If Allen wins in VA...

You don't have to BELIEVE in global warming...

Part 1:
So there is all this talk these days about global warming. It may be called some people's new religion. In fact, however, it is not something to believe in. Global warming just is. The planet is warming. The glaciers are melting. There are droughts in some places and floods in others. The hottest year on record was last year (2005) and as the global temperatures have increased over the last 50 years (really since the turn of the century), so have those greenhouse gases (CO2, Methane, etc.). So let's not all make a mockery over the scientific community. No scientists dispute the fact that the Earth is warming. So it's not magic or a 'theory' like evolution (tongue firmly in cheek of course). The Earth (a.k.a. globe) is warming. So there we have it, global warming. So all of you considering changing religions or worried about trying to figure out whether you 'believe' in global warming can rest at ease, save your beliefs for star athletes and Ripley's. Do your own research this isn't politics so don't just listen to some talking head. This concludes Part 1 (probably the easiest part)of a mini-series in climate change education. If anyone is still on the 'fence' we don't want you to read this blog anyway.

OK, now that we've gotten that straight... the debate, if you want to call it that, is what has caused/is causing the global climate change. We'll call that Part deux (shout out to the French world cup team and the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in sports). I really want to laugh everytime I see it, just absurd. I mean, who cares about global warming when dudes are head butting guys in the world cup. IN THE CHEST NO LESS!! I've never heard of such a thing. I bet Tito Ortiz is wishing he had thought of that move during his Ultimate Fighter days.
~gama

Irony, Inertia and Incompetence?

Like any good liberal I was listening to NPR the other day, and the topic of discussion was States suing the EPA for its failure to enforce the Clean Air Act - namely C02 emissions from cars. One of the interviewees was a rep from the automotive industry. Her contention was that EPA restrictions forced automakers to sell cars that aren't in line with consumer demand. This is ironic because if the government had clamped down and mandated more fuel efficient cars, carmakers would actually be producing cars that people want right now instead of the gas-guzzling behemoths that are crowding dealership lots. American automakers really have no idea what the public wants - they just bring a load of cars to market and hope that one of the models resonates with consumers. Then, they crank out as many of that model as they can until it becomes obsolete or circumstances cause demand to decrease. Prime examples of this are the Ford Taurus and Explorer.

In keeping with the 'liberal media' theme of this post, I saw in the New York Times that Daimler-Chrysler was planning to bring their dimunitve SmartCar to the US in 2008. My question is why is it going to take so long? When I was in Europe in June of 2001, SmartCars were everywhere.

he said what????

"tarbaby"?
I'm sorry, I thought I heard that during Tony Snow's first Whitehouse Press Briefing but I brushed it off thinking I muse have just been delusional. I go to Dan Froomkin's article in the post today and get confirmation. Tarbaby? come on now. How many other metaphors can one think of other than that referenced in such heroic civil rights literature such as Brer Rabbit and Uncle Remis? Wow...I at least wanted the three people who read this blog to know this actually happenned. What year is it?

1 1/2 years from now...

We'll be knee deep in about a heated a presidential campaign as there ever was. Assuming the Dems actually do something in the next 7 months with the horrible presidential ratings and get a couple seats in Congress back, it's very likely that the next presidential ticket will be a completely open one. I've been hinting with my wife who I thought I liked for a while now, so I figured I'd just put it on record now. The next President of the United States will be:
Al Gore!


Yeah that's right. He's been out of the political limelight for quite a while but he has been drumming up lots of support with young people on the environment. Along wit hthat, he has let his personality come out a bit. I might be in the minority of people who enjoy his dry sense of humor but I think he's ready to win....again. He was on SNL last weekend doing the opening monologue as if it were some other parallel universe. Just think if Florida didn't turn out the way it did, we'd have a Anti-Hurricane Tornado Machine! Ok so there it is. I think he is the most sincere and visionary potential President.

~gama

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

I just wanted to drop a quick note to wish everyone a happy cinco de mayo. Not that I need to tell anyone, but Cinco De Mayo is Mexican Independence Day! I for one am so happy I intend to have Austin Grill and Margaritas to pay homage. Thank you Mexico and thank you Davy Crockett. Oh wait, that's a different story.
~gama

Goodbye Scotty, Helloooooo FoxNews!

I'm surpised Smurf hasn't pounced on this but hey, I guess I've scooped him here. Tony Snow was just annouced White House Press Secretary (aka worst job in America) taking the place of Scott McClellan. Ton Snow is an 'analyst' on FoxNews and has his own show "The Tony Snow Show". He is a respected journalist (see talking head), and I've actually seen him before and he is about 3000 times more likable and convincing than Scott McClellan. What's so great about this hire, though, is that the Bush administration is basically outwardly acknowledging the symbiotic relationship between them and their megaphone to the people (FoxNews). I always thought it was the role of the 'free' press to be at a skeptical if not adversarial role with the government to prevent the abuse of power but that may be a discussion for another day. All in all, a pretty big day for FoxNews I would say. Fitting FoxNews link:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193093,00.html


~gamma

Free Education???

Well not really of course since one would need a computer, internet access and no degrees would ever been handed out. This UC Berkeley web page has webcasts and podcasts of full courses of lectures (go to /courses). Some of the course websites are up and have required reading, assignments, and projects if you are so inclined. I am simply amazed by the availability of this high quality education to anyone in the world who can get access to the internet. Harvard has done something similar with a couple courses (Computer Science) but this is the largest list I've come across. As far as I can tell, this is all free and open to the public. I always wanted to study "Foundations of American Cyberculture"!!!

~gama

PS-- hopefully this will get my back writing again.

IFrauds in the Can (TechTalk)

As usual, all my good ideas already exist. See previous post.

Poor Chinese Guys

So on the way to and from Australia, I watched quite a few movies and programs on Qantus' in flight entertainment system: Wedding Crashers, Deuce Bigelow 2, Four Brothers, Transporter 2, Wallace and Grommit, The Office Christmas Party (the British version), and a few others. What sticks in my mind the most is a BBC documentary on the growing gender imbalance in China.

I tuned in late, and I kept missing it on the wraparound (all the programming repeats every 2.5 hours), but the basic idea of the documentary was to follow the life of a young male Chinese villager. When I started watching, he was attending the wedding of another young man from his village. Unlike most Western wedding receptions where you generally see balanced tables, the tables seemed to be packed with guys. Apparently in his village, there are very few girls his age. It's so bad that he has little chance of finding a wife unless he moves to the city. After the wedding, his parents tell him that he needs to go to the city and either return with enough money to attract a wife in the village, or meet a girl in the city. This is a tough decision for his folks, because they are elderly and need his assistance with the farming. They send him off with a grain sack on his back as a makeshift suitcase.

From what I understand, male children have always been preferred in China, so when the government limited couples to having one child in an attempt to control the population, it's no suprise that many parents hoped for a boy. In some cases, infant girls would be murdered so that the couple could have another shot at a boy. More recently, ultrasound is being used to detect female fetuses, so that they can be aborted. Consequently, there is a gender imbalance throughout all of China. The problem is magnified in the countryside, however, because as parents grow old and have difficutly working the land, sons can carry more of the load than daughters, so there is even more pressure to have a son.

Moving to the city doesn't guarantee a mate, since more and more women in the city are becoming educated and would be unlikely to settle for a country boy. Also, some of them are hooking up with Western dudes. The lack of women in some areas has led to a rising number of kidnappings of young girls for brides. The government is trying to crack down on this practice by making it punishable by death.

Some projections show that there may be 40 million more males than females in about 20 years. That means there are going to be a lot of lonely guys...