Warning: make sure your alimentary tract is clear of any obstructing liquids or solids before viewing. We'd had to see you spew your coffee all over your monitor!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Revelation...
Two young men watch a childbirth video for the first time. What could go wrong?
Warning: make sure your alimentary tract is clear of any obstructing liquids or solids before viewing. We'd had to see you spew your coffee all over your monitor!
Warning: make sure your alimentary tract is clear of any obstructing liquids or solids before viewing. We'd had to see you spew your coffee all over your monitor!
Changing Tunes...
The London Daily Mail has been a reliable podium for “warmists” (proponents of anthropogenic global warming) to shout their message to the unwashed masses. Over the past ten years, it has published thousands of articles sounding the alarm over AGW.
Now it is changing its tune, and rather abruptly.
Probably the publication's managers have just realized that the more sensational story is now the failure of the AGW proponent's models, and the belated justification of of the skeptics. In other words, stories about the failure of climate science will sell more newspapers than the AGW warnings.
Still, it's nice to see the lamestream media coming around...
Now it is changing its tune, and rather abruptly.
Probably the publication's managers have just realized that the more sensational story is now the failure of the AGW proponent's models, and the belated justification of of the skeptics. In other words, stories about the failure of climate science will sell more newspapers than the AGW warnings.
Still, it's nice to see the lamestream media coming around...
Light Echoes...
Remember V838 Monocerotis? It was a science sensation in 2002 when it was briefly the brightest star in the Milky Way galaxy. APOD is featuring a recent Hubble photo of it today, showing the dust clouds that are being lit by the (now) 11 year old sphere of light emitted by V838 Mono back in 2002. Full resolution version here...
Kids Are Learning to Program, Starting in Second Grade!
In Vietnam.
Any American who has looked at the educational systems in other countries is quite likely to be shocked by their evident superiority in preparing their students to work in the real world. I've had this experience personally when looking at the educational systems in the former Soviet Union (in particular, in Estonia and St. Petersburg).
Education isn't the only prerequisite to innovation, and America still has a leg up on some of the other requirements (in particular, access to capital). But all of the factors that once gave America an unbeatable edge are rapidly eroding here – and rapidly growing elsewhere. I can't help but come to the conclusion that in the not-too-distant future (say, 10 or 20 years), many other parts of the world will out-innovate the United States. It's hard to imagine how we could turn that around, especially with the ascendancy of “Progressive” politics in the past 20 years or so.
It's very sad for us, but very hopeful for the Vietnams of the world...
Any American who has looked at the educational systems in other countries is quite likely to be shocked by their evident superiority in preparing their students to work in the real world. I've had this experience personally when looking at the educational systems in the former Soviet Union (in particular, in Estonia and St. Petersburg).
Education isn't the only prerequisite to innovation, and America still has a leg up on some of the other requirements (in particular, access to capital). But all of the factors that once gave America an unbeatable edge are rapidly eroding here – and rapidly growing elsewhere. I can't help but come to the conclusion that in the not-too-distant future (say, 10 or 20 years), many other parts of the world will out-innovate the United States. It's hard to imagine how we could turn that around, especially with the ascendancy of “Progressive” politics in the past 20 years or so.
It's very sad for us, but very hopeful for the Vietnams of the world...
For All Those Who Think “It Can't Happen Here!”
How many of us have looked at history (say, of Germany in the 1930s) or recent events (say, of Hugo Chavez's systematic dismantling of representative democracy in Venezuela), and then comforted ourselves by saying “That can't happen here!” I know I'm guilty of that.
Read this story of government intimidation in Fresno, California.
This is how takeovers start, when the government starts placing itself above the people it governs, and (most especially) when those who are governing start treating themselves as above the law. When the powerful get away with intimidating the citizenry, it of course only encourages more of this. These small acts of intimidation are actually very important, much like the early stages of a bacterial infection are very important – they are a warning sign, which, if taken seriously, provide an opportunity to wipe out the infection before it gets completely out of control.
Debbie and I had a conversation yesterday on a related topic. She keeps reading about efforts to allow Obama to run for a third (and further) terms as president, by somehow repealing or getting around the 22nd Amendment. My response is two-fold: First, I don't think such a thing is very likely in the U.S. Second, if it did happen, that would be a clear signal to us to make our home somewhere else...
Read this story of government intimidation in Fresno, California.
This is how takeovers start, when the government starts placing itself above the people it governs, and (most especially) when those who are governing start treating themselves as above the law. When the powerful get away with intimidating the citizenry, it of course only encourages more of this. These small acts of intimidation are actually very important, much like the early stages of a bacterial infection are very important – they are a warning sign, which, if taken seriously, provide an opportunity to wipe out the infection before it gets completely out of control.
Debbie and I had a conversation yesterday on a related topic. She keeps reading about efforts to allow Obama to run for a third (and further) terms as president, by somehow repealing or getting around the 22nd Amendment. My response is two-fold: First, I don't think such a thing is very likely in the U.S. Second, if it did happen, that would be a clear signal to us to make our home somewhere else...
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