Virus warning

Someone under the name MALABEI tries to spread a computer virus under different bloggers. He or she writes everywhere in the reactions the message "See HERE". I want to warn everyone not to click on its message or on its name.

h/t Internation Musing

Update, 23:00:
Within a couple of minutes I had strange visitors from Argentina, Brasil, USA (4), Portugal, Slovakia, Egypt, Norway, Macedonia Spain.
Two left a 'comment', which I allowed myself to delete.

el principito would wish 'saludo bloggers'.

Agamagra Blackray would like you to 'See here'.

Tonight's Thoughts

Denk ich an die Welt bei Nacht,

bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht.

Thinking of the World at night
puts all thought of sleep to flight.

Heine's dead - long live Heine

Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
dass ich so traurig bin ...

I don't know what it may signify
That I am so sad ...

Heinrich Heine (December 13th, 1797 - February 17th, 1856)

Nachtgedanken / Night Thoughts

Denk ich an Deutschland in der Nacht,

Dann bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht.
Ich kann nicht mehr die Augen schließen,
Und meine heißen Tränen fließen.

Thinking of Germany at night
Just puts all thought of sleep to flight;
No longer I can close an eye,
Tears gather and I start to cry.

Eyes travelling 23 million light years

What would an astro-physicist do in a starlit night?
Sleeping?
No. He'd let his eyes travel. Last night it was a 23 million light years trip to M51.



Object details

NGC Number:
5194/5195

Object Type:
SA(s)bc
(HII: Sy2.5)

Constellation
Canes Venatici

RA/Dec:
13h 29m 52.7s
+47° 11' 42.62''

Distance:
23 kly

Apparent Dimension:
11.2' x 6.9'

Visual Brightness (V):
8.1 mag

Date:
16.02.2008
01:50 bis 03:15

Equipment:
Cass. 50cm f/10
SBIG STL-6303E

Detail screens:
L: 4 x 300sec
R: 4 x 300sec
G: 4 x 300sec
B: 4 x 300sec
(Binning: 1x1)

Temperature:
CCD-Chip: -25°C
Draußen: -3°C

Software:
CCD-Soft
ESO-MIDAS
IRAF
MaxIM DL

Justice à la Turkiye

Not that I were surprised.

Observers voiced disappointment with the conduct of the trial of 19 persons for the January 2007 murder of Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor Hrant Dink after a third hearing was held yesterday [February 11th] in the Istanbul suburb of Besikta. The press is not being allowed to attend the trial. Full article at Reporters without Borders.

I am not even surprised that while millions would demonstrate either for or against a headscarve ban, 500 people demonstrated in a square to demand justice.

Milliband's spreading democracy militarily

The United Kingdom's foreign secretary, David Miliband, will today set out the clearest exposition yet of Labour's recast foreign policy when he will argue that mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan must not cloud the moral imperative to intervene - sometimes militarily - to help spread democracy throughout the world.

He will warn that the rise of China means that the world can no longer take "the forward march of democracy for granted", and that Britain must unambiguously be on the side of what he describes as "civilian surges" for democracy. Continued here.

Interesting that the Milliband would mention China, but not Zimbabwe, isn't it?

Well, having received my Valentine's Day present by reading the world's most intelligent and peace-loving leader saying '"Prosperity and peace are in the balance", I shall neither write this man suffers from stupidity and megalomania nor comment his words, but leave this to Archbishop Cranmer, in whose piece you will find following nice anecdote, which I shall soon - in a other context - find the opportunity to recall:

'When Sir Charles James Napier [in the India of the early 19th century] was confronted with Hindu demands for a lifting of the ban on suttee. And the general famously replied: ‘You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.’

And now's your turn, His Grace.