BBC News: Couple's wait over newborn mix-up

A couple were forced to endure a five-week wait for DNA results to find out if a newborn baby was theirs.

A midwife at Furness General Hospital told Sarah Wilson and Martyn Cahill, from Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, their new 6lb 12oz baby was a boy.

The couple named the child Ryan William, but later discovered they had a girl when giving her a bath, and feared they had the wrong baby.

Five bloody weeks. It only takes like an hour in CSI.

I really do hope this is just a mix-up over the gender rather than that they were given the wrong child. It must surely be the bureacracy and the system rather than the process that takes so long as there will be a queue of DNA tests waiting to be done presumably. But couldn't this particular test be fast-tracked considering it's urgency.

As new New Year's Resolutions keep occuring to me I have coined a new acronym to shorthand it. YARNY (Yet Another Resolution for the New Year)

So YARNY I shall learn how to fake fingerprints. Possibly a useful thing to be knowing in the Surveillance Society we now find ourselves in. My fingerprints are fairly faint in anycase due to wearing them down with typing on keyboards and the like, so perhaps I'll just create 'fakes' of my real prints as a double bluff.

Labels: Surveillance

The ashes and snow portfolio is unbelievably beautiful.

Ashes and Snow, a lifelong project for artist and author Gregory Colbert, originated thirteen years ago as a literary endeavor that soon inspired photographic artworks and an accompanying film.

I only wish I could afford to purchase some of the poster prints or books.

The Ashes and Snow: A Novel in Letters sounds wonderful.

So one of my New Year's resolutions is to become wealthy enough that I can buy beautiful extravagances like this and not feel guilty. I shall endeavour to get into 'Fuck You' money before I turn 40.

Just watched the Unseen Spike Milligan a documentary on channel 4 about his life. He really was a crazy bastard but funny as hell. My whole family was cracking up with laughter at a couple of his one-liners and the fairy letters he wrote for his kids was really quite touching. Love him.

Bad news for quizzers: The Guardian has published the 101st annual quiz from King William's College and it isn't any easier than the previous 100.

It is bloody difficult and I've only managed to answer a handful of them but the answers in each section are related so knowing some answers will lead to others.

1:8 Under what title was a long letter to Bosie published?
Don't know but I think it safe to assume it is a letter from Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas.

Section 5 I have a few but they don't seem related so I'm not sure.

What:
5:2 Grows in fairy rings?
Mushrooms.
5:3 Provides quality duvets?
Eider Ducks (give Eiderdown).
5:9 Is the gourmet's bivalve?
Scallops.

7:9 In which tale was insomnia due to a deeply hidden pulse?
The Princess and the pea.

8:6 Evaluate the breed of Malmesbury's notorious escapees.
Tamworth. (A couple of pigs known as the Tamworth two).

10:8 Which town is associated with fillets of anchovy, eggs, lettuce, tuna and black olives?
This is a salad Niçoise I think so Nice.

Section 11 Which of Peter's successors:
I think we're looking for either Popes or Tzars of Russia.

15:9 Wombling free, what destination was formerly Tyburn Gate?
Marble Arch

16:1 What is realgar?
Red Arsenic.
16:3 What "cocktail" uses methylated spirits?
Is this a Molotov Cocktail?
16:7 Who asked "What's the French for fiddle-de-dee?"
The Red Queen to Alice.
16:10 Who suffered lupine deception?
Red Riding Hood.

I was convinced that Molotov cocktail was correct until I got the other red related answers in this section. Perhaps a connection to the Red Army or perhaps I am off on the wrong track entirely.

Section 17 are all Sherlock Holmes related
17:2 Who was a pawnbroker in Saxe-Coburg Square?
Jabez Wilson (The Red-Headed League).
17:6 Who had rooms in Montagu Street, close to the British Museum?
Mycroft Holmes Edit: After a little research through my collection I discover it is off course Sherlock himself that once had these rooms near the British Museum.
17:10 Was a poulterer at 117 Brixton Road?
Mrs. Oakshott (The Blue Carbuncle).

All in all not a bad effort from off the top of my head I think.

Do enjoy that feeling of the eye of Big Brother following you everywhere you go in city centres with his CCTV cameras?

Do you feel bereft when you climb into your car and drive away from his gaze?

Well fear not.

The Independent: Britain will be first country to monitor every car journey

By Steve Connor, Science Editor

Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance system will hold the records for at least two years.

Using a network of cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several years.

The network will incorporate thousands of existing CCTV cameras which are being converted to read number plates automatically night and day to provide 24/7 coverage of all motorways and main roads, as well as towns, cities, ports and petrol-station forecourts.

By next March a central database installed alongside the Police National Computer in Hendon, north London, will store the details of 35 million number-plate "reads" per day. These will include time, date and precise location, with camera sites monitored by global positioning satellites.

Plus The Independent also examines Surveillance UK: why this revolution is only the start.

I wish I had more time to write but I have to go to work now. I'll come back to this later. But for now V for Vendetta is becoming evermore prescient.

Labels: Security, Surveillance

Once upon a time. There was a man named Cleveland Heep, whose life would change forever.

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water sounds very interesting and a bit Grant Morrisonesque.

Would the sight of tiny furry creatures bring you joy?

Well get yourself over to Cuteoverload.com

Then once you are full to the brim with cuteness learn how the USA rescued the people of Grenada from Rape and Slavery. You might then want to read more about Grenada and this time lacking bias, although probably will be lacking authority because it's the Wikipedia.

The Waiter had to deal with a real asshole at the restaurant recently, and as usual he dealt with this dickhead of a customer with aplomb.

I really don't understand people like this, he probably had been having a great meal out and then he has to ruin his own night and everyone else around him but acting like a wanker because he feels a little aggrieved. When it turns out that the customer was in the wrong all along he doesn't come back and apologise no he returns and accuses our man of being an asshole himself.

I've had to deal with tossers like this gentleman at the cinema, narrowly avoided being assaulted by one guy a few years back. Most aggravation comes due to shows selling out especially when there has been long lines of people waiting to get in as people will have been waiting ages only to discover that the show has become sold out.

I can understand that they would be disappointed but what can I do it's not my fault that we're busy because we have the latest must-see movie and that you failed to book a ticket. But invariably there will be one guy and it is virtually always the men that will take their frustration and disappointment out on our staff members. This has not been so much of a problem the last 18 months or so because we've had far fewer busy shows and now that we have an internet booking system plus additional computer stations to take advance bookings people can no longer claim that they tried to book but couldn't get through to us.

Most of the problems we have been having lately is due to the increased complexity of our programme because we have started to add special showings such as shows for senior citizens, parents with babies, late night screenings or one off screenings of classic films. This means that the times can vary from day to day for our regular programme of the latest releases.

Unfortunately this measn that we get customers for screenings that aren't actually happening on that particular day plus it doesn't help when our marketing department is cocking things up and advertising shows that we don't have as well.

So far less assholes recently but still the same number of complaints.

We had a very amusing mixup recently that thankfully my boss got to deal with as he was working at the time. Two old ladies who had obviously not been to the pictures in years came to see Mrs Henderson Presents and then has apparently wandered into the balcony of Screen 1 instead of continuing up the stairs to Screen 2.

So they sat and watched the entirity of March of the Penguins and then watched as the lights went up and saw the audience that had been sitting below them all get up and leave and then saw my boss go in and check the screen and clear up the rubbish left by the audience and all the time they are sitting waiting for Mrs Henderson Presents to start. Quite by chance my boss happens to see them on the balcony as he looks up towards the projection box window which is situated behind these ladies and so he leaves the stalls and goes up the stairs to investigate who these ladies are.

Whereupon he discovers their mistake and has the unfortunate duty now to inform them that they have missed all but the last fifteen minutes of the movie that they had come to see. They are quite irate and are blaming everyone but themseleves for the error and will not even take up the offer of the free tickets for the later performance that day for Mrs. Henderson. They were under the impression that the penguin film was the support feature for their film even though support features haven't been played for decades. They also managed to miss all the very visible signs indicating which movie was playing in which screen and where each screen was.

It's not like it hadn't crossed our minds that customers may go through the door to the screen 1 balcony instead of continuing a bit futher to find the door to screen 2 so that's why there is a huge sign pointing the direction to screen 2 and a very noticeable sign on the blacony door saying 'Screen 1 balcony'. The tickets are marked with the relevant screen number. What more can we fucking do?

Enough ranting about cinema customers for now I'll go back to ranting about infringements on civil liberties or something else tomorrow.

Well other than the non-existence of the entity known as God and the fact that the Universe is an illision or a hologram I have no problem.

Richard Dawkins doesn't really either what he has a problem with is the lack of education and the staggering ignornace of many people in regard to evolutionary science. All this and more is explained in his interview with Beliefnet - The Problem with God

The renowned biologist talks about intelligent design, dishonest Christians, and why God is no better than an imaginary friend.
Interview by Laura Sheahen

British biologist Richard Dawkins has made a name for himself defending evolution and fighting what he sees as religiously motivated attacks on science. Dr. Dawkins sat down with Beliefnet at the World Congress of Secular Humanism, where his keynote address focused on intelligent design.

Religious people are apparently on average happier than non-religious people but as Dawkins says that doesn't mean one should believe an untruth.

The universe doesn’t owe us condolence or consolation; it doesn’t owe us a nice warm feeling inside. If it’s true, it’s true, and you'd better live with it.

Great quote I think I'll steal it.

Tis the season to be jolly and to be accosted in the street by chuggers (charity muggers).

Today at the supermarket I learnt that the Girl Guides are excellent charity muggers. They were stationed at all the checkouts and were quick off the mark with starting the packing of your groceries. It seemed impossible to stop the one at my checkout and once she'd done it I couldn't do anything other make a donation to her charity collection tin without feeling like a complete cunt.

Devious little beggars.

Penny Arcade's take on the Wikipedia malevolent edits debacle.

The Register has their own take on the John Seigenthaler/Wikipedia story.

I've been very up and down about the movie adaptation of the classic graphic novel V for Vendetta. It's one of my favourites and so I was initially enthused to hear it was being adapted for film, but then the thoughts of other film adaptations of Alan Moore's comic book work took the shine off somewhat.

But then hearing of the involvement of the Wachowskis and seeing the photos of the production design made me think that actually it could turn out really well. But then there was the Eggy in the Basket news which brought me back down again.

But with the movie posters that were recently revealed which I loved and now this trailer I'm very much looking forward to it again. It's looking great.

After reading at Jason's blog that 39 people admit to not reading Kottke.org it got me to wondering what other activities people will write about not doing on their websites.

Apparently there is only one person that doesn't eat monsters.

BBC News: US ex-gang boss Williams executed

Former gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams has been executed by lethal injection, 24 years after he was convicted of killing four people.

Several hundred of his supporters gathered outside San Quentin prison, north of San Francisco, where he was declared dead at 0035 (0835GMT).

He denied the murders and, while in jail, campaigned against gang violence.

California Governor Schwarzenegger questioned his claims of redemption and refused to grant clemency.

I can't say I'm surprised that his sentence wasn't commuted particularly given the Governor's recent political travails but it has outraged many in Europe particularly his birth nation of Austria.

I don't know the specifics of this case enough to know whether he was innocent of the crime or not but the idea that he might be and that he might have been executed because of his assertion that he was innocent of this crime and thus failed to show remorse for it horrifies me.

But even if he was guilty and he was almost certainly guilty of many crimes I don't believe he should be executed. No person should be able decide whether another human should live or die and neither should the State because ultimately it comes down to the decisions of human beings.

In discussions I've had recently the reasons of finance and safety were raised by somone who was in favour of capital punishment. A case can be made for both but ultimately they are both too flimsy in my opinion to justify a death sentence.

There maybe a valid reason for the death penalty if it makes people feel safer even if it doesn't actually make them any safer. But it's just Security Theatre like air travel security, most airport security procedures are nothing more than things done to make passengers feel secure but offer very little real security benefits. Better to devote resources to something that will actually make society safer rather than make people think they are safer.

The financial reason that was mentioned is an interesting one. It's something that has occurred to me before and I've read of in an abstract way in economic writings but never known anyone really express it.

Imprisoning people for a long time is expensive and therefore it's a lot cheaper to execute someone than to to imprison them for life. But taking someone's life becasue it's a cheaper alternative is distasteful to virtually everyone even those who are in favour of capital punishment. In addition this reason is less applicable in the US where people can be on death row for decades before their execution.

Which is yet another thing in this case, Stanley "Tookie" Williams was on death row for 24 years before the death sentence was finally carried out. He was a very different man now from the person that was found guilty of murder, he had by all accounts become a reformed character that had attempted to undo many of the wrongs from the time prior to his incarceration. In effect the man he was died in prison and the new man he became was the executed.

It's odd that that should be the case in the US that the carrying out of capital punishment should follow such a protracted period of imprisonment.

Why not get it over and done with far quicker? Trial and then appeal then execution if appeal fails. I don't know about other modern societies who execute but back when the UK still had capital punishment (which really wasn't very long ago) it all happened pretty swiftly.

There is a website titled Murder File with the relevant data.

Take the last case in 1964, which was pretty typical but notable for the date being only just over 40 years ago.

Peter Anthony Allen & Gwynne Owen Evans comitted murder on Tuesday, 7th April, 1964, were tried between 1st - 7th July, 1964 and then executed Thursday, 13th August, 1964.

Barely 4 months between the commission of the crime and the carrying out of the sentence. Is it cruel and unusual punishment to be imprisoned for so long before the ultimate sentence is carried out, or is it crueler for the sentence to be swift?

Labels: Security

Yes, 9/11 - The Swiss Army knife of excuses! Use it often!

BBC News: Comedian Richard Pryor dead at 65

Groundbreaking black US comedian Richard Pryor has died after almost 20 years with multiple sclerosis.

He died at the age of 65 of a heart attack at Encino hospital near Los Angeles, his wife Jennifer Pryor said.

Goddam I fucking loved his shit. One of the greatest stand ups ever.

Richard Pryor's Wikipedia entry.

A vote for Chris Christmas Rodriguez is a vote for Christmas Truth.

Bizarre and very reminiscent of my early Christmases in the 70s.

Rocketboom is a three minute daily videoblog, yesterday Amanda Congdon did a vox pop on the streets of New York City asking people: Which do you prefer Internet Explorer or Firefox?

I'm pleasantly surprised that virtually all the people asked actually understand the question even if they don't use Firefox as their web browser they are aware of it.

There has just been a major new release of the Firefox browser. So if you haven't downloaded it yet do so and download the Google Toolbar to go along with it by clicking the button at the top of the navbar to the left.

But even better websiste owners can now make money from Firefox. Learn how you can make money by switching your visitors to Firefox.

Just watched Sahara which I thought was a cracking movie despite the poor reviews it's received.

Yeah so it's got plotholes the size of craters from meteor strikes and it ain't going to win oscars but it did exactly what it said on the tin in my opinion.

Just a very enjoyable action adventure.

The pairing of Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn works really well, totally believable as friends since being kids. Zahn was great not just a comedy sidekick but a balls to the wall action hero in his own right.

Russian squirrel pack 'kills dog'

Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report.

Passers-by were reportedly too late to stop the attack by the black squirrels in a village in the far east, which reportedly lasted about a minute.

They are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh.

A pine cone shortage may have led the squirrels to seek other food sources, although scientists are sceptical.

The attack was reported in parkland in the centre of Lazo, a village in the Maritime Territory, and was witnessed by three local people.

A "big" stray dog was nosing about the trees and barking at squirrels hiding in branches overhead when a number of them suddenly descended and attacked, reports say.

"They literally gutted the dog," local journalist Anastasia Trubitsina told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

"When they saw the men, they scattered in different directions, taking pieces of their kill away with them."

Mikhail Tiyunov, a scientist in the region, said it was the first he had ever heard of such an attack.

While squirrels without sources of protein might attack birds' nests, he said, the idea of them chewing at a dog to death was "absurd".

"If it really happened, things must be pretty bad in our forests," he added.

Komosmolskaya Pravda notes that in a previous incident this autumn chipmunks terrorised cats in a part of the territory.

A Lazo man who called himself only Mikhalich said there had been "no pine cones at all" in the local forests this year.

"The little beasts are agitated because they have nothing to eat," he said.

Who knew that squirrels could be such vicious little bastards?

The New Yorker: Everybody's an Expert
Putting predictions to the test. by LOUIS MENAND

It was no news to Tetlock, therefore, that experts got beaten by formulas. But he does believe that he discovered something about why some people make better forecasters than other people. It has to do not with what the experts believe but with the way they think. Tetlock uses Isaiah Berlin’s metaphor from Archilochus, from his essay on Tolstoy, “The Hedgehog and the Fox,” to illustrate the difference. He says:

Low scorers look like hedgehogs: thinkers who “know one big thing,” aggressively extend the explanatory reach of that one big thing into new domains, display bristly impatience with those who “do not get it,” and express considerable confidence that they are already pretty proficient forecasters, at least in the long term. High scorers look like foxes: thinkers who know many small things (tricks of their trade), are skeptical of grand schemes, see explanation and prediction not as deductive exercises but rather as exercises in flexible “ad hocery” that require stitching together diverse sources of information, and are rather diffident about their own forecasting prowess.

A hedgehog is a person who sees international affairs to be ultimately determined by a single bottom-line force: balance-of-power considerations, or the clash of civilizations, or globalization and the spread of free markets. A hedgehog is the kind of person who holds a great-man theory of history, according to which the Cold War does not end if there is no Ronald Reagan. Or he or she might adhere to the “actor-dispensability thesis,” according to which Soviet Communism was doomed no matter what. Whatever it is, the big idea, and that idea alone, dictates the probable outcome of events. For the hedgehog, therefore, predictions that fail are only “off on timing,” or are “almost right,” derailed by an unforeseeable accident. There are always little swerves in the short run, but the long run irons them out.

Foxes, on the other hand, don’t see a single determining explanation in history. They tend, Tetlock says, “to see the world as a shifting mixture of self-fulfilling and self-negating prophecies: self-fulfilling ones in which success breeds success, and failure, failure but only up to a point, and then self-negating prophecies kick in as people recognize that things have gone too far.”

Is the debacle that is the aftermath of the Iraq War due to perhaps there being too many hedgehogs in the White House.

A free democratic Iraq is a good thing but those that believed that merely deposing Saddam Hussein and the Baathists making the Iraqi people free and then establishing democratic elections would bring that about were clearly wrong. The prediction based on the big idea of freedom and democracy failed to take into account that many Iraqis didn't want freedom or democracy and many that did didn't want an overseas power like the US imposing their idea of freedom and democracy upon them.