UN lays blame for Timor wave of terror. “A United Nations investigation has found that senior
Indonesian military officers planned mass destruction,
deportations and killings in East Timor two months
before a 1999 vote on the territory’s future.” Sydney Morning Herald

OpenCola, Version 1.0, first open-source soft drink. ThinkGeek

Human foot-and-mouth cases in the UK? A slaughterman from north Cumbria is suspected of contracting the disease from the carcass of an infected cow he was handling. Now there are two other suspected cases. The disease is mild in humans and not life-threatening, causing a flu-like syndrome with blisters on the mouth and hands, and there are no known cases of human-human transmission. CNN

Jammers Jamming The Jammers Jamming The Jammers — Nike’s Purported Propaganda Offense Plastic

Big Blue’s Big Brother Lab: ” Imagine knowing the name of every single person who lived in this
world. One of IBM’s lab scientists shows how existing technology could
make this scenario possible.” Wired

One Smart Bookie:

“In repeated raids the police have seized betting
records and about $700,000 from Weisberg’s house and
safe-deposit boxes. Three times in 1989-1994 Weisberg faced
felony charges of sports bookmaking. The first time he pleaded
guilty and received five years’ probation. Since then judges, a jury,
psychologists, and psychiatrists have determined that Weisberg is
not responsible for his actions because his mental disability
prevents him from distinguishing between right and wrong… One of the most celebrated sports bookmakers in the Midwest, he
is mentally disabled, with an IQ that has at various times been
measured in the mid-50s to the low 70s. Although Weisberg’s
speaking skills, as reflected in court records, appear roughly
normal, he is not, in fact, an articulate speaker, and he has a
sharply limited conversational range. But few people can approach
Weisberg at calculating odds and handicapping games.”The Atlantic [via Spike Report]

And new research clarifies what it is that leads to savant skills, at least in patients with autism if not those, like Weisberg, with retardation. Not surprisingly, they start with the details. Aptitudes in which they excel are strengthened by repetition motivated by the pleasure it brings them. The Independent

UK: Jedi Get Green Light? “The campaign to have ‘Jedi’ recognised as an official religion in the
forthcoming UK census has received a boost. The census form itself
confirms that entering a frivolous faith therein will not result in an
appearance before the courts.

‘Completion of the Census form is compulsory under the
Census Act 1920. If you refuse to complete it, or give false
information, you may be liable to a fine. This liability does not
apply to question 10 on religion.’ ” The Register

Film Critic, Review Thyself. The Mexican film Amores Perros is attracting rave reviews but LA Times critic Kenneth Turan found himself indifferent to this “film that stubbornly refused to end”. He declined to review it, leaving the task to his deputy, but writes a searching confessional about how his reaction troubles him. “If you come out of a film and aren’t sure what
your opinion is, it could well mean you do know but are not comfortable with
your thoughts.”

Upspeak: ‘Declarative statement made with rising into-nation?
L.A. valley-speak is its exaggerated form and possible
source, but upspeak (a.k.a. uptalk) emerged as a
widespread teen practice in the mid ’80s. In recent
years, its distinctive “intonation contour” has threatened to
become a genuine dialect shift. Although the questioning
tone can connote indecision, deference, or apathy, a 1992
linguistic study of a Texas sorority found that upspeak was
used most commonly by group leaders, suggesting that the
tentative sound can serve as a way of getting attention,
involving listeners, and enforcing con-sensus?’

Modern threat to an ancient game: “Orkney islanders angry as
insurance fears may end the
traditional battle of the Ba, …a game peculiar to the
Orkney Islands which involves two teams
of hundreds of players battling to shift a
rock-hard leather ball across Kirkwall.
There are no rules.” Guardian-Observer

Sweet tooth gene found: “The discovery could lead to the development
of new sweeteners and a greater
understanding of why some people have a
sweet tooth.” BBC