http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/opinion/17meyer.html?ref=todayspaper

The Iranians have recently invited our President to reciprocate Ahmadinejad's New York visit by speaking at one of their universities. I don't know how feasible or wise such a trip would be, given the security considerations involved -- but I think there could be much value in a Presidential address to the Iranian nation, regardless of venue.

Imagine if our leader gave a brief history lesson on the origins of our conflict with Iran -- starting not in 1979, but in 1953, when we overthrew a democratically elected government and installed the Shah. Imagine how shocked the Iranian people would be if he were to apologize, on our behalf, for that act, and tied the present conflict to it. Such candor would be unprecedented in our ongoing war of words with Iran; it would open the minds of Iranians and gain the respect of the entire world.

The President could go on to explain how the roles have since been reversed: that there is overwhelming evidence that various elements in the Iranian military have lately been sowing strife and instability in the nascent democracies of Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Then, he would move the focus back to the nuclear question, explaining why the world cannot entrust dangerous nuclear technology to a government that openly aims to "wipe Israel off the map", even as it claims its programs are peaceful in nature. At this point, he should cite the letter written by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni authorizing a nuclear weapons program during the Iran-Iraq war.

Finally, he could point out that the issue of nonproliferation is larger than Iran, and that no matter how many sanctions are passed or wars fought, we'll keep returning to the same situation again and again until the underlying problem is solved. To that end, he would propose that all uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing worldwide be placed under direct supervision of the IAEA. In the interest of global peace and stability, the United States would place all of its own enrichment and reprocessing facilities under IAEA authority, and invite all UN nations -- starting with the current NPT signatories -- to do the same.

Such a speech would be very much in the best interests of the United States. Whereas Iran has not yet produced any, we already have all the weapons-grade uranium and plutonium we will ever need. The President need say nothing about a nation giving up the fissile materials it already has. Furthermore, a fix for the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) loopholes is long overdue, and our looming conflict with Iran illustrates perfectly why those holes must be plugged.

The appeal for changes to the NPT would be made not to Iran, but to the entire world -- and there is an excellent chance it will get a positive reception. One can hardly imagine Iran's regime being more isolated if it continues to insist on indigenous enrichment at that point. But the President should not stop there: at the end of his address, he should offer the Iranians diplomatic recognition and normalized relations if they will endorse and comply with the new NPT protocol.

Enjoy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinal

Current Mood: thirsty

Someone has found a way to use radio frequencies, rather than electricity, to break water ("radiolysis"?)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/burning_seawater

Although this development can't be used for long-distance communication, it could help make quantum computers a reality:
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/60762,spooky-science-points-to-quantum-internet.aspx

GWOT:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucas/20070908/cm_ucas/waronterroristakingplaceinthewrongplaces;_ylt=AjCbcVZ8vMy_7YHdoB9aBpS7e8UF

WWIV:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucwb/20070905/cm_ucwb/worldwariv;_ylt=AgpXYQwVT7OyuVBi3VnDSiy7e8UF

OBL Hunt:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20430170/site/newsweek/page/1

Food for thought!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/03/07/do0706.xml

Current Mood: thoughtful

Some folks at MIT have induced a Bose-Einstein condensate to collapse and create a miniature explosion:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/03apr_neutronstars.htm

Such condensates are a distinct phase of matter that forms when enough atoms of the same isotope are cooled within a millionth of a degree of absolute zero. The funny thing about this explosion is, they did it with Rubidium atoms. Rubidium is a rare-earth element -- pretty massive as isotopes go -- and I don't know much about the nuclear physics involved, but I doubt that it is capable of fusing with itself. The experimenters said that the energy yield of their "bosenova" explosion was very modest... but what if they had used a fusable element instead?

This is something I've wondered before... the problem with nuclear fusion is that positively-charged nuclei repel each other, and the closer they get to each other, the more powerful that repulsion becomes. But in a Bose-Einstein condensate, all the particles of each atom move in unison; in many ways, it's as if the condensate were one *very* large atom. And there's no limit to the number of atoms that can be added to such a condensate, provided that they are sufficiently cooled. But this looks like it eliminates the repulsion problem, doesn't it? If it does, the following applications should become possible:
* high-yield nuclear fusion within light-isotope condensates
* high-yield nuclear fusion between different isotope condensates
* synthesis of new, superheavy elements
* creation of a microscopic "neutron star" or "black hole" in the lab

That might conceivably lead to commercially viable fusion or even breakthroughs in quantum gravity. So, stay tuned! New physics is afoot.

Current Mood: excited

My first, My Only
F f F f F f - Love, Diana
You wore me down
Bloody Hell
Lover of my behind
You are SO mine
You're mine sucker!
Not for pawning
Put me back on!
Wrapped around you forever
A perfect fit
1 room, 1 bed, no p.j.’s
Save and redeem for fun prizes
Hot Wifey Award
Please return with man if found
If found, keep man and return ring
May all our ups and downs be only in the bedroom.
My Pet Monster
Every day and twice on Sunday
His: Frankenstein
Hers: Bride Of Frankenstein
999,995 more years to go
Awesome, Up Top. 9-29-07
I pick the cute brunette 5/13/07
Say bye bye to freedom babe
You are my first home run
Hook, line & sinker
A halo for my angel
His: PDM 1 of 2 Assimilated 24-11-00
Hers: MLR 2 of 2 Assimilated 24-11-00 (resistance was futile)
Happy now? Good.
Don’t hope...decide
I can’t wait to make love to you
Daniela’s property 9-9-00 (his)
Christian’s property 9-9-00 (hers)
I made a wish and you came true
I love you more than toast

Current Mood: amused

Poor guy! He lived in silence most of his life, and never found a wife... I never knew he suffered so much at the end... :'(

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070828/ap_on_re_eu/who_killed_beethoven;_ylt=AjQJ6RiE3py0MDJWszWxT78UewgF

Current Mood: sad

Interesting new theoretical developments:

http://www.physorg.com/news96027669.html

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/fundamentals/mg19325954.200-the-universe-is-a-stringnet-liquid.html?DCMP=ILC-Top5&nsref=mg19325954.200


Dark Matter links for my GF <3
More of it is just black holes:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070731/sc_space/hiddenblackholesrevealed

In any case, it's not what most theorists think:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070817/sc_space/newmysteryofinvisiblemattergeneratedbycosmiccollision


The quadrant that God forgot
astronomers' latest intriguing discovery: absolutely nothing!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070824/sc_space/hugeholefoundintheuniverse


Wow -- an actual test for string theory! :o
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9j8eu0MztNGWM4AMRLQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHZkMjZyBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzcg--/SIG=12roev57c/EXP=1188372364/**http%3a//science.slashdot.org/article.pl%3fsid=07/08/25/019234%26from=rss


And here's the latest cutting-edge work on Dodos:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070817/sc_livescience/bonescouldyielddododna;_ylt=Ahm9SvnL0ef8g3FoiZKBdrX737YB

Thank goodness MS still grades my papers! : b
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070827/cm_csm/yblechman

Current Mood: scared

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18494880/

*rubbit!* ^^

Current Mood: mischievous

Now they're saying he may have been Spanish, not Italian:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12871458/

I wonder if "Puss in Boots" (Shrek) is Catalonian, too? :D

Current Mood: silly

I'm the luckiest man in the world, cuz I'm marrying majinsakuko on Valentine's Day! :D She's the love of my life, and lives nearly half the world away -- so I'm planning to mail myself to her in a box, inside a big cake or something. That might be a lot easier than messing with all the immigration paperwork ; ) but she's more than worth all the hassle! <333

majinsakuko just told me that the "Current Location" field for entries links to Google Earth. Must see... *tries it out now*

I fully support the efforts of the West to isolate Hamas until it renounces violence, honors Fatah-brokered agreements and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Moreover, I also see Mr. Haniyeh, the new Palestinian PM, as a rational actor who makes decisions based on domestic political considerations rather than extremist ideology. We may therefore be able to work with him.

Mr. Haniyeh represents the landslide victory of Hamas as a democratic mandate for all of its policies, including those that support violence. Once his administration has begun to feel the pinch, we should propose that they put the goal of a two-state solution to a popular referendum vote. If the Palestinian people are willing to live in peace alongside Israel in exchange for international recognition (and aid), the Hamas government would have ample justification for revising its policies. Let us hope that Mr. Haniyeh -- and the Palestinian people -- are up to that challenge.

Current Mood: hopeful

Gregg Easterbrook has my vote for NASA Chief:
http://www.slate.com/id/2138943/?nav=ais

Then again, he might be disqualified by his penchant for common sense.

Current Mood: grumpy

Here is some crap that I found -- consider it my St. Patrick's Day gift to you all. Take it easy on the green beer, everyone...
:J

Current Mood: cheerful

Feeling bummed? Modern science has the answer...

Current Mood: optimistic

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/P138885.asp

Okay, so maybe it's not the best way to save the planet... but at least it will hasten our energy independence from the Middle East (and Venezuela). Besides; the idea of annexation really is pretty cool! ; b

Current Mood: silly