100 days over 100 degrees

(CBS/AP)  

DALLAS - Wichita Falls has become the first Texas city to have 100 days of triple-digit temperatures in one year, the same day the Dallas-Fort Worth area joined the state's long list of cities with a record number of 100-degree days in 2011.

Not far from Oklahoma state line in North Texas and home to the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred bike race every summer, Wichita Falls had already broken its one-year record for 100-degree days weeks ago by Tuesday. The previous mark of 79 came in 1980, which was the benchmark for Texas heat waves before this year.

"When you consider the previous record was 79 and that was considered the monster of all summers, to exceed that by ... (25 percent) is pretty astounding," Victor Murphy of the National Weather Service said.

Meteorologist Garry Seith of CBS News affiliate KTVT-TV in Dallas reported on CBS' "The Early Show" Wednesday that the state's average temperature of 86.8 degrees makes Texas' summer the hottest any state has ever recorded.

FRISH

Natural Gas, Replacing Oil to Reduce Emissions...oops

As many know already, and has been shared here periodically, the energy available from any current alternative to petroleum and coal 

without adding to climate change or pollution that lasts for millions of years, or being expensive beyond return, or killing lots of birds, is difficult.  

Until our population goes to zero.  

Then efficiency will be left to nature.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110908124505.htm

Wigley's computer simulations indicate that a worldwide, partial shift from coal to natural gas would slightly accelerate climate change through at least 2050, even if no methane leaked from natural gas operations, and through as late as 2140 if there were substantial leaks. After that, the greater reliance on natural gas would begin to slow down the increase in global average temperature, but only by a few tenths of a degree.

"no leaks" or "substantial leaks"  - San Bruno   Anyone? (Two urls, the explosion and the response).

-- 

FRISH

Flower Children

KATFRISH

                         

Tonight's headlines from Texas

These are appearing, at this moment, as two of the headlines in the USA portion of YAHOO!'s home page. updated 07:20 pm

Tiger in "love triangle" kills mate at Texas zoo

Police: Dallas mom glued daughter's hands to wall

The zoo walls may be more porous than specified...

-- 

FRISH

Hydrogen Fuel Cell for motors to drive vehicles, and airplanes!

I believe that this particular discovery is a game changer...more energy, more people...

"Ours is the first game in town for reusable, air stabile ammonia borane dehydrogenation," Williams said, 

adding that the USC Stevens Institute is in the process of patenting the system.

The system is sufficiently lightweight and efficient to have potential fuel applications ranging from motor-driven cycles to small aircraft, he said.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830151234.htm

Yes, it says "potential" but even so...this or something similar could put a dent in our dependence on Petroleum.

-- 

FRISH

Hard Core Dominionists - be afraid, be very afraid

These guys have been infecting right wing politics for over 30 years.

They're dedicated, well funded, and insane.

TAKES ABOUT AN HOUR, sample it and you will find nuggets at every spot.  

Try starting at minute 4:45 and see...

Way worth it, know thy enemy.

Podcast Title: NPR: Fresh Air Podcast
Episode: NPR: 08-24-2011 Fresh Air
Media URL:
http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/13/139930147/npr_139930147.mp3

Podcast feed URL:
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=13
-- 

FRISH

Jesus Dress Up...

http://www.jesusdressup.com/

Zombie Picnic!

http://dvice.com/archives/2011/08/geeky-engagemen.php#2
--
FRISH

The death of the space program leads directly to

Astronaut Suicides!

Interesting study of when children recognize a RELIABLE source

(I am probably reading far too much into this. Copied the author, so perhaps she can enlighten me further!)

It's a fun study

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110818154351.htm

Essentially, the source who was right without assistance became more trustworthy.

Here's an important paragraph:

"Three-year-olds were equally likely to choose the puppet who'd known the answers on its own and the puppet that got help from Ted. But four- and five-year-olds were more discriminating: They invested more trust in the puppet whose accuracy reflected independent knowledge rather than being dependent on an external source. "We think it's important that from the age of around four, children are being sophisticated in a way that people hadn't really shown before," Einav says. "They're able to distinguish someone who's truly knowledgeable from someone who's given them a right answer but doesn't necessarily deserve long-term trust." This useful skill allows children to seek out people who are likely to be particularly beneficial for their learning."

SOME people believe things told to them as a personal testimonial MORE SO than a "scientific" source that relies on Multiple People (peer review at least) to come to conclusions.

"They invested more trust in the puppet whose accuracy reflected independent knowledge rather than being dependent on an external source."

AND perhaps why some have no conception that all ideas aren't equal.

Creation science is not equal to evolution for example and deserves a footnote in a political science class perhaps.

Seeming to "leave one's body" then seeing a white light, a tunnel, and a beckoning shadowy glowing figure

before "returning" to tell the tale doesn't mean there is life after death.

Global Warming?  It's a hoax to enrich researchers (huh? LOL)

Yet many are taken in by "testimony" not supported by facts!

How does personal "testimony" serve The Religion of Republicans 

(TROR - prounounced TERROR - yes, I just thought it up!)

0. Individuals helping themselves is ideal

1. since all government bad

2. since all taxes bad

3. and therefore lower taxes and less government means more work.

4. Work makes you free, since you can then be independent!  

"Arbeit macht frei" is a slogan over the entrance of several Nazi Concentration Camps, most famously Auschwitz.

No substantiation for either 1 or 2, and, since taxes have essentially never been lower, 3 certainly doesn't hold either.

But, repeat it enough on enough news outlets and people BELIEVE it.  

Don't need any outside help, THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE (along with the others who were given the same talking points)!

Perry, Palin, Bachmann all benefit from this odd tendency people have when judging reliability of sources.

Fox News Fair and Balanced...

-- 

FRISH

Association for Psychological Science (2011, August 20). Four-year-olds know that being right is not enough. ScienceDaily. Retrieved 

Family size expectations diminished during times of financial stress

Frish Sez:  

My parents bugged me plenty (but not overly much) about having kids.  

"I can't afford them" I'd say.  

They said: "No one can afford them, if you wait til you can afford them you'll never have them!"

GOOD ANSWER, I still can't afford them, and am happier everyday I avoided the pleasures (and anguishes) of parenthood!  

I'm happier for my non-existent offspring that is, just as proud as any parent, only more so!

Some of you may know what I mean when I say:  "Lowered Expectations" (SNL).

Copied from here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/19/earlyshow/living/parenting/main20094545.shtml

(CBS News)  

When men and women talk about getting married and having a family, they usually mean more than one child.

But the economy is changing that for many women in their 20s and 30s. 

Many women, CBS News Correspondent Elaine Quijano reported, are scaling back their baby goals. 

Melissa Rheinlander told CBS News her plan was to have three children by now and "living the good life."

However, instead of the gaggle of kids she expected, she now has only one daughter.

Rheinlander says it's because of money. She said, "There is a lot of financial responsibility with having one child and honestly, I did not realize how expensive children can be until we had Alexandra."

Quijano reported on "The Early Show" that Rheinlander's response is a common refrain among many women of child bearing age today. With the average cost of raising a child nearly $250,000, many women are putting their plans on hold.

According to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, the jittery economy is responsible for birthrates falling to their lowest rates since 2007, falling into the same pattern not seen since the Great Depression. Today's birth rates are 65 births per 1,000 women - less than rates found in 1935 when birthrates were 77 per 1,000 women.

Sarah Fowler knows this firsthand. Even though she is only 24 years old, she says like a lot of younger women, mapping out her future family plans already seem like a constant struggle.

Fowler said, "When I was thinking about family, I really looked at my mom, and kind of what she did, and she had her first child when she was 26 and I assumed I would do the same thing."

Her dream of already being married to her boyfriend of five years diminished this past year when their bills and their aspirations stopped adding up.

Fowler said, "As a young woman, it's really difficult to find that balance to really strive towards having a family at a great age."

Waiting too long can be a risk for women.

Dr. Jacques Moritz, director of gynecology at New York's St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, told CBS News, "They might not be able to get pregnant, or they may need in-vitro services. ... The second thing which we're going to have to think about is: What is the effect of having older mothers with younger children?"

For Rheinlander, she's hoping a change in the economy will come and that their dream family will become a reality.

Rheinlander said, "It's unfortunate right now but I don't want to add to our debt and overextend ourselves."

On "The Early Show," co-anchor Chris Wragge said, "The study did find that there was actually an increase of babies being born last year to women in their 40s."

Marketing, Britain, the beach, and skin (looking more Spanish than British)

World Record Shower with a Friend

http://vimeo.com/channels/1341#27765168

--
FRISH

Jihad against Letterman

Oy. Vey.

http://www.screenjunkies.com/tv/tv-lists/the-top-ten-reasons-islamic-extremists-want-david-letterman-killed/

-- 

FRISH

Starbuck's CEO needs to cut out the caffeine . . .

Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz urged other CEOs to boycott donating to U.S. political campaigns to encourage leaders to solve the nation's growing budget deficit.

"I am asking that all of us forego political contributions until the Congress and the President return to Washington and deliver a fiscally disciplined long-term debt and deficit plan to the American people," Schultz wrote in an e-mail sent to business leaders that was obtained by Bloomberg News.

--
FRISH

Cinnamon - snippets from various websites...

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.                    

--
FRISH

Perry, he's zany.

Perry's appeal to evangelicals as seen from the Mormon house organ!

30,000 attendees claimed...

From "the christian post" who says only 20,000 were there!
"The American Family Association, an organization that strongly supports traditional, pro-family positions, produced the event."

Pro-family - definition of family: Male+Female Married heads of household, hopefully both White, (but at least not inter-racial), no "gay acting" kids since it's a choice, Christian, but not Catholic or Mormon, who are so concerned with their neighbor's wombs and bedroom activities that they can't even vote in THEIR OWN self interest.

-- 

FRISH

For coyotes, it's a dog's life

Report from the Urban/Rural boundary (It ain't where it used to be!)

--

FRISH

Split atoms at home...

This hobby has not yet reached critical mass.
--
FRISH

Re: [atheists-614] The Breivek Manifesto - PDF file

Let's see, GUNS KILL PEOPLE.  Oh, yeah, I mean, bullets, bullets kill people. 

So, control the bullets.

Or, control the rabid nationalists, racists, fascists, ethnocentric, and mostly all the lunatics...

 "And kill, kill all the uglies; But I'm, I'm not ugly!" (lyrics from a Mariachi song...)

Here's something to think about, far closer to home so to speak.

The Tea Party Representatives are refusing to allow the government to borrow funds needed to enact the laws voted on by their predecessors.

That's simply underhanded and Undemocratic to its core.

They are stymieing the democratic process and rule of law.

Breivek and a few deluded skinheads don't get it either.  

But, the impact of the teabaggers will kill far more than "The Breivek Distraction".

Much like our own Arizona example (I won't mention his name, this is exactly the kind of stuff that terrorizes people, for NO reason at all, and, it's why they can't stock enough guns or ammo to satisfy demand ever since Obama won the nomination, let alone the election.)

Frish

 

The European Declaration of Independence

by Anders Behring Breivek

in PDF (Acrobat) format.

What they neglected to tell you, the tea party is controlled by gold hoarders, who can't wait for the USA to have credit failure.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/18/us-markets-precious-idUSTRE73786N20110418
--
FRISH

175,000 tons of uranium isn't enough! (I can't quite figure out the numbers!)

India: 'Massive' uranium find in Andhra Pradesh

See url, article copied below . . . http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14196372

19 July 2011 Last updated at 00:38 ET

Exploration work is underway in Tummalapalle

India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh may have one of the largest reserves of uranium in the world, the country's chief nuclear officer says.Studies show Tummalapalle in Kadapa district has a reserve of 150,000 tonnes of the mineral, Atomic Energy Commission chief S Banerjee said.

India has estimated reserves of about 175,000 tonnes of uranium. 

Analysts say the new reserves would still not be sufficient to meet India's growing nuclear energy needs.

Mr Banerjee said that studies at Tummalapalle have shown that the area "had a confirmed reserve of 49,000 tonnes and recent surveys indicate that this figure could go up even threefold" and become one of the world's largest uranium reserves.

The uranium deposits in the area appeared to be spread over 35km (21 miles), he said, adding that exploration work was going on in the area.

Mr Banerjee said the new findings were a "major development", but India's own uranium reserves would still fall short of meeting its nuclear energy needs."The new findings would only augment the indigenous supply of uranium. There would still be a significant gap. We would still have to import," he was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper.

India is planning to set up some 30 reactors over as many years and get a quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy by 2050.

(Frish note: India has even more to catch up than China at this point, as their demographic transition has yet to occur.  They expect Beau Coup more people and need loads more energy.  Seems they are planning a fair bit of Nuclear, but their coal resources are some of the biggest in the world. 

That sure seems like a lot of TONS of uranium.  

Also, let's rip up 21 square miles of land to get Uranium, thereby messing up whatever ecology had been there, and polluting the entire planet with Uranium dust and 10,000 years of containment (oh, yeah, like THAT'S going to happen!))

Here's an Indian Population growth map

http://www.mapsofindia.com/census/fertility-rate-map.html

QUICK FACTS ON INDIA DEMOGRAPHICS 
POPULATION :1028610328 
POPULATION DENSITY :324 prsn/sq km
BIRTH RATE :2.2% 
DEATH RATE :0.65% 
TOTAL FERTILITY RATE :2.81/woman 
LITERACY RATE :65.38 
LIFE EXPECTANCY :68.59 
SEX RATIO :933 
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE :7.8% 

Here's a great set of slides on India's Energy Future (or something!)

http://fossil.energy.gov/international/Publications/cwg_nov05_singh_overview.pdf

Plenty o'Coal in India!  But that Puff Piece has a telling line in it, if one knows how to discern such:

"Less trace elements"  India's coal apparently has fewer "trace elements".

At least 73 elements found in coal-fired plant emissions are distributed in millions of pounds of stack emissions each year. They include: aluminium, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, cadmium, calcium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, sulfur, titanium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc.

Whole lotta heavy metals going on!

Frish (Rock On!)

Re: [atheists-614] God Globalization

The authors must be barking mad.

How does America's "unique religious style" deserve to be replicated anywhere?

Give me Finland, Sweden, Norway type of faith before the US!

Did they miss the part about food riots causing Middle East governments to melt down?

People's stomachs motivate, faith keeps them comfortable as they face the enemy.

Religious Fervor and Political Action may both be happening, but it is a real stretch to think that's going to "reduce violence".

Let's put it another way.  Americans may be really really faithful.  However, we have SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.
Now, if we're going to export something useful, let's export RULE OF LAW AND SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

Then everyone can emulate American of faith to their hearts delight.

Since when does a theocratic government ever allow for freedom, which is what is missing in this scenario, and therefore violence will continue, as it has since humans were created in Eden (Oops, sorry, wrong list...)...

Frish

On Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 12:08 PM, Gary H <gary100dm@yahoo.com> wrote:

some secularists may find this book of interest.

God Is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith Is Changing the World
by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge
Penguin Press HC (April 2, 2009)
available on Amazon.com

from a review:
"The global rise of faith will have a dramatic and far- reaching impact on our century. Indeed, its destabilizing effects can already be seen far from Iraq or the World Trade Center. Religion plays a role in civil wars from Sri Lanka to Sudan. Along the tenth parallel, from West Africa to the Philippines, religious fervor and political unrest are reinforcing each other. God Is Back concludes by showing how the same American ideas that created our unique religious style can be applied around the globe to channel the rising tide of faith away from volatility and violence."


- Gary

Quote concerning Michele Bachman's Homophobic Attitude

It is people like her that give straights a bad name. 

She is a charter member of the gang that couldn't lie straight.
--
FRISH

Wanna know why there are so many of us?

This report details ways human health has improved over the last 100 years!

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6024a4.htm?s_cid=mm6024a4_w

More children born without complication, longer lives, better health care leading to more kids reaching childbearing age, it's a vicious cycle!

--
FRISH

Re: [atheists-614] Re: Birthright Israel

Gary,

I have always maintained that rationalism in regards to the supernatural

and rationalism concerning human future are quite related.

Consider, all 9Bn scheduled to be on board in 2050, are descended from about 2000 people who lived about 70,000 years ago...so, even if only a few of us survive, it's likely to happen again!

EVEN IF WE ALL BECAME VEGAN STOPPED DRIVING OR BURNING PETROLEUM ATE LOCALLY AND SOMEHOW FOUND A PLACE TO PUT OUR "EXHAUST" WE'LL SIMPLE CONTINUE HAVING KIDS UNTIL WE EAT ALL THE PLANTS ON THE PLANET.

That's just another reason I'm a volunteer in the www.vhemt.org.  

I vehement AND no offspring can blame me!

To change human behavior to allow us to continue in a SUSTAINABLE fashion (no other course is valid) will take some true social engineering.

Witness the graphic pictures going onto cigarette packs.  

That's SOCIETY encouraging moral behavior.  

It's moral because the cost of smoking is a societal wide cost, not just a cost to the individual.

So, it doesn't serve societal goals of "continuance" (which all societies share).  

Smoking has been legislated immoral!

Society first needs to agree there is a problem (too many of us, too much pollution, too little sustainability, etc.)

Then society must act, with as much direction and dedication as we did with cigarettes (but not waiting 47 years to be most graphic!).

Don't know if I shared this here, but enjoy again if I have.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Morals-are-the-genes-of-so-by-Frish-Frishberg-110515-957.html

It's how societies evolve.  If we have any chance (my vote is in already, but many wouldn't consider human extinction a close in possibility) to overcome our follies, we have to change our behavior, and what was moral maybe isn't anymore.

Like having children!

SINCE THE RELIGIOUS AMONGST US ARE THE SUPPOSED PURVEYORS OF MORALITY, WE OUGHT TO BE CHALLENGING THEM TO STOP BEING DOMINIONISTS AND START SHEPARDING THE EARTH.

(Had to cool my diatribe with an easy to implement action item, challenge your favorite faithful today!)

Frish

On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 7:07 PM, Gary H <gary100dm@yahoo.com> wrote:

Frish, et. al.

following your link about dying oceans...
I've heard some programs or interviews about this on KPFK radio and I  think also on NPR (which is doing a series on water).

I felt the same way you do.
Humans can't seem to stop squabbling over ethnicity, culture and territory ("God is not a real estate agent." - Hanan Ashrawi) and arguing supernatural-isms and faith over facts. So I felt the same pangs of despair wondering if humans can save the planet for themselves. And given that a vast population of anti-intellectuals, nationalists, and the  culturally hubristic won't pay attention to the balance of the planets eco-system, it appears we humans may be doomed. The prospects appear  horrible even if we do survive.

Gary



--- On Sun, 6/26/11, frish

From:
Subject: Re: [atheists-614] Birthright Israel
To: atheists-614@meetup.com
Date: Sunday, June 26, 2011, 2:57 PM

A niece just returned from her birthright experience, I'll see what she thinks of the article.  (And any before/after reactions to the experience, which was quite an interesting tour of Israel...)

To Gary's point, nationalism was a great way to organize, right up until now, because if we don't start THINKING AND ACTING GLOBALLY ain't no one going to be around to care.

Today' Headline: Fish in worse shape than previously thought 

MULTIPLE OCEAN STRESSES THREATEN "GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT" MARINE EXTINCTION

http://www.stateoftheocean.org/

--
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To learn more about Gary H, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/atheists-614/members/466988/
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--
FRISH

Re: [atheists-614] Birthright Israel

A niece just returned from her birthright experience, I'll see what she thinks of the article.  

(And any before/after reactions to the experience, which was quite an interesting tour of Israel...)

To Gary's point, nationalism was a great way to organize, right up until now, 

because if we don't start THINKING AND ACTING GLOBALLY ain't no one going to be around to care.

Today' Headline: Fish in worse shape than previously thought 

2 billion more people are expect to arrive by the same time the fisheries are extinguished, about 2050!

Won't much matter who believes or doesn't believe much when that occurs...

Frish

On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 10:37 AM, Gary H <gary100dm@yahoo.com> wrote:

[A Secular Humanist Concern. - Gary]
"I believe that what 'poisons everything' is tribalism, machismo and greed."
 -- Jennifer Michael Hecht

The Romance of Birthright Israel

Birthright Israel, the American Zionist organization that has, since its founding in 1999, spent almost $600 million to send more than 260,000 young diaspora Jews on free vacations to the Holy Land.
by Kiera Feldman

http://www.thenation.com/article/161460/romance-birthright-israel

the selling of Jewishness to Jews

"My liberal arts education taught me that any distinct concept or ideal will crumble under the scrutiny of too many questions," laments a recent college grad writing on her Birthright experience, which taught her "it was okay and even honorable to believe in the state of Israel, to adopt, so to speak, the settlers' original dream."

posted by Gary

Reads like a scary novel.. but, it's real.

"With just centimeters remaining before the radioactive water overtops its storage, however, another release of contaminated water into the ocean looks ever more likely. Already, pools of this water burned at least two workers at the plant when they stepped in the puddles, and TEPCO was forced to dump more than 11,000 metric tons of such contaminated water in early April."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fukushima-meltdown-radioactive-flood

11,000 metric tons of water...11 000 000 kilograms = 24,250,848.84 pounds 

At 8.35 gal/lb = 2,904,293.27 gallons/660,000 gallons = 4.5 OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOLS.

Water hot enough to burn...A cubic mile is one trillion gallons.  

If this water is, say, 1000ppm radioactive, that would be an additional .001 radioactive stuff per gallon.

The radiation in one gallon will be spread to 1,000,000 gallons, still sounds like a lot to me!

HazMat folk say: "The solution to pollution is dilution" and, unfortunately we may find out if that's true in this case...

They will be spraying coolant on these reactors for several decades, minimum...

FRISH

Even tho' he says nothing, and even tho' he's channeling one of the best songs of all time...

I still can't stand Craig Ferguson.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwkK5-ibYcw&NR=1

"Look out there's a Monster Coming" Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

From the album:

The Bonzo Dog Band - The Intro

Dec 1969

The album also includes the song:

11 Mustachioed Daughters

It Rhymes:

11 Mustaschioed Daughters, running in a field of Fat,

the full moon high, the mandrake shrieked: "please come to our sabbat!"

--
FRISH

Ocean extinctions

My friend Thinkenstein shared the following.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/ipso-2011-ocean-report-mass-extinction_n_880656.html

People used to think we could dump anything into the ocean because it was so big it could take care of itself?   Turns out we were wrong. 

Personally, and on an individually accessible contribution basis, I think not having kids is about the best thing anybody can do for the planet.    As the great Pogo used to say, "We have found the enemy, and he is us!"

--  Thinkenstein

--
FRISH

Sometimes news is just weird. Dog judged to be stoned to death...by religious court.

Dog while inhabited by a reincarnated soul must be stoned to death!

New word for me...Lapidation.  Nice.  

And, uh, this isn't in Putsomesyllableshere-istan...It's in Israel!

--
FRISH

The Answer: PETROLEUM, OR WOMEN

The question: What will be the hardest fought Resource Wars?

Identifying sick babies before they were born, instead of casual use by parents interested in what color to paint the nursery, 

(or, whether or not to abort a baby of unwanted gender) was the original goal of ultrasound...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-ultrasound-changed-human-sex-ratio

"It didn't matter that the early ultrasound machines yielded fuzzy images, however, or that they only proved helpful in a small proportion of pregnancies. To the 1960s public the technology looked positively futuristic. Around the time pregnancy became a choice rather than an inevitability and the business of having children became about more than generating labor for the farm, we began seeking ways to bond with our babies before birth. An image on which to pin parental hopes made that task a whole lot easier, and so it was a breakthrough to have a preview, however muddled, of the baby growing inside a mother's uterus. Coming at a time of technological optimism when Americans were enamored of outer space and kitchen appliances alike, an era some were calling the Biological Revolution, ultrasound captured the public imagination."

This article speaks to how technology speeds up implementation of existing societal goals, even when doing so creates bigger problems than the technology was trying to solve to begin with.  (Think "drift nets", "nuclear power",  "internal combustion engine", "TV", "facebook"  (lol)...)

From the Amazon Blurb:

Lianyungang, a booming port city, has China's most extreme gender ratio for children under four: 163 boys for every 100 girls. These numbers don't seem terribly grim, but in ten years, the skewed sex ratio will pose a colossal challenge. By the time those children reach adulthood, their generation will have twenty-four million more men than women.

The prognosis for China's neighbors is no less bleak: Asia now has 163 million females "missing" from its population. Gender imbalance reaches far beyond Asia, affecting Georgia, Eastern Europe, and cities in the U.S. where there are significant immigrant populations. The world, therefore, is becoming increasingly male, and this mismatch is likely to create profound social upheaval.

Historically, eras in which there have been an excess of men have produced periods of violent conflict and instability. Mara Hvistendahl has written a stunning, impeccably-researched book that does not flinch from examining not only the consequences of the misbegotten policies of sex selection but Western complicity with them."

Will it be Mars Needs Women  or, Being Gay is Okay...

FRISH

CityVille addiction: A friend's cry for help (For Real...thanks for helping)

A normally Hyper-Rational friend writes:

"I think I may need Cityville therapy.  

I don't know how it happened.  

I was on Facebook minding my own business.  

I have never done anything like this before.  

But I think I need medication.  

I simply can't stop.  

And I am ashamed to admit they have my credit card information.  

What do I do?  I may need an intervention."

First, know any resources for breaking internet-gaming-facebook addiction beyond this:

http://www.wikihow.com/Defeat-a-Facebook-Addiction

Second, any indication that this is a common malady?

Seems like a Wired article anyway...or a foundation waiting to happen...
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FRISH

A vision...

A friend took this shot in the bathroom of a hotel.

Seems somehow weird to me. 

Like, where's the TV? 

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FRISH

"We don't see this often" (PIO's Understatement of the Year nomination!)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110608/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_bear
"We don't see (this) often, even if we live in the country. Lots of deer, but collisions with a bear and two people died? That's really rare," local police spokesman Martin Fournel told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
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FRISH

Headstones go interactive...QR TO Web Presence of Deceased...leave messages...

THE 'LIVING HEADSTONE' (You cannot make this stuff up!)
They sell a subscription service...

"...snip...Quiring Monuments can add a link onto the memorial which enables users of smart phones to scan and automatically connect to a personalized website...snip....This link can be applied to new or existing cemetery headstones, mausoleum shutters, cremation urns, garden benches or as an addition to a public memorial.  In situations where cremated remains were previously scattered, a miniature memorial plaque with the digital link is available for display in your home or garden or even on a field stone in a Green Burial Cemetery."

One summer I almost worked as a "pre-need" salesperson at a large mortuary in San Diego.  

Decided against.  

Another opportunity lost!!

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FRISH

Bridge, and chatting during bridge...

Playing bridge one can chat along the bottom of the screen.

Ckat and I are in a tournament, and between rounds we may chat privately.

We just finished playing hands 4, 5 and 6 and have a couple minutes...

Ckat says: $ also might be good.
Ckat: #4

frish: got it  (written concurrently with just prior line)

frish: i speak dyslexia p...

Ckat: rofl

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FRISH

found this today....says it all.

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FRISH

New Zealand Man blows up like a balloon...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13537084
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FRISH

Heard about the impending shortage of helium...

So, I searched the web, and, found this little item, taken from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduation announcement published just yesterday 5/18/2011!

Here's some scary stuff...

"In addition, to make this year's Commencement environmentally friendly, a long-standing decoration will not be used. Recently, a "Non-Research Helium Boycott" initiative spearheaded by Benjamin Cohen '11, Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, has encouraged members of the Rensselaer campus community to support the initiative and consider the elimination of helium-filled balloons while planning campus events.

Helium, the second lightest element, is a non-renewable resource. The gas is created by the nuclear fusion process of the Sun, or by slow and steady radioactive decay of terrestrial rock, and is typically captured as a byproduct of the natural gas drilling industry.

Recent reports by news, science, industry, and government organizations have noted that the world's most commonly used inert gas is being depleted at an astonishing rate due to a law passed in 1996 that has made helium too cheap to recycle. The Helium Preservation Act stipulates that the helium must be sold off by 2015, regardless of the market price. Researchers note that it is possible that there may be an empty spot on the periodic table within the next 30 years.

Many industrial processes rely on helium. The gas is used for MRI and nuclear magnetic resonance machines, pressurizing and purging rockets, welding, as well as in the production of fiber optics, LCDs, and food. In his proposal, Cohen stated the following: "RPI as a world-class technological research university, understanding the importance of helium to the scientific community and for common human good, commits to curbing the using of helium on campus for non-research or science-based purposes. This is in effect a boycott of helium balloons in the hopes of also increasing awareness for material scarcity.""

FRISH