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regarding the dispensation of pork

1. Republicans control all three branches of government.
2. Thus, pork goes disproportionately to Republican congressional districts.
3. Republican congressional districts tend to be either rural or exurban.
4. Rural pork is composed primarily of agricultural subsidies and exurban pork is generally car-friendly.
5. Agricultural subsidies and car-friendly infrastructure development are environmentally destructive.

Whatever to do?

Update [2005-8-12 14:25:26 by Dave Roberts]: Oops. In reference to the above, I meant to point to this Nathan Newman post.

Newly discovered lemur species too cute for words

Scientists discovered two new lemur species, named Microcebus lehilahytsara (shown here) and Mirza zaza, in one of the most studied rain forests of Madagascar. New primate species are rare finds, though the animals' small size -- about the size of a mouse and a grey squirrel, respectively -- help explain why they were never spotted before.

Germany says auf Wiedersehen to nuclear power, guten Tag to renewables

For a people as addicted to order as the Germans, this country is floundering in uncertainty. The economy has sputtered to a post-World War II record 5 million unemployed. Chancellor […]

Pup Tense

Parks ban dogs from hiking trails to protect wildlife You might find it heartwarming to see Rover frolicking in the wilderness, but residents of the backcountry may not share your […]

Kit Me Baby One More Time

Last chance to donate to Grist and save yourself from global warming! That feverish, woozy feeling you have? It’s not the warming planet. It’s guilt! You haven’t donated to Grist […]

Alan AtKisson on Sweden

Delightful.

Update [2005-8-12 10:25:6 by Dave Roberts]: Iceland sounds pretty cool too!

Being ‘right’ about peak oil is only the first step

All right, I've been meaning to write a post on this forever, but a comment from The Oil Drum's Prof. Goose finally lit a fire under my butt:

It seems to me that one of the keys to the puzzle of why people don't understand peak oil and other sustainability issues is innumeracy and a lack of understanding spatial functions.

Ah, so that's it! But wait, it gets better:

However, getting 100*ln 2(~=70, btw)/rate per annum=doubling time in years through your head ain't that hard...is it?

Oh, well heck no!

But let's get to the point:

One of the main points of Dr. Bartlett's lecture is that "we cannot let other people do our thinking for us." So, so true.

Um, no. So, so false.

In fact, we let other people do our thinking for us constantly. If we couldn't outsource some -- nay, most -- of our thinking, we would be screwed indeed. People think about their families, kids, boy/girlfriends, health, school, job, finances, parents, weight ... now they have to learn calculus?

I'm not trying to be cute. People are busy. Average folk can hope to have in-depth knowledge in one area, maybe two. For many it is sports, clothes, TV shows, hobbies of myriad sorts.

Even those who devote their lives to what we may consider good causes -- learning all there is to know about, oh, poverty, or ocean health -- do we hold them responsible for not knowing all there is to know about peak oil? Do we hold Prof. Goose responsible for not knowing the basic facts on, say, the tropical lapse rate quandary?

No. Most people rely, for most of their information, most of the time, on other people. They let other people do the thinking for them. It could not be otherwise.

Kernel knowledge

The Daily Show has done several funny bits on the energy bill. This one, on ethanol, is particularly funny.

Fedex doesn’t want you reusing their boxes

What do you do if you need furniture but are living on a limited income? If you're one Jose Avila, you direct your web browser to Fedex.com and order a bunch of boxes. Cuz, apparently, Fedex boxes can be used to make quite sturdy furniture -- from couches to beds to chairs to desks. To help spread the word that "it's OK to be ghetto," Jose setup the website FedexFurniture.com to share pictures and provide details for construction materials.

Enter Fedex and its lawyers with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in tow.

Head on over to Wired to get the full scoop and to read the exchange between the Fedex legal team and the lawyers from the Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, who are representing Jose. After reading, let us know which is the crime: Jose's ingenuity or Fedex's attempt to crush it.

While I'm disappointed that Jose decided to use new Fedex boxes (I'm sure he could have been just as innovative finding used ones) I think his creativity is just another example of how we can reuse products that are often discarded.

And I'm totally disappointed in Fedex. Their antics will only encourage the Freecycle media relations people.

Gambling site gives odds for oil

As news hits of a historic rise in oil prices (to $66 a barrel), America's "largest online sports betting destination" tells us they've turned the world's fuelish issues into a new category. Yup! Right there on the non sports events page -- tucked between "Who will win Tommy Hilfiger's 'The Cut'?" and "Who will win the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards video of the year?" -- you can bet on whether the price will reach $70 by the end of 2005.

What do you think: lie down and weep, or lay money down and reap?