Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Internet Population Passes One Billion; Top 15 Countries
The number of people on the Internet surpassed one billion in December, according to comScore. The actual number is probably higher than that (Internet World Stats counted nearly 1.5 billion Web surfers worldwide as of June 30, 2008). In any case, only between 15 and 22 percent of the world’s population is on the Internet. We have a long way to go.
Climate Change Killing America’s Trees at Ever Faster Rates
Trees in western North America are dying at faster and faster rates, and climate change is likely to blame. The mounting deaths could fundamentally transform Western forests because tree reproduction hasn’t increased to offset losses, according to a new study published Thursday in Science.
More Spaceflight Needed To Drive Evolution
There is fierce debate over the direction humanity should take when exploring the solar system. Plans for human exploration of the solar system and beyond often polarize opinions among the public and scientific communities.
Want to Live Longer? Cut the Pollution
Nobody pretends that polluted air isn’t terrible for your health. Clean up the skies over any dirty city and the people who live there will all but certainly become healthier. That, at least, has been popular wisdom, but until now, no one had ever put it to the statistical test. Now someone has and the results are striking.
Mars and Mercury Formed From Planetary Scraps
Mars and Mercury were formed from the scraps of Earth and Venus, according to a radical new theory of rocky planet formation. The model could explain some characteristics of Mars and Mercury that have long puzzled scientists, said Brad Hansen, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
5 Weather Events Worth Chatting About
Usually, the weather is a subject for polite, uneventful conversation with people you don’t know very well. But sometimes the weather is weird, or even downright scary. Here are a few examples of weather events that gave neighbors more than enough to awkwardly discuss.
Greenpeace Activists Detain Palm Oil Tanker
Where Do Readers Stand on Direct Action? Yesterday, Greenpeace announced that, in order to highlight the ongoing deforestation occurring in Indonesia due to expanding oil palm cultivation, it had stopped a palm oil shipments from leaving port in Dumai, Indonesia. The activists locked themselves to the ship’s anchor chain to prevent its departure.
Princeton Scientists Discover Proteins to Control Evolution
Evolutionary changes are supposed to take place gradually and randomly, under pressure from natural selection. But a team of Princeton scientists investigating a group of proteins that help cells burn energy stumbled across evidence that this is not how evolution works.
Utilities Testing Solar Thermal At Traditional Power Plants
The Electric Power Research Institute announced yesterday that two utility companies (Dynasty Inc and NV Energy) will test out the addition of solar thermal energy to natural gas plants in Arizona and Nevada. The EPRI is conducting the project to determine if using solar thermal at fossil fuel plants will reduce fuel costs and plant emissions.
7 Environmental Executive Orders President Obama Should Sign
The Center for Progressive Reform passed on their suggestions for 7 Executive Orders for the President’s First 100 Days, and here they are for you to debate, discuss and otherwise armchair analyze.
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Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
In exactly one and a half hours, Barack Obama and John McCain will square off in the final presidential debate of 2008.
I can’t believe it’s happening. I mean, I have been following a campaign, in some fashion or another, for about 8 years now. Geez, it seems like they never end. Someone (I can’t remember who) once said that the campaigning for the second term of the presidency begins the first day of office of the first term. That may have come from a movie, I just don’t remember.
I have been following the hype all day. All the major news outlets have been saying that John McCain needs to really step it up during this debate and knock Obama off his rhythm. If he does, would that bring all the swing voters to McCain? Possible, but not probable.
As you may be aware, there is a huge amount of media manipulation during any campaign, but especially before a big debate, like this one. Both campaigns play what is referred to as “the expectations game.” I actually got that term from the media. I think Obama’s team won this time, because they got all the outlets to report on McCain’s tall order. Now, we are all going to be watching for that knockout punch.
Or, it could be the media is just reporting this to raise ratings. I think this thing is being influenced by both. Either way, I will be sitting down in the basement from 9PM to ??? enjoying another debate with a cold beer in my hand.
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
I am a registered Democrat. Love me if you are a Democrat, hate me if you are a Republican. I don’t care.
I am actually more of a socially liberal / fiscally conservative Independent. I guess that would make me one of those coveted swing voters. I’m probably not, because I have never voted Republican in my life, but just the same, I would like to be one of those coveted people.
I was just reading about our two presidential candidates for 2008, again. I am pretty psyched about this race. I think the Democrats have a good thing going and, if what I am reading is true, the Republicans need some help.
Let me just say this off the bat…I don’t dislike John McCain. Actually, I didn’t before the election. He is starting to get under my skin though. I think I never really disliked him because I never really saw much of him. I just saw what was on the news. I always thought his heart was in the right place. The more I see this guy, the more he is starting to annoy me. I think it’s because (in my opinion), he has zero charisma. If I hear “friends…” one more time. Also, for the life of me, I have no idea why in the world he is bringing up William Ayers. Hardly anyone knows who this person is and, right now, hardly anyone cares. Perhaps if this William fella was in the news for the past 3 years for doing something terrible and had some more name recognition, there would be some impact. But seriously, wasting valuable air time on a no-name dude like this is…well, wasting valuable air time. There are bigger issues at hand.
I have long thought that presidential politics was just a popularity contest. I mean, who in the world knows what these people are proposing? It seems to be all about style. If someone is a good speaker, they can pretty much say, “I will rob you blind” and still get voted in. I mean 95% of these people and a $5000 tax credit for these people…who knows what is going on? Seriously, about 5% of the public really cares.
Can you really vote for someone based on what they say they are going to do while in office? Remember what the current president said during all his debates with Al Gore? Small government, follow the rule of law, war as a last resort, fiscally conservative…oh man. I mean, the last 8 years was kind of like winning the lottery and getting your car repossessed in one fell swoop.
As much as I hate wedge issues, they seem to play a large part in who gets voted in to office. Abortion, religion, gay rights, immigration…all of them play a very weighted role in who gets to live in the White House for the next 4 years. It is a real shame, but the facts are the facts.
I can say to a McCain supporter who pays too much in taxes, “Yeah, but Obama says he is going to lower taxes on those who make less than $250,000 a year.” They might say back to me, “McCain is pro-life.” I guess they are voting for McCain. No one can really say whether or not these issues should be important to people, they just are. I keep thinking that when voting for the next president, you are voting for someone to fill a spot in the Executive Branch of government. I am not sure what gay rights has to do with the Executive Branch, but if you oppose gay rights, you oppose gay rights. Ain’t nobody going to change your mind. Well, the president does get to nominate justices for the Supreme Court…hmmm.
I would like to hear what is going through the minds of people out there. I am going to go out on a limb here and tell you what concerns me in this election and I hope you will do the same. I don’t care who you are voting for, I just want you to tell me your concerns. What issues make you vote for who you plan on voting for?
My concerns are (in order of importance): environment, economy, the war(s), taxes, health care, our standing in the world and having some honesty back in government.
There you have it. Anyone else?
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
I just like her. She is smart, witty and takes on the big boys. If you don’t know her, you really should check her out. Her name is Rachel Maddow.
I really only started hearing of Rachel a few years ago. She is the host of “The Rachel Maddow Show†that airs on Air America, online at airamerica.com and on XM Satellite Radio. Her TV show airs on MSNBC.
I think the thing I like most about her is the way she really knows what she is talking about. If you are like me, you might kind of sputter out half way through an argument because you run out of ammo. Not this lady, she just keeps on going. It’s point after point after point. I would put her in a debate against almost anyone.
Take a look for yourself. You can check her out all over YouTube. Watch a few videos and tell me I’m not right about this one. Hey look, she even has a blog…and writes in it!!! Maybe I should put this one in my favorites…
Who is your favorite journalist?
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
I just wanted to let my fine and honorable readers know that I will be unavailable tonight from 9PM to about 11PM. I will be downstairs watching the first presidential debate of 2008.
Due to my unavailability, I will not be taking phone calls, unless they are of emergency in nature. Oh please, like anyone calls me. Haha.
Does anyone else care about politics like I do? I mean, I don’t like politics, I get frustrated as much as the next guy from the whole circus. I like the drama. I like watching each campaign’s strategy and how they try to outwit the other. I don’t know, it gets me all wound up and ready to fight.
Ok, bye.
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Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Top Scientist: Put Oil Firm Chiefs on Trial for High Crimes
James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.
Are Artificial Reefs Good for the Environment?
It sounds like a great idea. Sink an old fleet of subway cars in the ocean. Plants & invertebrates will colonize the hulking structure. Fish will migrate there & reproduce. And before long, the replenished ecosystem thats great for recreational fishing & diving. But some scientists aren’t so sure they replenish the ecosystem.
NASA Climatologist: “Almost Too Late to Stop Global Warming”
On Monday, NASA climatologist Dr.James Hansen will testify at a House committee hearing that it is almost, but not quite, too late to start defusing what he calls the “global warming time bomb.†He will offer a plan for cuts in emissions and also a warning about the risks of further inaction.
Is the ‘Oil Drilling Debate’ Masking the Real Issue?
Should we be focusing on making oil cheap or should we focus on making it obsolete? Of course in an ideal world, gas would be cheap and increasingly obsolete. We don’t live in an ideal world. By focusing on unrealistic “quick fix†solutions, are we just scraping ourselves up a little more time to keep avoiding the real issue?
Germany ‘is world’s greenest country’
Germany has been labelled the world’s greenest country after it cut its energy use by more than any other state in 2007.
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Friday, November 16th, 2007
I heard there was going to be another Democratic debate last night in Las Vegas. I was pretty excited, because I like debates.
We sat down to start eating dinner when Laura got up to see if she could find which channel the debate was on. For some reason, we couldn’t seem to locate it. I hopped up and walked into the other room to do some research online. I discovered that the debate was going to be aired on CNN. I went back into the living room to find CNN on the TV. Again, I couldn’t find the debate, nor CNN for that matter. Hmmmm…
We finished up dinner and I visited CNN.com to get some more information. I discovered that I could watch the debate live online, right there at CNN.com. I was thinking to myself…”Yeah right, like it’s going to come in smoothly, without breaking up to buffer ever few seconds.” I clicked the player, downloaded the plugin for Firefox and off I went.
I couldn’t believe it. There I was, sitting at my computer two hours later watching them finish up the debate. About half way through, I noticed that I could enlarge the player window to fit the entire twenty two inches on my monitor. It was like watching a television. Everything was smooth and there were no commercials. During the times the commercials were airing on the television, they flipped over to live coverage of the debate on the CNN.com channel. It was so cool.
I guess things are changing quickly. By the way, Hillary did much better and was quite impressive.
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