Sheril R. Kirshenbaum
sheril
Posts by this author
August 21, 2008
Yesterday, I wrote about financial speculators and their impacts on commodity markets, focusing on oil. Here, Stephen Colbert and Stephen Colbert play three-card Monte to explain what's going on:
August 20, 2008
I'm taking on speculation in commodity markets over at NexGen:
The trouble is financial speculators. The world's growing middle class is buying more food and oil and investing in large institutional commodity markets. In other words, traders are betting on rising prices.
So don't look to ANWR and…
August 19, 2008
The NYTimes Claudia Dreifus recently interviewed Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff, science adviser to the secretary of state and administrator of the Agency for International Development:
Q. WHY DOES THE SECRETARY OF STATE NEED A SCIENCE ADVISER?
A. Because science and technology are the drivers of the 21st…
August 19, 2008
From living reefs to humans, we're all connected. Watch, listen, and please pass the message on...
"Protect the living reef and we protect the ocean. Protect the ocean, and we protect ourselves."
- Ed Harris, Project AWARE
August 18, 2008
I occasionally touch on standards of beauty and couldn't help but notice this uh, charming story:
Life can get a little lonely for bachelors in the Australian Outback mining town of Mount Isa. So the mayor has offered up a solution: recruit ugly women.
Mayor John Molony found himself under attack…
August 16, 2008
Jackson JBC. (2008) Ecological extinction and evolution in the brave new ocean. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105 (Suppl):11458-11465.
No caption necessary:
August 15, 2008
by Philip H.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below are those of the author. They do not represent the opinion, policy or administrative decisions of any county, state or federal agency for which the author works or may have worked. In other words, if you don't like these opinions, contact the…
August 15, 2008
Well, the Sb family that made it to Seed's NYC meetup that is.
(Ghostly images are anonymous bloggers)
Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon Threaten Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples
August 14, 2008
A vast area of the western Amazon--arguably the most intact and biodiverse part of the Amazon--is now wide open for oil and gas development. This is a new threat to the forest, biodiversity, and many indigenous groups living in the region. Research by Finer et al. in PLoS ONE demonstrates full…
August 14, 2008
Scientists from the Netherlands have created a genetic map of Europe showing the degree of relatedness between populations in which nearly 2,500 subjects were analyzed by correlating their genetic variations.
Such tools help to provide insight into human migrations, survival advantages, and…
August 13, 2008
This week at NexGen, we're tackling solar power:
We hear about it all the time... Solar power as a renewable energy source. Not a bad idea considering that spectacular star of ours isn't burning out anytime soon. According to Scientific American, a massive transition to solar power plants could…
August 10, 2008
Yet again, stranded in a Jetblue terminal... needless to say this trip has not made me a fan of that particular airline--despite the complimentary Terra Blue potato chips. Since I'm biding time at JFK, here are two photos from our NYC meetup courtesy of Jennifer.
My Sb marine counterpart on the…
August 8, 2008
JetBlue Flight 1104 was scheduled for 10:20 meaning I should have landed in NYC hours ago for the 2008 Sb meetup. Instead, here I am, stranded in a North Carolina terminal. So it goes.
August 8, 2008
by Philip H.
DISCLAIMER - The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author alone. They do NOT represent the official opinion, policy, or action of any governmental agency the author may work for or have ever worked for at the county, state or federal level. If you do not like the…
August 7, 2008
Dear Rose,
Welcome to the planet! Just about a year ago, I married your parents, who happen to be two of my very favorite people. I've never been an aunt before, but then, you've never been a niece before, so it will be fun learning the ropes together.
When you're a bit older, I'll take you out…
August 6, 2008
by Philip H.
DISCLAIMER - The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author alone. They do NOT represent the official opinion, policy, or action of any governmental agency the author may work for or have ever worked for at the county, state or federal level. If you do not like the…
August 6, 2008
Apparently, Paris Hilton thought McCain's celebrity ad was ridiculous too.
August 5, 2008
Last week, I asked for book recommendations and the response was extraordinary! Thanks to everyone for such a long list to explore of favorite stories and authors. Although I have read several already, it's difficult to narrow down possibilities and I'm still undecided which to begin during my…
August 5, 2008
A new reason for hope reported in The New York Times:
A grueling survey of vast tracts of forest and swamp in the northern Congo Republic has revealed the presence of more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas, a rare example of abundance in a world of rapidly vanishing primate populations.
August 4, 2008
Our overlords at Seed have decided to change the location of Saturday's Reader Meetup. It will now be at a bar on the west side called Social. I don't know much about the place, but their website has great music, so this could be good!
Details:
2pm-4pm on Saturday, August 9Social
795 8th Ave (…
August 4, 2008
UPDATE: * LOCATION CHANGED *
The NYC ScienceBlogs reader meet-up is set for 2:00 pm this Saturday, August 9 at the Arthur Ross Terrace at the American Museum of Natural History:
Head to the cafe tables and chairs set by the trees on the upper terrace, facing the Rose Center. The terrace is…
August 2, 2008
Friends back in my home state of New York have been telling me about a 'monster' that supposedly washed up on the beach in Montauk, Long Island. Intrigued, I checked out the now famous photograph after the story appeared on CNN. Take a look:
Unfortunately, while I love a good creature mystery as…
August 1, 2008
Can it, oh can it be true? As a young lady who regularly goes heroine every Halloween, I couldn't be more excited to hear Hollywood may be on the verge of developing a new, strong, independent female role model! In an age of too many superhero movies about men of steel, men who spin webs, turn…
August 1, 2008
This spring, to draw humorous attention to the serious issue of political interference in science, we offered Union of Concerned Scientists supporters the chance to enter Science Idol: the Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest.
Which of the 12 finalists is your favorite? Vote by Friday,…
July 31, 2008
Speaking of energy... As gas prices topped $4 a gallon this summer, Exxon Mobil has posted a new profit record which works out to bringing in $1,485.55 a second. Go figure.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Exxon Mobil once again reported the largest quarterly profit in U.S. history Thursday, posting…
July 30, 2008
Politics aside, I'm suspicious of McCain's latest ad. It's a false free association taking us from Britney to Paris to Obama and then somehow to offshore drilling... (the latter is a very bad idea by the way). I can't help but wonder how in only 32 seconds we're supposed to figure out the…
July 30, 2008
Last week I praised Eric Roston's excellent new book The Carbon Age. Here he is on Tuesday's The Colbert Report:
July 30, 2008
This week at NexGen we're taking on nuclear energy, but be assured your resident blogger has some serious reservations. Two words: Radioactive Waste.
High-level radioactive waste is too irradiated for normal industrial disposal because exposure would pose a general health hazard to human and…
July 29, 2008
The vice chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee has been indicted 'on charges he lied about receiving gifts worth more than $250,000 from an Alaska-based energy company on whose behalf he intervened in Washington.'
More at CNN...