Kinyaa.Com share your experiences

Kenyan VS Ethiopian Runners

by simon

Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 12:26 AM

Generally speaking, Kenyans lean farther forward (something you can do without falling over if you have a short torso and long legs), slide their skulls forward on their atlas vertebrae, and use more rotation in the thorax.

Ethiopians retract their heads somewhat, run a little more upright with the chest almost pushed forward, and use less rotation (a necessity because retracting the head stiffens the spine so it can't rotate as much). 

The Kenyan style is a bit more economical, the Ethiopian a bit more powerful, so when they race they are using somewhat different strategies. 

Why Do People Hate The Jews?

by simon

Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 11:13 PM

Why has anti-Semitism been so pervasive in so many countries, in so many time periods and for so many reasons? (One begins to wonder. Perhaps there is something wrong with the Jews and Judaism? After all, there is an old Yiddish saying -- "If one person calls you a donkey, ignore him; if two people call you a donkey, buy a saddle.")

Between the years 250 CE and 1948 CE - a period of 1,700 years - Jews have experienced more than eighty expulsions from various countries in Europe - an average of nearly one expulsion every twenty-one years. Jews were expelled from England, France, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Bohemia, Moravia and seventy-one other countries. Historians have classified six explanations as to why people hate the Jews:

1. Economic -- "We hate Jews because they possess too much wealth and power (Jews are the richest religious group in the US and in the world of course, Mark Zuckerbag and Sergin Brin, Facebook and Google founders are Jews)." 
2. Chosen People -- "We hate Jews because they arrogantly claim that they are the chosen people."
3. Scapegoat -- "Jews are a convenient group to single out and blame for our troubles." 
4. Deicide -- "We hate Jews because they killed Jesus." 
5. Outsiders, -- "We hate Jews because they are different than us." (The dislike of the unlike.)
6. Racial Theory -- "We hate Jews because they are an inferior race." 

As we examine the explanations, we must ask -- Are they the causes for anti-Semitism or excuses for Anti-Semitism? The difference? If one takes away the cause, then anti-Semitism should no longer exist. If one can show a contradiction to the explanation, it demonstrates that the "cause" is not a reason, it is just an excuse. Let's look at some contradictions:

Economic -- The Jews of 17th- 20th century Poland and Russia were dirt poor, had no influence and yet they were hated.

Chosen People -- a) In the late 19th century, the Jews of Germany denied "Choseness." And then they worked on assimilation. Yet, the holocaust started there. b) Christians and Moslems profess to being the "Chosen people," yet, the world and the anti-Semites tolerate them.

Scapegoat -- Any group must already be hated to be an effective scapegoat. The Scapegoat Theory does not then cause anti-Semitism. Rather, anti-Semitism is what makes the Jews a convenient scapegoat target. Hitler's ranting and ravings would not be taken seriously if he said, "It's the bicycle riders and the midgets who are destroying our society."

Deicide -- a) the Christian Bible says the Romans killed Jesus, though Jews are mentioned as accomplices (claims that Jews killed Jesus came several hundred years later). How come the accomplices are persecuted and there isn't an anti-Roman movement through history? b) Jesus himself said, "Forgive them [i.e., the Jews], for they know not what they do." The Second Vatican Council in 1963 officially exonerated the Jews as the killers of Jesus. Neither statement of Christian belief lessened anti-Semitism.

Outsiders -- With the Enlightenment in the late 18th century, many Jews rushed to assimilate. Anti-Semitism should have stopped. Instead, for example, with the Nazis came the cry, in essence: "We hate you, not because you're different, but because you're trying to become like us! We cannot allow you to infect the Aryan race with your inferior genes."

Racial Theory -- The overriding problem with this theory is that it is self-contradictory: Jews are not a race. Anyone can become a Jew - and members of every race, creed and color in the world have done so at one time or another.

Adopted from: http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Why_Do_People_Hate_The_Jews.htm

M-Tiba: A Mobile Based Diagnosis System

by info

Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 01:46 PM

M-tiba is an application that emulates human expertise in diagnosis of diseases and technical issues . The application relies on a back end knowledge base populated by experts in the respective areas (See the test version at http://cropdiagnosis.appspot.com/).

Symptoms are provided by the user via a mobile phone in an interactive way where the system sends queries to the user which he/she answers with yes or no. Based on the reply, the system applies A.I algorithms to decide the most appropriate query to ask next in order to quickly narrow down to a diagnosis.

Once a diagnosis is made, the system will recommend a solution and preventive/control measures.

Business plan

The business plan behind M-tiba is simple, it will link potential customers to the solutions they need most, and solutions providers will pay to get referred to by M-tiba. It will be a win-win-win, for users, solutions providers and the creators. 

Money and business aside, M-tiba will save time, costs, crowd source knowledge and possibly save lifes. All experts are invited to contribute their tested knowledge to M-tiba, whcih shall be shared with all users free of charge.

Links

Moibile app (Android): http://cropdiagnosis.appspot.com/images/CropDiagnosis.apk

Website: http://cropdiagnosis.appspot.com/

WebApp: Coming soon!

Log in to start posting on Kinyaa.Com