Red Menace: Stop the Ug99 Fungus Before Its Spores Bring Starvation | Magazine: "Stem rust is the polio of agriculture, a plague that was brought under control nearly half a century ago as part of the celebrated Green Revolution. After years of trial and error, scientists managed to breed wheat that contained genes capable of repelling the assaults of Puccinia graminis, the formal name of the fungus.
But now it’s clear: The triumph didn’t last. While languishing in the Ugandan highlands, a small population of P. graminis evolved the means to overcome mankind’s most ingenious genetic defenses. This distinct new race of P. graminis, dubbed Ug99 after its country of origin (Uganda) and year of christening (1999), is storming east, working its way through Africa and the Middle East and threatening India and China. More than a billion lives are at stake. “It’s an absolute game-changer,” says Brian Steffenson, a cereal-disease expert at the University of Minnesota who travels to Njoro regularly to observe the enemy in the wild. “The pathogen takes out pretty much everything we have.”"
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In case you were running out of things to worry about...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Russia: Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System - ABC News
Russia: Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System - ABC News
This is pretty amazing--it is at the start of the 7 minute segment and well worth watching.
This is pretty amazing--it is at the start of the 7 minute segment and well worth watching.
Computer snafu is behind at least 50 'raids' on Brooklyn couple's home
Computer snafu is behind at least 50 'raids' on Brooklyn couple's home: "Embarrassed cops on Thursday cited a 'computer glitch' as the reason police targeted the home of an elderly, law-abiding couple more than 50 times in futile hunts for bad guys."
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If you live in New York, this is your tax dollars at work.
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If you live in New York, this is your tax dollars at work.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
More homeowners are opting for 'strategic defaults' - latimes.com
More homeowners are opting for 'strategic defaults' - latimes.com: "Time was when Americans would do almost anything to hang on to their homes. But that commitment appears to be fraying as more people fall behind on their loans while watching the banks and lenders that helped trigger the financial crisis return to prosperity.
Nearly one-quarter of U.S. mortgages, or about 11 million loans, are 'underwater,' i.e. the houses are worth less than the balance of their loans. While home values are regaining ground -- median prices rose 10% in Southern California last month to $275,000 compared with a year earlier -- they remain far below the July 2007 peak of $505,000.
Many homeowners are just coming to grips with the idea that prices will take years to reach the pre-crash peak: as long as 14 years in California, according to economist Chris Thornberg."
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Fourteen years? For a baby boomer that is just way. Too. Long.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link and for pointing out that anybody who is strategically defaulting on their mortgage has already strategically defaulted on their HOA/condo assessments as well. The rocky times continue.
Nearly one-quarter of U.S. mortgages, or about 11 million loans, are 'underwater,' i.e. the houses are worth less than the balance of their loans. While home values are regaining ground -- median prices rose 10% in Southern California last month to $275,000 compared with a year earlier -- they remain far below the July 2007 peak of $505,000.
Many homeowners are just coming to grips with the idea that prices will take years to reach the pre-crash peak: as long as 14 years in California, according to economist Chris Thornberg."
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Fourteen years? For a baby boomer that is just way. Too. Long.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link and for pointing out that anybody who is strategically defaulting on their mortgage has already strategically defaulted on their HOA/condo assessments as well. The rocky times continue.
Bad math wrongly IDs lagging schools | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, Vermont
Bad math wrongly IDs lagging schools | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, Vermont: "Two Vermont schools were mistakenly included in a list of the state’s “persistently lowest achieving schools” released last week, and two others have taken their place, an apologetic Vermont Department of Education announced Tuesday...The revision was prompted by an error in calculation used to rank the schools on the basis of standardized test results. The mistake was noticed Friday by a department staff member and made public Tuesday after a Free Press inquiry into possible miscalculations."
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The nation's public schools have reached the point of self-parody.
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The nation's public schools have reached the point of self-parody.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
C-Span Puts Its Full Archives on the Web - NYTimes.com
C-Span Puts Its Full Archives on the Web - NYTimes.com: "WASHINGTON — Researchers, political satirists and partisan mudslingers, take note: C-Span has uploaded virtually every minute of its video archives to the Internet."
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The Onion should have written that headline. Can you imagine watching 23 years of the House of Representatives in session? Dante could have had that on big screen TV in the inner circle of Hell.
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The Onion should have written that headline. Can you imagine watching 23 years of the House of Representatives in session? Dante could have had that on big screen TV in the inner circle of Hell.
Monday, March 15, 2010
House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it
House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it: "After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might instead attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would instead vote on a more popular measure that presumes the health-care bill has passed the chamber."
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Why? Because there might be somebody someplace who still believes that the United States Congress is one of the world's greatest legislative bodies, and it is important to crush that person's faith like a paper cup.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would instead vote on a more popular measure that presumes the health-care bill has passed the chamber."
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Why? Because there might be somebody someplace who still believes that the United States Congress is one of the world's greatest legislative bodies, and it is important to crush that person's faith like a paper cup.
America's Craziest Cities - The Daily Beast
America's Craziest Cities - The Daily Beast: "Move over, Las Vegas. After two years of national doldrums, crazy is on the rise again. From shrinks to drinks, The Daily Beast tallies who’s handling their stress—and who’s losing it."
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No way Chicago should rank so low. And LA is even lower. I protest.
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No way Chicago should rank so low. And LA is even lower. I protest.
Jim Jubak: Is China broke? Hidden debt burdens Asia giant - MSN Money
Jim Jubak: Is China broke? Hidden debt burdens Asia giant - MSN Money: "All governments lie about their finances. At worst, as in Greece and the United States, the lies are bold and transparent. Everybody knows the emperor has no clothes, but no one want to say so. At best, as in Canada and China, the lies are more subtle -- more like a magician's misdirection than a viking raider's ax. Look at these great numbers, the lie goes, but don't look at those up my sleeve.
There's a good argument to be made that if you look at all the numbers, instead of just the ones the budget magicians want you to see, China is indeed broke."
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Are there any governments that are not broke?
There's a good argument to be made that if you look at all the numbers, instead of just the ones the budget magicians want you to see, China is indeed broke."
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Are there any governments that are not broke?
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