Over at Productivity501, they have a good post about now not to waste time. If you’re like me, there’s not enough hours in a day to do everything I need to. So, here’s a few helpful tips to get a little extra time everyday to do something worthwhile.
(Photo: crowbert)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Quit Wasting Time
Monday, April 16, 2007
Weather, Water, Energy 4-16-07
Quick hits today. China's realized that its economic future can't have the traditional energy development in it due to the inability of the earth to afford a US-type Chinese economy with the same energy use. Answer? More efficiency, more renewables. But also, more sense. Ah, there's the rub, isn't it? . . . Newsweek whores itself once again, hyping climate change denier without letting readers know he also used to consult for Philip Morris and wants 50-1 odds to actually bet on his own prediction that temps are as likely to go down as up over the next 20 years. . . . Speaking of whores, MT's Gov Schweitzer turns out to be a coal one. 300 years of coal? Pleeeasssse. Yes, he's better than a Repub, but we're talking about the planet's survival here folks. You can't be half pregnant on climate change. . . . The Dutch seem to be making some gains in CO2 capture and storage. . . . Meanwhile in AL (Alabama, not Alaska) is demonstrating the intelligence it's well known for, with the US's first nuke plant in decades. Congrats. We're down with you. . . . OK has figured out that its water problems are looming, losing aquifer reserves, to themselves and to TX. The question is, is it too late? Better late than never, I guess. . . . Finally, we know we're doomed when our military gets global warming better than the rest of the fed gov't. Of course, they're the ones who are going to have to deal with the crap, strategically as well as managerially. Says a military report, "When a government can no longer deliver services to its people, ensure domestic order, and protect the nation's borders from invasion, conditions are ripe for turmoil, extremism and terrorism to fill the vacuum." Let 'em start in AL. (Alabama, not Alaska.)
watching the press conference...
...with the Blacksburg Police Chief earlier, and a member of the media horde complained that he was being "dispassionate."
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??? I went to school at Mizzou, the #1 journalism school in the country, and while I wasn't personally a J-major, my roommates were. And I don't remember them taking Judgemental Journalism 101. We now live in a world where you are judged harshly if you don't make yourself the center of the story. Unbelievable.
9-1-1 for Bees?
According to this article from The Independent, it seems that a limited study at Lanadu University point to the possibility that cell phones and other high tech gadgets might be responsible for a declining bee population. Apparently, this is not only a problem in the US, but throughout Europe as well.
"The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up…Personally I haven’t heard much about this, but when there’s a quote like this attached, I kind of makes me worry
…The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast."
"Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, 'man would have only four years of life left'."
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Wealth, Acid, and Democracy
Nice conjunction of pieces in the Boston Globe and LA Times Sunday sections today. The Globe's magazine runs an excellent overview of a study showing that the US distribution of wealth today is back to pre-Depression inequality, due primarily to the abandonment of progressivity in our tax code. If you surf a little, you'll run into a Times Sunday Book Review piece on the Gilded Age, when the last acidic version of this taking from the rest of us to feed the greed of the Rich occurred, and its corrosive impact on our democracy, with events that parallel right now impressively. Well, don't actually surf. Use this and this. And when you're done, ponder two things. One, we did recover somewhat from the last assault on a democracy made possible by the spread of wealth across the society, but it really took the worst Depression and War of our history to make it happen. Is that what we'll have to hope for here? Two, what the hell is it in our cultural genes that makes these things repeat so closely in our history? Why do we so determinedly insist on ignoring the lessons of that history? And, will we learn this time???
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Find Berlin Niebuhr a Dog (Part Seven)!
Mrs. N has been complaining that we haven't been doing enough of these, so I guess it's time for another...but we're going to do one that I like...the Maltese!
Before Kayle, there was Jenny. Like Kayle, Jenny was playful and caring and cute...but unlike Kayle, she was quiet.
Positives
* They're playful and caring and cute and quiet!
* Little to no shedding.
* They're not very big, meaning they won't knock over Mrs. N, and Mrs. N could pick them up. And they're not as small as a chihuahua, so berlin niebuhr wouldn't have to feel quite as embarassed if he had to take it for a walk.
* From the "temperament" section of the Wikipedia summary: "These intelligent dogs learn quickly, and pick up new tricks and behaviours easily." From DogBreedInfo: "Gentle, loving, trusting and devoted to its master. Highly intelligent." What's wrong with that?
* They're one of those dogs that get super-hyper and start running laps around the room for no apparent reason. Is there anything in the world better than that?
* My Pet Medicine says they make good watchdogs.
Negatives
* The dog show version of Maltese has that long, prissy hair and looks like Yorkies and other high-maintenance dogs. HOWEVER...we always gave Jenny a puppy cut. Super cute and super low maintenance.
* From DogBreedInfo: "Do not over-pamper or overprotect these little dogs, for some become unstable, and some may become jealous of visitors." Of course, I don't see berlin niebuhr as much of an over-pamperer, so this probably isn't a problem either. (Me, on the other hand? Different story. Hmm...maybe this is what happened to Kayle...unstable? Check. Jealous? CHECK.)
* They sunburn. Seriously.
* From wikipedia: "Because of their size, Maltese dogs are not a good choice for families with small children because they can be easily injured." I find that strange, though. Big dogs can injure the kids, small dogs can be injured. I was little when we got Jenny, and she didn't get hurt. I think this just depends on the parents teaching the kid to be respectful of the dog.
* They get tearstains. Not a big deal, but their eyes do need to be maintained.
* Crate-training didn't really work for Jenny (she just cried until she got to come to bed)...but she always peed where she was supposed to.
Friday, April 13, 2007
News of Note for Your Weekend Pleasure Reading
Here's a very interesting piece on the rise of interracial marriage in the US in the last 40 years since the Loving case made it illegal to ban it. Goes through the demographics (more minority men marrying white women), many of the problems (more minority men marrying white women), and the interesting (and not necessarily good) way that minorities treat the “majority” spouse in these marriages. Our future, so you should find out more about it. . . . I like this. In age of Imus and Pacman Jones, nice to see this tribute to Jackie Robinson on the 60th anniversary of his breaking the color line in baseball. . . . And while at SI, read Paul Zimmerman’s great takedown of Imus and his ilk as really only Dr. Z can do it. I’ll echo what I said the other day when Cal Ripken, Jr. bowed off Imus’ show but putrid little Beltway types couldn’t bring themselves to do it. What does it say when our cultural leadership comes from Cal and Dr. Z rather than our media “leaders”? . . . The Board of Pharmacy in WA has told the so-called religious pharmacists in that state that they can't refuse to fill prescriptions on their so-called moral grounds. It's good to see something finally telling these dingbats they shouldn't get into a profession whose standards they can't accept. . . . Speaking of wingnuts, this report will palpitate them. "Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex within a few years as those who did not," the report shocks us totally. Who could have predicted? Well, besides you. . . . Finally, the USA Today tv guy runs a good column on shows that outlive their natural lifespan, as we've talked about here regularly regarding "La Fea Mas Bella." He lists some basic principles future shows should (but won't) follow. And he's added another reason for us to be annoyed (at best) by the practice: "Why does it matter if shows linger past their prime (assuming they had one)? As with any industry, TV's resources are not infinite. The actors, writers, time slots and money tied up by those shows are unavailable for other, potentially better series. True, the replacements could be worse, or do worse, which is why networks are so loathe to end any series that is an even semi-reliable draw. But an industry that runs in fear from its future eventually finds itself without one." Nice to be affirmed by a big-time media critic. Maybe he'll talk more about why NBC shouldn't cancel "Friday Night Lights."
Weather, Water, Energy 4-13-07
- 18% increase in CO2 emissions in the US from 1990-2004. TX and NV the winners in increases, total and percentage-wise. Things aren't that great in FL, IL, NC, GA, AZ, NH, SC, either. And the really good news?? The EPA is reducing the regulations on ethanol production so we'll all be breathing a lot of dirtier, sickening air. So you'll die sooner and not have to worry as much about the warming. (FL also gets the pleasure of having of severe drought and planning for a future of it. Let's remember this when Jeb runs for Pres, okay?)
- 3-D solar cells that catch more sunlight. Smaller size and more efficiency. Better future for solar energy. Good news.
- The Christian Science Monitor has been doing some very nice work on global warming coverage, with a weekly summary of important news. Now it's moved it all to a regular blog, which you can check daily here.
- Finally, one last FL note. The insurance industry is seriously reconsidering its position in the state and is becoming a major player in the "do something about global warming" world. This is what I mean when I say here regularly that it’s basically irrelevant now to even be bothering with the deniers and obstructionists. Major corporations are going to be taking a hit, either directly or through their inability to plan in the increasingly uncertain world economy. They will make the morons and their corkhead sympathizers (those “decent” people who just aren’t convinced yet) invisible. We don’t need to figure out how to bring them on board. If they don’t want to climb on, let them live with the result. We don’t have time for them anymore. David Roberts characteristically has a take that mirrors this to some extent—what the public needs to understand is really pretty basic and simple, as he explains. Anything beyond that by scientists or policymakers is unnecessary and, in my view, a waste of good time and breath.
FRIDAY CAT BLOGGING!!
Stan was apparently excited about cat blogging...since he beat me to the computer and all...Thursday, April 12, 2007
Betty La Fea (Ugly Betty) Mas Bella Update XXXVI
Oscar-winner Rita Moreno is apparently coming on board as a Suarez aunt on "Ugly Betty" in a finale that pulls in a bunch of former series stars I've never heard of, in this news item. She's always been even better than an Oscar so this should be good, even at "Ugly" standards. . . . CNN is just now glomming onto the America Ferrera interview we clued you to a while back, but the same quotes except for this one on Salma (!!!!): "Honestly I never saw myself doing TV, but Salma [(!!!!)] was so convincing. . . . Salma is the kind of person who could sell you, like, a used stereo. She promised me that it would be done in the right way, and I just trusted her." Excuse me, I have to lie down a minute or two . . . . Okay, I'm back. With yet more deep thoughts on the difference in quality between the original "Betty La Fea" and what its remake "La Fea Mas Bella" has turned into, whether you want to hear them or not. I keep talking about how the new one has gone well beyond what quality and care in the show would warrant. Here's what I mean. The original was a story through and through about fea-ness, the heroine's external AND the hero's internal, and how they both change through each other to something beautiful together. That was the consistent theme throughout the show, telling Colombia, a nation obsessed with beauty a lesson it needed to hear, the lesson that "Ugly Betty" is telling in a lesser way in the US. And for a long while "La Fea" had the chance to do the same. But by extending its story to milk ratings, it's lost that theme and now just carries the usual telenovela "boy-girl-boy" melodrama. Still done better than most, with characters we came to relate to early on, but without that commitment to the important moral that have made "Betty La Fea" and "Ugly Betty" distinctive. It's a shame, like what "Friends" and "That's 70s Show" went through when they decided profits were more important than quality and consistent care. Okay, that's what I've been getting at. I'm done for a while.
Attention Missouri Voters
The current Missouri legislature thinks that you, Missouri Voters, don't know what the hell you're doing.
First, there was the stem-cell initiative that you approved back in November. You know, the one where you approved of funding stem-cell research? Well, the Republican legislature is working to repeal that initiative.
With one lawmaker absent, opponents of research on early stem cells on Tuesday rammed a proposal through a Missouri House committee that would override voters’ approval of Amendment 2.Don't think this is atrocious enough for you? Well...you know how you approved of a minimum wage hike back in November? Well, the Republican legislature decided you really don't know what you're doing.
...
The proposal would override much of Amendment 2, the initiative approved by 51 percent of Missouri voters in November. Amendment 2 prohibits political interference with any stem-cell research that is allowed by federal law.
The new proposal, House Joint Resolution 11, would allow the legislature to regulate or prohibit such research and would ban the cloning of human cells to search for medical treatments. If passed by the legislature, the resolution would go before voters in November 2008 as a proposed constitutional amendment. Amendment 2 already bans efforts to clone human cells that would initiate a pregnancy or produce an infant.
Just months after Missourians overwhelmingly approved raising the minimum wage, House Republicans are pushing a measure to eliminate a yearly cost-of-living increase built into the new wage.Yes, that must be why they didn't vote how you wanted. So you're doing them a favor by telling them their vote doesn't matter. Just leave the voting to you, right?
The effort by House Republicans also would strip away a pay hike just given to waiters and other tipped employees in Missouri after Gov. Matt Blunt’s office last month reversed a state Department of Labor ruling that tipped employees would not get the increase.
...
Voters in November approved boosting the state’s minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour. The measure, which passed by 76 percent, also included a yearly cost-of-living increase in the minimum wage tied to the Consumer Price Index.
The ballot language referred to the cost-of-living increase.
It read: “Shall Missouri Statutes be amended to increase the state minimum wage rate to $6.50 per hour, or to the level of the federal minimum wage if that is higher, and thereafter adjust the state minimum wage annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index?”
However, Cooper and other Republicans have concluded that voters didn’t understand what they were considering.
From Fired Up! Missouri...
Anyway, Missouri voters, I just thought I'd point this out. You might want to remember this the next time you find yourself in a voting booth. I don't know why they think they can get away with this, but they do. Don't let them.
Weather, Water, Energy 4-12-07
- Ahnuld is feeling his oats in CA, now that he's figured out that environmentalism and especially global warming give him the weapons he needs to dominate US politics even if he can't run for Pres (there's always Senate, you know). Here, he tells environmentalists to stop being "tree-hungers" and "fanatics" and to get "hip and sexy" if they want to capture the public. Here, the story goes on to him taunting the deniers and obstructionists as the real "fanatics." Here, he dares the US auto makers to "get off their butts" and start making fuel efficient cars . . . while he's in MICHIGAN. Why is he so interested, beyond the politics of it? Well, maybe it's the record dry winter in the Bay Area. Or this CA poll that shows 81% of the state is worried about global warming. You know what? Yes, he's an ass, but this movement needs dynamic leadership that can capture the media on the Repub side. Al's got an Oscar, but Ahnuld has the muscle (so to speak). That one-two punch might even get through Inhofe's skul . . . nah, forget what I was about to say.
- A UK minister is calling out the World Bank to set better targets on climate change and to help poor nations adapt and take action.
- Coal hog China insists its moving to cleaner natural gas by 2010 . . . from 69% to 66%. Okay, better than nothing (even if the country has a horrible record of hitting targets). Sort of like that kiss on the cheek you got from the sweetie you crushed on on your only date.
- Good overview of desalination and recycled water as the chief means to challenge water scarcity in the future. Singapore may be the model.
- Want a quick course on what may take us to a hydrogen economy. Reasons to skeptical, of course, but this gives you the background to make you sound smart to your friends. Or maybe they'll be impressed with the landfill methane economy. Really.
- Lots of good stuff at Grist. This shows us the leaks on the third IPCC are already starting, so we get a good view of the scientists' views before the idiot politicians get to it. Speaking of idiot politicians, this links us to a Guardian article on how they have made even more conservative the already compromised drafts of the first two reports and on how the claims that the deniers and obstructionists have been censured have it exactly the wrong way around. This will point you to a foundation putting up $100m. for global warming research over the next 5 years, and this will get you to more "Peak Coal" predictions by 2020 or so. This raises a skeptical eye toward the sudden interest of some of the rich business types in addressing global warming, thinking that their goals seem suspiciously to limit impact on . . . them. And this shows the magical workings of democracy as MD passes a major solar program, with mobilized citizens fighting off a filibuster by one of the less brain-gifted state senators there.
- Finally, this Reuters article will give you the details of the coming problems under global warming for N. America and shows how the second IPCC report covers each global region. For details of all the regions covered, hit the posts that Joseph Romm's been putting up at Climate Progress. It ain't pretty, but it's necessary.
Question of the Day
What does it say about our culture and the role of sports and journalism in it that Cal Ripken, Jr., cancelled his appearance on Imus but Jeff Greenfeld and Howard Fineman didn’t (and Thomas Oliphant called in support)? Rhetorical, I realize, but I think it proves so much about modern “journalism” today. There was an alternative and it wasn’t chosen. It was called decency.
Best Songs of 2007 (so far)
I figured now was as good a time as any to hop on iTunes and see which songs from 2007 I've rated the highest so far...
1. Rehab, Amy Winehouse
2. Truth Is, Brother Ali
3. Spitting Venom, Modest Mouse
4. You Know I'm No Good, Amy Winehouse
5. Intervention, Arcade Fire
6. What Light, Wilco
7. How Come You Don't Hold Me No More, The Hot Puppies
8. Dashboard, Modest Mouse
9. Gallina, Ozomatli
10. Walking Away, Brother Ali
The Bonus #11 would be The Roots' version of "Masters of War."
And just because...a Random 10 (From the Best Songs list)
1. The Woman in You, Ben Harper
2. If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time, Willie Nelson
3. Astronomy (8th Light), Black Star
4. Two Beads at the End, Minutemen
5. Theme to Pinata, Bright Eyes
6. How Do I Let a Good Man Down, Sharon Jones & the Dap-King
7. You Know I Like That, Blind Mississippi Morris
8. Star/Pointro, The Roots
9. It's Summertime, Flaming Lips
10. The Flick, Earl Van Dyke
It’s garbage, mate!
Via Advertising Age apparently the U.K. recently ban television junk food ads that targeted children under the age of 16. And now that ban has been expanded to include billboards, newspapers, internet and in movie theaters. It’ll be interesting to see if this strategy will lower child obesity rates across the pond. If so maybe we shoe take a page from Ye ‘Ole Book of British Banishment. Plus I know I could go with seeing any more Hungerectomy billboards on buses.
(Photo: frankensmith)
Lollapalooza Lineup
This year’s Lollapalooza is up on their site. Looks pretty strong to me. Some personal highlights include Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, Modest Mouse, Snow Patrol, TV on the Radio and G. Love and the Special Sauce. The Boy and me went last year and it was pretty solid. I'll probably go again this year, too. The Flaming Lips put on a show that knocked my socks off. Seriously, I’ve yet to find them. However, it’s a little hard to scroll through the lineup on Lolla’s site but the Chicago Tribune has a nice little article and then the band list at the bottom. Enjoy!
The Experiment Hiccups
My great experiment took a little bit of a twist on the train ride home last night. I wasn’t paying attention and set my Shuffle, to get this, shuffle. So I have no idea what I was listening to half of the time. Now, I can check the time played on iTunes. So perusing a few songs to find the right one wouldn’t be that hard. However, after getting home yesterday evening around 7 pm, the time and date stamp for the songs I listened to was 4/12 at 12.15 pm. Not really sure how to fix that or why it’s a glitch. I have a feeling that this turn of events is going to be a pain in my neck. Fingers are now crossed.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Deep Thoughts on Friday Night Lights...
When NBC announced they were producing a TV version of Friday Night Lights, I didn't even, for one second, consider watching it. I love football and all, but...I figured the odds were good that this would just be a 'lowest common demoninator' type of show, with crazy, unrealistic characters and far overdone football scenes (like Varsity Blues, only taking itself seriously). However, I started hearing good things about it, and The Butterfly and I watched one of the FNL rerun marathons over the Christmas break, and we were hooked.
It was nothing like what I expected. Realistic characters (including some that are relatively normal-looking...the males, anyway), absolutely fantastic acting, not-so-overdone football scenes...granted, they were still unrealistic (I think they won a game on the last play by running a sweep from 50 yards out...that just doesn't happen), but they weren't unwatchable.
About the cast for a moment: the movie version of Friday Night Lights was on TV this weekend, and I was reminded a) just how mediocre Billy Bob Thornton was in the movie role of the coach, and b) just how unbelievable Kyle Chandler is in the TV role. His chemistry with Connie Britton (the only actress who can legitimately play Irish and Texan...and I guess I should mention that she's getting hotter with age) is the key to the show, and it's fantastic. The subtleties of their interactions bring realism to the insanity that is small town Texas football. Most of the high school characters (in particular, Zach Gilford as unlikely starting QB Matt Saracen and Jesse Plemons as his nerd best friend, Landry) are rock-solid, but Chandler and Britton carry the show and make you care.
Of course, being that it's not a 'lowest common demoninator' show means that ratings haven't been all that great (which is about right, really...I watch it, which means nobody else will...we can't all be trendsetters like berlin niebuhr, who was creepily hooked on telenovelas before anybody else)...which was why it was fantastic to see this:
NBC's "Friday Night Lights" are shining brighter.I realize there's always the need for a new Law & Order or reality show and all, but I thought the point of the spectacle-type shows (like the 26 weekly Deal or No Deal episodes and spinoffs) was to have the money to be able to carry the respectable shows as well?
A day before the freshman series' season finale, the network on Tuesday ordered six additional scripts of the critically praised but low-rated series.
While this is short of the early second-season order NBC recently bestowed on another struggling rookie, the comedy "30 Rock," the order does strengthen "Friday"'s chances for a return next season.
How naive am I?
The Too Stupid to Even Be Silly Venality of Blog Critics
I’ll let others take apart this tut-tutter’s specific arguments about the riffraff and mediocrity threatening this guy’s culture from blog pollution. I’ll just note that the blogworld resembles, for good or evil, all the other media worlds we possess, with about the same ratio of quality to crap that you see in movies or music or books or tv shows, whatever. Where has this guy, like all blog critics, been as talk radio and Oprah and her spawn and “Jackass” and “Survivor” and “ho” music pull the entire culture down a sink hole? This is the sort of bilge that sounds good at the cocktail parties of the well-credentialed. Are blogs heaven on earth? Of course not. But there are a lot of planks to be pulled from other media’s eyes before blogs deserve this way-too-familiar, self-important crap. Please save your money for quality books. Or read this article that gets it all right instead.
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