There's a lot from Jay Lake in here. I'm getting close to catching up, so I expect that might continue for the next two linkee-poos. Sorry.
Eric goes more intellection than that subject as he reviews Prometheus. "Prometheus aims for being 2001 and somehow manages to miss the target well short of Star Trek: The Motion Picture…" I'll admit here, I wasn't all that hip to see P, although I might of, just to keep current with the genre. But now I might wait for it to hit the deep discount bin (not just based on Eric's review, but on the preponderance of other reviews I've seen).
On one front, North Carolina finally admits it should look at sea level rise in a scientific manner. (Grokked from Jay Lake) I guess the North Carolina Senate’s Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee was upset realizing "Regulations based on sea level projections would mean more area that is currently oceanfront would not be available for development, given that it's likely to end up under water by century's end." You can read that as, "Oh noes, we won't get rich people to buy houses and our tax base will crash!" Here I'll also note, flood insurance is a federal program, so they would be putting you and me on the hook for the loss. And on the other front, Virginia goes into retrograde about the whole issue. (Pointed to by Dan) It's also about a sea level rise. But we can't call it that, because apparently "'sea level rise' is a 'left-wing term' that conjures up animosities on the right." So while conservatives dicker about the language because they've taken stances that they can't defend (which is the only reason "sea level rise" is a "left-wing term" in their minds, instead of a scientifically valid term), "(a)lready, 5 percent to 10 percent of the city’s lowest-lying neighborhoods have heavy flooding. The world’s largest naval base, based in Norfolk, is spending hundreds of millions to replace piers to withstand rising water. Yet they manage to make no mention of climate change or sea level rise in their response strategy." I guess I should be happy that at least they're doing something about it. Not like they have a choice.
Holy shades of the body snatchers, the corpse flower, a parasite, has appropriated genes from its host. More proof that the world we live in is stranger than we can ever imagine. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"(N)early a fifth of all the power generated in California — as well as huge quantities of natural gas and diesel fuel consumed in the state — goes into water-related uses. You might call that report, entitled California’s Water-Energy Relationship, as The Great Wake-Up Call." Yes, the numbers do becomes staggering when you start to look at the infrastructure and what it cost. Especially if you live in a frackin' desert. (Grokked from Paolo Bacigalupi)
A look at US politics insanity from across the pond. "Then again, (Republican obstructionism to pull the economy down to use it to defeat President Obama) a hard accusation to prove… there is circumstantial evidence to make the case. Republicans have opposed… stimulus measures that once they supported, such as a payroll tax break… Even unemployment insurance, a relatively uncontroversial tool… has been consistently held up by Republicans… Ten years ago, prominent conservatives were loudly making the case for fiscal stimulus to get the economy going; today, they treat such ideas like they're the plague… Traditionally… Republicans have been supportive of loose monetary policy. Not this time… then, there is the fact that since the original stimulus bill passed in February of 2009, Republicans have made practically no effort to draft comprehensive job creation legislation. Instead, they continue to pursue austerity policies, which reams of historical data suggest harms economic recovery and does little to create jobs. In fact, since taking control of the House of Representatives in 2011, Republicans have proposed hardly a single major jobs bill that didn't revolve, in some way, around their one-stop solution for all the nation's economic problems: more tax cuts." Look out conservatives, your slip is showing. It's a long article with lots of data points which ends up acknowledging that the person who sits in the White House is the one who gets blamed, no matter who did the screwing up. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Another view from across the pond, "Perhaps Limbaugh is hoping that his harsh words will prevent anyone from noticing he's one of an increasingly large number of multi-millionaires rooting for and donating to fellow multi-millionaire Miit Romeny's campaign." (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"Some state courts say: We do not have the power under state law to render a decision about a decision we're not allowed to recognize…" Another reason why DOMA is unconstitutional and why this silliness regarding same sex marriage (and the use of the word "marriage") needs to end. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @rhodri: The way I now consume news: a) See jokes about a story on Twitter b) Try to work out what the story is c) Find story d) Understand jokes
Alligator Quotient: It would appear alligators, like Garfield, don't like Mondays either.
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