The great Benoît Mandelbrot has passed away, in Wired:
It has yet to be confirmed by the mainstream media, but it seems that Benoît Mandelbrot, the father of fractal geometry and one of the most famous mathematicians of all time, has passed away about a month shy of his 86th birthday.
America's nastiest rappers in shocking revelation – they've been evangelical Christians all along
Scary clown make-up, obscene lyrics, violent fans. But, hey, God is on their side. Photograph: Jim Newberry 
Judge orders 'don't ask, don't tell' injunction (AP)AP - A federal judge has issued a worldwide injunction stopping enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, ending the military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops.
Open Limerick To The Anti-Government Crowd
By Madeleine Begun Kane
You folks who cry out for less gov
Have lots of gov programs you love:
You think Medicare’s great
And you’d surely berate
Any pol who gave SS a shove.
You hate taxes for highways and schools,
But you don’t want your kids taught by fools.
And you’re quick to unload
When your bridges corrode.
Please wake up — don’t be Tea Party tools.
US First Lady Michelle Obama shot up 40 places on this year's Forbes magazine list of powerful women to claim the top spot, replacing German leader Angela Merkel, reported on October 7, 2010. Obama's new ranking ends Merkel's four-year reign at the top of the magazine's listing of the most influential women in the world.
I pledge that I will actually read the Constitution before pledging to uphold it. And I pledge that if I am too stupid to understand its intent, I won’t become a politician.
I pledge not to start two wars, give tax breaks to millionaires, ruin the economy and then get mad when someone shows me the bill.
I pledge not to be a hypocrite or a Tea Party Republican – whichever comes first.
I pledge to remember that religious freedoms apply to all religions including the lack of a religion. And I pledge to remember that no matter how much I believe in my religion, I will remember that my neighbor believes in his religion just as much. And finally, I pledge that if I believe in my religion too much I will keep it to myself.
I pledge to stop calling Sarah Palin a stupid bitch when she finally admits that she is too stupid to run this country. At that point I will simply call her a bitch and let the stupid speak for itself.
I pledge that I won’t hate gay people in public and then sleep with them in private.
I pledge to accept the fact that John McCain really can’t pull his head out of his ass at this point. It’s in too deep.
I pledge not to be shocked when Rick Sanchez announces his new show on Fox News.
I pledge to remember that there are 6 billion people in the world and only 300 million of them live in the United States . And with 300 million Americans to choose from, we can’t do better than John Boehner? Really?
And Margaret, my dear, I pledge that I will vote on November 2. I meant it. Really.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
That about sums it up, dear. That and Endust is as good if not better than Pledge.
By Oiwan Lam
A few hours ago, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its decision to award the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.
It is a moment of great joy for concerned Chinese citizens as Liu Xiaobo represents human rights activists' determination in struggling for the peaceful transformation of China's political system. He was arrested in June 2009 and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment under the charge of “inciting subversion of state power” afterCharter 08, a proposal for constitutional reform, was published.
The Jailed Nobel Peace Award Winners
However, the Chinese government, in response to the Nobel Committee's decision,claimed that [zh] Liu is a criminal who has been found guilty in a Chinese court and that the Committee's decision has violated the mission of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him ……. A super calloused fragile … mystic hexed by halitosis.
Rain Chacon, March 5th, 1972–September 22nd, 2010. RIP.
Iranian nuclear programme targeted by computer virus
Maryam Sinaiee, and Michael Theodoulou
In the tech community and in the automation/manufacturing community we have been reading about this for weeks. I wonder what aspect of it finally gave traction to the mainstream media to pay attention. Could it be... nuclear programmes? It is about flipping time.
TEHRAN // Iran revealed yesterday that a so-called computer worm – which experts say shows unprecedented ingenuity and is unique in its ability to seize control of industrial plants – has infected the personal computers of staff at its first nuclear power plant.
This tiny albino hedgehog is currently being cared for by the Kuziomski Igliwiak Foundation in Krakow, Poland. The hedgehog centre, which is run by animal lover Andrzej Kuziomski, is the only one of its kind in the country. Dedicated Andrzej mans a 24-hour helpline and ambulance service dedicated to helping injured hedgehogs
Picture: EAST MEWS / REX FEATURES (via Pictures of the day: 21 September 2010 - Telegraph)
Senate Republicans are rolling out a plan to permanently extend an array of expiring tax breaks that would deprive the Treasury of more than $4 trillion over the next decade, nearly doubling projected deficits over that period unless dramatic spending cuts are made.
So, McConnell is going to use the same mechanism that President Obama will use, a bipartisan deficit commission, "if it's a responsible report that I can support." (Translation: if the bipartisan report meets McConnell's Republican agenda then he will support it. If it doesn't then he will summarily dismiss it as a left leaning initiative.)Asked how McConnell would cover the cost of his proposal, the Tax Hike Prevention Act, aides noted that he has backed a bipartisan plan to freeze spending that would save an estimated $300 billion over the next decade - a drop in the bucket compared with his $4 trillion-plus plan.For the rest of the cash, McConnell has said he will turn to the same place as Obama: a presidentially appointed, bipartisan deficit commission that is due to issue its report in December."This is not going to be your typical commission that's going to issue a report, sit on the shelf and gather dust," McConnell said last month on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We'll wait for their report. And I intend, if it's a responsible report that I can support, to encourage my members to support it."
by David Stark
In 1904, German sociologist Max Weber traveled to Oklahoma where he conducted field research, leading to an article, “Church and Sect in North America,” and his most influential book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. A century later, the megachurches of Oklahoma City seemed an appropriate setting to witness recent developments in the relationship between religious experience and contemporary capitalism.
AP
Wild boars foraging in fields near Munich. Their population has risen dramatically in recent years
Women love men ...
Because
Because they write poems, songs, and books in our honor.
Because because they can never fake orgasms, even if they wanted to.
Because they can see beauty in women when women have long ceased to see any beauty in themselves.
Because they come from little boys.
Because they can churn out long, intricate, Machiavellian, or incredibly complex mathematics and physics equations, but they can be comparably clueless when it comes to women.
Because they are incredible lovers and never rest until we’re happy.
Because they elevate sports to religion.
Because they’re never afraid of the dark.
Because they don’t care how they look or if they age.
Because they persevere in making and repairing things beyond their abilities, with the naïve self-assurance of the teenage boy who knew everything.
Because they never wear or dream of wearing high heels.
Because they’re always ready for sex.
Because they’re like pomegranates: lots of inedible parts, but the juicy seeds are incredibly tasty and succulent and usually exceed your expectations.
Because they’re afraid to go bald.
Because you always know what they think and they always mean what they say.
Because they love machines, tools, and implements with the same ferocity women love jewelry.
Because they go to great lengths to hide, unsuccessfully, that they are frail and human.
Because they either speak too much or not at all to that end.
Because they always finish the food on their plate.
Because they are brave in front of insects and mice.
Because a well-spoken four-year old girl can reduce them to silence, and a beautiful 25-year old can reduce them to slobbering idiots.
Because they want to be either omnivorous or ascetic, warriors or lovers, artists or generals, but nothing in-between.
Because for them there’s no such thing as too much adrenaline.
Because when all is said and done, they can’t live without us, no matter how hard they try.
Because they’re truly as simple as they claim to be.
Because they love extremes and when they go to extremes, we’re there to catch them.
Because they are tender they when they cry, and how seldom they do it.
Because what they lack in talk, they tend to make up for in action.
Because they make excellent companions when driving through rough neighborhoods or walking past dark alleys.
Because they really love their moms, and they remind us of our dads.
Because they never care what their horoscope, their mother-in-law, nor the neighbors say.
Because they don’t lie about their age, their weight, or their clothing size.
Because they have an uncanny ability to look deeply into our eyes and connect with our heart, even when we don’t want them to.
Because when we say “I love you” they ask for an explanation.
Welcome to Share with Friends – Free Texts for a Free Internet
Figure 1: Human Population Growth over Time
The human population growth of the last century has been truly phenomenal. It required only 40 years after 1950 for the population to double from 2.5 billion to 5 billion. This doubling time is less than the average human lifetime. The world population passed 6 billion just before the end of the 20th century. Present estimates are for the population to reach 8-12 billion before the end of the 21st century. During each lecture hour, more than 10,000 new people enter the world, a rate of ~3 per second!
Of the 6 billion people, about half live in poverty and at least one fifth are severely undernourished. The rest live out their lives in comparative comfort and health.
Link: Population Growth Over Human History
A group of otters wait for feeding time in their pen at the New Forest Wildlife Park, Hampshire
Picture: John Wines/BNPS (via Pictures of the day: 23 August 2010 - Telegraph)
John Lennon 
