Miami Women's Swimming Ranked No. 2 in Mid-Major Poll

Miami Women's Swimming Ranked No. 2 in Mid-Major Poll :: RedHawks Stand at 6-1 Overall, 4-0 in Conference Heading Into 2006

The Ten Google Rules

Google: Ten Golden Rules

2005 List of Lists

2005 in review

Cafe Dreaming

Bitter Brew - I opened a charming neighborhood coffee shop. Then it destroyed my life

Why Are Labs The Most Popular Dog Breed?

Top Dog - Why Americans love Labrador retrievers

Looking For A Good Handyman Magazine?

Ask Metafilter - Help me find a home improvement magazine aimed at a low-budget/DIY audience.

More Problems Surface for E-Voting and Diebold

Miami Herald - New tests fuel doubts about vote machines

A political operative with hacking skills could alter the results of any election on Diebold-made voting machines -- and possibly other new voting systems in Florida -- according to the state capital's election supervisor, who said Diebold software has failed repeated tests.

Why People Abandon Political Parties

The Grinch Who Doctored Photos - The RNC's fraudulent new ad.

[via Slate]

Deer and Elk Field Dressing How-To

A Field Dressing Guide for Elk and Deer

Village Voice Asks Ten Unanswered Questions About September 11

Open and Shut - Four years later, we still have ten big questions

Link Between Babies' Sight and Later Language Development

Link Seen Between Babies' Sight, Language Development

It is also believed that this "gaze following" in autistic children is not transferred to joint attention of an object.

There seems to be a growing understanding that there is a strong relationship between sight, cognitive development, and language skills.

Lifting the Veils of Autism, One by One by One

Prematue Cancellation

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Tips For Stopping Junk Mail

Do-it-yourself: Stop junk mail, email and phone calls

[via ]

Alton Brown vs. Martha Stewart

Alton vs. Martha in the Kitchen?

[via "http://ask.metafilter.com">Ask MetaFilter]

"Ocean Walker"

Arrested Development is more than the best television show in history, it is a masterpiece.

Memorable moments from last night's episode are here:

www.tvsquad.com/2005/12/05/arrested-development-the-ocean-walker

And something I missed - at one moment in the episode Buster is shown dancing to the song "Mr. Roboto" and he loses his hook in the dashboard. This is an homage to Tony Hale's old VW commercial.

Transcript

Un-fricking-believable... How can Fox cancel this show?

Finding Jobs in Northern MI

This is a permanent post for my frequent job-searching escapades:

Interlochen

TCAPS

NMC

Regional Jobs

RE

MHC

City of TC

GT County

MHC

First Historical Swipe at the Bush II Legacy

Updated 3/6/2006 with a working link from the History News Network - Historians vs. George W. Bush

Is George Bush the worst President Ever?

Snow Storm Last Night

Baseball Post-Season Awards

Physicist successfully predict Cy Young Award winner

Using on-base percentage, slugging average, times on base, and total bases to calculate the MVP (aka "The QUAD")

I like the QUAD. Makes sense to me, espicially if Hafner has a full season and wins the MVP next year.

[Keyword=Baseball]

A 'Good Eats' Thanksgiving

Romancing the Bird transcript.

Good Eats Roast Turkey

[Keywords=thanksgiving, turkey, Good+Eats, Alton+Brown]

Food Shelf Life

Seventies Oatmeal Still Tastes OK

[Via Wired]

[Keywords=Food+Storage, Oatmeal]

Spanking Children?

Spanking leads to child aggression and anxiety, regardless of cultural norm

[Via ScienceBlog

[Keywords:Child+Rearing]

Is A Hybrid Vehicle Worth The Initial Cost?

The Math Behind the Hybrid Hype

[via Slashdot]

[Keyword=hybrid]

Electronic Voting, Not Good Enough

Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings

GAO Report: ELECTIONS: Federal Efforts to Improve Security and Reliability of Electronic Voting Systems Are Under Way, but Key Activities Need to Be Completed

Science Friday discussion with Avi Rubin

Northern Michigan Is Growing Up

Longer and later in '06

How To Turn A Breech Or Transverse Baby

One Midwife's Collection of Breech Turning Techniques

[Keywords Baby+Delivery]

Arctic Responses to Climate Change Studied

Arctic undergoing holistic climate-change response

[Via ScieneBlog]

[Keywords Climate+Change]

The Ominous Parallels

US Congress may probe leaks in secret CIA prisons story

So - Congressional Republicans want to find out if another Republican leaked the "secret CIA prison" information rather than investigate if the CIA is shipping terror suspects to Eastern Bloc countries. In other cases a whistle blower is a good thing (e.g., Republican Senator Chuck Grassley co-sponsored whistleblower protections in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act). And if finding the source of leaks is so important why didn't Congress investigate how forged documents became material for a State of The Union speech and the basis for going to war in Iraq? There was more outrage over Dan Rather using a forged document on 60 Minutes. At least someone at CBS lost their job because of it.

The Ominous Parallel is that in today's Republican party loyalty trumps all else; if this were a story about Communist China no one would be surprised by a story like this. Why do we fight if we are becoming more like our adversary?

Miami Hockey Back In The Top Ten

Miami Hockey Cracks Top 10 in National Polls

USA TODAY/American Hockey men's poll
Nov. 7, 2005

Team (first-place votes) Record Points LW
1. Colorado College (30) 9-1-0 502 1
2. Michigan (2) 7-1-1 474 3
3. Cornell (2) 3-1-0 408 4
4. Maine 8-2-0 392 2
5. Wisconsin 6-1-1 369 10
6. Michigan State 5-1-1 353 8
7. Denver 5-3-0 282 9
8. Vermont 7-1-0 250 7
9. Boston College 3-2-1 197 11
10. Miami (Ohio) 5-1-0 186 15

Michael Brown's E-mail Around Katrina Time

brown_emails.pdf

On August 29th Brown writes:

"I got it at Nordtroms. Email McBride and make sure she knows! Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?"

Later that day:

"If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire you'll really vomit. I ama [sic] fashion god."

On the morning of August 29th water was quickly rising in New Orleans.

On September 4th Brown received an E-mail from Sharon Worthy with the Subject 'Your Shirt':

"Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt... all shirts. Even the President rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow.

In this crises and on TV you just need to look more hard-working...ROLL UP THE SLEEVES!"

For any Republican apologists who may be wondering - Bush gets blamed for the Katrina response because he hired people like Brown.

“God, they’re an odd bunch, these Republicans.”

The New Yorker - SCOOTER’S SEX SHOCKER

"we hate most in others what we can't admit about ourselves"

Diesel Honda's In The U.S.?

Honda to develop diesels for North America

A diesel CR-V would be an awesome vehicle.

[via AutoBlog">]

Reverse Engineering Absinthe

I'll probably never drink absinthe but this is an interesting article nevertheless.

The Mystery of the Green Menace

The last paragraph of the above story mentions Perique tobacco. There is only one small farm in the world growing this strain of tobacco and it is near Convent, LA. Megan's maternal lineage is from this area.

Louisiana Life has an article about this crop and farm.

[via Wired]

Liz Phair Videos, In QuickTime Format!

Liz Phair's official web site now includes superior QuickTime versions of her music videos.

And don't miss the Down" video. "Down" is probably Liz Phair's best song of the 21st century.

People and Dogs Belong Together

For a long time I have believed that humans and dogs belong, nay, need to live together, because they have evolved together. People who do not like dogs deny themselves complete personhood.

The CS Monitor has a short article contrasting the difference between dogs and wolves.

Why your dog is smarter than a wolf

After a decade studying dogs in their human habitat, Mr. Miklosi and his colleagues have accumulated a body of evidence suggesting that dogs have far greater mental capabilities than scientists had thought. Dogs' smarts, it turns out, come out in their relationships with people.

How Is Bush's Katrina Investigation Going?

The missed deadline by FEMA to get evacuees into housing by October 15 got all the press, but I remember "Bush said he will personally lead an investigation into what went wrong with the early federal response to Katrina." I wonder how that's going... turns out by "personally lead" he means appoint the head of the homeland security council who was appointed by Bush in 2004.

The Daily Show On The President's Teleconference

Using Parody to Make a Point

Another homerun from the Daily Show writers...

The Social Security Office Lists Popular Baby Names in the U.S.

Popular Baby Names, 1880-2004

Random facts:
1979 was the apex for Jedediah when it was the 540th most popular name.

In the 1920's, 290,203 babies were named Helen.

We're looking for baby names and I tend to believe the best names are Welsh names.

New Study Shows How To Get Kids Self-Esteem 'Through The Roof'*

*As in, "her self-esteem is through the roof" from the 'Not Without My Daughter' episode.

Family meals, stories boost child confidence

Hype for "Katz on Dogs"

The book "Katz on Dogs" is getting all kinds of hype.

Diane Rehm spoke with Katz about his book today.

Here's what to take from it - training a dog to do a task can take up to 2000 repetitions and sometimes the person needs to be trained as much as the dog.

Excerpts
Do Dogs Think?
Checklist for Perspective Dog Owners
Why Do I Want A Dog?

Better than Jack Morris Pitching 10 Scoreless Innings?

Was yesterday's Astros - Braves game that went for 18 innings "The Greatest Game Ever Played?"

For me Jack Morris pitching 10 scoreless innings in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series has to be the best baseball game ever played.

Update - NPR made this the last story for All Things Considered.

Cleveland, city of light, city of magic - Cleveland, city of light, you're calling me

Cleveland touted as 'most livable' U.S. city

Cleveland was my second-choice city after TC. I had a dream that I could find a job with an employer who offered Indians season tickets as a perk.

Burn On...

We're Long Past the Point of Studying the "If?" of Gloabl Warming

Here are some recent news reports:

The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years

Global Warming Past the Point of No Return

The Gulf Stream Conveyor Current is Slowing Down (Just like in the horrid Movie The Day After Tomorrow)


Arctic sea ice continues decline as temperatures rise

...but on the flip side this means that the long awaited dream of the Northwest Passage will be attainable.

To exacerbate our problems the sun is increasing in luminosity. This may explain the climate change seen on Mars.

Finally, from today's NWS Forecast Discussion for Northern Michigan:

PRIMARY FORECAST ISSUES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY INCLUDE POTENTIAL
FOR AN HISTORICALLY WARM DAY WEDNESDAY...

...POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ONE OF THE WARMEST OCTOBER DAYS
EVER RECORED. GIVEN UPSTREAM TEMPS ALREADY 85-90F WITHIN WARM
SECTOR...AND GIVEN POTENTIAL FOR LOW/MID LEVEL DRYING WITHIN WARM
SECTOR WEDNESDAY...RESULTING IN SURFACE DEWPOINTS A FEW DEGREES
BELOW THOSE OF TODAY...BUMPED UP TEMPS A FEW DEGREES WEDNESDAY...
NOT FAR FROM RECORD HIGHS FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER
AT APN AND HTL (88F)...TVC (89F) AND GLR (85F). IN FACT...IF THE
WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH MORE QUICKLY THAN EXPECTED...EVEN THE ALL
TIME MONTHLY RECORD AT ANJ (81F) COULD BE CHALLENGED.

At least the U.S. will have a weather modification program to fix all of this .

Shocking Liz Phair News

Apparently Liz had an affair while she was married. Her lyrics made me think that could never happen...

The girl can't help it

A Post for the Teachers and Collegians

CiteULike

CiteULike is a free service to help academics to share, store, and organise the academic papers they are reading. When you see a paper on the web that interests you, you can click one button and have it added to your personal library. CiteULike automatically extracts the citation details, so there's no need to type them in yourself. It all works from within your web browser. There's no need to install any special software.

The Cornell Note Taking Method

DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack.

Be a Believer... in the Cleveland Indians

What the... ? For some reason I did not know about this:

As is tradition, Cleveland Indians rookies dress in drag for the team's final trip home.

Ever Wonder Why NASA Flight Control is in Houston?

Read Chapter 3 of Suddenly Tomorrow Came... A History of the Johnson Space Center

Basically it can be because the Air Force decided not to close the preferred site, MacDill Air Force Base, and therefore Houston moved from second place to the preferred site.

Or it could've been because "...Texas undoubtedly exerted an enormous
political influence on such a decision. Lyndon B. Johnson was Vice President and head of the Space Council, Albert Thomas headed the House Appropriations Committee, Bob Casey and Olin E. Teague were members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, and Teague headed the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Finally, Sam Rayburn was Speaker of the House of Representatives."

If you want to know how Cape Canaveral evolved from a missle range into a SpacePort see The History of Cape Canaveral page.

Visualizing Rita

NASA imagery

Galveston Web Cams

Coconut Oil as Easy Biodiesel

Coconut Crude

Affordable Housing and Community Land Trusts

Taking the price of land out of the price of homeownership

This is similar to an idea I had as Traverse City housing prices continue to appreciate at double-digit rates and there are many local land conservancies. I thought why could a land conservancy and Homestretch get together to provide affordable housing?

Turns out this kind of thing is already being done. And to think I had naysayers...

Canine Flu

Canine flu worries U.S. dog owners

The virus has killed racing greyhounds in Florida and other states, but is not as fatal to domestic pets, experts say. Early estimates are that it kills fewer than 5 percent of the dogs that catch it.

I'm not too worried about this as my boy is strong and healthy, but if he were sick I could imagine doing whatever it took to get him better.

[via NY Times]

The Cabin Show

Monday night was another
brilliant episode of Arrested Development.

Lucille: Well, apparently, mood-altering medication leads to street drugs. That’s what this very handsome, young doctor said on The Today Show.

Michael: That was Tom Cruise, the actor.

Lucille: They said he was some kind of scientist.

This is easily the most brilliant show ever on television. Granted, it does require active viewing. But if you don't like it you are on a "moran" [sic]. Go USA!

Conan O'Brien On the President's Potty Breaks

Most people have seen the photo of Bush asking Condi Rice if it is possible for him to go to the bathroom. What we didn't know but Conan's crack staff discovered, is the President went during his Katrina speech! [/parody]

[via Crooks and Liars]

Rush Has Lost All Credibility

I used to listen to (but hardly agree with) Rush Limbaugh until he admitted he was a drug addict. Since returning to the radio he's lost all connection to reality - I liked him better when he was on the Oxycontin.

Examples via mediamatters.org

Fresh Air Airs The History of Hip-Hop

Terry Gross' series of interviews with the old-school legends of Hip Hop.

Out of all the people interviewed (LL Cool J, Darryl Simmons, Grandmaster Flash, Ice Cube, Ice T, etc) in my mind Russel Simmons was the most influential and The Fresh Prince was the most engaging.

What is interesting is how many of them actually came from middle-class neighborhoods in NYC.

Power Line Easements as Mini-Wildlife-Corridors?

Left unmowed, power-line land might suit bees

AD loves Chachi

Chachi's "Development" Deal

New Balance Shoes Made in the USA

New Balance is the only remaining shoe manufacturer to still use USA factories for some of its shoes.

Here's a list of all the shoes still made in the USA.

"Frequently Asked Questions about Synthetic Fuels and Coal-to Liquids Technology"

From the State of Montana web site, Frequently Asked Questions about Synthetic Fuels and Coal-to Liquids Technology.

Interesting claim:

What are the benefits of synthetic fuel?
There are several. First, America is blessed with abundant resources for making synfuel. Montana's coal alone could produce enough fuel to power every American car for decades, giving us energy independence from foreign regimes that now supply the U.S. with 58% of our oil. Second, synthetic fuel requires no engine modifications, burns cleanly, and is made with clean coal technology, a process that removes impurities, toxins and greenhouse gasses. Third, military security would be increased by the use of synthetic fuel, which is why the Department of Defense recently began a synthetic fuel program.

Car and Driver Review of the U.S.'s Best All-around Vehicle

Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume? -- Time.com

A TIME investigation reveals discrepancies in the FEMA chief's official biographies

Katrina Information Map

Katrina Information Map

Katrina Information Map - This map is intended for the use of people affected by Hurricane Katrina who have or are trying to find information about the status of specific locations affected by the storm and its aftermath. If you have information about the status of an area that is not yet on the map, please contribute by following the instructions below so that others may get that much needed information.

I zoomed in on Metairie and then used the Katrina overlay (red button) and it looks like everything East of Orpheum Ave. was flooded but everything to the West is dry, although the markers indicate a lot of wind damage.

In the tsunami region, disbelief over U.S. woes

What seems to be a common sentiment throughout the world:

"It's so heartbreaking to see how helpless America has become," she said. "You're not strong any more. You can't even save your own countrymen and there you are, out there trying to control the world."

My Dream Car Getting Closer to Reality?

Diesel power for Subaru?

Gosh darn it - in the 1980's and early 90's Subaru relished their quirkiness. I want a diesel-electric hybrid that gets 50+ mpg in the city and on the highway!!

Indications of the Real Estate Bubble Bursting like it was 1989

Real Estate Review: Subdivisions

The Commerce Department reported sales of newly constructed homes rose 6.5% in July and 27.7% from a year earlier. But the median sales price dropped to $203,800, the lowest level since December 2003, from $219,500 in June.

From the stuff you cannot make up department...

"Disconnected Presidential Video of the Moment..."

Saving Gasoline

Michigan Gas Prices now range between $2.89 to $3.59/gallon.

These high prices could hurt northern Michigan tourism this Labor Day weekend. Although the Soo Evening News (SEV) begins the above article with the hyperbole “With the gas and oil industry gouging motorists for an additional 71 cents per gallon in the last three days…” What the SEV misses is that this really isn’t “price gouging” but what happens now that the world is in the era of Peak Oil.

For example, there were 15 million barrels more of gasoline around last year at this time. That is 630,000,000 gallons. This was a pre-existing supply shortage.

The Gulf of Mexico produces 1.4 million barrels of oil a day and that has been lost for the time being. After refining that is 73,684 gallons of gasoline per day.

Not to mention the refineries that are currently shut down.

The current gasoline prices are NOT the result of price gouging but the simple result of what happens when demand stays constant and supply goes down. It is very basic economics.

But there are things that people can do in order to bring demand more inline with the current supply.

This coming Labor Day weekend the AAA estimates 1.4 million travelers in Michigan; 82% are driving and 89% will drive over 100 miles.

If we assume an average distance of 150 miles that means a total of 172,200,000 miles will be driven.

Further, if the assumption is made that each vehicle averages 25 mpg then this means 6,888,000 gallons of gasoline will be consumed in Michigan and if the price is $3.50/gallon all of that gasoline will cost $24,108,000.

For each MPH above 55 fuel economy is decreased by 1%. To be conservative and to account for driving habits assume lowering the speed from 70 to 55 mph gives a 10% increase in fuel economy.

Therefore, 688,800 gallons of gasoline could be conserved across the state on just one day of travel. If gas is $3.50/gallon this saves $2,410,800.

So if travelers just in the state of Michigan drove 55mph instead of 70 on the highway then the loss of the Gulf of Mexico’s 73,684 gallons of gasoline per day could be made up.

Even better, if this 70 to 55mph change is extrapolated to all of the lower 48 states, but ratchet down the gallons of gasoline saved per day to 500,000 gallons, then a total of 24,000,000 gallons of gasoline could be conserved per day.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you choose to not slow down on the highway or do most of your driving in town there are many things you can do – with the following changes I’ve been able to get 50 – 60 miles more per tank. Here are my tips for increasing miles to the tank.

1. remove roof racks/crossbars and take out unneeded weight (I’ve heard of Subaru drivers getting 2-3 mpg increase after removing the roof rack’s crossbars)

2. coast when going downhill

3. when going uphill avoid accelerating - maintain speed or slightly decrease speed – get up to speed before reaching the hill

4. accelerate very, very slowly – just to the point where people following do not get too pissed off

5. anticipate stops and coast into them – avoid coming to a complete stop whenever possible (it is more efficient to speed up a body in motion than to overcome the moment of inertia)

6. drive below the speed limit whenever practical

There are more efficient driving tips at fueleconomy.gov.

And the Michigan Public Service Commission has 20 Gas Saving Tips.

The State of Nebraska reprints some tips.

Finally, here’s someone (an engineer, no less) who has some thoughts and ideas.

Initial Katrina Quick Links

From June, 2005, an article about the New Orleans area Corps of Engineers facing their largest budget cut ever. From the article:

... the Bush administration is not making Corps of Engineers funding a priority.

I think it's extremely shortsighted, Landrieu said. When the Corps of Engineers' budget is cut, Louisiana bleeds. These projects are literally life-and-death projects to the people of south Louisiana and they are (of) vital economic interest to the entire nation.

USA Today - Brace for more Katrinas, warn experts

IHT - Hurricane Katrina's real name

You Might Be an American If...

You think Muslims do not decry terrorism vociferously enough but only consider Pat Robertson's comments about assasinating the Venezualan president "inappropriate".

You think roadside and suicide bombs are cowardly but agree with Paul Harvey in that the U.S. should use nuclear and biological weapons in the current global war struggle against terrorism.

You want a Consitutional Amendment to ban flag burning but don't mind when people shoot the Quaran or flush it down the toilet.

You think Terry Shiavo's parents in their time of grief could not have their morality questioned but Cindy Sheehan is a traitor and puppet of the left.

Here's what Cindy says.

I'll add more as I think of them...

Pinedale Housing Prices Show No Signs of a Bubble

Boom pushing price of homes ever higher

Buffalo Street BBQ, Ithaca, NY

Update from A!

"What a ******* idiot...brisket isn't supposed to have sauce on it...that's why we serve it on the side. The important thing with bbq is the meat...not the sauce.

...Don't believe "chillynuts" or whatever his name is...the brunswick stew is incredible."

A local reviews A and J's new endeavor

Vegetarians won't find any entrees here, at least not yet.

What Goes Up Comes Back Down

Letter from Wyoming: A sense of deja boom

"Wyoming's legacy has been an inability to plan ahead and to diversify its economy,"

NASA Considers Nudging Asteroid by 2029

An asteroid, headed our way

The Ultimate Cooking Experience?

Megan likes cooking on an electric range, I like gas, but charcoal grills. These propane Heavy-Duty Cast Iron Stoves could be a bridge to the ultimate kitchen and deck cooking experience??

A New View of Orogeny

Mountain-building Process Much Faster -- And Cooler -- Than Previously Thought, Say Geologists

An Optimistic View of Peak Oil

How Peak Oil Can Mitigate Itself

Michigan Wind Energy News

Firm plans state's largest wind farm

"Too Bad For You" -Minor Threat

Nike Campaign "Borrows" Album Art

"A Little Rebellion Now And Then Is A Good Thing"

A Letter From Thomas Jefferson To James Madison

Portending News for northwest lower Michigan

House panel prohibits all wine shipments

38,000 year old Footprints found in Mexico

Footprints rewrite history of first Americans

New Wild West: The price of Bush's drive for energy

This is quite a claim:

At the Bottoms Up Brewpub, which brews what may be among the finest pints in the US, a pale ale called Buckin' Bitter...

More from the article:

"There have been booms before here," he says. "You just make what you can when it's happening and rein things in after it's gone." Ranchers, who originally made this part of the West famous, say they have been saved by the boom. This part of Wyoming has always offered the toughest of challenges to those living off the land: in winter the temperature can stay below zero for weeks on end and the snow that arrives in November often does not clear until May. The temperature, the elevation and the poor soil means agricultural crops are not viable and farmers will only get one harvest a year of forage crops and hay.

But now ranchers can lease land to the energy companies. "Most of the ranches around here have gas and let me tell you it has saved all of us, at least those who own full estate," says Tim Thompson, whose fifth-generation farm has 400 head of cattle and nine gas wells. "We would have lost the ranch otherwise, what with how beef prices have been."

Yet many residents are worried about the pace of growth and the short-term nature of the boost. House prices are soaring, drug crime is rising and there is a threat to their gently paced life, beneath a vast, panoramic sky that at night fills with millions of stars. This week, the local paper, the Pinedale Roundup, which says it is the US newspaper published furthest from any railway line, carried letters and columns expressing concern about the fast pace of development

"The US national energy policy is being played out on an epic scale in our back yard," says Ward Wise, a former Pinedale official and a member of the school board.

"All of a sudden, our little rural town has come face to face with the hurricane force of the global energy market. The trouble is, the national energy policy is doing nothing to curb consumption; there is no balance. Without a balance, you are going to destroy the quality of life."

Linda Baker is an organiser of the Upper Green River Valley Coalition, a group of local people trying to control the gas development and encourage the dozen of so major companies, such as Shell, BP and others, to use the best environmental management techniques. She works from an office above a wood-fronted hotel that dates from the early 1900s.

"Of course, the shop-owners like the boom," she said. "But there are also people who have lived here all their lives, in a town where business was done with a shake of the hand, in a town where the grocery store and the post office were focal points of the community. They are concerned about what is happening. When people say hello to each other on the street they don't just say 'Hello' they say "Hello Joe". They know their neighbours."

...

But there is more to the mesa than natural gas. Environmentalists say the high sagebrush that seems to stretch for ever is part of the longest big-game migratory route in North America, a 500-mile round trip journey for pronghorn antelope and mule deer which move between their summer pasture grounds in Yellowstone and their winter home in the southern Wyoming deserts. Federal wildlife officials say more studies are required to assess what impact, if any, the drilling has had on these animal populations but some people here say the animals have been driven away by the human activity.

Rod and Leslie Rozier look out across the sagebrush and stand in awe as they breathe in the landscape from the windows of the homestead they have built on their 1,000-acre ranch on the edge of Pinedale. A trout stream passes feet from their home where they have seen beaver and otters, and the scrub beyond is home to elk. In a stand of nearby cottonwood trees, a bald eagle has built its nest.

But now when they look out their eyes are increasingly drawn to the drilling towers and pumps on the mountainside opposite. "It's all relative," says Mr Rozier, a member of the environmentalists' coalition. "It's still a wonderful place and it depends on your definition of pristine as to whether this is still pristine, but it is rapidly experiencing many changes and many pressures."

He says development of the mesa, as well as affecting the wildlife and their migration routes, has affected air and light quality. "I'm not against development but does it need to happen this quickly?" he says. "Why can't we slow the pace? Development has consequences. These are changes that will affect the infrastructure. There is so much gas, so much money. You could have it all. Why develop it in a rush. Why not go a little bit slower, with a little more care?"

Back at the Patio Grill, Billy Pape says he is now in semi-retirement, having passed the business to one of his sons. Still, every day he comes into help with the breakfast and lunch crowds, maintaining an eye on what is happening to his town. "There is a bottom to every barrel," he says. "Sometime, you're going to get to the bottom."

Evidence that Wildlife Corridors Work

Judging Corridors Meant to Shuttle Wildlife [via NPR]

Press Release from the University of Florida about the topic.

Another article:
Landscape Corridors Provide Pathway for Seed Dispersal

Biodiesel for $1.40/gallon

Biodiesel recipe from Mike Pelly (also has link to NPR interview with Mr. Pelly)

gCensus

Census Data Over Google Maps

Very Neat... you can get County Level information as well as a summary of what is in the Map's viewable area.

Paul Krugman Tries to Make a Point about Obesity

Girth of a Nation

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was on a few nights ago. In that movie none of the actors, even the extras, are obese, in fact, by today's standards they would be considered skinny. In his opinion piece Krugman mentions how Americans started getting obese in 1980 but he does not posit why because he rambles on to health care costs.

I suppose the answer is complicated and involves the spread of cable TV through suburbia, regional planning, the convenient packaging of food, and marketing by the big food and drink companies.

Robert Schiller's U.S. Housing Forecast

housingbubble.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Mega-Bubble News

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Hot financial markets giving rise to talk of collapsible mega-bubble

You can Freeze Asparagus!

Freezing Asparagus (MSU Extension)

Two views of a post-oil future

A post-oil vacation vs no substitute for oil.

Homemade Cheese and other things

Fankhauser's Cheese Page

All Purpose Burger Medley Mix

All Purpose Burger Medley

for each pound of ground turkey or beef mix in:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 minced garlic clove
1/4 tsp paprika powder
1-2 TBsp Worcestire sauce

Mix it all up and then grill to perfection. Each pound of meat will make
three big burgers or four smaller ones.

Bell's Best Beers

Bell's Beers by Season

Pet Food Recipes at CooksRecipes.com

Cooks Recipes | Pet Recipes: Pet Food Recipes at CooksRecipes.com

No gold star shiny enough, or, more love for the best thing ever on TV

No gold star shiny enough for show

Nature: Congress Has Not “Grasped the Scale” of the Energy Problem

[...]judging from the version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives last month, none of these [pressing] concerns are being properly addressed by the Congress. For a start, the bill obstinately declines to take seriously the need to cut carbon emissions. It does nothing to contain the demand for oil through the most obvious mechanism, the imposition of modest fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. And it fails to authorize any substantial revival in energy research spending, which has been steadily run down from its peak in the aftermath of the 1974 energy crisis.

[...]even the Senate seems to lack the will to seriously confront the consequences of the US addiction to oil imports. The bill will provide generous subsidies for clean coal and nuclear-power generation, and less generous ones for renewable energy sources. But in a country where about two-thirds of energy use is for transportation, it seems unlikely to bite the bullet and take steps to reduce oil consumption. The Senate could start to address this by, for example, promoting new cellulose-based biofuels (not to be confused with the existing ethanol programme, which is designed primarily as a subsidy machine for corn farmers.) It could also yet decide to insist on new fuel-efficiency standards.

But many leaders in the Congress seem to prefer to squabble over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, rather than address the issue of oil consumption. The impression continues to grow that the president and congressional leaders want to win on the Alaska refuge primarily to rile environmentalists, rather than to obtain oil. Oil companies are barely registering an interest, the political and economic costs being so high.

As is usual for legislation of this type, the House bill is laden with goodies for special interests, including some $2 billion for deep gas drilling, subsidies for those keen to build nuclear power stations, and various tax breaks. But even the corporate giveaways—which are valued by some critics at $8 billion over ten years—are paltry by Washington’s standards of profligacy. This is further proof, if any were needed, that political leaders just haven’t grasped the scale of the problem.

Editorial - maybe evangelicals do not worry about the future because they think there will be a return of the mesiah so what does it matter how they live now in relation to the natural environment and future generations? It is quite ironic for them to be so pro-life but favor policies that could make life much harder for the "unborn" they are trying so hard to save.

Monsanto Study Shows Possible Adverse Health Effects of GM Corn

t r u t h o u t - Health Fears over Secret GM Food Study

New Scientist Features - 11 steps to a better brain

New Scientist Features - 11 steps to a better brain

Manual Dexterity helps Cloners

Scientists use low-tech tool

"This work can be done much better in Oriental hands," cloning master Hwang Woo-suk recently told the journal Nature Medicine. "We can pick up very slippery corn or rice with the steel chopsticks."

Home made water filter (but not a purifier)

Water filters -- "All you need is terracotta clay, a compliant cow and a match."

Like Oxy-Clean but with Water instead of oxygenated baking soda

Wired News: Super Water Kills Bugs Dead

Finding Brown Trout in Spring

Hit The River Mouth For Brown Trout

The most productive colors I've found are all silver, silver-blue, silver-green, silver-orange, pearl or hammered silver. It pays to have a few brass or copper spoons as well, and brightly colored lures should be used on sunny days and brass or copper on dark days. I've caught some fish on black or purple spoons, too, in case anyone is interested.

Note to Self - Where Sanorum goes look 180

The Believer - New York Times

Fundamentalism, whatever the form, is the true enemy of the United States.

Thank You Fox!

Do we send "THANK YOU" to peter?

All Purpose Burger Medley

Warm weather has returned to Northern Michigan and with it; outdoor cooking.

Here's a burger mix recipe I developed last year (I like it best with ground turkey).
For each pound of ground turkey or beef mix in:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 minced garlic clove
1/4 tsp paprika powder
1-2 TBsp Worcestire sauce

Mix it all up and then grill to perfection. Each pound of meat will make
three big burgers or four smaller ones.

Kevin Smith Previews Revenge of the Sith

Web server hosting the comments (not really a preview) is slashdotted, aka farked - here's the text.

Olds Hotel in Hartford, MI

Olds Hotel - Hartford House

Can of Coke fire starter

Make fire with a Can of Coke and a chocolate bar

Socioeconomic imapacts of energy production in Pinedale

Bonanza shakes dust from Western towns

From the article:

•Wyoming counties with population surges because of energy development are reporting an increase in domestic violence and drug use.

•Since 1997, traffic has increased sixfold on scenic U.S. Highway 189.

•Fire department calls have tripled in three years and ambulance calls rose 50 percent.

•Skyrocketing property values and lack of affordable housing are making it difficult to retain sheriff’s deputies and public school teachers.

•Recreational tourists, who have been important to the economy, often can’t find hotel rooms because they’re all taken by gas field workers.

•Planners estimate that 1,000 new homes will be built (this in a county of only 6,400 inhabitants) in the coming years, marring the beauty of the Upper Green River Valley and fragmenting wildlife habitat.

Shetler's Dairy produces the best milk I have ever tasted from a cow

Dairy Farmers Keeping Milk Close to Home

Pinedale, WY makes it onto NPR

NPR : Oil Revenues Not Enough for Wyoming Town

Cats and Dogs

Cleaning up old mail I found this:

----- Forwarded message -----

As Seen in a Dog's Diary:

8am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favorite
10am - Oh Boy! A walk! My favorite!
11am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favorite!
Noon - Oh Boy! The kids! My favorite!
1pm - Oh Boy! The yard! My favorite!
3pm - Oh Boy! The kids! My favorite!
4pm - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!
5pm - Oh Boy! Mom! My favorite!
7pm - Oh Boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
9pm - Oh Boy! Sleeping in master's bed! My favorite!

As seen in a Cat's Diary:

Day 183 of my captivity...
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little
dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to
eat dry cereal.

The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of
escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining
the occasional piece of furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another house plant.

Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around
their feet while they were walking almost succeeded --
must try this at the top of the stairs.

In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile
oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on
their favorite chair -- must try this on their bed.

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless
body, in an attempt to make them aware of what I am
capable of, and to try to strike fear into their
hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a
good little cat I was. Hmmm, not working according to
plan.

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices.
I was placed in solitary throughout the event.

However, I could hear the noise and smell the food.

More importantly I overheard that my confinement was
due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this
is and how to use it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and
maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and
seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a
half-wit.

The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant,
and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he
reports my every move. Due to his current placement
in the metal room, his safety is assured.

But I can wait, it is only a matter of time......


----- End forwarded message -----

First Week Critical in Childhood Obesity

What you feed a newborn baby during the first week of life could be critical in deciding whether that baby grows up to be obese, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Sure, it takes a long time but it is worth it. The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg - from recipesource.com

Be Good

Be Good Tanyas live set is also available for viewing.

Live Liz Phair set from KCRW

She is so amazing...

Synthetic Gasoline

Apparently gasoline can be synthesized from coal, and at current consumption rates the US has a 250 year supply. The DOE has more on the early research of vehicle from coal as well as this tidbit:

In 1944 General George S. Patton's Third Army was racing across southern France. In his haste to be the first U.S. commander to cross into Germany, however, Patton overextended his supply lines. His armored columns ground to a dead stop. Faced the choice of waiting until he could be resupplied or draining the fuel of captured German vehicles, Patton chose the latter. His tanks and armored personnel carriers continued to steamroll toward Germany, powered by the German's own ersatz gasoline – synthetic fuel manufactured from coal.

This makes me not worry so much that gasoline engines will become obsolete after peak oil production in 2006.

Silvery Moon over the Wyoming Range

"The full moon slips behind the Wyoming Range as the sun rises, painting the sky with pastel hues Monday morning."

[via E-mail from Janel]

"Stick It to the Man by keeping your dimes firmly in your hand-knitted Guatemalan rucksack"

There was the attempted boycott of spending money on inagauration day.

A response from the Urban Legend busting snopes.com.

And a funny and brilliant "with friends like these" -esqe post on the Shovelware blog regarding this "protest". (and this is where I got the title for this post)

Takeaway quote:

Too long have the censorious, humor-impaired wings of the left—the Dworkinite penis-is-a-weapon paleoconservative wing of feminism; the beige, Organization Man policy wonks; the excruciatingly earnest shoot-your-TV neo-Luddites—been the left's public face. We need an Xtreme Makeover. More profoundly, we need to stop embracing the politics of denial and withdrawal. Show me a sharp-tongued left-wing critique, built on notions of social justice and economic democracy that resonate with the common man yet, at the same time, embraces the Coneyesque cheap thrills and vulgarian pleasures of junk culture, and I'll show you a battleplan for handing the right's self-appointed morals czars their heads. But it's not NOMDD, whose rearguard action is the thin bleat of a bugle blowing retreat: Forward, into the past!

Libertarian Road Design (In Europe, the land of the free)

Road design? He calls it a revolution

"Who has the right of way?" he asked rhetorically. "I don't care. People here have to find their own way, negotiate for themselves, use their own brains."