or: Let a thousand elements bloom!
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All posts by Chris
bush to insurgents: “please stop bringing ‘em on”
From a Reuters story today:
President George W. Bush admitted on Thursday that his bellicose “bring ‘em on” taunt to Iraqi insurgents was a big mistake, as he and Prime Minister Tony Blair carefully avoided setting a timetable for removing troops from Iraq.
A mistake? Really? Ya think? Could there perhaps be other mistakes lurking in our president’s past?
Scientists Predict How to Detect a Fourth Dimension of Space
From PhysOrg:
Scientists at Duke and Rutgers universities have developed a mathematical framework they say will enable astronomers to test a new five-dimensional theory of gravity that competes with Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.
I especially like that the test uses gravitational lensing, the same effect that was used to test the General Theory back in 1919. This time the effect is subtle enough to require a gamma-ray observatory in orbit, which is expected to be launched in 2007.
further signs of empire
Faced with human rights scandals, trillion-dollar deficits, rampant corruption, and a rising death toll, our Senate finally decided to do something:
They declared English the national language of the United States. Or maybe the common language. Something like that.
Sigh. What exactly does this get anyone? Nothing. Then again, what harm could it do? Plenty, actually. From the amendment:
Unless otherwise offered or provided by law, no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the Government of the United States or any of its officials or representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or provide materials in any language other than English.
Which is all well and good until you realize that this opens the door to effectively deny non-English-speakers who are legitimately in the country any assistance when, say, facing the charge of, say, Driving While Brown. Perhaps I’m just being oversensitive, but I’ve learned that it’s never too early to oppose stupid policy.