"Abra Cadabra... Hocus Pocus... "

So ASSK got to meet some of the senior leaders of the NLD. But why ? One topic that no reputable media outlet is going to talk about when talking about Myanmar is the topic of "magic'. Well, the JO is not all that reputable so let's take on the subject.

Freemasonry was a major organizing element of the American Revolution against the British. Freemasonry provided a system of management and symbolism to communicate secretly and accomplish its goals. Numerolgy plays a major symbolic role in Freemason activities and planning.

The number "9" represents "rulership". The number "7" is for "perfection". The number "8" equals "infinity" ( just turn it on its side, see ? ) The number "11" means to be "stuck"... thus "7-11" which means "always perfect". And don't get me started on "13".

Washington DC was built on Freemason designs - no buildings over 13 stories; the monuments form a pentagram; the White House address number is "1600" ( 1+6=7) and the zip code is "20007" ( 2+7=9 ). These numbers have no special powers but do represent the organizational and management power and skill to accomplish these achievements.

Now ASSK recently met party leaders - NLD Chairman, Aung Shwe and Central Executive Committee (CEC) member Lun Tin. Lun Tin is "88" years old and Aung Shwe is "92". Such perfect numbers for the Regime. "88" represents the tragedy and NLD loss of 1988; and "92" ( 9+2=11) - thus: "to be always stuck in tragedy and loss". ( and they met on the 17th of the month ... 1+7=8 ) These numbers have no magic power but do hint at the show of power by the Regime. Freemasonry, numerolgy, and symbolism are not wishful thinking and prayer - they are shows of power, skill, and management.

Anyhoo, all powerful entities pick their days carefully - Microsoft premieres Windows products on full moons; Sony on new moons; everybody loves feng shui, right ? If it was good enough for George Washington, we should all learn a little bit more.... ( American Revolution - 1776 - 7+6 = 13; and he waited until there were 13 colonies... que the eerie music ~~~~~~ )

The Future of Human Spaceflight...

What is the future of human spaceflight ? What's up at NASA ? Can we continue the same programs at these financial costs ? And what about the Space Shuttle ? It's so big and needs big equipment to set it up and that huge runway is too long ( and endangering to the alligators who wind up being runway kill on landing... )
Human spaceflight is a global endeavor nowadays. And what about the ISS ? We're not really going to junk it in 2016 are we ? We need to make that thing bigger to fit more people ! Didn't the people at NASA see the movie 2012 yet ?! The best way for the U.S. to continue its leadership role is to continue with space exploration. Spaceflight is also recently becoming a private commercial enterprise. Someone needs to build the Imperial Lambda Shuttle - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda-class_shuttle Anyhoo, lots of important people are thinking about the future of human spaceflight and what resources we have available to continue our space adventures.
( read what the experts say - http://www.ostp.gov/galleries/press_release_files/Augustineforweb.pdf

Howard Hughes Medical Institute - clones are us...

Janelia Farms is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's place to be for making clones, stem cells, and flubber. It's a world-class medical center and it's the leading non-governmental medical center with the biggest budget... about $13 billion for an endowment ( NIH is about $30 billion ). But at NIH, scientists can't do what they want... the federal government needs to answer to the people. But at Howard Hughes scientists are encouraged to do what they want. Outstanding scientists are given $1 million over five years to do their research. Although they have to give up their current positions in academia or industry, researchers get to build their team and live and work at "Janelia Farms". Janelia Farms is based on the models MRC Cambridge and Bell Labs. Janelia Farms is located in Ashburn, Virginia. Speedy noticed that the big difference between private and public medical institutions is not the cloning or stem cells lying around, but the bathrooms and boardrooms!... cant beat those corporate toilets... ( although federal toilets probably costs more )... visit the webpage for more info - http://www.hhmi.org/janelia/

Great Wall of solar panels...

Driven by climate concerns and a desire to modernize its economy, Beijing has begun addressing the emissions issue. Beijing calls its current stage of Green development as a "teething" stage."Regardless of whether the United States passes its own legislation, China will take positive measures because this is a requirement for our own economy to conserve resources," said Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission and China's point man in international climate talks. If China mimics the West's wasteful modernization path, he said, the environment would not be livable.In climate talks, China has argued that industrialized nations should do more to slow the pace of climate change compared with developing nations, where raising living standards is the priority. China has also noted the cumulative emissions of advanced economies since the Industrial Revolution. And some Chinese commentators have accused Western nations of using a carbon cap as a way to contain China's advancement.Nonetheless, the government has set ambitious targets for renewable energy, which is supposed to account for 15 percent of the country's fuel mix by 2020, and for tree planting, to boost forest cover to 20 percent of China's land mass by the end of next year. China plans to quadruple its nuclear power; by the end of next year, it may have 18 nuclear energy plants under construction, half of the world's total under construction.If China implements its Copenhagen commitment and the United States implements President Obama’s target, U.S. per capita emissions would still be double those of China in 2020. So, will we start seeing on solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, the ubiqutous "made in China" ?

PM Hatoyama raises hand for karate chop on science budgets in Japan

Japanese researchers are in uproar about the drastic budget cuts being recommended for science projects by a new cabinet-level government advisory unit. Since 11 November, working groups of the Government Revitalization Unit, created in September and chaired by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, have been re-evaluating 220 government-funded programmes, including dozens of prominent science projects. The drastic shake-up will hit the SPring-8 synchrotron in Harima, a planned supercomputer that was destined to be the world's fastest, ocean drilling projects and basic grant programmes, to name but a few.The recommendations, part of an effort to trim ¥3 trillion (US$ 33.7 billion) off next year's budget, are the most concrete indication so far that Japan's new government intends to make comprehensive, long-lasting changes to the country's research priorities. Scientists are reacting with frustration and, in some cases, apocalyptic predictions. One prominent crystallographer, who requested anonymity, said: "If this goes on, Japanese scientists, including young scientists, will flow overseas, and Japanese science will die."Hatoyama's government rode into power in August, promising to shift government expenditure from wasteful projects to initiatives that will benefit the average person, such as ending highway tolls. In August, Hatoyama said that he would nonetheless increase support for science. But since then, his government has been slicing into budgets. In October, the science and education ministry reduced the total grants for 30 of the projects under the Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST) from ¥270 billion to ¥100 billion2. - Politicians know that the ordinary Joe, or in this case, Yamamoto, wants to see the government make budget cuts. So, in order to get votes in the upcoming House elections, make the ordinary folks happy. PM Hatoyama is actually the first PhD to become PM of Japan. PhD in math from Stanford. Speedy guesses that's how he learned to do subtraction ! HI-YA CHOP !!!!

MAS BioEnergy - what is that ?!

Dr. Kennetg Reardon joined the department of chemical and bio engineering in 1988 after a year of postdoctoral research at the Universitat Hannover as an Alexander Von Humboldt Fellow. Since that time he has developed a research program in four areas. Most of his group's work is environmental biotechnology, particularly bioremediation. The goals of these projects are to improve our understanding of microbial degradation of hazardous compounds (often with the use of molecular biological and proteomic methods) and to develop better processes for cleanup of contaminated air, water and soil. A second research topic is the design of biosensors for environmental contaminants and toxicity. In collaboration with colleagues in Environmental Health Dr. Reardon conducts research in the area of quantitative toxicology. His fourth research topic is the development of innovative bioreactor strategies for products such as biosurfactants. Dr. Reardon holds joint appointments in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology and the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences. Professor Reardon is seeking the multidiscplinary approach on sustainable Bioenergy. He is helping organize a symposium at CSU in March 2010 on science education and issues related to multidisciplinary approaches.

Lee Kuan Yew caned me - such an honor

Ouch ! Please, sir, may I have another - whack ! Attended the US-ASEAN 25th anniversary dinner with special guest of honor Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. I got a chance to meet him and shake his hand - I asked "What about Burma?"... the Minister Mentor paused, looked at me, and growled loudly - "I've given up on Burma!!!" to which my only reply was "c'mon...." ( maybe I shouldn't have bothered him during dessert... my bad )

It was a nice evening at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in DC. George Schultz, U.S. Secretary of State for President Reagan and Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State for President Nixon were there too and said some nice things about Lee. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell was there and told a story about how Lee almost caned him when he was a youngster. And Senator Jim Webb gave the toast. Fun. President of the US-ASEAN business council, Alexander Feldman, awarded Lee with a life time achievement award. More fun. Lee gave a nice long speech and even took on some Q&A which was nice.

The Lady strikes a pose but silent - weird

The Johns Hopkins SAIS hosted a Burma forum last week ( Oct. 30, 2009 ) in Washington, DC. Big players and experts - Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, Ambassador Scot Marciel, Dr. Andrew Selth were all talking heads. The event also flew in Dr. Khin Zaw Win and many other activists... even heard Dr. Zarni was in town. Event sponsors were the Konrad Adenauer Foundation USA, Henry Luce Foundation, CNA, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, Brookings Institution. Dr. David Steinberg was there too, and if you know Dr. Steinberg, then you know this event was all about how to engage Myanmar.

And in today's news, Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs was in Yangon meeting with Suu Kyi in a public place and with photo ops too. Weird she didnt say anything. Did she even open her mouth to smile ?

Is everyone really buying into this ruse from the junta ? Is everyone really going to just watch on for the 2010 election ? Do you really think Suu Kyi will ever be free ? I guess history will decide. Where's Rep. Dana Rohrabacher when you need him ?

( Taylor Swift has nothing to do with this story but she's so purdee...)

President Obama visited MIT on Oct. 23 and Speedy was there too. Senator John Kerrey was there too ( check out his testimony for the Climate Change and Energy Bill at http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=319353 ). MIT is making all kinds of new stuff so we can have more options for energy sources. Speedy in particular likes solar panel windows. Just make the whole outside of the building out of solar panels. Cool, right ? or is it hot ? MIT is an interesting place... walk around the campus and listen to the students' conversations - "where's the party, dude?" - NOT... instead "what do you mean ferroelectronics and the pyrochlore phase are unrelated ?!!!" Speedy is impressed... geeks do rule the world.

It takes brains to save brains...

Back in March 2009, Dr. Elena Rozhkova, from Argonne National Lab (ANL) teamed up with organizers to put on a symposium with the latest on nanotech stuff.

The advances in new functional materials enable brand new types of devices and structures. Advanced materials have importance due to their tailored and unique characteristics, and their wide range of potential applications. Advanced materials and devices contribute to the advancement of a number of applications, including medicine and health, information and communication, space, transportation, structural materials, textiles, agriculture and food science, and the environment. Interdisciplinary research in the area of nanoscale materials plays a vital role in creating these advanced materials.

Now Elena is working on a "Cancer-seeking nanomissile" Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago's Brain Tumor Center have developed a way to target brain cancer cells using inorganic titanium dioxide nanoparticles bonded to soft biological material (A High-Performance Nanobio Photocatalyst for Targeted Brain Cancer Therapy). Brain tumors kill thousands of people every year.

"It is a real example of how nano and biological interfacing can be used for biomedical application," said scientist Elena Rozhkova with Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials. "We chose brain cancer because of its difficulty in treatment and its unique receptors."

Berman is not Burman

US House Committee on Foreign Affairs had a full committee hearing on Oct. 21 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building. The audience was not overflowing like the last meeting on Senate side, but still a good crowd. I felt sorry for Chairman, Rep. Berman having to hold the committee with so many whacko Republicans ( I didn't say 'conservative' becos Judson is a conservative himself ) but whacko Republican haters. I can report that Rep. Ros-Lehtinen yawned in the face of Asst. Sec. Campbell at least 8 times... and that Rep. Rohrabacher hates Obama more than he hates the Burma regime... and no one knows how to pronouce Burmese name...s - ing kwak yuu foo... what the ? c'mon staffers fill in your bosses with the info... and way too many staffers snickering... that's why Colin Powell went off on y'all. Asst. Sec. Campbell was quite the gentleman though and answered all the questions/attacks with intelligent replies. But he won't really know what's up until he visits Myanmar which he says will be in "a few weeks".

( Beyonce has nothing to do with this story... but she's so hot... and I forgot to take my camera to the hearing... )

"Where's my hi-five ?" Obama dissed Lama ?

"Human Rights are actually human failures... "

ASEAN nations unveil a landmark human rights watchdog this week, but critics charge that it will be both toothless and include in its membership one of the world's worst human rights offenders - military-ruled Myanmar. And what's wrong with including Myanmar, it can't try to improve itself ? The fates of Burma, Tibet, or Darfur is of little importance to the U.S. or the world in general. These are human failures--local political disasters for those populations. The U.S. can not truly be expected to right such wrongs, However, there is pressure to leave Iraq or Afghanistan/ Pakistan, but is there staggering solidarity for efforts to overthrow the likes of Saddam, Castro, Kim..? Where is the International World Order that would condemn such evil and put some teeth behind it ? But there is no such political consensus.
Instead we have international organizations that wet themselves over waterboarding one too many times. Securing human rights has a staggering human cost, and as we've learned in the last decade, the effort to secure these rights has to come from within. Is one Iraqi civilian's life worth Saddam's? It's for that Iraqi to decide, not for us. No country is untainted by moral failure nor unstained by innocent blood. But only the few that maintain strong principles of individual freedom can alter their own course and lead by example, instead of by force. The so-called Burma-problem has reached its final chapter. This is a matter for the people of Myanmar to decide. America can remain to champion liberty but it need not offer up blood or treasure. There will be an "election" in Myanmar ( there was an election in 1990 and it was free and fair, remember ? )and a new government will take the administration. Will this story have a happy ending or will it be spoiled ?

Hey, you need a lab coat when you come in here...

U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins hosted a visit from President Barack Obama. On 30 September, the final day of the 2009 fiscal year, the president chose NIH as the place to highlight the first year of spending from his 2-year, $787 billion economic stimulus package. The $5 billion disbursed by NIH to more than 12,000 grants is "the single largest boost to biomedical research in history," Obama said.

Obama came into the lab and said this place is boring. Is NIH losing its lustre ? Where's all the cures for all the diseases ? Is this really cutting-edge science ? Cancer research still continues to get the big bucks but is it worth it ? Is the trend gonna start going towards cancer prevention or still looking for the cure ?

Burma is not Vietnam (in case you didn't know)

Kurt M. CampbellAssistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs gave testimony at a Senate hearing for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee chaired by Senator Jim Webb.Dirksen Room 419 was packed. Never seen so many people for Burma hearing. Senator was greeted by tee shirts that read "Burma is not Vietnam"... I guess that needed clearing up... Next week there will be a full committee hearing on the House side. Let's see who shows up.( see the video of hearing here... )http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1705667530?bctid=42844450001

Low carbon emitting hair style...

The AAAS-Hitachi "Science & Society" lecture was held in Washington, DC on Oct. 14 and the speaker was good ole Ernie Moniz - the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, Director of the Energy Initiative, and Director of the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has served on the faculty since 1973. Professor Moniz served as Under Secretary of the Department of Energy from 1997 until January 2001 and, from 1995-97, as Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President.

The title of the talk was - "Energy Technology for a Low Carbon Future". He used a cool term "technology optimism" meaning we got the science to take care of the problems... but he added, we need to back it up with the appropriate public policy. He said he doesn't advocate any particular energy source as long as it is low on the carbon emission...

Japan's centenarians top 40,000 - Honorable Oldies

The number of Japanese centenarians has doubled in the past six years to a record high of more than 40,000, with women dominating the list of those whose lives have spanned more than a century, the government said on Friday.Japan will have 40,399 people aged 100 or older this month, surpassing the previous record of 36,276 last year, the Health and Welfare Ministry said in an report marking a September 21 national holiday honoring the elderly. More than 86 per cent are women. ( as of January 2008, the USA had 96,548 centenarians ).

ISS - "We need milk, eggs, toilet paper"

HTV/H-IIB Successfully Launched!! The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Demonstration Flight aboard the H-IIB Launch Vehicle Test Flight (H-IIB TF1) at 2:01:46 a.m. on September 11, 2009 (Japan Standard Time, JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch vehicle flew smoothly, and, at about 15 minutes and 6 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the HTV Demonstration Flight was confirmed. Speedy was there !!! Well, not there, there in Japan, but in the JAXA Washington DC Office. For more info - http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/h2bf1/index_e.html

“The report of NSF funding system”

Takakuni Ikeda is the hardest working man in Japan. In the Japanese government actually. And now he is the hardest working man in America. He is here in the USA as a NSF Fellow. I am always impressed by the high level of service the Japanese civil servant brings to his nation. They work late into the night and get back to work in the wee hours of the morning.
O-tsukarasama-desita Japan! Mr. Aso, are you listening? Either give everyone a raise or let them go home at 5:00 pm! God bless, America and Japan. Read his special report "The report of NSF funding system"

http://www.zam.go.jp/pdf/00000321.pdf(It helps if you can read Japanese)

The boring title was forced on Speedy by Mr. Ikeda. And also, this story is behind the times, as Aso is no longer PM ... the Alien is' bout to become PM.

Elephant Man...

This is the research work of up and coming scientist, Josh Plotnik at Emory. He sent Speedy his story. Check it out. And check out the videos on his homepage.

Most people have rather set, morning routines. Wake up, use the toilet, take a shower, stare blankly into a mirror while brushing your teeth, applying make-up, fixing your hair, etc. Clearly, all of the latter, mirror-guided behaviors are based on the fact that the person using the mirror recognizes that the image is simply a reflection of self. You don't quickly cover yourself when you walk past the mirror in the morning, or wonder why the strange person in the mirror seems to be imitating your every move, because you long ago became aware that mirrors are good for self-reflection. This capacity for what we scientists call "mirror self-recognition" or MSR, is actually quite rare in the animal kingdom. Chimpanzees are very good at it, as are most of the Great Apes (including chimps, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos). Recently, dolphins and magpies, of the corvid bird family, also demonstrated it. But all other species, including monkeys, dogs and cats, fail this test. In fact, when presented with a mirror, they indefinitely seem to identify the mirror-reflected individual as a stranger, threatening it, looking away from it, or simply ignoring it. Our research group at Emory University recently tested Asian elephants, who passed the mirror test and seemed to clearly recognize themselves in the mirror. Using a test first developed for chimpanzees, we first watched to see whether or not the elephants would show self-directed behavior (humans brush their teeth or fix their hair, chimpanzees inspect parts of their bodies they can't see without a mirror for instance)....the elephants would do similar things, like inspect their ears or the inside of their mouths, or bring food to the mirror to watch themselves eat. We then conduct a test called the mark test, where we mark the elephants on their heads to see whether or not, in front of the mirror, they reach up and touch the mark. One of our elephants, Happy, actually tried to wipe the mark off in front of the mirror....if Happy did not recognize herself, we might expect her to wonder why the strange elephant in the mirror had a mark of paint on her face and try to wipe it OFF THE MIRROR. What most interests us, however, is the fact that all of these MSR species seem to be highly empathetic, and/or highly social animals. What's the link between recognizing yourself in a mirror and caring for others' needs? We're not entirely sure yet, but these questions form the basis for our future research on elephants and other highly cognitive animals.
For more on this work and videos: http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/elephants.html

What the FAFSA are you doing ?!!

More students took out private loans in 2007-8 borrowing less than they could have in federal Stafford Loans—which is way up from just four years ago, according to theU.S. Education Department data released by the Project on Student Debt. That group includes students who did not apply for federal financial aid, as well as those who did apply but either did not borrow a Stafford Loan or borrowed less than they were eligible for. In 2003-4, 48 percent of students who took out private loans did not exhaust their Stafford Loan eligibility.

What's up with that ? Folks in the financial aid office need to work harder. Actually, Speedy has found that nearby here in the Northern Virgiania, Montgomery, and Howard County Community Colleges, the financial aid officers are very helpful. Speedy found the most helpful officers were at CUNY in New York City. They're just giving out money.

The report says the proportion of students taking out private loans grew from 5 percent in 2003-4 to 14 percent in 2007-8. The analysis also looked at the characteristics of students who took out such loans. It found that 63 percent of them attend colleges charging $10,000 or less in tuition and fees. It also notes that for-profit and private nonprofit four-year institutions have a disproportionate share of students taking out private loans. Hmmm, someone pitching something ? Speedy smells a money trail.... and by the way, FAFSA application is not difficult to fill out... if you cant fill out an 8 page (online) document, don't go to college.

( read more... )

http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/

and

http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/files/pub/private_loan_facts_trends_09.pdf

"Myanmar is for Lovers"

Impressive... yes, Senator Webb said he got this "impression" that Suu Kyi wants to lift sanctions. "It was my clear impression from her that she is not opposed to lifting some sanctions," Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) told journalists on Monday. The Judson Observer told you months ago ( see May 11 post ) that Webb was weaving something. Yettaw is a pawn of the regime and the regime asked Webb to come get him. Nobody knew Webb was going. Did the US Embassy in Myanmar know ? Did the Myanmar Embassy in DC know - nope. Only General Than Shwe can approve this level meeting and allow a meeting with Suu Kyi. And everyone knows Webb is anti-sanctions, so Than Shwe let him visit her. And knew he'd come out with the "impression" not a quote that Suu wants to lift sanctions. Nice. Regime voodoo is working well.

Sewer mistaken as nuclear reactor... oops

PHUKET, Thailand -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the nations of Southeast Asia to apply additional diplomatic pressure on the reclusive military regime that runs Myanmar. She expressed worry also about how North Korea was passing on its military capabilities -- and maybe even its nuclear technology to Myanmar. But the JO already told you this and even got the pics to prove it ( by the way, the tunnels are just sewer lines... )

Mrs. Clinton offered a carrot to Myanmar's leaders, saying that freeing jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi could open the way for the U.S. to allow investments in the country, which Washington currently targets with stiff economic sanctions. What the ? trade with Myanmar ? Cool! Any loosening of U.S. sanctions would represent a major change in U.S. policy. The reply of the regime was "we're not donkeys, we don't like carrots"....

see the full story on the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124826266087471853.html

"Free Burma!!!"... actually, freeing Burma is not free... your tax dollars...

Myanmar kyats...

International aid and development folks in Washington DC are abuzz with hope that U.S. foreign-aid policy might finally be getting a much needed overhaul. Critics have complained that U.S. assistance comes with too many conditions and that too much of the money goes to U.S. companies and consultants. But now maybe President Obama will make some changes.

Probably President Obama's eyes were really opened after his trip to Africa and he saw how pouring money on problems is not the solution. But it's not the Prez that's pouring money onto projects it's government agencies controlled by board members with their own special interests and connections to businesses and consultants.

The National Endowment for Democracy pours millions of your tax dollars to help the likes of Tibet, Uigghurs, Sudan, Israel, and Burma, the list goes on... but do you know how the recipients of these grants spends your tax money ? Can we really make Israelis and Palestinians get along through conferences (ka-ching) ? Can the US influence China not to beat down the llamas by a lecture series (ka-ching) Can your tax dollars save Darfur ( ka-ching ka-ching) ?

see where your money is going

http://www.ned.org/grants/08programs/grants-asia08.html#Burma

then send emails to find how your tax money is spent webmaster@ned.org

"Separation of Church and Science" - actually means, keep science out of the church...

TJ's letter to Danbury Baptists

Dr. Frances Collins - NIH Director appointee. You saw it here on SpeedyJOHO months ago. Thanks to friends at WH and NIH, Speedy could tell you way ahead of time. There was lots of complaining about Collins before the appointment and after the July 8 appointment.

So what if the guy is Evangelical. As you may know, originally the concept of "separation of church and state" was to keep government out of religion... nowadays it's about trying to keep the Religious Right out of politics. Same goes for science then - keep science out of religion. Religion is between man and his God on an individual basis. This is why the early American settlers came to the New World. To practice religion without government interference. So, same goes for science. Don't worry about religion having an influence on science; worry about scientists saying their is no god.

check this out - http://biologos.org/

Happy Independence day... way to rub it in, Ban

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar this week, he told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Speaking after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, he said he was aware of concerns about his July 3-4 visit coinciding with the trial of Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader, who has been under house arrest for years. "It may be the case that the trial happens during my visit to Myanmar. I am very much conscious of that," - duh ?

Listen, Wilberforce can tell you right now, the trail will end in 2011.

Ban told reporters. "I try to use this visit as an opportunity to raise in the strongest possible terms and convey the concerns of the international community of the United Nations to the highest authorities of the Myanmar government," he added. Ban plans to tell Myanmar officials that they must free Aung San Suu Kyi. Good luck with that - all the government offices are closed for the July 4th holiday. Listen to Liz and Nik, Ban !!!

( art by "Mr Creator" )

Rice for nukes...

President Obama said he is committed to "a world without nuclear weapons". How about a world without nuclear power ? If there was no nuclear power generation or power plants, then there would be no parts or material to have materials to be weaponized. Nuclear power is a nice alternative, but where to put all the waste ? Actually, oil and electricity is best. We just need to make better fuel efficient and better built cars; and better designed and insulated homes.

The four horsemen, Kissenger, Schultz, Nunn, Perry - should visit Myanmar. Find out what was on that DPRK cargo boat. "Rice for nukes" program ? Myanmar is doing a good job of sending students abroad to get training and knowledge about advanced technologies. ( next story about all the regime kids and partners at executive MBA programs... have have H1B will travel... not to confused with H1B1 with which you cannot travel and will be quarantined )...

( these are best pics the JOspy plane and JOspy sub could get... )

Mr. Right... place and time...

Professor Edward Van Keuren Uses Optical Physics to Develop Nanoparticles for Cancer Diagnosis and Solar Cells. Edward Van Keuren, associate professor and chair of the physics department at Georgetown, has found himself in the middle of groundbreaking research in two vital areas: medicine and energy.“I guess I got to the right places at the right times,” Van Keuren says of his involvement in both of these important fields.Since coming to Georgetown in 1999, he has published more than 20 articles in science journals and amassed a body of work filled with physics and optical research. He is collaborating with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center to develop nanoparticles for cancer diagnosis. And his work with a solar energy company will examine materials for developing organic solar cells.

Professor Van Keuren also spent time in Japan with a grant from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) He tells Speedy JOHO that "JSPS played a great role in getting me started on an international scientific career and still helps me keep in touch and collaborating withcolleagues in Japan and elsewhere"

read the whole article from Georgetown University's "Blue & Gray"

http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=42120

When pigs fly...H1N1 Airlines...

$90-million live attenuated vaccine contract has been proposed by Obama administration. The virus in a live attenuated vaccine works in vaccinated people without causing illness. It would be given in lower doses than a killed virus or an antigen subunit vaccine. Therefore it can increase existing vaccine supplies 30- to 100-fold. As part of the almost $1-billion contract, the US government has awarded Sanofi Pasteur $191 million, Novartis $150 million, CSL Biotherapies $180 million and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) $38 million to supply H1N1 vaccine antigen.

All this money flying around and no secretary of HHS yet ? Reminds me of the days of SARS, bird flu, and the Bush era when it was crucial to award these contracts. I guess all you need to award contracts is a new disease for a new administration. Just blame civits, chickens, and pigs... what's next capibaras ? pharma fat cats ? phat capibaras ?

Down with Gator Nation... up with Geek World !!!

Speedy just visited the University of Florida. Wow, impressed with the physics department and all the bikinis on campus. But seriously... Simply put, the University of Florida is the most successful major sports program in the country. Before the Gators did it, no school had ever held NCAA titles in football and men's basketball at the same time. That doesn't happen without the money, and thanks to the Gator Boosters, Florida has the money. In 2006 the school's athletic department took in $82.4 million in revenue - that's No.1 one in the SEC and No. 5 in the country.

The University of Florida's Athletic Corporation is separate from the University itself. It's there to make money and it makes money like a parasite. College sports needs big money. First, there's the war for talent. As athletic director Jeremy Foley says, "Coaches make it all happen in college athletics." He hired Urban Meyer three years ago for about $2 million a year. Now the coach makes over $ 2.5 million a year.Gator basketball coach Billy Donovan, who got a raise from $1.7 million to $3.5 million after he first agreed to and then walked away from an even more lucrative NBA job. Foley himself is the highest paid A.D. in the U.S. - up to $1.2 million a year including bonuses.

But the really mind-blowing dollars in college sports are going into a facilities-building boom. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, from 2002 to 2007 schools in the nation's six premier athletic conferences raised at least $3.9 billion for stadium expansions, new practice facilities, and such. Now Speedy says that big college sports are a cancer to university education. Universities themselves too should be to blame for not luring donors to support the building of solar panels, fuel cells, time machines, and flying cars. What's more important - running a 40 in 3.9 ? or creating nanotubes for micro processors ? ( enjoy the photo - that's Coach Meyer... down with Gator Nation... up with Geek World ! )

How many Polak's does it take to relieve poverty ?

International Development Enterprise - IDE’s Myanmar program was launched in 2004 and is fast becoming one of the leading international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Myanmar.In Myanmar, IDE focuses our efforts on rural small farm households earning less than $2/day living in the most densely populated areas in both lower and upper Myanmar. Seventy percent of Myanmar’s 36 million poor live in rural areas and earn their income from small-plot agriculture.

IDE views poverty alleviation as a business and holds as its guiding principle the belief that the poor, if given an opportunity, will invest their own limited resources to escape from poverty.

So, do you really still think that NGO's working in Burma are aiding the regime ? You don't have to do humanitarian work in secret. You can do it legit and don't be fooled by no one that don't show the receipts. IDE is legit. Help the Myanmar people to help themselves.

See Paul speak - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSEGN-EJJho

ghost town burning restless for 100 years... spooky...

In the state of Pennsylvania there is a town called Ashland. Follow local rout 61 northbound and then traffic is abruptly branched onto a short detour. Exactly what the detour is for is not immediately clear to travelers, and passers-by pay it little mind. Afterall, a detour is nothing unusual. But anyone who ignores the detour and ventures along the original route 61 highway will soon encounter a sudden and unexplained road closure. Beyond it lies a town filled with overgrown streets, smoldering earth, and ominous warning signs. It is the remains of the borough of Centralia. booohahahahha~~~~ read more: http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/pennsylvanias-burning-mines
and of course http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania
and Google it by yourself too...
How about some of that Obama clean-up stimulus money for this place... don't give it all to Jersey.
(photo by Matt Redden)

Eat me... ITER...

What's up with ITER ? When is Fusion ever gonna become a reality ? I want my miniature sun now ! They got that CERN built already and Hollywood even stole some anti-matter from there to make a mini black hole to suck up the Vatican. When are we gonna get ITER done ? Seems like a lot of smart people are working on it, but it seems as Prof. Niek Lopes Cardozo, "Building ITER is like building the space station, but having to set up NASA and ESA in the process." Hmmm, that doesn't sound so good.

Norbert Holtkamp, ITER's principal deputy director-general says, "ITER is an abbreviation for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, and it also has a Latin meaning—iter means "the way" in Latin. ITER is the intent to build the largest fusion reactor experiment in the world. A much smaller version of it exists now. JET —the Joint European Torus—the largest nuclear fusion experimental reactor device yet built, began operating in 1983 near Culham, England. ITER is the next step toward constructing fusion power reactors to generate electricity."

Here in the U.S. we have PPPL. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a collaborative national center for plasma and fusion science. Its primary mission is to develop the scientific understanding and the key innovations which will lead to an attractive fusion energy source. Good luck with that. But hey, it's good science. C'mon Fusion !!!

photo by Mamiya Rinzoo at PPPL

OMG... DPRK... WMD... LOL...

A Japanese scholar and expert on North Korea, Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University, has claimed recently that Kim actually died in 2003 and that the North has been using body doubles of Kim for public events. Waseda University celebrated the 125th anniversary of its founding by Shigenobu Okuma who was a scholar and government leader. Waseda is one of Japan's top private, co-educational institutions of higher learning.

http://www.waseda.jp/top/index-e.html

Here's another expert on North Korea - Dr. Robert Springs. His approach to engagement with the North is innovative and humane. http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2009/0406north_korea.shtml

"Why do Jewish men die before their wives? They want to. " - Henny Youngman

photo by Sancho

The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself.The Buddha says, There is no self.So, maybe we're off the hook. Find more funny jewish buddhist sayings here http://www.curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1160978

The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao does not take sides. The Tao has no expectations. The Tao demands nothing of others.The Tao is not Jewish.

This is the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue and cemetery which is the last remaining Jewish house of worship in Yangon and Burma's only synagogue. Let's fix this place up. Contact editor@judsonobserver.net for more information. Like you couldn't clean up a little ?

And see who's already working on it

.http://www.us-asean.org/myanmar.asp

Relax ! Don't do it ~~~ Frankie goes to Havana...

President Obama has taken steps to engage with Cuba by lifting restrictions on visits and money transfers by Cuban Americans. The Prez. also says he will start immigration talks again which were suspended in 2004. But the economic embargo still stands until there are democratic reforms. Also there need to be improvement on the Cuba's human rights record. But little brother Raul has been sacking moderate generals and ministers left and right. So, how is this going to effect US engagment and reform ? The Castro regime sucks; Raul is just continuing the same policies. So the U.S. should let the embargo stand. Anyway, ending the embargo would also entail congressional action which aint gonna happen unless... you could fix the deal with Delta Airlines and Verizon. Can you hear me now ?

Two interesting articles -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803766.html?hpid=moreheadlines

and

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/us/20cuba.html

Who put that pubic hair on my Coke ?! Dam...

Anita Hill Photographed by Mary Ellen Mark
Washington — President Obama will nominate a federal appeals judge, Sonia Sotomayor, to the U.S. Supreme Court - "Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, a possibility I abhor less or discount less than my colleague Judge Cedarbaum, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging. Justice O’Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am not so sure Justice O’Connor is the author of that line since Professor Resnik attributes that line to Supreme Court Justice Coyle. I am also not so sure that I agree with the statement. First, as Professor Martha Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life. find more here - http://www.discourse.net/archives/2009/05/more_on_sotomayor.html

Let us pray...

May 25, 2009 from the Chronicle of Higher Education
Scientist say that proposed new guidelines could stop stem-cell research which is already going on.
Many scientists and advocates of studies involving human embryonic stem cells thought that when President Obama signed an order on March for easing restrictions on the types of studies eligible for federal funds. But now there are proposed new ethical guidelines, which the National Institutes of Health released for comment last month, might have the opposite effect, The Washington Post reported. Maybe cause this guy will be the next NIH director.

I'm just bill... sitting on Capitol Hill ~~~

"Celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2008, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the organization aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more responsive government. In short, CRP's mission is to:
* Inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives
* Empower voters and activists by providing unbiased information
* Advocate for a transparent and responsive government

Open Secrets - cool organization

http://www.opensecrets.org/about/index.php

remember School House Rock ?

Yewlayleeyoohoo~~~~~~~~

http://www.swedenabroad.com/Start____6989.aspx

Cool things at the Embassy of Sweden

Zombie Ants in your pants...

"May 14, 2009--In South America female phorid flies have developed a bizarre reproductive strategy: They hover over fire ants , then inject their eggs into the ants with a needle-like appendage. "by the National Geographic Society -

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/photogalleries/zombie-ants/index.html

Jupiter and Uranus in Aquarius... time for a change

"BANGKOK, May 20 (UPI) -- Some observers will be allowed into a closed courtroom to watch the trial of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, sources said Wednesday."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/20/Myanmar-opens-Suu-Kyi-trial-to-observers/UPI-16301242833506/

Let me be the first to predict that ASSK will be freed by the Regime. We're all on the edge...

Oy, a Broch Obama...

From J Street -
"President Obama is getting ready to set his course for achieving real peace and security in the Middle East.But some are telling the President to go slow and take a hands-off approach to negotiations, rather than taking the immediate action needed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts.This Administration's first year is crucial to promoting peace in the region - and the President needs to know that he has strong support in Congress if he chooses a path of leadership and real action. "
Next year in Brooklyn !!!http://www.jstreet.org/ really cool organization...

Obedience school for cats

( engraving by Gustave Dore)
Was it really almost two years ago that the Saffron Revolution occured ? Just as there are the two camps arguing over sanctions vs. no sanctions, engagement vs. isolation, carrots vs. radishes, and non-violence or partriotism; was the Saffron Revolution inspired by politics or poverty ? Why is it that the Burma-Myanmar discussion is always so black-and-white ? I think it is attractive to keep the topic black-and-white for many scholars because they can flex their brains. For business people, it's about supply and demand - the Benjamins. For policy gurus, it's about publishing and getting to the West Wing. But the issue for the Myanmar people is not black-and-white, nor is it grey; it is rather quite colorful. The Myanmar people, I say "Myanmar people" and not "Burmese" in order to include all the ethnicities, are free to do what they want to do to be free. Certainly, first, the effort will require physical strength and sustainance. In "8-8-88", protestors were successful due to the genoristy of those with the resources to feed protestors. This time around in 2007 there was mass protest in Yangon, but no resources to sustain the movement. Secondly, the Myanmar people must decide are they devoted to non-violence or freedom. Is it more important to restrain oneself from forceful assault and either perish or be imprisoned; or is it more important to defend oneself in order to further pursue ways to be free? Is it patriotic to be non-violent ? What is the value of death and detention vs. active operations to acquire desired freedoms ?

Miyamoto Musashi says, "It is difficult to realize the true Way... Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things." Each citizen of Myanmar should find his own Way. Be it by sword, or pen, or art, or trade, each citizen should act with insight. Another skillful sword weilder once said, "Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot." ( Meow... and Puss after that never chased after mice... but only for his own diversion ).
by Wilberforce

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33479.pdf

Saving the Children long before Nargis...

“I think everybody in the country is feeling the tension … we certainly believe that we were here for the right reasons before, there are enormous numbers of children that are living in very dire situation in this country and that hasn’t changed, and I think that we have a responsibility to be here.
- Andrew Kirkwood, Save the Children, commenting on the recent situation in Myanmar.

read more http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/media/newsdesk/2007-10-25.html

check out the cool cap...

http://shop.savethechildren.org/savechild/product.asp?s_id=0&prod_name=Cap+%2D+%22Dana+Kids%22&pf_id=PAAAAAOIJMEDJOFD&dept_id=3062

TGC - GCT - GAP -

From the Scientist.com by Elie Dolgin

Nearly four decades after biochemist Phoebus Levene first postulated his "tetranucleotide hypothesis" in 1910, most scientists still believed that DNA was made up of equal numbers of the four nucleotide bases in a repeating tetrameric structure, with each subunit containing all four bases.
Then in 1947, John Masson Gulland, together with Dennis Oswald Jordan and their colleagues at University College, Nottingham, perfected a method of extracting DNA from calf thymus glands.

Then see what happend...

http://www.the-scientist.com/templates/trackable/display/article1.jsp?type=article&o_url=article/display/55648&id=55648

Who cares if he's gay or straight...

Brussels Sprout Would Tintin appeal to American taste? by Michael Taube the Weekly Standard

On January 10, 1929, Belgium's Le Petit Vingtième, a weekly children's newspaper supplement to Le Vingtième Siècle, introduced the world to a new cartoon hero, Tintin.
Tintin was created by the supplement's talented editor in chief, Georges Prosper Remi, better known by his pen name, Hergé. His protagonist was depicted as an intrepid young reporter with a love for adventure, mystery, and intrigue. Tintin's constant companion was his faithful dog, Snowy, and he was later joined by a memorable cast of characters: the crusty sea dog Captain Archibald Haddock, brilliant eccentric Professor Cuthbert Calculus, and the mirror-image (albeit unrelated) detectives Thomson and Thompson.
Tintin turns 80 this year--and still doesn't look a day over 17.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/489dpvft.asp

"Turn on your heart light" - Neil Diamond

Creating the Astro-Comb to Locate Earth-Like Planets
A new way of reading light will sharpen the view of planets around other stars
WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Thanks to the ability of astronomers to detect the presence of extrasolar planets orbiting distant stars, scientists today are able to examine hundreds of solar systems. Now researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. have created an “astro-comb” to help astronomers detect lighter planets, more like Earth, around distant stars. The Harvard group will present their findings at the 2009 Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics/International Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/IQEC), which takes place May 31 to June 5 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

http://www.osa.org/

Cool stuff going on here with light... any bright ideas ?

US's NATO policy on Burma - "No Action, Talk Only"

Aung San Suu Kyi should be released immediately: US
4 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States said Thursday that pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi should be released immediately after Myanmar's military junta brought new charges against her.
"I am ready to say something more than just that ... we're troubled," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters when asked if he would go further than a statement he released earlier in the day.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jlXTP-B1KhNe4MAZvCXBlCi4j4xw
May 14, 2009
Burma Should Release Aung San Suu Kyi, Allow Greater Political Freedom, Say Berman and Ros-Lehtinen
Washington, DC – The chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today called on the military government of Burma to release human rights leader and democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was brought before a Burmese court on short notice and sent to prison.
“Aung San Suu Kyi has devoted her life to the peaceful struggle for democracy and freedom for the Burmese people,” said Chairman Howard L. Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. “The military junta should immediately release her, allow greater political freedoms in the country, and respect the human rights of all of Burma ’s citizens.”

I'll huff and I'll puff... and I'll... I'll...

Visit Washington, DC and dine at Cafe Milano

You like a nice loud fine dining experience ? Enjoy great food and celeb watching. Come on down and spend this week's allowance of your grand daddy's trust fund at the DC place to see and be seen. http://www.cafemilano.net/index.htm

Marc and J-Lo at Cafe Milano in January 2009.

Ye\ Taw ?

RANGOON — Police tightened security around Burma's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday after an American man was arrested for allegedly swimming across a lake and sneaking into her lakeside home. The Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported that authorities fished the man out of Rangoon's Inya Lake early Wednesday while he was returning from the visit to Suu Kyi's home. The report identified the man as John William Yeattaw but ...

Rambo is looking old... ( "Ye - ttaw" actually means brave warrior in Burmese)... you just can't beat that Regime... even Rambo went home in the end... )
( Yettaw is 53 years old... 5+3=8... the number of finite infinity... ala '88... )

http://burmanewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/05/us-man-arrested-for-entering-suu-kyi.html