What was the greatest invention of the industrial revolution? Hans Rosling makes the case for the washing machine. With newly designed graphics from Gapminder, Rosling shows us the magic that pops up when economic growth and electricity turn a boring wash day into an intellectual day of reading.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Apple Pulls Anti-Gay App
Following an online petition and a wave of complaints, Apple has removed a so-called “gay cure” app from its App Store.
Launched last month by Exodus International, a ministry that encourages gay people to seek “cures” for their homosexuality, the app triggered a huge outcry from Two Wins Out, a nonprofit group with the stated goal of fighting anti-gay religious extremism.
Is this for real or is this a scam?
Please do not send money (as is requested) unless this is verified. What do you know about this?
Why don’t zoo animals die in front of visitors all the time?
Zoos are open to the public about half of the hours on a given day (or more) and for about half the time there are easily enough people in a zoo to be observing about half the animals. (If you don’t like these estimates substitute your own!)
Continue reading Why don’t zoo animals die in front of visitors all the time?
Elizabeth Taylor has Died
She was a major film (and stage) actress of my parent’s generation. She was the ultimate “leading lady” and as such often played across her sometimes husband, classic “leading man” Richard Burton. She is famous for having been married and divorced more times than anyone else ever (an exaggeration), but more importantly she’s famous for having starred in a number of classic and defining roles.
Che was a child star (Lassie Come Home, Jayne Eyre, National Velvet, etc.) and played a diversity of roles as an adult. Her classic performance in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won her an academy award for best actress. Earlier, she had won best actress for playing Gloria Wandrous in Butterfield 8. She was from Kansas and a Dame.
Nuclear Fuel Mining in Niger
In one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last in the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where more than 40% of children are underweight for their age, water and access to improved water sources is scarce and almost three quarters of the population are illiterate, the French nuclear giant AREVA extracts precious–and deadly–natural resources, earning billions for its Fortune 5002 corporation, and leaving little behind but centuries of environmental pollution and health risks for the citizens of Niger.
From this (PDF) report.
Continue reading Nuclear Fuel Mining in Niger
Community Owned Wind Power
From communities demanding more wind turbines to a Government-backed plan to spread income from renewables to surrounding residents, we’ve seen a lot of stories lately about harnessing renewables not just to create clean energy, but to also build wealth in our communities. Yet the idea is not new–and I’ve just come across a great video profiling a pioneering example of cooperative, community-based renewable energy. If only there were more like it.
And here’s the video:
Continue reading Community Owned Wind Power
Japan quake, tsunami, nuke news 07
Ana’s Feed Starting March 21 3PM
Radioactive iodine 126.7 times higher detected in seawater near nuke plant – kyodo news
Radioactive cesium 24.8 times higher detected in seawater near nuke plant – kyodo news
Too early to assess contaminated seawater’s impact on fishery product: TEPCO – kyodo news
Gov’t orders 4 prefectures to suspend some food shipments
Tidbits from NHK’s morning broadcast:
- Spraying of reactor buildings and restoration of power remain suspended – all workers remain evacuated form the area
- Grey smoke from reactor no.3 and white vapor from no.2 are being investigated – both are thought to involve the spent fuel areas
- Radiation readings jumped to 1,932microsievert/hr. “because of wind direction and time of day” – safety agency
- TEPCO apologizes “sincerely”
- Samples of contaminated seawater were taken 100 meters offshore
- 60% of Tokyo market’s leafy produce comes from the now prohibited areas
รข??”A radiation level of 100,000 counts per minute will be introduced as a new standard for decontamination, up from 6,000 counts per minute, the government said, adding that raising the bar will not endanger health.”
(Ana’s Feed is a collection of Analiese Miller’s facebook status entries posted as she takes in the news live in Japan.)
News and blog Links:
Continue reading Japan quake, tsunami, nuke news 07
Why did Knut the Polar Bear Die?
It is not yet certain, but preliminary tests indicate no change in any of Knut’s organs other than his brain. Further tests, including those for an infection, are being performed. I’ll update this post when I hear more.
Shabaka, He’ll time when the LSD came by to oil me up.
Huh?
Ooops, auto-correct turned my well consolidated and carefully composted text menage into crush!
NPR points out this great site called Damn You Auto Correct Dot Com.
A Young River in an Old Valley
The Red River in Minnesota flows backwards in its channel, in a northerly direction. Its course is backwards not because it’s going north (many people in America do think that rivers flow south), but rather, because its channel is part of a larger channel that historically carried more water than any other river on this planet has ever carried. This was the Warren River, which emptied Lake Agassiz (the largest fresh water lake ever) via the Red River Valley, then on to the Minnesota River Valley, then to the Mighty Mississippi. Much mightier then.
Now, the Red River flows north into Lake Winnipeg, which ultimately links to Hudson Bay. It forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, passing by Fargo (the very same Fargo that had nothing to do with the Coen brothers’ film of the same name). This region gets a lot of snow some years, and when there is a lot of snow and a quick warm-up in the spring, the river carries quite a bit of extra water. This happens often enough that it is rarely a surprise but nothing close to every year. The flooding, in turn, often causes a great deal of property damage and threatens people’s well being.
(Originally posted at Quiche Moraine)
And the 2011 Friend of Darwin Award goes to ….
The Friend of Darwin Award, also known as the Chucky, honors NCSE members for outstanding effort to support NCSE and its goals. Here’s what it looks like.
And this year’s award goes to ….
Continue reading And the 2011 Friend of Darwin Award goes to ….
An outstanding example of Authority, Conspiracy Theory, and Confirmation Bias
Former USGS geologist Jim Berkland links tides, whale beaching, magnetic fields, lunar cycles, earthquakes, and stuff to predict that there will be a major earthquake on the North American west coast between March 19th and March 26th.
The following video is rather mixed up but it will amuse you:
Continue reading An outstanding example of Authority, Conspiracy Theory, and Confirmation Bias
Women@NASA
Those who can do. those who can’t teach.
Live and unplugged version. Send this to your governor and state reps wherever you live.
Continue reading Those who can do. those who can’t teach.