:: The Freewheelin' Reader ::

:: 31.1.05 ::

The International CXT, a giant new pickup that puts the Hummer to shame, is the latest vehicular toy of the rich, famous and environmentally indifferent.
At just over nine feet high, the 7300 CXT, which went on sale in September, weighs about seven tons unloaded, more than twice the weight of the Hummer H2 and equivalent to about five MINI Coopers. The CXT can tow a 20-ton boat and carry another six tons of cargo in the truck bed. Because it rides at the height of an 18-wheeler, drivers will spend most of their time looking at the tops of cars.
The price starts at about $90,000,

[+]

On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by a Hindu extremist.

[+]

On Jan. 31, 1865, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery.

[+]

As a concept, Romeo Dallaire is everywhere: he's a book, a television documentary, a feature film, a novel -- even a video game.

[+]

I accept that it is unlikely, but is it at least theoretically possible that a fault in the Earth's crust on an ocean floor could drain an enormous quantity of seawater? What would be the effect, not only on life on Earth, but on the planet's structural integrity if sea levels underwent a colossal drop? Of course it's hypothetical, but indulge me.

[+]

Google's search for meaning
Using search engines to glean the meaning of words may be the vital spark that will lead to intelligent computers

[+]

In all the ads for The Woodsman one sees Kevin Bacon holding onto a red ball. I guess in the movie he holds his blue balls. He looks pretty intense.

[+]

Sandy sent me this link that apparently has a music and video tribute for the tsunami victims. I couldn't get it to work, but maybe you's guys can.

[+]

My man Paul sent me this great link on World Poverty.

[+]

How is This Even a Topic Of Discussion?
With the prospect looming of the imperial line dying out in a generation, Japan's government may legalise female succession. Naruhito, the 44-year-old crown prince, and his wife Masako, who is 41, have one three-year-old daughter, and no males have been born into the imperial family since 1965. (Many have speculated that Princess Masako's widely reported bouts of depression are brought on by the stress of not having borne a male heir.) The government plans to put the reform to a vote in 2006.
The issues to be ironed out are whether sex should trump birth order in succession, and whether females in the imperial family retain their royalty after marriage (which would cause the family and its budget to swell). Popular support for a change is strong: a poll in 2003 found that 70% of Japanese believe the 1947 Imperial House Law (which mandated male emperors) should be amended.
- The Economist

[+]

Caged Saddam To Be Highlight Of Inaugural Ball
WASHINGTON, DC—Attendees at the Independence Ball, one of nine officially sanctioned galas celebrating President George W. Bush's second inauguration Thursday, will be treated to a viewing of a caged Saddam Hussein, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Monday. "What better way to honor the president than with a physical symbol of his many first-term triumphs?" McClellan said as Hussein rattled the bars of a cage already suspended above the ballroom where the event will be held. "And I must compliment the planning committee. Outfitting Gitmo detainees with iron collars and forcing them to serve appetizers was an inspired stroke." Ball attendees will also be awarded door prizes, including a basket of nuts, 20 yards of cloth, and a barrel of crude oil.
- The Onion

[+]

What is the Hajj?
A step-by-step guide to the pilgrimage that began on Tuesday

[+]

i was with this article, right up to the last line, then I stopped.
A new report from over 250 of the world's top experts has slashed a few long-standing myths about world poverty. Truth is, the worst poverty around the world can be eradicated within a generation and it won't cost too much--rich countries will only have to give about 50 cents for every 100 dollars of national income. (emphasis mine)

[+]

The Expos Aren't Doing Any Better in Their New Home
After the initial jubilation in September over Washington, DC's new baseball team, the city has been struggling to find the necessary funds. The Nationals (formerly the Montreal Expos) are expected to be in Washington in time for the 2005 season, but the city still has not yet decided how to finance a new stadium. Final city council approval for a new publicly-funded stadium on the south-east waterfront was expected to be easy, but the council passed a last-minute amendment in late November, sponsored by Linda Cropp, its chairwoman, mandating that half the costs of the stadium should come from private sources.
Major League Baseball shut down the Nationals' operations until the city council softened its stance. Now the city is still looking for private funds, but has agreed to cover the entire cost if a good plan isn't available. Eight groups have submitted bids to fund the stadium in exchange for a range of privileges, including charging for parking and building on adjacent land. The city's chief financial officer must decide by March 15th whether any of the plans are feasible.
- The Economist

[+]

Quote of the Day II
“Those who repeat to us that there is no such thing as a free lunch, would have us believe that there is such a thing as a free market, free trade and indeed, the free world.”
- Mel Watkins

[+]

Tough Question to Answer
Earlier this month, the panelists on a news show were discussing this point: the Asian tsunami had thus far killed 155,000 people, but every month diarrhea kills more than 140,000 people worldwide while malaria and AIDS each kill about 250,000. So why is the world so keen to send $3-4 billion in aid to help tsunami victims while the staggering annual sum of preventable disease deaths goes largely unaddressed?

[+]

Quote of the Day
"A time comes when silence is betrayal. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought, within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

[+]

Bloody Brilliant!

Avon and Somerset Police are encouraging pub landlords and club managers to use the famously versatile spray to coat toilet lids to prevent customers using them to snort cocaine from. When the drug comes into contact with a light coating of WD-40, it congeals, making it impossible to sniff.

[+]

An estimated 10,000-30,000 people will line the streets ofPennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. this week withoutpins, buttons or signs. Their voices will not rise inunison, and there will not be a bullhorn among them. Butthere will be protest.

[+]

i'll give you one guess to figure out why cops suck.
here's a clue.

[+]

US peer-to-peer pirates convicted
Two men are convicted of swapping films and music over the net and face up to five years in prison.

[+]

First biological test for ADHD unveiled
The 10-minute test for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder claims a high accuracy and could one day predict which cases will respond to drugs

[+]

The woman at the centre of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion petitioned the court to change its mind. Norma McCorvey now says that abortion procedures may harm women.
- The Econimist

[+]

Army Specialist Charles Graner was sentenced by court-martial in Texas to ten years in prison for mistreating and sexually abusing Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib jail. Mr Graner is said to be the ringleader in the scandal. Meanwhile, three British soldiers faced a court-martial in Germany for allegedly abusing Iraqi prisoners in Basra, in the south of the country. Several gruesome photographs emerged showing the mistreatment of prisoners by the soldiers.
See article

[+]

Finally a blog worth reading. The blog of Henry David Thoreau.

[+]

Why do people seem to be more upset at idiot Prince Harry than idiot George W. Compare the photos.

[+]

Baseball's new steroid rules are a friggin' joke.
Right?

[+]

The Globe and Mail interview with Ken Burns.

[+]

First ever earthquake movie created
The team used the measurements to build up one of the most detailed pictures ever of seismic waves propagating during a quake.

[+]

Whole nations at risk from virus that has bred a generation of orphans

[+]

How much do I love Charisma Carpeneter?

[+]

Oh yeah, i'm seeing this movie

[+]

Prince Harry has sparked an outcry by wearing a Nazi armband at a party. Sixty years on, two war veterans explain what the swastika means to them

[+]

Oh Crap!
The tsunami has increased danger of mines in Sri Lanka

[+]

Shaft, Stretch, and Dick are animated condoms. They're cute, they're funny and they are convincing audiences around the world that condoms are an essential component of safer sex.

[+]

Stunning Stat
Each day, 30,000 children under five die, and most don't have to.

[+]

Once upon a time, according to 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon,' an American dreamer tried to kill the 37th president.
i don't know why but I was immediately drawn to this movie and I'm jonesing to see it.

[+]

Though Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an officially declared public holiday, many local government agencies still refuse to shut their doors, while opposition is most persistent among businesses.

[+]

I read a review of Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell in the Globe on Saturday and the reviewer was kind of mambly-pambly. This guy might be more convincing.

[+]

The signing of a peace deal in Sudan last weekend has reignited interest in the country's vast oil reserves.

[+]

Somebody sent me this movie link, http://www.wisehearts.com/yaam.html , to which Ed wisely replied; On the other hand, to quote Fight Club, "you are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else."
You don't want to know what special and unique thing this movie gave me.

[+]

In my opinion there is no denying that Michelle Wie is the sports story of the last few years. And she wll continue to be until another 13 year old plays in the PGA.

[+]

A T-shirt proclaiming 'I had an abortion' puts the battlefor choice front and center -- and stirs up controversy on both sides of the issue.

[+]

A T-shirt proclaiming 'I had an abortion' puts the battlefor choice front and center -- and stirs up controversy on both sides of the issue.

[+]

Who says these guys are overpaid babies?

[+]

I've heard this question once before, though I can't remember where; Was Lincoln Gay?
"The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln," by C. A. Tripp, a sex researcher and chronicler of the gay rights movement, makes the case.

[+]

I was talking to A and La Rue about the Brad Pitt Jeniffer Aniston split and what we came up with is that it's insane that two people's lives have become so ingrained on our collective psyche that they feel compelled to announce their split in an article for an international tabloid mag.
I mean, how did Freewheelin' miss this scoop?

[+]

North Korea has launched an intensive media assault on its latest arch enemy - the wrong haircut.
A Google Images search did not reveal any webpages dedicated to images of the North Korean haircut.
It's a damn shame. So many pages dedicated to the mullet and none to the North Korean haircut.

[+]

Hey, Remember This Story?
Today is the anniversary of the founding of America's prison camp for 'enemy combatants', And despite evidence of systematic abuse and widespread international condemnation it looks set to stay open

[+]

Reputed Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in connection with the 1964 crime that inspired the movie Mississippi Burning.

[+]

Environmental groups are hoping to use the Brazilian legal system to prevent the destruction of a highly endangered remnant of the Atlantic forest threatened by a hydroelectric dam project.

[+]

Wanna know why the earth quakes? This is a simple, but accurate slide show.

[+]

Vancouver crooks are meeting to talk about their compulsion to be lawless

[+]

Imagine wearing a jacket or rucksack that charges up your mobile phone while you take a walk. Or a tent whose flysheet charges batteries all day so campers can have light all night. Or a roll-out plastic sheet you can place on a car's rear window shelf to power a child's DVD player.

[+]

We always talk about the environment and the animals in the arctic that act as indicators of disaster, but what about the houses up there?

[+]

The BBC set up a site to help find those that might still be missing as a result of the devestation in South Asia. Worth checking out if you have any friends or relatives visiting or living there.

[+]

Alternet has a list of dumb quotes from 2004. There's no denying this is a classic - "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." -President Bush

[+]

[+]

I've been listening to the radio a lot and i didn't hear anything about this tran accident until just now - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4132247.stm
Wow, there seems to be no end to the levels of destruction that was caused by this earthquake and tsunami.

[+]

RIP
Law and Order and Dirty Dancing actor Jerry Orbach died of prostate cancer at the age of 69 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4132969.stm
anyone who watched Law and Order loved Lennie Briscoe. As far as TV stars go, I'll definetly miss him a lot.

[+]

As if There Weren't Enough Proof Already
Here's more evidence that eating shit makes you fat: Fast-food meals are causing consumers to gain weight, according to a 15-year study on the health effects of the diet pattern - http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2004/12/30/fast-food041230.html

[+]

You're probably all wondering what Freewheelin' did for New Year's Eve. Well, my wonderful wife and i saw The Life Aquatic with Steve Sizou and cannot say enough good things about it, so go dee it for yourselves (http://lifeaquatic.movies.go.com/splash.html).

[+]

Millions of hard working people around the world will finally get a stake in the fabric of society's economic and financial life in 2005. In observance of the International Year of Microcredit this year, the UN, its agencies and member countries will focus on developing banking and financial services for people outside traditional financial systems. - http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotoarticle/addhit/100705/3356/10475

[+]

i remember being impressed by the CN tower as a kid, but does it really hold any special impact to people any more. i mean, you never see it on the discovery network. Nevertheless, I have to ask, does this statement, "Taipei 101 is not the tallest structure in the world - that is still the CN Tower in Toronto - but it has been officially recognised as the world's tallest building." mean anything to any of my T-dot homies? I'm guessing not.
Note: I'm doing the next couple of entries from a Mac which doesn't seem to fully support blogger so you'll have to click on the links which hopefully work.
This link is worth checking out if not for the size of the building, than at least it's bizzare shape: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4137865.stm

[+]