America’s Real Criminal Element: Lead
Interesting piece about the evidence that lead exposure and crime reates are highly correlated. I recommend reading it. Although I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being taken for a ride.
A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.
Firestorm of Criticism for Cabinet Nominee Front-Runner Chuck Hagel
Firestorm of Criticism for Cabinet Nominee Front-Runner Chuck Hagel
PBS Newshour report:
A number of news organizations reported today that President Obama will nominate former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense next week. But there was no official confirmation from the White House.
Well okey doke, not sure what the big deal is he—
Former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has not, so far, been nominated for the top Pentagon job, but attacks like this TV ad began shortly after news accounts named Hagel the front-runner. They focus mostly on whether he’s sufficiently pro-Israel.
So, to lay this one out:
- We’re running television ads to influence not an election, but a Cabinet appointment.
- We’re running television ads to influence a Cabinet appointment nominee who hasn’t even been nominated yet.
Oy vey.
~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s a joke snippet from a conversation I had with Colin about that New York Times piece he posted yesterday:
- ‘Ili:
- “They called this phenomenon the ‘end of history illusion,’ in which people tend to ‘underestimate how much they will change in the future.’”
- ‘Ili:
- Good, I was worried I’d hit a plateau of grumpiness.
Little did I know that it would only take a day for me to get even grumpier.
“Are you also opposed to the wheel because because it is marketed by the big auto companies?”
“Are you also opposed to the wheel because because it is marketed by the big auto companies?”
Mark Lynas:
I want to start with some apologies. For the record, here and upfront, I apologise for having spent several years ripping up GM crops. I am also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the mid 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonising an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.
As an environmentalist, and someone who believes that everyone in this world has a right to a healthy and nutritious diet of their choosing, I could not have chosen a more counter-productive path. I now regret it completely.
So I guess you’ll be wondering – what happened between 1995 and now that made me not only change my mind but come here and admit it? Well, the answer is fairly simple: I discovered science, and in the process I hope I became a better environmentalist.
Really great piece.
Pan-Arab Al-Jazeera pays $500M for Current TV in bid for stronger US foothold
Pan-Arab Al-Jazeera pays $500M for Current TV in bid for stronger US foothold
AP report:
Al-Jazeera is spending $500 million to acquire Current TV, the left-leaning cable news network co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. The deal gives Al-Jazeera access to about 50 million homes. As part of an expansion, the network is promising to hire more journalists and double the number of U.S. news bureaus it has.
FINALLY, INCONTROVERTIBLE PROOF THAT LIBERALISM IS A MUSLIM CONSPIRACY
Nah, but this is an interesting acquisition. The linked article goes in pretty deep on this thing, as far as typical reporting goes, so check it out.
Why You Won’t Be the Person You Expect to Be
Why You Won’t Be the Person You Expect to Be
John Tierney, the New York Times:
When we remember our past selves, they seem quite different. We know how much our personalities and tastes have changed over the years. But when we look ahead, somehow we expect ourselves to stay the same, a team of psychologists said Thursday, describing research they conducted of people’s self-perceptions.
They called this phenomenon the “end of history illusion,” in which people tend to “underestimate how much they will change in the future.” According to their research, which involved more than 19,000 people ranging in age from 18 to 68, the illusion persists from teenage years into retirement.
Rift between oldest synagogue, Jewish congregation
Rift between oldest synagogue, Jewish congregation
AP staff report:
A disagreement over the ownership of a set of Torah finial bells from Colonial times that is worth millions has led to dueling lawsuits between leaders of the nation’s first Jewish congregation and the nation’s oldest synagogue.
The dispute started after leaders of the nearly 250-year-old Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., agreed to sell the bells, called rimonim, for $7.4 million to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The sale is opposed by leaders of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, who say it owns Touro and the rimonim.
Weird story about ownership, religion, and — somehow — ownership of religion.
At least 61 crushed to death in Ivory Coast stampede
At least 61 crushed to death in Ivory Coast stampede
Terrible news out of the Ivory Coast yesterday, reported by Loucoumane Coulibaly and Alain Amontchi for Reuters:
At least 61 people were crushed to death in a stampede after a New Year’s Eve fireworks display at a stadium in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan early on Tuesday, officials said.
Witnesses said police had tried to control crowds around the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium following the celebrations, triggering a panic in which scores were trampled.
“The estimate we can give right now is 49 people hospitalized … and 61 people dead,” said the chief of staff of Abidjan’s fire department Issa Sacko.
I’m scheduling this post on January 1, so hopefully the death toll hasn’t gone up any more by the time this hits Tumblr.
Welcome to 2013! The new year was brought in by this guy in a Pikachu costume riding a bike down a ski slope, so give him a big thanks for his effort the next time you see him.
(Photo by Maxime Schmid for the European Pressphoto Agency, via MSNBC’s PhotoBlog.)
I think that we here at Nullary Sources could stand to post one more piece of music before the new year. So here’s a guy dressed up as Scorpion from Mortal Kombat playing the film’s theme on accordion.
I have yet to find a version of the theme performed with a slide whistle. I’ll keep you posted.
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
Here’s a time lapse video of Katsuya Terada drawing a mural for Songs of Anagura, which is some sort of arty, sciency, exhibity thing at the Miraikan museum in Japan. I’m not really sure what the deal with this thing is and whether it’s actually in the exhibit, but all that really matters is that Katsuya Terada rules a heck of a lot. I recommend checking the video out in the highest resolution so you can see all the details.
You should probably go check out his Tumblr too.
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)