Uncategorized
gregladen | October 23, 2012In last night’s debate, Mitt Romney said this:
“Syria is Iran’s only ally in the Arab world. It’s their route to the sea.”
This is not the first time Romney has said this. In March, he said, “Maybe one of the few bright spots in the Middle East developments in the last year has been the rising of the people in Syria against Assad. Obviously, as you know, Syria is Iran’s only Arab ally in the region. Syria is the route that allows Iran to supply Hezbollah with weapons in Lebanon. Syria is Iran’s route to the sea …” When he said that in March, the Washington Post called him on it, but…
gregladen | October 23, 2012Their similarity is not restricted to their inability to spell their own names!
Second ad from the Brian Barnes campaign:
lbock | October 22, 2012His work led to the worldwide elimination of chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) from aerosol cans and refrigerators. The first Mexican-born citizen to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Environmental problems pose a huge threat to Mother Earth, and it's up to scientists around the world to take a leading role in solving them, says chemist Mario José Molina. Mario is known globally among colleagues for putting these words into action. He was born in Mexico City where his father was a prominent lawyer and diplomat who went on to serve as chief Ambassador to Ethiopia, Australia and the…
gregladen | October 22, 2012I really dislike the commentary on Slashdot. It is worse than reddit in a way. Well, not really, but it is very annoying that an interesting question can be raised, and then seven thousand geekoids feel that it is very important for the world to read their own stupid little joke about the question. If someone provides actual information or rephrases the question usefully or anything like that, then it is lost in the sea of irrelevant yammering that is Slashdot.
So, yesterday or so, acer123 posted this:
"Lately I have replaced several home wireless routers because the signal strength has…
gregladen | October 22, 2012Check out this film trailer. Description below.
Wildfires in the West. "Brown-Outs" in the East. Farmers losing crops to the worst drought since the Dust Bowl. Climate change is no longer a prediction for the future, but a startling reality of today. The U.S. Pentagon believes it to be a matter of national and international security. Yet, as the evidence of our changing climate mounts and the scientific consensus proves a human causation, there continues to be no political action to thwart the warming of our planet.
"Greedy Lying Bastards" investigates the reason behind stalled efforts to…
gregladen | October 22, 2012
Both parties are concerned with the problem and regardless of who is elected, they will take care of it. Because they said so.
What? Wait? I got the wrong debate? What? Damn, you mean I have to WATCH these YouTube videos I post!
gregladen | October 22, 2012Do you know the TV show Arthur? It is a very good kids show on PBS, involving anthropomorphic animals (including Arthur the Aardvark), most of whom are middle school students, who face the daily struggles of life with families, schoolyard dynamics, difficult teachers, etc., and learn lessons and and all that stuff. One of the more memorable episodes is the one where the beloved Cafeteria Lady, Mrs. McGrady, has cancer and Lance Armstrong, with bunny ears (everybody has to be an anthropomorphic non-human animal), comes to town and helps make everybody feel better. Here's the trailer for that…
lbock | October 21, 2012"Even though he is a world-renowned scientist -- including being the recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Science (the highest honor that the U.S. can bestow upon a researcher) -- Shu Chien is also known for mentoring a generation of high school, undergraduate and graduate students research, which speaks volumes about his dedication to science. He is also respected for his willingness to collaborate with colleagues across science and academic disciplines to solve research problems. Born in Beijing, China, Shu grew up in Shanghai and was a pre-med student at National Peking…
lbock | October 20, 2012Looking back on his childhood days in Prince Edward County, Virginia, acoustical scientist James Edward West, says curiosity ruled his life. "If I had a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, anything that could be opened was in danger," remembers James with a laugh. "I had this need to know what was inside." One day when he was eight years old, his curiosity resulted in a harrowing, but life-changing experience. While propped on his bed's brass footboard, he stretched upward to plug the cord of a radio he had repaired into the ceiling's empty light socket, just to see what would happen. Suddenly…
lbock | October 19, 2012PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY!
Dian Fossey's path to studying gorillas in Africa began in San Francisco, where she was born. Her father (an insurance agent) and her mother (a fashion model) divorced when she was 6, at about the time she began developing a keen interest in animals, including becoming an avid horseback rider. After high school she enrolled in a pre-veterinary course in biology at the University of California, Davis, but she had difficulties with basic sciences including chemistry and physics, leading her to transfer to San Jose State College to study…
lbock | October 19, 2012Some of you may find this surprising, but I don’t mind ironing. Unlike giving a lecture, writing a column or appearing on TV or radio, you get immediate gratification. You see the results of your efforts. Wrinkles that were there before are gone. I suspect, however, that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this task. The textile industry realizes this as well and has responded by producing a variety of “durable press” fabrics that can withstand wrinkles. But withstanding allegations of toxicity is more of a challenge. In this case the hullabaloo is about formaldehyde, the chemical…
gregladen | October 19, 2012Bruce Springsteen in Ohio Campaign for President Barack Obama:
And now for the comic relief (You'll need to turn the volume up):
lbock | October 18, 2012Co-inventor of "Hospital-in-a-Box", a solar-powered, life-saving operating room which can be transported to remote areas of Africa and set up quickly
Although he spent part of his youth in America (including going to high school in Cleveland, OH), Seyi Oyesola's heart was always in his native country of Nigeria as he dreamed of returning there to become a physician and help his people. After completing high school here, he returned with his family to his homeland where he earned his medical degree and began his internship training. But he soon discovered that on his meager salary as an…
gregladen | October 18, 2012I wrote a post at 10,000 birds that starts to explore this question by comparing the number of birds that there are, the number of birds that seem to die off every year, and the possible number that get munched by cats, and briefly discusses predator niches and that sort of thing. I hope this is the start of an interesting discussion that will eventually get us tilting at windmills.
Have a look: Are there so many birds that cats don’t matter?
gregladen | October 18, 2012First, I want to remind you that Greata has written a great book called "Why are Atheists so Angry." From my previous notice:
Why are atheists so angry?
And they are! Just yesterday I was hanging around with a bunch off atheists and they were all pretty angry. They were even getting angry with each other. I could hear "get off my lawn" as a more or less constant droning sound in the background.
People who are not atheists, or who may be indifferent to religion but never thought about it much, might want to know what this is all about. One way to do this is to read a book that just came…