| Tuesday, January
9, 2006
Trying to catch up
Harry Erwin's Letter
from England
Bush's 'surge' is catching a lot of flak in the
international press, much like it is in American papers. Some left-wing
blogs are suggesting that the intention is to declare war on the Shiite
militias, get defeated, and give Congress no choice but to reinstate the
draft and go to total war in alliance with Israel. I don't think any of our
decision-makers are that dumb, but it's interesting to see it suggested. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2533292,00.html>
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2534617,00.html>
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2535310,00.html>
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2534996,00.html>
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/
uiran107.xml>
Blair and Brown's reactions to Saddam hanging: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6238741.stm>
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/
uhang107.xml>
Gordon Brown: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6238565.stm>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6237115.stm>
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/
nmod07.xml> <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/
nmod107.xml>
NHS budget problems: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6238955.stm>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6235573.stm> <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6228659.stm>
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/
nhs07.xml>
Polish Archbishop resigns over spying: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6238165.stm>
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/
ucatholic107.xml> <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/05/
wpoland05.xml>
Security theatre--inconveniencing millions moderately
and tens of thousands severely. (I've been a systems engineer for a
fingerprint system, and I know their performance statistics.) <http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1984496,00.html>
Dumping household waste in the UK. (My experience is
that local authorities aren't interested in recycling if there's any cost
involved.) <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6238357.stm>
Making your targets on crime:
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=
/news/2007/01/07/ ncrime07.xml>
Protecting hunted criminals' privacy:
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml
?xml=/news/2007/01/07/ ncrime107.xml> <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2533610,00.html>
Religious equality row in the courts: <http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article2126332.ece>
Scottish nationalism <http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1984531,00.html>
Commentary:
My teaching starts up again on Monday, and I've been
busy revising and uploading lectures (19-I counted them...). It looks to me
like people here in Britain and in America haven't really come back from
Christmas yet. When they do, I expect political events to get very stormy
and remain so into the summer. Here's a question for your American
correspondents: what do they expect to happen in Iraq? Here's another:
what's their take on the fight over presidential signing statements?
-- Harry Erwin, PhD, Program Leader, MSc Information
Systems Security, University of Sunderland.
<http://scat-he-g4.sunderland.ac.uk/~harryerw> Weblog at:
<http://scat-he-g4.sunderland.ac.uk/~harryerw/blog/index.php>
Emphasis added. I find the story of murderer's
rights to privacy particularly appealing. Liberalism is a philosophy of
consolation for Western Civilization as it commits suicide.
==
Subject: moderate Islam
>
however much apologists may protest that Islam is a religion of
peace,
> the incidents and pronouncements Ms. Dow collects are generally not
> addressed by those who speak for "moderate Islam."
Sure they are -- there are Fatwas from almost all of
the major Islamic scholars, as well as regular conferences around the world,
against terrorism and working on ways to deal with these issues (The king of
Morocco is a major supporter, as is the King of Jordan).
The real question is why the PRESS doesn't cover these
moderate yet traditional voices.
I suspect it's because the press sees the two as
contradictory (tradition vs moderation) so they are unable to deal with it.
Akiva
They must do a remarkable job of suppressing
those protests. Not only here, but in the Islamic world. Those fatwas are
not circulated. A bit like in pectore cardinal appointments.
=============
Subject: Roberta's Reading
Program on an Intel Mac
Jerry-
No need for Windows. Install either SheepShaver or
Basilisk II on an Intel Mac. Then use a ROM grabber to get and install a
PowerPC ROM. Then install an appropriate version of the MacOS (7.6 through
8.0 will work). Then install Agnes (If I recall correctly, there is a high
quality Agnes on the MacOS 8 CD system disk). And you are good to go. It is
also possible to emulate the Apple ][e on an Intel Mac, for I've seen such a
beast in the wild, although I haven't done this myself.
I happen to have a collection of old Macs (including
my original 128K Mac and a Mac Plus). All three of my kids learned to read
using Roberta's program on a Performa II. My son, who is now 9, is the high
outlier for reading speed & comprehension in his school and both the girls
are also at the top of their class in reading.
A challenge: List 10 things that you think are
impossible to do on a Mac. I don't think that you can do it.
-Steven
That's the very old Mac program with
synthesized speech. It works, but she likes her Windows version -- which
runs very nicely on a Power PC Mac with Virtual PC and any version of
Windows -- somewhat better. She's going to revise her web site Real Soon
Now.
Thanks for the kind words. We have heard
from many readers over the years that Roberta's reading program really
works. Anyone with children past first grade still not reading ALL English,
not just controlled vocabulary, should get the program. There is no reason
why a child's reading vocabulary should not be larger that the speaking
vocabulary, and it's shameful when children know and use words in
conversation but can't read them.
============
Subject: Scotland on Sunday letter on global warming
A letter in Scotland on Sunday today. This is another
ribbing catastrophic warming enthusiasts. There probably, though not
certainly, is some warming taking place & a part of it, perhaps a
vanishingly small part, is likely to be caused by humans. On the other hand
it is within historic parameters & I go with the Oregon Petition of 17,000
scientists that there is no reason to expect anything catastrophic & indeed
that it is likely to be beneficial.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/letters.cfm?id=32442007
" Kevin Hutchens (letter 31st Dec) says that because
the government appointed advisor say global warming will result in a 3
degree increase that is proof of its reality.
This was the warning which the BBC described as his
"strongest warning yet". He also earlier warned that in 2100 Antarctica
would be "the only habitable continent" which implies something like a 30
degree warming.
If that is what passes for evidence among catastrophe
enthusiasts perhaps we may look forward to somewhere between 0.3 & 0.03
warming before we get back to the next new ice age scare. In fact 5 of the
years since 1998 have been cooler which does not seem to show a warming
trend, let alone the spectacularly fast warming promised."
That they have allowed 2 letters both sceptical of
catastrophic warming may be affected by the fact that recent online comments
on warming stories have been overwhelmingly sceptical.
classic liberals for 9% GROWTH Party <http://9percentgrowth.blogspot.com/>
http://9percentgrowth.blogspot.com/ <http://9percentgrowth.blogspot.com/>
If you would like to help this movement or just to
receive future communications please email crgn143@aol.com write to 9%
Growth, 200 Woodlands Rd., Glasgow G3 6LN phone 0141 353 3975
Neil Craig
The warming may be real. The cause isn't
so clear. But it's certain that the CO2 levels are up. We ought to be
looking at ways to reduce CO2 (planting trees helps) without beggaring
everyone. On the other hand, what we do should be reversible (cut down old
trees and keep the wood available for burning if needed?).
Not that any such things will happen.
============
Subject: RE: Thanks for subscription
Sir,
Just what you've heard many, many times, I'm sure.
1) I don't have any complaints with what you've got
now.
2) I don't have any problem chipping in a little
financial support.
3) I'd far rather you spent your time earning a living
than adding extra content. And I'd *really* hate for the entire project to
become such a time sink that you dropped your website entirely!
Bob
Thanks. I manage even if sometimes I get
just a wee bit behind...
===========
Subject: along the lines of the diatribes
This is quite a story:
http://www.theaugeanstables.com/2007/01/05/kreeping-dhimmitude-in-england/
(begin quote:)
I could not agree more with your last post if I tried.
Yes, of course, moslems are an alien body in our midst. Every day in London
- on the tube, in shops, in parks, whilst shopping, whilst going about the
101 tasks that make up an average life - this is borne in on me.
In London today moslems dress differently, are rude to
locals, jump queues, shout at us, wave their fists at us, call us ‘worthless
infidel’ in public and in loud voices. I have, just four days ago, been
elbowed aside by a moslem couple, with sidekicks, whilst trying to top up my
Oyster card at a tube station at the automatic machine. Apparently, I had
taken longer than the ten seconds that they were prepared to wait and so
three burly males forced me aside and, when I objected, pushed me to the
floor and - quite literally - and took over the machine which I was
attempting to use.
Not, in a crowded and impatient city like London that
this was a surprise, but that in this instance that I was insulted by these
people was a surprise. The eldest male in the group, dressed in the usual
and ridiculous garb of mohammedans everywhere, looked directly at me amd
said, in quite clear English, (and I quote verbatim) “Get out of our way
infidel slave”.
You may imagine how I felt at that moment. To be so
insulted in my own capital city was stunning. It took all my self-control
not to do something rash at that moment.
Knowing that CCTV cameras would have captured this
incident I complained, some three hours later (after having completed my
journey and return), to the British Transport Police on the Broadway. I need
not have bothered. Not only would no-one there take my complaint of
‘technical assault and insult’ seriously but no-one to whom I spoke was even
prepared to initiate any paperwork whatsoever nor were they remotely
prepared to find and look at the video recordings. Indeed, one Officer even
said to me that I ’should swallow my pride’ and live with it because - and,
once again, I quote verbatim ‘you are just being racist and you have to
remember that it’s cultural with them’.
Obviously, at this point, I indicated that I felt that
I had been physically assaulted and that I would really like to have my
complaint investigated. Well, this is really where everything about that
evening begins to stick in my craw. When I said that, the Officer of the BTP
who was listening to me actually cautioned me and warned me that if I
persisted with making a nuisance of myself I would be charged under the The
Race Relations Act 1976 and the RRAA (Race Relations (Amendment) Act) 2000.
I gave up at this point. Cowardice is sometimes the
better part of valour. But, damn it, they won, didn’t they? I have been
intimidated into a dhimmi position by them and the very powers which should
have protected me in my own country.
Kent
Quite a story isn't the half of it. Ye gods.
Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation
for Western Civilization as it commits suicide.
===========
Subject: INTELLIGENCE, GENDER AND RACE
Jerry,
The latest essay by La Griffe du Lion on gender
differences in intelligence is sure to stir the pot. And, didn’t I hear that
a woman will be Harvard’s next president?
http://www.lagriffedulion.f2s.com/g.htm
Some extracts
INTELLIGENCE, GENDER AND RACE:
CONVERSATION WITH A PRODIGY
General intelligence, its form and how it is
distributed in various populations are among the topics covered in this
conversation with Prodigy. A new kind of meta-analysis is unveiled, and with
it an assessment of the cognitive gender gap. All this and more when La
Griffe du Lion interviews a celebrated whiz kid.
…
P: Using new analytical methods, I reassessed the
cognitive gap between African Americans and Non-Hispanic whites.
LG: That is arguably the most studied of all group
differences. What prompted you to reexamine it?
P: It is precisely because this gap has been so
well-studied that I decided to reevaluate it. What better test of a new
analytical procedure? Here is the result of my analysis:
A white-black mean difference in g of 1.09 SD exists
in favor of whites, equivalent to 16 IQ points. The black g distribution is
narrower than the white, with a variance ratio (B/W) of 0.888.
As you see, no surprises. The male-female gap,
however, is more problematic. Recent estimates run anywhere from no gap at
all to more than 8 IQ points in favor of men. I applied the same method to
look for a gender gap, hoping to clarify the situation. Here is the result:
A male-female mean difference in g of 0.162 SD exists
in favor of men, equivalent to 2.43 IQ points. The female g distribution is
narrower than the male, with a variance ratio (F/M) of 0.916.
You will find these to be the definitive estimates of
both the white-black and male-female cognitive gaps, as they follow from the
most elegant analysis of the largest samples ever examined.
…
Al Perrella
Mean IQ differences, and perhaps as
important dispersion IQ differences between groups are real, repeatable, and
significant. In some cases very much so. It is the case that mean IQ of
Chinese in China is several points higher than mean IQ of Americans in
America. This has real significance. Among other things, it means that the
reason America, not China, is the dominant power is because of the way the
Chinese hae been governed for a thousand years. It also means that we cannot
afford to waste any of the 90 - 120 IQ resources of the US. But of course we
are. No child is left behind if none can get ahead. That wastes the
resources.
We sow the wind.
==========
Subject: The Microsoft update schedule - a conspiracy
Jerry - I just figured out something.
Bill Gates tries to keep you busy updating and
debugging Windows just so you don't have time to give Linux and Mac OS X
much attention.
A funny thought!
Keep on doing your good work.
Sci Fi : I read a couple of Frank Pereti's children's
books, and a new twist I hadn't read before was in "The Legend of Annie
Murphy". I think you would enjoy it, although the "sermonizing" may turn you
off.
Its at
http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Annie-Murphy-Cooper-Adventure/dp/0849936454
Boyd
T. Boyd Moore KO4WK 1 Tim. 3:16
Good grief, you may be right!
TOP
CURRENT
VIEW Tuesday |
