11018579_1019752561386631_6074257203205385856_o.jpg" style="height: 577px; width: 866px;" /><br />
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<h4>
GOOD NEWS FROM MEDICINE</h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Pollyanna is happy to tell you about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/health/fast-track-attacks-on-cancer-accelerate-hopes.html?ref=health&_r=0">a new horizon that has appeared</a></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/health/fast-track-attacks-on-cancer-accelerate-hopes.html?ref=health&_r=0"> for cancer patients</a>. It involves using a "basket" of drugs to treat tumors that share mutations. It has opened a vista of hope for many patients who were considered terminal and we all hope to see the research continue and expand its scope. She is also pleased to pass on the news that the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/health/fatality-rate-in-west-africa-ebola-clinics-is-dropping.html?ref=health">mortality rate from Ebola has decreased</a> in Africa although the doctors from <a href="http://www.msf.org/">MSF</a> are puzzled by the effect. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="Benetha Coleman, an Ebola survivor and nurse’s aide, comforted a baby with Ebola symptoms in Liberia, as seen through a net." data-mediaviewer-credit="John Moore/Getty Images" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/27/science/27ebola/27ebola-superJumbo.jpg" height="265" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/27/science/27ebola/27ebola-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="url" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/27/science/27ebola/27ebola-articleLarge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><figure class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" id="media-100000003538016" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/27/science/27ebola/27ebola-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" role="group"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
<span class="caption-text">Benetha Coleman, an Ebola survivor and nurse’s aide, comforted a baby with Ebola symptoms in Liberia, as seen through a net.</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
John Moore/Getty Images </span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h2>
A FEW RANTS</h2>
Pollyanna is in full support of the striking oil refinery workers in the US. They are <a href="http://www.labornotes.org/2015/02/safety-life-or-death-say-refinery-strikers">on strike for health and safety</a>, demanding stronger measures to protect workers and surrounding communities from hazards inherent in the industry. Workers cite outsourcing, short staffing, and forced overtime that produces dangerous fatigue—in a job where mistakes can be fatal.<br />
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<img alt="Photo via USW's facebook page" src="http://www.aflcio.org/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/site_aflcio/blog/organizing-bargaining/usw-oil-strike-grows-sign-petition-for-safe-refineries/3798221-1-eng-US/USW-Oil-Strike-Grows-Sign-Petition-For-Safe-Refineries_blog_post_fullWidth.jpg" height="400" style="border: 0px none;" title="Photo via USW's facebook page" width="400" /><br />
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<h3>
THE JIHADI BRIDES TRAIL </h3>
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2965495/Revealed-EIGHT-British-schoolgirls-left-follow-jihadi-bride-trail-hundreds-desperate-women-proposed-marriage-Isis-extremists-online-thanks-jihadmatchmaker.html#ixzz3Sgd73zTy">Eight British schoolgirls have traveled to Syria </a>in the last seven months using a route which has become known as the 'j<i>ihadi bride trail'</i> - and hundreds more besotted British women have proposed marriage to extremists online.<br />
<img alt="" class="blkBorder img-share" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/23/2602826E00000578-2965495-image-m-63_1424712507452.jpg" height="400" id="i-eb875cb5a70d4da7" width="301" /><br />
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This week <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/correcting-date-monday-feb-23-three-image-combo-photo-165655642.html">three British schoolgirls vanished</a> and are believed to be headed to Syria to join the Islamic State extremist group. They were good students at an East London high school and no one <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/families-3-missing-uk-girls-urge-please-come-104135173.html">thought that they had been radicalized.</a> It is apparently done online.<br />
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<h2>
A SECOND RAPE </h2>
In Israel the macho sexist exploitative behavior of a large number of senior police officers including the deputy to the national Chief of Police has finally led to some real investigations. Unfortunately, the investigations and the i<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.643557">nterrogation of the victims amount to a second rape</a>. The pressure is extreme and the investigators go into intimate anatomical details. One woman complained that she <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.641922">fainted during the interrogation</a>. These women are victims,not accused. Pollyanna cannot suppress a feeling that this is an attempt by the investigative body in the Ministry of Justice, which includes police officers, to protect their colleagues who are under a cloud at the moment. It implies the norms of the Mafia, as we have seen with our "most moral in the world" army, as well.<br />
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SCIENCE GOODIES<br />
ESA’s<a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Planck"> Planck space telescope</a> has much to tell us about the universe in which we live.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="[4/7] Planck investigates the cosmic infrared background" src="http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2011/01/planck_investigates_the_cosmic_infrared_background/9957647-2-eng-GB/Planck_investigates_the_cosmic_infrared_background_latestnews.jpg" height="180" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planck sees the microwave background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Planck was launched on 14 May 2009, and the minimum requirement for success was for the spacecraft to complete two whole surveys of the sky. In the end, Planck worked perfectly for 30 months, about twice the span originally required, and completed five full-sky surveys with both instruments. Able to work at slightly higher temperatures than HFI, the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) continued to survey the sky for a large part of 2013, providing even more data to improve the Planck final results.<br />
<img alt="Planck" src="http://www.cosmos.esa.int/documents/387566/387639/Planck_red_sm.jpg/227f9b45-ff80-40ff-b70b-d15d4445131a?t=1406903689152" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; float: left; height: 371px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; width: 264px;" title="Planck" /><br />
Planck was turned off on 23 October 2013. The high-quality data the mission has produced will <a href="http://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/planck">continue to be scientifically explored</a> in the years to come. Now ESA has given us a new interface for Planck data and <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Planck">a summary of the findings</a> up to now. They include the result that gravitational waves are still elusive, information about the magnetic field structure in the Rosette Nebula, studies in galactic structure and much more. While much of the standard cosmology has been confirmed, there are discrepancies that will necessitate more modeling and rethinking, which is great because that is how science works.<br />
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<h3>
MATTER OVER ANTIMATTER </h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" class="image" src="http://images.sciencedaily.com/2015/02/150225132255-large.jpg" height="300" rel="#photo1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Click to enlarge" width="468" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div id="caption" style="padding-bottom: 10px;">
UCLA physicists offer a possible solution to the mystery of the origin of matter in the universe.</div>
<div id="credit" style="float: left; width: 300px;">
<i>Credit: NASA</i></div>
<a class="image" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="#photo1">[Click to enlarge image</a></td></tr>
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<br />
Have you ever wondered why the universe is primarily made up of matter and not antimatter? Pollyanna certainly has lost much sleep over the question. At the time of the Big Bang equal amounts of each kind of matter were produced and should have annihilated one another totally. Nonetheless, here we are and here is our universe. Recent work by physicists at UCLA and the University of Minnesota <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150225132255.htm">claims to provide an answer </a>on the basis of the behavior of the Higgs boson and the Higgs field associated with it in the early universe. It is an intriguing idea says Pollyanna.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/121/">What If?</a> asks <i>What would happen if all of the rivers in the US were instantly frozen in the middle of the summer?</i><br />
<br />
Zoe Cutler: The answer is around as bad as it gets. Please, Zoe, do not freeze the rivers.<br />
<br />
<br />
Pollyanna is pleased to share with you some of her knowledge of fundamental physics:<br />
<br />
<img alt="Fundamental Forces" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/fundamental_forces.png" height="243" title=""Of these four forces, there's one we don't really understand." "Is it the weak force or the strong--" "It's gravity."" width="640" /><br />
<br />
Physicist also talk a lot abut the vacuum and the great zero point energy:<br />
<img alt="Vacuum" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/vacuum.png" height="240" title="Do you think you could actually clean the living room at some point, though?" width="640" /><br />
<br />
She also thanks Randall for giving us the speeches that, to our great good fortune, were never given:<br />
<img alt="Apollo Speeches" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/apollo_speeches.png" title="While our commitment to recycling initiatives has been unwavering, this is not a cost any of us should be expected to pay." /><br />
<br />
Technology is great, but sometimes, if you try to combine voice recognition software with GPS:<br />
<br />
<img alt="Dustin Cartoon for Feb/22/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/lw600/112/11273/1127322.jpg" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-62003178594094316802015-02-15T21:34:00.000+02:002015-02-15T21:34:05.752+02:00Pollyanna sends a belated Valentine's greetingPollyanna is with you again after St. Valentine had his day. It was also the birthday of our beloved <a href="http://www.hadasseviatar.com/">Hadass</a> and Joey is coming up next. It is nice that there is a holiday of sorts, with or without the Catholic Church connection,<br />
<img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Feb/14/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/112/11254/1125428.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
devoted to the idea of love.<br />
<br />
It certainly does wonders for the economy, flowers, taking your wife/partner/girlfriend to dinner and other fun things. In Paris, the florists go one step further in promoting love and we admire them for it.<br />
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<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CHARITY CORNER</h2>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xbzw6m" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbzw6m_combatants-for-peace-promotional-fi_news" target="_blank">Combatants for Peace Promotional Film</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/idanbarir" target="_blank">idanbarir</a></i>
<br />
<br />
This week Pollyanna refers you to <a href="http://cfpeace.org/">Combatants for Peace,</a> a joint Israeli-Palestinian nonprofit made up combatants who have taken an active part in the cycle of violence, Israelis as soldiers in the Israeli army (IDF) and Palestinians as part of the violent struggle for Palestinian freedom. After brandishing weapons for so many years, and having seen one another only through weapon sights, they have decided to put down their guns, and to fight for peace. They engage in a broad spectrum of activities aimed at achieving this goal. One of the more recent ones is the building of a playground in village of Yanun in the Nablus region, in memory of Abir Aramin.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://mondoweiss.net/images/2011/09/abir-aramin.jpeg" height="330" id="irc_mi" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 32px;" width="198" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
She was the daughter of Bassam Aramin, one of the founders of Combatants for Peace. Abir was killed at age ten in 2007 by an Israeli sniper, on her way from school. The killer was never prosecuted although the Aramin family won a wrongful death suit, the proceeds of which they donated to the cause of playgrounds in which Palestinian children can play in safety, away from the killer soldiers of the Occupation.<br />
<br />
<h2>
GOOD NEWS COMES BEFORE THE RANTS</h2>
<b>We have a few things to cheer about this week.</b><br />
<h3>
CHILD SOLDIERS RELEASED</h3>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2015_06/879151/buret_unicef_34afcc74a03d4d6e43e81cc42254919f.nbcnews-ux-720-480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2015_06/879151/buret_unicef_34afcc74a03d4d6e43e81cc42254919f.nbcnews-ux-720-480.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Buret," 11, the day before his release from the Cobra Faction in late January.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna is pleased to hear of the <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/south-sudans-cobra-faction-releases-hundreds-child-soldiers-n300666">demobilization of hundreds of child soldiers </a>of the Cobra faction of South Sudan Democratic Army. The release of the soldiers was engineered by UNICEF in the wake of a truce in the South Sudan civil war. <i>"I don't want to be a soldier," </i>one boy, aged 12, told UNICEF. <i>"I will end up with nothing by being a soldier and I know one day I'll get killed if I continue being a soldier. First, I want to go to school, then later I want to study medicine."</i> Pollyanna hopes that the rest of them will also be released soon and sent to school where they belong.<br />
<br />
<h3>
MEASLES</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A pediatrician holds a dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine." class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.641796.1423568760%21/image/1684691896.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/1684691896.jpg" height="231" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="A pediatrician holds a dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="imageBottomLineWrapper">
<div class="content_container">
<span class="imageText">In this Thursday, Jan. 29,
2015 photo, a pediatrician holds a dose of the measles-mumps-rubella
(MMR) vaccine at his practice in Northridge, Calif. </span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by AP</span>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna is also encouraged by the news<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.641792?utm_campaign=3337809&utm_content=10700850032&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Emailvision"> that in Israel the health authorities take pride</a> in the World Health Organization having declared in July 2014 that Israel has eradicated the disease. Make no mistake, that does not mean the disease, which is extremely contagious, is completely nonexistent in Israel.<i> </i><br />
<i>"It means that there are no long chains of infection within Israel,"</i> the Health Ministry explained to Haaretz. <i>"But sporadic cases can occur, among travelers who were infected outside the country, or Israelis who came into contact with such people." </i>There are pockets of anti-vaxxers, mostly in the ultra-Orthodox Haredi community, but they presumably have particular protection from Above. Pollyanna thinks that people whose children are not vaccinated should not receive child allocations and their children should be barred from public schools.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
A FEW RANTS</h2>
<h3>
BUSHMEN</h3>
Pollyanna would like to call your attention to the <a href="http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=b14580b05b832fb959c4ee444&id=e4b1b45578&e=8c35194118">persecution of the Bushmen </a>of Botswana.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Survival's 'Bushmen aren't forever' campaign led to supermodel Iman quitting her contract with diamond company De Beers over the persecution of the Bushmen. " border="0" class="screen-image" src="http://assets.survivalinternational.org/pictures/10396/debeers-poster-2_article_column.jpg" data-retina-available="true" height="254" style="border: 0px none; display: inline; height: auto; line-height: 100%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; outline: medium none; text-decoration: none;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="picture-caption" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
Survival's
'Bushmen aren't forever' campaign led to supermodel Iman quitting her
contract with diamond company De Beers over the persecution of the
Bushmen. </div>
<div class="picture-credit" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
© Survival International</div>
</td></tr>
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They are being driven from their ancestral homes because of the profits to be made from the marketing of diamonds discovered there. She joins the call of Survival International to boycott the diamonds of De Beers. She also supports the tourist boycott of Botswana. Think about what it means for the locals before you go on safari.<br />
<br />
<h3>
MIGRANT DEATHS AT SEA</h3>
Pollyanna is distressed by the tragedy in the Mediterranean in which hundreds of would-be migrants from Africa to Europe are drowning. The Italian government has discontinued its Mare Nostrum rescue program and <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/eu-burying-heads-sand-hundreds-more-migrants-die-sea-italy-2015-02-11"> efforts made by the EU are totally inadequate.</a><br />
<i>"The humanitarian crisis that sparked the need for Mare Nostrum has not gone away. With people continuing to flee war and persecution, EU member states must stop burying their heads in the sand whilst hundreds keep dying at sea." </i>John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International<br />
<br />
<h3>
GEOENGINEERING?</h3>
There has been much talk in the past few years of taking proactive steps to control climate change. Most of them involve meddling with natural processes in the atmosphere, such as blocking sunlight by introduction of artificial pollutants (e.g. sulfur dioxide or saltwater). Pollyanna calls your attention to the <a href="http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/28487-why-geoengineering-is-quntested-and-untestableq">strong opposition by Naomi Klein</a> in which she points out correctly that the scaling of lab results to planetary scale is not a test of geoengineering, but the act itself. In principle, the entire concept of geoengineering does not allow for testing without encountering the dangers being tested for on a planetary scale.<br />
<br />
<h2>
DEATH OF AN IDEALIST AID WORKER </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Kayla Mueller" class="maxed responsive-img" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/audio/video/2015/2/10/1423598898772/crop_KP_92471_620x372.jpeg" height="240" itemprop="contentURL representativeOfPage" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayla Mueller. Photograph: guardian.co.uk
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Pollyanna mourns the death of Kayla Mueller, who was captured by ISIS after going to help at a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Syria. She was reported by ISIS to have been killed in an air raid, but there is no proof of this and her captors may have killed her. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/14/kayla-mueller-hostage-isis-rescue-attempts">The Guardian tells</a> her sad tale in detail. The means of her death do nothing to absolve ISIS of its responsibility. Pollyanna has only contempt for those <a href="http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/28559-focus-the-smearing-of-kayla-mueller">who are smearing her memory</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
DISCRIMINATION IN FRANCE</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="NSL Studio's Facebook page" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/80748000/jpg/_80748407_80748406.jpg" height="232" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="624" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="width: 624px;">The ad was posted by NSL Studio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna is incensed about an <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31110463">advertisement for a job in France </a>in which it was said the candidate should <i>"if possible not be a Jew"</i>. The ad was posted on Monday by Paris-based NSL Studio on the jobs site Graphic-Jobs.com. The company and the Web site have apologized although the explanations offered by NSL Studio have varied. Now they claim to have been hacked. Yeah, sure, says Pollyanna.<br />
<br />
<h3>
TERROR IN COPENHAGEN </h3>
Over this weekend there were terrorist attacks at a cafe and a synagogue in Copenhagen, all connected to portrayals of the Prophet Mohammad as a dog in cartoons. As tweeted by the journalist Morten Frich the sum of the day<i> "15.30 1 civ. killed, 3 cops wounded 01.00 1 civ. killed, 2 cops wounded 04.50 Suspect opens fire, killed by police"</i><br />
For his full<a href="https://twitter.com/MortenFrich"> tweet report click here</a>. As the Daily Beast puts it ".<i>..the defense of art, of the right to blaspheme, and the freedom to speak grows more dangerous by the day."</i><br />
<br />
...in the meantime in Washington and Jerusalem:<br />
<img alt="Mike Luckovich Cartoon for Feb/12/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/112/11261/1126138.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
<h2>
THE POLLYANNA LIBRARY </h2>
Pollyanna invites you to <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2013/10/read-14-short-stories-from-nobel-prize-winning-writer-alice-munro-free-online.html">upload and read 18 short stories</a> by the Nobel Laureate author Alice Munro. Try it, you will like it and it will be good for you.<br />
<br />
<h2>
A BIT FROM SCIENCE</h2>
<h3>
NEWTON'S NOTEBOOK</h3>
We usually think of Isaac Newton as the greatest mathematician and physicist of his time. But buried in a notebook Newton used during his undergraduate days, is <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/02/03/4171418.htm">half a page of text on plant function</a>, which has been reviewed in the journal Nature Plants by Professor David Beerling of the University of Sheffield. In his notes, Newton describes how water is drawn up through a plant's roots and out through its pores.<br />
<img alt="extract of Newton"s notebook" class="featureImg" src="http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201501/r1383613_19618016.jpg" height="425" title="extract of Newton"s notebook" width="640" /><br />
This was understood in modern times only at the end of the 19th century. Amazing genius. Pollyanna is impressed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
NEW CANCER THERAPY </h3>
At Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/02/09/373292216/harnessing-the-immune-system-to-fight-cancer">doctors are testing a new type of cancer treatment</a> known as immunotherapy. <i>"Immunotherapy for cancer means developing treatments to harness your immune system and using your own immune system to fight the cancer,"</i> says Dr. Julie Brahmer, an associate professor of oncology. <img alt="Immunotherapy graphic" src="http://www.npr.org/assets/img/2015/02/06/npr-immuno.gif" height="640" width="640" /><br />
Pollyanna is delighted about this new hope for cancer patients.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What If? asks </a><i>What would happen if the Moon were replaced with an equivalently-massed black hole? If it's possible, what would a lunar ("holar"?) eclipse look like?</i><br />
—Matt The truth is not much.<br />
<br />
<h2>
REFORM OF THE NEWSROOM </h2>
<br />
<img alt="" class="zoom-in" src="http://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2015/01/21/Magazine/Graphics/0208gene.jpg?uuid=va-LDKGMEeSxRld4Mur8tA" height="365" width="400" /><br />
Gene Weingarten ,writing in <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/gene-weingarten-an-old-cuss/2015/01/23/cb3cd7f4-9fe6-11e4-903f-9f2faf7cd9fe_story.html">Below the Beltway,</a> waxes nostalgic about the old days in the sexist, boozing, smoke-filled and foul mouthed atmosphere of the old time newsroom. You are invited to sympathize with him if you have nothing better to do.<br />
<br />
Poor little Cynthia is trapped by modern technology and her addiction to it..;<br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Feb/12/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/112/11251/1125173.gif" rel="image_src" /> arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-53319584660777462512015-01-30T13:22:00.002+02:002015-01-31T18:27:36.371+02:00Poilyanna comes to cheer you upPollyanna is back and will do her best to lift the gloom of life in these tough times. It is hard to find good news in a world racked by senseless killing and bitter struggles, but she will do her best. She is happy to tell you that the<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/january/nasa-s-new-horizons-spacecraft-begins-first-stages-of-pluto-encounter/#.VMpELi6IXDs"> New Horizons spacecraft</a>, sent to Pluto in 2006, came out of hibernation successfully in December and last week began its preparations for the encounter that will take place in July. Pollyanna is glad to see that many interesting new phenomena are <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/26/rosetta-spacecraft-first-analysis-comet-67p-dust-coating"> being seen by Rosetta</a> on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. There is a<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-comet-discoveries-revealed-by-rosetta-spacecraft/"> recent summary in the Scientific American</a> which you may be able to open. Pollyanna is also excited about the Dawn spacecraft that is providing first, close and revealing images of the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/january/nasa-s-dawn-spacecraft-captures-best-ever-view-of-dwarf-planet/#.VMqr7S6IXDs">dwarf planet (former asteroid) Ceres</a>. Note the odd white spot on the northwestern side of the object.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="animation of the dwarf planet Ceres " src="http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/15-014gif.gif" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="field field-name-field-feature-sidecaption field-type-text-long field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
This
animation of the dwarf planet Ceres was made by combining images taken
by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Jan. 25. The spacecraft's framing camera
took these images, at a distance of about 147,000 miles (237,000
kilometers) from Ceres, and they represent the highest-resolution views
to date of the dwarf planet. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-field-image-credits field-type-text field-label-above">
<div class="field-label">
Image Credit: </div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
NASA/JPL</div>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, our dear Randall has a prediction of what a spacecraft might find on an asteroid. This renders him vulnerable to suspicion of being a closet creationist.<br />
<img alt="Ceres" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ceres.png" height="241" title="Earth clearly hasn't been inspected, since it's definitely contaminated with salmonella." width="640" /><br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CHARITY CORNER </h2>
<img alt="" class="img-responsive img-rounded amutaimages" src="http://www.israelgives.org/Pictures/AmutaPictures/43427_Large_main_image.jpg" id="placeholderyoni_placeholderNoBanner_MainContent_AmutaImages_imgPhotos_0" /><br />
This week Pollyanna refers you to <a href="http://www.israelgives.org/amuta/510852981">Orr Shalom (Light of Peace) </a>Israel’s largest non-profit organization providing residential and therapeutic services to children who have been removed from their homes because of severe abuse and neglect. It has a high rating for transparency from the Israel Gives charity watchdog. We quote its vision statement: <i>"Orr Shalom's vision is to enable all of Israel's children-at-risk to realize their potential and their right to grow up loved, protected and respected, individual and special, in a positive family setting. Since 1980, our organization has steadily expanded its network of care to ease the plight of Israeli children at risk, helping them break the cycle of violence and become productive, independent adults. Orr Shalom currently cares for 1,300 children from birth through 18+ years of age in a wide range of multifaceted programs that provide caring, professional, one-on-one treatment. Orr Shalom maintains the highest quality of expert care, with a high staff-child ratio. This ensures that at Orr Shalom, each child receives the attention, therapy, and enrichment s/he needs to thrive. At the core of our approach is the small family community based setting which has proved itself over the decades."</i> Please help out.<br />
<br />
<h2>
IN MEMORIAM RICHARD H. TOWNES 1915-2015</h2>
Whenever you use a DVD, check out quickly at a store or have eye surgery, you are benefiting from the life and work of this great scientist who died this week at age 99. He invented first the maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) and then its light descendant, the laser. The laser is ubiquitous in our modern life, in consumer electronics, astronomy and medicine to name a few, yet its development was motivated by a military need. Towards the end of the second world war, the US Pentagon funded research aimed at improving the reach and accuracy of communications and radar systems. Townes, who had worked on radar during the war, conceived the idea of trapping molecules. In the spring of 1951 when, seated on a park bench among blooming azaleas in Washington, D.C., he was struck by the solution to a longstanding problem, how to create a pure beam of short-wavelength, high-frequency light. That revelation – not much different from a religious revelation, Townes believed – eventually led to the first laser. Albert Einstein proposed in 1917 that the right wavelength of light can stimulate an excited atom to emit light of the same wavelength, essentially amplifying it, but Townes was stymied by how to corral a gas of excited atoms without them flying apart.<br />
<br />
His revelatory solution allowed him to separate excited from non-excited molecules and store them in a resonant cavity, so that when a microwave traveled through the gas, the molecules were stimulated to emit microwaves in step with one another: a coherent burst. He and his students built such a device using ammonia gas in 1954 and dubbed it a maser, for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Charles Townes with maser" class="size-full wp-image-43016" src="http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/towneslaser350.jpg" height="280" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles H. Townes (left) and James P. Gordon shown with the second of
two microwave amplifiers, or masers, that they built in 1955 with H. J.
Zeiger (not shown). Townes shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for
invention of the maser and the description of the laser, which was first
built in 1960. (Courtesy the American Physical Society)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
For this he shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics with two Russians, Aleksandr M. Prokhorov and Nicolai G. Basov, who independently came up with the idea for a maser. He and his brother-in-law, and future Nobelist Arthur Schawlow conceived the idea of doing the same thing with optical light, but using mirrors at the ends of a gas tube to amplify the light to get an “optical maser.” The rest is history.<br />
<br />
He is <a href="http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/01/27/nobel-laureate-and-laser-inventor-charles-townes-dies-at-99/">eulogized by the University of California, Berkeley</a> and in an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/29/charles-townes">obituary in the Guardian</a>, <i>inter alia</i>. His life and work impacted us all. Rest in Peace Professor Townes.<br />
<br />
<h2>
GOOD NEWS COMES BEFORE THE RANTS</h2>
<h4>
We have a few things to cheer about this week.</h4>
One of them is the <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/el-salvador-pardon-woman-jailed-miscarriage-triumph-justice-2015-01-22#.VMSyoaw8yPk.blogger">granting of a pardon to a woman </a>in El Salvador. She had a miscarriage, but was accused of having aborted the fetus and was sentenced to thirty years in prison. She was granted a pardon by a very narrow vote of the paliamentary body that deals with pardons. El Salvador has the most draconian laws in all of Latin America. Abortion is forbidden in all cases including rape, incest and danger to the mother. The pardon was certainly associated with the world wide outcry and we hope that it will help the 17 other women in a similar situation. Pollyanna also hopes that the laws will be changed.<br />
<br />
Pollyanna cheers the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/21/plain-cigarette-packs-general-election-tobacco?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2">legislative initiative in the UK</a> to require plain packaging of tobacco products.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cigarettes on display in London" class="maxed responsive-img" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/1/21/1421873290386/Cigarettes-on-display-in--012.jpg" height="240" itemprop="contentURL representativeOfPage" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cigarettes on sale in London. MPs are to be given a free vote on whether
to enforce plain packaging for tobacco products. Photograph: Oli
Scarff/Getty Images
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Figures released by Cancer Research UK show big support for the reform plans. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of voters across the political spectrum said they supported removing the colorful designs and branding from tobacco packaging, replacing them with packs of uniform size and shape with prominent health warnings. Only 15% opposed the measure.The new survey of more than 1,800 adults from across Britain reveals high levels of support from potential Conservative, Labor, Liberal Democrats and Ukip voters. The law is said to have reduced smoking levels in Australia where it was introduced in 2012. Smoking levels are down to 12.8%. According to the health charity Ash, said: <i>“We won’t be taking anything for granted in the run-up to the final vote. If the regulations do become law this will be the most important public health reform of this parliament.”</i><br />
<br />
<h2>
NOW THE RANTS</h2>
1) Pollyanna, Titan and a host of bloggers have shouted long and hard against the anti-vaxxers, the people who refuse for whatever silly reason to vaccinate their kids. In many places, these unvaccinated children come to school and constitute a threat to any child who is immune compromised. It is indeed criminal. <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/27/381888697/to-protect-his-son-a-father-asks-school-to-bar-unvaccinated-children?sc=tw">Pollyanna calls your attention to a most egregious case</a> in California, where a father is taking steps to protect his child. A six year old had chemotherapy for leukemia which succeeded, but left him with an suppressed immune system that precludes vaccination against a variety of diseases. It may be months more before his body is healthy enough to get all his immunizations. Until then, he depends on everyone around him for protection — what is known as herd immunity.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Rhett Krawitt, 6, outside his school in Tiburon, Calif. Seven percent of the children in his school are not vaccinated." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/01/27/rhett-1_slide-c10ff261cacc06cbd89faaa50e63cda63bfc99b4-s1600-c85.jpg" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Rhett Krawitt, 6, outside his school in Tiburon, Calif. Seven percent of the children in his school are not vaccinated." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="credit-caption">
<div class="caption">
Rhett Krawitt, 6, outside his school in Tiburon, Calif.
Seven percent of the children in his school are not vaccinated.
</div>
<span class="credit">
Courtesy of Carl Krawitt
</span>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unfortunately he lives in Marin county where 6.5% of school children are not vaccinated against communicable diseases such as measles, polio, whooping cough and more, because of so-called "personal exemptions". The father of the child is demanding that unvaccinated children be excluded from schools. Pollyanna thinks that his is appropriate as a means of protection of immune-compromised children for whom this may be a life-threatening issue.<br />
<br />
2) We are informed that the medical staff of Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/sudan-msf-belgium-stops-emergency-aid?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=social">have closed down their activities in Sudan</a>. The Brussels-based section of MSF was focusing on three conflict-affected parts of Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of people are displaced and in need of assistance. Total denial of access to Blue Nile State, forced closure of activities in East Darfur State, and administrative obstacles and blockages in South Darfur State have made it impossible for MSF to respond to medical emergencies in these areas. The Sudanese air force even bombed a hospital run by MSF. Pollyanna regards this inhumane treatment of the population by the Sudanese government as an unspeakable atrocity.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/sites/usa/files/styles/detail_page_header_left_sidebar/https/media.msf.org/Docs/MSF/Media/TR1/a/2/9/5/MSB9401.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On January 20, this hospital run by MSF was attacked by Sudanese bombers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3)Pollyanna is outraged by the <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/01/28/381896551/tiger-skins-and-rhino-horns-can-a-trade-deal-halt-the-trafficking?sc=tw">poaching of wildlife and the trafficking in animal parts </a> that supports it. Asian superstitions about healing or aphrodisiac qualities of rhino horn or the ego trip of owning elephant parts are driving these magnificent beasts to extinction. In the US, the National Wildlife Property Repository on the outskirts of Denver is full of the remains of 1.5 million animals, whole and in parts.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Coleen Schaefer (left) and Doni Sprague display a tiger pelt that was confiscated and is being stored at the National Wildlife Property Repository on the outskirts of Denver. Some 1.5 million items are being held at the facility. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is still under negotiation, would punish wildlife trafficking." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/01/27/img_1753edit_slide-4db9f79ce8f30754d0fd4dea89f35f9d5727b8fb-s1600-c85.jpg" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Coleen Schaefer (left) and Doni Sprague display a tiger pelt that was confiscated and is being stored at the National Wildlife Property Repository on the outskirts of Denver. Some 1.5 million items are being held at the facility. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is still under negotiation, would punish wildlife trafficking." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="credit-caption">
<div class="caption">
Coleen Schaefer (left) and Doni Sprague display a tiger pelt
that was confiscated and is being stored at the National Wildlife
Property Repository on the outskirts of Denver. Some 1.5 million items
are being held at the facility. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is
still under negotiation, would punish wildlife trafficking.
</div>
<span class="credit">
Jackie Northam/NPR
</span>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To give you an idea of the extent of the trade, in 2013, more than 20,000 elephants were slaughtered, and last year the repository crushed 6 tons of confiscated ivory. Obviously international action has to be taken to put a stop to this scandal.<br />
<br />
<h2>
WEIRD LAWS INDEED </h2>
Those who bother to read our blogs know that last week Titan told a<i> Pyramus and Thisbe</i> story about porcupines in the Israeli Safari zoo, with a wild suitor outside a fenced enclosure, a captive female inside and love <i>aka</i> estrus foiled. He also mentioned the story of the German tourists in Florida who, having heard of the state law prohibiting people from have sex with porcupines, went out, presumably well fortified with alcohol, to violate the law for the principle of individual freedom. You may let your imaginations fill in the rest of this prickly (double entendre intended) story. After giggling a bit, Pollyanna decided to share with you the 1<a href="http://www.collegetimes.tv/10-weirdest-american-sex-laws/">0 weirdest laws concerning sex</a> now existing in various states of the leader of the free world. Pollyanna is now blushing, especially that now she knows that in Bakersfield, California, anyone having intercourse with Satan must use a condom..<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSweQ1QxgjXBHsd_nleg6LKXkTfv4Rt30v3SAl9CItCSEuum9FHO0KG_Vcpydv7IFW4m78TqkqVued0xX4zDEQfUKIfvCxSKJtcdZ8XMiRdt2TEZbVm7foG46jxje-gYOU1TL4zn9LWk/s1600/spring2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSweQ1QxgjXBHsd_nleg6LKXkTfv4Rt30v3SAl9CItCSEuum9FHO0KG_Vcpydv7IFW4m78TqkqVued0xX4zDEQfUKIfvCxSKJtcdZ8XMiRdt2TEZbVm7foG46jxje-gYOU1TL4zn9LWk/s1600/spring2012.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
ANCIENT JAWBONE SHAKES UP PALEONTOLOGY </h2>
<a href="http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183">An ancient mandible was found recently</a> in the deep ocean near Taiwan and dated to 190 to 15 thousand years ago. It indicates that hominids evolved in multiple evolutionary lineages among archaic hominins before the arrival of modern humans in the region. <i>“During the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China,”</i> Live Science reports on the discovery. A scientific paper was published <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150127/ncomms7037/full/ncomms7037.html">in Nature Communications</a>. Pollyanna finds the implications fascinating. If Samson could defeat the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, imagine what the jawbone of a hominem will do to science. (Pollyanna disclaims the last sentence)<br />
<br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
in
the deep waters of the Penghu Channel, west of Taiwan, was pulled from
the seafloor by a fishing net. - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.CxsYbZvP.dpuf and dated to 190 to 15 thousand years ago. It indicates that hominids evolved in multiple evolutionary lineages among archaic hominins before the arrival of modern humans in the region. </div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China,” LiveScience reports
on the discovery. - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.FipmqKh0.dpuf A paper was published in Nature. </div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
“During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China,” - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.Pnr0GVwo.dpuf</div>
<br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
“During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China,” - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.Pnr0GVwo.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.3JwdXp6m.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.3JwdXp6m.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.3JwdXp6m.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
During
the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to
11,700 years ago, humans generally evolved smaller jaws and teeth, but
the new fossil from Taiwan appears larger and more robust than older
Homo erectus fossils from Java and northern China - See more at:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/taiwan-jaw-bone-connected-origins-humanity-020183#sthash.3JwdXp6m.dpufLiveScience reports A scientific report was publishedin Nature Communications. Pollyanna finds the implications fascinating. If Samson could defeat the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, imagine what the jawbone of a hominem will do</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/field/image/Fossilized-jawbone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/field/image/Fossilized-jawbone.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
SILLY TIME</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What If? </a>asks <i>Would it be possible for two teams in a tug-o-war to overcome the ultimate tensile strength of an iron rod and pull it apart? How big would the teams have to be?</i><br />
<br />
—Markus Andersen You will be surprised what a dangerous game this can be.<br />
<br />
GRAPHICS If you have ever given or sat through a PP presentation, you will identify with the s<a href="http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/wumo/s-1609598">peaker and audience</a> in this WuMo.<br />
whereas our friend Wally knows how to avoid being invited to meetings:<br />
<img alt=" - Dilbert by Scott Adams" class="img-responsive img-comic" src="http://assets.amuniversal.com/c67d1e9070e40132b90b005056a9545d" height="195" width="400" /><br />
<br />
In China, the use of puns in public media has been prohibited. We have mentioned this in the past, but now find further support for the idea:<br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Jan/30/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/112/11221/1122120.gif" height="141" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/happy-bamaka/2015/01/02/1029b4fa-8f6f-11e4-a412-4b735edc7175_story.html">This is somewhat belated</a>, but it was only published this month in the Washington Post. Gene apparently cannot give up Below the Beltway blows and he indeed got invited to the White House to celebrate Hannukah.<br />
<img alt="" class="zoom-in" src="http://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/12/30/Magazine/Graphics/0118gene.jpg?uuid=XWAWzJBSEeS6U6R31mWA7Q" height="400" width="344" /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-29839276475302734442015-01-16T16:31:00.000+02:002015-01-16T16:35:01.904+02:00Pollyanna in Winter, trying to be glad <img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Jan/15/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11184/1118424.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
Pollyanna is back, winter weather and all, and would really like to live up to her reputation and talk about glad things. Unfortunately, this world of ours does not support gladness, but she will do her best this week. She shares the feelings of all civilized people in the wake of last week's massacre in Paris and was thrilled to see the French people turning out in their millions to support the principle of free speech and the principle of not allowing terrorists to dominate our lives or to trample on our rights. Below she will get into a more nuanced discussion of free speech and its limits.<br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CHARITY CORNER <a href="http://www.booksforafrica.org/,"></a></h2>
This week Pollyanna refers you to <a href="http://www.booksforafrica.org/">Books for Africa</a> which is rated very highly by Charity Navigator and is serving a vital need for the advancement of the emerging nations of Africa. We note that it has a high transparency rating and an administrative layout of 0.3% which is certainly admirable.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.booksforafrica.org/assets/images/photos/success_stories_photos/2014.10.08southsudan.png" height="506" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="570" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Books arriving in South Sudan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
JE SUIS CHARLIE, BUT...</h2>
The horrible attack on Charlie Hebdo and the Kosher Supermarket in Paris last week still resonates in our minds and hearts. Yet Pollyanna wonders w<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.636672">hy millions are not marching </a>to stop the ongoing terrible slaughter in Nigeria by <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/nigeria-satellite-images-show-horrific-scale-boko-haram-attack-baga-2015-01-15">Boko Haram killers who go from town to town</a>, killing indiscriminately.<br />
<img alt="Illustration by Amos Biderman" class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.636790.1421124036%21/image/545563355.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/545563355.jpg" height="231" itemprop="image" title="Illustration by Amos Biderman" width="400" /> <br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/boko-haram-deadliest-attack-baga-nigeria-politics-insurgency">The Guardian has a section</a> on these harrowing events that you should read--<i>‘I walked through five villages and each one was empty except for dead bodies’ </i>The Nigerian army is unable or unwilling to do much about it. Soldiers drop their weapons and flee with the townspeople. The US tried to help after the abduction of the schoolgirls last spring, but was unable to do much in collaboration with the corrupt and ineffective Nigerian security forces. Something should be done, but no one seems to have an idea or to really care all that much. Is it because the French victims are from our tribe? Is it because Africa is remote and black-skinned and Paris is near and our color? We all shout that we must protect free speech and what is wrong with Muslims that keeps them from having a sense of humor? Tom Lehrer, the American Jewish satirist, wrote a song in 1964 in the wake of Vatican II, that ridiculed the Catholic Church, its rituals and beliefs, and no one batted an eyelash.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LFIkeXQI8nI" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2015/jan/09/joe-sacco-on-satire-a-response-to-the-attacks">Joe Sacco, himself a cartoonist</a> raises the question bluntly:<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="comic-image" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/1/9/1420817191692/joesaccoonsatire1200.jpg" height="640" width="441" /><br />
<br />
As Titan noted last week, religion can be toxic. He dealt with alienation of children from their parents by Jewish "missionaries." There are also the irritants such as the idiots who refuse to sit hear women on planes or buses and indeed people are petitioning and making noise about these things. It becomes really poisonous when blood is spilled in the name of the Prophet. It is certainly wrong to surrender to them, either by flight (e.g. French Jews) or by self-censorship. One can fault France for allowing <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/13/jihad-fanboys-in-the-paris-burbs.html">the blight to fester in the notorious banlieues</a> just outside Paris that are home largely to second- and third-generation immigrants from former French colonies in North and West Africa. These places are fertile soil for Muslim extremism, either recruitment for the IS in Syria/Iraq or for terror at home. Not that terror and mass killing are a Muslim monopoly--the massacre in Norway was carried out by Anders_Behring Breivik, the slaughter of children at Sandy Hook school in Newtown CT by Adam Lanza and the Columbine killings by students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. None of these were in any way connected to Islam or to religion of any kind.<br />
<img alt="Mike Luckovich Cartoon for Jan/13/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11191/1119104.gif" height="291" rel="image_src" width="400" /> <br />
Nonetheless, the majority of the events that account for the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-30086435">rise of terrorism in the world in recent years</a> are associated with Islamic entities, be they the Taliban, Boko Haram, El Qaeda or the IS. Certainly, no one implies that terror is mainstream in the Muslim world, but obviously something needs to be done and it must be done by Muslim religious leadership.<br />
<img class="img hero" src="http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/01/13/jihad-fanboys-in-the-paris-burbs/jcr:content/image.crop.800.500.jpg/1421187372078.cached.jpg" height="250" itemprop="image" width="400" /><br />
<br />
Finally Pollyanna wishes to express her agreement with the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/pope-charlie-hebdo-limits-free-expression-121639260.html">sentiments expressed by the Pope</a>. His Holiness agrees that freedom of expression is a fundamental right, but it has limits. Certainly shouting Fire! in a crowded theater, hate speech and incitement and child pornography cannot be said to come under the umbrella of protected free speech. Ridiculing someone's religion, ethnicity or beliefs is certainly poor taste, vulgarity and inappropriate behavior, but, as the Pope says, are by no means a justification for violence and murder. Abuse of the right of free speech should be dealt with in the framework of the rule of law. Someone who is the victim of slander can have recourse to the courts and obtain damages. Satire, if it is to be worthy of the name, must be biting and strong, such as Andy Borowitz who can portray the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/citing-security-concerns-boehner-drinking-work">Speaker of the House as a drunken sod</a> and Congresswoman <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/stephen-hawkings-blunder-on-black-holes-shows-danger-of-listening-to-scientists-says-bachmann?mbid=social_retweet">Michelle Bachman</a> as an idiot, with no fear of reprisal. Scurrilous reporting, such as the Swedish tabloid that claimed that the Israeli Army was killing Palestinians in order to sell their organs, should be a matter for the professional associations of journalists to deal with and sanction. The fact that Israel reacted by protesting to the Swedish government that it was not doing its job of controlling the press is just a sign of stupidity. At least no one was killed. We also note that Charlie Hebdo was even-handed in dealing with religions:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="http://blogs.forward.com/workspace/assets/images/articles/charliehebdo2-010715.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="315" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They all agree that Charlie Hebdo must be veiled...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Pollyanna wishes to reiterate that transgressing the bounds of free speech, which Charlie Hebdo may well have done, should be responded to by nonviolent and legal means. The honor and respect for the Prophet is not enhanced by killing in his name.<br />
<img alt="Mike Luckovich Cartoon for Jan/11/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11181/1118197.gif" height="290" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<h2>
OK, NOW BACK TO BEING POLLYANNA</h2>
Pollyanna would like to share some nice things with you. One is<a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/language-translation-tech-starting-to-deliver-on-its-promise/?emc=eta1&_r=0"> the hope that translation by computer will actually work. </a>We have all seen computer translations and have guffawed at them. Now it appears that real progress is being made and we will be able to communicate in real time conversations with people with whom we do not have a common language. Cheers.<br />
<br />
<h2>
CONGRATULATIONS MAMA SHARK</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="zoom-in" data-hi-res-src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/01/800_2027c-1024x541.jpeg&w=1484" data-low-res-src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/01/800_2027c-1024x541.jpeg&w=480" src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/01/800_2027c-1024x541.jpeg&w=1484" height="338" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="pb-caption">Pelagic thresher shark reportedly giving birth. (Courtesy of Attila E Kaszo)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the first time ever, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/13/rare-shark-birth-photo-may-be-the-first-ever/?tid=trending_strip_1">the birth of a baby shark has been caught on camera</a>. The picture was taken by Attila Kaszo during a 2013 research dive in the Philippines and now has been published in Coral Reef, the official journal of International Society for Coral Reef Studies. Is this an infringement of privacy? She has not yet complained. The story of how the event was found in the data is itself of interest.<br />
<br />
<h2>
HUYGENS TEN YEARS AGO </h2>
Carolyn Porco reminds us of the day ten years ago when the Huygens probe landed successfully on the surface of Titan. It was the first time a man-made object has been placed on a moon of another planet and the results were of course fantastic.<br />
<img align="left" src="http://www.ciclops.org/media/dv/2015/7986_19142_1.png" style="margin-bottom: 20px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px;" width="220" /> <br />
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<a href="http://ciclops.org/?js=1">Share the memory with Carolyn.</a><br />
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<h2>
YOU MAKE ME COLD..</h2>
We have a penchant for walking around in sports
gear, including shorts, in all kinds of weather. For years we have been
getting the reaction, especially from women, <i>"it makes me cold to look
at you"</i> and have always ascribed it to the Jewish mother latent in
every female (no, that is not a sexist remark). Now according to <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150113145240.htm">new research from Sussex University, the effect is real</a> and being cold is
contagious. Empathy is something that seems to have evolutionary value
according to the researcher, <i>"Humans are profoundly social creatures and
much of humans' success results from our ability to work together in
complex communities -- this would be hard to do if we were not able to rapidly empathize with each other and predict one another's thoughts, feelings and motivations."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h2>
<i>
</i>NEANDERTHALS AIN'T SO DUMB </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" class="image" src="http://images.sciencedaily.com/2015/01/150114101528-large.jpg" height="300" rel="#photo1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Click to enlarge" width="327" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div id="caption" style="padding-bottom: 10px;">
The tool in question was
uncovered in June 2014 during the annual digs at the Grotte du Bison at
Arcy-sur-Cure in Burgundy, France. Extremely<span class="truncate_ellipsis"> ...</span><br />
<div class="clearboth">
<a class="truncate_more_link" href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150114101528.htm#">[show more]</a></div>
</div>
<div id="credit" style="float: left; width: 300px;">
<i>Credit: University of Montreal - Luc Doyon</i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
New evidence has surfaced that indicates that <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150114101528.htm">Neanderthals made bone tools, </a>something that has always been thought to be a <i>Homo Sapiens</i> innovation. The tool was discovered in France and dates from about 55,000 years ago. It implies that the technical and cognitive gap between <i>H. Sapiens</i> and Neanderthals is less marked than had been thought. Interesting indeed, says Pollyanna<br />
<br />
<h2>
A BREAKTHROUGH IN ANTIBIOTICS </h2>
The evolution of resistance to antibiotics has long plagued modern medicine and has rendered many compounds useless. Now a search for a magic bullet antibiotic that will not generate resistance seems <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150108124854.htm">to have hit pay dirt</a>--a finding that challenges conventional wisdom and has made headlines everywhere. <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14098.html">It was just published in Nature. </a>This can be a huge step forward in the fight against disease. Hooray says Pollyanna.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What If?</a> asks What if there was a lake on the Moon? What would it be like to swim in it? Presuming that it is sheltered in a regular atmosphere, in some giant dome or something.<br />
<br />
Kim Holder<br />
The answer is fun.<br />
<br />
<h2>
THE HEISENBERG PRINCIPLE</h2>
Woe to the website that tries to violate the Heisenberg Uncertainly Principle by trickery--cheers to our lady<br />
<img alt="Location Sharing" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/location_sharing.png" title="Our phones must have great angular momentum sensors because the compasses really suck." /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">ROMANCE AND DILBERT</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Jan/09/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11169/1116994.gif" rel="image_src" /> </span>arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-21713926526466638752015-01-02T15:55:00.002+02:002015-01-02T15:55:51.242+02:00Pollyanna wishes you a Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRtIrO5Uw26_8BtcJtwpfgO6WEKFfqnYx4ttAXurvWXlGraURevdA" data-sz="f" name="bUaf0JmnRYUvtM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRtIrO5Uw26_8BtcJtwpfgO6WEKFfqnYx4ttAXurvWXlGraURevdA" style="height: 177px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 284px;" /> <br />
Pollyanna is back and wants to wish all her readers a Happy New Year. Let us hope that 2015 will be better for us, humanity in general and our planet.<br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations. <br />
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<h2>
CHARITY CORNER </h2>
This week Pollyanna refers you to Project Education South Sudan aka PESS. During the first civil war, many boys fled and became known as the "Lost Boys" of South Sudan. One of them was<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/12/30/373831086/a-lost-boy-helps-the-girls-of-south-sudan-find-an-education?sc=tw"> Daniel Majook Gai </a>who fled the civil war in Sudan, running miles by himself to safety and leaving his family behind.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Daniel Majook Gai from South Sudan goes in and out of his war-torn country to help children there go to school." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/12/29/daniel-with-girls-around-him-5ab4bbcd30c51c094867800634520cc46d65a7d6-s700-c85.jpg" height="299" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Daniel Majook Gai from South Sudan goes in and out of his war-torn country to help children there go to school." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel Majook Gai from South Sudan goes in and out of his war-torn country to help children there go to school.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He eventually got to the US, obtained an education and is now trying to get kids, especially girls, into school in South Sudan. He works for <a href="http://www.projecteducationsudan.org/index.html">PESS which builds schools</a> throughout the country and helps break down barriers for girls. In the area of South Sudan where Daniel has been working, 3,000 boys and girls have been out of class for a year now. Please help out.<br />
<br />
<h2>
AIRLINE DISASTER</h2>
Pollyanna is sad about the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30639206">tragic fate of the passengers and crew </a> on the AirAsia flight whose plane crashed at sea. The aircraft apparently went down in bad weather, but there are certainly <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102302506#.">many questions</a> to be asked. In general, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/despite-uptick-of-airline-deaths-2014-was-one-of-the-safest-years-for-flying/">2014 was the deadliest year </a>for aviation fatalities in a decade, according to figures compiled by the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Graphic by Laura Santhanam/PBS NewsHour" class="size-full wp-image-128124" src="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Flight-Fatalities-by-Year-BAAA.jpg" height="233" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic by Laura Santhanam/PBS NewsHour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The BAAA data show that 1,326 people died this year in airliner accidents, the worst on record since 2005. That figure includes both Malaysia Airlines disasters — Flight MH370, which disappeared off the Vietnamese coastline and Flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine.<br />
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<h2>
NEW YEAR CALAMITY</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Two men place candles in the shape of a heart at the site of a New Year's Eve stampede at The Bund in Shanghai on January 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Greg BAKER" class="attachment-feature-thumb wp-post-image" src="http://cdn.cctv-america.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/000_Del6383339-800x500.jpg" height="250" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="thumb-caption">Two men place candles in the shape of a
heart at the site of a New Year's Eve stampede at The Bund in Shanghai
on January 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Greg BAKER</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna is also upset by the <a href="http://www.cctv-america.com/2014/12/31/stampede-in-shanghai-during-new-years-celebration">sad events in Shanghai</a> where New Year's Eve celebrations were marred by a stampede that claimed the lives of 36 people with over 50 more injured. The cause is still unclear although there was a report that some people had thrown fake money from a balcony. The police do not confirm this claim. It is tragic that an event designed for enjoyment turns into tragedy.<br />
<br />
<h2>
HOPE FOR JUSTICE </h2>
Pollyanna is glad to hear <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30647732">that the three Al Jazeera journalists,</a> who were sentenced to long prison terms in Egypt in what was patently a politically motivated show trial, have been granted a retrial on appeal. The appeals court decision indicates some signs of an independent court system in a country ruled by a dictatorship. It is unfortunate that the three, the Australian Peter Griese, Mohammed Fahmy who holds Egyptian and Canadian citizenship and Baher Mohamed were not granted bail for the duration of the retrial.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<h2>
RANTS AND RAVES </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="Rachel Daniel, sitting with her son, Bukar, held a picture of her daughter, Rose, who was among nearly 300 Nigerian teenage girls kidnapped in April by the militant group Boko Haram." data-mediaviewer-credit="Joe Penney/Reuters" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/01/world/ALT-INTEL/ALT-INTEL-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/01/world/ALT-INTEL/ALT-INTEL-articleLarge.jpg" height="266" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/01/world/ALT-INTEL/ALT-INTEL-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<br />
<figure class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" id="media-100000003426145" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/01/world/ALT-INTEL/ALT-INTEL-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" role="group"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
<span class="caption-text">Rachel Daniel, sitting with
her son, Bukar, held a picture of her daughter, Rose, who was among
nearly 300 Nigerian teenage girls kidnapped in April by the militant
group Boko Haram.</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
Joe Penney/Reuters </span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Usually Titan produces the rants and raves, but Pollyanna cannot remain silent in the face of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/world/with-schoolgirls-still-missing-fragile-us-nigeria-ties-falter.html?_r=1">incompetence and indifference </a>shown by the government and army of Nigeria in the matter of the hundreds of girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram. The NYTimes reports on the failure of the Nigerians to take advantage of the aid provided to them by the United States. The Nigerian army is not only incompetent, it has a dismal record of human rights violations. (It should be a matter of shame to us that Israel nearly sold military helicopters to Nigeria. Fortunately, the US blocked the sale, which it had the power to do because the aircraft were of US manufacture.) There is great fear that the girls have been sold to Boko Haram fighters, who in the past six months have seized hundreds more civilians, including children, planted bombs in Nigerian cities and captured entire towns.<br />
<br />
<h2>
SCIENCE IN 2014 </h2>
Ruth Schuster writing in Haaretz<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/life/science-medicine/.premium-1.634080"> has summed up the best science stories</a> that appeared in the paper during 2014. They are all interesting although at times her comments are a bit patronizing towards basic science. The discovery that canine defecation direction is related to the magnetic field is interesting, not for the scatology, but because of the indication that dogs have magnetic sensors. This has long been known in birds and is the means of pigeon navigation. Humans have no such capability. We note that this must refer to freely roaming dogs and we shall observe Murphy when we are next with him on the dune or beach. While walking on the leash, he will simply poop in the direction opposite to our walking.<br />
Another interesting and more important finding is the adverse affect of artificial sweeteners on the body. Using artificial sweeteners can increase the probability of developing diabetes and obesity, ironically the very conditions they're supposed to prevent, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science announced. They discovered that while artificial sweeteners don't contain glucose, they do affect how our bodies process sugar: our bodies can lose the ability to handle sugar. Since our intestines don't even absorb these sweeteners, the scientists wondered what does and found that it is the bacteria in your guts. If you have certain types, eating the sweeteners has exactly the wrong effect on you.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.haaretz.co.il/st/inter/Heng/news/images/RuthS/diet.jpg" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diet drinks may have the exact opposite effect of what we want. Photo: Adi Dovrat-Meseritz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h2>
LEGION D'HONNEUR DECLINED </h2>
We are informed that the French economist Thomas Piketty,<br />
<img alt="" src="http://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full-width/images/2014/05/blogs/economist-explains/20140503_blp507.jpg" height="225" title="" width="400" /><br />
the author the best-selling book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century,<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/01/thomas-piketty-legion-of-honor_n_6403790.html"> has declined an honor</a> from the French government. His book, in which he pillories the causes of economic inequality, was one of the greater intellectual events of the year. We quote the Nobel Laureate economist Paul Krugman on Mr Piketty's "big idea" in the New York Review of Books: <i>"We haven't just gone back to nineteenth-century levels of income inequality, we're also on a path back to "patrimonial capitalism," in which the commanding heights of the economy are controlled not by talented individuals but by family dynasties."</i><br />
The book has naturally <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/05/economist-explains">attracted much comment</a> and no small amount of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/31/upshot/everything-you-need-to-know-about-thomas-piketty-vs-the-financial-times.html?abt=0002&abg=1">fierce criticism</a>.<i> </i><br />
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<h2>
BOOK REVIEW </h2>
<h3>
Mark Twain and the Era That Shaped His Masterpiece, by Andrew Levy, Hardcover, 342 pages, Simon & Schuster, List Price: $25</h3>
<br />
This book is reviewed in <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2014/12/30/373834635/in-huckleberry-finn-a-history-in-echoes">NPR blogs by Linda Holmes.</a> We quote the opening of the review <i>"Is there anything left to say about Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn?"</i><br />
<br />
That is the question that animates big parts of the book, a richly researched, copiously annotated, fascinating argument that in all the debates over the book's treatment of race and despite its position as both a widely banned book and a widely assigned book, we tend to miss some of the most important things it teaches. Pollyanna recommends it to your consideration. Levy comes to grips with the complex issues of Twain, racism and children's literature.<br />
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<h2>
SILLY TIME</h2>
Since again there is no new What If?, we looked for something equally informative. This week we saw an unnamed Luddite enjoying her new smart phone and came to think a bit about our relationship with advances in technology. We find that Randall has addressed this question as well.<br />
<img alt="Simple Answers" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/simple_answers.png" title="'Will [ ] allow us to better understand each other and thus make war undesirable?' is one that pops up whenever we invent a new communication medium." /><br />
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<h2>
ALMOST DARWIN </h2>
You are probably familiar with the <a href="http://www.darwinawards.com/">Darwin Awards web site</a> in which human stupidity is documented and people die deaths caused by their own idiocy, thus removing themselves from the gene pool. You might also <a href="http://www.authenticforum.com/general-discussion/144011-fresh-crop-idiot-sightings.html">enjoy the crop of idiot sightings</a> at Authentic Forum. Pollyanna found several impressive cases there, such as <i>"I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee
asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?"
To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I
know?" He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."<br />
Happened in Birmingham , AL.</i>"<br />
Pollyanna is amused by the chap in Australia <a href="http://gizmodo.com/never-try-to-blast-open-an-atm-in-flip-flops-1676813198">who tried to blow up an ATM</a> to steal the money inside. The security cameras caught the story. At least he survived and gave the police some amusement on Christmas Eve.<br />
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WUMO wind down the year with their own version of functioning of idiots. Pollyanna will risk being sued and show you the cartoon.<br />
<img alt="Wumo Cartoon for Dec/31/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11151/1115155.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
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For those whose New Year's resolutions involve weight loss, she offers the pasta diet:<br />
The Proven New Year's Pasta Diet<br />
Take up this diet in 2015 and you are certain to lose weight!<br />
<br />
1) You walka pasta da bakery.<br />
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2) You walka pasta da candy store.<br />
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3) You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.<br />
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4) You walka pasta da table and fridge.<br />
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Cynthia starts off the year with the right attitude:<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Jan/01/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11154/1115414.gif" height="140" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
Of course, he would not have replaced her phone, discipline etc., but he will certainly replace his own. How many of us have raised a Cynthia or two?<br />
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Dilbert has decided to reduce the number of decisions in his life by inventing tube clothes, a la the grey tee shirts of Mark Zukerberg. He then invokes a dating service, poor chap...or poor ladies.<br />
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Dec/31/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11150/1115091.gif" height="124" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
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<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Jan/01/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11153/1115362.gif" height="124" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
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<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Jan/02/2015" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11154/1115499.gif" height="124" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
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Id goes to war:<br />
<img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Dec/27/2014" height="125" rel="image_src" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/111/11152/1115250.gif" width="400" /><br />
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<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-89063705583799985022014-12-20T21:36:00.000+02:002014-12-20T21:36:51.036+02:00Pollyanna greets you with Happy Hannuka <img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQfQ6zquymeGj0qgo5iDr_T0FKVwGq0VxcVzyktOFc3CnTFTvu7" data-sz="f" name="DO9Ab0zLqeiooM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQfQ6zquymeGj0qgo5iDr_T0FKVwGq0VxcVzyktOFc3CnTFTvu7" style="height: 199px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 159px;" /><br />
Pollyanna is back after a foray to a bat mitzva in Winnipeg<br />
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and some relaxation with Titan and YandA in New York. She wishes all her Jewish readers a happy Hannuka. This holiday celebrates a victory over Hellenistic overlords in 168-165 BCE and a miracle involving a self-filling amphora of oil. A car with such a gas tank would sell very well.<br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
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<h2>
CHARITY CORNER </h2>
This week Pollyanna refers you to the <a href="http://www.afyafoundation.org/">charity AFYA</a>. We had the opportunity to visit their facility in Yonkers NY last week and came away most impressed. We quote their mission statement:<i>"Our mission is to recover targeted surplus medical supplies, hospital equipment and humanitarian provisions from the New York healthcare, corporate and private communities in order to establish categorized inventory to support ongoing health initiatives in Africa and the Caribbean."</i> Please open the link and make a donation to this most worthy cause.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yst2eB1aQ3w?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<h2>
IN MEMORIAM RALPH J. BAER 1922-2014</h2>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/business/ralph-h-baer-dies-inventor-of-odyssey-first-system-for-home-video-games.html?_r=0">The man who invented electronic gaming </a>died last week at the age of 92. In the summer of 1966 he had a vision that led to the first television game and eventually spawned the vast computer game industry of today.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="Ralph H. Baer in Manchester, N.H., in 2005 with the game system he invented called the "brown box," later named Odyssey. He was also a co-inventor of the electronic game Simon, pictured in the foreground." data-mediaviewer-credit="Ken Williams/Concord Monitor, via Associated Press" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/08/business/Baer-obit/Baer-obit-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/08/business/Baer-obit/Baer-obit-articleLarge.jpg" height="278" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/08/business/Baer-obit/Baer-obit-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<figure class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" id="media-100000003276165" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/08/business/Baer-obit/Baer-obit-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" role="group"><figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
<span class="caption-text">Ralph H. Baer in Manchester,
N.H., in 2005 with the game system he invented called the "brown box,"
later named Odyssey. He was also a co-inventor of the electronic game
Simon, pictured in the foreground.</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
Ken Williams/Concord Monitor, via Associated Press </span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
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In March 1971, Mr. Baer and his employer, Sanders Associates in Nashua, N.H., filed for the first video game patent, which was granted in April 1973 as Patent No. 3,728,480. It made an extraordinarily large claim to a legal monopoly for any product that included a domestic television with circuits capable of producing and controlling dots on a screen.<br />
<br />
Sanders Associates licensed its system to Magnavox, which began selling it as Odyssey in the summer of 1972 as the first home video game console. It sold 130,000 units the first year. The rest is history. A detailed obituary can be found in the NYTimes at the above link. It tells a fascinating story.<br />
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<h2>
RANT AND RAVE </h2>
Pollyanna ranted last time about senseless killing of worshipers in a Jerusalem synagogue. Now it is a school in Peshewar, Pakistan. This city is burying its dead after a Taliban attack at a school killed at least 132 children and nine staff. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30507836">Details are given by the BBC online.</a> AVAAZ has started up a <a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/honour_peshawar_children_h/?brzfFab&v=50125">petition to keep children in school. </a> In too many places children, especially girls, are out of school because of fear.<br />
<br />
Please sign asks Pollyanna. <br />
<img height="200" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/avaaz_images/13572_5657_5566_everychildinschool_1_460x230L_1_460x230_1_460x230.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />Pollyanna is equally upset with the <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/18/371676611/boko-haram-suspected-in-new-round-of-killing-and-kidnapping?sc=tw">latest news from Nigeria about an attack,</a> apparently by Boko Haram, which brought about the death of at least 33 people and resulted in the kidnapping of more than 100 others.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Members of the Abuja "Bring Back Our Girls" protest group sit during a march in continuation of the Global October movement. Once again, Boko Haram militants are implicated in killings and mass kidnapping in northeastern Nigeria." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/12/18/35282744_h32534740-5fae913989358e30bb8556fd83fb9db4a86de4c3-s1600-c85.jpg" height="299" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Members of the Abuja "Bring Back Our Girls" protest group sit during a march in continuation of the Global October movement. Once again, Boko Haram militants are implicated in killings and mass kidnapping in northeastern Nigeria." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Members of the Abuja "Bring Back Our Girls" protest group sit during a
march in continuation of the Global October movement. Once again, Boko
Haram militants are implicated in killings and mass kidnapping in
northeastern Nigeria.
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There seems to be no end to the stream of blood being spilled everywhere.<br />
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<h3>
WHOOPING COUGH AND VACCINATION</h3>
A major peeve of Pollyanna is the anti vaxxer group who refrain from vaccinating their children. As a result, infection diseases may break out and wreak havoc especially among babies who are too young to be vaccinated, for example against whooping cough.<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/12/18/371607630/california-whooping-cough-infections-run-high-among-latino-babies"> Now a major epidemic of whooping cough </a>has hit the Latino community in California. One cause may be fear of detection on the part of illegal immigrants. The highest rates of whooping cough are found in the Bay Area counties of Sonoma, Napa and Marin, which also have some of the highest rates of parents who opt out of vaccinating their children.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Nurse Julietta Losoyo gives Derek Lucero a whooping cough vaccination at the San Diego Public Health Center on Dec. 10." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/12/18/ap340330303131_custom-954faeb5558b3e76bcb5d6c6085a46245055b26f-s1600-c85.jpg" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Nurse Julietta Losoyo gives Derek Lucero a whooping cough vaccination at the San Diego Public Health Center on Dec. 10." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nurse Julietta Losoyo gives Derek Lucero a whooping cough vaccination at the San Diego Public Health Center on Dec. 10.
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Doctors believe these kids are the root of the current and recent epidemics.<br />
<br />
<i>"We had a lot of unvaccinated children that acted as the kindling to start an outbreak,"</i> said Dr. Paul Katz, a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael. <i>"Those children were able to infect all the other children who were vaccinated but were too early for a booster –- they became the rest of the wood to start the fire."</i><br />
The fact that the effectiveness of current vaccines wears off means that booster shots are important. Another factor may be cultural and linguistic difficulties caused by lack of communication in the language of the immigrant population. Pollyanna thinks that the establishment of a firewall between the health and immigration authorities would help, if the illegal immigrants could be persuaded to believe it.<br />
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<h2>
FEEDING THE HOMELESS IS ILLEGAL </h2>
This may sound like Sodom and Gomorrah redux, but it is true that a growing number of cities in the United States <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/22/357846415/more-cities-are-making-it-illegal-to-hand-out-food-to-the-homeless">have passed laws making it illegal to feed homeless people</a>.<br />
<img alt="According to Michael Stoops, a supporter named Tem Feavel submitted this image to the National Coalition for the Homeless in 2007, but there is no record of where it was taken." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/10/22/homeless_custom-e345ca925828cc58f713094366f0c7b4ce328e85-s700-c85.jpg" height="400" title="According to Michael Stoops, a supporter named Tem Feavel submitted this image to the National Coalition for the Homeless in 2007, but there is no record of where it was taken." width="299" /><br />
Gene Weingarten puts it in perspective with Barney and Clyde.<br />
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<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Dec/01/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11081/1108131.gif" height="141" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Dec/02/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11084/1108438.gif" height="141" rel="image_src" width="400" /> <br />
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<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Dec/03/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11086/1108620.gif" height="141" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Dec/04/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11087/1108787.gif" height="141" rel="image_src" width="400" /> <br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Dec/05/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11089/1108962.gif" height="141" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
<br />
They also execute people there and have no real national health service or even national maternity leave. Yuck! <br />
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<br />
<h2>
ARROW FAILURE </h2>
This week Pollyanna heard on the news that the latest test of the Arrow 3 antimissile rocket was a success. Pollyanna really dislikes being taken for an idiot. In fact, the test was a dismal failure<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/16/us-arms-israel-arrow-idUSKBN0JU1DK20141216"> as reported in the international media</a>. She is reminded of the three strictures of Abraham Lincoln<br />
a. you can fool some of the people all of the time<br />
b. you can fool all of the people some of the time<br />
c. you cannot fool all of the people all of the time<br />
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SCIENCE GOODIES</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
TALKING TO DOGS</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Do you want to go to the park? Mango Doucleff, of San Francisco, responds to her favorite command by perking up her ears and tilting her head." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/11/28/mango8-71d19caa1f81c9634ec5721a67bc27346e6ba63c-s1600-c85.jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Do you want to go to the park? Mango Doucleff, of San Francisco, responds to her favorite command by perking up her ears and tilting her head." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="credit-caption">
<div class="caption">
Do you want to go to the park? Mango Doucleff, of San
Francisco, responds to her favorite command by perking up her ears and
tilting her head.
</div>
<span class="credit">
Michaeleen Doucleff/NPR
</span>
</div>
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<h2>
</h2>
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We all that know dogs pay close attention to the emotion in our voices. They listen for whether our tone is friendly or mean, how the pitch goes up or down and even the rhythms in our speech. What about meaning? <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/11/28/367092004/how-dogs-understand-what-we-say?sc=tw">New research has found that dogs pay attention</a> to the meanings of words and that they process that information in a different part of the brain from where they process emotional cues in speech. The research is fascinating and anyone who lives with a dog will certainly find it relevant. Murphy says that this should have been obvious to us all the time.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMak8w7dI8t0iePmxyi4dxPemra94iOMqy4eNuPI1v7XZOYJLy4APBqAxO0Wp3ESZNnlrRC5gmlTtlaoZuLWvefvekPfmemuEnnR8Sr-hUiDUhqpYi4Hx5-0hfys4ryFtgPGsyBeoI6jU/s1600/Image1009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMak8w7dI8t0iePmxyi4dxPemra94iOMqy4eNuPI1v7XZOYJLy4APBqAxO0Wp3ESZNnlrRC5gmlTtlaoZuLWvefvekPfmemuEnnR8Sr-hUiDUhqpYi4Hx5-0hfys4ryFtgPGsyBeoI6jU/s1600/Image1009.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<h2>
RESUMPTION OF MERS RESEARCH </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A transmission electron micrograph shows Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus particles (colorized yellow)." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/12/18/brownishmers_wide-2ce4e74162a22c63549f9303b3085c2f518ca797-s1600-c85.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="A transmission electron micrograph shows Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus particles (colorized yellow)." width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A transmission electron micrograph shows Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus particles (colorized yellow).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pollyanna is glad to hear that the ban on US government supported research on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome aka<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/12/18/371686933/nih-allows-restart-of-mers-research-that-was-deemed-too-risky"> MERS has been rescinded</a>. This is a disease normally associated with camels, but has passed on to humans in the Middle East and caused many deaths.<br />
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<h2>
METHANE ON MARS--LIFE? MAYBE</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="Even if the explanation for the methane turns out to be geological, the hydrothermal systems would still be prime locations to search for signs of life." data-mediaviewer-credit="NASA" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/17/science/17mars-span/17mars-1418766578033-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/17/science/17mars-span/17mars-1418766578033-articleLarge.jpg" height="333" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/12/17/science/17mars-span/17mars-1418766578033-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="caption-text">Even if the explanation for the methane turns
out to be geological, the hydrothermal systems would still be prime
locations to search for signs of life.</span>
<span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
<span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
NAS</span></td></tr>
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<h2>
</h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Curiosity robot explorer <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/science/a-new-clue-in-the-search-for-life-on-mars.html?_r=0">has come up with a burst of methane</a> that lasted at least two months. For now, scientists have just two possible explanations for the methane. One is that it is the waste product of certain living microbes. The other is that it is geological. The Curiosity results show that the gas is present at about 1 part per billion in the Martian atmosphere, or 4,000 times less than in Earth’s air. We should beware of jumping to conclusions since there are many chemical processes, such as the reaction of the common mineral olivine with water, that can produce methane without life. <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4413">One must keep the caveats in minds and investigate further.</a></span><br />
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<h2>
WATER FROM WHERE? </h2>
The source of terrestrial water has long been thought to be comet impacts when the solar system was young enough to be full of comets and the Earth cool enough to retain the water.<a href="http://www.iflscience.com/space/rosetta-data-suggests-water-earth-probably-didnt-come-comets"> Now results from Rosetta, in orbit </a>around Comet 67P/Churymov–Gerasimenko show that the water on the comet has an isotopic composition different from that on the Earth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.iflscience.com/sites/www.iflscience.com/files/styles/ifls_large/public/blog/%5Bnid%5D/2014-12-11_1316.png?itok=M7hY4U-N" height="265" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="field-label">Ice spewing off the surface of </span><span class="field-label">Comet 67P/Churymov–Gerasimenko Photo credit:
</span>
ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/ INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So far, the deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratio, <i>i.e.</i> the fraction of heavy water, in which the hydrogen has been replaced by <span>deuterium </span> (nucleus contains one proton, one neutron), in the total water molecule population, has been measured on 11 different comets, covering both types, but only one has matched up with Earth: the Jupiter-family Comet 103P/Hartley 2. However, as reported in Science, Rosetta found that the D/H ratio was more than three times higher than the values found in Earth’s oceans and on Hartley 2.The task of providing us with our oceans now devolves to the asteroids. Meteoroids from asteroids have a water isotope ratio similar to that of Earth. Nonetheless, the conclusion requires further confirmation since the D/H ratio was measured in vapor exuded by the comet and may have been altered in space. Stay tuned.<br />
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<h2>
FAST RADIO BURSTS-A COSMIC MYSTERY </h2>
Bursts of radio noise lasting only a few milliseconds <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/187065-mysterious-fast-radio-bursts-from-outer-space-astronomers-baffled-suggest-they-could-be-alien-in-origin">have been detected since 2001</a> by a radio telescope in Australia. Since all were from one observatory, it was not clear that these blasts were astrophysical or some local glitch in the electronics or whatever (remember fast neutrinos). In 2014, the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico <a href="http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2014/07/arecibo-captures-its-first-fast-radio-burst">found such a burst</a>, thus authenticating the five events found in Australia. No one has the vaguest idea what might be causing them which poses a challenge to theory. Science thrives on such discoveries. Some theories have suggested that so-called FRBs originate from an evaporating black hole, or perhaps solar flares from nearby stars, or — and this is coming from one of the astronomers who first recorded the FRBs — they could even be <i>“signatures from extraterrestrial civilizations.”</i> Pollyanna is delighted to hear of such things--it shows how much fun science can be, although you may be sure that much drudgery went into the data analysis that led to these findings.<br />
<br />
<h2>
SILLY TIME</h2>
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What If?</a> <i>What if I made a lava lamp out of real lava? What could I use as a clear medium? How close could I stand to watch it?<br /><br />Kathy Johnstone, 6th Grade Teacher (via a student)</i><br />
Interesting answer, but I would not like to have my kid in her class.<br />
<br />
ADVISERS...<br />
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Our Minister of Defense, a nonredeemable jerk, has a strategic adviser, who is, in Pollyanna's humble opinion, someone who gives idiots a bad name. We think that the Minister would do better to hire Wally:<br />
<img alt="The Official Dilbert Website featuring Scott Adams Dilbert strips, animations and more" border="0" src="http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/200000/30000/5000/100/235196/235196.strip.gif" height="124" width="400" /><br />
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Then we all have financial advisers...<br />
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<img alt="The Official Dilbert Website featuring Scott Adams Dilbert strips, animations and more" border="0" src="http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/200000/30000/5000/100/235195/235195.strip.gif" height="124" width="400" /><br />
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<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-30448859695478436322014-11-22T11:49:00.001+02:002014-11-22T11:49:56.411+02:00Pollyanna is not extremely glad this week, but she is here anyhow<br />
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<img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8G_Wvylau49-HkTI-45c9GiVRnxlwO9vovNbBXeehYOuSixxo" data-sz="f" name="ISY-KihqqyWdQM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8G_Wvylau49-HkTI-45c9GiVRnxlwO9vovNbBXeehYOuSixxo" style="height: 167px; margin-left: -6px; margin-right: -6px; margin-top: 0px; width: 223px;" /><br />
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Pollyanna is with you again and is certainly not glad this week. She is outraged at the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/1.627084">despicable attack on worshipers at a synagogue in Jerusalem </a>and in general at the pointless spilling of blood that goes on all around us. Yes, <i>"how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?" </i>Bob Dylan has an answer that no one seems to want to hear.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3l4nVByCL44" width="560"></iframe>
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The mass execution of people in Syria is part of the same patter<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-30086435">n. Pollyanna will spare you the images. </a>The number of deaths from terrorism increased by 61% between 2012 and 2013, a study into international terrorism says, which tells you something about the global war on terror and how successful it has been. There were nearly 10,000 terrorist attacks in 2013, a 44% increase from the previous year, the <a href="http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/our-gti-findings">Global Terrorism Index 2014 report </a>added. The report said militant groups <i>Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and the Taliban </i>were behind most of the deaths. It is easy to be politically incorrect in the light of this statistic.<br />
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For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
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<h2>
CHARITY CORNER </h2>
This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. She refers you to the the <a href="http://globalhumanrights.org/en">Fund for Global Human Rights.</a> It has a high mark from Charity Watch and provides grants to organizations that defend human rights worldwide.<br />
The mission statement:<i>Securing basic dignity and freedom for people worldwide requires that front-line organizations challenge abuse wherever it occurs. The Fund finds and funds local human rights heroes who often work at great personal risk to strengthen and bring global attention to their struggles.</i><br />
<img alt="SEWAMP" class="image-inline image-inline" src="http://globalhumanrights.org/en/about-fghr/about-the-grants-program/sewamp.jpg/image_preview" height="260" title="SEWAMP" width="400" /><br />
Their Web site provides details of their grantees and the functioning of the Fund. Please take a look and donate.<br />
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<h2>
NOW SOME NICE THINGS</h2>
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<h3>
WOMEN BISHOPS</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Revd Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79069000/jpg/_79069117_452146012%281%29.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="width: 624px;">Revd Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes celebrates the decision to allow female bishops</span></td></tr>
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Pollyanna is very pleased with the decision of the<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30080212"> Church of England to appoint women bishops</a>. We have female rabbis in the Reform and Conservative branches of Judaism, but of course the Orthodox would never hear of the idea. We hope the CofE weathers the introduction of women bishops without too much difficulty. We understand that during a transition period there will be a senior male cleric available for parishioners who might be uncomfortable with a female bishop. Cheers for progressive thinking that broke through the stained glass ceiling. We hope it will not be accompanied by the same type of conservative thinking that caused difficulties when the first openly gay bishop was installed.<br />
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<h3>
BRIGHT KID </h3>
<img alt="Ayan Qureshi is the youngest computer specialist in the world" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/78992000/jpg/_78992754_photo.jpg" height="400" width="225" /> <br />
Pollyanna gives a pat on the head to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30054140">five year old who passed the Microsoft exam </a>to become a Microsoft Certified Professional. Ayan Quereshi, now six, whose father is an IT consultant, has set up his own computer network at home in Coventry, UK. The family moved from Pakistan to England in 2009. Note, little nerds, Ayan spends no more than two hours per day with his computer network. Cheers!<br />
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<h3>
SOME BELATED JUSTICE FOR BHOPAL VICTIMS 30 YEARS ON </h3>
<a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/india-victory-bhopal-gas-leak-survivors-government-promises-additional-compensation-2014-11-14#.VGsQYHrERvU.blogger">The government of India has agreed to increase</a> a multi-million dollar compensation claim against Union Carbide over the 1984 gas leak from the company's pesticide plant that poisoned more than half a million people. This is a response to a nil-by-mouth hunger strike by five women, who began their action on 10 November.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Survivors and activists have long criticized the Indian government for massively underestimating the number of dead and injured after the Bhopal gas leak. " class="imagecache imagecache-news-highlight" src="http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/news-highlight/202614_INDIA-DISASTER-BHOPAL-GAS-PROTEST%20%281%29_0.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Survivors and activists have long criticized the Indian government for massively underestimating the number of dead and injured after the Bhopal gas leak. " width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survivors and activists have long criticized the Indian government for
massively underestimating the number of dead and injured after the
Bhopal gas leak. <br />
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© PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images</div>
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<i>“This is a major victory for survivors of the 1984 gas leak, but subsequent generations of Bhopalis continue to suffer as chemicals abandoned by Union Carbide 30 years ago still leak into the groundwater today,”</i> said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director for Global Issues. Pollyanna agrees most strongly.<br />
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<h3>
INDICTMENTS FOR SOME BAD GUYS </h3>
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30063814">Pollyanna is pleased</a> at the news that the alleged terrorist accused of the Rue Copernic synagogue bombing in Paris in 1980 is being extradited to France to stand trial. She is also glad to note that <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/finally-a-member-of-the-oligarchy-is-indicted-for-culpability-in-the-death-of-workers-29-coal-miners-killed">Don Blankenship, former CEO of Massey Energy (King Coal in West Virginia), </a>was just indicted for putting profits above the lives of his company's employees resulting in a 2010 explosion that killed 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. The mills of the gods may grind slowly, but they can grind exceedingly fine.<br />
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TIDBITS FROM SCIENCE AND SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT</h2>
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<h3>
MULTIPLE WORLDS AND THE CRISIS IN QUANTUM MECHANICS</h3>
It has long been known that basic physics is in trouble. Quantum theory is needed to explain how the universe works at the microscopic scale, and is believed to apply to all matter. But it is notoriously difficult to fathom, exhibiting weird phenomena which seem to violate the laws of cause and effect.<br />
<img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="" data-mediaviewer-credit="Alain Pilon" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/11/16/sunday-review/16GRAY/16GRAY-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/11/16/sunday-review/16GRAY/16GRAY-master675.jpg" height="484" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/11/16/sunday-review/16GRAY/16GRAY-master675.jpg" itemprop="url" width="640" /><br />
As the eminent American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman once noted: <i>"I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics."</i><br />
There are several things in quantum mechanics that appear weird and attempts to resolve them have been going on for a long time. One of them is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/opinion/sunday/is-quantum-entanglement-real.html?action=click&contentCollection=Europe&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article">entanglement</a> which insults our intuitions about how the world could possibly work. Albert Einstein sneered that if the equations of quantum theory predicted such nonsense, so much the worse for quantum theory. <i>“Spooky actions at a distance,”</i> he huffed to a colleague in 1948. Nonetheless, it appears to be real.<br />
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Attempts to explain this and other weird phenomena have made use of the many-worlds idea as far back as 1957, but have not been very successful. Now there are two new ideas about other universes that interact with ours and the claim is that weirdness goes away. <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141030101654.htm">One theory </a>is from workers at Griffith University in Australia with a collaborator from California and <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141112131927.htm">the other</a> from Texas Tech in the USA. The idea is that other worlds exist, interact with ours in a particular way and thus remove the exotic features of quantum physics.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" class="image" src="http://images.sciencedaily.com/2014/11/141112131927-large.jpg" height="300" rel="#photo1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Click to enlarge" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist's abstraction (stock illustration). According to Poirier's
theory, quantum reality is not wave-like at all, but is composed of
multiple, classical-like worlds. In each of these worlds, every object
has very definite physical attributes, such as position and momentum.
Within a given world, objects interact with each other classically. All
quantum effects, on the other hand, manifest as interactions between
"nearby" parallel worlds.</td></tr>
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Stay tuned says Pollyanna.<br />
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<h3>
HUMAN EVOLUTION AND SUPER HUMANS</h3>
<img alt="Collage illustration of a human head, computer chip, digits and various abstract elements." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/06/11/istock-19368233-illustration-human-chip-63ef7f78d2e8e6d8da8b5aefd63713e2af72f18d-s1700-c85.jpg" height="479" title="Collage illustration of a human head, computer chip, digits and various abstract elements." width="640" /><br />
As technology and in particular cybernetic technology advances, it can be argued that eventually the symbiosis between homo sapiens and the intelligent machines that he creates will give rise to a new version of human beings. The issue is discussed in detail in two postings on the NPR Cosmos and Culture blog. The first, by <a href="http://www.npr.org/people/336057477/marcelo-gleiser">Marcelo Gleiser</a> deals with the <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/06/11/320961912/the-transhuman-future-be-more-than-you-can-be">concept of transhumanism</a>. We are attached to our technological add-ons and, as Gleiser predicts, we will have technological devices implanted in our heads, etc. We are reminded of a novel by <a href="http://margepiercy.com/">Marge Piercy</a>, <i>He, She and It,</i> that takes place in such a future. In her world, men and women take radically different approaches to the creating of human-robot hybrids. The second post, by <a href="http://www.npr.org/people/336050847/adam-frank">Adam Frank</a> , addresses the question of the<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/11/17/364619831/should-science-end-humankind?sc=tw"> post-human species that will evolve from us.</a><br />
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<img alt="Robot." class="img" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/11/17/robot-person_custom-372a12281aecea56ff4f5a329f4e1b765ae096e0-s1700-c85.jpg" height="281" title="Robot." width="400" /></div>
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Frank puts the issue very bluntly <i>"From physical form (there will be many possibilities) to culture and behavior, it's hard to even imagine how alien our post-human progeny might seem to us or us to them. Given the likely completeness of the post-human transformation, how ready are we to be so completely replaced? It's a question that has to be on the table because we are, as a culture, rapidly pushing the enabling technologies forward right now."</i><br />
It is something worthy of thought by all of us.<br />
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BOOK REVIEWS: SENECA THE STOIC PHILOSOPHER </h2>
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<img alt="Seneca, from double herm of Socrates and Seneca. Antikensammlung Berlin." class="size-large wp-image-22486" src="http://newyorkarts.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Double_herm_of_Socrates_and_Seneca_Antikensammlung_Berlin_07-830x1024.jpg" height="400" width="324" /><br />
The Roman philosopher Seneca (4BC-65AD) has recently experienced a revival of interest. James Romm in his new book, Dying Every Day – Seneca at the Court of Nero, New York, Knopf, 2014, deals with what has become known as the "Seneca problem". This can be summed up as follows:<i>the conflict of his wealth, partly gained through usury and imperial favor, and his embrace of political power as the tutor and “friend” of the Emperor Nero, and the severe moralism of the Stoic philosophy he propounded in his voluminous writings. Did Seneca, as a philosopher-statesman, successfully divide his public and intellectual lives or was he the worst sort of hypocrite?</i><br />
Seneca, who had at one time been a tutor of the Emperor Nero, was ordered by the Emperor to commit suicide after being (possibly) involved in a plot to depose him . Romm's book <a href="http://newyorkarts.net/2014/06/seneca-james-romm-dying-every-day-seneca-nero/">is reviewed inNew York Arts b</a>y the critic <a href="http://newyorkarts.net/author/michael-miller/">Michael Miller.</a> Another life of Seneca has come out in Oxford Press by Emily Wilson, (The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca, by Emily Wilson, Oxford University Press, 288 pp, $29.95, ISBN: 9780199926640) and is <a href="http://www.drb.ie/essays/nobody-s-perfect">reviewed by Frank Freeman</a> in the Dublin Review of Books. <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/oct/09/how-stoical-was-seneca/">Mary Beard discusses both books, Seneca and the Stoic philosophy</a> in an article in the New York Review of Books, which may not be accessible to all.<br />
Seneca wrote about many aspects of philosophy and took moral positions in writing, whereas in real life he betrayed his benefactress Agrippina to the point of participating in her murder. He lived each day as if it stood alone, or as he puts it: <i>"We die every day. You see, every day a little bit of our life is taken away from us, and even at the moment we are growing, our life is decaying. We lose our infancy, then childhood, then adolescence. Even up to yesterday, all past time is gone; even this day that we are spending now, we share with death. It’s not the last drop that empties the waterclock, but whatever has flowed out before. "</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="beard_1-100914.jpg" src="http://www.nybooks.com/media/photo/2014/09/17/beard_1-100914_jpg_250x1108_q85.jpg" id="photo-4769-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><small>Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen/bpk/Art Resource</small>
Peter Paul Rubens: <i>The Death of Seneca</i>, 1612–1613
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It appears that Stoic philosophy never stood up to the real world, or as <a href="http://www.iep.utm.edu/cicero/">Cicero </a>sarcastically describes it <i>"A wise person never allows himself to be influenced... Philosophers are people who, however ugly, remain handsome; even if they are very poor, they are rich; even if they are slaves, they are kings. All sins are equal, so that every misdemeanor is a serious crime... The philosopher has no need to offer conjectures, never regrets what he has done, is never mistaken, never changes his mind."</i> Cicero regarded Stoicism as nonsense and the life of Seneca shows indeed that it is not a viable philosophy.<br />
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<h2>
SILLY TIME</h2>
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There is no new What If? this week, but we will let Randall give us a bit more philosophy.<br />
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<img alt="Lego" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lego.png" title="Dad, where is Grandpa right now?" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/wumo/s-1585641">WUMO</a> indeed give us cause for humility...<br />
and Clyde is dangerous to the establishment, such as it is:<br />
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<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Nov/17/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11048/1104862.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WIZARD OF ID<br />
The Wizard strip which we quote so often has been out in the world for a full half century.<br />
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<img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Nov/17/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11047/1104755.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
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He even is appreciated by his colleagues:<br />
<img alt="BC Cartoon for Nov/17/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11047/1104751.gif" rel="image_src" /> <br />
<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-11792049817786252372014-11-06T21:53:00.001+02:002014-11-08T19:13:38.870+02:00Say Hi to Pollyanna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pollyanna has survived Halloween and is delighted to visit you. We are digesting the aftermath of the US elections and also have a few matters of interest for you. The Republicans now control Congress and Obama will have the same hard time during his last two years as had the previous three two-term presidents, Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush. When Harry Truman had an opposition Congress, 1946-48, he complained that they would have repealed the law of gravity if they could have. Certainly voters make their decisions wisely after being informed by political ads, as Mike Luckovich tells us so graphically.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xUZRAC3F4TnHZtonUG89s3CfMxzgt6TygVaHwdaXksXVm-DeRFOSfqwuUeG-qnUewnoqdt0SRc9woohyphenhyphen7Wr7e84eDdvSBDgXTNiD3Eo5e6bTuxXV15JM1JgujC43QBlK6x5UpO7lwnc/s1600/turkey.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xUZRAC3F4TnHZtonUG89s3CfMxzgt6TygVaHwdaXksXVm-DeRFOSfqwuUeG-qnUewnoqdt0SRc9woohyphenhyphen7Wr7e84eDdvSBDgXTNiD3Eo5e6bTuxXV15JM1JgujC43QBlK6x5UpO7lwnc/s1600/turkey.gif" height="229" width="320" /></a><br />
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Pollyanna hopes that some sanity and responsibility will creep in somehow. She also notes the transition to standard time as the season changes. This has deep historical roots.<br />
<img alt="Non Sequitur Cartoon for Nov/02/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11011/1101117.jpg" rel="image_src" /><br />
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For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Nearly two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
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<h2>
CHARITY CORNER</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="" src="https://2d8a177cbefd8aa89778-a42c43904fa311d9f9e17de660977d36.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/g_center-for-victims-of-torture-6586-1414600353.1176.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-height: 320px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CVT has helped more than 27,000 men, women and children rebuild their
lives and become healthy, contributing members of their communities.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. She refers you to the <a href="http://www.cvt.org/">Center for Victims of Tortur</a>e. This is a Minnesota(old home country)-based charity that functions with victims from all over the world. It has a high rating from Charity Navigator. You might want to donate to them on their <a href="https://givemn.org/organization/Center-For-Victims-Of-Torture">Day of Give to the Max,</a> sponsored by GiveMN, coming up next week.<br />
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<h2>
IN MEMORIAM Tom Magliozzi 1937-2014 </h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="tom ray magliozzi" class="gu-image" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/11/3/1415046823892/7c04c89d-5c71-485b-b069-cae2836164f7-460x276.jpeg" height="276" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="460" /></td></tr>
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<figure class="element element-image" data-media-id="6c2a40489255b4a39d1b7a3880bfe88391108e08"><figcaption>
<span class="element-image__caption">Tom Magliozzi, right, with his brother Ray, who together co-hosted NPR’s Car Talk show until 2012.</span>
<span class="element-image__credit">Photograph: Charles Krupa/AP</span>
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<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/car-talk-america?intcid=mod-most-popular">One of the two brothers of the Car Talk show died this week</a>. Their<a href="http://www.cartalk.com/"> radio show on NPR</a> was a constant source of amusement along <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/03/tom-magliozzi-click-clack-radio-car-mechanic-dies">with good advice about cars</a> and their problems. We listened to them faithfully while living in the US and we continued to follow them on line from Israel. We append an obituary <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/business/media/tom-magliozzi-one-half-of-the-jovial-brothers-on-car-talk-dies-at-77.html?emc=eta1&_r=0">for Tom from the NYTimes</a>. The Car Talk link will take you to their Web page and you can also listen to podcasts. To quote the New Yorker<i> "As Tom might say, he is now in the good hands of “Car Talk”’s staff morticians, Barry L. Plotz and Sven Didigo, as well as the show’s Boston funeral director, Hadley Newham."</i><br />
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<h2>
CAN A WOMAN WALK FREELY IN A MODERN CITY?</h2>
That is indeed a question raised by <a href="https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/hollaback">Hollaback</a>, a society devoted to safety on city streets. As a promotion, the actress <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/11/01/360494480/woman-in-street-harassment-video-i-do-not-feel-safe-right-now">Shoshana B. Roberts spent 10 hours walking</a> on the streets of New York. Her YouTube shown here gives you an idea of what it is like for a woman to walk on the street. Lilit Marcus gives it a <a href="http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/208420/-best-jewish-comebacks-to-catcalling/">Jewish twist in the Forward</a>--how to deal with catcalls and the like from these oh so pious men walking around with God in their pocket. Over two thousand years ago a Phoenician king boasted that a woman could carry a sack of gold safely across his kingdom.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/b1XGPvbWn0A" width="560"></iframe>
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<h2>
CHEERS FOR THE JUDGE </h2>
An Argentinian judge<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/world/americas/argentine-judge-orders-arrest-of-spanish-ex-officials.html?emc=edit_tnt_20141103&nlid=2336875&tntemail0=y"> has ordered the extradition of 20 former Spanish officials</a> accused of torturing dissidents during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, from 1939 to 1975, renewing efforts to pursue cases of human rights abuses beyond the country’s borders. The principle of universal jurisdiction applies to these cases. We hope the Spanish government agrees to turn these despicable men over for trial. Pollyanna thinks that the rule of impunity, by which atrocities can be committed with no fear of retribution or punishment must come to an end. It would be nice if it would happen much closer to home.<br />
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<h2>
CONGRATULATIONS TO IM DEFENSORAS</h2>
The Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras, Mesoamerican Initiative for Women Human Rights Defenders) <a href="http://awid.org/Library/IM-Defensoras-recipient-of-the-2014-Letelier-Moffitt-Human-Rights-Award-in-Washington">will receive the Letelier-Moffitt award</a> in Washington on Tuesday, October 14, 2014. This award, established in 1978 by the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), will be delivered to IM-Defensoras for its work over the last four years in defense of human rights.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li> IM-Defensoras pioneered the use of a gendered approach in the documentation and reporting of attacks against women human rights defenders in Mesoamerica.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> Between 2010 and 2014 it helped improve the safety and welfare of over 100 advocates and their families and facilitated the development of 360 defenders in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, to promote the adoption of appropriate practices in safety and self care.</li>
</ul>
Since 1978 the Letelier-Moffitt award has served as a yearly acknowledgement of the struggle for rights in the United States and the Americas.<br />
<i>"We will continue working for the full protection of women human rights defenders, for the continuation and advancement of peace, equality and justice in Mexico and Central America": </i>IM-Defensoras Steering Committee<br />
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<h2>
THANKS TO MALALA </h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Malala Yousafzai" class="gu-image" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/10/29/1414597490671/Malala-Yousafzai-011.jpg" height="276" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="460" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="element-image__caption">Malala Yousafzai said the money would help children in Gaza get a good-quality education. Photograph: Tt News Agency/Reuters</span></td></tr>
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Pollyanna thanks the<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/29/malala-yousafzai-reconstruction-gaza-schools"> Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai for donating $50,000 </a>to reconstruction of Gaza schools. This courageous young lady who was shot in Pakistan for advocating education for girls should be a role model for all in the struggle to provide education for girls everywhere. The wanton destruction of schools in Gaza by Israel was no accident. It is part and parcel of the<a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israeli-forces-displayed-callous-indifference-deadly-attacks-family-homes-gaza-2014-11-05"> callous indifference to human suffering</a> described in a recent report by Amnesty International. It is encouraging that there still are people like Malala around who care and are willing to take risks and do something about terrible things. Pollyanna, Titan and YandA salute you Malala!<br />
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<h2>
THE RANT <a name='more'></a></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Tel Aviv derby" class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.624463.1415048979%21/image/3960594174.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/3960594174.jpg" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tel Aviv derby" /></td></tr>
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<span class="imageText">Tel Aviv derby disrupted by violence.</span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by Sharon Bokov</span>
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This time it is about violence at sports venues. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/life/sports/1.624461">The recent riot at the Tel Aviv derby match </a>between Hapoel and Maccabi is a national disgrace. Soccer can be a lovely game to watch and fun to play, but when it becomes something akin to religion, something is obviously wrong. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.624685">The violence did not come out of nowhere</a> and it was not unprecedented. Certainly something needs to be done and the reaction of authority must be firm and strong. <a href="http://bcove.me/63mfhdbz">Watch it yourself.</a><br />
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<h2>
BOOK REVIEW</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="beard_1-100914.jpg" src="http://www.nybooks.com/media/photo/2014/09/17/beard_1-100914_jpg_250x1108_q85.jpg" id="photo-4769-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><small>Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen/bpk/Art Resource</small>
Peter Paul Rubens: <i>The Death of Seneca</i>, 1612–1613
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<h2>
</h2>
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<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/oct/09/how-stoical-was-seneca/">Mary Beard reviews</a> new books about the Roman philosopher Seneca, one of the pillars of the Stoic school. The subject is fascinating even after two millennia. If the NYRB does not open for you, you can find reviews of the books at <a href="http://newyorkarts.net/2014/06/seneca-james-romm-dying-every-day-seneca-nero/">newyorkarts</a> and at <a href="http://www.drb.ie/essays/nobody-s-perfect">Dublin Review of Books.</a><br />
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SILLY TIME<br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/2/">What if? </a>asks:What if everyone who took the SAT guessed on every multiple-choice question? How many perfect scores would there be?<br />
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—Rob Balder<br />
As one might expect, the answer is none. It is like the immortal monkey etc. The analysis is interesting.<br />
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<h2>
THE FUTURE LOOMS AT US </h2>
When our daughter Hadass was in the eighth grade and freshly back from California, she showed her English teacher and class the usage PED/XING and all were amused. Now Duane has an idea of what awaits us.<br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Nov/03/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11014/1101464.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<h3>
Then we have the wisdom of higher management</h3>
<h3>
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Nov/05/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11019/1101922.gif" rel="image_src" /> </h3>
<h3>
Of course, Catbert is not always with it:</h3>
<h3>
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Nov/07/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11023/1102310.gif" rel="image_src" /> </h3>
arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-24968739839527173202014-10-25T17:30:00.000+03:002014-10-25T17:30:18.540+03:00Pollyanna post holiday seasonPollyanna too has survived the holiday season and is delighted to visit with you. She wishes all her Muslim friends and readers a Happy New Year AH 1436 which began on 1 Muharem or 25 October.<br />
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" 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For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Nearly two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">CHARITY CORNER </span><br />
This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. The overwhelming calamity in the world now is the Ebola pandemic in West Africa. Last week <a href="http://arkee-titan.blogspot.co.il/">Titan ranted and raved </a>about the incompetence being shown in handling the catastrophe. She endorses every word. She also follows Titan's choice and recommends <a href="http://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msf.org%2F&ei=Dl5KVIfqEMKyafDfgIgB&usg=AFQjCNH3gYzTja3VaTCEwUtRrvt1hvm2Bw&sig2=MR4nxhIhgQIuOuxeJjWrOA&bvm=bv.77880786,d.d2s">MSF</a> or <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/">Mercy Corps </a>as the most effective way of helping in this huge crisis.<br />
<img alt="Fighting the Ebola outbreak" class="adaptive-image" src="http://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/styles/home_slide/adaptive-image/public/EbolaUSAID2_0.jpg?itok=_z3eW-4N" height="161" title="Fighting the Ebola outbreak" width="400" /><br />
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SALUTE A BRAVE DOCTOR WHO SAVED HER COUNTRY<br />
Nigeria has now been declared Ebola-free. This came about because of the brilliance and courage of <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29696011">Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh who raised a red flag </a>when attending to a Liberian patient at the First Consultant Hospital in Nigeria's main city, Lagos, in July. She diagnosed Ebola in a Liberian patient Patrick Sawyer and prevented him leaving the hospital despite his protests and the pressure from the Liberian embassy. Eventually he died, but the virus did not hit Nigeria. The sad part of the story is that Dr. Adadevoh herself contracted Ebola from her patient and died.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A candlelight vigil for Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh and other Ebola victims in Abuja, Nigeria on 26 August 2014" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/78411000/jpg/_78411476_78410413.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="width: 624px;">Many Nigerians are mourning the death of the doctor who treated him</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The issue of containing Ebola is acute and the teams on the ground suffer from logistic inadequacies. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/18/oxfam-call-for-troops-ebola--west-africa-world-health-organisation-accused">Oxfam has called for a military intervention </a>to stop the spread of the disease.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">IN MEMORIAM Christopher Hogwood 1941-2014.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="Ty9ubWtuWBYTOM:" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="height: 209px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 186px;" /> </span><br />
<a href="http://www.hogwood.org/news/">This famous conductor</a> who is identified strongly with the performance of classical and earlier music on authentic instruments died last month. He was the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music and insisted on performance of works as they sounded when composed. <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts/music/9330392/christopher-hogwood-the-absolutist-of-early-music/">We quote from an obituary by his colleague :</a><i>"The death of Christopher Hogwood has deprived the world of the most successful exponent of early music there has ever been, or is ever likely to be. It has also reduced by one the<br />quartet of conductors who have been called ‘the Class of ’73’, a term coined by Nick Wilson in a recent study of the early-music revolution of the 1970s and 80s. It refers to four groups that were founded in that year that are held to have changed the face of modern concert-giving: Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music;Trevor Pinnock and his English Concert; Andrew Parrott’s Taverner Choir; and my own Tallis Scholars. Of these it was Hogwood who had the most immediate impact and commercial success. It is also fair to say that his recordings are the most numerous, but least played, of all the Class."</i> He founded the AAM in 1973 and it quickly became one of the most popular and influential organizations in the "authentic performance" movement. (Hogwood preferred the less confrontational term "historically informed performance" to "authentic.") We link you to an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/24/christopher-hogwood">obituary in the Guardian</a> and also give you a sample of his performance.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">CONGRATULATIONS TO RICHARD FLANAGAN,</span> who on 14 October was announced as the <a href="http://www.themanbookerprize.com/man-booker-prize-2014">winner of the 2014 Man Booker Prize for Fiction</a> for <i>The Narrow Road to the Deep North</i>, published by Chatto & Windus. Pollyanna extends felicitations. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-culture-blog/2013/oct/29/books-review">A review of the book </a>is given in the Guardian.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SALUTE A MEDICAL TEAM THAT DID WONDERS </span><br />
Pollyanna salutes and admires the medical team that performed a near miracle. A paralyzed man has been enabled to walk after a pioneering therapy that involved transplanting cells from his nasal cavity into his spinal cord. Darek Fidyka, who was paralysed from the chest down in a knife attack in 2010, can now walk using a frame. It is hoped that independent walking will eventually be restored.The treatment, a world first, was carried out by surgeons in Poland in collaboration with scientists in London. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29645760">Read more and watch the video.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">RANTS AND RAVES</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ON INEQUALITY </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-15636 " height="420" src="https://livewire.amnesty.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/197312_Market_scene_in_San_Salvador.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Market scene in San Salvador" width="280" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In El Salvador, women and girls are expected to prioritize being a mother or wife above everything else. © Amnesty International</td></tr>
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There is inequality everywhere, but Pollyanna wants to point out the glaring inequality that affects half of humanity and marginalizes and crushes women and girls. In honor of World Blog Day last week, <a href="http://livewire.amnesty.org/2014/10/12/what-does-it-mean-to-be-unequal/">Amnesty International put out a special blog</a> to protest the treatment of women in general and in El Salvador in particular. There a woman goes to prison for having a normal miscarriage since she is accused of an abortion, which is totally illegal, with no exceptions for rape or incest.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ON LIBERAL DEMOCRACY</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Photo of Isaiah Berlin" src="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/berlin/berlin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo of Isaiah Berlin by Mats Lund, <br />
taken 3 February 1997</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>A recent New York Review of Books contained two articles that give rise to thought. One was a valedictory, <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uhpk0Daqq1ul8wgb1So98VigFT4MH9CKWK16Se-Hhn4/edit">a message to our century</a>, from <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/berlin/">Isaiah Berlin</a> on the occasion of his receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto, just 20 years ago. He pushes his long-held view of the dangers of any ideology that tells people that it provides the answer to the world's ills and the implementation of it justifies all means. His examples ranging from the French Revolution to Lenin and others are most convincing. Despite the evils of the 20th century, he believed the future to be bright and that liberal democracy would find its way even to China-<i>"Great tyrannies are in ruins, or will be—even in China the day is not too distant."</i> Of course this was expressed in the wave of optimism that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.<br />
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In the same issue there is an article<i> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y7t91oQdADFd7W8dRzKliMNcGp3jDQBUV--IzKGIENo/edit">China Strikes Back</a></i><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y7t91oQdADFd7W8dRzKliMNcGp3jDQBUV--IzKGIENo/edit">!</a> by Orville Schell that shows how Berlin and countless others were wrong. China wants no part of liberal democracy, human rights or any other component of the value system of the West. The collapse of the Soviet Union generated fear amongst the Chinese leadership. By the time Xi Jinping became president and Party secretary in 2013, a virtual<i> coup de grâce </i>had been delivered to both Western and Chinese hopes for structural political reform. The Party’s new message was, in effect: <i>“Because China emphatically rejects all Western forms of democratic governance as unworkable, Americans should forget their missionary-like dreams of bringing elections, human rights, and democracy to China. What you see now is what you’re going to get! Changes are not wanted.”</i> We recall being told by a Chinese ambassador to Israel that people do not want democracy. Instead they want a strong leader who will relieve them of care and worry and take care of things for them. In the past Pollyanna and Titan have blogged about liberal democracy and its foes. In Israel, there are many such enemies and MK Ayelet Shaked is one of the most ferocious. In the wake of a High Court decision that the incarceration of asylum seekers is unconstitutional, she has initiated a bill that would enable the Knesset to overule the Court. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.622017">As Haaretz points out</a> in an editorial, this is a fatal blow aimed at human rights and democracy. Haaretz attributes to Ms Shaked a lack of understanding of how democracy works. Pollyanna is less charitable and thinks that she understands it well and opposes it.<br />
In the meantime, the Milky revolution seems to have subsided (vid. <a href="http://arkee-titan.blogspot.co.il/">Titan last week</a>) and Air Berlin has come out with a burst of billboard ads in Israel. Pollyanna wonders what the connection might be. The public certainly has shown itself impotent in dealing with the way it is abused by the government. The people who are most vulnerable, the poor and marginal, are the most loyal supporters of the right wing corrupt government that crushes them. It even happens in Id.<br />
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<img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Oct/18/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10974/1097492.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE PEEPING RABBI </span><br />
Our Orthodox brothers have struck out again. Rabbi Barry Freundel in Washington, D.C. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/routine-emergencies/.premium-1.621086">videotaped women in the Mikveh (ritual bath) of his Orthodox synagogue.</a> We are not surprised. In Israel, the Rabbi of the city of Holon told students that cheating and plagiarism are legitimate, sexual abuse has been covered up, you name it. Ramban aka Nachmanides ((1194 – 1270), a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan Sephardic rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator) coined the term<i> “a scoundrel with Torah permission”</i> to describe a problematic personality who meets all technical religious requirements while failing to lead a truly spiritual decent life. Indeed rabbis are human and have human failings, but standards must be maintained. Pollyanna salutes the<a href="http://www.kesherisrael.com/"> Kesher Israel</a> Board of Directors for not trying to cover up anything.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">POPE LOSES</span><br />
Apropos religious difficulties, Pollyanna is disappointed that Pope Francis <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/18/catholic-bishops-backtrack-on-gay-welcome">failed to convince his synod</a> that gay people are human and should not be excluded. It appears that the attitudes of the likes of <a href="http://bluenationreview.com/pat-robertson-will-forced-watch-gays-tv-jesus-returns/">Pat Robertson still prevail in religious circles</a>.<br />
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<img alt="Mike Luckovich Cartoon for Oct/23/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/110/11000/1100002.gif" height="300" rel="image_src" width="400" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIDBITS FROM SCIENCE</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISEASE </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Deforestation in West Africa (AFP)" class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.621946.1413889674%21/image/3159546655.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/3159546655.jpg" height="231" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Deforestation in West Africa (AFP)" width="400" /></td></tr>
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<span class="imageText">Deforestation in West Africa, here shown in Liberia, is believed to be contributing to the spread of Ebola.</span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by AFP</span>
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Ruth Shuster, writing in Haaretz, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/life/science-medicine/.premium-1.621945">presents a somber picture</a> of how climate change enhances the spread of deadly diseases. It boils down to the irresponsibility of the human interaction with nature. The struggle to mitigate the effects of human activity on the environment is complicated by the powerful economic bodies that have an interest in denying climate change and its anthropomorphic source for the sake of large short-term profits. People need to stand up to this and push politicians to do the right thing. It is neither easy nor simple.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A SEA GONE DRY</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Shrinking Aral Sea" src="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/images/aral/aralsea_tmo_2000238.jpg" height="400" id="series_image" name="img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shrinking Aral Sea" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project
on the arid plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php">A prime example of human abuse of nature </a>may be seen in the drying up of the Aral Sea. Excessive use of the water of its feeding rivers, in particular, the Amu Darya and and the Syr Darya, for irrigation by the Soviet Government, coupled with a decrease in rainfall has led to the catastrophe shown here. Pollyanna is most sad about this misuse of resources of nature.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SOMETHING STRANGE AT MIMAS</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="media-hero" src="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/mimas-ocean-670x440-141016.jpg" height="262" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: -3.5px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn's moon Mimas as observed by NASA's Cassini mission. The moon's
prominent Herschel crater gives the tiny world the appearance of the
Death Star, the science fiction superweapon from the Star Wars movies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Mimas has always been regarded as one of the less interesting of the satellites of Saturn. Now it appears that it has a wobble in its orbit which is really unexpected. There are proposed explanations for the phenomenon. <a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/saturns-death-star-moon-may-hide-subsurface-ocean-141016.htm">Read more</a> and if you are really interested and have access, the work is described in<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6207/322.full"> Science</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
There is no new What IF? this week, but Pollyanna with the aid of Randall can show you what happens when you are not careful with small objects.<br />
<img alt="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/higgs_boson.png" class="decoded" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/higgs_boson.png" height="256" width="640" /><br />
SHOPPING CAN BE DANGEROUS<br />
<br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Oct/20/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10981/1098176.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
BUSINESS ETHICS IN THE HI-TECH WORLD<br />
<br />
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Oct/22/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10986/1098691.gif" rel="image_src" /> <br />
<br />
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Oct/23/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10989/1098909.gif" rel="image_src" />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-44233456430024179332014-10-10T14:18:00.001+03:002014-10-10T14:18:25.777+03:00Pollyanna is enjoying the holiday season<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">Pollyanna is back and would like to wish all her Jewish readers and friends a Happy Succot holiday. This is holiday time, but we are still trying to keep the blogs coming. Why should you get a reprieve?</span></span></span><br />
<br /><img id="irc_mi" src="http://tikvatisrael.org/images/lulav.gif" style="margin-top: 55px;" /><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Nearly two years have gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">CHARITY CORNER </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img height="300" src="https://www.mimoona.co.il/Graphics/Modules/Projects/Info/Files/6378.jpg" width="400" /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. Her choice is<a href="https://www.mimoona.co.il/Projects/2220&ChangeLang=English"> Excellence on the Horizon</a>. This is an Israeli program designed to help and support Children with Blindness or Visual Impairment. We quote the Web site "The demand for the program is huge and we need your support. Last school year we had 45 children in the program, and we would like to increase the number this year to 60 children. Help us to finance 10 children in the program during this school year! "</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">On the site there are various options for donating or investing in the program. Please help out. This program is administered by someone whom Pollyanna loves dearly, our own Yael.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: large;">IN MEMORIAM</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="Shlomo Lahat in 1972" class="article-main-image" src="http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?id=258970&h=530&w=758" height="279" id="157_ArticleControl_imgArticle" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shlomo Lahat in 1972 Photo By: PR" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shlomo Lahat in 1972.
(photo credit:PR)
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: large;"> SHLOMO "CHICH" LAHAT 1927-2014 </span>died October 1 of lung disease in Tel Aviv. He had a long and varied career including the army, but he was best known as the mayor of Tel Aviv who served the city for 19 years, 1974-1993, completely transforming a sleepy city into a vibrant metropolis. He built up the art and culture infrastructure of Tel Aviv, to a great extent through deficit financing and sheer chutzpa. As a result we have what he defined as the "non stop city." <b>Rest in Peace Chich</b>. A biography is at <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0012_0_11766.html">Jewish World </a>and the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/When-you-say-Chich-you-say-Tel-Aviv-377837">JPost has a complete obituary and tribute</a>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: large;">SERIOUS IDIOCY CAN BE FUNNY</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="" src="http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2014/10/06/06-12-feats-of-putin.w529.h352.2x.png" itemprop="contentUrl" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Killing the Hydra</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">Pollyanna is guffawing at a<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/10/putin-birthday-present-hercules-art-show.html?mid=emailshare_dailyintel"> publication from Russia </a>in which Putin is compared to the mythical Hercules. We </span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">are given his 12 tasks each of which is compared to one of the 12 tasks of Hercules. What is really funny is that this is not a spoof. Who would dare to spoof the great man in Russia? This is a panegyric by some admirer of the President. Pollyanna thinks it is too funny for words and would like to share it with you. Thanks to Yosefa for calling it to her attention. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">RANTS AND RAVES</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: large;">INDIGENOUS RIGHTS </span></span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The UN has adopted a document supporting the rights of indigenous peoples around the world. It was ratified at a special UN General Assembly meeting of more than 1,000 delegates and heads of state for the first-ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on Sept. 22 and 23. On day one, nations voted on the adoption of the document – the first vote of its kind after the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was introduced in 2007. Only one country in the world opposed, Canada. The US had opposed it in the past, but President Obama reversed that position. Shame, Canada. To quote the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the issue <i>“The well-being gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Canada has not narrowed over the past several years; treaty and aboriginal claims remain persistently unresolved; indigenous women and girls remain vulnerable to abuse; and overall there appear to be high levels of distrust among indigenous peoples towards the government at both the federal and provincial levels.”</i></span></span><br />
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<h2>
</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
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<h2>
TIDBITS FROM SCIENCE </h2>
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ARCHEOLOGY<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">A huge tomb dating from the 4th century BCE, the time of Alexander the Great, has been found in the Greek city of Amphipolis. While it cannot be the tomb of Alexander himself, who is buried in Egypt, there are several candidates, including his mother and others close to him who were murdered after his death.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="2014 1004 alex st" src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/images_2014_10/2014_1004_alex_st.jpg" height="340" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="306" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="wf_caption" style="display: inherit; float: right; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; max-width: 304px;"><span style="display: block; margin-left: 3px; margin-top: 3px; max-width: 304px; text-align: left;">Detail of the <i>Alexander Mosaic</i>, c. 100 BC, originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii, currently in Naples National Archaeological Museum. (Image: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpg" target="_blank">Museu Nacional Arqueológico de Nápoles</a>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"> The find has aroused great interest. <a href="http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/26587-alexander-the-great-an-interview-with-author-guy-maclean-rogers">Read more..</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A SOGGY EXOPLANET</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">Scientists were excited to discover<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/september/nasa-telescopes-find-clear-skies-and-water-vapor-on-exoplanet/#.VDPbgBbitbY"> clear skies on a relatively small planet</a>,
about the size of Neptune, using the combined power of NASA's Hubble,
Spitzer and Kepler space telescopes. Before now, all of the planets
observed in this size range had been found to have high cloud layers
that blocked the ability to detect molecules in the planet’s atmosphere.</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="A plot of the transmission spectrum for exoplanet HAT-P-11b" src="http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/226xvariable_height/public/pia18839.jpg?itok=DCwdMq2_" height="134" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="226" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="field field-name-field-feature-sidecaption field-type-text-long field-label-hidden">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A
plot of the transmission spectrum for exoplanet HAT-P-11b, with data
from NASA's Kepler, Hubble and Spitzer observatories combined. The
results show a robust detection of water absorption in the Hubble data.
Transmission spectra of selected atmospheric models are plotted for
comparison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image Credit: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">NASA/ESA/STScI</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">The clear planet, called HAT-P-11b, is gaseous with a rocky core, much like our own Neptune. Its atmosphere may have clouds deeper down, but the new observations show that the upper region is cloud-free. This good visibility enabled scientists to detect water vapor molecules in the planet's atmosphere.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">INDIA GOES TO MARS </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/asia/on-a-shoestring-india-sends-orbiter-to-mars.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMediaHigh&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news">India has a spacecraft in orbit around Mars. </a>It was done for only $74 million. It is small and has simple sensors, but its main purpose, to outdo China, was achieved. Cheers we say to our Indian friends. We hope their work enhances our knowledge of Mars.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">EXERCISE IS GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN </span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="Good for your body, great for your brain: A new Sweden study has suggested that engaging in regular exercise can help protect against depression." class="attachment-single-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" src="http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/workout.jpg?w=620" height="465" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="npPhotoCaption">Good for your body, great for your brain: A
new Swedish study has suggested that engaging in regular exercise can
help protect against depression. Credit Fotolia</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Exercise not only feels good, it protects the brain from depression. <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/30/exercise-protects-brain-from-depression-swedish-study-finds/">A Swedish study has found</a> that<br />exercise increases the production of a of a protein known as PGC-1(alpha)1. This protein helps to rid the body of a stress-induced amino acid called kynurenine that has been associated with mental illness. So put on your sneakers and head for the gym quickly. If not, <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/wumo/s-1571913">WuMo give you a forecast</a> of what awaits us. We give a link only because of dire copyright warnings.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">BOOK REVIEW </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">Pollyanna is doing something a bit different, presenting a discussion of a book written by the author of the book decades after publication. The dystopian novel <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> has been a major topic of interest since published in 1985. It describes a future world in which nearly all the women have become infertile, so the few who can still have babies have been rounded up, brainwashed, and assigned to powerful men in a twisted attempt to restore the human race. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/20/handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood">Read what the author, Margaret Atwood </a>has to say of her creation.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="The Handmaid's Tale, English National Opera" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2012/1/18/1326892151937/The-Handmaids-Tale-Englis-007.jpg" data-pin-description="'The book appeared in Canada in the fall of 1985 to baffled and sometimes anxious reviews' … the English National Opera production of <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em>, 2003. Photograph: Tristram Kenton" height="276" itemprop="contentUrl representativeOfPage" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="460" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The book appeared in Canada in the fall of 1985 to baffled and sometimes
anxious reviews' … the English National Opera production of <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, 2003. Photograph: Tristram Kenton</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> SILLY TIME</span><br /><br /><a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What If? </a>asks:<i>When I was about 8 years old, shoveling snow on a freezing day in Colorado, I wished that I could be instantly transported to the surface of the Sun, just for a nanosecond, then instantly transported back. I figured this would be long enough to warm me up but not long enough to harm me. What would actually happen?<br /><br />AJ, Kansas City</i><br /><br />Interesting question and answer--not bad for an 8 year old.<br /><br />A NEW TYPE OF ASYLUM SEEKER </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">Pollyanna and Titan have always been sympathetic to persecuted minorities. One of their closest associates belongs to four of them in Israel:</span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">He comes from an English-speaking country</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">He belongs to a Reform congregation</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">He is a human rights activist</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">He is a peace activist</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">As you can see, there are other persecuted minorities:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">For example take wolves:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Oct/09/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10954/1095471.gif" rel="image_src" /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">or poor children: </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Oct/09/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10955/1095572.gif" rel="image_src" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><br />LET US HAVE A RATIONAL DISCUSSION</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><img alt="The Sake of Argument" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_sake_of_argument.png" height="181" title="'It's not actually ... it's a DEVICE for EXPLORING a PLAUSIBLE REALITY that's not the one we're in, to gain a broader understanding about it.' 'oh, like a boat!' '...' 'Just for the sake of argument, we should get a boat! You can invite the Devil, too, if you want.'" width="640" /><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;">BREAKFAST IN BED IN ID...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Oct/08/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10951/1095191.gif" rel="image_src" /></span></span></span>arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-53356572336863318742014-09-24T14:36:00.000+03:002014-09-24T14:36:21.273+03:00Shana Tova from Pollyanna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvo56aoWnzZbxf_FIKFwMU7IqyzI4Tlal3MXU3uFzwLYMVs-JM" data-sz="f" height="400" name="4tZXGOfHgwDQCM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvo56aoWnzZbxf_FIKFwMU7IqyzI4Tlal3MXU3uFzwLYMVs-JM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: -5px;" width="275" /><br />
Pollyanna is back and would like to wish all her Jewish readers and friends a Shana Tova, a Happy New Year. The blog is coming out a day earlier and is a bit shorter than usual since we shall all be in synagogue on Thursday and Friday. She also wishes to share an image of a <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/meet-mighty-spinosaurus-first-swimming-dinosaur-180952679/?no-ist">swimming dinosaur</a> with you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://thumbs.media.smithsonianmag.com//filer/cc/b7/ccb75f5d-da77-4484-abe7-d4e69077b292/spinosaurus_mm8284_ngm_102014_001edit.jpg__800x600_q85_crop.jpg" height="480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="copy-paste-block">
A model of Spinosaurus, based on data published in <i>Science</i>
today, gets rock star treatment at a National Geographic photo shoot. A
feature story, including the image above, will appear in <i><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/spinosaurus/hettwer-photography" target="_blank">National Geographic</a></i>'s October issue.
<span class="credits">(Mike Hettwer/National Geographic)</span><br />
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This creature, larger than T. Rex, was adapted to preying on fish in water, which contradicts conventional wisdom that dinosaurs were all totally land creatures. Pollyanna is impressed.<br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over a year has gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CHARITY CORNER </span><br />
This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. Her choice is <a href="http://www.musicianswithoutborders.org/mwb/about-us/">Musicians Without Borders</a>. This organization, established in 1999, is a global network organization using the power of music for healing and reconciliation in areas torn by war and conflict. Musicians without Borders develops projects in response to local needs and in cooperation with local musicians and civil society organizations. Successful projects are used to develop models, methodologies and trainings suitable for use in other regions. You are invited to donate via their Web site and while you are there, get an idea of the scope of their work and activity.<br />
<img alt="" class="attachment-450x450 wp-post-image" src="http://www.musicianswithoutborders.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/facebook-mwb-page-500x319.jpg" height="287" title="" width="450" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">NO TO RACIST NAME </span><br />
In her last blog Pollyanna saluted the editorial board of the Washington Post who decided to cease the use of the name Redskins to mark the NFL team of the city. She noted this week that Fox Sports continues to use the racist name. We were all pleased to watch the defeat of the DC team at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2014-05-22/washington-redskins-name-change-nfl-daniel-snyder-americans-redtails-cowboys">It would be quite easy to change the name</a> to something acceptable.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">WELCOME LADIES </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="ARP3610083" src="http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_slatest/2014/09/18/st_andrews_golf_club_to_allow_women_members/175570486-golfer-stacy-lewis-kisses-the-trophy-on-the-swilcan.jpg.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ARP3610083" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S. golfer Stacy Lewis after winning the women’s British Open at the Old Course in St Andrews.</td></tr>
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Things do change in this world. The St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland has finally decided <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/09/18/st_andrews_golf_club_to_allow_women_members.html?wpsrc=slatest_newsletter&sid=5388f4f5dd52b8e4110139d0">to admit women as members.</a> The members voted by mail to void the male only rule by a huge majority of 85%. Women had been allowed to play on the course, but could not enter the clubhouse nor influence anything. Pollyanna says cheers and it was about time.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">RANTS AND RAVES</span><br />
<br />
Pollyanna has three this week.<br />
<br />
<ul></ul>
<ul>
<li>The first relates to the <a href="http://livewire.amnesty.org/2014/09/18/a-time-to-grieve-and-a-time-to-dance/">treatment of LGBTI persons in Russia</a>. The homophobia is wide spread and encouraged by the government, media and church. Nonetheless, the LGBTI community in Russia is again holding its annual film festival<a href="http://queerfest.ru/en/"> QueerFest in St. Petersburg</a> and Pollyanna joins all people of good will in hoping that it will succeed and not be marred by violence, as, alas, has happened in the past.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-15288" height="200" src="https://livewire.amnesty.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/200444_Coming_Out.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Coming Out" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polina Andrianova and Anna Abramova of the Russian LGBTI organization
“Coming Out”(« Выход ») in St Petersburg. © Amnesty International</td></tr>
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</ul>
<ul>
<li>The second is about the <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/iran-happy-dancers-sentenced-jail-and-flogging-flagrant-assault-freedom-expression-2014-09-18">fierce punishment </a>meted out to the young people in Teheran who danced the <a href="http://youtu.be/4-w688we7DM">Happy song on YouTube</a>. <img alt="Iran happy video clip" class="imagecache imagecache-news-highlight" src="http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/news-highlight/200467_Iran_happy_video%20%283%29.jpg" height="310" title="Iran happy video clip" width="620" />Pollyanna agrees with Amnesty International that this action reveals the authorities’ contempt for freedom of expression. Six of those who appear in the video have been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment each and a seventh to one year, one of their lawyers said in a media interview. All seven have also been sentenced to 91 lashes. The sentences are suspended for three years.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The third is about climate change denial. Most recently, a scientist, Stephen Koonin, a former US Department of Energy Undersecretary of Science and more ominously a former BP employee, has published an <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/climate-science-is-not-settled-1411143565?tesla=y&ref=%2Fhome-page">article in the Wall Street Journal</a>, in which, although he admits that climate change is real and to some extent anthropogenic, his bottom line is a call for inaction. He misrepresents the results of climate modeling and makes totally inaccurate statements about the evaluation of uncertainty. It is no surprise that the Wall Street Journal would publish such an article, designed to muddy the waters. He is firmly and thoroughly rebutted by a post on <a href="http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/2014/09/20/on-eve-of-climate-march-wsj-publishes-call-to-wait-and-do-nothing/">Climate Science Watch</a> accompanied by strong replies by scientists Michael Mann, Michael MacCracken, and Howard Frumkin. Pollyanna calls pseudoscience by the likes of Koonin a dangerous example of music by Nero.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Last Sunday 675,000 people marched all over the world to demand action against climate change. The march organized by AVAAZ was set up for the UN Conference on Climate Change taking place now. The crowd was <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/massive-york-march-aims-focus-worlds-eyes-climate-111853341.html">80 blocks long in New York City</a>. Here are some pix from around the world.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="People's climate march in London, where thousands of people took to the streets" class="gu-image" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/9/21/1411307357384/868f6f8b-ee6e-4458-91ee-2812ccb25bfe-620x372.jpeg" height="372" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="element element-image" data-media-id="gu-fc-2f5777a9-bb83-48a6-8140-cf4a6b89db72"><figcaption>
<span class="element-image__caption">People’s climate march in London, where thousands of people took to the streets. Credit: Laurence Topham/Guardian</span>
<span class="element-image__credit">Photograph: Laurence Topham</span>
</figcaption></figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<img src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/9/21/1411325646289/b0c79b14-5f8f-4e1b-bc75-28b8d9ca4be3-bestSizeAvailable.jpeg" height="343" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 25px;" width="571" /><br />
Emma Thompson says it best--deniers are f^*^*ing bonkers.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jwMedM7Kwi0" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">IG NOBEL PRIZES </span><br />
Pollyanna congratulates the laureates of this year's <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-bananas-are-slippery-study-wins-spoof-nobel-prize-9743966.html">Ig Nobel prizes</a>. These are research projects that first make you laugh and then make you think. It is nice to know why banana skins are slippery and why some people see the face of Jesus in toast.<br />
<img alt="Face of Jesus in toast." src="http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2014/09/18/jesus_in_toast_study_led_by_toronto_professor_wins_ig_nobel_prize/jesusintoast.jpg.size.xxlarge.promo.jpg" /><br />
Cheers!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME </span><br />
<br />
Again there is no new What If? this time because we are early this week, but we can make do with some Randall cartoons. We are told that Apple sold millions of its new phones in the first weekend.<br />People should know that even these phones are not immortal.<br />
<img alt="My Phone is Dying" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/my_phone_is_dying.png" height="236" title="When it explodes, it will cast off its outer layers, leaving behind nothing but a slowly fading PalmPilot, calculator, or two-way pager." width="640" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">TRAVEL WITH KIDS. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/wumo/s-1567245?ezine=587">Wumo show how this works</a>. We are giving you the link since they warn us not to reproduce their cartoons. They are just great.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CONGRATULATIONS DILBERT ON THE HONOR YOU HAVE WON</span><br />
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Sep/19/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10908/1090802.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
<img alt="Dilbert Cartoon for Sep/20/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/109/10910/1091017.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
This cartoon reminds Pollyanna<br />
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/9/9e/Pollyanna.jpg" height="300" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /> <br />
<br />
of an bad old joke that caused her to blush... <br />
<img alt="Piano" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/piano.png" title="Good thing he didn't make it smaller, or it'd need someone three inches tall to play it." />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-37098502012721584312014-09-12T11:56:00.000+03:002014-09-12T11:56:22.882+03:00Pollyanna is with you again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Pollyanna is back and shares with all the memory of what happened 13 years ago.<br />
<br />
<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" height="429" name="lArslADJpb3c6M:" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="height: 171px; margin-left: -1px; margin-right: -2px; margin-top: 0px; width: 255px;" width="640" /> <br />
She also welcomes the visitor from space who flew by this week. A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, safely passed very close to the Earth on Sunday, 7 September 2014. It was not related to the explosion reported from Nicaragua.<br />
<img alt="Position of Asteroid 2014 RC and any possible associated debris at time of the Nicaragua explosion." src="http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/2014rcmas4_s.jpg" /><br />
This small asteroid was initially discovered on the night of 31 August by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson AZ, and independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Both reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA. Additional follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the University of Hawaii 88-inch on Mauna Kea confirmed the orbit of 2014 RC. From its brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about 20 meters (60 feet) in size. <a href="http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/">Read more here</a>. We should be aware of these things and humanity must be ready to deal with any object that threatens to collide with Earth. Much more than dinosaurs is at stake now.<br />
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For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog</a>. Over a year has gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">CHARITY CORNER </span><br />
This week Pollyanna is referring you to <a href="http://www.phr.org.il/default.asp?PageID=4">Physicians for Human Rights</a>. This is an organization of Israeli doctors (including our Yosefa) who both go out to Palestinian villages on weekends to provide medical services and maintain a free clinic for refugees and asylum seekers in Yaffo. They do wonderful work and need all the support they can get. Please put your hand into your pocket or onto the mouse and donate via their site.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">CHEERS FOR CVS</span><br />
The US drug store giant chain announced early this year that it would terminate sales of tobacco products in all its stores on October 1. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2014/09/03/cvs-stops-tobacco-sales-today-changes-name-to-reflect-new-era/">It now has done so a month earlier.</a> Pollyanna applauds and hopes that other pharmacy chains will follow suit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="CVS employees removed tobacco products from stores ahead of schedule (CVS Health photo) " class="size-full wp-image-7906" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/brucejapsen/files/2014/09/Removing-Cartons.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CVS employees removed tobacco products from stores ahead of schedule (CVS Health photo)</td></tr>
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<br />
THE RANTS<br />
As usual, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/08/tmz-video-ray-rice-punch-fiancee-elevator">Pollyanna is livid instead of "glad" about spousal abuse.</a> The case that came up just now of Ray Rice, the NFL football player, who was seen on camera beating his fiance (now his wife) Janay raised a major outcry. The team fired him, the league suspended him and the courts sent him to counseling. We have been treated to much pious clucking of tongues by sports analysts at half time. The hash tags #whyshestayed and #whyshe left have gone viral. Pollyanna would like to share an essay on domestic violence written 20 years later. Janay Palmer is not ready to share her story yet, and she may never be. But she has inspired other women to do so, <a href="http://www.damemagazine.com/2014/09/10/i-didnt-just-fall-down-stairs">like this writer,</a> who suffered at the hands of an ex 20 years ago. Pollyanna also recommends looking at the tweets at these hash tags. In particular, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/08/ray-rice-domestic-violence-video-janay-palmer-victim-blaming">she is outraged that people are blaming the victim </a>and Janay Palmer seems to need to apologize for being abused.<br />
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Pollyanna is also outraged at<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29109137"> the rape and murder of octogenarian nun</a>s in Burundi. Their names are Lucia Pulici, aged 75, Olga Raschietti, aged 82, and Bernadetta Boggian, aged 79. They had all been serving for decades in Africa and the crime is horrendous. The police say they have two suspects in custody.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Undated handout picture of Olga Raschietti" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/77457000/jpg/_77457840_77457573.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="width: 624px;">Olga Raschietti had spent many years working in central Africa</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nursing mothers</span> certainly have a right to nurse their babies wherever and whenever required. This <a href="http://www.upworthy.com/what-do-you-do-with-a-hungry-baby-when-youre-out-shopping-this-moms-prepared">Mom has an answer </a>for those who object to the sight of an infant at a breast.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<img src="http://upw-prod-images.global.ssl.fastly.net/nugget/53fe89a1dd2762c17e00001f/attachments/very-crafty-colored-1a67f8db46e28614330b754c72f70513.jpg" height="400" width="304" /> <br />
Cheers lady!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">SCIENCE </span><br />
Pollyanna is pleased to pass on the news that a <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/09/10/scientists-discover-new-life-form.html">previously unknown life form </a>has been found that does not fit into any existing phylum so that a new genus had to be created. The organisms, which are mushroom shaped, are multicellular and nonsymmetrical. They live 400 to 1000 meters below the surface of the ocean. The new genus will be called Dendrogramma. The organisms will be called <i>D. enigmatica</i> and <i>D. discoides</i>. For more details, see<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0102976"> PLOS.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="thumbnail" class="thumbnail" src="http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102976.g001&representation=PNG_I" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 1. <i>Dendrogramma</i> gen. nov., all 15 paratypes of <i>D. enigmatica</i> and (with *) <i>D. discoides.</i></b></td></tr>
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<br />
Meet the largest land animal ever, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2014/sep/05/dreadnoughtus-schrani-dinosaur-argentina-video">Dreadnoughtus scrani,</a> discovered in fossils in Patagonia. This giant juvenile herbivore weighed in at 65 tons and was 26 meters in length. Slink away little T. Rex.<br />
<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="PKNmmlAXIr0pkM:" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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<span style="font-size: large;">NOT QUITE TELEPATHY</span><br />
An international group of researchers is reporting that they have successfully transmitted information in a <a href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/14888/20140904/brain-to-brain-communication-from-india-to-france-how-telepathy-is-mastered.htm">brain-to-brain link between two humans</a>. It is done via a computer link between brain scanning devices. It could have great applications in many areas including communication with comatose patients etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Brain-to-brain communication" height="278" src="http://images.techtimes.com/data/images/full/16981/brain-to-brain-communication.png?w=600" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Information successfully sent from one person's brain to another's over
thousands of miles, researchers report. Feat is first non-invasive
brain-to-brain link, they say.<br /><span style="float: left;">(Photo : PLOS ONE</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">BOOK REVIEW</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Niccolo Machiavelli by Santi di Tito" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/GUARDIAN/Pix/pictures/2013/7/8/1373297648773/Niccolo-Machiavelli-by-Sa-008.jpg" data-pin-description="Desperate remedies … Niccolò Machiavelli, painted by Santi di Tito. Photograph: Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS" height="276" itemprop="contentUrl representativeOfPage" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="460" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desperate remedies … Niccolò Machiavelli, painted by Santi di Tito. Photograph: Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We have not referred you to a book review for a while. We offer you <i>The Garments of Court and Palace: Machiavelli and the world that he made </i>by Philip Bobbitt. <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/jun/05/what-should-you-learn-machiavelli/?insrc=toc">It is reviewed in the New York Review of Books </a>by Quentin Skinner and in the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/11/garments-court-palace-machiavelli-review">Guardian by Colin Burrow</a>. <a href="http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/machiavelli.html">Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)</a> has been known through the centuries as the author of The Prince (1532). The main theme of this short book is that all means may be resorted to for the establishment and preservation of authority -- the end justifies the means -- and that the worst and most treacherous acts of the ruler are justified by the wickedness and treachery of the governed. Bobbitt provides a deep analysis of the political thought of Machiavelli, who was driven from power in 1512 when the Florentine republic was demolished by the Medicis. You may have difficulty in opening the NYRB review, but the Guardian version is available.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/74/">What If? </a>In the absence of a new WhatIf? this week, we recycle an old one from 2012. How much of the Earth's currently-existing water has ever been turned into a soft drink at some point in its history?<br />
<br />
Brian Roelofs<br />
<br />
Not much.<br />
<br />
Our friends with back problems should know how much Big Pharma loves them.<br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Sep/11/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/108/10890/1089046.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
The good people of Id have it right about polls:<br />
<img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Sep/10/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/108/10887/1088737.gif" height="200" rel="image_src" width="640" /> arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-62022752055273740742014-08-30T18:11:00.000+03:002014-08-30T18:11:36.129+03:00Pollyanna cheers the end of the fightingPollyanna is back and would like to <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-268">share a view of a monster storm</a> on Saturn <br />
with you <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Two Looks at the Turbulent Saturn Storm" border="0" src="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/cassini/20130903/pia17044-640.jpg" height="350" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="photo_caption">This set of images from NASA's Cassini
mission shows the turbulent power of a monster Saturn storm. The
visible-light image in the back, obtained on Feb. 25, 2011, by Cassini's
imaging camera, shows the turbulent clouds churning across the face of
Saturn. The inset infrared image, obtained a day earlier, by Cassini's
visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, shows the dredging up of water
and ammonia ices from deep in Saturn's atmosphere. This was the first
time water ice was detected in Saturn's atmosphere. The storm, first
detected by Cassini's radio and plasma wave subsystem in December 2011,
churned around the planet in a band around 33 degrees north. Image
Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Univ. of Arizona/Univ. of Wisconsin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog.</a> Over a year has gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CHARITY CORNER </span><br />
This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. Her choice is<a href="http://en.rsf.org/"> Reporters Without Borders</a>, who fight to protect freedom of expression and freedom of the press everywhere. You are invited to donate via their Web site and while you are there, get an idea of the scope of their work and activity. They have opened a<a href="http://en.rsf.org/syria-rwb-is-creating-a-special-page-for-22-08-2014,46838.html"> tribute page for their colleague James Foley</a> who was so brutally murdered last week by the jihadis in Iraq.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">IN MEMORIAM Yehezkel Braun 1922-2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://www.milkenarchive.org/media/image/people/187x187/592" height="187" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 103px;" width="156" /></span><br />
The famous Israeli composer died on Wednesday at age 92. He composed in a great variety of genres and was widely performed. He wrote symphonies, chamber music, choral compositions and solo pieces. <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/music/classicalmusic/.premium-1.2418009">A Hebrew obituary is in Haaretz.</a> He was much loved and admired by the music community and by the public. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/life/arts-leisure/a-cherished-musical-figure-1.92462">A special concert was held for his 85th birthday. </a>Then Haaretz wrote <i>"Yehezkel Braun, who as he himself says, "always refused to compose
contemporary music," considers himself better suited to have been born
in the 18th century. His melodies and harmonies, the superlative
vocality that dominates his compositions, the colors of the sound and
the formal program - all of this draws inspiration from the classical
styles. It forever relies on tradition and heritage, looking back at the
past. Even when he tried to adopt avant-garde composition techniques,
he once said about himself, the result was classical. After that, he
stopped trying.
"</i> May he rest in peace and we shall continue to love and enjoy his music.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">NO TO RACIST NAME </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img height="320" id="irc_mi" src="http://southernpartisan.com/files/2014/07/redskins-logo.png" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></span><br />
Pollyanna salutes the editorial board of the Washington Post who have decided to cease the use of <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/08/22/3474879/washington-post-editorial-board-will-stop-using-redskins/">the name Redskins</a> to mark the NFL team of the city. We note however that this has not yet percolated to the sports pages of the journal. Let this piece of racism be relegated to the dustbin of history.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">TELL THE COPS VIA THE ATM </span><br />
In India where rape and sexual abuse of women are rampant, many incidents go unreported because of shame and the cavalier way the police, mostly men, treat the victims. <a href="http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/25554-atm-helps-indian-women-quietly-report-rape-without-going-to-the-police">A new system, a la ATM, </a>is being introduced for the submission of such complaints. Pollyanna applauds.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Manju Mitra uses the ICLIK machine to file a police complaint in New Delhi. (photo: Amrit Dhillon/The Star)" border="0" src="http://readersupportednews.org/images/stories/article_imgs13/013596-rape-reporting-kiosk-india-082714.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Manju Mitra uses the ICLIK machine to file a police complaint in New Delhi. (photo: Amrit Dhillon/The Star)" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manju Mitra uses the ICLIK machine to file a police complaint in New Delhi. (photo: Amrit Dhillon/The Star)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
She also cheers the brave women in Spain <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-28940316">who are standing up to the machismo of the police and León de la Riva, the mayor of Valladolid. </a>He is not the only sexist in the country and the uprising aka "the bra revolution" is gaining pace.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Residents of Valladolid tie a chain of bras around the entrance to the town hall" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/77181000/png/_77181943_untitled6.png" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="624" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More than 500 protesters have tied a chain of bras across the entrance of a town hall in the Spanish city of Valladolid. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8831384172209218021" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The hashtag #NoEstasSola, which translates as "You are not alone", has been used more than 40,000 times since Wednesday, and 5,500 times in the last 24 hours. It is meant as a message of support for the woman who made the initial accusations. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CEASE FIRE AT LAST</span><br />
The Gaza war seems to be on hold and since no one can be called a victor, it is obvious that both sides lost, whatever spin the respective sets of leaders choose to put on it. The degree of wanton cruelty shown by both sides will leave scars for a long time to come. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.612788">Gideon Levy </a>comments on the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.612085">reaction to the killing of an Israeli child</a>. <i>"Suddenly the death of a little boy has meaning, suddenly it is shocking. It is human, understandable and moving. It is also human that the killing of an Israeli boy, a child of ours, would arouse greater identification than the death of some other child. What is incomprehensible is the Israeli response to the killing of their children."</i> When three Israeli yeshiva boys were killed by vile Hamas terrorists, we were all up in arms. When an Arab teenager was burnt alive by vile Jewish terrorists, most of us shrugged shoulders and the police arrested and beat up members of the victim's family. <br />
<br />
One result of the situation is the conclusion that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/23/opinion/sunday/israels-move-to-the-right-challenges-diaspora-jews.html">liberal Zionism is dead and buried.</a> As Antony Lerman writes in the NYTimes:<i>"The only Zionism of any consequence today is xenophobic and exclusionary, a Jewish ethno-nationalism inspired by religious messianism. It is carrying out an open-ended project of national self-realization to be achieved through colonization and purification of the tribe." </i>We indeed realize that the reign of the Rabbi Kings is just around the corner, but in good conscience we cannot give up the fight. Of course, it has been said that liberal Zionism is a romantic oxymoron. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-features/.premium-1.613037">As Asher Schechter puts it</a>, "... <i>all along, “liberal Zionism” was nothing more than a silly romantic notion. But
the Middle East has never been a good place for romantics. The last one
who tried to get romantic around here ended up getting crucified."</i> Yet we silly romantic liberals will support <a href="http://meretz.org.il/english/">Meretz</a>, go to futile demonstrations, write letters to the editor that are not published and watch the best and the brightest of the younger generation vote with their feet. We note that no right-wing journalist needs bodyguards as does Gideon Levy, no left wing group has ever disrupted a right wing demonstration, no Reform Jews have ever desecrated an Orthodox synagogue--the evil violence and hatred are the property of the right and the Orthodox. It should give food for thought.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">RANTS AND RAVES</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">TORTURE IN MEXICO</span><br />
In the early hours of 7 August 2012 Claudia Medina woke to the frightening sound of marines breaking into her home in Veracruz City, Mexico. With her hands bound and a blindfold covering her eyes, the mother of three, who makes a living as a natural medicine salesperson, was taken to a local naval base. <br />
<br />
Over the next few days, Claudia suffered terrible torture at the hands of government forces, including electric shocks and sexual abuse, being wrapped in plastic, beaten and kicked. Her torturers even forced chili sauce up her nose with a syringe. <a href="http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/35397/?utm_source=allsup&utm_medium=email&utm_content=chaser&utm_campaign=torture_548">Join the global movement to get justice for Claudia</a>. Claudia reported her torture, prompting a federal judge to request an investigation. But almost two years later the investigation is yet to happen.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">WORSE THAN ANTI-VAXXERS</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="vitamin K" src="http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/07/29/shutterstock_vitamink.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="shutterstock_vitamink" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="image inline "><figcaption class="caption">Vitamin K is a critical compound in
our bodies that allows blood to coagulate. Infants are naturally low in
it and are at risk for terrible problems that can be otherwise prevented
with a simple shot.</figcaption> <div class="credit">
Photo by Shutterstock/Natalia Karpova</div>
</figure></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The latest nutty twist on anti-vaxxing is the refusal of parents of newborns to give their babies vitamin K injections. <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/07/29/vitamin_k_parents_refusing_injections_put_babies_at_risk.html?wpisrc=obinsite">As Phil Plait tells us</a> ... <i>Babies across the U.S. are suffering from horrific injuries—including hemorrhages, brain damage, and even strokes (yes, strokes, in babies)—because of parents refusing a vitamin K shot. This vitamin is needed to coagulate blood, and without it internal bleeding can result. </i><br />
<br />
Vitamin K deficiency is rare in adults, but it doesn’t cross the placental barrier except in limited amounts, so newborn babies are generally low in it. That is why it’s been a routine injection for infants for more than 50 years—while vitamin K deficiency is not as big a risk as other problems, the shot is essentially 100 percent effective, and is quite safe. <br />
<br />
Pollyanna is the opposite of glad, she is distressed. It couples in with the antivax, "natural mothering" and all the other crap that people who should know better are promulgating. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">KIDS AND GUNS </span><br />
Pollyanna is outraged over the report that a <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us/arizona-girl-fatal-shooting-accident/index.html?cid=C13888a07">9-year old girl who was being trained to use an Uzi </a>submachine gun killed her instructor by accident. She agrees that there is nothing wrong with teaching kids about firearms, but they should be older and the weapons single-shot to avoid a burst of automatic fire from a child who cannot control the recoil. Nuts and irresponsible all around.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">ISIS aka ISIL</span> is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/world/middleeast/golan-heights-un-peacekeepers-syria.html?_r=0">continuing to rampage</a> while the world dithers. Obama frankly admits to having <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/28/obama-us-strategy-isis-iraq-syria">no strategy to deal with them</a> and the slaughter goes on. <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/28/rape-and-sexual-slavery-inside-an-isis-prison.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat+Sheet">The fate of women in their hands</a> is another frightful atrocity. Sale as cheap wives or rape and murder are the order of the day. Yes, Mr. President, the main task should devolve to the local powers, but you and Europe must put on much more pressure. It is only a question of time before this terror spreads to Europe and the United States.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A WORD FROM SCIENCE</span><br />
<div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3">
<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/27/tech/innovation/space-local-bubble/index.html?iid=article_sidebar">We live in a bubble</a>.<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>Our whole solar system appears to do so, say space scientists, who published <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7513/full/nature13525.html" target="_blank">work last month corroborating its existence</a>. And, oh, what a bubble it
is: About 300 light years long (about 1,764,000,000,000,000 miles), and
its walls are made of hot gas. How hot? About a million degrees.</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140827065808-solar-system-illustration-story-top.jpg" height="360" width="640" /><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/">What If? </a>asks: Could a person walk the entire city of NY in their lifetime? <br />
(including inside apartments) <br />
<br />
Asaf Shamir: It works out quite nicely, thank you. <br />
<br />
Randall also offers an astronomy lesson for those who have problems with the <br />
google app on their handhelds:<br />
<img alt="Abusive Astronomy" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/abusive_astronomy.jpg" title="Medium: Pencil on paper" /><br />
WUMO shows what herbal diets can cause. We hope they will forgive us this copyright violation:<br />
<img alt="Wumo Cartoon for Aug/26/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/108/10855/1085572.gif" rel="image_src" /> <br />
<br />
<br />
Welcome to Hollywood, yes they are all the same more or less:<br />
<img alt="Barney & Clyde Cartoon for Aug/27/2014" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/108/10858/1085814.gif" rel="image_src" /><br />
<br />
Finally it came to be: <br />
<img alt="405694_178315385608995_100002916031264_290280_582254303_n_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/983249/405694_178315385608995_100002916031264_290280_582254303_n_medium.jpg" /><br />
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<br />
<br />arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831384172209218021.post-56156443257742597332014-08-14T23:39:00.001+03:002014-08-14T23:39:43.113+03:00Pollyanna greets youPollyanna is back and while she assures you that she is not in the least superstitious (touch wood) and certainly does not believe in zombies, she would like to share one with you. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/august/nasa-s-hubble-finds-supernova-star-system-linked-to-potential-zombie-star/#.U-pi-mOgZOI">This particular zombie is cosmic in nature </a>and is certainly of interest. If you are afraid of zombies, relax. This one is 110 million light years away. Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers has spotted a star system that could have left behind a “zombie star” after an unusually weak supernova explosion.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Supernova 2012Z " src="http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/673xvariable_height/public/14-212_0.jpg?itok=8rqRL4Cd" height="640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="field field-name-field-feature-sidecaption field-type-text-long field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
The
two inset images show before-and-after images captured by NASA’s Hubble
Space Telescope of Supernova 2012Z in the spiral galaxy NGC 1309. The
white X at the top of the main image marks the location of the supernova
in the galaxy.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-field-image-credits field-type-text field-label-above">
<div class="field-label">
Image Credit: </div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
NASA, ESA</div>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A supernova typically obliterates the exploding white dwarf, or dying star. On this occasion, scientists believe this faint supernova may have left behind a surviving portion of the dwarf star -- a sort of zombie star. <br />
<br />
For starters, let us refer you to the <a href="http://realhrdef.blogspot.co.il/">Miriam Shlesinger Human Rights action blog.</a> Over a year has gone by without Miriam and we continue to realize what we have lost. She got us into the human rights struggle. Please act on behalf of people who are so much in need of support in their trials and tribulations at the hands of oppressive regimes and corporations. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CHARITY CORNER </span><br />
This week Pollyanna gets to choose a charity. Her choice is Doctors Without Borders, who deliver medical aid wherever it is needed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msf.org/sites/msf.org/files/styles/carrousel_homepage/public/hopital_wafa.jpg?itok=ZShspEMW" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.msf.org/sites/msf.org/files/styles/carrousel_homepage/public/hopital_wafa.jpg?itok=ZShspEMW" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They are on the scene in Africa, in Syria, in Gaza, the list goes on. You can donate to them either <a href="http://www.msf.org/">directly on their Web site</a> or via <a href="http://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/content/search.html?q=msf">GlobalGiving who list many projects </a>that they run. Please put your hand into your pocket for this most worthy organization.<br />
Pollyanna takes the liberty this week of proposing two charities. We have until Sunday <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/emergency-food-aid-for-gaza">to raise enough money to buy 5000 tons of surplus potatoes </a>and ship them to Gaza. So far a miniscule fraction of the required sum has been raised. Please click and help out.<br />
<img alt="Ekidxy3fatpfhpi0frjl" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_fill,h_413,w_620/v1407749537/ekidxy3fatpfhpi0frjl.jpg" width="620" /> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">IN MEMORIAM Robin Williams 1951-2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img class="article image landscape" src="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/modal_800/2014/08/robin_williams_beard.jpg" height="225" width="400" /> </span><br />
<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-suspected-suicide-724724">The great actor was found dead at his home </a>north of San Francisco, apparently a suicide. He was a Juilliard-trained actor and an uncontainably exhibitionist comic who became one of the most dazzling all-around talents in show business. He won an Oscar for best supporting actor in Good Will Hunting and in Pollyanna's considered opinion should have won best actor for his role in Good Morning Vietnam. He played a space alien in the TV series Mork and Mindy and starred as an inspired prep school teacher in The Dead Poets' Society.<br />
<br />
Depression and addiction are terrible things. He was said to joke about his cocaine habit. He was an admitted abuser of cocaine — which he also referred to as <i>“Peruvian marching powder”</i> and <i>“the devil’s dandruff”</i> — in the 1970s and ‘80s, and addressed his drug habit in his comedy act. “<i>What a wonderful drug,”</i> he said in a sardonic routine from “Live at the Met.”<i> “Anything that makes you paranoid and impotent, give me more of that.”</i> He was also a great one-line, impromptu satirist, who managed not to offend the great and powerful at whom his arrows were aimed.<br />
He was also a supporter of human rights. Amnesty International mourns the loss of a <a href="http://livewire.amnesty.org/2014/08/12/14667/">great friend and supporter of humanistic causes</a>. His colleagues <a href="http://www.mtv.co.uk/robin-williams/news/ben-affleck-and-matt-damon-pay-heartfelt-tribute-to-robin-williams">grieve deeply.</a> A full obituary is in<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/12/robin-williams-sadness-clown-addiction-mental-illness"> the Guardian</a> as well as the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2014/08/11/a165171c-21aa-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html">Washington Post</a>. <br />
<br />
Here is a video of him from 1987 <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8UqTp6h9lzo" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">IN MEMORIAM </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/movies/lauren-bacall-sultry-movie-star-dies-at-89.html">Lauren Bacall, 1924-2014, </a><br />
She was the sultry presence who first hit movie screens in 1944 and then went on to play a series of sophisticated, tough-as-nails roles for the next six decades – even in real life – has died.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/13/arts/13bacall-obit-ss-slide-79CJ/13bacall-obit-ss-slide-79CJ-jumbo-v2.jpg" height="266" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/13/arts/13bacall-obit-ss-slide-79CJ/13bacall-obit-ss-slide-79CJ-jumbo-v2.jpg" itemprop="url" width="400" /></span><br />
She played several roles opposite her husband Humphrey Bogart and also had major success on her own including 1957′s “Designing Woman” and 1974′s “Murder on the Orient Express.”. She was, as was Robin Williams, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/aug/13/lauren-bacall-14-of-her-best-quotes">well known for sharp ad-lib quotes</a>. Her colleagues remember her <a href="http://www.mtv.co.uk/lauren-bacall/news/stars-pay-tribute-after-lauren-bacalls-death">with love and admiration. </a><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/13/lauren-bacall-obituary">The Guardian gives an obituary</a> and also some insight into how <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/aug/13/lauren-bacall-appreciation-peter-bradshaw">she escaped </a>being a studio product. We saw her on stage in London in the 1970's in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth and her stage presence was unforgettable. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall, you enriched the lives of all of us. May you Rest in Peace.</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">GOOD NEWS</span><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/world/asia/prominent-rights-lawyer-is-freed-from-chinese-prison-his-brother-says.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140811&nlid=2336875&tntemail0=y&_r=0">Pollyanna is glad to inform you</a> that one of China’s most famous dissident lawyers, Gao Zhisheng, was released from prison on Thursday. We have campaigned for him over the years since his arrest and wish him the best. We hope he can be united with his family in the USA very soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-caption="Gao Zhisheng in 2010." data-mediaviewer-credit="Gemunu Amarasinghe/Associated Press" data-mediaviewer-src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/08/world/08china/08china-superJumbo.jpg" src="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/08/world/08china/08china-master675.jpg" height="266" itemid="http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/08/world/08china/08china-master675.jpg" itemprop="url" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="caption-text">Gao Zhisheng in 2010.
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Gemunu Amarasinghe/Associated Press</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVRAHAM ZACUTO </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Explorer Vasco da Gama kneels before the Portuguese monarch before his departure to India" class="" src="http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.610019.1407768842%21/image/2682498256.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_640/2682498256.jpg" height="231" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Explorer Vasco da Gama kneels before the Portuguese monarch before his departure to India" width="400" /></td></tr>
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<span class="imageText">The explorer Vasco da Gama is
seen kneeling before the Portuguese monarch before his departure to
seek out India. Abraham Zacuto is depicted on right – with his head
against a sail.</span>
<span class="imageCredit">Photo by Wikimedia Commons</span>
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August 12, 1452, is the birth date of the Spanish-Jewish astronomer and historian Abraham Zacuto, who advised the court of Portuguese King John (or Juan) II, and whose state-of-the-art navigation innovations were used by both Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama. He was one of the great Jewish scholars of Spain until the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. He moved on to Portugal and then to North Africa and the Ottoman Empire. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/this-day-in-jewish-history/.premium-1.610017">His life and contribution to science</a> are most interesting, says Pollyanna<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SHARK WEEK </span><br />
Since 1988 the Discovery Channel has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Week">featured an annual week</a> devoted to sometimes factual reporting about these denizens of the deep. You may want to watch some of them. There has also been criticism of the programs, mainly for their distortion of facts and the propagation of myths. The <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/13/5998745/how-shark-week-screws-scientists">shark science community is distancing itself from them</a>. We will return to Shark Week in the proper venue, The Kingdom of Id, below. <br /><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">
DISGUST </span></span></span><br />
Before getting on to the rants and raves Pollyanna<a href="http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/25286-convicted-steubenville-rapist-playing-football-again"> would like to express her disgust</a> at the fact that one of the convicted rapists in Steubenville is back to playing football for the local high school. Apparently shame has vanished from the Earth. She is also revolted by an <a href="http://forward.com/articles/203018/does-australia-gaza-war-cartoon-vilify-jews/">antisemitic cartoon </a>in an Australian newspaper. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><img alt="" src="http://forward.com/image/2/630/0/5//assets/images/articles/w-cartoon-072814.jpg.jpg" /><br />
We hope that Australia has laws about hate propaganda and that the local Jewish community continues to raise its voice.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CATCH-14 </span><br />
<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.609985">This cutting piece of satire </a>by Amir Oren assumes that the reader is familiar with the novel<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168668.Catch_22"> Catch-22</a> by Joseph Heller. For the younger set and the non-literati we refer you to the link. The catch was article 22 in the military rule book: anyone who is insane is exempt from flying bombing missions over Germany. The catch is that not wanting to fly these dangerous missions is taken by the Air Force to be a certain indication of sanity. Our hero Yossarian is everyone's soldier, bless him. Heller takes apart the military in a thorough manner, reminiscent of Hasek and his<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Soldier-Svejk-Fortunes/dp/0140449914"> The Good Soldier Svejk</a>. BTW, we once had a discussion with some young Israeli officers about Svejk. They totally missed the point of the satire and thought that Svejk was the butt and not the army and the command structure. It has been said with some authority that thinking in Hebrew diminishes IQ. A militaristic brainwashing from kindergarten on certainly has that effect. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">RANTS AND RAVES</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL</span><br />
Such people are beyond the pale. We can understand the Koch brothers who need a few billion more to be happy and the future of humanity be damned. What revolts us is the phenomenon of people who deny anthropogenic climate change for no reason other than a contrary nature coupled with abysmal stupidity. We could name a few. <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/08/11/dirty_deniers_campaign_to_shame_global_warming_deniers.html?wpisrc=newsletter_myslate">Phil Plait, bless him, tells us of a ray of hope</a>, a campaign to name and shame politicians who lick the hands and feet of the oil industry and deny climate change. Go for it guys and gals! <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">HANNIBAL PROTOCOL</span><br />
This is a set of commands in the IDF under which a soldier who is about to be taken prisoner and cannot be rescued is killed to avoid his being used as a bargaining chip. It involves massive fire power to isolate the region and prevent the prisoner from being removed. The procedure was <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.608715">recently used </a>in Rafa when 1st Lieut. Hadar Goldin was thought to have been captured. It turned out that he was dead, but the massive fire was used nonetheless with huge loss of innocent life. Uri Misgav <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/blogs/misgav/.premium-1.2402935">wrote a strong critique</a> (Hebrew) of the action in Haaretz which the newspaper chose not to translate for its English edition. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2014/08/12/hannibal-is-an-idf-putsch-against-the-state/">Richard Silverstein provides us </a>with at least a partial translation. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">WAR, LIES AND MORE LIES </span><br />
We are constantly told that Hamas uses the Gazan people as a human shield and stores weapons in hospitals, schools, mosques etc. <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25139-a-letter-from-doctor-mads-gilbert-in-gaza">Norwegian doctors </a>who served in Gaza in both the previous war and this one repudiate this statement. Uri Misgav delivers a strong blast at the public in Israel that loves to wallow in hate and<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/eyes-wide-open/.premium-1.604393"> puts an Iron Dome over its conscience</a>. He notes the great solidarity--in an affluent neighborhood of Tel Aviv the tenants of a luxury high-rise refused to let the residents of the nearby Givat Amal neighborhood into their shelters when they knocked on their locked doors with their children during an alert. Let us hope that this horror ends soon. We shall all have to live with the lasting consequences, primarily t<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.610368">he erosion of democracy and the schism in the community</a>. In truth, the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.610268">tail wags the dog here </a>and as usual a well organized minority can control an incoherent <br />majority, alas.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SILLY TIME</span><br /><br />Again there is no new What If? but we can make do with some Randall cartoons.<br /><img alt="TED Talk" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ted_talk.png" title="The IAU ban came after the 'redefinition of 'planet' to include the IAU president's mom' incident." /><br />
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<img alt="Boyfriend" height="188" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/boyfriend.png" title="... okay, but because you said that, we're breaking up." width="640" /><br /><br />SHARK WEEK IN IDLAND<br /><br /><img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Aug/10/2014" class="" rel="image_src" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/cache/lw600/108/10816/1081679.jpg" /> <br />
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<img alt="Wizard of Id Cartoon for Aug/14/2014" height="125" rel="image_src" src="http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/108/10826/1082658.gif" width="400" /> arkee_titanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18192228041973903561noreply@blogger.com0