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Jun. 12th, 2004
(no subject)
Jun. 12th, 2004 02:11 pmA photograph of the pyramid of naked Iraqi detainees -- one of the most notorious portraits of abuse -- was used as a screen saver on a computer in the isolation area where intelligence officers worked, according to Spencer's statement.
Some of the rules for U.S. military personnel at the prison made it easy for people to duck responsibility for their actions, a factor that may also have opened the door to abuse.
The acronym MI "will not be used in the area," according to an undated prison memo titled "Operational Guidelines," which covered the high-security cellblock. "Additionally, it is recommended that all military personnel in the segregation area reduce knowledge of their true identities to these specialized detainees. The use of sterilized uniforms is highly suggested and personnel should NOT address each other by true name and rank in the segregation area."
General granted latitude at Abu Ghraib prison
Some of the rules for U.S. military personnel at the prison made it easy for people to duck responsibility for their actions, a factor that may also have opened the door to abuse.
The acronym MI "will not be used in the area," according to an undated prison memo titled "Operational Guidelines," which covered the high-security cellblock. "Additionally, it is recommended that all military personnel in the segregation area reduce knowledge of their true identities to these specialized detainees. The use of sterilized uniforms is highly suggested and personnel should NOT address each other by true name and rank in the segregation area."
General granted latitude at Abu Ghraib prison
The NBA still needs its stars, still needs its known entities to root for or against.
And at this point they don't need to be white. Sure it would help, but the lack of an American-born white superstar didn't keep 21.8 million people from coming out to the arenas this season, a record for the league.
[Larry] Bird got into trouble this week when he said the league could use more white stars. To some degree, he's right. You can't tell me the affection the Staples Center crowd showed for Luke Walton from the first exhibition game didn't come in part because he's the only white American on the Lakers.
That doesn't make the fans racist. Rooting for your own doesn't mean you're against anyone else. It's like pulling for the woman from your home state in the Miss America pageant. Or African Americans suddenly watching Wimbledon to see the Williams sisters.
The NBA would not have reached the heights it achieved during the 1980s and 1990s without the racial dynamic of Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Johnson, for all of his charisma and dazzling game, couldn't have lifted the NBA on his own without Bird.
Today, while America is far from a color-blind society, we've moved past race as an impediment to popularity. Look at how hip-hop dominates radio and MTV. And look at how many white kids still wear the jersey of Bryant, a black man accused of rape.
No Super Model? (article mostly about the Lakers and Pistons)
And at this point they don't need to be white. Sure it would help, but the lack of an American-born white superstar didn't keep 21.8 million people from coming out to the arenas this season, a record for the league.
[Larry] Bird got into trouble this week when he said the league could use more white stars. To some degree, he's right. You can't tell me the affection the Staples Center crowd showed for Luke Walton from the first exhibition game didn't come in part because he's the only white American on the Lakers.
That doesn't make the fans racist. Rooting for your own doesn't mean you're against anyone else. It's like pulling for the woman from your home state in the Miss America pageant. Or African Americans suddenly watching Wimbledon to see the Williams sisters.
The NBA would not have reached the heights it achieved during the 1980s and 1990s without the racial dynamic of Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Johnson, for all of his charisma and dazzling game, couldn't have lifted the NBA on his own without Bird.
Today, while America is far from a color-blind society, we've moved past race as an impediment to popularity. Look at how hip-hop dominates radio and MTV. And look at how many white kids still wear the jersey of Bryant, a black man accused of rape.
No Super Model? (article mostly about the Lakers and Pistons)
(no subject)
Jun. 12th, 2004 08:28 pmSheep like smiles say researchers
Sheep can recognise emotions in facial expression, not only in their species but also in humans, researchers say.
Researchers at Cambridge University have discovered sheep prefer smiling or relaxed human faces, over angry or stressed ones.
Neuroscientist Dr Keith Kendrick and his team believe the findings may offer insights into some human conditions.
[...] Scientists presented the sheep with two doors they could push open to gain food. On one would be a picture of a smiling human or a happy sheep, on the other an angry human or a stressed out sheep.
"They vastly preferred to press the smiling human or the animal that has just had a meal and is feeling all right with life," said Dr Kendrick.
Sheep can recognise emotions in facial expression, not only in their species but also in humans, researchers say.
Researchers at Cambridge University have discovered sheep prefer smiling or relaxed human faces, over angry or stressed ones.
Neuroscientist Dr Keith Kendrick and his team believe the findings may offer insights into some human conditions.
[...] Scientists presented the sheep with two doors they could push open to gain food. On one would be a picture of a smiling human or a happy sheep, on the other an angry human or a stressed out sheep.
"They vastly preferred to press the smiling human or the animal that has just had a meal and is feeling all right with life," said Dr Kendrick.