Purple sandpipers are here often. Others saw them today on the jetty, but we didn’t.

Many oystercatchers and turnstones.

This is a video of a rock pipit in Denmark.

A call of a rock pipit. It flies to the left.

Later, the inner harbour quay. Often, scores of turnstones here in winter. But not so today, probably because the snow hinders them in finding food. Near a pole, three sleeping, one awake. Later, others join them, increasing the group’s size to ten turnstones and one juvenile herring gull. Then, a woman passes, walking her dog. All birds fly away.

This video is the film The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War.

The massive military appropriations bill, including $128 billion for the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, comes as local governments and school boards are imposing crippling budget cuts: here.

Initial jobless benefit claims in the US rose the second time in a row last week, undermining claims that the recovery in corporate profits is translating into improved employment conditions for workers: here.

Beginning in 2010, women under the age of 50 in California will no longer be eligible for free screenings for breast cancer, the state’s Department of Public health announced this week: here.

From the daily News Line in Britain:

Friday, 18 December 2009

RESEARCH FUNDING CHANGES AN ATTACK ON SCIENCE – says UCU

Two UCU members hold up a picture of Einstein outside the House of Commons on Wednesday. Einstein who said about research ‘If we knew what it was what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?’

THE government’s changes to research funding threaten the future of science in Britain, leading experts are warning.

According to Professor Donald Braben, Honorary Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, virtually every major scientific discovery ever made would not have survived the current REF regime with its emphasis on ‘economic impact’.

The University and College Union (UCU) delivered a petition with 17,000 signatures to parliament on Wednesday against research cuts.

The UCU cited several examples of prize-winning scientific research in the UK that may never have occurred if the new funding arrangements had been in place then.

These included:

• Crick and Watson: Nobel Laureates Medicine, 1962.

Serious objections were raised to their proposed use of X-ray crystallography.

Neither Crick nor Watson had previously used X-rays. But they went ahead anyway and discovered the double helix structure for DNA.

• Peter D Mitchell, Nobel Laureate, Chemistry, 1978.

Mitchell proposed the chemiosmotic process in 1961, arguably the most important biological-sciences discovery of the 20th century.

His radical proposal challenged the conventional wisdom of the time, and was received by almost total hostility.

• Max Perutz and John Kendrew, Nobel Laureates, Chemistry, 1962.

They worked on the problem of haemoglobin structure for 25 years.

Dr Robert Kirby-Harris, chief executive of the Institute of Physics, recently said: ‘History shows us that in many cases it is basic research, undertaken purely out of curiosity to understand more about our world, that has delivered revolutionary breakthroughs.

‘X-rays, lasers and semiconductors – technologies which are widely used in every aspect of our lives – all stem from discoveries made through fundamental research, undertaken without any immediate application in mind.’

‘The Institute of Physics has produced the following set of case studies, showcasing the vital contribution that curiosity-driven physics research has made to a number of major technological developments,’ said the UCU.

These in turn, the union added, ‘have led to significant contributions to the UK’s gross domestic product and/or improved the quality of life of its people.’

• Cancer diagnosis and treatment.

‘Physics research has played, and continues to play, an essential role in improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.’

• DNA and physics.

‘The discovery of the structure of DNA heralded the birth of the field of molecular biology, in which physicists, chemists and biologists work together to unravel the basic processes of life.’

• The global positioning system.

‘Satellite-based navigation and positioning technology, underpinned by physics research, is no longer the preserve of the military but is now an invaluable aid in all aspects of life.’

• Holography.

‘A technique creating three-dimensional images based on the physics of light waves, and invented in the UK, has a range of applications – from security to data storage.

• Lasers.

‘Lasers provide the archetypal example of how a discovery in basic physics led to an invention, several decades later, that was unpredictably world-changing.’

• Liquid-crystal displays.

‘Liquid-crystal displays have become the image-display technology of choice, following a long chain of physics-based R&D initiated by pioneering work in the UK.’

• Magnetic resonance imaging

‘Magnetic resonance imaging, based on ideas from nuclear physics and developed in the UK, is now a routine, safe, clinical technique for seeing inside the body and diagnosing disease.’

• Optical fibres.

‘Light-carrying glass fibres have transformed communications, thanks to pioneering work carried out by UK physicists.’

• The ozone layer.

‘Understanding and protecting the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere has been a major achievement in physics-based environmental research.’

• The World Wide Web.

‘The World Wide Web is an outstanding example of how research in particle physics changed the world in a totally unforeseeable way.’

In the field of chemistry, the UCU cites the work of Sir Harry Kroto.

He said: ‘I had been fascinated by carbon chains ever since my PhD work (1961-64) and David’s polyynes re-awakened this interest and in particular initiated ideas about how very long carbon chains might vibrate.

‘The image in my mind was of the way I had seen a wave blip travel along a long slackish wire or rope and a travelling wave in a canal or river such as the Severn Bore.

‘I wondered how quantum mechanics would handle these sorts of problems.

‘Could we study the highly excited vibrational levels of such chains and observe quantum properties gradually metamorphose into this sort of classical visually-imaged behaviour as implied by the Bohr Correspondence Principle?’

The discovery of C60 will have its 25th anniversary next year and it is only now that applications appear to be on the horizon.

One of the most important properties of C60 is that it is an outstanding electron trap and the commercialisation of organic solar cells doped with fullerenes (which improve the efficiency of electricity production) and printed on inexpensive thin plastic is now imminent.

On the medical front the fullerene cages are able to trap biologically toxic atoms inside the cage physically, rather than chemically, and their application as non-toxic MRI imaging and radioactive anti-cancer agents appears also to be imminent.

The UCU commented: ‘History has shown time-and-again that the basics of the above story are very often the way that important breakthroughs occur.

‘Indeed it is blindingly obvious that the really unexpected and unpredictable discoveries are invariably more important than those that are the result of targeted initiatives.

‘The discovery of C60 was the result of an experiment to understand stellar and interstellar chemistry. . . Time-and-again it is only when discoveries are made that possible applications become obvious, and then almost invariably made by scientists in a totally different field from that of the original discoverer.’

Excellent examples of this, said the UCU, are the applications of lasers to eye surgery and bar-code scanners at supermarket cash desks.

Professor Donald Braben said: ‘Lasers are used today in everything from surgical procedures to light displays, but it was not until 20 years after the technology was invented by the Nobel prizewinning scientist Charles Townes that industry began to see its potential (Professor Townes certainly did not).

‘What would happen today if a scientist sought funding from UK research councils to pursue inquiry on similar lines?

‘The laser was described, for a very long time, as “a solution looking for a problem’’.’

The same is true in the field of mathematics, said the UCU.

Professor Ari Laptev, President of the European Mathematical Society, said: ‘It is true that many new results in mathematics do not have immediate applications but, eventually, most of them do become applicable.

‘Let me mention a few recent examples where the use of mathematics has proved crucial:

• ‘Integral geometry, dealing with so-called inverse problems, has provided a methodology used in:
medical imaging for identifying tumours, weather radars, the search for oil fields, astronomy, etc.

• ‘The creation of modern fibre optic cables would not be possible without the discovery of special solutions of non-linear equations called solitons.

• ‘The arrival of the Internet made people fear that the world would be drowned in vast amounts of information.

‘This problem has been successfully resolved by Google, which invariably delivers, instantly, the information sought.

‘It seems like magic but the searching algorithm of Google was in fact provided by mathematicians.

• ‘The theory of wavelets has been enormously important in telecommunications.

‘It allows us to transmit information in a most compact way and ultimately gives us the possibility of all sorts of wireless connections.

• ‘Credit card security is only possible thanks to cryptology, which uses a branch of number theory.

• ‘Mathematicians are involved in improving the understanding of fundamental problems in genomics research, cell signalling, systems physiology, infection and immunity, developmental biology, the spreading of disease and ecology.’

The mathematical theories used in these examples were not originally developed with any particular application in mind but purely as a result of the curiosity of scientists.

This video is the national anthem of the Solomon Islands.

In an important victory for democratic rights, former Solomon Islands’ attorney general Julian Moti has succeeded in blocking the Australian government’s attempt to frame him on statutory rape charges: here.

This video says about itself:

General Strike in Greece on April 2, 2009

Workers from the public and private sector unions, along with students and anti-war activists staged a national strike on April 2 to protest the government policy in reaction to the global economic meltdown including spending cuts and wage freezes. Over 20, 000 people showed up. They marched peacefully to the Greek parliament without any incident.

Thousands of trade unionists belonging to the left-wing PAME confederation have marched through central Athens to protest against public spending cuts by Greece’s Socialist Party government: here.

Britain: In spite of the deepest economic recession in 70 years, the CEO’s of the FTSE top 100 companies continue to fill their pockets with enormous amounts of money: here.

USA: An editorial in last Sunday’s Los Angeles Times highlights the state of California’s inadequate utilization of government-provided food assistance services: here.

Karl Marx and the 1857 economic crisis: here.

From Wildlife Extra, about Britain and Ireland :

Goldcrests numbers crash while Firecrests thrive

16/12/2009 08:51:53 Mixed fortunes for crests

Goldcrests and Firecrests have experienced very mixed fortunes this autumn.

Goldcrests - Very low numbers

Several Bird Observatories have reported a distinct lack of Goldcrests, backed up by anecdotal reports from many birders. The apparent population crash is reflected by the BirdTrack reporting rate which shows that they have featured on less than half the complete lists than normal for this time of year. Last winter was the coldest for 12 years and the very low temperatures both here and in Scandinavia seem the most likely cause for the decline.

Firecrests - Population boom

In contrast, it has been an excellent autumn for Firecrests. During September, October and November there were 23% more reports on BirdGuides than 2008. The difference between the two crests’ fortunes is probably attributable to the more southerly distribution of Firecrest, meaning that a smaller proportion of the population suffered the effects of the exceptionally cold winter 2008/09.

Birdtrack Goldcrest report.

Birdtrack Firecrest report.

This video is called The Corrupt Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Officially, Hamid Karzai is president of Afghanistan; however, he is popularly known as “the mayor of Kabul”. Though there is an official mayor of Kabul: recently convicted for corruption.

From Reuters:

Karzai backs accused officials

Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

KABUL - Opening a three-day anti-corruption conference, Hamid Karzai, the Afghan President, defended the most senior of his officials to be convicted of graft in years.

The President spoke at length about the bribes ordinary Afghans are forced to pay and rebuked officials who “after one or two years work for the government, get rich and buy houses in Dubai.”

However, he also cast doubt on the biggest anticorruption conviction his prosecutors have achieved in years.

Abdul Ahad Sayebi [spelled Sahebi by the BBC] , the Kabul Mayor and a Karzai appointee, was sentenced to four years in prison last week for corruption.

He is now free on bail, pending an appeal, and attended the conference, sitting toward the front.

“One very serious caution I want to say,” Mr. Karzai said.

“The mayor of Kabul has been sentenced to four years jail. I know the mayor. He is a clean person. I know him.”

He said Sayebi had been targeted by enemies for refusing to grant them government land, then gestured to his chief justice and attorney general demanding they look into the case, although he also said Sayebi should still go to jail if guilty.

Mr. Karzai’s standing among the countries that have deployed nearly 110,000 troops to defend his government has plunged since he was re-elected Aug. 20. A UN backed probe found nearly a third of his votes were fake.

Following new revelations about the criminal character of the German army attack in Kunduz [in Afghanistan], German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has gone on the offensive: here.

This video is called Save the wild chinchillas.

From Associated Press:

20,000 exotic animals found at shipping company in Texas

Published: December 16, 2009

Chinchillas are among the thousands of animals confiscated Tuesday from U.S. Global Exotics in Arlington, Texas. Starving snakes, dead rodents and hundreds of reptiles packed in shipping crates were discovered when animal welfare groups in Texas raided an exotic animal delivery company, officials said.

ARLINGTON, Texas - A raid on an exotic animal delivery company in Texas found starving snakes, hundreds of reptiles packed in shipping crates and rodents that had killed and eaten each other, officials said.

Dozens of people with the city of Arlington and animal welfare groups took inventory Tuesday of the animals — estimated at 20,000 — and removed them from the U.S. Global Exotics during the raid. The Arlington-based company, which advertises that it delivers exotic animals worldwide, did not respond to a telephone message seeking comment and it’s Web site was down on Wednesday.

“Sometimes animals die, but the amount of animals dead far exceeded what you would normally see at any company like this,” said Jay Sabatucci, manager of animal services with the city of Arlington. “Animals were not fed, not fed properly, overcrowded and attacking each other. Some were in an environment not proper for them, such as snakes in a 72-degree room with a lamp over them, which is not enough heat and could cause them to die.”

The company’s warehouse held mostly reptiles and rodents and also spiders, sloths and hedgehogs, but it was unclear how many were dead, said Maura Davies, a spokeswoman with the SPCA of Texas. Veterinarians treated the most severely malnourished animals, she said.

Hundreds of rodents were crammed in small containers covered with wire, and many had killed and eaten each other, Davies said. Other animals were kept in feeding troughs, and there were numerous stacked shipping containers still holding turtles and other reptiles that had been sent to the company, Davies said. About 200 iguanas were in one small room, she said.

A hearing will be held within 10 days to determine if the animals will be returned to the company or stay in the care of the animal welfare groups, Sabatucci said. The city is considering filing criminal charges against the owner, he said.

The city was tipped off recently by federal officials who had executed a warrant for another violation and reported concerns about the animals’ conditions, Sabatucci said.

From Dutch daily De Telegraaf:

Atlantic pomfrets wash up on West Frisian Islands

AMELAND - In recent weeks, on the beaches of Ameland and Terschelling dozens of Atlantic pomfrets have washed ashore. Dirk Visser of Rijkswaterstaat Ameland found in two weeks time, every day about ten specimens of this tropical fish. “A total of one hundred washed up on Ameland and about eighty on Terschelling,” Visser said.

The Atlantic pomfret, officially “Brama brama”, is especially common in the Atlantic Ocean. The animal can be one meter long. The fish owes his nickname in Dutch, zilvervis, to the “beautiful silver color,” according to Visser. The specimens which he finds are about 40 centimeter long.

According to him, every now and then, the fish reach the North Sea. “As they get cold, they come straight into the surf. Then they get pecked to death by seagulls. “They just leave the skin. That’s for the crows which come later.”

The Atlantic pomfrets are often still in good health as they arrive on the islands. “Until they get pecked to death.”

Visser does not expect many more Atlantic pomfrets will beach on the islands. “It is really colder now. So I do not think many more will come.”

From the San Francisco Chronicle in the USA:

Torture suit too hot to be heard, U.S. says

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

PST SAN FRANCISCO — A lawsuit accusing a Bay Area flight-planning company of aiding an alleged CIA program of kidnapping and torturing terror suspects threatens national security and is too sensitive to discuss fully in a public courtroom, an Obama administration attorney argued Tuesday.

“The case cannot proceed without getting into state secrets,” Justice Department lawyer Douglas Letter told an 11-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Several judges noted that most of the essential facts of the case have been widely aired - the existence of the “extraordinary rendition” program under President George W. Bush, the five plaintiffs’ accounts of their abduction and torture, and the alleged participation by Jeppesen Dataplan of San Jose - and asked why the case is too sensitive for the courts to hear.

Letter said he could reply only in a closed session. For the record, he said, “the U.S. government will not confirm or deny any relationship with Jeppesen.”

The court met privately with Letter after the one-hour public hearing, a practice that the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union, described as common in cases involving government claims of secrecy.

During the public session, Wizner accused the administration of trying to cover up wrongdoing.

“The CIA has engaged in kidnapping and torture and declared its crimes state secrets,” he said. Dismissing the suit without deciding whether the plaintiffs’ rights were violated, he said, would be “dangerous to democracy.”