Plato\'s Beard

Reminder: Blog has moved!

09Aug06

I still get a lot (for me) hits here, so a second note:

This Blog is now hosted at its own domain platosbeard.org. If you are using an RSS/Atom reader to view this blog, please update your feed URLs either by visiting the new site and subscribing from the links there, or by using these URLs:

http://platosbeard.org/feed/ — Site feed
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As before, you can subscribe to subsections of the blog based on tags/categories.

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Blog Moved!

22Jun06

Hello all (anyone? ;-)),

http://platosbeard.org/feed/ — Site feed
http://platosbeard.org/comments/feed/ — Site comments feed

As before, you can subscribe to subsections of the blog based on tags/categories.

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BJP fights kindergarten imperialism!

14Jun06

[via RawStory]

Guardian | Indian state bans Baa Baa Black Sheep
Maseeh Rahman in Delhi
Wednesday June 14, 2006

Tens of thousands of children at Indian schools have been told they can no longer sing popular English nursery rhymes such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep.

In an attempt to rid schools of what is perceived as malign western influence, the school education minister in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Narottam Mishra, has commissioned a new set of rhymes written by Indians to "infuse a sense of patriotism" among five-year-olds.

[…]

This is not the first time that the Hindu nationalist BJP has stirred a controversy by tinkering with the school curriculum. In neighbouring Gujarat state, school textbooks were rewritten to categorise religious minorities including Muslims, Christians and Parsis as "foreigners" and to extol aspects of Nazism and fascism. A social studies textbook in Gujarat said: "Hitler lent dignity and prestige to the German government within a short time, establishing a strong administrative set-up."

Filed under: East vs West, Humour, India, News, Silliness | Leave a Comment

Why We Fight

14Jun06

[via J on LBO]

You can watch the trailer and movie bits from "Why We Fight" at the following links:

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Mallory inches closer to summit

14Jun06

Thorough sentimentalist that I am, I have always believed that Mallory (and Irvine) made it to the top before Tenzing Norgay and Hillary. Mallory's body was recently discovered a few hundred feet from the summit, reigniting the old debate. The news bit below is gratifying not only because it gives further credibility to the idea (of Mallory summitting) but also brings up an issue (read the entire article to see what I mean) that is a pet peeve of mine: that when we "solve" problems with modern technology, we almost always lose something ie., there is a very rosy-glow notion of technological progress that is at best naive. The connection: Graham Hoyland, who tried Mallory's "simpler" clothing on the Everest, found them in many ways preferable to the modern polythene stuff.

BBC NEWS | Replica clothes pass Everest test
By Janine Ainley

The results of a unique experiment on Mount Everest confirm that the clothing of the 1924 climbers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine would not have prevented them from reaching the summit, as many had believed.

The findings are a step closer to proving the men could have reached the top, 29 years before Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary.

[…]

Filed under: Mountaineering, News | Leave a Comment

Rove escapes?

13Jun06

NPR : Rove Won't Be Charged in CIA Leak Case
by Linda Wertheimer and Don Gonyea

Morning Edition, June 13, 2006 · Prosecutors have apparently decided not to charge senior White House adviser Karl Rove with any crimes in the CIA leak investigation. Rove's lawyer says his client was advised of the decision Monday.

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