Chimps, it seems, outperform adult humans in some mental tasks, like short-term memory. But our children can apparently still compete until they get too smart, like O’Reilly and Coulter. (Some folks are already proposing acknowledging rights for chimps, which will probably be helped by the chance that chimps just might have souls, too. Does that mean they’re going with us at the Rapture? That might turn out cool. . . . One last thought for your weekend—what if the Rapture’s already happened and only a couple of people got taken? Doesn’t seem unbelievable to me, at least any more unbelievable than the Rapture.)
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Smarter Primate
Weather, Water, Energy 6-29-07
Before he trots off on vacation, David Roberts cautions us to be alert to the extreme sensitivity of consumers to any policies that whack at their finances and deal with that accordingly. I agree, of course, but I’m doubtful that it will be possible to soothe their precious sensitivity, likely demagoguery or not, especially if we dither around while remediable actions are still somewhat possible because we’re being overly sensitive to consumers’ sensitivities. As we’ve noted here in posts and book reviews, the kind of scarcity and planning needed to deal with the future we’re facing does not lend itself well to democracy, as this article discusses thoroughly. Worrying about voter reaction to a hike in gasoline taxes may bring on something that doesn’t require voters at all. . . Does this make you feel better about how we’re supposed to turn to nuke power for our salvation? And that the Europeans, especially Germany, have been the best at dealing with global warming so far? . . . CARTOON OF THE WEEK over at Climate Progress. It would be funnier if it were about some other country. . . . Looks like 1998 is safe for being the warmest on record. 2007 is on track to only be the second warmest. Whew. . . . The major drought in GA is finally getting officials there to consider, maybe, perhaps, possibly developing a tentative, could-be water plan. . . . Speaking of needing to plan, an energy expert is telling KY, yes, your state can be a big coal-to-liquid producer but there are these little things you ought to look at first that could, you know, screw you up royally. . . .Looks like Shell's going to start getting more of my business. AND the guy's basically saying President Cheney's past claims about the silliness of efficiency are (surprise) just bullsh-t. . . . Good and symbolic at the same time. The gov’s mansion in CO is getting solar panels. . . . This headline sounds ominous for CA—“Study Estimates Greenhouse-Gas Law Could Cost State Economy At Least $100 Billion”—until you read the time period is 43 years. That damn liberal media. . . .
The "Reasonable" People
will be the ones we have to blame for everything that comes down in the next several decades. Thanks again, MisterRogers.
The Big Problem after Weather, Water, Energy
Very nice overview of the problems facing us regarding the aging populations of key nations, covering most of the coming attractions, except for the impacts of old drivers. Doesn’t really get into the impact on those oldsters (which now include me) of the weather, water, energy trilogy we harp on here, which I think can mutate into something really scary and it doesn’t point out the importance of the retired community’s refusal to support taxes to make sure the kids in school now who will have to support and care for them actually have the skills to do it. In a way, justice may prevail.
Brain vs iPod: Bob Dylan Edition
A month ago, I decided to embrace my nerddom and look into something that only I could possibly care about: how greatly do my perceptions of an album differ from the star ratings I each song of the album on my iPod? In other words, how much does the concept of an ‘album’ actually matter? A lot of albums have distinct feels and moods to them, but does that end up actually mattering when it comes to an evaluation/rating of the album itself? The album can have a really interesting feel to it, but if the songs aren’t good, what difference does that make? My guinea pig for this experiment was Wilco.
Well, now I’m moving on to the Big Dog.
I’ve always had an appreciation for Bob Dylan, but I didn’t become a full-fledged Dylan-phile until around 2001 or so. In one of my BMG “Buy 1 Get 27 Free” binges early in high school, I bought his greatest hits, but I just wasn’t ready to appreciate him yet. Well, during the height of Napster, I decided to give Blonde on Blonde a try. And that very predictably led to one of my patented ‘phases’ (like the Flaming Lips phase I went through last year...and the Funkadelic phase I seem to have entered recently).
In the summer of 2001, I discovered Half.com and purchased about 2/3 of Dylan’s albums (almost all for under $7!), bought a couple biographies, and immersed myself. So after 6+ years of Dylanology, it’s time to rank the albums...
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Weather, Water, Energy 6-28-07
Desertification could end up affecting a third of the planet's population, pressuring resources and borders, according to a UN report. And some of the things we might think would help, like planting more trees, actually hurt by sucking up more scarce resources. Planning would be good here, along with some compassion, but we haven't been that great lately. . . . Drought may be letting up in Australia, just in time to give relief to farmers and ranchers and to their idiot PM, who's running for reelection. That would be about right, wouldn't it? . . . Proof that all the idiots aren't just here or in Australia. Germany has one running a major corporation. (While you're at Grist, they have several good posts up updating the latest Congressional actions which sound like semi-impressive fury but will they signify anything??? And don't miss this truly righteous rant by David Roberts at a poor, oppressed coal executive.) . . . The World Wildlife Fund is finding serious problems with these plans to dump iron particles into the oceans to cause plankton growth to suck in CO2. This stuff has "UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES" written all over it, so it's good to see someone monitoring. . . . Joseph Romm links to a definitive resource to deal with all deniers and their sympathizers like that idiot former Mrs. America contestant who writes for Slate and did an American Enterprise Institute talking points column in the WaPo the other day. . . . The most cost-effective way to max out auto emission restrictions? Go after the older cars and don't spend scarce dollars on testing the newer ones. . . . AK (Alaska, not Arkansas) is going to get hammered worse in the short run, it looks like, by the thawing and flooding from global warming. But as we've noted here regularly, you're not finding a lot of deniers there, just sane folks seeing reality and trying to deal with it because it's already their lives at stake. . . . Great. Global warming may affect ingested toxins from pollution, making them more lethal. I guess we can hope that some are made less lethal, too, right? Right? . . . Finally, I suppose this is a headline we should be happy about, but somehow it's just depressing:
U.S. HOUSE PASSES BILL AFFIRMING GLOBAL WARMING EXISTS
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Ugh...
...I suppose I should be flattered by this.
Quickly, the rules:
Here are the rules: Eight random facts or interesting lies about yourself. Send me the link to your post when you're done. Tag 8 more people. Drop a comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged. Don't sit by your maibox waiting for thank you notes from those you've tagged.Eight random facts? This is suddenly reminding me of every college and work 'get to know you' exercise where I'd think and think for hours and not be able to come up with a single fact.
And now I have to come up with eight. Well...I didn't have anything specific I wanted to accomplish this evening anyway...
1. I owe alcohol for my marriage.
And in a good way.
My Weather, Water and Energy
The weather here has been terrible. Yesterday we received 4 inches of rain in just 45 minutes. Somehow, that produced a 16-inch buildup of water against my back door (I have a garden unit). And the door couldn't take it, spilling that water right into my place. Every single room. Every single corner. Luckily I didn't loose too much - that I can see. The hard wood floors, they tell me, might be in pretty bad shape. And since the insurance doesn't cover flood, I'd call that signaficant damage (to both the floor and my bank account). Ugh...
Weather, Water, Energy 6-27-07
A UN official is pointing to the extreme weather in Europe, Asia, and Africa so far this year (see here, here, here, here, and here, for examples yesterday) as evidence that nations need to be preparing more seriously for more such events as the warming and its effects on weather increase. This will, of course, be seen as needless scare talk by the moderate idiots who will be written up next to the Bushnevs/Cheneyovs, idiot Australian PMs, and the Chinese as the folks responsible for the many failures of civilization to face what was directly in front of it. Yes, it’s scary, but the scariest part is our unwillingness to deal with reality. That’s never been a particularly successful plan in human history. . . . This can’t be good news. Japan and China arguing over drilling rights in the East China Sea. Energy and mineral wars. Water wars. Econ development wars. Hmm, maybe it is better to stick your head in the sand. . . . Could be that one method of carbon sequestration might also free up some methane for fuel. Wait, isn’t methane one of our problems? . . . Get your “voodoo” green marketing right here. . . . In our “Daily David Roberts at Grist,” we have notes of a survey of Americans’ “well educated and thought” choices for dealing with global warming (surprise, regulate corporations, don’t screw with our cars), Christie Whitman’s continued and evil self-rationalization for her actions at EPA after 9/11, and a link to James Howard Kuntsler’s latest apocalyptic rant, which is always worth the price of admission. . . . Waste Management Inc. is convinced it can turn the gases coming off its landfills into useable power for hundreds of thousands of folks. If the precedent gets set, other companies might fall in line and we could hit a daily double with more energy and better use of our garbage. . . . Finally, very important article in the Christian Science Monitor on the growing investment potential of water, its use and delivery, and the ethics of profiting off something essential to human life. Not that it will likely matter if we're actually fighting over it, but it's good to know people are giving it thought.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Rahm nails it for once
I’m far from a Rahm Emanuel fan, but I can’t think of a better response to the “Cheney = Fourth Branch of Gov’t” issue than this (via C&L):
O.K., says Emanuel.This is absolutely, positively the perfect way to handle this. The Dems are in charge of the legislative branch (well, the House at least...the Connecticut for Lieberman Party controls the Senate), and we should see a lot more now. Be careful, Rahm (and other top Dems)...you start doing this kind of thing, and I might just come to expect it.
If Cheney's a member of the legislative branch, the Democratic Caucus chair suggests, the vice president won't need all the money that currently goes to pay for his executive office, extensive staff and that secure undisclosed location that is so often his haunt. So Emanuel plans this week to offer an amendment to a spending bill that would defund the Office of the Vice President.
Of course, there would still be funding for the Office of the Senate President. But, let's be frank, the rare tie-breaking duties and ceremonial administrative functions associated with that position won't require more than a smidgen of the money that now goes to the vice president's epic executive-branch operations.
"This amendment will ensure that the vice president's funding is consistent with his legal arguments," say Emanuel, a former aide to President Clinton who, like Cheney, has served in both the legislative and executive branches.
Tuesday Pirates Rant™ - Okay, a small one…
I just didn’t have the motivation to do a rant this morning, but that was before I saw this:
The Pirates have improved at the basics since last season, general manager Dave Littlefield said, but there remains work to do.Right...when you lose games because your catcher misses every ball on a play at the plate, or because you miss the cutoff man, or because your cutoff man is in the wrong spot, or because you don’t score from second on a double...those are the things that get highlighted. Crazy, isn’t it? It’s amazing how the press will bring those things up when you’re losing.
"I think it's better," he said yesterday of the team's fundamental play, which has been a central -- and largely negative -- issue of late. "When I look at our bunting, frankly, it's a lot better. And there are other areas. But, when you go through a period of losing a few in a row and some games get away, those are the things that get highlighted."
But hey...they sure can bunt though!
Hell Is Freezing
Something is beneath even Barbara Walters. (But even she sounds amazed. Not beneath Larry King, though.)
Weather, Water, Energy 6-26-07
Uh-oh. Russia’s already throwing down on, claiming 1.2 m. sq. kilometers (now, are those bigger or smaller than the miles smart people use?) opening up in the Arctic. We talk about the impact of global warming in a lot of ways, but this burgeoning battle over the resources of the Arctic may be the sleeper in the group in terms of impact, at least in the short term. King Cheney and his minions aren’t going to like this. Bushnev won’t either, once they tell him what to “think”. . . . This just gets more bizarre, so it’s likely to happen. One of the major claims against pulling gasoline from the Canadian coal sands is the enormous amount of power it takes to do so. Most people would say, well, with other options available and the dangers posed by this, including the enormous amount of water, let’s try something else. Not those hearty Canadians. They’re going to use nuclear power, which uses enormous amounts of water and has those useful terrorist byproducts as well, to provide the power. You couldn’t sell a book or movie with a plot like this. . . . Lack of nuke waste storage sites, though, may keep CA from being equally lunatic in the near future as it slows consideration of new nuke plants. . . . Global warming-->drought in SW US-->dust blown north-->cover over snowpack in mountains-->earlier annual snow melt-->more unpredictability of fresh water availability. Isn’t nature wonderful? . . .
TUESDAY PIRATES RANT™!!
I didn't post a Rant™ last week because I was driving to Oklahoma and trying to avoid getting hit by lightning. This week I was getting ready to prepare a fresh Rant™ but just didn't have the energy. So instead I'll just post this from Pat of Where's Van Slyke, who writes a lot more about this sorry team than I do:
No podcast this week because, well, it's just not worth it. I'd just be rehashing things I've already said and I don't really have any urge to do that. Here's the thing; the Pirates are a bad baseball team. Very bad, in fact. Their lineup is bad, their rotation is bad beyond Gorzelanny and Snell, and their bullpen is awful. Their minor league system is bereft of talent besides Walker and McCutchen. Things are so bad down there that we view Brian Bixler as a major talent. The front office lacks any kind of vision whatsoever. They drafted a relief pitcher with the fourth pick in the draft. It's just very hard for me to put any sort of brainpower into the Pirates when things seem so cut and dried right now.Pretty much says it all. Please fire Dave Littlefield so I can go back to caring and ranting. Pretty please.
Monday, June 25, 2007
All the Proof You'll Ever Need
. . . of how completely and irrevocably unserious and screwed we are. Endorsed, of course, by Oprah. Twice.
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