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Should we be terrified of terrorism?
A nice piece by the Cato Institute on terrorism’s real and imagined impact (pdf):
Even with the September 11 attacks included in the count, the number of Americans killed by international terrorism since the late 1960s (which is when the State Department began counting) is about the same as the number of Americans killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reaction to peanuts.
[Via The Tattered Coat]
Sick but funny, in a geeky kind of way
From Idiot Toys:
Report: Terrorists planned to use iPod as detonator
WHY THIS PLAN WOULD’VE FAILED:
Because the battery would’ve gone flat! Ha ha ha!
You’ve only got a FireWire cable and bombs are USB! Ha ha ha!
Crying wolf
I wanted to blog about my mixed reaction to the terror alert - mainly concern, but tinged with a bit of cynicism - but it seems that Mr Eugenides nailed it for me:
On balance I, like most others, would rather be safe than sorry. We’ll have to wait until the dust settles on this one before we can truly know just how close we were to disaster; sadly, it’s not impossible (though it seems unlikely) that this is another in a long line of false alarms. But in the meantime, our ongoing - and entirely justified - suspicion of the mendacious bastards that run this country might usefully be leavened with a healthy dose of gratitude at the vigilance of our security services. In this day and age, sadly, the state’s duty to protect its citizens is no mere philosophical conceit, but a day-to-day reality, and it is increasingly the security services, not the armed forces, which are at the front line in this [very real] war. It’s not paranoia if they’re actually out to get you.
Flying today? Don’t read this
Just got a newsflash email from Channel 4 news:
A plot to blow up passenger flights in mid-air has been foiled by police and security services.
The official security threat level in Britain has been moved up from severe to critical which means an imminent attack is expected.
Around 20 people were arrested overnight in London in connection with the plans which are believed to involve detonating explosives smuggled onto planes in hand luggage
Flights between Britain and the US are thought to have been targeted.
Security at all UK airports has been increased and additional security measures been put in place for all flights.
All passengers will be hand-searched and have their shoes X-rayed before boarding their flight and all bags must now be checked in.
Travellers are only allowed to carry a few items such as wallets, travel documents, medicines and spectacles into the cabin and are being asked to put them in a clear carrier bag.
Parents with young children can take baby food, milk, nappies and wipes aboard.
But the cabin ban includes handbags, mobiles phones, laptops, iPods and electrical key fobs.
For a full list click here http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/page/dft_about_612280.hcsp
Pushchairs and walking aids must be X-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point.
All passengers boarding flights to the USA will have to undergo a second search at the boarding gate.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: “Regrettably, significant delays at airports are inevitable.
“Passengers are being asked to allow themselves plenty of extra time and to ensure that other than the few permitted items, all their belongings are placed in their hold baggage and checked in.
“These additional security measures will make travel more difficult for passengers, particularly at such a busy time of the year. But they are necessary and will continue to keep flights from UK airports properly secure.
“We hope that these measures, which are being kept under review by the Government, will need to be in place for a limited period only.
“In light of the threat to aviation and the need to respond to it, we are asking the travelling public to be patient and understanding and to co-operate fully with airport security staff and the police.
“If passengers have any questions on their travel arrangements or security in place at airports they should contact their airline or carrier.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds. This is a major operation which inevitably will be lengthy and complex.”
Home Secretary John Reid said the alleged plot was “very significant” and was designed to “bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life”.
Going away for a bit
Back next week. Have fun.
Oi! Crichton! Noooo!
I’m posting this mainly to annoy Stephen: a climate scientist says Michael Crichton has misused his research.
Our results have been misused as “evidence” against global warming by Michael Crichton in his novel “State of Fear” and by Ann Coulter in her latest book, “Godless: The Church of Liberalism.” Search my name on the Web, and you will find pages of links to everything from climate discussion groups to Senate policy committee documents — all citing my 2002 study as reason to doubt that the earth is warming.
[Via Digg]
When bouncy castles attack
TWO women were killed yesterday when a giant “bouncy castle” broke free from its moorings with 30 people inside it.
The huge inflatable - half the size of a football pitch - shot 50 feet into the sky above a busy park and flipped over in mid-air.
Flippism
I keep meaning to mention Prof. Batty’s Flippism Is The Key blog. It’s hard to categorise, but I really love the writing. Today’s post, The Pack, is another good one, encapsulating the bad side of school days in a few hundred words.
How to make the press report good science
There’s an interesting discussion on Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science site about the way in which the media regularly publishes scare stories, but never prints the evidence that shows the stories were bollocks. The article talks about a favourite scare - mercury fillings in your teeth rot your brain, or something - which has been thoroughly debunked; the debunking hasn’t been reported.
Bad Science reader Tristan has a genius suggestion:
I think positive science stories should be turned into conflict ones. For example, the mercury fillings one could have got much more press if the authors of the research had offered to head butt anyone who still said mercury fillings were dangerous.
Are the Yes Men at it again?
Merry pranksters the Yes Men like issuing fake press releases and building fake web sites to embarrass corporations. I reckon this (recieved this morning) is one of them, or from a like-minded soul at least:
Halliburton Solves Global Warming
SurvivaBalls save managers from abrupt climate change
An advanced new technology will keep corporate managers safe even when climate change makes life as we know it impossible. [Speech, photos]“The SurvivaBall is designed to protect the corporate manager no matter what Mother Nature throws his or her way,” said Fred Wolf, a Halliburton representative who spoke today at the Catastrophic Loss conference held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Amelia Island, Florida. “This technology is the only rational response to abrupt climate change,” he said to an attentive and appreciative audience.
Most scientists believe global warming is certain to cause an accelerating onslaught of hurricanes, floods, droughts, tornadoes, etc. and that a world-destroying disaster is increasingly possible. For example, Arctic melt has slowed the Gulf Stream by 30% in just the last decade; if the Gulf Stream stops, Europe will suddenly become just as cold as Alaska. Global heat and flooding events are also increasingly possible.
In order to head off such catastrophic scenarios, scientists agree we must reduce our carbon emissions by 70% within the next few years. Doing that would seriously undermine corporate profits, however, and so a more forward-thinking solution is needed.
At today’s conference, Wolf and a colleague demonstrated three SurvivaBall mockups, and described how the units will sustainably protect managers from natural or cultural disturbances of any intensity or duration. The devices - looking like huge inflatable orbs - will include sophisticated communications systems, nutrient gathering capacities, onboard medical facilities, and a daunting defense infrastructure to ensure that the corporate mission will not go unfulfilled even when most human life is rendered impossible by catastrophes or the consequent epidemics and armed conflicts.
“It’s essentially a gated community for one,” said Wolf.
Dr. Northrop Goody, the head of Halliburton’s Emergency Products Development Unit, showed diagrams and videos describing the SurvivaBall’s many features. “Much as amoebas link up into slime molds when threatened, SurvivaBalls also fulfill a community function. After all, people need people,” noted Goody as he showed an artist’s rendition of numerous SurvivaBalls linking up to form a managerial aggregate with functional differentiation, metaphorically dancing through the streets of Houston, Texas.
The conference attendees peppered the duo with questions. One asked how the device would fare against terrorism, another whether the array of embedded technologies might make the unit too cumbersome; a third brought up the issue of the unit’s cost feasibility. Wolf and Goody assured the audience that these problems and others were being addressed.
“The SurvivaBall builds on Halliburton’s reputation as a disaster and conflict industry innovator,” said Wolf. “Just as the Black Plague led to the Renaissance and the Great Deluge gave Noah a monopoly of the animals, so tomorrow’s catastrophes could well lead to good - and industry must be ready to seize that good.”
Goody also noted that Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society was set to employ the SurvivaBall as part of its Corporate Sustenance (R) program. Another of Cousteau’s CSR programs involves accepting a generous sponsorship from the Dow Chemical Corporation, whose general shareholder meeting is May 11.