I’m so confused about which future climate scenario I’m supposed to be dreading: a mini ice age or an expansive drought? Live Science reported yesterday that some scientists are predicting a severe drought for two thirds of the Western hemisphere by the year 2030: “We are facing the possibility of widespread drought in the coming … Read more
In the LA Times today, Jonah Goldberg defends conservatives against those who blame them for holding up infrastructure improvements. Goldberg says we just don’t build things the way we used to for a number of reasons — among them, low tolerance for deaths on the job and environmental regulations. Much of the liberal intelligentsia is … Read more
And you thought liturgical dancers were just harmless distractions… According to Catholic News Agency (CNA), Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako was almost assassinated during an outdoor Mass in Khartoum, Sudan, by a man who disguised himself as a liturgical dancer: The man disguised himself and joined the liturgical dancers at the crowded stage where the altar … Read more
Scientists have studied the movement on five pairs of twins in utero and determined that by the 14th week of gestation, the fetuses aim movements at each other. Science magazine reports on the research: By the 14 th week of gestation, the fetuses began reaching toward their partners, and just 4 weeks later, they spent … Read more
Remember the man your man could smell like? Me, too. But if you prefer more of a dank and musty odor to Old Spice, you may enjoy this new video making it’s way around the internet: [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB4P_VMNGYQ 635×355]
Columbus Day has been an official holiday in the United States since 1937, except in three states — Nevada, South Dakota, and Hawaii. The day was never much on my own radar screen since the second Monday of October was always Thanksgiving in my home country. Christopher Columbus has been vilified as well as defended … Read more
You’ve probably seen stories about the collapse of the honey bee colonies in the United States over the past few years. Somewhere between 20 and 40 per cent have disappeared and scientists have been frantically trying to discover why since thriving bee colonies are vital to agriculture. Experts theorized about causes… pesticides, perhaps? But according … Read more
Baltimore’s archdiocesan paper, The Catholic Review, ran a story of a local couple who’ve been married 75 years as of last month, and are still loving life together: Edwin Becker was 19 when he decided that he couldn’t live his life without Gertrude. At 17, Gertrude just knew she wanted to be with him. So, … Read more
There are more undiscovered languages than you’d expect — a lot more. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that two linguists working for National Geographic have found a new one in the Himalayan foothills of India’s northeastern state, Arunachal Pradesh. More than 120 languages are spoken in the area, which is very isolated because of the mountainous … Read more
The Christian Science Monitor carried a short piece on Monday about the growing number of farmers choosing to shun genetically modified (GM) crops. The reasons vary, but cost is a big one. According to the article, the price of corn seed rose 32 percent last year, and soybean seed went up 24 percent. The high … Read more
On October 17, Pope Benedict XVI will canonize Mother Mary MacKillop, co-founder of the sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. She will be the first native-born Australian saint. What is most interesting to the press about Mother’s canonization is not so much her heroic dedication to the people she served, but the fact … Read more
Pope Benedict was in Palermo, Sicily, yesterday, encouraging the locals to resist the evils of the Mafia: “The temptation toward discouragement, to resignation, comes to those who are weak in faith, to those who confuse evil with good, to those who think that, faced with often profound evil, there is nothing to do,” Benedict told … Read more
You’ve got to love the latest PR move by the Corn Refiner’s Association (CRA). It petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow it to use the term “corn sugar” instead of “high fructose corn syrup.” All in the name of “consumer clarity,” of course. <cough> “Consumers need to know what is in … Read more
On Tuesday, I posted a recent report about road fatalities due to texting and talking on cell phones while driving. Yesterday, there was a short piece in the Cleveland Leader about some research conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute that shows crash rates may actually increase when bans against texting are put in place … Read more
Our society’s new ‘drunk driving’ threat is talking or texting behind the wheel. I’m guilty of it, particularly when I’m stuck in traffic. But as of this Friday, Maryland’s hands-free law goes into effect, so my bad habit will have to end. An analysis of road fatalities from “distracted driving” was just published in the American … Read more
Two health-related articles caught my attention this weekend. The first is on a subject I’ve been loosely following for a while: the mammogram. To mammogram or not to mammogram… I’ve long questioned the benefit of this test for women over 38, and have had doctors stare me down on this one. I’m not saying you shouldn’t … Read more
Does the Tea Party have a foreign policy? P. J. O’Rourke explores the question in a recent World Affairs article. He begins by saying that it’s difficult to answer because first of all, there is no Tea Party: …There are, of course, any number of Tea Party Coalition groups across the country. But these mix … Read more
Well folks, with the midterm elections right around the corner, we should all be thinking hard about the values that motivate us to choose who will represent us. I’ll make this contribution to the discussion: http://www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/QyHJCAbXhRY I don’t watch RealCatholic TV and have only seen this guy Michael Vorhis once before, but a … Read more
According to experiments, narcissists are excellent at convincing people that their ideas are the most creative. The same thing happens in groups when there is a handful of narcissists. This short article in Science Now reports that creativity and narcissism often appear to go hand in hand: …Creative people often appear self-important, hungry for attention, … Read more
I am not on Facebook, which I realize makes me akin to an alien. Yes, I miss out on invitations, fun photos, and connections, but the losses aren’t worth the gains… at least not yet. I’ve been chided and criticized for not joining the club, but it turns out I’m in good — and unexpected … Read more
