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Doctors’ Mistake May Have Caused Ariel Sharon’s Stroke

Posted on April 20, 2006 ·

“Doctors in Israel have admitted making a mistake in December when they treated the then prime minister, Ariel Sharon, with large doses of blood thinners after a mild stroke, according to a TV investigation broadcast yesterday.

Mr Sharon has been comatose since suffering a stroke on January 4.

Channel 2 TV quoted doctors who treated him at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital as saying that the anticoagulants given after a minor blood clot two weeks earlier might have caused the debilitating haemorrhagic stroke.

One of the doctors spoke of a “great failure” in the treatment of Mr Sharon, 78.”  reports The Guardian and The Jerusalem Post.

Scary.  You’d think the Prime Minister receives the best medical care….

Update (4/20):  Denial  at The Jerusalem Post.

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Filed Under: Politics ·
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What’s the Big Fuss About the Exit Exams?

Posted on April 10, 2006 ·

(Updated)
From the Merc: “In what could become the first school-based rebellion against the state’s high-stakes high school exit exam law, one of the Bay Area’s largest school districts is considering awarding diplomas to seniors who have failed the exam but are otherwise qualified to graduate”   

  • What exactly does “otherwise qualified” mean? 

“There’s a whole group of kids who are working really hard and, for whatever reason, can’t pass this exam,” 

  • Working hard is nice but not enough …

“Most of all, students realize that having a diploma is key to better job prospects. If you want a decent job, the diploma opens doors.”

  • So it’s about entitlement?  We deserve a diploma so we get better jobs.. even if we can’t pass a very basic exam?

I just don’t get it.  There is a competitive world out there, at the end of High School it’s about high time (pun intended) to learn that achievement is what gets rewarded, not sitting through all these years.

Related posts:

Update (4/12):  Why Johnny cannot get a tech job – a good example by Vinnie on what happens when we “pump out” high school graduates without proper educational achievements.

Update (8/11):  Appeals court refuses diplomas for 20,000 who failed exit exam (SFGate, hat tip: Jeff Nolan). Justice Ruvolo:  “A high school diploma is not an education, any more than a birth certificate is a baby.’’

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Filed Under: Business, Misc, Politics ·
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I’m Topping Yahoo News (?)

Posted on April 9, 2006 ·

No way .. that can’t be  – that’s what I thought when my visitor log showed Yahoo News as referrer. 

Clicking the link explains it all:  Yahoo News Search also displays relevant blog posts in the sidebar.  I wrote a piece about the elections in Hungary – not so much about the elections or the political situation but the fact that the incumbent Premier blogs daily.. for all I know he could be the first Head of Government doing so. 

Apparently the Hungarian elections are not the most talked about topic in the blogosphere, so my obscure little piece got listed right next to AP, AFP, UPI  … so there’s my 5 minutes (1 hour?) of fame.  

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Filed Under: Blogging, Misc, Politics ·
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The Blogging Prime Minister

Posted on April 8, 2006 ·

How many Heads of Government are known to be bloggers?    Hungarian Premier Ferenc Gyurcsany may be the first one.  The country is preparing for parliamentary elections this Sunday, and the incumbent’s move to start his blog several months ago turns out to be smart in many ways.

It’s all about getting close, personal: the occasional TV-interview at their private home, with kids running around always boosts politician’s ratings, but how often can they do it?   Gyurcsany talks to tens (hundreds?) of thousands of users every day on his personal blog.  His readers now know his family, they know about his son’s football accident, about his dog breaking expensive china ..etc – considering that polls show this election to be extremely tight, for the undecided voter it may just come down to this level of “personalization”.

Starting the blog was a perfect coup, putting his opponent in a rather inconvenient situation: if he starts his own blog, he’s a copycat, if he doesn’t (which is what he chose), he clearly sends at least tens of thousands of undecided voters to the incumbent’s way.  

Tomorrow we’ll see how it worked.  I certainly hope the blog will not die after the elections, independent of the results – in fact I hope this will set a precedent for other Heads of Government.

Update (4/13):  The Premier’s party won the first rounds in the elections.

Update (9/20): German Chancellor Angela Merkel started videoblogging.  Btw, the Blogma post incorrectly identifies Merkel Head of State.  Germany has a (largely ceremonial)  Head of State, the Chancellor runs the Government.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Politics ·
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Dr Doom Plans to Save Earth by Wiping Out 90% of Humans

Posted on April 2, 2006 ·

I am so shocked, I don’t find the right words.  I’d like to hope it’s a hoax… one scientist can go mad, but the entire Texas Academy of Science giving a standing ovation to this nutcase would-be mass murderer?    WTF?

Dr. Eric R. Pianka , a University of Texas evolutionary ecologist advocated for the extermination of 90 percent of the human species in a most horrible and painful manner, by releasing the Ebola virus – all in the name of “saving the Planet”.  Not only he received a standing ovation, but the Texas Academy of Science  honored him with its 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist Scientist award.

Here are the chilling details by The Citizen Scientist –  and retort by Dr. Shawn Carlson, Ph.D.

Update (4/2):  My prediction: this story will reverberate through Blogland, then in 2-3 days mainstream media will pick it up.  Nationwide uproar follows, the University of Texas will be forced to act, and Dr Pianka will not be teaching there for long.

Update (4/3):  The media is starting to pick up the story.  Jeff  (see comment below) just pointed to a Drudge story, and I’ve found some more today – hopefully, the list will grow. World Net Daily is running a poll – they likely lose a lot of voters, since they require registration, however, viewing is unrestricted, and here are the current results.

Update (4/5):  Just as I predicted, the story is all over the media, including ABC News,  Fox News, NBC,  CNN ..etc.  Professor Death was forced to come forward and explain his views…

Related posts:

Apparently some will politize this madness:

 

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Filed Under: Misc, Politics ·
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Free Speech Costs $100

Posted on March 31, 2006 ·

A nurse in Athens, Georgia was pulled over on her way home by a local police officer, who disliked that her bumper sticker “I’m Tired Of All The BUSHIT.”  The officer considered it  lewd, and gave her a $100 ticket for violating a state law prohibiting lewd or profane stickers and decals on vehicles.

The driver defended the sticker as a political statement that’s protected under the First Amendment.  By the way, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down the “lewd bumper  sticker” statute as unconstitutional in 1991, in a case involving a defendant who had a “Shit Happens” bumper sticker.

Here’s the detailed account of the incident. (hat tip: Eszter).   My readers know where I stand on Freedom of Speech,  so I’ll just list a few other related posts:

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Filed Under: Politics ·
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Bill O’Reilly Worst 8 Controversies

Posted on March 26, 2006 ·

Presented with video evidence of Bill O’reilly’s worst 8 moments

read more | digg story

Filed Under: Politics ·
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Bush’s Candid Moment

Posted on March 24, 2006 ·

Bush-mediacoverageSeveral posts (Steve Rubel, BL Ochman ..etc) picked on how President Bush acknowledged Blogs as increasingly powerful media.  The video is available here. 

The story is already widely discussed, I don’t want to echo it, rather pick a un unusually candid moment – or just a slip of the tounge? – when the Pres. acknowledges he’s just rambling:

“WOMAN: … and I’m sorry I’m rambling on like I have –
BUSH: So was I though, for like an hour –
[laughter]”   

Related posts:

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Filed Under: Humor, Politics ·
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How to Spot a Baby Conservative – or Liberal

Posted on March 22, 2006 ·

Baby bush2“Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative…The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests“

Read the full story at the Toronto Star.  It’s an interesting piece, my only comment is that I don’t think a sample of 95 kids, especially from one area is representative enough.

Others on the subject:

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Filed Under: Politics ·
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Anonymous Hate Commenter

Posted on March 12, 2006 ·

I’ve received a rather disturbing comment  to a previous post of mine.  It’s such a “marvelous masterpiece” that I decided to repost it in its full glory… be warned, the anonymous (!) commenter uses strong hate language.

“Re: Our Freedom of Speech Paradox
by Anonymous on Sat 11 Mar 2006 11:42 AM PST  |  Permanent Link
with reference to the prussian blue crap,

I am an extremely proud white (TRUE AMERICAN)man who happens to be quite educated and well off. My family were among the first from England to settle America. My country means everything to me, so forgive me for my rather strong opinion on this issue. i incidentaly happen to be a proud north-easterner. Listen up carefully all you scumtastic nazi-loving fascist hate-mongering “rebels.” We, and when i say we, i am referring to northerners, allowed you national traitors to fucking live after the great cival war. My great great grandfather personally cut down and sent to hell a veritable truckload of you bastards. Be grateful that you werent all rounded up and drowned in the damn ocean. Through years of struggle, war, and national conference we as American citizens have galvanized and made virtually permanent the values that regulate our society. Values like capitalism, christianity, freedome, liberty, and yes tolerance for our kind, many many of which dont happen to be white, Americans come in many races. Our national strength comes from our unity and adherance to our core values, not from the mindless divisive ignorance pawned off as pride by the likes of your kind. Damn, i kind of wish that a war would break out again, because it just might be time to purge all of you anti-american cockroaches out of our beautiful homeland. This is tha land of Washington, Lincoln, Luther King, Kennedy, and many more. This is not the land of Hitler, Mousillini, or any other sub-human force of medeocraty and national decline. I prey all your days come quickly so that my christian god will judge you good and proper”

Filed Under: Blogging, Politics ·
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