Kinda Funny

I thought this was cute (via Andrew Sullivan). It might be a bit obtuse if you haven't heard Dawkins or read anything from him.

Google Adsense is a service of Google that places ads on your web site and pays you for it. It tries to choose the ads to be relevant to the content of your site. This can have interesting consequences, two examples of which I have noticed recently. My online friend jasonk has recently expressed his disfavor regarding Barack Obama and the Dixie Chicks. Now the banner ad on the web site is showing ads for both. Tonight I looked at the ScreenIt! review page for the film Jarhead. ScreenIt! reviews list all of the content of a film that someone might find objectionable (violence, profanity, sex, etc.) so that you can make an informed opinion about whether you want to see the film. The google ads linked to nude screensavers and the like, things that ScreenIt! presumably would not want to promote.. Obviously Google Adsense hasn't learned how to distinguish between whether a site is promoting or panning a certain subject. Or maybe its a better business decision for them to ignore that distinction.

From the current issue of The Week magazine:

West African amputees got to cheer on their own this week at the first All-African Amputee Football Championship. Thousands of West Africans had their arms or legs hacked off by rebels during Sierra LeoneÂ’s brutal civil war, which drew in militias from neighboring countries and spread across the region before ending in 2002. AngolaÂ’s civil war, which also ended in 2002, left thousands of buried land mines that continue to maim civilians. Amputee soccer teams from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and Nigeria are competing. Each team consists of six one-legged players and a one-armed goalie.

This is a nice story about people who have been devastated by war in Africa finding a way to move on with their lives and not let their injuries be a limitation. I also have to think it would be a curious soccer game to watch.

From an article of the same title from the Nov 9, 2007, issue of The Week magazine:

Netherlands Edwin Cornelisse Algemeen Dagblad There are some people you just can't live with, said Edwin Cornelisse in the Amsterdam Algemeen Dagblad. In fact, you can't even live near them. To house these "anti-social" types-people whose neighbors have frequently complained about loud, messy, drunken, or simply unpleasant behavior-the Dutch government is building special communities on the outskirts of towns. The anti-social inhabitants will be supervised 24 hours a day. Anyone who demonstrates that he or she can live responsibly and be respectful of the community will eventually be allowed to return home. Those who don't make progress will remain under supervision. It may sound harsh, but the tactic has a proven track record. Nearby Denmark pioneered these "alternative communities," known in Danish as "strange houses," where one can live "free of the ordinary rules." Plenty of people who are unwilling to put up with noise ordinances or zoning regulations actually move there voluntarily. Some people just don't want to fit in. Why should we force them?

Via Andrew Sullivan:

and via Phil Wilson: