Found on the internet: What Happened to Global Warming?

Is the planet still heating up? Well...no. Not at the moment, anyways. The evidence against global warming is growing. Those against the idea that human involvement is causing this heat have been shut down in the past, but now have an important piece of evidence on their side: the planet has not increased in temperature for the last 10 years. They tie this to the warming and cooling periods of the oceans, and state that the recent warming of the earth has been to do with a warm period in the oceans, which has ended, and will return in 30 years. And could the "small" spikes in energy from the sun account for the rises in temperature we've been having?
Climate scientists for global warming insist that global warming does not steadily rise in temperature, and "Mojib Latif, a member of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) says that we may indeed be in a period of cooling worldwide temperatures that could last another 10-20 years." But not everyone agrees on this--some say the temperature will get even hotter between 2010 and 2015--and those who do agree say that the period of cooling is temporary.
What's really going on here?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8299079.stm

Review: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an Anime series spanning 26 episodes. The story takes place in a futuristic Japan (2030, as it was thought to look by writers in 2002) where the majority of people have been "cyberized"--had their essence and knowledge placed in computers in their heads, which they can use to communicate with others by thinking it. Cars don't fly, but with new prosthetic limbs and bodies, people can jump pretty darn high. This world is by no means safer, and the plot focuses on a group of special agents called Section 9, who work independent of the government on special cases.

The leader of the group is a woman named Motoko Kusangi, or more often, "Major". Sheusually wears a pink outfit resembling a one-piece bathing suit for most of the show, covered often by an open jacket and pants, or form-fitting clothes for sneaking. It's a little odd at times: she walks around in startlingly revealing garb for much of the show, and her coworkers make note of it a total of once. The show explains that despite having a fully prosthetic body, she chooses the female form for its ability to influence males--if I need any proof that that is exactly what she does, I'd look up "Motoko fanfiction" on Google, but I'm fine. Though it makes sense, her clothes often don't make sense, like a combat vest that only covers her chest and leaves her hips exposed; at any rate, her male coworkers all dress in shirts and suits 99% of the time. It's clear that her character design is an appeal to fans more than a genuine consideration of what life in the future is like. I'm sure there are some people who read that last sentence and yelled "IT'S ANIME!" at their computer screens, but it's worth mentioning that this show objectifies its main character, as it is so forward-thinking in other ways.

Daisuke Aramaki, or "The Chief", is the man pulling strings. He plans out many of the operations the group endeavours, and makes it possible for section 9 to have the best technology and with as much freedom as possible. He is portrayed as entering old age, businesslike, and regularly shown wearing a suit. Other important members of Section 9 include Batou and Togusa, who is notable for having very few cyber modifications and the only one shown with a family.

The future shown here emphasizes technology, and is also notable for being one of the most cynical futures I've ever seen in a TV series, short of presenting a near apocalypse. What I mean to say is that this show is not quite bleak, but it's negative. It's a vibe given off by the environment, which shows urban sprawl, poverty, the abuse of power, and the abuse of technology as much as it shows of technology's benefits. Even environmental groups get a bad rap: one episode shows an environmental terrorist group, fully-armed with hundreds of members, if not more. I suppose that there would be non-violent environmental groups in this world as well, but if this actually were the world of tomorrow, Thoreau would be turning in his grave.
More than anything, I think the show has a message against rapid technological change: there are references to two world wars that haven't happened (yet) in this future, and they appear to be where a lot of the new technology was tested. The show deals with a lot of "cyber-brains", hacking, and terrorist groups with advanced weaponry. As well, every city seems to have a large, vibrant slum, full of street vendors and/or homeless. It all seems to stem from a world adapting painfully to new technology and its uneven distribution.
It's an incredibly complicated show, and it never helps the audience explain what's going on. The show deals with advanced politics, new technology, philosophy (usually basic, but with some well-placed references to classic philosophers), teamwork and family, among others. It does this all as if the audience isn't there, as if the only people listening were the well-trained members of an armed intelligence department in the future, and not people from our world circa 2003. Watching this show on a computer or DVR is recommended, as the ability to pause and think about what's being said is much appreciated.
Overall, it's an intelligent show with a realistic depiction of a future where technology and big government come to roost. It comes recommended for cyberpunk fans who enjoy watching big issues handled...especially with guns.

Film Review: The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying is in a world all its own: the social interactions in it are so bizarre that I felt more at odds with it than any film I've seen featuring dinosaurs and/or zombies. Everyone not only tells the entire truth to each other, but if they are thinking anything related to the other person--anything at all--they say it without a second thought. For example, a woman at the start comments "Your baby is so ugly, it's like a little rat," and Anna (Jennifer Garner), the female lead, says that she won't be sleeping with her date tonight to her mother--while on the phone, in front of her date. The world has otherwise developed similarly to ours, but everyone acts like this. It's distinctly odd, and I expect a few people will have a hard time accepting it.

Those who can, though, can expect the same awkward social comedy Ricky Gervais has been peddling on The Office and Extras in the UK for years. Here, though, it seems he has designed the ultimate awkward situation, and he revels in it. His character, Mark Bellison, is an ordinary man at best--and, judging by what his coworkers say to his face, that's being nice. He works at a company that writes screenplays, but since no one invented fiction, they all involve people sitting in a chair reading a story from history. Bellison hasn't been able to make a film people like out of the the 13th Century, since who wants to hear about the Black Plague? Everyone at the office knows he's getting fired (his boss, naturally, couldn't keep it in), and lo, he is fired. When his landlord comes by for the rent, he can't pay it, and is evicted; but when he goes out to the bank to pay the movers he's hiring, he asks for $800 from his account--his rent--instead of the $300 he actually has. The teller, who has never heard a lie, assumes there's an error in the system, and gives him his rent money. Bellison leaves the bank on Cloud Nine.

And so it goes. Like Gervais' previous film Ghost Town, he mixes this straight-faced absurdity with observations on the nature of people, and relationships. Bellison tries to use his "power" for good as well as fortune, by telling people lies that make them feel better or solve problems; naturally, not everything works out.

What's new, though, is a parody of religion, especially Christianity--picture The Life of Brian in a modern setting. This will surprise those who came expecting a straight-up romantic comedy, but it's a major plot device, and is well-written, if a little derivative.

If you can get past the pure oddity of the conceit, you will find that writers Gervais and Matthew Robinson have had a great deal of fun with it, and fans of Gervais' past work will be pleased. Expect this film to develop a cult following.