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Let Them Eat Sushi - Chocolate Milk Out, Raw Fish In At L.A. Schools

Let Them Eat Sushi - Chocolate Milk Out, Raw Fish In At L.A. Schools

Jun 16 2011 | comment(s)

40% of the California budget goes toward education but it's not enough.   I can confirm that, at least in our schools.  My wife helped my son's Kindergarten teacher move out of her old classroom to go to a new school and the whole truck full of stuff was all things the teacher bought herself.

But where does the money disappear between taxes and teachers?  If you guessed fat salaries for Democratic-voting University of California and California State employees, you would be right; their rolls increased 300% since 1998 and now have to be furloughed.  But there is a lot more waste at all levels yet neither the administration nor the unions nor the government wants to accept any part in the problem.
San Francisco Goes After Goldfish

San Francisco Goes After Goldfish

Jun 16 2011 | comment(s)

San Francisco, always at the avant-garde of kooky, pointless gestures that annoy many and help few, thinks the worst problem it faces today are 'impulse' buys of goldfish, so they want to ban them.

Gotta put an end to the inhumane conditions perpetuated by the Big Goldfish military-industrial complex; their homes are completely underwater and they only get fed once a day.    Meanwhile, the pollution and slave labor of Apple barely gets noticed.  It helps that few activists own goldfish but all of them own iPhones.
Muon Neutrinos change 'flavors' to electron? A clue in why we are made of matter and not antimatter

Muon Neutrinos change 'flavors' to electron? A clue in why we are made of matter and not antimatter

Jun 16 2011 | comment(s)

Neutrinos are elementary particles that are fundamental building blocks of nature.  Neutrinos come in three types - muon, electron and tau - generally travel at the speed of light and can easily pass pass through ordinary matter, like Earth's crust.

Researchers with the Tokai to Kamioka experiment (T2K) at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex have discovered that muon neutrinos can spontaneously change their "flavor" to electron neutrinos. Scientists had previously measured the change of muon neutrinos to tau neutrinos and electron neutrinos to muon neutrinos or tau neutrinos, she said. 
Tropical Storm Increase Is Due To Better Detection, Not Climate Change?

Tropical Storm Increase Is Due To Better Detection, Not Climate Change?

Jun 16 2011 | comment(s)

In psychology, the increase in Autism diagnoses has three possible explanations; Autism is over-diagnosed because it is a fad, like ADD in the 1990s, more diagnoses are now made because it is better understood and therefore more accurate, or external things are creating more Autism.

So it goes with hurricanes and tropical storms.  There seem to be more of them.   At least with the third possibility, external events creating more of them, a new report in Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres says there is no evidence climate change is responsible.  Instead, better detection means shorter storms, those lasting two days or less, are being counted now and were not in the past.   
LEED program for energy savings is faith-based more than science-based?

LEED program for energy savings is faith-based more than science-based?

Jun 15 2011 | comment(s)

The U.S. Green Building Council (not affiliated with the US government)  corporation and its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is the biggest name in green-energy standards.  It's member-driven, so doesn't need to sell a product, it sells good intentions instead.

That may be part of the problem; it's "green" standards may not be helping much at all.
Next Best Reason To Watch

Next Best Reason To Watch "Game Of Thrones" - Sean Bean Is Bad In Real Life Too

Jun 14 2011 | comment(s)

We first saw Sean Bean as the best bad guy in the best Pierce Brosnan, James Bond film, "GoldenEye" and he just gets better with age.   He also loves the sword and sorcery stuff, as witnessed by his turn in "The Lord of the Rings" and now "Game of Thrones".

But who knew he was so tough in real life also?

Bean was apparently smoking in front of a London pub Sunday evening with a stripper (or whatever)  when someone walking by made a lewd comment about her, so Bean took off after him and the guy ran but when Bean went back out for another cigarette the guy was waiting and stabbed him.

Did he to a hospital?  Nope, he threw a band-aid (or whatever) on it and ordered another drink.
Did the Woolly Mammoth interbreed with elephants?

Did the Woolly Mammoth interbreed with elephants?

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) roamed the planet for more than a million years, ranging from Europe to Asia to North America. Nearly all of these giants vanished from Siberia by about 10,000 years ago.

The Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) preferred the more temperate regions of southern and central North America. The Columbians were much larger than woollies, with Columbian males reaching one-and-a-half to two times that of woolly males.

Researchers have discovered the mitochondrial genome of the Columbian mammoth was nearly indiscernible from that of its northern woolly counterparts.   Woolly mammoth may have interbred with elephants.
 
Did the Chinese come to East Africa before the Europeans?

Did the Chinese come to East Africa before the Europeans?

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

Did the Chinese come to East Africa before the Europeans?

China says yes and, to prove it, Chinese and Kenyan archeologists are now searching the African coast for the fabled wreck of a Ming dynasty junk, an ancient Chinese sailing vessel, from the fleet of legendary 15th-century explorer Zheng He.

 Researchers have identified several shipwrecks of interest off the Kenyan coast near the World Heritage site of Lamu but after years of excitable hype by China’s state media, the underwater archaeologists involved in the search are warning that the newly discovered wrecks could be from any era or country — and even if a sunken Chinese ship is found, it may no longer be intact or even identifiable.
Anonymous Tells NATO - 'This Is No Longer Your World'

Anonymous Tells NATO - 'This Is No Longer Your World'

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

Anonymous, the proper name given to a secret, loose band of Internet hackers famous for taking out sites they do not like (here's hoping they like Science 2.0) didn't think much of a NATO report on their activities.

"Can one invoke Article 5 of the Washington Treaty after a cyber attack? And what response mechanisms should the Alliance employ against the attacker? Should the retaliation be limited to cyber means only, or should conventional military strikes also be considered?"
Not Just Organic Food - Raw Milk Is An E. Coli Risk In America

Not Just Organic Food - Raw Milk Is An E. Coli Risk In America

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

The organic food crisis in Europe has caught popular attention even in America - dozens dead and thousands sickened due to another E. coli occurrence in organic produce - but America has another issue that could harm people who have been educated by advertising into believing that raw and organic is nutritionally different and just as safe.

Raw food, in particular unpasteurized milk and juice, poses a very specific public safety risk that is unrelated to dietary concerns. Consuming a diet loaded with fat and salt is unhealthy, but the government has no business regulating that. Raw milk, however, is different. Unpasteurized milk has a greater chance of being contaminated with disease-causing bacteria than pasteurized milk.
IBM Building Facebook for Scientists

IBM Building Facebook for Scientists

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

That whole "Facebook of..." thing is a pretty common description these days.  It makes sense, Facebook is wildly popular (even we have a Facebook page) and 4 years ago we were called Facebook for Scientists, which didn't make a lot of sense at the time since writing science on the Internet existed before Facebook.

And if scientists were that social they would be on the actual Facebook more.  They just aren't, as a bloc.   Regardless, IBM thinks if they build it, scientists will come and their sweetener is it will help researchers get funding.  
EPA Too Powerful? 5 More Power Plants To Close

EPA Too Powerful? 5 More Power Plants To Close

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

The EPA believes it has the ability to impose new regulations aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants including mercury and arsenic without Congressional approval.

Oddly, both Republicans and Democrats are against a sweeping power grab by unelected officials who have no accountability and no oversight.   Regardless, until it is resolved, new rules are driving power plants out of existence.

If you think energy prices are too high, wait until more power plants close.     American Electric Power said yesterdsy that it will shut down five coal-fired power plants and have to spend billions of dollars to comply with a series of pending Environmental Protection Agency regulations.  Who's going to pay for that?   Consumers.
The Leper Warrior: Racial Terminology in Biological Anthropology

The Leper Warrior: Racial Terminology in Biological Anthropology

Jun 10 2011 | comment(s)

Mauro Rubini and Paola Zaio studied skeletons from 234 graves in an early Medieval (6th-8th century) cemetery in Molise (south-central Italy). Based on grave goods, they suggest that the people buried in the cemetery were of different ethnic backgrounds - the Eurasian Avars, Lombards, and indigenous Italians - and were semi-nomadic. Three of the skeletons appear to have warfare-related wounds, and one of the three also suffered from leprosy in life.
Science Is Re-Discovering The Polymath

Science Is Re-Discovering The Polymath

Jun 08 2011 | comment(s)

Francis Crick was a polymath - a literate guy who crossed from the physical sciences to help solve one of the great mysteries of 20th century biology, the double-helix of DNA.   There are numerous others but science has become increasingly specialized and that is essentially, it is said, in a more complex world.

In "It's Sad But True That Most Discoveries In Biology Are Made By Physicists" - Freeman Dyson it was discussed that more and more complex problems would be ill-suited for just one field, biology being an example, and polymaths are becoming more prominent again. 
MyPlate vs. Evolution

MyPlate vs. Evolution

Jun 07 2011 | comment(s)

The new food pyramid is no longer a pyramid, it is shaped more like a pie...but they don't want you to call it a pie, because that isn't very healthy, so they call it a plate.

And it is better than that crazy pyramid (see Obama Administration Replacing A Pyramid With A Pie To Combat Obesity)



but is it natural or the result of more consensus due to lobbying by big corporations in the various food segments?
Technology Is Not Always Great - Check Out These Auto-Correct Mishaps

Technology Is Not Always Great - Check Out These Auto-Correct Mishaps

Jun 07 2011 | comment(s)

I don't use auto-correct and you know why?  Because I am never wrong, sure, but also because it is rarely right.

damnyouautocorrect.com has their 15 most popular auto-correct errors from last month and you will fall off your chair laughing.  Here is a sample:

The Happiest Country In The World - Denmark

The Happiest Country In The World - Denmark

Jun 06 2011 | comment(s)

Does positive psychology explain the happiness of Danes?   Granted, surveys are not perfect, but they can be telling; Denmark enjoys the highest "wellbeing" of the countries surveyed and an article in The Atlantic claims its because people trust the government, which seems a little self-serving to the sociologist who might like big government.    The Germans trusted their government also but occupied Denmark in World War II.

What happened next was distinct, though.   When the Danes learned the Germans planned to round up the Jews and send them to camps, they quickly mobilized a plan to get them to Sweden, which enjoyed friendly relations with the Germans and had neutral status.
Spanish Cucumbers, German Sprouts - Which Organic Food Has The E. Coli?

Spanish Cucumbers, German Sprouts - Which Organic Food Has The E. Coli?

Jun 06 2011 | comment(s)

No one seems to know which organic food has killed 22 people and sickened thousands due to E. coli bacterial contamination.   A day after blaming German sprouts - not a bad guess, sprouts have been the cause of 30 food scares just in the US since 1996 - and a few days after blaming Spanish cucumbers, investigators are admitting they may never know.

It's probably wiser to just not shop in the organic supermarket for a while.

"We have to be clear on this: Maybe we won't be able anymore to identify the source,"  said Andreas Hensel, head of Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, a further sign that this outbreak of E. coli has done to organic food what the earthquake at Fukushima did to nuclear power plants.
Autistic Senior Voted Prom King

Autistic Senior Voted Prom King

Jun 06 2011 | comment(s)

Maybe political correctness can get an autistic student voted prom king?   Only in Hollywood movies.  In real life, high schoolers can be vicious.    But for one socially awkward young man, diagnosed as autistic at a young age, high school has been pretty good and he was well regarded enough that his peers at Mariner High School. voted him prom king.

There may be some political correctness at the administrative level - kids like Justin Amandro are in the Exceptional Student Education program while they call the students without any sort of disability regular, which is confusing to non-Americans - but the students do the voting and they clearly like him and took the time to see past a label.
The Internet Is Fastest Growing Cause Of Global Warming?

The Internet Is Fastest Growing Cause Of Global Warming?

Jun 06 2011 | comment(s)

What do you get when you add 1 billion daily Google searches,  60 million Facebook status updates, 50 million tweets and 250 billion emails per day?

A whole lot of melting glaciers, that's what.   While activists are happy about the Depression-era economy and its drop in carbon emissions, the one area of business still working, the Internet, is now getting an evil gaze.   

The Internet has become the fastest growing source of carbon emissions - if the Internet was a country, it would be the planet's fifth-biggest consumer of power, ahead of India and Germany.   And that's only going to grow more.