Petition

In two days Libya will be announcing the verdict on 5 nurses and 1 doctor that it accuses of infecting children in their care with AIDS. The allegations are likely to be false and a death sentence is in the pipeline. Here's a link to the story in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/libya/story/0,14139,1476234,00.html

And here is a link to a site where you can put a bit of pressure on the case. It's in French, but the story is right there under Action Urgente.
Click on "Signez l'Appel" and follow through

http://www.abolition.fr/ecpm/index.php

Maybe with enough pressure there'll be a trial with procedure approximating fair.

On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets:

http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/

A peek at what MIT does in its spare time...
Here's the abstract - it's a conspiracy I say!


Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
 

Science Musings Blog

Just for fun...

"If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life."

http://www.sciencemusings.com/blog/2005/11/prie-dieu.html

But there is hope! WIne!

Funny how these things happen together, someone somewhere is up to something...

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000581B2-EE9B-136B-AE9B83414B7F0000&ref=nature

An antioxidant found in high concentrations in red wine is thought to boost the effectiveness of our protein degradation machinery. So if any of those nasty aggregates appears, the grapejuice will sort some of it out. A liter a day is all.... 

Prions suspected in milk - that's like BSE in your cereal

Oy vey! Those nasty prions that form those beta-aggregates and spongify your brain are now suspected of reaching milk products!

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051031/full/051031-7.html

Now don't we regret those cornflakes?
Back to fried breakfasts! With beer!

Comic relief - literally!

Here's an interesting finding for the neuroscience people out there:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9961170/

Pizarro reserve safe

Ecoactivists in jaguar costumes and Maradona, just doesn't get better::

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/victory-argentina-333

Earthquake excavations :: Iran

The earthquake that devastated Iran some months back exposed some interesting archaeological finds:
http://www.paleoshilling.nl/whatsnew.html

Interesting site, worth a look to keep an eye on the region after the news providers are no longer thrilled by it. 

Meat Science: Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you ever wanted to know about meat, thanks to them texans... http://savell-j.tamu.edu/faqs.html

The FAQ covers
* What is "dark cutting beef?"
* What causes the shiny, rainbow appearance on some cured meats?
* Why is the center of ground beef sometimes brown in color?
* Why does ground meat sometimes stay pink when it has been cooked to an adequate temperature?
* What is electrical stimulation?
* What is HACCP?
* Why is thorough cooking so important for ground products such as hamburger?
* What is aging?
* What is the per capita consumption of meat?
* Is Listeria a problem in ground beef?
* Why does jerky sometimes have a white film on it?

Delightful Reflections: The genetics of autism

And something else...http://delightfulreflections.blogspot.com/2004/09/genetics-of-autism.html

Genetics and Public Health Blog: All about genetics and public health.

Here's an interesting feed i found... http://www.aboutweblogs.com/genetics/item/2293