Blogcritics Author: PoizonMyst

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Music DVD Review: Classic Albums - U2 - The Joshua Tree

PoizonMyst — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:43:50 EST

At first impression, this Eagle Vision release from the Classic Albums series could be perceived as a “making of” documentary. The band and producers unveil old studio recordings of the most poignant tracks from The Joshua Tree, sharing musical snippets that did not make it to the final cut and anecdotes of how those songs were born.Essentially, this documentary is U2 reminiscing about recording their most successful studio release, The Joshua Tree. Of course, expect the usual vanity to exude from Bono and the boys, but nonetheless their drive to create to the best of their abilities and the passion for their chosen subject matter is powerfully sincere. They describe the album as highly influenced by American folk and blues culture, with their urge to draw on political messages born of their Irish heritage and experiences.Fans may appreciate a demure Bono in the presence of producer Daniel Lanois, Adam’s misguided assertion that The Joshua Tree was one of the first techno albums on the music scene, Larry’s quiet offence at being the ignored drummer, and an exuberant Edge proudly demonstrating his atmospheric melodic riffs.We learn that mixing the album was an art in and of itself with producers, Steve Lillywhite, Brian Eno, and Daniel Lanois, developing and injecting their own ideas into the music. They lament over their difficulties in creating “Where the Streets Have No Name”, seemingly a work of great difficulty and contention for both band and producers.Along with cuts of concert footage from the Popmart tour, Classic Albums: U2 – The Joshua Tree includes potent live performances of “Mothers of the Disappeared” and “Running to Stand Still”. The 60 minute documentary closes with the full-length music video of “The Sweetest Thing”, crafted as an apology to Bono’s wife for forgetting her birthday while on tour. The song was not included as a track on the album, but was recorded during the same studio sessions, and released as a b-side for the 1987 single, “Where the Streets Have No Name”.With this, their fifth album release, The Joshua Tree won a 1988 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and established U2 as one of rocks most significant musical artists, filling arenas world-wide to this day.

PoizonMyst is a multimedia artist at Reanimated Residue. Mother to identical triplet girls and three singletons (two girls and a boy), she enjoys visual arts, writing, computer technologies, astronomy, and cultural theology. View her diverse artistic portfolio at deviantART, or join her community of Scifi Fanatics. All articles by PoizonMyst are copyright � Reanimated Residue� - published on Blogcritics with permission.

DVD Review: Queen - Under Review - 1980-1991

PoizonMyst — Mon, 6 Nov 2006 18:30:48 EST

I am not certain that a hardcore Queen fanatic would garner much from this, the next installment in the Chrome Dreams Media, Queen Under Review series, a critical analysis of the band from 1980 until the death of Freddie Mercury in 1991. Other than the satisfaction of the brilliant genius from Queen during this period being finally recognised by influential critics, Queen Under Review 1980-1991 is probably more enlightening to those of us who were too young to experience the earlier achievements of Queen in the 1970’s, only to discover them during the course of their temperate popularity in the 1980’s.The in-depth discussion on this DVD, from acclaimed music journalists and other experts within the industry, is a positive accolade to a powerful revolutionary band. This is an educational journey through each album release, and their twenty chart-topping singles between 1980 and 1991. Dialogue focuses on Queen’s bold experimentation with a multitude of challenging genres, when others were looking back at an era of punk and new-wave pop was hitting the music scene.I have always loved the music of Queen, but I don’t know Queen as a loyal fan would. They grabbed my attention from the first day I heard their music and I have always taken it for granted that they were considered legends in the same way I viewed Led Zeppelin or The Stones. I assumed it was a just a given that Queen were highly commended artists throughout their career. It was quite surprising to learn that their popularity had somewhat waned in the United States following the release of the Flash Gordon soundtrack album in 1980.Queen Under Review 1980-1991 features snippets of Queen as an exuberant live act, including stadium performances such as that which stole the show at the Wembley Stadium “Live Aid” concert on July 13th, 1985 – often hailed as one of the greatest live sets of all time. Unfortunately the documentary is deprived of any interviews with remaining band members. Radio broadcaster and journalist, Paul Gambaccini, probably offers the closest connectivity, with an occasional revealing anecdote concerning his close friend, Freddie Mercury.Overall, Queen Under Review 1980-1991 presents an intriguing retrospective on the music and personality of a band who were ultimately groundbreaking, extravagant, flamboyant, and an undeniable influential force on the landscape of contemporary rock music.

United States Bans Vegemite

PoizonMyst — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 03:27:12 EDT

Well this IS a curious issue… and I’m not a happy little Vegemite!America has decided to make its opinions quite clear about Australia's favourite black breakfast spread by banning its importation into the United States. I understand Vegemite is an acquired taste, but we Aussies can't resist the tasty yeasty properties of beer residue and this ban is preventing Aussie tourists from sharing this unique condiment with our American mates, not to mention the effect this crackdown is having at the breakfast table of our expatriates.About Australia, a US-based store providing American consumers with traditional products from Down Under, was forced to stop importing Vegemite six months ago; however the product was actually limited to 113gram (4oz) jars in 2005. Expat Daniel Fogarty, now living in Canada, was recently searching for Vegemite while crossing the border on a trip to Montana. Other travelers have had their jars of Vegemite confiscated. This insult to our national iconic symbol is almost as un-Australian as politicians banning the word 'mate' in Parliament. Oh wait, that did happen. So what's the big deal? What did Vegemite do to offend our brothers in arms? After all, it might be a little salty on the palate, but it's packed full of healthy stuff, in addition to that good ol' Aussie spirit!At the bottom of this bizarre prohibition is the US Food and Drug Administration (of course), who say they disapprove of the addition of folate to anything other than bread or grain products such as flour and pasta. Hey, I don’t know what the FDA has been spreading their Vegemite on either, but spread on bread is what it's meant for!Okay, time for the serious stuff. Exactly what is folate and why is it so bad?Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin found naturally in green vegetables, legumes, liver, and some fruits and nuts, not to mention yeast extracts. It works in conjunction with B12 (also present in Vegemite) to produce the genetic materials for cell growth and reproduction. Folate helps to build proteins and healthy red blood cells, which means it is an important nutrient in the defence against anemia. Furthermore, there is some evidence to suggest that high folate intake can reduce the risk of certain diseases.Sounds like pretty good stuff, right? The FDA thinks so, too.In 1998, after several years of deliberation, the FDA ruled on regulations for the mandatory addition of folic acid (the synthetic equivalent of folate) to breads, cereals, and other grain products, to assist in the prevention of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Nine months after the policy was introduced, incidence of spina bifida was reportedly reduced by 31 percent. However, it is argued that the supplementation is inadequate and many more cases of birth defects could be avoided with a higher dosage.Nevertheless, the FDA purports to the theory that too much folate can mask vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly and, they argue, Vegemite contains just too much. I’m thinking the FDA hasn’t been reading the nutritional information panel on their jar of Vegemite, which suggests a 5 gram serving for 50% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI) of 200 micrograms of folate per day, or 400 micrograms for women of childbearing age. Not only that, the Institute of Medicine has established a daily upper intake level (UL) of no more than 1000 micrograms of folic acid so as not to mask symptoms of B12 deficiency.That’s an awful lot of Vegemite, even for an Aussie. Just how much Vegemite is the FDA slapping on their slice of toast?

Our Orbital Space Junkyard

PoizonMyst — Sat, 7 Oct 2006 20:17:09 EDT

Orbital debris, more commonly known as space junk, is an unavoidable byproduct of human space exploration. Not only do we rubbish our earthly environment with all sorts of crap, but since the dawn of orbital spaceflight in the 1950s, humans have been littering the skies above as well.On September 14 this year, astronauts of the space shuttle Atlantis contributed a few bolts to Earth’s orbit while completing installation of new solar arrays for the International Space Station. These days NASA tries to tether everything used during a spacewalk -- but accidents do happen. NASA and the US Air Force track all space-faring garbage larger than ten centimetres and the addition of these few tidbits in September brought the count to 9,925.Orbital debris consists of a wide menagerie of hazardous items, detrimental to astronauts, spacecraft, and expensive satellite equipment. Newer spacecraft, such as the International Space Station, are reinforced against orbital debris hazards but there are still many more at risk.1996 is recorded as the first confirmed occurrence of a collision between cataloged space junk and Cerise – a French military reconnaissance satellite. The impact tore away some 4.2 metres of gravity gradient stabilisation boom from the craft. It is interesting to note that there are lawyers who track orbital debris -- yes, there are expensive legal responsibilities resulting from your space junk damaging someone else’s satellite.There are believed to be over 100,000 manmade objects zipping around the Earth at a speed of around 28,000 km/h, and the smaller items can be just as troublesome as larger ones -- they’re just harder to track. Where NASA can warn astronauts and shuttle pilots to move out of the way of an impact with some of the larger pieces, it is almost impossible to avoid collisions with smaller debris. Fragments such as paint flakes can dent a craft or scratch the shuttle windshield, while clouds of smaller particles which can cause sandblasting.Dumping waste from the space shuttle has urine, toothpaste, and shaving cream floating in the skies above us. After an Indonesian satellite was struck with urine and fecal matter, NASA decided that discarding human waste in space is probably not the greatest idea. Other hazards include trash thrown from the Russian space station Mir, rubble from explosions, spent booster rockets from launches since 1958, equipment discarded while repairing the Hubble Telescope, and some 2000 satellites no longer in use.Not all space junk stays in orbit, with some returning to Earth or burning up on re-entry. To date, Lottie Williams is the only person to have been hit by space waste – a six inch metal shard from the fuel tank of a Delta II rocket from a 1996 US Air Force satellite launch. Hit in the shoulder while walking through an Oklahoma park on January 22, 1997, she was very lucky not to have been injured.A $2700 spatula lost by spacewalker Piers Sellers in July this year was nicknamed “Spatsat” and is expected to return to Earth in a fireball some time this month. A stray spatula in space is a curiousity, but there have been all manner of unusual bits and pieces soaring about in the heavens above.Ed White lost a glove on the first American spacewalk in 1965, cosmonaut Michael Collins misplaced his camera near the Gemini 10 spacecraft in 1966, while other astronauts are missing a toothbrush and a ham sandwich. In early February 2006, the crew of the International Space Station stuffed an old Russian spacesuit with clothes, attached a radio transmitter, and deliberately pushed it out into space. Known as Suitsat-1, the radio signal weakened unexpectedly after orbiting the Earth twice, and finally burned up in the atmosphere on September 2.

Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter Dies

PoizonMyst — Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:26:24 EDT

Australian naturalist and TV icon Steve Irwin, “The Crocodile Hunter”, died earlier today while filming off the North Queensland coast.Irwin was pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming an underwater segment for his daughter’s new TV show, called Ocean’s Deadliest, at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas in North Queensland. Collapsing at approximately 11am on Monday September 4, 2006, he received CPR for almost one hour. When the emergency helicopter arrived at the scene, both his pulse and breathing had stopped. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest, however further assessment will be carried out at a post-mortem examination in Carins. Death from contact with a stingray barb is considered “highly unusual”.Born Stephen Robert Irwin in Melbourne on 22 February 1962, he moved to Queensland at a young age, where his parents operated the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. Beginning his career as a crocodile trapper, he took over the park in 1991, renaming it Australia Zoo. He met Terri in 1992 and their honeymoon was spent trapping crocodiles, which became the pilot episode of the highly successful TV series, The Crocodile Hunter. The show aired across 122 countries worldwide.Though highly revered in his home country for tireless environmental preservation efforts and promotion of his state and nation, Irwin’s career was not without controversy.In January 2004, Steve Irwin hit international headlines following a live show at Australia Zoo, in which he held his one month-old baby boy under one arm, while hand-feeding a chicken to “Murray” the crocodile. This became known as the “Baby Bob Incident” and was compared to Michael Jackson dangling his son outside a window in Germany. His actions were cause for concern amongst child welfare and animal rights groups, along with much criticism from the general public. Irwin escaped charges but as a direct result, new laws were established in February 2005, which prevented children or untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.In June 2004, Irwin again found himself in the media spotlight while filming the Ice Breaker documentary for US television channel Animal Planet. It was alleged that Irwin had closely interacted with several Antarctic wildlife -- a federal and international crime attracting fines of up to $1 million dollars and two years jail. The Australian Antarctica Division of the federal government investigated the footage but found no grounds for charges to be made.Beyond all his unconventional antics, Steve was a well-loved personality, national ambassador, and highly respected conservationist. He appeared in the movies Dr. Dolittle 2 with Eddie Murphy; Wiggly Safari in the company of popular children entertainers, The Wiggles; and his own feature film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course. His exuberant personality attracted a strong fanbase around the world, with children his most loved audience.In conjunction with his work at Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin established Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, International Crocodile Rescue, and the Australian Wildlife Hospital. His conservation work was not just centered on crocodiles, having made noteworthy contributions to the preservation of many other endangered species, including koalas and wombats. He urged Australians to be aware of strict quarantine requirements, for the benefit of native ecology and wildlife, in an advertising campaign for the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. He was honored with a Centenary Medal in 2001, for his service to global conservation and Australian tourism.Steve Irwin was 44 years old and is survived by his wife, Terri; daughter, Bindi, aged 8; and son, Robert, aged 2.

Pluto Demoted - And Then There Were Eight

PoizonMyst — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 22:03:29 EDT

In an historic vote, the International Astronomical Union has finally agreed upon the definition of a “Planet”.The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the internationally recognized organisation for naming and defining all things celestial, has closed their triennial General Assembly conference in Prague by deciding that there are only eight planets currently present in our solar system. Pluto has been demoted to “dwarf planet” status – albeit a new family of objects within its own right. The eight planets are (in order from the sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The first “dwarf planets” to make the grade, consist of Ceres, Pluto, and 2003 UB313 (commonly referred to as “Xena”), with more to be added in the near future. The concluding vote took place on Thursday, August 24th, 2006.It’s not all bad news for Pluto though, as it becomes the prototype for a yet-to-be named new class of objects that exist in the trans-Neptunian region. The IAU intends to set up a dedicated process for naming these bodies in the near future, which typically consists of large bodies within the Kuiper-belt region. Having visited all eight planets in the solar system, NASA's "New Horizons" spacecraft is currently enroute to Pluto and is expected to reach the dwarf planet in July of 2015. In June of 2007, NASA plans to launch off on the "Dawn" mission to fellow dwarf planet, Ceres. Though the chance to send your name to Pluto has passed, the opportunity is now available to be part of the Dawn mission by doing the same.The passed IAU resolution reads:RESOLUTION 5AThe IAU therefore resolves that "planets" and other bodies in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:(1) A "planet"1 is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape2 , (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.(3) All other objects3 except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar-System Bodies". 1The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.2An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either dwarf planet and other categories.3These currently include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies.RESOLUTION 6AThe IAU further resolves:Pluto is a "dwarf planet" by the above definition and is recognized as the prototype of a new category of trans-Neptunian objects.1The decision is exciting news for astronomers but it was not an easy task for the IAU to reach an agreement on the final definition. The furor began when it was found that Kuiper-belt object UB313, discovered in 2003 by astronomers Mike Brown (Caltech), Chad Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), and David Rabinowitz (Yale University), was slightly larger than Pluto, at approximately 2400km in diameter. This new discovery required a new planet (or several) be added to the list of “Planets” or a demotion of Pluto from the rank. Many were not happy with this idea, submitting a plethora of reasons, including historical relevance, astrological usage, text-book changes, and the confusion of children learning about our solar system. Then came about the problem of deciding what defining features actually made a planet a planet, without allowing other celestial objects to fall easily into this category either. A number of proposals were submitted and debated, settling on the final definition with more than 2500 astronomers voting on the resolution.

Australian Big Brother 2006: The Winner Revealed

PoizonMyst — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 22:48:33 EDT

After 100 days in the Australian Big Brother house at Dreamworld, the winner has finally been selected.The weekend was both nerve-racking and eventful for the remaining four housemates -- Camilla Halliwell, David Graham, Jamie Brooksby, and James "Max" Panabianco -- enjoying a lavish lunch date with Big Brother, a secret visit from their loved-ones, and a double eviction on Sunday night. Late Saturday night the four shared their final dinner together in the house, relishing meatballs cooked by Max’s mother during her hush-hush foray into the house earlier that day.Faced with the usual variety of controversy and critique, the popular reality TV show has survived yet another year to complete series six, with a total of twenty-three housemates having lived in the house over a three-month period.Sunday night saw the eviction of 20-year-old “replacement” housemate, Max, and 26-year-old gay farmer, David, of the original 15 housemates. Max exhibited extreme relief at his eviction, explaining he did not deserve to win after only three weeks in the house. The audience was introduced to David’s partner, Sharif, in an affectionate reunion between the couple on the big stage. The double eviction left Jamie and Camilla, both of the original 15, to spend their last night in the house together while Australia decided their fate. To celebrate, Big Brother treated the pair to champagne and an extravagant seafood banquet.Camilla earned a reputation as the “biggest whinger” in the house, yet went on to survive 10 nominations over 15 eviction nights. She never won the Friday Night Games, and only ever enjoying the spoils of the “Rewards Room” when invited by other housemates. Last Friday, Big Brother reminded Camilla that she had been “knocked out” in the first round of the games more than any other housemate in the history of Big Brother. She redeemed herself by making a teary-eyed, but brave, 15 meter “Leap of Faith”, earning a further $40,000 towards the prize money.While in the house, Jamie formed a close relationship with 20 year old Katie, who was eliminated from the game in round 7. His trademark became the way he wore his baggy pants, hanging low to reveal his underwear, while his hair was central to his vanity. Evictee David commented that he would have got more “focus” out of Jamie if there were less mirrors in the house. Jamie made his mark on the house by presenting himself as a fun-loving, all-round selfless character.Camilla and Jamie spent their final day in the house being pampered by Big Brother, with a selection of beauty products and clothing for the big night. Unlike past years, the two housemates entered the “games arena” to begin the finale. They were shown dramatic footage of world and local events occurring during their stay in the house. As previous evicted housemates entered the arena to accompany their final voyage, a number of video montages were presented which encompassed their time as part of the Big Brother experience. A particularly touching moment was the reunion of love-birds Jamie and Katie. Eventually the past housemates exited, leaving the duo to face the final announcement with only each other for support.Voting complete, the time had finally arrived for host, Gretel Kileen, to open the envelope and reveal the eagerly awaited name within. The final results were extremely close with a split of three percent between winner and runner up. Camilla Halliwell, a 22 year old student and nightclub host, became the last evictee of the series. Left to spend several minutes alone in the house to contemplate his future as the ultimate winner of Australian Big Brother 2006, 22 year old fitness instructor, Jamie Brooksby, ran around the house repeating “Jamie’s goin’ nuts! Jamie’s goin’ nuts!” and “This is not a dream!” Then he looked in the mirror and adjusted his hair.The original prize pool up for grabs was a cool one million dollars. However, after several fines during the series, and then winning a portion of the money back during the last Friday Night Games, the remaining prize totaled $511,000. Jamie had racked up fines worth $85,000. Continuing his reputation as a meaner and tougher Big Brother this year, the individual fines remained, and he received a total prize of $426,000.This year the program has rated a mention in parliament with Prime Minister John Howard calling for an end to the show following an incident in which two housemates were removed from the house for breach of the rules. An investigation was conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and Queensland police but found no breach by Network Ten or the show’s producer, Southern Star Endemol. Head of production and development for Network Ten, Tim Clucas, said the show will “absolutely” return in the future.Images courtesy Southern Star Endemol and Network Ten.

Earth's Close Encounter With Large Asteroid On July 3, 2006

PoizonMyst — Sun, 2 Jul 2006 13:20:38 EDT

Astronomers anticipate the approach of a prominent-sized asteroid as it passes Earth just beyond the orbit of the moon.Discovered by Lincoln Laboratory Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) on December 10, 2004, Asteroid 2004 XP14, is due to come uncomfortably close to Earth during the early hours of Monday, July 3, 2006.The LINEAR project, funded by the United States Air Force and NASA, uses technology that was developed to monitor satellites orbiting the Earth, in an attempt to locate and record potential cosmic threats to our planet. To date, the LINEAR project has confirmed 1622 Near Earth Objects (NEOs), which also includes comets with a close approach orbit to the Earth. The greatest current potential impact risk, at an estimated diameter of 300 metres, is asteroid 99942 Apophis (2004 MN4) when it approaches Earth in April of 2036. The probability of 99942 Apophis impacting the Earth is 0.0026% or 1 in 38,000.Believed to be 600 metres or more in diameter, Asteroid 2004 XP14 was originally thought to be an impact threat, but further studies of its orbit later revealed the big rock is not an immediate danger to the Earth. Classed as a PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroid), 2004 XP14 is one of 796 within this classification, which is defined as an asteroid with a Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) with the Earth of 0.05 AU or less, and an absolute magnitude of 22.0 or brighter.The asteroid will pass just beyond the orbit of the moon at 1.1 LD (lunar distance from Earth) and is expected to reach an absolute magnitude of 12, so amateur and professional astronomers will be readying their telescopes in order to catch a glimpse of the fly-by. It will be traveling at a relative velocity of 17.41 kilometres per second.At a distance of 1.7 LD, the most recent close approach by an NEO was only a few days ago on June 28th 2006, by 2006 MB14, but at an estimated diameter of 24-53 metres, it was a mere pebble compared to 2004 XP14. NEOs at such distances are somewhat rare. The next known asteroid expected to pass at a comparable distance of 1.4 LD, is 2005 YU55 in November of 2011; and then another, 1999 AN10, in August of 2027 at a distance of 1.0 LD. NASA reports that asteroid 1999 AN10 is at least 1 kilometre in diameter, and with the projected distance of this asteroid relative to the moon, we can certainly anticipate apocalyptic stories to accompany its approach.

Australian Big Brother 6: "Inappropriate Behavior" Sees Housemates Expelled

PoizonMyst — Sun, 2 Jul 2006 12:04:33 EDT

Two housemates were unceremoniously evicted from the Australian Big Brother house on Saturday afternoon amid claims of inappropriate sexual activity. John (Michael Bric, 21, of Melbourne, Vic) and Ashley (Michael Cox, 20, of Perth, WA) were removed from the Big Brother compound at Dreamworld, on the Queensland Gold Coast, by security guards early Saturday evening. The no-vote eviction followed an undisclosed incident in which a short statement on the official Big Brother website referred to the issue as a “serious matter”. The producers of the high-ratings reality television show, now in its sixth season, provided no official reason for the removal of the housemates, stating they “will not be commenting any further”. The official website forums have been closed in light of events that were described to other housemates as “seriously breaching the BB rules”, when they were informed of the pair’s expulsion at 8:10 pm on Saturday, July 1, 2006.Big Brother’s attempt to censor the incident has not stopped early morning viewers of the live online streaming video content from revealing on unofficial Big Brother fan-sites the possible reason for the untimely eviction of the two young men from the house.It is claimed that on Saturday morning at 4:30 am, Ashley and John were seen to get into bed with 22-year-old female contestant Camilla Halliwell of Victoria. John allegedly held her down while Ashley proceeded to rub his penis in her face, in what has become known as a “turkey slap” after similar actions performed by housemates during previous series. Many viewers took screenshots which are now circulating on the Internet, and state Camilla was heard to say, “That’s not cool” as the two performed their alleged lewd act.The resulting uproar has even rated a mention in Parliament, with calls to have the show cancelled by Federal MP Trish Draper. Australian Media & Communications Minister Helen Coonan has declared the government would take no immediate action against Network Ten or show producers, while her spokeswoman was quoted in an interview with the Sunday Times, “As for Big Brother, it will still be subject to the existing content restrictions.”Controversy surrounding the explicit content of the Big Brother adults only “Uncut” show has landed the Big Brother enterprise in hot water on several occasions in the past. Though the John/Ashley/Camilla incident was not aired on public television, last year’s Uncut program broadcast contestant Michael giving a massage to fellow housemate Gianna while rubbing his genitals on her. The episode caused sufficient public commotion that the lurid content of the show was toned down for the remainder of the series.However, this year, the Uncut show has again become an issue for parliament, when the show’s producers admitted upward of 75,000 minors tune in to the MA15+ rated program each week. The remaining weekly episodes of Uncut 2006 were axed after extensive political pressure, following the last installment on June 19.Rumors are currently circulating that Ashley has been returned to “lockdown” with plans to have housemates vote on his return to the compound during a special to be aired on Tuesday night, July 4. Implementing the “strike” system has seen this incident bring John’s tally to three strikes, while this would be Ashley’s second strike. An attempt by Big Brother to reinstate Ashley as a housemate seems highly unlikely, however, in light of the extensive media coverage surrounding this event, and the seriousness of allegations against him.In recent developments it is reported that police have finally been supplied video footage to review the incident, as Senator Coonan expressed concern over the potential nature of the footage saying, “I think it is appropriate if we take urgent action and have a look at it.”

Nix and Hydra: Naming Two Moons of Pluto

PoizonMyst — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 15:09:12 EDT

The official astronomical names of two newly discovered moons of Pluto have been revealed.Photographed in May 2005 by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, and discovered by research teams in support of the New Horizons mission, the two moons found orbiting Pluto have been officially named Nix and Hydra by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). They join Pluto’s partner Charon, its largest and closest satellite, which was discovered in 1978.Nix and Hydra orbit the small planet at about two to three times the distance of Charon, and are approximately 5000 times fainter than Pluto itself.In accordance with traditional naming guidelines for celestial bodies, both moons were named after characters from stories of ancient mythology. The inner moon, Nix, was named after the Egyptian goddess of darkness and night, and in Greek Mythology is also the mother of Charon. Hydra, a serpent with nine heads, guarded Pluto’s realm in stories from ancient Greek mythology.The names of the satellites, beginning with N and H, are also intended as an accolade to the New Horizons mission which left Earth on January 19 2006, bound for Pluto, the Kuiper Belt, and beyond. Traveling at 26.67 km/sec, the New Horizons spacecraft is currently 2.1 AU from Earth and 29.29 AU from Pluto. It is expected to reach the distant planet in July 2015, and carries a compact disc containing over 435,000 names of people who signed up to send their names to Pluto.Lastly, astronomers from around the world eagerly await the IAU verdict on Pluto’s status as a “planet.” The decision will also determine the status of several “Trans Neptunian Objects”, including 2003 UB313 (commonly called Xena), and is expected in late August this year.