New Post (161) : Off to the Sea of Okhotsk
Folks,
I started this blog on the 10th Oct. (5 months ago).
After logging 160 posts I am taking a break from writing for a while.
Only to pursue my interest in trekking on float ice in the sea of Okhotsk.
Tucked between Siberia and Russia’s frozen Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sea of Okhotsk is at the same latitude as the Gulf of Alaska, but unlike the Gulf, the sea freezes between October and March. Fresh water from rivers like the Amur dilutes the relatively shallow, salty sea and raises the temperature at which ice can form. During the winter, the Sea of Okhotsk is beset by frigid air from the Siberian landmass, and this creates large ice floes that cover much of the sea.
Catch my blog when I am back. If I (manage to) get back.
Cheers,
Charlie Brown
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
What’s all the fuss in Japan about ?
New Post (160) : What’s all the fuss in Japan about ?
1. Japan's centre-left government suffered a blow Sunday when its foreign minister resigned for taking money from an ethnic Korean who is not a citizen, drawing fire from the conservative opposition.
He, had been seen as a likely successor to the Prime Minister, who has struggled in the face of support ratings below 20 percent and a split parliament that has threatened to derail his reform agenda.
The ambitious foreign minister came under pressure last week when he admitted he had accepted the equivalent of several hundred dollars in campaign donations in recent years from a Japanese-born woman of Korean ethnicity.
Under Japanese law, it is illegal for politicians to accept donations from a foreign national and the scandal has been all the more damaging to the foreign minister, who as foreign minister had taken a hawkish and strongly patriotic stance.
He had been the most vocal cabinet minister in recent diplomatic battles Japan has fought with China and Russia over disputed territories, legacies of Japan's troubled wartime history with its neighbours.
After days of braving angry protests from conservative politicians in the Diet legislature and on TV talk shows, he on Sunday evening met the Prime Minister to resign, then announced his decision in a televised press conference.
That’s said…
2. Common people and crooked politicians (& businessmen) alike---in the top 50% (& more) countries on the various oft quoted lists of the world’s most corrupt countries are wondering---What’s all the fuss about ? […numbed by Billions and Trillions of dollars of corruption in their own countries]
3. The Japanese may have “over-reacted”. (and then maybe not) (since it’s the principle and not the measly $600 amount involved that counts). All said---Zero tolerance is a good rule. An aspiration. …………..That will change nothing. ……….The “actual” big fish will swim as usual.
4. Forcing his resignation is a farce. ($600 - buys no influence.)
This is comic hypocrisy. .........Let's get real folks.
Charlie Brown
1. Japan's centre-left government suffered a blow Sunday when its foreign minister resigned for taking money from an ethnic Korean who is not a citizen, drawing fire from the conservative opposition.
He, had been seen as a likely successor to the Prime Minister, who has struggled in the face of support ratings below 20 percent and a split parliament that has threatened to derail his reform agenda.
The ambitious foreign minister came under pressure last week when he admitted he had accepted the equivalent of several hundred dollars in campaign donations in recent years from a Japanese-born woman of Korean ethnicity.
Under Japanese law, it is illegal for politicians to accept donations from a foreign national and the scandal has been all the more damaging to the foreign minister, who as foreign minister had taken a hawkish and strongly patriotic stance.
He had been the most vocal cabinet minister in recent diplomatic battles Japan has fought with China and Russia over disputed territories, legacies of Japan's troubled wartime history with its neighbours.
After days of braving angry protests from conservative politicians in the Diet legislature and on TV talk shows, he on Sunday evening met the Prime Minister to resign, then announced his decision in a televised press conference.
That’s said…
2. Common people and crooked politicians (& businessmen) alike---in the top 50% (& more) countries on the various oft quoted lists of the world’s most corrupt countries are wondering---What’s all the fuss about ? […numbed by Billions and Trillions of dollars of corruption in their own countries]
3. The Japanese may have “over-reacted”. (and then maybe not) (since it’s the principle and not the measly $600 amount involved that counts). All said---Zero tolerance is a good rule. An aspiration. …………..That will change nothing. ……….The “actual” big fish will swim as usual.
4. Forcing his resignation is a farce. ($600 - buys no influence.)
This is comic hypocrisy. .........Let's get real folks.
Charlie Brown
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Why is the US media Losing to foreign media ?
New Post (159) : Why is the US media Losing to foreign media ?
The severe loss of credibility of US centric media sources is quite clearly in evidence.
In the news………..
The US is losing the global information war, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared while appearing before a congressional committee to ask for extra funds to spread US propaganda through new media.
Clinton said existing private channels are not good enough to handle the job, naming as rivals Al Jazeera, China's CCTV and RT -- which she watches, she added.
Clinton was defending her department's budget in front of the House's Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. She said the US should step up its propaganda effort and get back "in the game" of doing "what we do best."
"During the Cold War we did a great job in getting America's message out. After the Berlin Wall fell we said, 'Okay, fine, enough of that, we are done,' and unfortunately we are paying a big price for it," she said. "Our private media cannot fill that gap."
"We are in an information war and we are losing that war. Al Jazeera is winning, the Chinese have opened a global multi-language television network, the Russians have opened up an English-language network. I've seen it in a few countries, and it is quite "INSTRUCTIVE" she stated.
Things have changed a lot since the days when Western media outlets, including BBC and CNN, had a monopoly on the coverage of world news. More and more viewers across the world tune into various foreign media to get a fresh take on events.
X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is all in the numbers. For instance, RT's presence on YouTube is a real hit: almost 300 million views, when CNN International is struggling to reach 3 million.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X
RT's constantly growing audience is an indication that the days of media monopoly are over and that people are demanding more multi-polar thinking.
Ever since I switched to watching the RT TV, I have started understanding what's going on and why ? So also say a lot of my British friends.
Charlie Brown
The severe loss of credibility of US centric media sources is quite clearly in evidence.
In the news………..
The US is losing the global information war, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared while appearing before a congressional committee to ask for extra funds to spread US propaganda through new media.
Clinton said existing private channels are not good enough to handle the job, naming as rivals Al Jazeera, China's CCTV and RT -- which she watches, she added.
Clinton was defending her department's budget in front of the House's Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. She said the US should step up its propaganda effort and get back "in the game" of doing "what we do best."
"During the Cold War we did a great job in getting America's message out. After the Berlin Wall fell we said, 'Okay, fine, enough of that, we are done,' and unfortunately we are paying a big price for it," she said. "Our private media cannot fill that gap."
"We are in an information war and we are losing that war. Al Jazeera is winning, the Chinese have opened a global multi-language television network, the Russians have opened up an English-language network. I've seen it in a few countries, and it is quite "INSTRUCTIVE" she stated.
Things have changed a lot since the days when Western media outlets, including BBC and CNN, had a monopoly on the coverage of world news. More and more viewers across the world tune into various foreign media to get a fresh take on events.
X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is all in the numbers. For instance, RT's presence on YouTube is a real hit: almost 300 million views, when CNN International is struggling to reach 3 million.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X
RT's constantly growing audience is an indication that the days of media monopoly are over and that people are demanding more multi-polar thinking.
Ever since I switched to watching the RT TV, I have started understanding what's going on and why ? So also say a lot of my British friends.
Charlie Brown
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Mozart Effect is nonsense
New Post (158) : The Mozart Effect is nonsense
Northern Illinois University's "Mathematics and Music" page outlines projects that have been performed associating math and music.
One such project is the Mozart Effect, which correlates performance in mathematics to listening to Mozart.
Your student can create a miniature version of the Mozart Effect. To do this, the student creates a music CD that contains several tracks of Mozart's music, and distributes this music to 10 of her friends. After one week, two weeks and three weeks, the student measures the performance of her friends on standardized math testing (such as 100-question multiplication tests). At these week intervals, the student should also measure scores on these same tests for students who did not listen to the CDs. Using this information, the student will be able to decide whether her information agrees with the Mozart Effect.
To my mind the relationship between ability in math and music is rubbish.
Question : Was Mozart (himself) a mathematical genius (too) ?
I think we all know that the answer to that one is --- NO.
A stilling of the mind with MEDITATION is more likely to better your ability with math. (provided a basic minimum ability with math exists)
Charlie Brown
Northern Illinois University's "Mathematics and Music" page outlines projects that have been performed associating math and music.
One such project is the Mozart Effect, which correlates performance in mathematics to listening to Mozart.
Your student can create a miniature version of the Mozart Effect. To do this, the student creates a music CD that contains several tracks of Mozart's music, and distributes this music to 10 of her friends. After one week, two weeks and three weeks, the student measures the performance of her friends on standardized math testing (such as 100-question multiplication tests). At these week intervals, the student should also measure scores on these same tests for students who did not listen to the CDs. Using this information, the student will be able to decide whether her information agrees with the Mozart Effect.
To my mind the relationship between ability in math and music is rubbish.
Question : Was Mozart (himself) a mathematical genius (too) ?
I think we all know that the answer to that one is --- NO.
A stilling of the mind with MEDITATION is more likely to better your ability with math. (provided a basic minimum ability with math exists)
Charlie Brown
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
China's Gold Panda coins
New Post (157) : China's Gold Panda coins
China issued its first gold coins picturing an Panda design in 1982, in sizes of 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/10 troy oz. of 999 fine gold. Beginning in 1983 another size was added - 1/20 oz. Larger Panda coins were issued in some years, weighing 5 and 12 oz. These popular coins are issued in Proof like Brilliant Un-circulated quality with a different design each year. A freeze of the design was announced with the 2001 issues—and thus the 2002 Pandas were identical to 2001. But collectors spoke up in behalf of annual changes, and China reverted to their original policy. There are several mints that produce these coins, including but not limited to: Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Shenyang. Unlike coins made by US mints that carry mint marks to distinguish their origin, Chinese mints usually do not employ mint marks. In certain years there are minor variations—in the size of the date, style of the temple, etc.--in the coin design that allow the originating mint to be determined.
What if the Chinese slowly gradually incrementally patiently ----switch all (or most) of their considerable foreign currency reserves to Gold Panda coins....... [ think about what that would do to all leading currencies of the world ! ]
Charlie Brown
China issued its first gold coins picturing an Panda design in 1982, in sizes of 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/10 troy oz. of 999 fine gold. Beginning in 1983 another size was added - 1/20 oz. Larger Panda coins were issued in some years, weighing 5 and 12 oz. These popular coins are issued in Proof like Brilliant Un-circulated quality with a different design each year. A freeze of the design was announced with the 2001 issues—and thus the 2002 Pandas were identical to 2001. But collectors spoke up in behalf of annual changes, and China reverted to their original policy. There are several mints that produce these coins, including but not limited to: Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Shenyang. Unlike coins made by US mints that carry mint marks to distinguish their origin, Chinese mints usually do not employ mint marks. In certain years there are minor variations—in the size of the date, style of the temple, etc.--in the coin design that allow the originating mint to be determined.
What if the Chinese slowly gradually incrementally patiently ----switch all (or most) of their considerable foreign currency reserves to Gold Panda coins....... [ think about what that would do to all leading currencies of the world ! ]
Charlie Brown
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wisconsin playing with worker’s rights is dangerously wrong.
New Post (156) : Wisconsin playing with worker’s rights is dangerously wrong.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's plan to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights, is a dangerous idea that could spread to other states.
In Wisconsin, public servants are being scape goated and budget cuts are being used as an excuse to undermine workers' rights. That’s no way to go about building consensus and it’s no way to treat American workers.
It’s dangerous and it’s wrong.
Charlie Brown
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's plan to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights, is a dangerous idea that could spread to other states.
In Wisconsin, public servants are being scape goated and budget cuts are being used as an excuse to undermine workers' rights. That’s no way to go about building consensus and it’s no way to treat American workers.
It’s dangerous and it’s wrong.
Charlie Brown
Friday, February 25, 2011
ResearchGate
New Post (155) : ResearchGate
ResearchGATE is a free social networking site...
…and collaboration tool aimed at scientific researchers from all disciplines of science.
It provides web applications including semantic searching (whole abstract searching), file-sharing, publication database sharing (e.g. endnote libraries), forums, methodology discussions, groups etc.
Members can create their personal blog within the network.
Since May 2008, ResearchGATE has gathered a user base of more than 700,000 researchers from 196 countries.
Look it up on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Research-Gate/110711062289583?sk=wiki
For understanding the serious uses that Facebook can be put to.
Charlie Brown
ResearchGATE is a free social networking site...
…and collaboration tool aimed at scientific researchers from all disciplines of science.
It provides web applications including semantic searching (whole abstract searching), file-sharing, publication database sharing (e.g. endnote libraries), forums, methodology discussions, groups etc.
Members can create their personal blog within the network.
Since May 2008, ResearchGATE has gathered a user base of more than 700,000 researchers from 196 countries.
Look it up on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Research-Gate/110711062289583?sk=wiki
For understanding the serious uses that Facebook can be put to.
Charlie Brown
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