| Sunday, June 1, 2003 |  |
| Smart Morph | 1 comment |
 1 Jun 2003 @ 21:29Smart Morph Morph a friend's photo to make funny effects and have fun with it. Morphed pictures can be animated, resized, and cropped. The program works with BMP, WMF, EMF, JPG, PNG, and PCX images, and outputs animated pictures in AVI, BMP, JPG, PNG, and PCX formats. It supports scanners and printers. The help file is small, so those not familiar with graphic formats might have trouble figuring out the program. I created an animation without the help file, but did refer to it for two minor points. The help file shows how to add the animated file to a Web page. I'd show you what I did, but I corrupted the file when I tried an experiment. Thomas Edison did say, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." More > |
| Testosterone In A Tube | 1 comment |
 1 Jun 2003 @ 21:25?Another symptom of a culture afraid of growing old? Testosterone In A Tube CBS News May 19, 2003 Founders of a 3-year-old pharmaceutical company hope that for aging baby boomers, the Fountain of Youth will come in a tube. Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s first product is a gel called Testim, sold in small one-dose tubes and prescribed for men with low testosterone levels. Patients rub it on their arms and shoulders to restore normal levels of the hormone and combat the sagging sex drive, low energy, depression and dwindling muscle mass and bone density a deficiency can cause. The market for testosterone replacement therapies is growing fast as the population of older men increases. "We are fortunate timing-wise, because men have taken a much more active role in the management of their own health," said Gerri Henwood, president and chief executive officer of Auxilium. That's partly because they're aging, and partly sparked by Pfizer's introduction of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, with its five years of promotions featuring Bob Dole, racecar driver Mark Martin and other celebrities. "Viagra has had a role in that there are areas that are much more open for discussion between men and their physicians," Henwood said. Testosterone treatments are in the spotlight, said Dr. Alvin M. Matsumoto, a gerontologist at the University of Washington and the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. Testosterone replacement therapy has been done for years using injections, but levels can fluctuate from above normal just after the shot to below normal before the next shot about two weeks later. Some patients don't feel the roller coaster effect, but others run out of energy before the next injection, Matsumoto said. Testosterone patches also have been used but tend to result in lower levels of the hormone and sometimes can cause rashes and skin irritation, he said. Testosterone levels normally decline gradually in men over 30, and researchers are looking at whether testosterone replacement should be used only for those with levels far below normal, who experience severe symptoms, or should be given to counteract the normal decline. That became a focus since a report last year that hormone replacement therapy frequently prescribed for women actually increased the risk of heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer, leading most doctors to recommend it only for short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms. Henwood and Jane Hollingsworth, a vice president in a clinical trials company Henwood had previously launched, founded Auxilium shortly after that company was sold in 1998. "Jane and I started brainstorming about where were there therapeutic opportunities for small companies to enter the market," Henwood said. They settled on products to help people continue to function normally as they age. Auxilium is Latin for "assistance." Testim is only the second testosterone gel to get Food and Drug Administration approval. IMS Health, which tracks prescription drug sales, has said the market for testosterone products in general jumped from $49 million in 1997 to $216 million last year. The first testosterone gel on the market, Androgel, launched by the Belgian pharmaceutical company Solvay S.A. in 2000, posted about $196 million in U.S. sales last year, a 52 percent jump from 2001. More > |
| Earth Probe Plan Would Blast A Path To The Core | 1 comment |
 1 Jun 2003 @ 21:07Earth Probe Plan Would Blast A Path To The Core National Geographic News May 14, 2003 A scientist proposes sending a grapefruit-size communication device into the heart of the Earth by blasting a crack in the surface and pouring in a huge quantity of molten iron. The weight of the liquid metal would crack the Earth for more than 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers), carrying the probe to the planet's core in about a week. The probe would measure temperature, electrical conductivity, and chemical composition, and would beam back data as encoded sound waves to a surface detector. David J. Stevenson of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena outlines the plan in the May 16 issue of the scientific journal Nature. "Planetary missions have enhanced our understanding of the solar system and how planets work, but no comparable exploratory effort has been directed towards the Earth's interior, where equally fascinating scientific issues are waiting to be investigated," Stevenson said in his paper. "I propose a scheme for a mission to the Earth's core, in which a small communication probe would be conveyed in a huge volume of liquid-iron alloy migrating down to the core along a crack that is propagating under the action of gravity." The proposal might sound ambitious, but it's modest in comparison with the demands of space exploration, Stevenson said. "We live on the Earth's surface, which divides what is above from what is below. The part above us, the rest of the universe, is mostly empty, mostly unknownSThe part below is crammed with interesting stuff and is also mostly unknown, despite its much greater proximity to us." Stevenson calculated that the energy required to create the crack to launch the probe would be equivalent to a few megatons of TNT, an earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale, or a nuclear device such as those already possessed by many nations. It may also be feasible to make use of existing favorable stress environments in the Earth and to avoid the use of nuclear devices, Stevenson said in his paper. "The technological challenge of initiating the crack should be less than that posed by the Manhattan Project," he said, referring to the code name for America's first atomic bomb. Proven Technologies According to Stevenson's calculations, it should be possible to send a probe all the way to Earth's core by combining several proven technologies with a few well-grounded scientific assumptions about the workings of the planet. "We've spent more than [U.S.] $10 billion in unmanned missions to the planets," said Stevenson, who is the Van Osdol Professor of Planetary Science at Caltech. "But we've only been down about ten kilometers [6 miles] into our own planet." The benefits to science would be significant, Stevenson said, because so little has been directly observed about the inner workings of the Earth. Scientists do not know, for example, the exact composition or even the temperature of the core, and what they do know is based on inferences about seismic data accumulated during earthquakes. Stevenson said his proposal should be attractive to the scientific community because it is of the same scale, price-wise, as planetary exploration. To date, NASA has flown unmanned missions past all the planets except Pluto, has made a few highly successful soft landings on Mars, has probed the clouds of Jupiter, is getting ready to probe the atmosphere of Titan, and has sent four spacecraft into interstellar space. Sending something into the Earth, Stevenson believes, will have comparable payoffs in the quest for knowledge. "When we fly to other worlds, we are often surprised by what we find, and I think the same will be the case if we go down." A Million Tons of Molten Iron According to Stevenson, the crack that will have to be blasted into the Earth's surface to launch the probe will need to be several hundred meters in depth, and about a foot (30 centimeters) wide, to accommodate a volume of about 100,000 to several million tons of molten iron. The instant the crack opens, the entire volume of iron will be dropped in, completely filling the open space, he said. Through the sheer force of its weight, the iron will create a continuing crack that will open all the way to the planet's core 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) below. Anything on a smaller scale may not work; anything larger will be even more expensive, so Stevenson thinks a crack of those dimensions is about right. "Once you set that condition up, the crack is self-perpetuating," Stevenson said. "It's fundamentally different from drilling, where it gets harder and harder -- and eventually futile -- the farther you go down." The iron will continue to fall due to gravity because it is about twice the density of the surrounding material. Riding along in the mass of liquid iron will be one or more probes made of a material robust enough to withstand the heat and pressure. The probe will perhaps be the size of a grapefruit but definitely small enough to ride easily inside the 12-inch (30-centimeter) crack without getting wedged, Stevenson said. Inside the probe will be instrumentation for data collection, which will be relayed through low-intensity mechanical waves of some sort. Because radio waves cannot propagate through Earth, this is the only way to get the data transferred, Stevenson said. Based on the rate the molten iron would fall due to gravity, the ball would move downward into Earth at roughly human running pace (about 10 miles/16 kilometers per hour), Stevenson said. "Each of the principles involved is based on sound knowledge of crack propagation, fluid dynamics, mechanical-wave propagation, and 'stress states,'" Stevenson said. "If these things didn't already work in nature, we would have no volcanoes and poorly performing bathroom plumbing, but little to fear from a pebble shattering our windshields." The biggest question should not be the cost, but whether we should pursue the goal of exploring Earth's interior, he said. "That said, I'd suggest we do it if we can keep the cost under [U.S.] $10 billion." This proposal is modest compared with the space program, Stevenson said, and may seem unrealistic only because so little effort has been devoted to it. "The time has come for action." More > |
| Scientists Consider Posthuman Possibilities | 0 comments |
 1 Jun 2003 @ 20:47Orgoborgs, GEborgs, Cyborgs, Symborgs & Technoborgs Scientists Consider Posthuman Possibilities and Radical Scenarios for Humanity's Evolution Better Humans 5-25-03 Popular culture is abuzz with new terminology. Genetic engineering. Cyborgs. Artificial intelligence. Consciousness uploading. Singularity. Posthumanism. The term " posthuman " in particular seems to be gaining more and more currency with each passing year -- especially in the media and academia, and among the techno-intelligentsia. Futurists such as Alvin Toffler suggest that the world is moving fast towards a "fourth wave" in which humans will transition themselves into posthumans, thanks to multiple and simultaneous advances of technology. Such a change has been described by some experts as analogous to when apes evolved into humans. Yet, as futurists make these grand prognostications -- as we casually toss the term "posthuman" back and forth -- do we really know what's in store for Homo sapiens? Just how will we "improve" ourselves? What do we really mean when we refer to the posthuman physical condition? Just what, exactly, is the grand potential for intelligent life? What does advanced intelligence look like? Speculations On Posthuman Organisms As we begin to ride the wave into human redesign, the destination is still largely unknown. But despite all the unanswered questions, we have a number of clues that can help us speculate as to what we truly mean by the posthuman organism -- including the striking acknowledgement that in all likelihood not just one type of posthuman awaits us, but several. We will re-engineer our biological constitutions, and introduce silicon, steel and microchips into ourselves. Some may choose to reside in computers as conscious wave patterns, while others will convert themselves into durable robots and venture out into space. Simultaneously, we will create entirely new forms of life, including artificial intelligence and perhaps even a global consciousness. Humanity's monopoly as the only advanced sentient life-form on the planet will soon come to an end, supplemented by a number of posthuman incarnations. Moreover, how we re-engineer ourselves could fundamentally change the ways in which our society functions, and raise crucial questions about our identities and moral status as human beings. Advancing Technologies, Advancing Possibilities New developments in science and technology are occurring so fast that some might begin to overwhelm our capacities to adapt to change. Personal computers did not exist 30 years ago, cell phones did not exist 20 years ago and the World Wide Web did not exist 10 years ago. In the biological sciences, similar achievements have been made since the discovery of DNA's structure in 1953, including new medicines, bioengineering and cloning technologies. Additionally, in 2002, a living creature -- the polio virus -- was assembled piece by piece with several biochemicals by scientists at New York State University. We built life in the lab. With the mapping of the human genome, cloning, and the creation of life in a laboratory now crossed off biologists' to-do lists, we are beginning to ponder future possibilities. Today, such things as nanotechnology and cryonics seem more plausible than ever. The pace of change is not only very fast but it also accelerating. Some experts such as Ray Kurzweil speculate about a coming " singularity ," in which artificial intelligence and artificial life-forms will overtake human intelligence and human life. Slow biological evolution seems to be fast approaching a dead end: Our species will continue changing not through old and slow biological evolution, but through new, fast and directed technological evolution. Already today many boundaries are blurring. Boundaries between birth and death, between virtual and real, between morality and immorality, between truth and falsity, between inner and outer worlds, between me and "non" me, between life and "non" life, even between natural and "non" natural. What is life? What is death? What is "non" life? What is natural life? What is "non" natural life? What is artificial life? These are all deep questions for the new and profound world of transhumanism and subsequent posthumanism. The answers are complicated. And they might be as difficult for us to comprehend as many of our current problems might seem to monkeys, or even to ants. From Transhuman To Posthuman As the possibility for conscious human redesign has emerged, so too has a philosophical movement that considers the implications. This approach to future-oriented thinking, known as transhumanism, works on the premise that the human species does not represent the end of human evolution but, rather, its beginning. Its proponents believe that what is required to manage the process is an interdisciplinary approach to assist us in understanding and evaluating the possibilities for overcoming biological limitations through scientific progress. Ultimately, transhumanists hope to see technological opportunities expanded for people, so that they may live longer and healthier lives and enhance their intellectual, physical and emotional capacities. Transhumanism emphasizes that we have the potential not just to "be" but to "become." Not only can we use rational means to improve the human condition and the external world, but we can also use them to improve ourselves, namely the human organism. And we are not limited only to the methods, such as education, which humanism (its philosophical precursor) normally espouses. Rather, transhumanists argue, we will have the means that will eventually enable us to move beyond what most would describe as human. Transhumanists believe that, through the accelerating pace of technological development and scientific understanding, we are entering a whole new stage in human history. Advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, bioengineering, cloning, cryonics, nanotechnology, new energies, mind uploading , dietary interventions, "designer babies," cyborgs , molecular chemistry, telecommunications, space exploration, immortality and virtual reality will lead to substantial physical and mental augmentation, possibly converging at a "singularity" point. Still, the historical human desire to transcend bodily and mental limitations is deeply intertwined with a human fascination with new knowledge, which might be both inspiring and frightening. How these technologies are used could fundamentally change the character of our society, and irrevocably alter the definitions of ourselves and how we have assessed our place in the larger scheme of things. Emerging Species If we believe that biological evolution has reached a limit, what will come next? Finnish engineer Pentti Malaska tried to answer this question in 1997 during a speech in Brisbane, Australia, while he was president of the World Futures Studies Federation. Malaska speculates about several bioengineered nonhuman generations in the pipeline of evolution. Specifically, he describes the emergence of what he calls Bio-orgs, Cyborgs, Silorgs, Symborgs and the Global Brain. Bio-orgs, namely Homo sapiens, are protein-coded bio-organisms whose earthly infrastructure is their "natural" surrounding. Cyborgs, short for "cybernetic organisms," are biological and mechanical hybrids that in addition to traditional environments use the "near space." Silicon organisms are also likely to emerge, known as Silorgs. This species, claims Malaska, will be humanlike nonhumans, fashioned by coding artificial DNA onto silicon compounds with ammonium as a solvent and intended basically for living in outer space. Symborgs, a "symbolic organism," will be self-reflective, self-reproducing, self-conscious, "living programs" living within the Internet as their "natural" infrastructure and using advanced interfaces to function with other species. Also known as avatars, these organisms may essentially reside in supercomputers as uploaded consciousnesses. Finally, speculated Malaska, there will be the "Grandparent Internet" -- a global mind with superior intelligence and wisdom. Such an intellect could very well be a Quantum Global Brain. Australian economist Paul Wildman, also an active member of the WFSF and of the Millennium Project (of the American Council for the United Nations University), further talks about alternate Forms Of Life. Wildman uses the concept "borg" in its historical and generic sense to identify a Bionic "ORGanism," and defines five such terrestrial borgs: Orgoborgs, GEborgs, Cyborgs, Symborgs and Technoborgs. Wildman describes Orgoborgs as organic Forms Of Life, including Humborgs (humans) and new and hybrid bioengineered Bioborgs. GEborgs are genetically engineered organisms, while Cyborgs, Siliborgs, and Symborgs are essentially as Malaska describes them. Wildman also described the Technoborg, a Form Of Life with an external skeleton, much like an insect. According to Wildman, some of these new life-forms already exist in a technical sense, since 12% of the current USA population could be considered incipient "cyborgs" that use electronic pacemakers, artificial joints, drug implant systems, implanted corneal lenses and artificial skin. All the Forms Of Life are our creations and will be populating our world and remaking us genetically and mechanically and thereby changing our consciousness forever. Moral Implications While humanity will undoubtedly express itself in a number of different incarnations, it will subsequently give birth to an entirely new form of life: Artificial intelligence. The future will be populated by several different forms of intelligent life, and humanity is already attempting to reconcile the implications, particularly those in the moral realm. The word "robot" was created in 1921 by the Czech playwright Karel Capek in his book RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots). It was immortalized in 1950 by Isaac Asimov in his book I, Robot. Throughout his fiction, Asimov addressed the integration of robots into society. To this end, he developed the famous Three Laws of Robotics: 1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Asimov eventually improved his system and extrapolated the Zeroth Law: A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. He also modified the other Three Laws accordingly. On a separate front, futurist Phil McNally and Pakistani futurist Sohail Inayatullah wrote "The Rights of Robots" in 1987, and feminist Donna Haraway published "A Cyborg Manifesto" in 1984. Both are important documents that defend robots and cyborgs on their own right. Robotics expert Hans Moravec authored two books addressing the rise of robots and the resultant implications on the future, Mind Children in 1988 and Robot in 1999. Moravec argues that robots will be our rightful descendants and he explains several ways to "upload" a mind into a robot. Similarly, Marvin Minsky, one of the fathers of artificial intelligence at MIT, wrote his very famous 1994 article "Will robots inherit the Earth?" in Scientific American. Here, he concludes: "Yes, but they will be our children." As these authors and thinkers suggest, we need to start preparing ourselves for the coming robot and artificial intelligence realities. To ease the transition into a posthuman condition, we must ready ourselves for the distinct possibility that Earth will be inherited by not one, but several forms of highly intelligent and sentient life-forms. The Human Seed The human body is a good beginning, but we can certainly improve it, upgrade it and transcend it. Evolution through natural selection may be ending, but technological evolution has only started accelerating noticeably very recently. Technology, which started to exhibit some dominance over biological processes for the first time some 100,000 years ago, is finally overtaking biology as the science of life. As fuzzy logic theorist Bart Kosko has said: "Biology is not destiny. It was never more than tendency. It was just nature's first quick and dirty way to compute with meat. Chips are destiny." (And photo-qubits might come soon after standard silicon-based chips, but even they are only an intermediate means for eternal intelligent life in the universe.) In the way to becoming permanent rational "demiurge" of space and time, it is vital to be aware that even more important than to create is to not destroy. As US author David Zindell has written: "What is a human being, then? A seed. A seed? An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree." José Cordeiro studied engineering at MIT, economics at Georgetown University and finance at INSEAD in France. He is president of the World Future Society (Venezuela) and cofounder of the Venezuelan Transhumanist Association. He has also worked for NASA and UNIDO, and has written several books about different aspects of the future of Latin America. |
| The Center for Public integrity | 0 comments |
 1 Jun 2003 @ 20:36WELL CONNECTED: FCC AND INDUSTRY MAINTAIN COZY RELATIONSHIP ON MANY LEVELS The Center for Public Integrity May 22, 2003 WASHINGTON, DC, May 22, 2003 The three largest local phone companies control 83 percent of home telephone lines. The top two long distance carriers control 67 percent of that market. The four biggest cellular phone companies have 64 percent of the wireless market. The five largest cable companies pipe programming to 74 percent of the cable subscribers nationwide. Those findings come from the Center for Public Integrity's unprecedented examination of the telecommunications industry, the centerpiece of which is a first-of-its-kind, 65,000 record, searchable database containing ownership information on virtually every radio station, television station, cable television system and telephone company in America. The database reveals that broadcasting and cable behemoths such as Viacom, Clear Channel and Comcast already dominate many of the nation's media markets, even as the Federal Communications Commission moves to further relax media ownership rules at a meeting scheduled for June 2. To illustrate this trend, the Center analyzed current media ownership in the hometowns of the five FCC commissioners -- though any American can get similar information from the database about his or her hometown with a few simple key strokes. The report also explores the close relationship between the FCC and the interests it regulates. FCC officials have taken more than 2,500 trips paid for by companies and trade groups from the telecommunications and broadcasting industries, and the agency increasingly relies on industry-generated data to justify sweeping deregulation proposals. This report, entitled "Well-Connected," is the first phase of a three-year investigation of the telecommunications industry. The full report and database can be found on the Center's web site. Media Concentration The ownership study uses the hometowns of the five commissioners as examples of how local ownership of the media in the nation has dwindled since 1996 when the FCC most recently loosened its regulations on media ownership. The ownership study in the five cities reveals: - Of the 203 commercial radio stations in the five home towns, 48 are owned by four publicly traded, out-of-state radio conglomerates. Twenty-seven of those are owned by radio giant Clear Channel Communications. - The cable systems in the five communities are controlled by four companies. AOL Time Warner owns systems in Charlotte, N.C., and Milwaukee; Birmingham's system is owned by Advance/Newhouse, which is also programmed by AOL Time Warner; Louisville's system is owned by Insight Communications Co., the nation's ninth-largest cable company. Only the Rapid City system is locally owned. - Of the 20 network affiliates in the five cities, 15 are owned by out-of-state companies, including two each by News Corp. (Fox Entertainment Group) and Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. (a division of Hearst Corp.). Frequent FCC fliers The Center examined travel records of FCC employees and entered that information into a searchable database, also accessible through the web site. The report shows that FCC officials have taken 2,500 trips costing nearly $2.8 million over the past eight years, most of it from the telecommunications and broadcast industries the agency regulates. That was in addition to about $2 million a year in official travel funded by taxpayers. Among the other findings: - FCC commissioners and agency staffers attended hundreds of conventions, conferences and other events in locations all over the world, including Paris, Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro staying in such high-priced hotels as the Bellagio in Las Vegas. - The top destination was Las Vegas, with 330 trips. Second was New Orleans with 173 trips and third was New York with 102 trips. Fourth on the list was London, which FCC officials visited 98 times. Other popular destinations included Orlando, San Francisco, Miami, Anchorage, Palm Springs, Buenos Aires and Beijing. - The biggest industry sponsor of the trips was the National Association of Broadcasters, which paid $191,472 to bring 206 FCC officials to its events. NAB, which represents radio and television stations nationwide, has lobbied aggressively in recent months to keep the current FCC rules limiting media ownership in place. Reliance on industry data A third report came out of the Center's data gathering efforts, which revealed a disturbing dependence by the FCC on outside information providers. The report finds that the FCC's reliance on non-government private data is so ingrained that when public interest groups asked for access to data underlying a series of media ownership reports last fall, the FCC relented only after issuing a quasi-judicial "protective order" meant to keep the information secret. When the Center was constructing its database of media companies, researchers and reporters were repeatedly referred by FCC staff to private companies for basic information on ownership, audience reach and cable subscribers. Getting market share information, which is key when reviewing whether broadcasters are within existing FCC limits, was all but impossible without going outside the agency. The study was funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation, with additional support from the Open Society Institute. ------------ WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? SHOWDOWN AT THE FCC (5/5/2003): [link] Media Challenge! Action 1 (essential): + Go to www.mediareform.net Media Challenge! Action 2 Contact these members of the Senate Commerce Committee (essential, especially McCain): + Senator John McCain, Phone: (202) 224-2235; Fax: (202) 228-2862; Contact these FCC Commissioners: + Chairman Michael Powell, 202-418-1000, Sample Letter or Comment to Congress folks and FCC: Dear ___________(Senator or Commissioner): Re: Upcoming FCC vote on media deregulation. Further consolidation of the media in the name of "deregulation" must be halted. The media companies have failed in their public trust to provide unbiased information about most crucial issues, most notably the recent coverage of the war in Iraq. As an American concerned about our democracy, I call on you to challenge the media conglomerates, to open the broadcast spectrum to a diverse range of journalists and opinions, and to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. Oppose media deregulation. Media Challenge! Action 3 (helpful). + Call or write network news bosses (see contacts below). + Tell them you want prominent daily coverage of the upcoming FCC vote, the most important media question in a decade. + Challenge them to report on their network's efforts to influence Congress and the FCC via campaign donations. ABC NEWS CHIEF David Westin. 212.456.6200. fax: 212.456.4292, ABC NEWS DIRECTOR Mimi Gurbst. 212 456 4050 fax.212 456 2795 ABC SWITCHBOARD (ASK FOR NEWSROOM) 212.456-7777. NEWSROOM fax 212.456.2795 MSNBC NEWS CHIEF Mark Effron. 201.583.5101. fax: 201.583.5199, mark.effron@msnbc.com MSNBC NEWS DIRECTOR Alison Hawley. 201 583 5155, fax. 201 583 5512 MSNBC SWITCHBOARD (ASK FOR NEWSROOM) 201.583.5000, fax: 201.583.5590 NBC NEWS CHIEF Neil Shapiro. 212.664.4773. fax: 212.664.2264, neal.shapiro@nbc.com NBC NEWS DIRECTOR Thomas Ferraro 201 583 5231 fax 201 583 5222 NBC SWITCHBOARD (ASK FOR NEWSROOM) 212.664.4444. fax: 201.583.5453 CBS NEWS CHIEF Andrew Hayward. 212.975.7825. fax: 212.975.7429. mg3@cbsnews.com NEWS DIRECTOR Marty Gill 212 975 6121 fax. 212 975 4114 CBS SWITCHBOARD (ASK FOR NEWSROOM) 212.975.4321 fax: 212.975.1893 CNN NEWS CHIEF Eason Jordan. 404.827.5111. fax: 404.827.4215. eason.jordan@cnn.com CNN NEWS DIRECTOR Kim Bondy. 404 827 1500. fax. 404 827 1099 CNN NEWSROOM 404.827.1500 . 404.827.1500. cnnfutures@cnn.com, PBS FACTUAL PROGRAMMING CHIEF Sandy Heberer 703.739.5036 PBS NEWS CHIEF, SANDY SOWERS 703-998-2150 newshour@pbs.org PBS SWITCHBOARD (ASK FOR NEWSROOM) 703.998.2600. FOX NEWS CHIEF: John Moody. 212.301.8560. fax: 212.398.8726 john.moody@foxnews.com NEWS DIRECTOR Kathleen Ardleigh 212 3013186 fax. 212-301-5067 FOX SWITCHBOARD (ASK FOR NEWSROOM) 212.575.4670. fax: 212.301.8274 MEDIA CHALLENGE! is co-sponsored by: Projects4Peace, ICUJP (Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace), Neighbors for Peace and Justice, Coalition for World Peace, Global Guardianship Initiative, Code, Pink for Peace, Peace on the Beach, Peace Warriors, LA International A.N.S.W.E.R., Not in Our Name, Global Women1s Strike and Southern Cal. Americans for Democratic Action, Americans Against War With Iraq For more information about Media Challenge! and what the news networks are not telling you go HERE and click on Media. Feeling empowered? Wanna do more on this issue? GO HERE |
| Actual Signs In Non-English Speaking World . . . | 0 comments |
 1 Jun 2003 @ 20:20Actual Signs In Non-English Speaking World . . . (more funny sign photos) Cocktail lounge, Norway: LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR. At a Budapest zoo: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY. Doctors office, Rome: SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES. Hotel, Acapulco: THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE. Information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner, Japan: COOLS AND HEATS: IF YOU WANT JUST CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF. Car rental brochure, Tokyo: WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOR. Dry cleaner's, Bangkok: DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS. In a Nairobi restaurant: CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER. On the grounds of a private school: NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION. On a Thai highway river crossing: TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE. On a poster at Kencom: ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP. In a City restaurant: OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS. A sign seen on a restroom automatic hand dryer: DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS. In a Pumwani maternity ward: NO CHILDREN ALLOWED. In a cemetery: PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES. Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations: GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIORS IN BED. Hotel notice, Tokyo: IS FORBIDDEN TO STEAL HOTEL TOWELS PLEASE. IF YOU ARE NOT A PERSON TO DO SUCH A THING IS PLEASE NOT TO HAD NOTICE. On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR. Hotel room notice, Chiang-Mai, Thailand: PLEASE DO NOT BRING SOLICITORS INTO YOUR ROOM. Hotel brochure, Italy: THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE. Hotel lobby, Bucharest: THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE. Hotel elevator, Paris: PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESK. Hotel, Yugoslavia: THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID. Hotel, Japan: YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox Monastery: YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY. Hotel catering to skiers, Austria: NOT TO PERAMBULATE THE CORRIDORS IN THE HOURS OF REPOSE IN THE BOOTS OF ASCENSION. Taken from a menu, Poland: SALAD A FIRM'S OWN MAKE; LIMPID RED BEET SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS IN THE FORM OF A FINGER; ROASTED DUCK LET LOOSE; BEEF RASHERS BEATEN IN THE COUNTRY PEOPLE'S FASHION. Supermarket, Hong Kong: FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE. From the "Soviet Weekly": THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIETS REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. In an East African newspaper: A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS. Hotel, Vienna: IN CASE OF FIRE, DO YOUR UTMOST TO ALARM THE HOTEL PORTER. A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE. Hotel, Zurich: BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE. An advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS. Tourist agency, Czechoslovakia: TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE NO MISCARRIAGES. Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand: WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS? In the window on a Swedish furrier: FUR COATS MADE FOR LADIES FROM THEIR OWN SKIN. The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE. In a Swiss mountain inn: SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE CREAM. Airline ticket office, Copenhagen: WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS. On the door of a Moscow hotel room: IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE USSR, YOU ARE WELCOME TO IT. A laundry in Rome: LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME. |