Deadly Medicine

The Science edition from the 24th of February also describes an online collection of "Twisted Science" exibits. It is about the online version of an exhibit of "deadly medicine" at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., documenting distorted science practices by Nazi scientists and doctors, in order to justify their "racial hygiene" policies, materialized in the murder of millions of Jews and other people considered inferior. Profiles of several prominent scientists involved (some of them- incredibly- resuming or even improving their careers after the war) are also briefly presented. A very welcome initiative of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum- and clearly a must for any scientist and not only- as lesson of what horrific ends unsound and purposely unethical scientific reasoning can be used for.

This automatically links with something else: how on Earth can we still have those humanoids with no brain arguing that the Holocaust did not take place, despite every evidence pointing to that? A recent such case is the one of "historian" David Irving. I guess the most important thing here is that the subject himself (partially) admitted - at the very end of the day- his errors, and not so much the legal punishment (I have doubts whether the enactment and enforcement of such legislation instead of complete freedom of speech BUT concerted and sustained ex-post criticism of, particularly in this case, all the academic community, and eventual academic downgrading based on scientific grounds of the subject, is more efficient). Something certain - unfortunately- not to happen (admitting errors and apologizing) in the case of a certain islamic president (or for that reason, the supreme leader of that state).

Din lume adunate...

Prins in prea multe lucruri care nu pot fi deloc amanate sunt nevoit sa o las mai moale cu frecventa entry-urilor in blog pentru o perioada. Totusi, din cand in cand, in fuga, niste impresii.

Ce e nou, asadar? Unii o tin una si buna cu promovarea manelelor si promovarea Romaniei prin manele (am promis un articol AGAINST, dar inca nu am avut timp- si mi-e ca ar fi pierdere de vreme oricum), ciudat fiindca nu sunt ex-ante din cei neajutorati (cerebral, vorbind), dar incearca cu tot dinadinsul sa demonstreze contrarul. Ei bine, se stie ca in cele din urma cei insistenti- si persistenti in demersurile lor- inving. As zice insa si eu dupa Pyrrus: inca o asemenea victorie si suntem pierduti...

Ioan T. Morar scrie un articol interesant despre decorarea lui Cartarescu de catre Basescu si invidia unora si a altora (in general de acord cu spiritul articolului- desi autorul exagereaza here and there, insa un alt lucru e si el sigur: dupa cate decoratii aiurea a dat Nea Ion- la "reputatia" si calibrul dumisale nici nu e de mirare- cam greu sa mai crezi in semnificatia lor, e nevoie de multi ani si presedinti cu tact pentru schimbarea impresiei aici, pana atunci ar putea fi chiar recomandabil sa refuzi asemenea "onoruri").

Am terminat de citit acum cateva saptamani Jurnalul lui Mihail Sebastian. Excelent! Eu l-as include in programa liceala imediat, daca nu s-a facut deja asta (m-as mira). Inter alia prezinta razboiul din punctul de vedere al unui om normal, care prin natura uraste asa ceva (imi aduce aminte de pianistul din superbul film omonim regizat de Polanski- in Jurnalul lui Sebastian rolul pianistului ar putea fi jucat fie de Mihail Sebastian, fie de Eugen Ionescu). Evoca in acelasi timp in alte culori (cele reale) personalitati cum ar fi Nae Ionescu, Eliade, Camil Petrescu, Cioran s.am.d. Nu e de mirare ca atat autorul (desigur, post-mortem...) cat si cei care au publicat jurnalul sau au scris cronici pozitive la adresa lui si-au atras maraieli sau chiar muscaturi din partea...haitei.

Demni, dar rupti in fund

Nu as putea spune ca Dan Tapalaga a scris intotdeauna interesant, inteligent si la obiect (evident, opinia mea- cea care conteaza!), dar de data asta articolul sau din Cotidianul e excelent. Putea fi chiar mai spicy... In orice caz ma abonez categoric la editorialele sale de acum inainte daca il mai prind in astfel de momente bune.

Cumva nefiresc si aproape hilar, discutam problema „demnitatii nationale“. Patriotarzii au iesit iarasi la atac. Nu i-au unit razboiul din Irak, interventiile NATO sau decandeta justitiei americane, ci exasperarea Occidentului.
Personaje simpatice ca Ion Iliescu, Cristian Tudor Popescu, Ion Cristoiu, Bogdan Chirieac si alti romanasi sensibili la tricolor au latrat cu furie pe sub gardurile ambasadelor Statelor Unite si Marii Britanii.
Au spumegat ca americanii si englezii le-au ciuruit demnitatea. Ca ar fi intervenit brutal in treburile interne, cerind puterii sa repare urgent raul facut dupa votul din Senat care a retezat elanul anticoruptie si a pus in pericol viitorul DNA. Ca astfel i-ar fi tratat pe romani ca pe niste babuini, pigmei, aborigeni si alte subspecii umanoide. Un tribulet mai mic de peremisti si pesedisti i-a acompaniat, printre miriieli aparindu-si demnitatea rupta in fund.
De ce rupta in fund? Dupa votul primatelor politice din Senat, demnitatea nationala s-a cam zdrentuit. Daca luam acum in calcul si recentul abuz comis de Adrian Nastase, demnitatea nationala s-a dus dracului definitiv. Seful Camerei Deputatilor s-a folosit de pozitia sa pentru a impiedica o perchezitie in propriul sau dosar. Halal tara. Contribuie domnul Nastase la consolidarea sentimentului national al fiintei? Ce ar trebui sa faca Occidentul? Sa ne compatimeasca in tacere si sa asiste pasiv la compromiterea democratiei? Ar fi trist. Si daca ar trimite trupele NATO sau Delta Force sa opreasca nebunia din Parlamentul Romaniei, tot ar fi prea putin.

Intreg articolul

Balea Lac Ice Hotel

Pe mine m-a convins categoric. Daca locul e intr-adevar asa cum il descrie Doru Panaitescu, eu sunt decis sa ajung acolo cu prima ocazie- probabil iarna viitoare... Mi se pare o idee fantastica- traznita, dar FANTASTICA. Oh, daca as fi stiut de prin noiembrie anul trecut! Din pacate nu am gasit articolul asta si pe speologie.ro (unde m-as fi asteptat la mai multe detalii, eventual o galerie de poze mai ampla), indicat de hotnews.ro ca sursa. Dar in orice caz, jos palaria pentru Balea Lac Ice Hotel!

Prostia la ea acasa sau un fel de "critici literari"

Nu ca ma asteptam la prea mult de la multi dintre ei (cu unele exceptii insa- acestia ma dezamagesc enorm), dar marturisirile unor critici literari, scriitori si alte specii, toti romani evident, in ultimul numar din Cotidianul au pus cireasa pe tort, so to speak. Pai cum mai nene, nu citesti sau nu vrei sa citesti cartea asta sau cartea aia daca esti critic literar, formator de opinie etc? Adica te bazezi pur si simplu pe ceea ce se spune in targ, pur si simplu nu crezi niciodata in gustul publicului si decizi ca orice alegere a acestuia e proasta etc etc? Nu sunteti cu nimic mai buni decat cei care citesc vreo carte doar de dragul hype-ului din jurul cartii (pe care implicit "criticii" nostri ii critica, ba Antonesei ii si numeste "acefali publici aborigeni"). Singurul care da totusi un raspuns demn de un IQ al unui homo sapiens e Paul Cernat. Evident ca nu le poti citi pe toate cu aceeasi placere dar macar de curiozitate, macar sa vezi daca e asa cum ti-ai inchipuit. Sa nu mai vorbim de faptul ca unii o iau razna de tot cum e acest Gheorghe Craciun care ii pune pe Umberto Eco, Anatole France, Salman Rushdie si Paolo Coehlo (ce alaturare, toti o apa si-un pamant, nu-i asa?) exact in aceeasi oala a mediocrilor (sic! domn Craciun o fi cu mult deasupra lor- o demonstreaza categoric cu aceste categorisiri). Nu mai vorbim de Mihailescu caruia nu i-am putut citi vreo opinie inteligenta vreodata, oriunde- desi i le-am citit- spre deosebire de habit-ul lui- de fiecare data. Nu sunt de acord nici macar cu Rogozanu care altadata se dovedea mai rasarit. De ce mai nenicule sa nu-i citeasca publicul pe Paunescu sau pe Sararu si sa-si formeze opinia proprie- totul e sa ai de unde alege, sa poti citi cartile, criticile si laudele la cartile respective si sa iti formezi o parere. Dar "criticii nostri" (halal critici) devin cenzori- cenzura incurajata acum ca nu mai poate fi de facto exercitata- in loc de ghizi- sa nu mai vorbim de faptul ca in mare majoritate a cazurilor nu au citit cartile pe care le crucifica.

Romania and the EU: Netting the Untouchables

The Economist is rather positive about Romania's efforts to reach the EU integration standards. This recent article praises the fight against corruption ("catching the big fish") led by the "impressive non-party justice minister", "soft-spoken", Monica Macovei" and the "salty captain Basescu".

I wouldn't yet show too much enthusiasm, nonetheless one cannot deny that some progress is now visible. And I couldn't agree more with the fact that there are plenty things to dislike about Romania but that keeping it out would not benefit either Romania or the EU.

Here's the start of the text:

The smell of fish being friend hangs over Bucharest. The European Union wants progress in the fight against top-level corruption and, as Brussels mulls over when to admit Romania, the authorities started hunting impressive fish: a deputy prime minister, George Copos, an ex-prime minister, Adrian Nastase, and a former economy minister are under investigation. All deny wrongdoing. But the sight of a previously untouchable class facing any scrutiny is welcome. Since the toppling of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, politics in the biggest Balkan country have seen theft matched only by impunity

And the end:

The European Commission will issue its report on Romania and Bulgaria in May; an EU summit will then decide when to admit them. Romania is poorer and worse-governed than most, but it is also too big to ignore. So some are suggesting postponing membership by a year, or even indefinitely. Yet Romanians have a ready rejoinder: things are changing fast, if belatedly. The last bunch of new entrants were admitted more for their effort than their achievement, yet there are few regrets today. In short, there is plenty for the EU to dislike about Romania- but keeping it out would not speed its progres.

Wikipolitics

Apparently Wikipedia faces more acts of vandalism originating from Capitol Hill IP addresses than from anywhere else... Below a bit of the USA representatives' whitewashing (taken over from the Washington Post- you need to sign up first to read it there; you can read the full text also on MSN ):

Last week, Wikipedia temporarily blocked certain Capitol Hill Web addresses from altering any entries in the otherwise wide-open forum. Wikipedia is a vast, growing information database written and maintained solely by volunteers. In December, the database received 4.7 million edits from viewers, of which a relatively small number -- "a couple of thousand," according to founder Jimmy Wales -- constituted vandalism.

As the site becomes one of the most heavily visited spots on the Internet, it's testing the limits of collective smarts and integrity. But when it comes to Washington, where intrigue and passions run high, keeping such a public record is a particular challenge. Not only is there the obvious temptation to tinker with an opponent's bio, there's the whole subjective nature of political truth itself.

When the Wikipedia entry for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) noted that he had criticized the president, for example, someone modified it to say that Reid had "rightfully" criticized the president. Someone also recast the state legislative record of Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), changing a passage reading, "one of her final, failed bills would have made it much more difficult for same-sex parents to see their children in the hospital during an emergency" to the less inflammatory, "Musgrave spent much of her time on social issues, particularly authoring bills to protect children and the traditional definition of marriage, as well as gun owner's rights."

A popular change in recent weeks has been deleting mentions of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) from politicians' profiles. Politically motivated edits aren't just coming from Capitol Hill; some comments are being traced back to other parts of political Washington, including the Justice Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Navy and Marines.

It seems like the kind of thing that must happen all the time on a site where absolutely anybody can weigh in on any topic. But such online behavior is actually the exception at Wikipedia, Wales said.

Wales started the project five years ago and, on the whole, said the experience has strengthened his faith in humanity. With some notable exceptions. "When somebody writes that Senator so-and-so is a [bad word], we figure that's not a legitimate edit," he said.
"The goal is to give people a free encyclopedia to every person in the world, in their own language," Wales said. "Not just in a 'free beer' kind of way, but also in the free speech kind of way."

Dateline: To Catch a Predator

I think these guys are doing a great job at Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator and I really believe there should be more such excellent initiatives- seems they are really useful in today's societies (most likely this is not confined to the USA). See here the "summary" of their Predator III episode, in direct collaboration with the police this time. I find absolutely amazing the number of these perverts- and how active they are. One small quote from the report to give you an idea about the extent of the phenomenon:

"Our first two stings averaged 18 men over three days. Amazingly, in southern California, on the first day alone, 14 men arrive for what they think will be a possible meeting for sex with a 12 or 13-year-old.

On the second day, it gets so busy we actually have three men show up within minutes of each other.

"

Perhaps even more amazing is that they come from all strata of the society, from all "walks of life". There's even a federal agent among them!

And the federal agent can’t seem to stop talking to the cops.
Michael Burks: My father was a police officer. I was a police officer. I work for the Department of Homeland security. I understand you guys have a job to do and I’m not trying to tell anything else other than that. I swear to God, as God as my witness, I’m wearing a St. Michael’s medal right now, okay? I was not going to do anything with her.
But the detective doesn’t seem to be buying his story.
Police officer: I am telling you I don’t believe that you didn’t intend to have sex at some point with the girl.
Burks: Sir, I swear to God.
Police officer: It would have happened, I guarantee you, it would have happened.
And he has one more thing to say to the disgraced federal agent.
Police officer: In your position, you should have known better. You know the law. That’s even worse. You know what, that puts a bad mark on my job, on everybody. Every cop in this country you put a bad mark on.
Burks: I know, sir.

Un nou scandal pe linie religioasa islamica

Cum ii spuneam si lui Sorin pentru pagini.com, desi sunt evident pentru libertatea de expresie a presei- si a individului- la nivel de guvern trebuie adoptata o tactica mai strategica. Mai ales in Danemarca unde lumea nu isi doreste decat liniste si pace. Pe de alta parte as recomanda putina relaxare si infocatilor fundamentalisti islamici.

Vezi si detalii despre continuarea povestii.