hrynyshyn | June 13, 2006What should we do with the likes of Ann Coulter?
More than a few people are upset with her recent comments disparaging the 9/11 widows. Her new book wastes a lot of trees misrepresenting evolution. Ed takes umbrage at her self-comparison with H.L. Mencken. For me it was Mark Twain. Clearly this is a person with little or no grasp of reality, history or decency. The easy answer is to ignore her. But I'm not yet convinced that's a good idea.
Sunday's re-run of a "60 Minutes" interview with Mel Brooks included a segment in which Brooks suggested the best way to deal with Hitler's legacy was to…
hrynyshyn | June 12, 2006It's that time of year, when the International Whaling Commission gets together and pretends its decisions will be based on the best available science. In addition to poorly serving the planet's cetaceans, these annual gatherings are embarrassments for both the pro-whaling members and the animal-rights gang. It's also a case study in the politicization and abuse of the scientific method.
For those familiar with the IWC, it's the recognized world authority on whaling. Formed about 60 years ago after it became bleedingly obvious that the industry required regulation -- the near extinction of…
hrynyshyn | June 12, 2006The Pi meme: If for no other reason than it's good to re-examine one's motives.Thanks to Janet for cooking up this particular indulgent recipe.
3 reasons you blog about science:
1. Nothing better to do with my free time
2. Can't resist a good argument
3. Need somewhere to spew; otherwise my opinions might find their way into something I actually get paid good money to write.
Point at which you would stop blogging:
1. When science is no longer a political football
1 thing you frequently blog besides science:
The evils of dogma.
4 words that describe your blogging style:
Opinionated,…
hrynyshyn | June 12, 2006Had enough of the coke-and-mentos display? Time for a more mellow viral video fix, perhaps. This week's New York Times offers some soothing underwater footage of humpback whales. The accompaying story promises even better visuals soon, thanks to the advent of hi-def.
The story follows marine biologist Jason Sturgis' quest for better resolution of his research subject, and makes much of the utility of high-definition video:
"Jason's images might well serve whale research in the manner that Carl Sagan's eloquence made physics and astronomy meaningful to a lay audience," said Dan R. Salden,…
hrynyshyn | June 9, 2006
So this guy sneaks into the lion's den at the Kiev Zoo. Shouts, "God will save me, if he exists," lowers himself by rope into the pen, takes off his shoes, and...
According to Reuters::
...one of the lions seized him by the throat. The man died at the scene.
Surely a candidate for the Darwin Awards, no?
hrynyshyn | June 9, 2006The Journal of Applied Ecology has just published a list of the Top 100 unanswered questions in the field. It was assembled for the benefit of UK ecologists, but most of the items deal with issues of global interest. If nothing else, it's a timely and humbling reminder of how little we know about the world that sustains us.
The list is divided up into topics like climate change, farming and forestry. No. 1, under "ecosystem services" is:
What are the benefits of protected habitats in terms of water resources, carbon sequestration and other goods and services, relative to non-protected land?…
hrynyshyn | June 9, 2006For my inaugural Sb post, a little bit of culture.
My first reaction to the National Review's bizarre list of the top 50 allegedly conservative rock and roll songs was incredulity, so misunderstood and misrepresented were the selections that made the list. But after trying to come up with my own list of examples celebrating science and reason, I realized why it was necessary to play fast and loose with the qualifying criteria.
Not that I would stoop that low, of course. For the past week, I've been scouring our not insubstantial CD collection and web-based lyric databases for signs that at…