Wednesday, December 24, 2008
And Everywhere: One Person’s Food is Another Person’s Poison...
In the early 1900s, the German chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch staved off global starvation by turning nitrogen from the air into fertilizer for crops. Their explosive discovery fed millions, but it also kick-started the chemical weapons industry and helped fuel Hitler’s rise to power. The...
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Monday, December 22, 2008
And Definitely Everywhere: So You Worry About Global Warming?
The Future looks bright – maybe too bright. The Sun is slowly expanding and brightening, and over the next few billion years it will eventually desiccate Earth, leaving it hot, brown and uninhabitable. About 7.6 billion years from now the Sun will reach its maximum size as a red giant: its surface...
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Sunday, December 21, 2008
And just in time for Christmas: Now we know how they get down the Chimney..
Reindeer are genetically programmed to stop growing in cold weather when food is scarce, cutting their caloric needs by 70 per cent. ( Toronto Star, Dec 21, 2008 ) I need to do something about my own genetic programming – no matter what I do, I always seem to grow wider at this time of year...
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
And in South El Monte: Politician Forced from Late-Night Office...
Mayor Blanca Figueroa of the Los Angeles-area town of South El Monte has been criticized by councillors for her undesirable work habits. Not only does Figueroa spend all day at city hall, but she remains there well into the early morning. Citing liability and safety issues stemming from the mayor...
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
And in England: A Slightly Belated but Nonetheless Appropriate Apology...
The Church of England apologized to Charles Darwin, 126 years after his death, for insisting that humans didn’t descend from apes...(Maclean’s, Dec 15, 2008 ) After closely observing the behavior of English football fans [ soccer to our Americans] for decades, the Church has finally agreed that...
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008
And From the Man Himself – an Interesting Quote...
“The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible is a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.” Albert Einstein, in a letter (complete with idiosyncratic punctuation) made public this year. (P....
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
And in London: Triage in the Drunk Tent...
In some cities, the sure sign that the Christmas season is in full swing comes when decorative lights are switched on. In others, it’s the echo of familiar, festive tunes or the Santa-themed displays in department store windows. In London, we know it’s really Christmas when the ambulance service...
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Monday, December 15, 2008
And Almost Everywhere: Next-Generation Antibiotics...
The threat of antibiotic resistance is nothing to scoff at: the WHO predicts that some diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis and pneumonia, could have "no effective therapies within the next 10 years.” Indeed, 70 per cent of hospital-acquired bacterial infections in the US – which kill 90,000...
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
And in the World of Cats: Condos and Hammocks...
Cats “need a 3D environment, so this is exactly the kind of thing I’d recommend,” says animal behaviourist Dr. Nicholas Dodman of a feline gym, with “climbing surfaces, scratching posts, a big cat condo and a cozy hammock.” (P. Hluchy, Toronto Star, Dec 14, 2008 ) Sources confirm that...
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Saturday, December 13, 2008
And in Britain: Now Taxpayers Are Flipping Over the Flip-Flops...
Taxpayers in England are outraged over a new policy that will see police handing out flip-flops to female partygoers in the resort town of Torbay to help them make it home safely. Police say the shoes are designed for women who otherwise have to totter home in high heels. The footwear, which has...
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