bioneural.net » usa

Raving about the USA

Bruce — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 01:18:41 +0000

I've noticed that most of the entries in my Archives tagged with "usa" have sad smilies next to them, indicating the post is a rant. Does this mean I harbour anti-American sentiment? There's a difference between Americans (individual people) and America (the country and its policies), however, the same can be said of any country. Although I do object (like much of the world) to the sometimes irresponsible behaviour of America and her leadership, the nation has given the world much. And it has much to offer (not all of which is given). To add some balance to my site content I set myself the task of listing something good about the US for every sad smilie. It's been too long since my previous rave. Most of my "usa" posts involve rants Good things about the US Apples are grown in California; Kevin and Rob are American and they're good people; The US has some great scenery I hope to photograph one day; Google started in a Californian garage and changed the world forever while maintaining an altruistic streak; Some American's can see things differently (even while making money). Now that wasn't so hard. What raves would you add to the list?

US divorces fact from science

Bruce — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 22:39:35 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Nine in 10 Americans believe in God but only half in the scientific basis for evolution yet 1 in 3 college graduates accept the Biblical account of creation as fact (Newsweek). Thought-provoking stats from a superpower at the forefront of science and technology. Too little education or too much ignorance? Follow the ugly debate on Slashdot.

American Engrish

Bruce — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:11:04 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Do they no longer teach English in American schools? I am aware that "American" English has its nuances, but was not aware that it had diverged so far from international English as to become an entirely separate dialect. To illustrate my point, I'd like to share the text of an e-mail I recently received from a certain company's U.S. Networking Tech Support. Having recently bought a new ADSL modem, I noted that the same model on the company website looked completely different from my own. Model on the web (left), mine (right) I asked the company to explain the difference. Here's what they had to say: Thank you for contacting Xxx Technical Support. We understand that you are facing an issue with the ADSL 2+ Modem , as it does not looks alike the one which is there in the Website. We request you to, please check for the desire feature and try installing it. As some time the new product may be released with new look. If you face any difficulty in installing it, please revert to us, we will be glad to assist you. Bruce, if you need further assistance please feel free to write back to us and we will be happy to assist you. If you have any other questions or problems you may also call us toll free at xxx-xxx-xxxx (Extn. xxxx). Alternatively, call us on xxx xxx xxxx Ext. xxxx Regards, Tess Smith Xxx Technical Support I have removed the company name to protect the barely literate. I suspect the last two lines of the ...

Israeli Blitzkrieg: pure madness

Bruce — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 06:57:49 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Last night the TV news showed pictures of a Red Cross team in Lebanon that had come under Israeli fire. This morning the BBC News reports that UN observers have been killed in an air strike targeting their observation post. More examples of how Israel is exercising "restraint" in this conflict. America says Syria has the power to stop the war, citing its support for Hezbollah. I say America has the power to stop the war by revoking its support for Israel, and by halting the supply of bombs it delivers with one hand while the other hand makes aid deliveries in Lebanon. How ironic is that? How shameful? Those who blow up innocent civilians to make a political statement are terrorists. By taking this disproportionate action or "sending a clear message" Israel has become what it professes to detest. This is state-sponsored terrorism which ever way you cut it. There is no moral right to destroy the infrastructure and fragile political stability of a neighbouring country in order to punish a minority behaving badly. Nor is there any legal right. Israel is in the wrong, yet it is unlikely to see prosecution for War Crimes. Is Israel going to pay reparations to Lebanon for the destruction wreaked on that country and its population? Not bloody likely. Hezbollah's rocket attacks against Israeli civilians are no less despicable. They're as bad as each other, and the leaders of Hezbollah and Israel have both failed their peoples. I don't claim enlightened understanding of the background to this ...

Alas Babylon

Bruce — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:03:27 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

All wars by their nature likely involve illegal invasion and the abuse and torture of prisoners, modern wars being no exception. One would hope that although people can't respect each other, they could at least avoid the wanton destruction of historic sites so far as humanly possible. Alas Babylon, which the BBC reports was damaged by occupying US armed forces. The ruins were once a wonder of the ancient world famous for their Hanging Gardens. I've seen the Ishtar Gate and it is stunning. For those who (apparently) don't know, Babylon represents Culture. Detail on the Ishtar Gate (Pergamon Museum, Berlin) Landing helicopters amidst buildings prone to vibration damage, or filling sand bags with archeological material hardly constitutes respect for the past. They say it was to keep looters out—doesn't Hollywood suggest the thing to do in such situations is "establish a perimeter"? Perhaps it was more a case of establishing an "Archeological Shield" for similar self-protective reasons the "Human Shield" supposedly used by Iraqi forces? It seems the Iraqi people, who will need tourism to help their economic recovery, must sadly ask for an apology before one is given: Col Coleman told the BBC that if the Iraqis wanted an apology for the destruction caused by his men he was willing to give one. Words are cheap; they should go further and make good the damage. I may not be fully informed about military tactics or necessity, but feel obligated to stand up and protest the destruction of world heritage.

The news caption that says it all

Bruce — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 14:17:54 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Are they really going to let this guy lead an inquiry into his own handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina? George Bush on Sky News

A conversation with Adobe

Bruce — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 08:38:25 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Why do Adobe products cost more to download than buy off the shelf in Europe? Why do they cost way more than they do in the US? Do US upgrades work with UK products? Why doesn't Adobe respond to Customer Support e-mails? Good questions: now here for the answers... 17 June 2005, Adobe Customer Service 020 73 65 07 33 I'm ringing because I didn't get a reply to my fax or e-mail, which I sent some time ago. I own a licensed version of Photoshop 7 and am interested in an upgrade to Photoshop CS2 for Macintosh. On your Store you are selling the boxed upgrade for £140 and the downloadable upgrade for £144. Can you please explain why it costs more to download than receive the media and printed manual? The Online Store is based in Ireland so Irish VAT is charged on the download. I think that's about 22%. [It's actually 21%, vs. 17% in the UK]. Can you explain why the same product costs $US150 from the Adobe Store in the US (that's approx. £80)? Obviously this discrepancy has nothing to do with exchange rate or tax. I understand where you're coming from. I have a written statement on this which I'm not going to read out to you. Basically what it comes down to is that everything is cheaper in the US. [I asked if he could e-mail me the statement.] He did, and here it is: Why are European products more expensive than UE or American products? The price of software ...

iPod battery settlement for US only

Bruce — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 21:54:13 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

They have finally reached a settlement in the long-running class action against Apple who, by settling, must feel some guilt for exaggerating the battery life of earlier iPods. Typically the compensation offered only applies to US citizens and resident entities, and loyal customers in the rest of the world are given the cold shoulder. Americans and inter-dimensional aliens before second-class humans please, ladies and gentlemen... The battery in my first generation iPod became next to useless—outside the warrantee period of course. I eventually replaced it with a third party battery that has given it new life. What does this discrimination say about Apple's valuation of its non-US customer base? A lot probably. But Apple desn't stand alone in not treating all customers with fairness and equality: I've recently commented on the disparity in the pricing of Adode's products in and outside of the US. What is most annoying is the lack of any official explanation as to why such differences exist. Perhaps as consumers we just have to accept that any commercial entity is by default more likely to screw you than "do the right thing". But Apple claims we should "Think Different". Obviously not paying attention to its own slogans then, is it?

America wakes up to world opinion

Bruce — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 21:50:09 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

I was intrigued to come across The World Citizen's Guide, up for a Webby, a website acknowledging that "for a number of reasons, 'favorablility' ratings for America are declining around the world." The site gives advice to American tourists on how to behave and better promote their country. According a listening exercise by Business for Diplomatic Action: Four root causes of anti-American sentiment... are: our U.S. public policy, the negative effects of globalization, our popular culture and our collective personality. It's easy enough to think of examples of the first three. I presume "public policy" means "foreign policy"; America has been often in the news of late invading this sovereign country or that (oil-rich) sovereign country with apparent disregard for the wishes of the UN. In terms of globalization, for example, the US received bad press over not doing its part, as the world's biggest polluter, to help stem climate change. Not to mention this book. Popular culture might be exemplified by McDonald's, and the Super Size Me backlash. I've previously written about my own preconceptions as a first-time visitor to the States. But I would struggle to define an American "collective personality". The site says: The negative stereotypes about our collective personality are something we travelers can help change. So I decided to "reverse engineer" the 25 simple suggestions for appropriate behaviour to discover what the original data may have said we non-Americans think of Americans. What follows is the list I came up with. Americans are supposedly: ignorant; false (I heard somewhere that "Have a ...

USA: United Supersized America

Bruce — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 14:32:19 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

I finally got around to renting Super Size Me, an amateur documentary about the impact of McDonald's on the waistline and health of America. You should see it too. The fact that I rented it when I did wasn't coincidental. Obesity Awareness Week has just come and gone. Local surgeons are considering gastric reduction surgery on a 22 stone (140 kg) 11 year old who was brought up on crisps and chocolate. A father made a complaint, saying (correctly) that I had said his obese daughter was obese: if your family doctor can't bring up the subject, who can? On a Friday night I gape at the "muffin tops", girls dressed in boots, boob tube, and a broad belt over which hangs the result of all those cheeseburgers. It's a hot topic, and the UK statistics are just as bad as those across the pond. Which image do you think reflects the reality of frequenting McDonald's? The slim model on the company's home page? ... or the caricature on the Super Size Me web site?: The film contains some shocking revelations and asks as many questions as it answers, prompting ongoing debate and rebuttal. You can get a pretty good feel for the general flavour of the film by downloading the free title track as an MP3; it's become something of an Ohrwurm ("ear worm") for me: Download MP3 (5.4 MB) here. If I had to pick one point of reflection from the film it would be the comment made by one interviewee contrasting the problem ...