How America Ruined Its Own Election System, and How to Fix It

This is a topic I’ve been hoping to someday write extensively on, and the truth is I’m not quite ready to do so. But I have an observation that is so startling and so much in line with my thinking on this issue that I thought I’d share it as a way of introducing the … Continue reading How America Ruined Its Own Election System, and How to Fix It →

The post How America Ruined Its Own Election System, and How to Fix It appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/31/america-ruined-election-system-fix/

Twin Cities Area Energy Transition Event

A citizens action group I’m a member of is hosting an event that I wanted to tell you about. Here’s the info: What: “Great River Energy – Leading Cooperatively toward a Cost-Effective and Carbon Constrained Future” When: Tuesday, January 9 at 7:00 pm Where: at Great River Energy, 12300 Elm Creek Blvd N in Maple … Continue reading Twin Cities Area Energy Transition Event →

The post Twin Cities Area Energy Transition Event appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/27/twin-cities-area-energy-transition-event/

How to do amateur sky-watching. NOT!

In the very beginning, dad admonishes a kid with the phrase “nothing flies randomly…” Then shit starts flying randomly. Trigger warning: Shocking event just after 1:13.

The post How to do amateur sky-watching. NOT! appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/27/amateur-sky-watching-not/

How to fix the fake-news problem.

Did you know that truck drivers in Puerto Rico did NOT actually go on strike during Hurricane Maria relief efforts? Or that a former Obama White House official did NOT actually confirm that they wiretapped Trump Tower? Or that the sexual misdeed accusations against former Senate candidate Roy Moore were NOT actually a setup? Or … Continue reading How to fix the fake-news problem. →

The post How to fix the fake-news problem. appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/27/fix-fake-news-problem/

When investigating Trump, Look Both Ways

My advice to students I’ve had the chance to supervise is extensive, but includes the phrase “look both ways.” In that case, I refer specifically to library research. This worked better when most of our research was done using dead tree fragments. Here’s how it works. You find out about a book of interest. You … Continue reading When investigating Trump, Look Both Ways →

The post When investigating Trump, Look Both Ways appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/26/investigating-trump-look-ways/

Cheap Books

Just in case you got an Amazon Gift Card for Christmas, here is a way to spend it VERY SLOWLY on cheap Kindle books, selected because of their potential interest to readers of this blog: Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia From Michael Korda, author of the New York Times bestselling Eisenhower … Continue reading Cheap Books →

The post Cheap Books appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/26/cheap-books/

About One in Five US President Dies, is Killed, or is Wounded in Office

Over one third are involved in something fatal or injurious to someone, themselves or another. A very small percentage leave office during their term because of their misdeeds. Presidents can leave office for a number of reasons, including getting tired of being President, or hitting term limits. Some are voted out of office before term … Continue reading About One in Five US President Dies, is Killed, or is Wounded in Office →

The post About One in Five US President Dies, is Killed, or is Wounded in Office appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/22/one-five-us-president-dies-killed-wounded-office/

Garden Insects of North America: Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs, New Edition

Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs is not a pocket field guide. How could it be? There are over a million species of insects and probably a lot more (huge numbers certainly remain to be discovered) and of them, some 100,000 exist in North America. I’m actually not sure how … Continue reading Garden Insects of North America: Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs, New Edition →

The post Garden Insects of North America: Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs, New Edition appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/22/garden-insects-north-america-ultimate-guide-backyard-bugs-new-edition/

Mark Zuckerberg named 2017’s Misinformer of the Year

Media Matters for America has nailed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, holding him to account for totally ruining civilization by not even acknowledging his responsibilities as a media mogul. According to Media Matters Angelo Carusone, “We selected Mark Zuckerberg as the Misinformer of the Year because Facebook’s actions in 2017 have been more of a public … Continue reading Mark Zuckerberg named 2017’s Misinformer of the Year →

The post Mark Zuckerberg named 2017’s Misinformer of the Year appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/20/mark-zuckerberg-named-2017s-misinformer-year/

Cilantro: The most divisive herb known to human kind

We are a Cilantro eating family. In fact, if I want to ensure that Amanda likes something I cook, I simply add four pounds of Cilantro. From the PBS Digital Studios series Reactions: I’m sure most of you already knew all the stuff in this video, and we’ve talked about it before. But it is … Continue reading Cilantro: The most divisive herb known to human kind →

The post Cilantro: The most divisive herb known to human kind appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/18/cilantro-divisive-herb-known-human-kind/

What is the best toaster oven?

Here, I depart from reviewing books, educational things, and electronic technology to tell you about a toaster oven. Our toaster oven was aging, toasting more slowly and less evenly, and continued to do one thing it always did well: taking up an inordinate amount of space on the counter. It was time for a change. … Continue reading What is the best toaster oven? →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/16/best-toaster-oven/

A History of the Future by Peter Bowler

It is always fun to see a well done academic treatment of a subject of wide general interest. A History of the Future: Prophets of Progress from H. G. Wells to Isaac Asimov by Peter Bowler is such a thing. This is about what we have come to know as “futurology,” the projection into our … Continue reading A History of the Future by Peter Bowler →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/16/history-future-peter-bowler/

Trump Gives CDC List of Verbotene Wörter

The Trump administration has sent the CDC a list of words that they are verboten … er, sorry, forbidden, not sure why I keep reverting to the language of the FATHERLAND! … anyway, words that the CDC if forbidden to use in describing their budgetary needs. The list includes these words: fetus trangender vulnerable entitlement … Continue reading Trump Gives CDC List of Verbotene Wörter →

The post Trump Gives CDC List of Verbotene Wörter appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/15/trump-gives-cdc-list-verbotene-worter/

How to defeat your own clone, and other book deals

Get ’em while they last, these will probably expire soon: How to Defeat Your Own Clone: And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution Whether you’ve dreamed of a future with easy genetic face-lifts and chocolate-flavored broccoli or shivered from nightmares of viral warfare and biologically enhanced Richard Simmons clones, this book will set you … Continue reading How to defeat your own clone, and other book deals →

The post How to defeat your own clone, and other book deals appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/15/defeat-clone-book-deals/

Mysterious Space Object Has High Chance of Harboring Alien Intelligent Life Form

And by high chance, I mean, relatively high chance. Like, maybe, about on in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. Which, for this sort of thing, is rather high. ‘Oumuamua is a very large cigar shaped thing moving at just over 300,000 kilometers per hour. It came from outside our solar system, and will travel right through our solar system. … Continue reading Mysterious Space Object Has High Chance of Harboring Alien Intelligent Life Form →

The post Mysterious Space Object Has High Chance of Harboring Alien Intelligent Life Form appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/14/mysterious-space-object-high-chance-harboring-alien-intelligent-life-form/

Ajit Pai, Donald Trump, and the Republicans Killed Net Neturality Today.

There will be consequences. Although Net Neutrality rules were eliminated a few moments ago by the Republicans, there still is a rule that ISPs need to reveal the exact ways in which they have chosen to stick it to us. We can then, with that information, stick it back to them. The best hope now … Continue reading Ajit Pai, Donald Trump, and the Republicans Killed Net Neturality Today. →

The post Ajit Pai, Donald Trump, and the Republicans Killed Net Neturality Today. appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/14/ajit-pai-donald-trump-republicans-killed-net-neturality-today/

How to share keyboard and mouse between two computers?

I use two different computers, each with a different operating system, to do my stuff. Actually, I use five, but only two where I would ideally like to switch between them while I’m using them. I’ve experimented with some solutions, so I can offer some advice. The first bit of advice is this: Maybe don’t … Continue reading How to share keyboard and mouse between two computers? →

The post How to share keyboard and mouse between two computers? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/14/share-keyboard-mouse-two-computers/

About 30 Thousand U.S. Newborns At Risk From Fracking per Year?

A new study based in Pennsylvania measured health indicators of children born far, near, and very near, fracking sites. The study showed an effect that reached out to about 3 kilometers, but that was much stronger within about 1 kilometer, from fracking sites. The effects included lower birth weight and similar differences that are associated … Continue reading About 30 Thousand U.S. Newborns At Risk From Fracking per Year? →

The post About 30 Thousand U.S. Newborns At Risk From Fracking per Year? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/14/30-thousand-u-s-newborns-risk-fracking-per-year/

An endorsement for Sean Casten in Illinois’ red-to-blue 6th Congressional district

Climate Hawks Vote has this press release: Climate Hawks Vote is pleased to announce its newest endorsement: Sean Casten in Illinois’ red-to-blue 6th Congressional district. Sean is running as a climate hawk scientist, cleantech entrepreneur, and job creator–and against a science-denying Republican, Peter Roskam, who calls climate change “junk science.” Sean has specialized in combined … Continue reading An endorsement for Sean Casten in Illinois’ red-to-blue 6th Congressional district →

The post An endorsement for Sean Casten in Illinois’ red-to-blue 6th Congressional district appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/13/endorsement-sean-casten-illinois-red-blue-6th-congressional-district/

The Ultimate Science Stocking Stuffer, Also Fights the Patriarchy!

From Hypatia of Alexandria to Katherine Hayhoe, women have made and continue to make important contributions to the physical sciences. Now, you can get the “Notable Women in the Physical Sciences” deck of cards to celebrate them! Here’s the deal. Many teachers use playing cards in their teaching, to employ a readily understood and recognized … Continue reading The Ultimate Science Stocking Stuffer, Also Fights the Patriarchy! →

The post The Ultimate Science Stocking Stuffer, Also Fights the Patriarchy! appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/13/ultimate-science-stocking-stuffer-also-fights-patriarchy/

Is it about power? Or is it about Reproductive Succcess?

That is the question. Probably both, but the latest powerful male stepdown argues for the latter. Check it out. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., is the third member of Congress to announce his resignation this week, saying that he had discussed surrogacy with two female subordinates. “Given the nature of numerous allegations and reports across America … Continue reading Is it about power? Or is it about Reproductive Succcess? →

The post Is it about power? Or is it about Reproductive Succcess? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/07/power-reproductive-succcess/

Recommended Holiday Gift Books

Brand new, clearly excellent, I’ve not finished reviewing but you need to know about them: A Different Kind of Animal: How Culture Transformed Our Species (The University Center for Human Values Series) The Quotable Darwin Modern Humans: Their African Origin and Global Dispersal Books for kids For children’s books, for kids from about zero to … Continue reading Recommended Holiday Gift Books →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/06/recommended-holiday-gift-books/

Horseshoe Crab Fossil named after Darth Vader

This is fun. From the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the press release for a recent fossil naming: A 245 million-year-old fossil horseshoe crab recently discovered in Idaho has been named Vaderlimulus because the animal’s shield head resembles the helmet worn by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Paleontologists from … Continue reading Horseshoe Crab Fossil named after Darth Vader →

The post Horseshoe Crab Fossil named after Darth Vader appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/05/horseshoe-crab-fossil-named-darth-vader/

Kids coding and technology advance

Over recent months, there has been an important advance in opportunities for kids to learn to code and mess around with technology. The Scratch programming language is a project set at MIT. Scratch programming involves moving images, called blocks, from a pallet into a work area, hooking them together and maybe changing some values attached … Continue reading Kids coding and technology advance →

The post Kids coding and technology advance appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/05/kids-coding-technology-advance/

Better Holiday Fireplace Loops

In the old days (two years ago) there was a channel available on the Roku that would display a burning fire and play appropriate holiday music. So, people without a fireplace but who wanted one could pretend. I think there were channels like this on Cable or Satellite TV as well but I’ve not had … Continue reading Better Holiday Fireplace Loops →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/05/better-holiday-fireplace-loops/

Ed Yong’s book cheap on Kindle

Just a quick note to say that I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong is right now available in Kindle format for $1.99. Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining … Continue reading Ed Yong’s book cheap on Kindle →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/03/ed-yongs-book-cheap-kindle/

Why Neil deGrasse Tyson is Wrong about the Supermoon

I don’t know much about astronomy, but I am a scientist and I know this. One key scientific concept that is rarely grasped by non scientists but at the same time drives much of science itself is variation. Indeed, the understanding that variation is key is one of the characteristics that separates the ancients, who … Continue reading Why Neil deGrasse Tyson is Wrong about the Supermoon →

The post Why Neil deGrasse Tyson is Wrong about the Supermoon appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/03/neil-degrasse-tyson-wrong-supermoon/

Editors and Producers: How to catch Robert Mueller in the Act

Mueller knows that once the excrement hits the fan, Don the Con Trump is going to go ballistic and act do predictably unpredictable things. He may issue pardons, he may try to send his SS agents, or the Army, to bust people, he’ll certainly try to fire Mueller and his staff. Most of that is … Continue reading Editors and Producers: How to catch Robert Mueller in the Act →

The post Editors and Producers: How to catch Robert Mueller in the Act appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/02/editors-producers-catch-robert-mueller-act/

Minnesota Vikings: The Chance of Victory and the Psychology of Defeat

I had been living in Minnesota for just about a year when the Vikings played the Falcons in the playoffs that one time. I was living, as it happens, in the city of Falcon Heights. You know about Falcon Heights, very likely, even if you don’t know you do. Ever heard of the Great Minnesota … Continue reading Minnesota Vikings: The Chance of Victory and the Psychology of Defeat →

The post Minnesota Vikings: The Chance of Victory and the Psychology of Defeat appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/01/minnesota-vikings-chance-victory-psychology-defeat/

Official 2017 Maker Tech Gift Guide

You loved the The Official 2017 Cool Tech Gift Guide, and here is its sister-post, focused on things that are not entirely built yet, along with a few books about how to do that. Fairly recent in the tinkering world is an item that is more of a toy than a maker thing, but it … Continue reading Official 2017 Maker Tech Gift Guide →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/01/official-2017-maker-tech-gift-guide/

The Official 2017 Cool Tech Gift Guide

Not to be confused with the Official 2017 Maker Tech Gift Guide, to be coming out later. I’ve mixed a wide range of techno-stuff in this guide, so there is stuff that flies, stuff that cooks, and stuff that makes noise. This is your prompt. It is up to you to match and expand on … Continue reading The Official 2017 Cool Tech Gift Guide →

The post The Official 2017 Cool Tech Gift Guide appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/01/official-2017-cool-tech-gift-guide/

Flynn will testify that Trump directed him to contact Russians

When I suggested several months ago that a document produced by a source that I knew independently to be good strongly suggested that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians to alter the outcome of an American election, Scienceblogs shut me down, unposted the post, and made it impossible for me to access my account. I … Continue reading Flynn will testify that Trump directed him to contact Russians →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/01/flynn-will-testify-trump-directed-contact-with-russians/

Flynn Lied to the FBI; Here is the charging document

If you lie to a US Federal agent, they can bust you, and my understanding is that judges like to sentence those convicted of this by juries to jail for long periods of time. But, if you are charged with this crime and plea guilty, so there is no jury trial, then there is room … Continue reading Flynn Lied to the FBI; Here is the charging document →

The post Flynn Lied to the FBI; Here is the charging document appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/01/flynn-lied-fbi-charging-document/

Give The Gift of Nostalgia and Angst

For a holiday gift this year, consider giving a book about politics, since politics this year is so very special. There are two kinds of books out this year of special interest. There is a plethora of books that expose the evil underpinnings of the white supremacist meritocratic oligarchic patriarchy. And, there is a growing … Continue reading Give The Gift of Nostalgia and Angst →

The post Give The Gift of Nostalgia and Angst appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/12/01/give-gift-nostalgia-angst/

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry …

… by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Kindle Edition, is now available (presumably temporarily) for $3.99 HERE. And for only @2.99 you can get the less well known The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist.

The post Astrophysics for People in a Hurry … appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/30/astrophysics-people-hurry/

Vonegut, Salmon, Genetics, Magic: Cheap Books

For just a day or two, you should be able to get each of these books in Kindle for for two or three books: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonegut. The Color of Magic: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Prachett A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution … Continue reading Vonegut, Salmon, Genetics, Magic: Cheap Books →

The post Vonegut, Salmon, Genetics, Magic: Cheap Books appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/29/vonegut-salmon-genetics-magic-cheap-books/

Almost Like Praying: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Maria

The phrase “It is almost like praying” is from the song Maria, from the musical West Side Story. The phrase refers to the name itself, if I understand the somg correctly, which makes sense from a Catholic point of view because the name Maria and variants of it thoroughly indurate the prayer-text. Maria is also … Continue reading Almost Like Praying: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Maria →

The post Almost Like Praying: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Maria appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/29/almost-like-praying-lin-manuel-miranda-song/

WaPo Opinion Piece: Extinction is fine, Climate Change is no big deal

R. Alexander Pyron, a professor of Biology at George Washington University, wrote an OpEd in the Washington Post urging us humans to care much less than we do about species extinction. In the essay he says: …during an expedition … in December 2013, I spotted a small green frog … Atelopus balios… no populations had … Continue reading WaPo Opinion Piece: Extinction is fine, Climate Change is no big deal →

The post WaPo Opinion Piece: Extinction is fine, Climate Change is no big deal appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/26/wapo-opinion-piece-extinction-fine-climate-change-no-big-deal/

Did a foreign power hack the TIME Person of the Year reader poll?

Did you know that there is a reader poll that you can visit to give the thumbs up or down for each prospect on a fairly long mid-list of possible persons of they year? Click here to participate (will open in a new tab or window). I have no idea how much influence, if any, … Continue reading Did a foreign power hack the TIME Person of the Year reader poll? →

The post Did a foreign power hack the TIME Person of the Year reader poll? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/26/foreign-power-hack-time-person-year-reader-poll/

Ohio Republican Surrenders To Teh Gay, Goes Straight To Hell, Everyone Cheers

What with the lid coming off the entire Patriarchy and #VAM being taken more seriously than ever, let us not forget the perennial Gay Republican Man who hates himself and his gayness, and gets caught. Wesley Goodman is a cookie cutter right wing yahoo, recently elected as the Republican representative of the Ohio 87th House … Continue reading Ohio Republican Surrenders To Teh Gay, Goes Straight To Hell, Everyone Cheers →

The post Ohio Republican Surrenders To Teh Gay, Goes Straight To Hell, Everyone Cheers appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/25/ohio-republican-surrenders-teh-gay-goes-straight-hell-everyone-cheers/

Things that hilariously don’t go together

Lots of things like that, but here’s two. 1) An electric boat designed and deployed to clean up the environment in China. Runs on mostly coal generated electricity. Carries coal. Details here. 2) Go to MikePenceGOP.com and where do you end up? A Christian LGBTQ support group! Hat Tip @DaveWeasel.

The post Things that hilariously don’t go together appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/25/thins-hilariously-dont-go-together/

Books you haven’t thought of to give someone for the holidays

Before we get to a handful of holiday suggestions, there are two books currently available cheap in Kindle format: The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as Andrés Reséndez illuminates in his myth-shattering The Other … Continue reading Books you haven’t thought of to give someone for the holidays →

The post Books you haven’t thought of to give someone for the holidays appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/25/books-havent-thought-give-someone-holidays/

Roger Pielke Junior Is Telling People To Shut Up Again

I usually ignore Junior’s yammering whines, but in this case there is an interesting and helpful response providing the bigger picture, a thing to learn from. For context, I provide below links to selected posts of my own about Junior. This most recent event involves an Op Ed published by the largely anti-science-even-if-it-is-bad-for-the-economy The Wall … Continue reading Roger Pielke Junior Is Telling People To Shut Up Again →

The post Roger Pielke Junior Is Telling People To Shut Up Again appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/25/roger-pielke-junior-telling-people-shut/

Question about the assassination of John F. Kennedy

A question for you, dear reader. In fact, a poll: Was the Warren Report essentially correct and accurate, or not? Followup question: If not, what do you think happened differently than they said.

The post Question about the assassination of John F. Kennedy appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/24/question-assassination-john-f-kennedy/

The Two Obligatory Thanksgiving Youtube Videos

This one, from WKRP: This one, from the Addams Family Movie:

The post The Two Obligatory Thanksgiving Youtube Videos appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/22/two-obligatory-thanksgiving-youtube-videos/

A Thanksgiving Day Story: Fear, Loathing, Feasting, Family

What is Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is a feast. But what is a feast? Anthropology is all about examining ourselves through the lens of other cultures. Or, at least, that’s what we used to do back in the good old days. Let’s have a look at this great American holiday from this perspective and see what we … Continue reading A Thanksgiving Day Story: Fear, Loathing, Feasting, Family →

The post A Thanksgiving Day Story: Fear, Loathing, Feasting, Family appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/22/thanksgiving-day-story-fear-loathing-feasting-family/

Cooking Laid Back Turkey

First, consider cooking something other than a turkey Cooking turkey is actually kind of a dumb idea. Most people don’t ever cook turkey. Turkey is like chicken … it’s a domestic bird that is familiar to all Americans … but it is very difficult to cook in a way that does not ruin it. So … Continue reading Cooking Laid Back Turkey →

The post Cooking Laid Back Turkey appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/22/cooking-laid-back-turkey/

Two great ways to make a pumpkin pie

I’ve got two pumpkin pie recipes for you. One is the way I usually make it, and it is the best pumpkin pie. The other way also turns out to be excellent, but it is designed for kids who don’t like pumpkin pie even though we think they should. I think kids are sometimes repelled … Continue reading Two great ways to make a pumpkin pie →

The post Two great ways to make a pumpkin pie appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/22/two-great-ways-make-pumpkin-pie/

How to make gravy

The true meaning of Thanksgiving is gravy. If you want to make some great gravy, you might consider making some great stock first. See this for info on that. Or just buy the stock, that’s fine too. This is hoow to make excellent gravy with no stress and guaranteed success. Without lumps. I don’t do … Continue reading How to make gravy →

The post How to make gravy appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/22/how-to-make-gravy-2/

How to make stock

I admit that the last several times I’ve needed stock, and that is about once a week for me as of late, I just bought it in the store. For making Amanda’s soup, which she brings to school, I combine one large container of vegetable stock, one large container of some sort of meat stock, … Continue reading How to make stock →

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source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/22/how-to-make-stock-2/

Some Book Deals Including Al Gore’s Truth

These are items currently, and possibly for only a short time, in Kindle format for two bucks. This is a mixture of books that I either thought you would already know about and want, or maybe didn’t know about but should. An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find … Continue reading Some Book Deals Including Al Gore’s Truth →

The post Some Book Deals Including Al Gore’s Truth appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/18/book-deals-including-al-gores-truth/

How The Franken Thing Is Going To Play Out

… is anybody’s guess, but I have two supportable (and very different) hypotheses. The first is short and sweet and I’ll give it to you straight. Tweeden and Senator Franken get together, possibly with their families, and have a pow wow. They emerge from this to announce a newly formed organization to destroy the patriarchy … Continue reading How The Franken Thing Is Going To Play Out →

The post How The Franken Thing Is Going To Play Out appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/17/franken-thing-going-play/

Leeann Tweeden, Al Franken, The Patriarchy, Change

The Al Franken problem is developing in ways too important and interesting to not explore further. So here is a handful of semi-connected but mainly distinct thoughts on the matter. Let me say at the outset, I’m biased. I like Franken, I think he is one of the best US Senators we’ve ever had in … Continue reading Leeann Tweeden, Al Franken, The Patriarchy, Change →

The post Leeann Tweeden, Al Franken, The Patriarchy, Change appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/17/leeann-tweeden-al-franken-patriarchy-change/

The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy (Book Note)

The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy by Brian Klass. It is the current Amazon best seller in the category … wait for it … “facism.” Here’s the details: An ex-US campaign advisor who has sat with the world’s dictators explains Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian tactics and the threat they pose to American democracy. … Continue reading The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy (Book Note) →

The post The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy (Book Note) appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/16/despots-apprentice-donald-trumps-attack-democracy-book-note/

Leeann Tweeden’s Accusation of Al Franken, Franken’s Response

Leeann Tweeden is, according to Wikipedia, a former Hooter hostess and model who has worked for Fox Sports Network, and was hostess of Poker After Dark, a commenter on the Hannity show, and other similar shows, mainly on Fox News. (This is probably why I’ve never heard of her, I don’t watch FOX as a … Continue reading Leeann Tweeden’s Accusation of Al Franken, Franken’s Response →

The post Leeann Tweeden’s Accusation of Al Franken, Franken’s Response appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/16/leeann-tweedens-accusation-al-franken-frankens-response/

Scientists And Law Suits

Here is an email sent by Professor Roger Pielke Jr to Professor Michael Mann: Hi Mike- I hope this finds you well. I see you quoted in the media characterizing my work, and in light of your ongoing lawsuit related to libel, I want to make sure that you have been quoted correctly. *At Salon … Continue reading Scientists And Law Suits →

The post Scientists And Law Suits appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/16/scientists-law-suits/

Roy Moore will not be elected to the United States Senate by the good people of Alabama. Here’s why.

The last four polls show Moore ahead of Jones by 6% and 10%, even, and Jones ahead of Moore by 4%. All these polls were done over the last week, and there is no temporal trend to speak of. This means, of course, that the race is not fait accompli. While Moore is more ahead … Continue reading Roy Moore will not be elected to the United States Senate by the good people of Alabama. Here’s why. →

The post Roy Moore will not be elected to the United States Senate by the good people of Alabama. Here’s why. appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/15/roy-moore-will-not-elected-united-states-senate-good-people-alabama-heres/

Arduino Project Handbook Volume 2

Arduino Project Handbook, Volume 2: 25 Simple Electronics Projects for Beginners is a followup of the previously reviewed Arduino Project Handbook (volume 1). Like the previous volume, Volume II is for people first exploring the world of homemade DIY microcontroller fun. The idea is very simple. An Arduino is the same sort of device that … Continue reading Arduino Project Handbook Volume 2 →

The post Arduino Project Handbook Volume 2 appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/14/arduino-project-handbook-volume-2/

Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction

Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction, is a publication of the Museum of Science Fiction, and it was released in Kindle form moments ago. From the museum: The Museum of Science Fiction released today the Kindle eBook edition of its anthology celebrating the women of science fiction. Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: … Continue reading Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction →

The post Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/14/catalysts-explorers-secret-keepers-women-science-fiction/

The Untermassfeld Controversy

Ancient European humans and their near relatives such as late Homo erectus, “archaic” Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans all come from an African stock. While some of the variation we see in these late members of the genus Homo certainly arose in Eurasia, these groups all represent either African populations or stems coming off an … Continue reading The Untermassfeld Controversy →

The post The Untermassfeld Controversy appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/14/the-untermassfeld-controversy/

Owls Aren’t Wise & Bats Aren’t Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies About Wildlife by Warner Shedd, with illustratins by Trudy Nicholson, is a pretty good book on fallacies in nature, things people believe that are not true. I.e., that owls are wise or that bats are blind. Did you know that porcupines throw … Continue reading →

The post appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/13/27830/

Al Gore: Trump’s Assault on Reason

The Assault on Reason: Our Information Ecosystem, from the Age of Print to the Age of Trump, 2017 Edition by Al Gore is a book you may want to read, and if that is the case, be aware that it is currently available for $1.99 in Kindle format. Now With a New Preface and Final … Continue reading Al Gore: Trump’s Assault on Reason →

The post Al Gore: Trump’s Assault on Reason appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/13/al-gore-trumps-assault-reason/

Edible (ish) clothing paint from Science Friday

A funny thing happens when you add a little cornstarch to a liquid and heat it up. A funny thing happens when you add a little cornstarch to a liquid and heat it up. https://t.co/BDOCAMbG2z pic.twitter.com/33fPhJ2USy — Science Friday (@scifri) November 8, 2017

The post Edible (ish) clothing paint from Science Friday appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/11/edible-ish-clothing-paint-from-science-friday/

Mass Murder: A Perspective on Young Male Killers

Loyola University’s James Garbarino, author of Listening to Killers: Lessons Learned from My Twenty Years as a Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases, addressed the questions (two years ago), why do males do most of the mass killings: Some of it appears to lie in their (“our”) biological vulnerability. … about 30% of males (versus […]

The post Mass Murder: A Perspective on Young Male Killers appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/10/mass-murder-perspective-young-male-killers/

What are this year’s best science toys for young kids?

Part I: Liquids, edibles, slimy things. (The next part will tend towards the electronic and robotish.) Focusing on elementary school, mainly around 2nd or 3rd grade, this is what I see on the market this year. A lot more water, day to day pragmatic science, and specialized kits that generally produce stuff you eat, throw […]

The post What are this year’s best science toys for young kids? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/10/years-best-science-toys-young-kids/

Perovskites and why you should care about them

Perovskite is a special kind of mineral, calcium titanium oxide composed of calcium titanate (CaTiO3), discovered first in the Urals and named after Lev Perovski (though it was discovered by Gustav Rose). This mineral is now known from several locations including Hot Spring County, Arkansas (see image to the right). The image at the top […]

The post Perovskites and why you should care about them appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/10/perovskites-and-why-you-should-care-about-them/

For the moment believe Democrats can kick the bums out in ’18

It is very hard for Democrats to feel comfortable with the idea of a sweep, an election that changes everything, handing us power once again, at least for a while, and wiping out the other guys. This is hard to feel comfortable with for two reasons. First, it nearly never happens, so any thought it […]

The post For the moment believe Democrats can kick the bums out in ’18 appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/09/moment-believe-democrats-can-kick-bums-18/

The Rats are Leaving the Ship. What lifeboat are the heading for?

Yet another Republican in the US Congress is leaving. Bob Goodlatte, of the Virginia 6th, and chair of the House Agriculture COmmittee, will retire in December 2018. His seat will be up for grabs. Here is what he says about it, as reported in WaPo: “After much contemplation and prayer,” the 13-term congressman said in […]

The post The Rats are Leaving the Ship. What lifeboat are the heading for? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/09/rats-leaving-ship-lifeboat-heading/

New Book by Lawrence O’Donnell

This is just out: Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O’Donnell, lately of MSNBC. The 1968 U.S. Presidential election was the young Lawrence O’Donnell’s political awakening, and in the decades since it has remained one of his abiding fascinations. For years he has deployed one of America’s […]

The post New Book by Lawrence O’Donnell appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/07/new-book-lawrence-odonnell/

Northam is the projected winner in Virginia.

Expect Republicans to say, “Yeah, by the didn’t win by much, so it doesn’t really count.” When they say that, show them this:

The post Northam is the projected winner in Virginia. appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/07/northam-projected-winner-virginia/

Falsehood: “People, not guns, kill people”

Yes, of course, you need a person (usually) to pull the trigger. But it is abundance of and ease of access to guns that causes the United States to be off the charts in woundings and killings from firearms. This is what the research has shown for a very long time and continues to show. […]

The post Falsehood: “People, not guns, kill people” appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/07/falsehood-people-not-guns-kill-people/

Syria Will Sign The Paris Climate Accord

It is now being reported that Syria will sign the Paris Climate Pact. This will leave the United States as the only country in the entire world that has not signed the accord. This may be the first time that the US was quite so alone in an international agreement. The reason the US has […]

The post Syria Will Sign The Paris Climate Accord appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/07/syria-will-sign-paris-climate-accord/

A Great Echo Math Skill-Building Skill

An Echo is a small round robot that lives in your house, and that you can give commands to, converse with, get to run your devices, and learn from. (See this review of the Echo and related devices.) An Echo “skill” is an app, essentially, which you can turn on and have available at any […]

The post A Great Echo Math Skill-Building Skill appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/07/great-echo-math-skill-building-skill/

It is time to discuss the demise of Scienceblogs

I had earlier noted that I will no longer be blogging at scienceblogs.com, but rather, here, at Greg Laden’s Blog. What happened? Where did Scienceblogs.com go? I discuss this issue with Mike at Ikonokast Podcast, here. In the same podcast, we also discuss other matters of science and nature, and take a close look at […]

The post It is time to discuss the demise of Scienceblogs appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/07/time-discuss-demise-scienceblogs/

Hey Texas, Give This Guy All The Guns He Wants!

Yahoo! Ride ’em cowboy! Shoot ’em up and get ‘er done! That’s what I say. Tell those namby pamyb libtards to stuff their gun control where the sun don’ shine. You betcha, Texas, give this man all the guns he wants! “The gunman who turned a Texas church into a shooting gallery had a turbulent […]

The post Hey Texas, Give This Guy All The Guns He Wants! appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/06/hey-texas-give-guy-guns-wants/

Is this terrorism?

Is a particular act an act of terrorism? Is a particular person a terrorist? People want the label applied to acts and people that are readily and resoundingly vilified. It hardly matters if the person is an actual official terrorist. If they killed someone and you are really really mad at them you want them […]

The post Is this terrorism? appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/05/is-this-terrorism/

Al Franken Eviscerates Facebook Lawyer

From now on, I’m bringing Al Franken with me wherever I go so I don’t have to talk to anybody any more.

The post Al Franken Eviscerates Facebook Lawyer appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/04/al-franken-eviscerates-facebook-lawyer/

A true American Patriot

on Thursday, November 3rd, 2017, deactivated Donald Trump’s Twitter account. It was an employee of Twitter on his last day of work. He did what Twitter should have done, by its own rules, months ago. Trump’s latest violation of Twitter policy was probably his calling for the death of an American Citizen who had just […]

The post A true American Patriot appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/03/true-american-patriot/

Deo from Burundi and Forensic Geology (cheap books)

In Strength in What Remains, Tracy Kidder gives us the story of one man’s inspiring American journey and of the ordinary people who helped him, providing brilliant testament to the power of second chances. Deo arrives in the United States from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, […]

The post Deo from Burundi and Forensic Geology (cheap books) appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/11/01/deo-burundi-forensic-geology-cheap-books/

Mueller has probably caught multiple small fish.

Many were surprised when the “first indictment” in Muller’s probe of Trump’s collusion with Russia to take over the United States was Trump’s actual campaign advisory, Paul Manafort. One expects prosecutors to go after the small fish first, then use their testimony to catch the bigger fish. But that confusion is almost instantly settled on […]

The post Mueller has probably caught multiple small fish. appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/31/mueller-probably-caught-multiple-small-fish/

Trump Isn’t the American Reality

Lately — since, oh, sometime in early November 2016 — I’ve been reading history, especially US history and especially centered on national history and presidents. Why? Because Donald Trump is not the American reality. Other things are the American Reality. They are not all good things, some are bad, but many are good. And with […]

The post Trump Isn’t the American Reality appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/31/trump-isnt-american-reality/

Sam Clovis hired both Carter Page and George Papadopoulos

Climate Hawks Votes has just released this very intereting statement pertaining to today’s revelations and arrests: News reports indicate that Trump USDA chief scientist nominee Sam Clovis hired both Carter Page and George Papadopoulos for the Trump presidential campaign. Furthermore, Clovis acted as supervisor to George Papadopoulos and encouraged Papadopoulos to go to Moscow during […]

The post Sam Clovis hired both Carter Page and George Papadopoulos appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/30/sam-clovis-hired-carter-page-george-papadopoulos/

My blogging at Scienceblogs.com ends now

From here on out, Greg Laden’s Blog will be here. I’ll be discussing the details on Ikonokast.com (that podcast will be out in a day or so) and I’ll probably write a blog post here, eventually. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, post them below!

The post My blogging at Scienceblogs.com ends now appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/30/blogging-scienceblogs-com-ends-now/

‘Twas the Night before Indictment …

‘Twas the night before serving, when all thro’ the house Congresscritters were stirring, even the mouse; The indictments were hung by the Grand Jury with care, In hopes that Judge Emmet soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug with their lawyers, While visions of men named sugar plum danced in their heads. […]

The post ‘Twas the Night before Indictment … appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/29/twas-night-indictment/

Do not touch the virtual shark tank

Do not touch the virtual shark tank:

The post Do not touch the virtual shark tank appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/29/not-touch-virtual-shark-tank/

“basically anyone who’s black and politically active”

That’s who the FBI seems to want to consider as a domestic terrorist, and thus, investigate and repress. We’ve seen this before. Happens every time there is a fascist in the White House. I’m sure there are plenty of wonderful, thoughtful, politically neutral FBI agents, the do a great service to the country, yada yada […]

The post “basically anyone who’s black and politically active” appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/29/basically-anyone-whos-black-politically-active/

Amazing Interview with Donald Trump

I have no idea why the press is not covering this more:

The post Amazing Interview with Donald Trump appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/28/amazing-interview-donald-trump/

By Monday, Someone Will Be Arrested In Trump-Russia Probe

This is what CNN is reporting. A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter. The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be […]

The post By Monday, Someone Will Be Arrested In Trump-Russia Probe appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/27/monday-someone-will-arrested-trump-russia-probe/

Rates of sexual assaults among college students, by gender orientation

This is just over a year old but just came across my desk. The study is: Sexual Assault Victimization Among Straight, Gay/Lesbian, and Bisexual College Students by Jessie Ford and Jose Soto-Marquez, Violence and Gender, June 2016. From the abstract: …this study investigates both the prevalence of sexual assault and its associated factors for straight, […]

The post Rates of sexual assaults among college students, by gender orientation appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/27/rates-sexual-assaults-among-college-students-gender-orientation/

Global warming is messing up sports

Global Warming is messing up Hockey. It is too warm too many days for the usual low tech solutions (like, “it is cold out”) to support casual neighborhood hockey play, which is considered a key feeder for the varsity, college, and pro levels. See: Global Warming Is Bad For Hockey. This is from the NHL […]

The post Global warming is messing up sports appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/27/global-warming-messing-sports/

Three cheap books readers of my blog might want to grab

A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley “… offers the tools you need to get a better grasp of that intimidating material. Engineering professor Barbara Oakley knows firsthand how it feels to struggle with math. She flunked her way through high school math […]

The post Three cheap books readers of my blog might want to grab appeared first on Greg Laden's Blog.

source http://gregladen.com/blog/2017/10/27/three-cheap-books-readers-blog-might-want-grab/

Last Post

This is my last post at Scienceblogs.com. In the future I will be blogging at Greg Laden’s blog, located at its original home at gregladen.com. I have a feeling that Scienceblogs will not last long without me. What do you think? 🙂 But seriously, I’ll be talking about the story of the current status and…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/30/last-post/

Hacking Voting Machines

In every area of life, but especially in the overlapping realms of technology, science, and health, misunderstanding how things work can be widespread, and that misunderstanding can lead to problems. In the area of voting, the main problem seems to be the expenditure of great amounts of outrage and concern over things that are not…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/10/hacking-voting-machines/

On that chilling law suit against the environmental groups

… which I’ve posted on before … there are new developments, summarized at Inside Climate News: Invoking the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a federal conspiracy law devised to ensnare mobsters, the suit accuses the organizations, as well as several green campaigners individually and numerous unidentified “co-conspirators,” of running what amounts to…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/on-that-chilling-law-suit-against-the-environmental-groups/

One response to the Las Vegas Shooting

from a major non profit, click through the the X Blog to read the press release.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/one-response-to-the-las-vegas-shooting/

Watch Jeff Merkley Wipe Floor With Trump’s William Wehrum

William Wehrum is a lawyer and once, apparently, worked for the EPA. Trump is trying to appoint him to be assistant administrator for air and radiation. This is a reasonably important job that concerns many aspects of the environment. Watch: You've got to be kidding me with this nominee. pic.twitter.com/85w8Ru2618 — Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley)…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/watch-jeff-merkley-wipe-floor-with-trumps-william-wehrum/

100 megawats of solar in Minnesota

Solar gardens in the state have just reached the 100 megawatt milestone. This is actually something of a disappointment because a few years ago, Xcel, the main energy company involved in this, projected that we’d be at 200 megawatts by some time last year. On the other hand there are close to 180 new projects…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/100-megawats-of-solar-in-minnesota/

The Energy East Pipeline Is Toast

Witness the overall demise of fossil fuel pipelines, thanks in part to the hard work of amazing activists, and in part to the fact that the value of these pipelines is dropping fast, which in turn, can be attributed in no small part to the hard work of amazing activists. And now, the latest: From…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/the-energy-east-pipeline-is-toast/

Puerto Rico, now’s your chance!

Puerto Rico can become the first significant size polity to rebuild itself from the ground up to be totally Carbon free. Or at least, that seems like a good idea. If only the US Government wasn’t so anti-Puerto Rico, owing to the president being, well, Trump. Anyway, there is now a pile of money and…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/puerto-rico-nows-your-chance/

Trump Loses Another Fight, or two

The Trump Administration, in the person of Interior Secretary Zinke, tried to eliminate Obama-era limitations on greenhouse gas emissions from the petroleum industry. The Administration tried to use the “Administrative Procedure Act to turn off provisions intended to reduce how much natural gas petroleum drillers could vent or burn on public or tribal lands. This…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/05/trump-loses-another-fight-or-two/

Joel Clement Resigned today

You will remember Clement as the whistle blower at the Department of the Interior who was harassed for showing how climate change affects communities in Alaska. He was removed from his job by Fake Interior Secretory Zinke and given a new job removing staples from paperwork or something similar. Zinke similarly reassigned several others at…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/joel-clement-resigned-today/

Hurricane Nate

The next named storm in the Atlantic Hurricane Basin will be called Nate. There is currently a tropical depression located not far from Nicaragua that is expected to become a named storm pretty soon. It may pass over or interact with land between now and Friday, but if it does what the experts project, some…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/hurricane-nate/

Cheap Science Books

Two science books cheap (Kindle version, two bucks): The Male Brain: A Breakthrough Understanding of How Men and Boys Think Dr. Louann Brizendine, the founder of the first clinic in the country to study gender differences in brain, behavior, and hormones, turns her attention to the male brain, showing how, through every phase of life,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/cheap-science-books/

Getting a paper past pee review

OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but some kids take longer than others … But seriously, this is a heartwarming and touching story of science reaching into childhood and yanking some poor unsuspecting kid into the world of … academia… From Once Teased For Her Love Of Bugs, 8-Year-Old Co-Authors Scientific Paper. Sophia was a…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/getting-a-paper-past-pee-review/

Climate and energy are becoming focal points in state political races

Just a pointer to my colleague John Abraham’s current post in The Guardian: The latest example, Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Otto has a strong clean energy proposal As soon as Donald Trump won the presidential election, people in the US and around the world knew it was terrible news for the environment. Not wanting to…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/climate-and-energy-are-becoming-focal-points-in-state-political-races/

Netflix gets Stranger

Stranger Things Season 2 will be available on October 27th, just in time for Halloween. I expect there will be widespread disappointment, because there is always a lot of disappointment from the usual suspects when something loved is extended, redone, or done again. Part of the charm of the first season was discovering the 1980s…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/netflix-gets-stranger/

Hello Darkness ….

to lighten up your day a bit: OK, sorry, maybe that was depressing. Sorry.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/04/hello-darkness/

Why Donald Trump Is Being So Bad To Puerto Rico

Visiting Arkansas, hanging around briefly with some people in the Real Estate business, I found a lot of hatred of Mexicans, whom they unimaginatively referred to as “spics” but making it clear they were talking about Mexicans, not some other spics. Sitting with a group of people talking about racism in an urban neighborhood in…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/03/why-donald-trump-is-being-so-bad-to-puerto-rico/

Math Mystery Book That Is Bilingual

You can solve mysteries with math, and you can do it in either English or Spanish, with One Minute Mysteries – Misterios de un Minuto: Short Mysteries You Solve With Math! – ¡Misterios Cortos que Resuelves con Matemáticas!, by Yoder and Yoder. The original version of this book was all English, and was a best…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/03/math-mystery-book-that-is-bilingual/

Trump: Puerto Rico Did Not Suffer A Real Catastrophe, And It Is All Fixed Anyway

Today, Donald Trump told Puerto Rico that they dodged a bullet, that the hurricane that hit them was not a real catastrophe, that only a couple of people died, that he, Trump, is doing a great job, but would Puerto Rico please try to spend less money on fixing things up. President Trump: “I hate…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/03/trump-puerto-rico-did-not-suffer-a-real-catastrophe-and-it-is-all-fixed-anyway/

Vote Down The Guns

First a word about our lovely press. If I hear one more reporter grovel and squirm about how we don’t really want to hurt the NRA or take away any gun rights or do anything unreasonable, no, no, we just want to assume there is a solution to the carnage that does not inconvenience any…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/03/vote-down-the-guns/

More guns equals more gun deaths

And lax legislation and elected representatives who run their elections using money from the gun industry make sure there are PLENTY of guns to go around. People who are running for office who have pro NRA positions and/or take gun money should be drummed out of politics. The rate of gun ownership in a state…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/02/more-guns-equals-more-gun-deaths/

Birds of Australia: New Book

There are close to just under 900 species of bird in Australia, and The Australian Bird Guide by Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack, and Kim Franklin covers just over 900 of them. Where do the extras come from? Sea birds in the nearby oceans, I think. This is an excellent…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/02/birds-of-australia-new-book/

Considering Candidates Post Las Vegas Massacre: Rule Out Tim Walz

A man who was not even known as a gun collector amassed an arsenal that all experts agree included illegal fully automatic weapons. He carried out an act of carnage, alone and using only those weapons, that exceeded in casualty count almost every military battle fought in recent decades by American troops, and that equaled…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/10/02/considering-candidates-post-las-vegas-massacre-rule-out-tim-walz/

The Trump White House Rhetoric seems to say: Give up on Puerto Rico

The White House calls the disaster in Puerto Rico a “good news story,” implying that the federal government is doing a great job there. Meanwhile, Donald Trump put out a tweet today that seems to imply that the US needs to consider whether or not it wants to help Puerto Rico, which, by the way,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/29/the-trump-white-house-rhetoric-seems-to-say-give-up-on-puerto-rico/

An interesting new graphic showing climate change

This graphic, by Boggis Makes Videos and put on YouTube just a few days ago, breaks all the rules of how to make effective, understandable graphs for the general public. However, if you follow all those rules, it is difficult or impossible to get certain message across. Therefore, this graphic is necessary if a bit…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/29/an-interesting-new-graphic-showing-climate-change/

Wait, don’t buy an Echo yet!

I had mentioned before that we are enjoying our Amazon Echo, one of those robots that listens and then responds with a certain degree of intelligence. We don’t use the Echo for very many things, but that is partly because we are not in the habit. For example, if I’m sitting in a certain chair…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/29/wait-dont-buy-an-echo-yet/

The Great Pacific Invasion

When the big tsunami hit Japan in 2011, many objects were washed out to sea. This flotsam provided for a giant “rafting event.” A rafting event is when animals, plants, etc. float across an otherwise uncrossable body of water and end up alive on the other side. With this particular event, I don’t think very…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/28/the-great-pacific-invasion/

People who voted for Jill Stein were tricked, and we are all paying for it

Or so it seems. Donald Trump won the 2016 election with 306 votes to Hillary Clinton’s 232 votes. That is a spread of 74 votes. Clinton was likely to win in several states in which she lost, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, maybe Ohio, etc. In three states that could have gone either way, Jill Stein’s…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/28/people-who-voted-for-jill-stein-were-tricked-and-we-are-all-paying-for-it/

Puerto Rico Disaster Implications: Migrations, Politics, Cholera

Two or three thoughts about the current crisis. When there is a major climate disaster in the US, people move. Since the US is big and has large gaps in population, it looks different than when a disaster happens in some other places. Five million (or more) Syrians leaving the Levant left a major mark…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/28/puerto-rico-disaster-implications-migrations-politics-cholera/

States Can Lead the Way on Climate Change

True that. In the US, energy policy and regulation happens much more at the state level than the federal level, and our federal government went belly up last January anyway. Some states will not lead, they will go backwards, but others will lead, and show the way. So, here I want to highlight this new…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/27/states-can-lead-the-way-on-climate-change/

Reading the Special Election Tea Leaves

There are special elections all the time, mostly at the state level. The news is full of the Moore vs. Strange race, which isn’t just strange because Strange is in it. You all know about that. But what you may not know about is the interesting victory, also yesterday, of Kari Lerner in New Hampshire.…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/27/reading-the-special-election-tea-leaves/

Discovering The Mammoth: The Evolution Of Modern Scientific Thinking

It wasn’t a mammoth, it was a mastodon. But it was still a big hairy elephant featured at the climax-end of the main exhibit hall in the New York State museum. And it was an exhibit to end all exhibits. The New York State Museum, during its heyday, was world class, and the hall of…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/27/discovering-the-mammoth-the-evolution-of-modern-scientific-thinking/

Shooting At The Queen, Torchwood, AI: Cheap Books

In Tooth and Claw, Season 2 Episode 2 of Doctor Who 2.0, we see the formation of The Torchwood Institute and the banishing of The Doctor (and Rose) from the United Kingdom. Fat lot that does. Anyway, we also see Queen Victoria make mention of the multiple attempts at her assassination. I suppose it is…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/26/shooting-at-the-queen-torchwood-ai-cheap-books/

Future Farms Will Be Run By Robots

I have a love-hate relationship with farmers. I have a great deal of respect for the enterprise and for those who dedicate their lives to it. But, I also become annoyed at the culture in which modern American farming embeds itself. And, I don’t feel a lot of reticence talking openly about that. Having done…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/09/26/future-farms-will-be-run-by-robots/