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WIKIPEDIA CHECK FINDS AT LEAST SOME SCHOLARS LIKING IT
MICHAEL BOOTH DENVER POST - When people take time to read the Wikipedia
entries on subjects where they have some experience or expertise, they
are often pleasantly surprised. I have found Wikipedia to be a
tremendous resource, whether I need a quick primer on the history of the
Caliphate, or the name of that dog that used to star in "Frasier."
Wikipedia's unpaid contributors are rapidly compiling one of the best
movie databases ever, with extensive plot and character summaries of all
major films, and tremendously useful linked-lists of subjects like "Best
Picture Winners."
To try a more objective test than my own need to find Martin Scorsese's
birthdate, The Denver Post asked five Colorado scholars to review the
Wikipedia entries on Islam, Bill Clinton, global warming, China and
evolution.
The results? Four out of five agreed their relevant Wikipedia entries
are accurate, informative, comprehensive and a great resource for
students or the merely curious.
The fifth scholar called his chosen entry "not very good," found some
details to be inaccurate by omission, and said similar entries in more
accepted encyclopedias like Encarta do their job better.
The scholarly endorsements are encouraging, and increasingly important
as Wikipedia becomes a favored international source not just of
historical information, but daily events. In the two days after the
Virginia Tech shootings, Wikipedia's compilation of news accounts on
that topic saw 750,000 page views. More than 2,000 volunteer editors
contributed to rapid updates, according to a New York Times column on
the phenomena. . .
http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_5786064
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PROBLEMS WE HADN'T STARTED WORRYING ABOUT YET
Medical Certification for Unmanned Aircraft Pilots
SECRECY NEWS - Though it may sound like one hand clapping, an unmanned
aircraft must have a pilot -- just not on the plane. And someone has to
worry what may happen if the pilot becomes incapacitated.
"Although the term 'unmanned aircraft' suggests the absence of human
interaction, the human operator/pilot is still a critical element in the
success of any unmanned aircraft operation," according to a new study
from the Federal Aviation Administration. . . "Regarding the risk of
pilot incapacitation, at least a few factors distinguish this risk from
manned aircraft," the study noted. Since the pilot is on the ground, the
effects of changes in air pressure can be ignored. Also, many advanced
UA systems have procedures for communications failures or "lost data
link," which is "functionally equivalent to pilot incapacitation." The
most advanced systems, such as Global Hawk, "will continue normal flight
whether a pilot is present or not." The study therefore recommended
adoption of a minimal medical certification for pilots, including a
waiver process that would also permit handicapped persons to be
certified. "This process gives individuals who might not be able to fly
manned aircraft an opportunity to receive medical certification for
flying an unmanned aircraft."
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2007/03/medical_certification_for_unma.html
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BREVITAS. . .
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OUTLYING PRECINCTS
RUSS BUETTNER, NEW YORK TIMES - For a native New Yorker mounting a first
bid for national office, Rudolph W. Giuliani has shown an impressive
ability to raise money in Texas, where his Republican presidential
campaign collected $2.2 million in the first quarter of the year, far
more than any other candidate. . . And a good part of this success,
analysts say, stems from his affiliation with a well-established and
politically connected law firm that is based in Houston and bears his
name, Bracewell & Giuliani. That affiliation adds to Giuliani's personal
wealth but also could pose political risks for him. The firm is perhaps
the nation's most aggressive lobbyist for coal-fired power plants --
heavy emitters of carbon dioxide, a gas associated with global warming.
Environmentalists allege that the firm played a significant role in
persuading the Bush administration to roll back key provisions of the
Clean Air Act. Giuliani joined the 400-lawyer firm as a name partner two
years ago, and though his legal work has been limited, his association
with it has provided him entree into the wellspring of Texas money that
meant so much to the Bush campaigns. . . Most significant , perhaps, is
that the law firm is one of the higher-profile defenders of the oil,
gas, and energy industries, to which it provides legal help and
extensive lobbying services in Washington. It is difficult to say just
how much of Giuliani's contributions from those industries stem from his
affiliation with Bracewell, but employees of companies in those sectors,
including several Bracewell clients, have contributed more than $400,000
to Giuliani's campaign so far.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/05/02/
giulianis_tie_to_texas_law_firm_draws_big_donations/?rss_id=
Boston+Globe+--+National+News
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RELIGION AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
PERCENT OF ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS BY COUNTRY
http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WIKIPEDIA CHECK FINDS AT LEAST SOME SCHOLARS LIKING IT
MICHAEL BOOTH DENVER POST - When people take time to read the Wikipedia
entries on subjects where they have some experience or expertise, they
are often pleasantly surprised. I have found Wikipedia to be a
tremendous resource, whether I need a quick primer on the history of the
Caliphate, or the name of that dog that used to star in "Frasier."
Wikipedia's unpaid contributors are rapidly compiling one of the best
movie databases ever, with extensive plot and character summaries of all
major films, and tremendously useful linked-lists of subjects like "Best
Picture Winners."
To try a more objective test than my own need to find Martin Scorsese's
birthdate, The Denver Post asked five Colorado scholars to review the
Wikipedia entries on Islam, Bill Clinton, global warming, China and
evolution.
The results? Four out of five agreed their relevant Wikipedia entries
are accurate, informative, comprehensive and a great resource for
students or the merely curious.
The fifth scholar called his chosen entry "not very good," found some
details to be inaccurate by omission, and said similar entries in more
accepted encyclopedias like Encarta do their job better.
The scholarly endorsements are encouraging, and increasingly important
as Wikipedia becomes a favored international source not just of
historical information, but daily events. In the two days after the
Virginia Tech shootings, Wikipedia's compilation of news accounts on
that topic saw 750,000 page views. More than 2,000 volunteer editors
contributed to rapid updates, according to a New York Times column on
the phenomena. . .
http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_5786064
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PROBLEMS WE HADN'T STARTED WORRYING ABOUT YET
Medical Certification for Unmanned Aircraft Pilots
SECRECY NEWS - Though it may sound like one hand clapping, an unmanned
aircraft must have a pilot -- just not on the plane. And someone has to
worry what may happen if the pilot becomes incapacitated.
"Although the term 'unmanned aircraft' suggests the absence of human
interaction, the human operator/pilot is still a critical element in the
success of any unmanned aircraft operation," according to a new study
from the Federal Aviation Administration. . . "Regarding the risk of
pilot incapacitation, at least a few factors distinguish this risk from
manned aircraft," the study noted. Since the pilot is on the ground, the
effects of changes in air pressure can be ignored. Also, many advanced
UA systems have procedures for communications failures or "lost data
link," which is "functionally equivalent to pilot incapacitation." The
most advanced systems, such as Global Hawk, "will continue normal flight
whether a pilot is present or not." The study therefore recommended
adoption of a minimal medical certification for pilots, including a
waiver process that would also permit handicapped persons to be
certified. "This process gives individuals who might not be able to fly
manned aircraft an opportunity to receive medical certification for
flying an unmanned aircraft."
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2007/03/medical_certification_for_unma.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BREVITAS. . .
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OUTLYING PRECINCTS
RUSS BUETTNER, NEW YORK TIMES - For a native New Yorker mounting a first
bid for national office, Rudolph W. Giuliani has shown an impressive
ability to raise money in Texas, where his Republican presidential
campaign collected $2.2 million in the first quarter of the year, far
more than any other candidate. . . And a good part of this success,
analysts say, stems from his affiliation with a well-established and
politically connected law firm that is based in Houston and bears his
name, Bracewell & Giuliani. That affiliation adds to Giuliani's personal
wealth but also could pose political risks for him. The firm is perhaps
the nation's most aggressive lobbyist for coal-fired power plants --
heavy emitters of carbon dioxide, a gas associated with global warming.
Environmentalists allege that the firm played a significant role in
persuading the Bush administration to roll back key provisions of the
Clean Air Act. Giuliani joined the 400-lawyer firm as a name partner two
years ago, and though his legal work has been limited, his association
with it has provided him entree into the wellspring of Texas money that
meant so much to the Bush campaigns. . . Most significant , perhaps, is
that the law firm is one of the higher-profile defenders of the oil,
gas, and energy industries, to which it provides legal help and
extensive lobbying services in Washington. It is difficult to say just
how much of Giuliani's contributions from those industries stem from his
affiliation with Bracewell, but employees of companies in those sectors,
including several Bracewell clients, have contributed more than $400,000
to Giuliani's campaign so far.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/05/02/
giulianis_tie_to_texas_law_firm_draws_big_donations/?rss_id=
Boston+Globe+--+National+News
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RELIGION AND ITS ALTERNATIVES
PERCENT OF ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS BY COUNTRY
http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ARTS
HISTORY OF MOVIE CENSORSHIP
http://www.reason.com/news/show/119948.html
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