Archive for March, 2011
NATO Chief Opens The Door to Libya Ground Troops
March 29th, 2011Via: Wired: The mantra, from President Obama on down, is that ground forces are totally ruled out for Libya. After all, the United Nations Security Council Resolution authorizing the war explicitly rules out any “occupation” forces. But leave it to the top military officer of NATO, which takes over the war on Wednesday, to add […]
Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Still Falling, Declined 3.1% From Year Earlier
March 29th, 2011Via: Blomberg: Residential real estate prices dropped in January by the most in more than a year, raising the risk that U.S. home sales will keep slowing. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values in 20 cities fell 3.1 percent from January 2010, the biggest year-over-year decrease since December 2009, the group said today in New […]
Daniel Nocera’s ‘Artificial Leaf’ and Synthetic Photosynthesis for Energy Conversion
March 29th, 2011Via: Press Release – American Chemical Society: Scientists today claimed one of the milestones in the drive for sustainable energy — development of the first practical artificial leaf. Speaking here at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, they described an advanced solar cell the size of a poker card that mimics the […]
Libyan Rebels Form Central Bank
March 29th, 2011Mmm hmm. Via: Bloomberg: Libyan rebels in Benghazi said they have created a new national oil company to replace the corporation controlled by leader Muammar Qaddafi whose assets were frozen by the United Nations Security Council. The Transitional National Council released a statement announcing the decision made at a March 19 meeting to establish the […]
Whole Food Diet Alone Can Significantly Reduce ADHD Symptoms
March 29th, 2011Via: Civil Eats: Over five million children ages four to 17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the United States and close to 3 million of those children take medication for their symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But a new study reported in The Lancet last month found […]
Chinese Battery Factory Cataclysms; Lead in the Soil and Groundwater
March 28th, 2011Since beginning its transition 30 years ago, China’s economic development has been miraculous. —World Bank Via: Reuters: The general manager of a battery plant in eastern China faces environmental pollution charges after lead emissions from the plant poisoned nearly 170 villagers, including 53 children, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday. Ying Jianguo, manager at […]
‘It’s Tracking Your Every Move’
March 28th, 2011Via: New York Times: A favorite pastime of Internet users is to share their location: services like Google Latitude can inform friends when you are nearby; another, Foursquare, has turned reporting these updates into a game. But as a German Green party politician, Malte Spitz, recently learned, we are already continually being tracked whether we […]
Rodger Lynn Dickey
March 28th, 2011Via: The Taos News: Taos County Sheriff’s Office stated Tuesday (March 22) that they have identified the body found in the Río Grande Gorge last Friday (March 18) as belonging to a nuclear scientist from Washington state. Undersheriff Ed Romero said that Rodger Lynn Dickey, 56, died after he jumped from the Gorge Bridge. Dickey, […]
Joe Bageant, 1946-2011
March 28th, 2011Via: Joe Bageant: After a vibrant life, Joe Bageant died yesterday following a four-month struggle with cancer. He was 64. Joe is survived by his wife, Barbara, his three children, Timothy, Patrick and Elizabeth, and thousands of friends and admirers. He is also survived by his work and ideas. According to Joe’s wishes, he will […]
University of Utah to Consider Curriculum for Future NSA Data Warehouse Employees
March 28th, 2011I have one piece of advice for anyone who wants to do this sort of work: Get 3M 1440 headphones. If you should find yourself having to work with others, on that Christmas Eve graveyard shift, for example, a white sharpie would come in handy, too. In the past, when I worked in soul destroying […]
