Obama's Internet Campaign

(From the SF Chronicle)

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has raised $25 million in the first quarter of 2007, bolstered by an innovative Internet campaign that has helped him expand his appeal to a wider base of donors than his Democratic presidential rivals.
The Illinois senator's fundraising between Jan. 1 and March 31 brought in nearly as much as the $26 million raised by Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. But his base of 100,000 supporters surpasses the combined donors of Clinton, with a reported 50,000, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, whose campaign announced he had raised $14 million from 40,000 donors.
Though the Obama campaign has not released official numbers, sources close to the campaign say the senator raised considerable cash in California -- as much as $1.2 million in the Bay Area and surrounding counties, $2 million in Southern California and another $300,000 elsewhere in the state for a total of about $3.5 million during the first three months of 2007.
Official campaign finance reports are not due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission until April 15. Many of the other candidates released their overall fundraising amounts earlier this week. Obama's campaign released its numbers on Wednesday.
Leading Silicon Valley insiders noted that Obama raised nearly $7 million on the Internet thanks to an aggressive effort involving bloggers, social networking and other activities that far outpaced the endeavors of other leading Democratic candidates. It includes 4,000 My.BarackObama.com groups, 9,000 Obama bloggers and 50,000 online donors.
Experts say Obama's strategy in California, the ATM of political fundraising, helped make him a surprising contender in the first-quarter "money primary,'' a crucial measure of strength and viability in the early presidential race.

Text of the Berlin Declaration

Declaration on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the signature of the Treaties of Rome

For centuries Europe has been an idea, holding out hope of peace and understanding. That hope has been fulfilled. European unification has made peace and prosperity possible. It has brought about a sense of community and overcome differences. Each Member State has helped to unite Europe and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. Thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe is now consigned to the past. European unification shows that we have learnt the painful lessons of a history marked by bloody conflict. Today we live together as was never possible before.
We, the citizens of the European Union, have united for the better.

In the European Union, we are turning our common ideals into reality: for us, the individual is paramount. His dignity is inviolable. His rights are inalienable. Men and women enjoy equal rights. We are striving for peace and freedom, for democracy and the rule of law, for mutual respect and shared responsibility, for prosperity and security, for tolerance and participation, for justice and solidarity.
We have a unique way of living and working together in the European Union. This is expressed through the democratic interaction of the Member States and the European institutions. The European Union is founded on equal rights and mutually supportive co-operation. This enables us to strike a fair balance between Member States' interests.
We preserve in the European Union the identities and diverse traditions of its Member States. We are enriched by open borders and a lively variety of languages, cultures and regions. There are many goals which we cannot achieve on our own, but only in concert. Tasks are shared between the European Union, the Member States and their regions and local authorities.

II

We are facing major challenges which do not stop at national borders. The European Union is our response to these challenges. Only together can we continue to preserve our ideal of European society in future for the good of all European Union citizens, This European model combines economic success and social responsibility. The common market and the euro make us strong. We can thus shape the increasing interdependence of the global economy and ever-growing competition on international markets according to our values. Europe's wealth lies in the knowledge and ability of its people; that is the key to growth, employment and social cohesion.

We will fight terrorism and organised crime together. We stand up for liberties and civil rights also in the struggle against those who oppose them. Racism and xenophobia must never again be given any rein.

We are committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world and to ensuring that people do not become victims of war, Terrorism and violence. The European Union wants to promote freedom and development in the world. We want to drive back poverty, hunger and disease. We want to continue to take a leading role in that fight.

We intend jointly to lead the way in energy policy and climate protection and make our contribution to averting the global threat of climate change.

III

The European Union will continue to thrive both on openness and on the will of its Member States to consolidate the Union's internal development. The European Union will continue to promote democracy, stability and prosperity beyond its borders.

With European unification a dream of earlier generations has become a reality. Our history reminds us that we must protect this for the good of future generations. For that reason we must always renew the political shape of Europe in keeping with the times. That is why today, 50 years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, we are united in our aim of placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009.

For we know, Europe is our common future.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6491487.stm

Bill Gates keeps close eye on kids' computer time

Is this the result of the evaluation of evidence?

The following piece of news in not conclusive.

Just because you're the daughter of Bill Gates does not mean you get to play on your computer all day long.
The Microsoft founder said his 10-year-old daughter, his oldest child, was not a hard-core Internet and computer user until this year, when she started at a school where the students use tablet computers for almost everything.
"She became very avid and discovered a lot of computer games, including one that runs on the Xbox 360 called Viva Pinata, where you take care of your garden," he told a business audience in Ottawa.
"She could spend two or three hours a day on this Viva Pinata, because it's kind of engaging and fun."
Gates said he and his wife Melinda decided to set a limit of 45 minutes a day of total screen time for games and an hour a day on weekends, plus what time she needs for homework.

Obesity in the world. WHO ranking

There are currently 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world, according to the World Health Organization. That number is projected to grow by 40% over the next 10 years. The following list reflects the percentage of overweight adults aged 15 and over. These are individuals who have individual body mass indexes, which measures weight relative to height, greater than or equal to 25. Obese is defined as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30.
Rank Country %
1. Nauru 94.5
2. Micronesia, Federated States of 91.1
3. Cook Islands 90.9
4. Tonga 90.8
5. Niue 81.7
6. Samoa 80.4
7. Palau 78.4
8. Kuwait 74.2
9. United States 74.1
10. Kiribati 73.6
11. Dominica 71.0
12. Barbados 69.7
13. Argentina 69.4
14. Egypt 69.4
15. Malta 68.7
16. Greece 68.5
17. New Zealand 68.4
18. United Arab Emirates 68.3
19. Mexico 68.1
20. Trinidad and Tobago 67.9
21. Australia 67.4
22. Belarus 66.8
23. Chile 65.3
24. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 65.2
25. Seychelles 64.6
26. Bahrain 64.1
27. Andorra 63.8
28. United Kingdom 63.8
29. Saudi Arabia 63.5
30. Monaco 62.4
31. Bolivia 62.2
32. San Marino 62.1
33. Guatemala 61.2
34. Mongolia 61.2
35. Canada 61.1
36. Qatar 61.0
37. Uruguay 60.9
38. Jordan 60.5
39. Bahamas 60.4
40. Iceland 60.4
41. Nicaragua 60.4
42. Cuba 60.1
43. Germany 60.1
44. Brunei Darussalam 59.8
45. Slovenia 59.8
46. Peru 59.6
47. Vanuatu 59.6
48. Finland 58.7
49. Jamaica 57.4

50. Israel 57.3
51. Saint Lucia 57.3
52. Austria 57.1
53. Azerbaijan 57.1
54. Turkey 56.8
55. Tuvalu 56.6
56. Dominican Republic 56.5
57. Slovakia 56.3
58. Cyprus 56.2
59. Saint Kitts and Nevis 56.1
60. Costa Rica 55.8
61. Colombia 55.6
62. Antigua and Barbuda 55.5
63. Switzerland 55.4
64. Montenegro 54.9
65. Serbia 54.9
66. Serbia and Montenegro (The former state union of) 54.9
67. Albania 54.8
68. Fiji 54.8
69. Bulgaria 54.2
70. Luxembourg 54.2
71. Croatia 53.9
72. Bosnia and Herzegovina 53.8
73. Portugal 53.8
74. Armenia 53.3
75. Grenada 53.3
76. South Africa 53.3
77. Iran (Islamic Republic of) 53.2
78. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 53.2
79. Lithuania 53.1
80. Lebanon 53.0
81. Czech Republic 52.9
82. Syrian Arab Republic 52.8
83. Spain 51.8
84. Hungary 51.6
85. Panama 51.4
86. Tunisia 51.0
87. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 50.6
88. Brazil 50.5
89. Belize 49.8
90. Sweden 49.7
91. Norway 49.1
92. Russian Federation 49.1
93. El Salvador 48.7
94. Lesotho 48.5
95. Suriname 47.8
96. Paraguay 47.7
97. Guyana 47.5
98. Poland 47.5
99. Latvia 47.3
100. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 47.2
101. Ecuador 47.1
102. Turkmenistan 46.8
103. Ireland 46.6
104. Belgium 46.3
105. Marshall Islands 46.2
106. Netherlands 46.0
107. Uzbekistan 46.0
108. Denmark 45.8
109. Mauritius 45.6
110. Oman 45.6
111. Italy 45.5
112. Iraq 45.4
113. Georgia 44.8
114. Ukraine 44.8
115. Solomon Islands 44.0
116. Botswana 43.6
117. Honduras 43.5
118. Equatorial Guinea 43.0
119. Morocco 42.9
120. Dem. Republic of Timor-Leste 42.7
121. Mauritania 42.5
122. Estonia 42.2
123. Republic of Korea 42.0
124. Swaziland 41.8
125. Kazakhstan 41.4
126. Republic of Moldova 41.1
127. Bhutan 40.9
128. France 40.1
129. Cameroon 39.9
130. Maldives 39.9
131. Algeria 39.8
132. Dem. People's Republic of Korea 39.4
133. Kyrgyzstan 39.2
134. Romania 39.1
135. Lao People's Democratic Republic 38.9
136. Cape Verde 38.2
137. Tajikistan 37.3
138. Gabon 36.5
139. Myanmar 36.3
140. Liberia 35.6
141. Sierra Leone 33.4
142. Haiti 32.8
143. Zimbabwe 32.1
144. Thailand 31.6
145. Papua New Guinea 30.2
146. Malaysia 29.9
147. Ghana 29.2
148. China 28.9
149. Benin 28.5
150. Comoros 28.0
151. Angola 27.5
152. Nigeria 27.1
153. Yemen 27.0
154. Senegal 26.4
155. Philippines 25.2
156. Djibouti 24.9
157. Mali 24.1
158. Togo 24.0
159. Guinea 23.5
160. Sudan 23.1
161. Cote d'Ivoire 22.9
162. Singapore 22.9
163. Japan 22.6
164. Namibia 22.5
165. Pakistan 22.2
166. Sao Tome and Principe 21.4
167. United Republic of Tanzania 21.2
168. Malawi 19.3
169. Congo 18.9
170. Niger 17.6
171. Madagascar 17.4
172. Mozambique 17.3
173. Guinea-Bissau 16.7
174. Gambia 16.6
175. Indonesia 16.2
176. India 16.0
177. Somalia 15.8
178. Chad 15.6
179. Afghanistan 15.1
180. Uganda 14.8
181. Kenya 14.3
182. Burkina Faso 14.1
183. Rwanda 13.7
184. Zambia 13.0
185. Burundi 12.9
186. Central African Republic 12.9
187. Cambodia 11.3
188. Dem. Republic of the Congo 9.1
189. Nepal 8.4
190. Sri Lanka 7.4
191. Viet Nam 6.4
192. Bangladesh 6.1
193. Ethiopia 5.6
194. Eritrea 4.4

Berkeley and BP: A partnership of a public University and a Private Company

A new partnership led by UC Berkeley has been selected to receive an unprecedented $500 million from global energy firm BP to lead the way in research to develop new,
clean, renewable sources of energy. With this remarkable support, the work Berkeley will undertake will be transformative for the US and, indeed, our planet.
The UC campus will partner with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in this 10-year effort, which was announced this morning at a campus press conference by Robert A. Malone, chairman and president of BP America Inc., along with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
This new research effort -- the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) -- will focus initially on biotechnology to produce biofuels, that is, transportation fuels that are made from plants. Berkeley and its partners will bring the most creative science, innovative technologies, and astute understanding of social sciences to bear to
develop viable solutions to global energy challenges, among the most
fundamental problems facing us today.

A bitter family saga is at an end

Could the article by the same title in the BBC web site by By Matt Frei give the anser to the question I posed in my brevious post?
On one level, the hanging of Saddam Hussein is the end of a dramatic family saga that has pitted the Bushes of Texas against the Husseins of Tikrit.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6219767.stm
If this is true, then politics could be much simpler that we think it is...

Saddam's execution

I have not figured out what is the political message the US tried to send by the execution of Saddam.
And one oservation: Of the three nations that welcomed the event (USA, UK and Iran), the only one consistent in its views about Sadam is Iran.

Internet addiction in the US

Is it really a problem?

The US could be rife with "internet addicts" who are as clinically ill as alcoholics, according to psychiatrists involved in a nationwide study.

The study, carried out by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, US, indicates that more than one in eight US residents show signs of "problematic internet use".

The Stanford researchers interviewed 2513 adults in a nationwide survey. Because internet addiction is not a clinically defined medical condition, the questions used were based on analysis of other addiction disorders.

Most disturbing, according to the study's lead author Elias Aboujaoude, is the discovery that some people hide their internet surfing, or go online to cure foul moods – behaviour that mirrors the way alcoholics behave.

"In a sense, they're using the internet to self-medicate," Aboujaoude says. "And, obviously, something is wrong when people go out of their way to hide their internet activity."

A typical addict is a single, white college-educated male in his 30s, who spends more than 30 hours a week on "non-essential" computer use.
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10322-us-internet-addicts-as-ill-as-alcoholics.html

The best cities in the world to live in

Mercer Consulting,10 April 2006

The analysis is part of Mercer Consulting's annual 'World-wide Quality of Living Survey', covering more than 350 cities. Each city is based on an evaluation of 39 criteria, including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport, and other public services. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city, which has an index score of 100.
The world's top cities offering the best quality of life
(New York is the base city with a score of 100 points)

2006 Rank	2005 Rank	City	Country	Points
1	1	Zurich	Switzerland	108.2
2	2	Geneva	Switzerland	108.1
3	3	Vancouver	Canada	107.7
4	3	Vienna	Austria	107.5
5	8	Auckland	New Zealand	107.3
6	5	Düsseldorf	Germany	107.2
7	6	Frankfurt	Germany	107.0
8	7	Munich	Germany	106.8
9	9	Bern	Switzerland	106.5
9	9	Sydney	Australia	106.5
11	11	Copenhagen	Denmark	106.2
12	14	Wellington	New Zealand	105.8
13	12	Amsterdam	Netherlands	105.7
14	13	Brussels	Belgium	105.6
15	16	Toronto	Canada	105.4
16	16	Berlin	Germany	105.1
17	14	Melbourne	Australia	105.0
18	18	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	104.8
18	21	Ottawa	Canada	104.8
20	19	Stockholm	Sweden	104.7
21	20	Perth	Australia	104.5
22	22	Montreal	Canada	104.3
23	22	Nürnberg	Germany	104.1
24	22	Dublin	Ireland	103.8
25	25	Calgary	Canada	103.6
26	25	Hamburg	Germany	103.4
27	25	Honolulu	USA	103.3
28	28	San Francisco	USA	103.2
29	29	Adelaide	Australia	103.1
29	29	Helsinki	Finland	103.1
31	31	Brisbane	Australia	102.8
31	32	Oslo	Norway	102.8
33	33	Paris	France	102.7
34	35	Singapore	Singapore	102.5
35	34	Tokyo	Japan	102.3
36	36	Boston	USA	101.9
37	37	Lyon	France	101.6
37	37	Yokohama	Japan	101.6
39	39	London	UK	101.2
40	40	Kobe	Japan	101.0
41	41	Washington	USA	100.4
41	52	Chicago	USA	100.4
43	42	Portland	USA	100.3
44	43	Barcelona	Spain	100.2
45	44	Madrid	Spain	100.1
46	46	New York City	USA	100.0
47	46	Seattle	USA	99.9
48	47	Lexington	USA	99.8
49	48	Winston Salem	USA	99.7
51	50	Osaka	Japan	99.6
51	51	Milan	Italy	99.6
51	50	Milan	Italy	98
53	52	Lisbon	Portugal	97.5
53	52	Tsukuba	Japan	97.5

TIME, person of the year: You

I am so glad of this year's choice of TIME magazine!

Top 50 Restaurants in the World (2006)

Restaurant magazine produces an annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the world based on a poll of international chefs and critics. In 2006 El Bulli in (Spain) pushed the 2005 winner The Fat Duck down to second place. The two top restaurants are forerunners of molecular gastronomy. Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California is listed as the #20.

Unfortunately, there is not any Greek restaurant in the list (nor was there one in the 2004 list). So, is the good Greek food only cooked in private houses? Or do we have a case similar to the Greek Universities not making it to the top 200 list of Universities world-wide?

Berkeley vs Stanford, Computer Science Departments

The following article in the Dec 1^st issue of the Daily Californian (http://dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=22478), is indicative of the strength of these two institutions that have achieved a marvelous mix of competition and cooperation. And one of them is public, the other is private. ...continues here!

Smoking banned in England

Smoking in enclosed public places will be banned in England from 1 July next year, the government has announced. The ban covers virtually all enclosed public places including offices, factories, pubs and bars, but not outdoors or in private homes. It follows similar bans in the Irish Republic and Scotland - a ban in Wales starts on 2 April. ...continues here!

Ecuador's Correa claims victory

More changes in South America.

Three exit polls and an unofficial quick count indicated Mr Correa had gained around 57% of the vote while Alvaro Noboa polled about 43%

Pi

In October, 2006, a Japanese mental health counselor recited pi to 100,000 decimal places from memory, apparently setting a new world record. Akira Haraguchi, 60, needed more than 16 hours to recite the number. In 2002, University of Tokyo mathematicians used a computer to calculate pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places.

Alliance of Civilizations Report

The alliance of civilizations report is the greatest hope of a better world.

Nobel Prize as a family affair

Joseph James (‘JJ’) Thomson was awarded the 1906 Nobel Physics Prize for his discovery of the electron, a negatively-charged sub-atomic particle of mass 1/1840 of the mass of a hydrogen atom. His son, George Paget Thomson also won the Nobel Prize (in 1937, shared with Clinton Davisson) for showing that a beam of electrons could be diffracted. Diffraction is the spreading out of a beam as is passes through a small gap and is a property of a wave, not a particle.

William Henry Bragg (father) and William Lawrence Bragg (son) shared the 1915 Physics Prize for their discovery of X-ray diffraction.

Niels Bohr took the 1922 Physics Prize for his model of the structure of the atom and his son Aage the 1975 prize for work on the structure of the nucleus.

Marie Curie won two NobelPrizes (1903 Physics and 1911 Chemistry) and her daughter Irène Joliot –Curie won the 1935 Physics Prize. (The Curies were a remarkable family for scientific honours – Marie shared her first prize with husband Pierre, and Irène shared hers with her husband Frédéric. All the Curies’ prizes were for work on radioactivity).

The Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded to the American Roger Kornberg, a professor at Stanford University in California.

Two great Universities (Stanford and Berkeley) are competing for Nobel prize winners. The latest one (Roger Kornberg, Chemistry), is of special interest since his father was also a Nobel prize winner being Professor at Stanford! ...continues here!

Radomir Antić, Panathenaikos

There is talk in Athens for Radomir Antić taking over as coach of Panathenaikos, after Backe was sacked (see my earlier comment about Backe in this blog).
Antić has been unemployed for 2.5 years after beind dismissed by Celta de Vigo on march 29, 2004. Even worse, is the following (from wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radomir_Anti%C4%87): "He later admitted joining Celta in such circumstances was a mistake and vowed never to accept coaching jobs in mid-season again". Is he wiser now?

George F. Smoot awarded 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics

Cosmologist George F. Smoot, who led a team that obtained the first images of the infant universe — findings that confirmed the predictions of the Big Bang theory — won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics today (Tuesday, Oct. 3). Smoot, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and an astrophysicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), shares the prize with John C. Mather of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. This is UC Berkeley's 20th Nobel Prize since Ernest O. Lawrence won in 1939, and its eighth physics Nobel. ...continues here!

Government’s plans for the Universities

Government’s plans for the Universities (in Greek)

New law for the Greek Universities

My views on the proposed new law for the Greek Universities (in Greek)

Perelman and the mathematical community

The BBC has a very good entry on this year’s Field’s Medals (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5274040.stm) that follows below. There is also a good profile of Grigory Perelman who declined the award (and the money that goes with it). In addition to various things mentioned in different sites about his attitude towards the mathematical community, I found interesting the acknowledgement in his 2002 paper (math.DG/0211159, http://arxiv.org/find/math/1/au:+Perelman_Grisha/0/1/0/all/0/1), in which he states that “I was partially supported by personal savings accumulated during my visits to the Courant Institute in the Fall of 1992, to the SUNY at Stony Brook in the Spring of 1993, and to the UC at Berkeley as a Miller Fellow in 1993-95. I'd like to thank everyone who worked to make those opportunities available to me”. ...continues here!

Wendelin Werner from University of Paris-Sud and Andrei Okounkov of UC Berkeley, win this year's Fields Medal

A Probabilist wins the Fields Medal for the first time! (I think). The spotlight, though, will be on Grigory Perelman who refused it. (The other winners are Andrei Okounkov of the University of California, Berkeley (http://math.berkeley.edu/~okounkov), Terence Tao from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Wendelin Werner of the University of Paris-Sud in Orsay, France). ...continues here!

Polygamist rally in Salt Lake City

Reuters today provides a news item about a social group I did not know it existed in organized form.

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - More than a dozen children of polygamist families spoke publicly at a Utah rally for the first time on Saturday about their lifestyle and called for more understanding. "I'm the 14th child in a large family and I have several moms," said Mary, 18. "All my mothers love me." ...continues here!

A letter to Athens News on education, July 20, 2006

My views on Papandreou’s education policy in the Athens News

The original article of the Athens News (June 30, 2006)

The Economist on Greek Education Reform

There is an article on the July 6, 2006 in the Economist on the issue.

(Thanks to Fabio Laricchia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Istituto di Statistica, Milano, for bringing it to my attention).

Choosing a candidate by Deliberative polling

On Sunday June 4, a historic political event was succesfully completed.
For the first time in political history, a political party chose its candidate for an election by deliberative polling. Panos Alexandris was nominated as the candidate of PASOK for the mayorship of Marousi as a result of a process that resembles a practice of the ancient Athens democracy. (There, at the time, there were citizens' juries and legislative commissions of several hundreds, as well as the Council of 500 that set the agenda for the Assembly, the public forum - all chosen by lot. Lottery provided for an equal chance to participate, while deliberation ensured an informed outcome). ...continues here!

Podcast lectures for university students

Things are moving fast. University teachers have to find a new role for themselves soon. Otherwise… (See also the UC Berkeley initiative, which is a campus-wide initiative).

A lecturer at a West Yorkshire university has abolished traditional lectures in favour of podcasts. ...continues here!

The University of Strathclyde in wage docking threat

This is a method of protest by University teachers that has been used in Greece many times. If I remember correctly, the first time it happened was in 1987. I don’t agree with it because it affects the students. However, one has to admit that it is effective. ...continues here!

Michael V Hayden new CIA director

Any connection with the Greek eavesdropping?

..As head of the NSA - the American electronic eavesdropping organisation - the 61-year-old oversaw the programme, which allows for the monitoring of international calls and e-mails of terrorist suspects inside the US without a warrant. It appears that Gen Hayden's role in overseeing the eavesdropping could become the focus of what could be bruising Senate confirmation hearings.

General Hayden is widely seen as an expert in technological intelligence gathering. The NSA, which he directed from 1999 to 2005, is reliant on satellites to intercept communications and computers to help break enemy codes. ...continues here!

Ways to win an election

It happened in the local election in England today (May 4, 2006). It was not decided by a few votes but by a pencil!

The Tories have lost a seat on the length of a pencil! After three recounts in Wheathampstead in St Albans, the Lib Dems and the Tories both had 1132. The result was decided by whoever picked the longest pencil - and the Lib Dems picked a longer one, taking it from the Tories.But they won Crawley won on the strength of picking an envelope. And that's democracy for you! http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson

Creationism, Science and Certainty

The following, is a paragraph from a very interesting contribution on the subject by Professor Lisa Jardine, a contributor to BBC Radio Four's Point of View.

"We cannot afford ourselves the luxury of waiting for evidence which clinches the theory. We are going to have to learn how to participate in debates which are not about certainties. We have to decide right now whether we should sacrifice our right to cut-price air travel in order to cut carbon emissions. A public understanding of science has never been more important". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4950876.stm

Chemical Engineering Departments, Greece

There is a lot of discussion in Greece about assesment in higher education. "Greek reality" again is the excuse for not having any form of quality assesment in greek higher education institutions.
A very interesting counterexample is given by Themis Lazarides that referes to Chemical Engineering Departments in Greece. (http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~themis/greekuniversityreform

This could be a good starting point for a more general discussion and presentation of data that will reveal many aspects of greek higher education.

Protesters force Bush to move Stanford meeting

Contoliza Rice should not complain about her unfriendly welcome in Athens. Her Institution (Stanford), was much more hostile to her boss. At least, in Athens she did not have to change the venue of any of her meetings! ...continues here!

Berkeley Churches

Someone told me that Berkeley has the largest concentration of churches in the US! It sounds so strange. Does anyone have some facts?

Rich people, poor people

A lot of wealth for the wealthy in the UK. Any data for the other end of the scale?

…The wealth of the country's richest 1,000 is also at record high levels, now standing at £300.9 billion, up from £249.6 billion last year. This represents one of the biggest year-on-year increases since the Rich List was first published in 1989. Researchers also found a 36% rise in the amount donated to charity by the 30 most generous benefactors. More than £453 million was given away this year, compared with £333 million in 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4935278.stm

NYT, Athenian Democracy and Deliberative Polling

The NYT magazine has an article today (below) on democracy, making a reference to the athenian demokratia and to its possible revival today by deliberative polling.
Actually, the athenian democracy model will be trying in Athens, 2500 years later! It will be used by PASOK, the socialist party of Greece, to select its candidate for the municipal elections (next fall), in the "olympic" municipality of Marousi. ...continues here!

Caught: Goldman and Merrill 'insiders'

Enron did not teach lessons...

Last week the authorities claimed to have solved the mystery of the smelly trainer trades when they arrested employees at two of the world’s most prestigious banks. They said it was one of the most extraordinary insider-dealing scams of all time. As well as high-flying bankers and Croatian cleaners, the scam involved forklift-truck drivers from Wisconsin, an exotic dancer from New York and even a film script written by one of the alleged perpetrators that spookily parallels the charges against them.“This is one of the most brazen and pervasive insider-trading cases we have ever seen,” said David Markowitz at the New York office of the Securities and exchange Commission (SEC). In court papers the SEC and FBI claim that Anticevic’s nephew, David Pajcin, a 29-year-old former Goldman Sachs bond research analyst, was the person really responsible for her sudden fortune. ...continues here!

Trust schools in the UK

The issue is becoming more and more controversial.

...These questions have been prompted by the unexpected, and most unusual turn of events that have spread from the cash-for-honours inquiry into the sponsorship of city academies.
The shock waves are still rippling out through England's education system after the arrest of Des Smith, the head teacher and former member of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4931684.stm

Marijuana For Medical Use Turned Down By FDA

Is this progress?

According to an FDA statement, marijuana is listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) - this is the most restrictive schedule. The FDA agrees with this Schedule I listing, as does the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
The three criteria for placement in Schedule I, says the FDA (21 U.S.C 812b 1) are currently met by Marijuana. It listed as the three main reasons against the use of marijuana for medical use as:
1. It has a high potential for abuse
2. It has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the USA
3. It has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision
...continues here!

Cardinal backs limited condom use

Changes in the Catholic Churh too?

One of the Roman Catholic Church's most distinguished cardinals has publicly backed the use of condoms among married couples to prevent Aids transmission. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said that in couples where one had HIV/Aids, which could pass to the partner, the use of condoms was "a lesser evil". ...continues here!

First Online High School

This is a tremendous developmnet in education.

A $3.3 million gift from the Malone Family Foundation of Englewood, Colo., will fund the first online high school for gifted students.
Developed by Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), the Online High School will be a three-year, fully accredited, diploma-granting high school. The program will begin accepting student applications this spring and is scheduled to begin classes in the fall. Information about the application process and the courses will be available online beginning April 25 at http://epgy.stanford.edu/ohs/. ...continues here!

Gay Rabbis?

Is Stanford that conservative after all?

ARNOLD M. EISEN, the newly named chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary at Stanford, the flagship rabbinical school in Conservative Judaism, told the New York Times April 11 that it is time for the movement to lift its ban on gay rabbis.
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2006/april19/inprint-041906.html

European IQ league table

The following piece is from the TIMES of march 27,2006.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2105519,00.html

Another claim that is not scientifically based. What is the sample? Is it a random sample fron each country? How can they generalise their fondings to the whole population of the countries of Europe? ...continues here!

Wise Men in Sudan

Well, the following looks like a funny story, but it is of interest in the way justice is delivered. Is the “wise men” system, better than the one with elected judges in the US? (See also a similar story about Hudood Ordinaces- The Crime And Punishment For Zina in Pakistan. http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/aproweb.nsf/pages/svaw_hudoo )

A Sudanese man has been forced to take a goat as his "wife", after he was caught having sex with the animal. The goat's owner, Mr Alifi, said he surprised the man with his goat and took him to a council of elders. They ordered the man, Mr Tombe, to pay a dowry of 15,000 Sudanese dinars ($50) to Mr Alifi. "We have given him the goat, and as far as we know they are still together," Mr Alifi said. Mr Alifi, Hai Malakal in Upper Nile State, told the Juba Post newspaper that he heard a loud noise around midnight on 13 February and immediately rushed outside to find Mr Tombe with his goat. "When I asked him: 'What are you doing there?', he fell off the back of the goat, so I captured and tied him up". Mr Alifi then called elders to decide how to deal with the case. "They said I should not take him to the police, but rather let him pay a dowry for my goat because he used it as his wife," Mr Alifi told the newspaper. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4748292.stm)

Summers resigns from Harvard

Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard University has announced his resignation after a turbulent five years and a week ahead of a second no-confidence vote. ...continues here!

Selection in schools fails most children in the UK

For those of us who are concerned about the social implications of educational policies, here is another study that generates concern over some policies in the UK. (Observer, Feb 19, 2006). ...continues here!

Despite rising fees students stay at the UC Berkeley

What is the impact of rising University tuition fees on unequal opportunities? This is an interesting statistics, not directly related to the above question. ...continues here!

Gonzales Testimony

On Monday Feb. 6, I was listening to the US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testimony to the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the legality of the National Security Agency wiretaps on American citizens. Replying to a question by a Senator, the Attorney General said (I think), that there are no legal constrains for US agencies to carry out wiretapping of non-US citizens abroad. Did I hear well? Can someone verify that?

Masterly Inactivity

Is Humphrey (from “yes prime minister”) advising Kostas Karamanlis? Obviously, it seems so, since KK has become an expert in mastery inactivity.

Violent protests over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad

Is this a religious issue or a political one? Hard to tell.
Here is the opinion of a young colleague of mine whose judgment I value.

To some extent religion is a tricky matter. Cold logic might suggest that making fun of one's religious beliefs is perhaps not as bad as making fun of their political beliefs: the latter is an informed judgment while the former is something accepted de facto. BUT, when emotions come into play, things become tricky. ...continues here!

MPs in England offered compromise on schools

Is this a compromise or a political U-turn?
Ministers will offer a compromise on reform plans for England's schools in an effort to avert a damaging rebellion by Labour MPs, the BBC has learned. More than 90 MPs have criticised proposed "trust" schools which would have more autonomy - raising fears among many of increased selection. But the government is offering local authorities a "strategic oversight" to prevent this, sources say. The school admissions code would also get more legal force. The revised plans appear to reinforce the role of existing admissions forums, which seek to co-ordinate admissions in an area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4674602.stm