Global Cooling?

A compiled list of all the sources can be seen here. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down.


Original Article here

Glimpse of the future

Contact lenses with a circuit and light emitting diodes allowing a super-imposed image on the world like a heads up display. See article here.

Broken Windows

I read this article in City Journal a few months ago, and I've wanted to reference it a few times since then. I'd thought of posting it to my blog then, but didn't. It's long and isn't very easy to summarize.

I first heard about the broken windows theory in a story about New York. The idea is that perception matters. Someone living in an area where there are broken windows, graffiti, etc, will be more likely to feel that they can act lawlessly than someone living in a nice orderly neighborhood.

The article I'm linking to has an overview of the worst neighborhood in Los Angeles and the societal and political forces trying to help it. The article stands out becuase of how complete a picture it paints of these forces.

Deal or No Deal

You know you've made the dictator major leagues when you can offer deals like these..

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amid a discussion of trade in 1973, Chinese leader Mao Zedong made what U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called a novel proposition: sending tens of thousands, even 10 million, Chinese women to the United States.

Chinese leader Mao Zedong, here depicted in an Andy Warhol painting, offered women to the U.S.

"You know, China is a very poor country," Mao said, according to a document released by the State Department's historian office.

"We don't have much. What we have in excess is women. So if you want them we can give a few of those to you, some tens of thousands."

A few minutes later, Mao circled back to the offer. "Do you want our Chinese women?" he asked. "We can give you 10 million."

After Kissinger noted Mao was "improving his offer," the chairman said, "We have too many women. ... They give birth to children and our children are too many."

"It is such a novel proposition," Kissinger replied in his discussion with Mao in Beijing. "We will have to study it."

You can find the original news report here. (CNN)

Hero or Criminal?

Here's a story of an 80 year old American answering the door at his home, only to find two robbers who attempted to beat him up. He fought back, and put one of his attackers in the hospital. He's being hailed as hero by the police and his neighbors. But the same thing happening in Great Britain would probably lead to his being charged with a crime. (can't use deadly force to protect yourself from a home invasion there). So who's right?

Volvo S60 2.5T AWD

I've had the '03 Volvo S60 2.5 turbo All Wheel Drive for three-quarters of a year now, and so far I'm very happy with it.

I think the style of the car has just the right touch of sport, class and luxury.


The shade of black with maybe a touch of blue is perfect for this car.

Handling is good. I really like the suspension setup, which thankfully sits more to the sport rather than the luxury end of the spectrum. Coupled with a rigid chassis and an anti-roll bar, there's fairly little lean-in for turns.

Throwing the car through the twisties of route 129 on the Tennessee / North Carolina border otherwise known as the tail of the dragon was amazingly fun.

(click on the map to get a full-size view)

I drove it twice in my Volvo S60. I think I did fairly well for the most part, but seeing how there's either rock, steep drop off or trees at the side of the road I really wasn't trying to push the car to 9/10th of what it can do. The one time I misjudged a turn and came in way too quickly for my comfort, I was blown away by how I was simply able to pull the steering wheel around more sharply and the car just turned with no oversteer or understeer, not even tire noise.

To see what I mean about route 129 being one of the best driving roads in North America, watch this youtube clip of someone following a Ferrari through the twisties.


Then there's the All Wheel Drive. While the All Wheel Drive system is biased towards the front wheels, up to 70% of power can be sent to the rear wheels when the front wheels slip by as little as 1/15 of a rotation. This means its really easy to have fun in this car when there's snow on the ground. Not to mention being able to get out of snow filled parking spots downtown.

Do you let tourists handle your guns?

I'll assume that most people who read my blog don't have guns or host tourists. And neither did the International Space Station until they began to let tourists paying $25 million apiece visit. Well apparently they also have at least one gun up there, which they let their tourists handle. And before you jump to the conclusion that the Americans are at fault, they're not. The Russians are the ones who brought it to the station. Apparently everyone up there knows about it, but word wasn't supposed to get out into the general population. I guess they forgot to tell the tourist, who blogged about it.

Anyway we all know how balanced and professional astronauts are..
Except for maybe the completely crazy-insane ones.
You can find the article here

A guy walks into a bar... ...'ouch'.

A Scotsman, an Englishman, and an Irishman meet in a bar while traveling.

"Y'know" said the Scotsman, "I still prefer the pubs back home. In Glasgow, there's a wonderful little bar called McTavish's. The landlord there goes out of his way for the locals, so much that when you buy 4 drinks he'll buy the 5th drink for you."

"Well," said the Englishman, "at my local, the Red Lion, the barman there will buy your 3rd drink after you buy the first 2."

"Ahhhhh, that's nothing, laddies," said the Irishman.

gihgup

read the rest! »

"Back home in me own Dublin, there's Ryan's Bar. Now, the moment you set foot in the place they'll buy you a drink, then another, all the drinks you like. Then, when, when you've had enough drinks, they'll take you upstairs and see that you get laid All on the house."

The Englishman and Scotsman immediately scorn the Irishman's claims. But he swears every word is true.

"Well," said the Englishman, "did this actually happen to you?"

"Not to me meself, personally, no," said the Irishman... "but it did happen to me sister."

Faster please..

Imad Mughniyah dead in a mysterious blast in Damascus.

Human Rights Commission Freedom of Speech Issue

The magazine Macleans was referred to a Human Rights Commission by a complainant for an article written by Mark Steyn. The human rights commissions are quasi-judicial bodies, which had been designed to adjudicate disputes in housing and the workplace where discrimination might have played a role. How did they come to judge what is permissible for a journalist to write and a magazine to publish?

Liberal member of parliament Keith Martin has introduced a private members bill to strip section 13(1) from the Human Rights commissions code under which section they are prosecuting Macleans.

To me it seems clear that freedom of speech inherently includes the right to offend others.

This point is illustrated by another guy who has been referred to a Human Rights Commission for publishing the 'Mohammed' cartoons. They were published in the Western Standard, by the publisher Ezra Levant.

you can read about his experience here

That looks like one content cat...

Photoshopping Angelina Jolie.

I admire the skill, but still find it a tad creepy.