May 13, 2008
We all know torture is bogus. There is no scenario in which we will torture the guy with the launch codes for the missile aimed at the orphanage. That whole scenario is just a bunch of crap.
However, torture has been used, by American officials, and since we do have, despite BushCheney's best…
May 13, 2008
There are many versions of Linux. At the deepest level, there are a few fundamentally different Linuxes, and each of these may appear in one or more, sometimes many, different "distributions." So, most Linux distributions are based on either Debian, RedHat/Fedora, Gentoo, and a couple/few others…
May 13, 2008
There is an interesting and important follow up related to a TED Talk that a lot of readers of this blog found interesting (Sherwin Nuland: A history of electroshock therapy) at The Corpus Callosum:
Grappling With Stigma: Influence of Social Media
A while back, Gred Laden and Dr. Shock…
May 13, 2008
Carnival of the Liberals is at SIr Robin Rides Away
Carnival of the Green #127 is at Evangelical Ecologist
Encephalon #45 - Life Is Good, Brains Are Better is at PodBlack Blog
May 13, 2008
There is a point that I've been trying to make for the last few weeks now, off and on, and it is not working. So I'm going to try something new. Please bear with me, and consider the following three scenarios regarding the idea that the Earth is Round (or, possibly, flat):
Please ask yourself:…
May 13, 2008
Apparently, Google has been running a contest among K - 12 students in the US to come up with a replacement logo. And now they have 40 finalists and you can vote for the one you like.
These are my favorites:
Go HERE to vote.
hat tip: Natalie
May 13, 2008
Is a semi-organized effort to 'crash' obnoxious internet polls ethically acceptable? Is it boring? Is it stupid? I sometimes ask myself that question.
But it's complicated and will take a while to work out. In the mean time, PZ Myers points out this poll regarding the recent suggestion by a…
May 12, 2008
And a few sexist remarks to boot.
Is this a famous person?
[Hat Tip: Hilde Knustad!]
And now, let's see how YOU do under pressure:
May 12, 2008
In the 1970s and 80s, a number of law suits and other actions began to change the rules for hiring firefighters. There was a moment in the 1980s when a documentary was made (starring the very annoying John Stossel) pieces of which I still use when teaching on Gender. It shows Bella Abzug, Gloria…
May 12, 2008
Despite the fact that the presidential candidates will not accept the invitation extended by Science Debate 2008 for a nationally broadcast science forum in May there is ample evidence to suggest that they should: A new poll ... a real poll .. indicates that 85% of US Adults agree that there should…
May 12, 2008
Audubon California has announced that it has reached an agreement with a farmer to safeguard a single colony of about 80,000 Tricoloured Blackbirds Agelaius tricolor - nearly a third of the world's population of this Endangered species.
The estimated global population of Tricoloured Blackbirds is…
May 12, 2008
Deconstructed and Constructed, but not in the same sentence.
Philip Guston's "Sea," a lithograph on handmade paper from 1980, the year the artist died. Students at Cornell have constructed an exhibit of the art of human body disassembled or otherwise rearranged called Exquisite Corpus:…
May 12, 2008
From the Office of the Future President of the United States of America
May 12, 2008
With all the interest in tornadoes, I thought it would be helpful to provide some contextual data (focusing on US tornadoes).
Damaged houses along Grace St. in St. Peter. (Photo courtesy of St. Peter Kiwanis) One thing that has to be said is that tornadoes are very powerful, but very small…
May 12, 2008
Evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald drags us into the sewer to discuss germs. Why are some more harmful than others? How could we make the harmful ones benign? Searching for answers, he examines a disgusting, fascinating case: diarrhea.
May 12, 2008
It is estimated that between 3 and 5 thousand people have been killed by an earthquake in Beichuan County, Sichuan Province, China. That is about one in ten residence of this county.
ADDED: This number is increasing quickly.
In at least three cases, schools appear have collapsed trapping…
May 11, 2008
Well, it's like this... "Like many people in Minneapolis' Bryant neighborhood, Patty Crawford was outside minding her business on a sunny Mother's Day afternoon. Then she looked up to see an SUV barrelling through her front yard at freeway speed. ... Through the flying chunks of what had been her…
May 11, 2008
You should check out xkcd every now and then for a laugh.
May 11, 2008
Quite simply, Michael Moschen has revolutionized juggling, refining it into an art and a bit of a science. With a few flying balls and well-chosen props he will completely re-wire your notions of..
May 11, 2008
Carnival of Cinema: Feels Like the First Time is at Journal
May 11, 2008
Marilee Thomas of Beaver City, Nebraska. And a tornado. [source] Mid-Americans ... Minnesotans, Texans, Nebraskans and denizens of Arkansas, and everyone in between, understand tornadoes, but to varying degrees. There are differences by region in how we deal with them. In Arkansas, I've seen…
May 11, 2008
Manson It is amazing to consider that Charles Manson's crimes (stemming from religious cultism) are still under investigation. Apparently, there will be some digging at a ranch occupied by "The Manson Family" because there is suspicion that there are more bodies to be found.
...police are to…
May 10, 2008
.... stop here if you don't want to be creeped out, like, totally.
... was that Willard Scott???
May 10, 2008
Apparently, Obama has taken the super delegate lead. He previously had the popular vote lead. And he had the elected pledged delegate lead. Now he also has the super delegate lead. All together, it seems like he is just plain in the lead.
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama has overtaken Hillary Rodham…
May 10, 2008
And don't forget: Blood is NEVER blue!
