December 2, 2008 – 1:37 am
Despite living in the heart of a metropolis of millions, and technology seeing to it that even my mother has a facebook these days, apparently as a Londoner, I should still be feeling a vague sense of disconnection and anomie, second only to the inhabitants of Edinburgh, Scotland.
In what I imagine is an attempt to prove that the mainstream media is still 5 years behind the times, the BBC has carried out a thouroughly emo study of how lonely UK citizens are, and done us the favour of mapping the results (admittedly results are based on factors like ‘people renting privately’ because not owning your own home makes you a sad lonely bastard apparently).
Good work social fragmentation- thanks to you I no longer have to deal with my annoying neighbours.
LINK (BBC)
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December 1, 2008 – 7:48 pm
When you throw away that coke bottle, think about where it goes…recycled? – No, you were too lazy to seperate it. Landfill? – Nope, not enough room? Dumped in the ocean? Yeah. Where it joins every other bit of plastic dumped in that manner. And the resulting trash vortex isn’t exactly a good thing.
The “soup” is actually two linked areas, either side of the islands of Hawaii, known as the Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches. About one-fifth of the junk — which includes everything from footballs and kayaks to Lego blocks and carrier bags — is thrown off ships or oil platforms. The rest comes from land.
According to the UN Environment Programme, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds, which mistake them for food.
LINK (Alternet)
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December 1, 2008 – 6:52 pm
In a move that has been described by Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense as “extraordinary to the point of unbelievable” in a pre 9/11 climate, 20,000 uniformed troops will be stationed inside the USA to help deal with terrroris threats.
The Pentagon’s plan calls for three rapid-reaction forces to be ready for emergency response by September 2011. The first 4,700-person unit, built around an active-duty combat brigade based at Fort Stewart, Ga., was available as of Oct. 1, said Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of the U.S. Northern Command.
If funding continues, two additional teams will join nearly 80 smaller National Guard and reserve units made up of about 6,000 troops in supporting local and state officials nationwide. All would be trained to respond to a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive attack, or CBRNE event, as the military calls it.
…or they will be used to put down riots, revolutions and protests as America tears itself apart? Either way, I would suggest that having your own army policing the streets is a sure sign things are going badly.
LINK (Washinton Post)
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December 1, 2008 – 6:39 pm
For when the stabby attachment to your gun isn’t enough. Stick a petrol propelled chain of spiky nastiness to your boomstick and have some fun! Would this be the perfect anti – zombie tool?
LINK (Firearm Blog )
LINK (AR15.com)
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