13. februar 2003

New hope in AIDS medicine While the HIV vaccine proves ever elusive, scientists see continuous progress in medicines to treat AIDS patients. A number of new medicines in the works attacks the deadly virus at many dfferent points, reducing the chance of it evolving resistance. This work is crucial as a number of patients have found that old medicines that once works no longer does, as the virus adapts. 11:29:27 PM    comment []

I am no doubt incredibly stupid... ...but I do not understand how this Flash Mind Reader works  Obviously a math trick, but I don't see the system. Enlighten me, someone. (Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just had to check out what was the most pop link in blogland today) 10:25:42 PM    comment []

Out of blogging ideas, Part II If totally out of ideas of your own, follow the crowd! 10:16:42 PM    comment []

Motorola announces mobile phone with Linux and Java Motorola has announced the A760 high-end phone, with built in camera, mp3 player, Linux operating system and Java. Mototla has earlier voiced intentions to launch Windows based phones, but they have not materialised. This move is likely to annoy Microsoft. And it's likely to delight virus makers! 9:53:32 PM    comment []

Patriot Act II faces opposition While the original Patriot Act, orwellian name and all, passed US Congress without a hitch in the gung-hoo climate of post-Sept-11, its proposed follow-up is already receiving criticism. The new law will give the executive massive new powers, including uncheckered wiretapping, secret detenion of citizens, right to revoke citizenships, access to financial data without a court order, and a number of other draconian measures. Also troubling is the fact that this draft was leaked, and the Justice Dept had earlier lied to lawmakers by saying no such law was in the works, a rather bad tactic to make the same lawmakers positive to a rather extreme law. But many fear that the Justice Dept just waits for the right moment of patriotic fever to introduce the new legislation. 8:13:05 PM    comment []

Out of blogging ideas? I knew somebody would do this one day, and Raven just whispered in my ear it has happened: Blogideas, "When you don't know what to Blog about." It creates a list of more or less random ideas for a blog entry. I'll be sure to check it out when I run out of ideas next.  How about: Seriously... Where does the other sock end up? Foods that have an after taste Behind the scenes of 'Your Blog' the movie. and, of course, If the Internet were sex... I would: You mean it isn't? Actually, the site has helped me to write this blog entry. So I guess that means it works. 6:54:41 PM    comment []

British police arrests terror suspects A man has been arrested under anti-terror legislation, and all flights has been suspended from the north terminal on Gatwick, London's second largest airport. Earlier, two man has been arrested related to a massive security clampdown on Heathrow airport, which is currently guarded by large police and military forces, including armoured vehicles. 6:06:39 PM    comment []

God with us! How much influence does the religious right have on Bush's foreign policy? As a recent article in The Economist points out, Europeans are even more scared that Bush is driven by religious fervour than that he's driven by greed. Greed for oil is at least a rational drive, while a US administration driven by a fanatical will to a clash of civilisation and an apocalyptic showdown between Christianity and Islam as a recipe for World War III. The article goes a long way in calming the fears, pointing to the fact that the religious right is not as uniform as many seem to think. 5:27:55 PM    comment []

Germany promises Turkey breakthrough Saturday Geman defense minister Peter Struck has told that NATO will act on Turkey's request for help on Saturday, after UN Security Council discussions on Friday. Chancellor Schröder has insisted that Germany will stand by Turkey in solidarity, as Turkey also toned down the split by saying it was merely a question of 'timing'. So by Saturday the cry-babies will have satisfied their demand for attention. Nice. 5:10:43 PM    comment []

Rightist or leftist? Onur Güntürkün of the Ruhr university in Germany turned voyour for the sake of science, observed couples kissing. He concluded that two thirds of us tilt the head to the right when kissing, a human assymetry he traces back to the human tendency to turn our heads to the right in the womb. The study, published in the prestigious journal Nature (vol 421, p 711)  was released to coincide with Valentine's Day. What I'd want to know is, what happens when a right-kisser and a left-kisser try to kiss? Can rightist and leftist kissers form successful relationships, and who in case will have to compromise their orientation? Blame the nose! 4:31:44 PM    comment []

Cat Bathing as a Martial Art Some people say cats never have to be bathed. They say cats lick themselves clean; that cats have a special enzyme of some sort in their saliva that works like new, improved Wisk dislodging the dirt where it hides and whisking it away. I've spent most of my life believing this folklore. Like most blind believers,I've been able to discount all the facts to the contrary, the kitty odors that lurk in the corners of the garage and dirt smudges that cling to the throw rug by the fireplace. The time comes, however, when a man must face reality: when he must look squarely in the face of massive public sentiment to the contrary and announce: "This cat smells like a port-a-potty on a hot day in Juarez." When that day arrives at your house, as it has in mine, I have some advice you might consider as you place your feline friend under your arm and head for the bathtub: Know that although the cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, I recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.) Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. I recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, hockey face mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket. Prepare everything in advance. There is no time to go out for a towel when you have a cat digging a hole in your flak jacket. Draw the water. Make sure the bottle of kitty shampoo is inside the glass enclosure. Make sure the towel can be reached, even if you are lying on your back in the water. Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule. If he does notice your garb, calmly explain that you are taking part in a product testing experiment for J.C. Penney.) Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.) Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point, and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared to what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semipermanently affixed to your right leg. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat. In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine. You may believe he is angry and into revenge. That is unlikely to be the case, as cats are pragmatic animals. Most likely, he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But at least for now, he smells a lot better. I did not write this; I just wish I had. I have no idea where it originated. It is a classic I first heard on Norwegian radio many, many years ago, presented as "the funniest letter this radio ever received." The radio djs were laughing so much they had a hard time even finishing the 'letter.' I recently encountered it in English, and thought you'd all enjoy it. Don't try this at home! 2:10:37 PM    comment []

Baptists condemn 'depraved' sea anemone "A coalition of Baptist clergymen spoke out Monday against the Telia felina, a transgendered sea anemone they are decrying as "base and depraved." "This filthy anemone, which exhibits both male and female characteristics, is turning our oceans' intertidal zones into dens of sin and perversion," said Rev. William Chester, spokesman for the Save Our Seas Coalition, a Huntsville-based activist group dedicated to "the preservation of aquatic decency and morality.""  [Read the rest at CDNN here] 1:40:38 PM    comment []

Little Belgium "So, little Belgium, which twice in the last century was overrun by a brutal and aggressive dictatorship that was on its way to invading a third country, has blocked NATO from carrying out its duty to help a member state -- Turkey -- defend itself against another brutal and aggressive tyrant [front page, Feb. 11]. That Belgium has done so with the full support of Germany, the very power that twice trampled it, and France, none other than Germany's two-time target, makes one wonder why it is Americans who have the reputation of being impervious to both history and irony." (A letter from a reader in the Washington Post) 1:05:52 PM    comment []

Fears increase in HIV cases in the US After the rate of new HIV infections have remained steady in the US for years, some experts now fear that the numbers are going up. Among the possible reasons for people being less cautious is that medication prolonging the life of AIDS sufferers have instilled people with optimism. 12:35:59 PM    comment []

Australia beat England 3-1 The most non-shocking "shock-result" ever, Australia beat England 3-1 in a 'friendly.' 2:53:05 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.03.2003; 00:14:54.