Not Bad Dogs, Bad People

Or as Cesar Millan says "I rehabilitate dogs. I train people."

See PhysOrg: Dogs are aggressive if they are trained badly

Alaskan Eskimo Village Forced To Move

Hey Alaskans - "You can ignore reality but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality" -Ayn Rand

Via CNN: 'Climate change' forces Eskimos to abandon village

More Evidence Of Conservativisim As A Sign Of Mental Defect

See: The Irony of Satire

Using data from an experiment (N = 332), we found that individual-level political ideology significantly predicted perceptions of Colbert's political ideology. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements. Conservatism also significantly predicted perceptions that Colbert disliked liberalism.

MJ: Conservatives Live in a Different Moral Universe—And Here's Why It Matters

Maybe 2012 Really Will Be The End?

Like the Mayans prophesied...

Wired: The 2012 Apocalypse — And How to Stop It

Worse yet, the next period of intense solar activity is expected in 2012, and coincides with the presence of an unusually large hole in Earth’s geomagnetic shield.

Evidence For A Single Migration To The Americas

See PhysOrg: Native Americans descended from a single ancestral group, DNA study confirms

Unfortunately we may never know if the Clovis people were similar to Native Americans or had different genetics because they died out.

81.5 MPG In A Stock Ford Fusion Hybrid

Via GCC: Ford Fusion Hybrid 1,000 Mile Challenge Car Sets Record with 1,445 Miles on Single Tank of Gas; Averages 81.5 mpg

Drivers trained in mileage-maximizing techniques such as smooth acceleration and coasting to red lights were able to wring 1,445.7 miles out of a single tank of gas during a fund-raising effort in Washington, DC that concluded today. They did it by averaging 81.5 miles per gallon in an off-the-showroom floor, non-modified 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, nearly doubling its EPA rating.

The Fusion Hybrid 1,000-Mile Challenge started on 25 April. After more than 69 continuous hours of driving, the Fusion Hybrid finally depleted its tank and came to a stop with an odometer reading of 1,445.7 miles—setting a world record for gasoline-powered, midsize sedan.

BSG Updates

Salon: Frak this prequel

As premises go, "Caprica's" dead teenager uploaded into battle robot is a promising one ("Terminator" meets "Freaky Friday"?), but the pilot lacks the dramatic heft of its predecessor. It doesn't have the same sense of scale or tragedy as "Battlestar" and feels considerably more generic, both dramatically and stylistically. The drama builds slowly, and scenes unfold without much, if any, tension. What little tension it has owes to viewers' knowledge of what will happen 58 years later. There are no hostage crises or food shortages to resolve, since the show's main concern is the emotional state of its two families. In fact, robot subplot and holographic excursions aside, there really isn't much that’s science fiction-y about "Caprica."

TheOnion: Obama Depressed, Distant Since 'Battlestar Galactica' Series Finale

According to sources in the White House, President Barack Obama has been uncharacteristically distant and withdrawn ever since last month's two-hour series finale of Battlestar Galactica.

"The president seems to be someplace else lately," said one high-level official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Yesterday we were all being briefed on the encroachment of Iranian drone planes into Iraq, when he just looked up from the table and blurted out, 'What am I supposed to watch on Fridays at 10 p.m. now? Numb3rs?'"

And now that I have had time to reflect on the series my favorite episode was the first one after the mini-series: "33"

The Latest On The K-T Boundary

PhysOrg: New blow for dinosaur-killing asteroid theory
Professor Keller's page: The Great Chicxulub Debate

Protecting The Earth With A Tether And Ballast

Via PhysOrg: How to deflect asteroids and save the Earth

The Aldo Leopold Archives

The University of Wisconsin has made the full Aldo Leopold archives searchable at The Aldo Leopold Archives.

In The U.S. - Venezuela Has 42% Favorable Rating, Republicans 39%

(I do not fully buy this but it is funny) See OpenLeft: Republicans Less Popular Than Venezuela

The Endurance Running Hypothesis

Via SeedMag: The Running Man

“Running an animal to heatstroke is something that most humans can do, and that other animals can’t,” says Lieberman. “It’s a compelling explanation for why these capabilities evolved, and frankly, nobody’s come up with a better idea yet.”

This article reminded me of The Legend of Cliff Young: The 61 Year Old Farmer Who Won the World’s Toughest Race

For Reel

I've been using a Brill Luxus reel mower for eight years and love it. Brill has an updated reel mower now that looks even better.

See CleanAirGardening: Brill Razorcut 38 Reel Mower

Principles For A New Party

I stopped being a Republican when I realized the party was more concerned with protecting the rights of corporations over individuals; with socializing risks and privatizing rewards; and in general just representing ignorance in economics and history. Not that I can comfortably call myself a Democrat either. But I can support Obama because I believe him to be a pragmatist. The best description of my leanings is Liberaltarian.

I was reminded of the need for a new political party by Nassim Nicholas Taleb at FT: Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world
The abbreviated list is:

1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small. Nothing should ever become too big to fail. .

2. No socialisation of losses and privatisation of gains.

3. People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.

4. Do not let someone making an “incentive” bonus manage a nuclear plant – or your financial risks.

5. Counter-balance complexity with simplicity.

6. Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning.

7. Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence.

8. Do not give an addict more drugs if he has withdrawal pains.

9. Citizens should not depend on financial assets or fallible “expert” advice for their retirement.

10. Make an omelette with the broken eggs.

Where Did The Recession Come From?

Oil price increases seems obvious. That plus runaway housing prices as I wrote about earlier.

And now a new research paper indicates that this great recession is the result of peak oil production.

EconoBrowser: Consequences of the Oil Shock of 2007-08

Whereas historical oil price shocks were primarily caused by physical disruptions of supply, the price run-up of 2007-08 was caused by strong demand confronting stagnating world production.

Guerilla Gardening

Something I have always wanted to do is bundle up wild edible plants and scatter their seeds across the landscape. I already do this on a limited basis on my walks - I'll stick red oak acorns, white pine cones, and white cedar seeds in my pocket and scatter them in needy places.

Other folks take this concept much further:

NPR: Environmentalists Adopt New Weapon: Seed Balls

CSMonitor: Guerrilla gardening takes root in Los Angeles

BBC: Guerrilla gardeners wage turf war

I Never Understood Why Station Wagons Were Not More Popular

MSNBC: Pile in! Station wagons are making a comeback

And I have always wondered why all police cars aren't station wagons?

Non-Stationary Hot Spots

PhysOrg: Bent tectonics: How Hawaii was bumped off

...the hotspot responsible for the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain was not fixed. Rather it had been drifting quite distinctly southward. Nearly 50 million years ago, it finally came to rest while the Pacific plate steadily pushed on, the combination of which resulted in the prominent bend.

The Payroll Tax

Should the Social Security tax (FICA) be put on holiday in order to stimulate the economy?

See The NY: Not Insane

Whatever happened to the idea of eliminating the ceiling on FICA so that income above $102,000 was taxed too? Wouldn't this solve the Social Security "crisis"?

Beating Asteroids

Wired: How to Defend Earth Against an Asteroid Strike

(Continuation of a theme)