North Carolina’s record floods: “You have got to see it to believe all the devastation that has occurred.” - Vox
Yeah, it's getting some media attention, but if I lived in the middle of the North Carolina disaster area, I think I would feel a little peeved about how the Trump stories are sort of crowding out the degree of media attention it would otherwise get.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
So there may have been arsenic in the old lace?
I guess lace isn't often coloured, but if it was....
This comes under the category of "things I feel I've read a bit about before, but it didn't stick much in my memory".
At the Atlantic, there's an interview with the author of a new book which discusses the rather disastrous popularity of arsenic in the Victorian period - with it widely used in popular dyes for wallpapers and cloth of all kinds. (And also, strangely, foods!) An extract:
This comes under the category of "things I feel I've read a bit about before, but it didn't stick much in my memory".
At the Atlantic, there's an interview with the author of a new book which discusses the rather disastrous popularity of arsenic in the Victorian period - with it widely used in popular dyes for wallpapers and cloth of all kinds. (And also, strangely, foods!) An extract:
Factory workers were getting sick—and many died—because they were working with green arsenic dye. It was fashionable to wear these artificial green wreaths of plants and flowers in your hair that were dyed with arsenic. In wallpaper factories, workers were becoming really unwell, especially when they were working with flock papers, or papers with small fiber particles that stick to the surface. The workers would dye these tiny, tiny pieces of wool or cotton in green, and while doing so would inhale them and the particles would stick to their lungs. The manufacturing process created a lot of dust from the dye—the dust had arsenic in it—and this created major problems for the factory workers as the dust would stick to their eyes and skin. If there were abrasions on their skin, the arsenic could get directly into their blood stream and poison them that way as well....
Before legislation was passed, bakers used arsenic green as a popular food coloring. Sometimes, a baker was given flour or sugar with arsenic in it unknowingly, but other times it was used as a bulking agent. You wouldn’t believe the kinds of things that were put into Victorian foods as bulking agents. It wasn’t just arsenic, there were lots of weird things. Flour was expensive, so they would resort to adding other things.
There was an orphanage in Boston and all these small children were getting really, really sick and they didn’t know why. It turned out that the nurses were wearing blue uniforms dyed with arsenic and they were cradling the children, who in turn were inhaling the dye particles.
That’s another thing, too: Green was a color that was always seen as the culprit, simply because it was so desirable at the time, but many other colors used arsenic as well. When the National Archives did testing on the William Morris wallpapers, all of the colors used arsenic to some extent. These colors were exceptionally beautiful, and up until this point, it was not something they could achieve without the use of arsenic.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
All a bit sad
Ross Cameron goes on Sky to defend Donald Trump comments in video
I had forgotten, too, until I read this other account of his silly TV act, that in his politician days, he used to be prominently Christian. Then his philandering sex life was disclosed, and that was that.
This performance seems to me to all be part of the unfortunate aspect of right wing cable TV commentary - as with Bolt, they feel they have to throw a bit of theatre and drama into it. With Bolt, it's a matter of ratcheting up the "smug" quotient to "11", and lately having the likes of comedy-drama queens (and actually kinda increasingly sad figures) Ann Coulter and Milo on as guests. All very unfortunate for the former relatively respectable face of conservative political commentary.
I had forgotten, too, until I read this other account of his silly TV act, that in his politician days, he used to be prominently Christian. Then his philandering sex life was disclosed, and that was that.
This performance seems to me to all be part of the unfortunate aspect of right wing cable TV commentary - as with Bolt, they feel they have to throw a bit of theatre and drama into it. With Bolt, it's a matter of ratcheting up the "smug" quotient to "11", and lately having the likes of comedy-drama queens (and actually kinda increasingly sad figures) Ann Coulter and Milo on as guests. All very unfortunate for the former relatively respectable face of conservative political commentary.
Trump duped - what a surprise
Dear Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, I Am Not Sidney Blumenthal
An interesting article here a Newsweek writer.
An interesting article here a Newsweek writer.
Seems worth knowing
Common high blood pressure meds affect mood disorders
First it was the contraceptive pill coming under renewed scrutiny for depression - now it's (some) blood pressure medication.
Perhaps people should try regular beetroot juice first?
First it was the contraceptive pill coming under renewed scrutiny for depression - now it's (some) blood pressure medication.
Perhaps people should try regular beetroot juice first?
My guess about the debate
I've still not seen video reports on the Presidential debate, but I note that sources as diverse as monty, Douthat, and the completely-in-the-tank-for-Trump Powerline blog gave the debate narrowly for Trump. (There are other Trump supporters who, of course, gave it totally to Trump, as you would expect from the alt-right - see Scott Adams - and their dimwitted followers.)
So, I assume, in one sense it would seem that Trump did better than expected - although, obviously, it was about the lowest bar possible that he had to climb over to look more knowledgeable than in the first debate.
But - and here I'll actually cite Adams with semi-approval (even a weirdo can say something useful once in a while): after the first debate, he said that Hillary won it on debating technique, but he thought that on the matter of how it made the audience feel, which he said was more important, he gave it to Trump. (Of course!)
Well, if he's right on the matter of feely perceptions, I can't but get the impression that Trumps strange, intimidating looks and pacing behind Clinton, as well the threat to re-investigate and jail her, were exactly the opposite of what was needed to undo with women the damage caused by the weekend tape. (Adams, of course, being in love with Trump, cannot see this is a result of using his own criteria.)
I therefore would guess that the debate will have next to no positive polling effect for Trump. We'll know in about a week's time.
So, I assume, in one sense it would seem that Trump did better than expected - although, obviously, it was about the lowest bar possible that he had to climb over to look more knowledgeable than in the first debate.
But - and here I'll actually cite Adams with semi-approval (even a weirdo can say something useful once in a while): after the first debate, he said that Hillary won it on debating technique, but he thought that on the matter of how it made the audience feel, which he said was more important, he gave it to Trump. (Of course!)
Well, if he's right on the matter of feely perceptions, I can't but get the impression that Trumps strange, intimidating looks and pacing behind Clinton, as well the threat to re-investigate and jail her, were exactly the opposite of what was needed to undo with women the damage caused by the weekend tape. (Adams, of course, being in love with Trump, cannot see this is a result of using his own criteria.)
I therefore would guess that the debate will have next to no positive polling effect for Trump. We'll know in about a week's time.
Space dementia in the news, again
Mars-bound astronauts face chronic dementia risk from galactic cosmic ray exposure | EurekAlert! Science News
I wonder whether active electro-magnetic shielding is still being investigated as a possible response? (I read something about that many years ago.) I assume it would involve lots of power, though.
I wonder whether active electro-magnetic shielding is still being investigated as a possible response? (I read something about that many years ago.) I assume it would involve lots of power, though.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Let's check in on the delusional deplorables (Australian sub-branch)
It seems that the threadsters at the home for Australian Trumpkins (you know where I mean by now) are cock-a-hoop* that Trump didn't entirely self-immolate at today's debate. (Which I haven't watched - just been reading 'net reactions.)
The fact that we're only formerly seen wannabe dictators threatening opponents with special investigations and jail - and that this is not a good look in a democracy - hasn't sunk into their thick heads yet; probably never will.
Anyway, amongst the tidal surge of ridiculousness I was reading, I thought that this spin on Trump and his very curious debate sniff was the funniest by far:
* perhaps not an expression that's it wise to use when mentioning Trump.**
** OK, or Bill.
The fact that we're only formerly seen wannabe dictators threatening opponents with special investigations and jail - and that this is not a good look in a democracy - hasn't sunk into their thick heads yet; probably never will.
Anyway, amongst the tidal surge of ridiculousness I was reading, I thought that this spin on Trump and his very curious debate sniff was the funniest by far:
The Donald stood like a General, with his sniffs adding to the serious disdain in his expression at everything Hillary said.Lulz.
* perhaps not an expression that's it wise to use when mentioning Trump.**
** OK, or Bill.
The man is completely untrustworthy
Donald Trump Says Central Park Five Are Guilty, Despite DNA Evidence - NBC News
Paul Krugman tweeted on the weekend that this should be an even worse scandal regarding Trump's character and judgement, but it has been crowded out by the sensationalism of being able to hear his crude sexism from his own mouth.
Update: The Atlantic has a short article on the same story, ending with this:
Paul Krugman tweeted on the weekend that this should be an even worse scandal regarding Trump's character and judgement, but it has been crowded out by the sensationalism of being able to hear his crude sexism from his own mouth.
Update: The Atlantic has a short article on the same story, ending with this:
Trump’s stances on social issues, domestic policy, and foreign affairs are often mercurial at best. His disdain towards basic constitutional protections is a rare point of constancy.The thing is, not admitting he was wrong is more important to him than everything else.
Reviewed in Nature
The Nature website has reviews of four books of interest at the moment:
* the one about Nazi drug addiction, which is getting a bit of publicity - but the review indicates its not that good, really.
* one co-authored by Michael Mann, about climate change denialism. Not a topic that really needs dwelling on at the moment, given the crisis in conservative politics in America, perhaps.
* one taking a big picture approach to how physics has evolved. Sounds OK.
* the one I am most interested in, by Roger Penrose, in which he criticises some paths modern physics has taken.
Penrose is now 85, so is in great danger of breaching my "he's too old to pay attention to" rule of thumb. But I don't think he's ever said anything completely silly yet, even though his views on a quantum role in biology and consciousness views are controversial. Here's part of the review:
* the one about Nazi drug addiction, which is getting a bit of publicity - but the review indicates its not that good, really.
* one co-authored by Michael Mann, about climate change denialism. Not a topic that really needs dwelling on at the moment, given the crisis in conservative politics in America, perhaps.
* one taking a big picture approach to how physics has evolved. Sounds OK.
* the one I am most interested in, by Roger Penrose, in which he criticises some paths modern physics has taken.
Penrose is now 85, so is in great danger of breaching my "he's too old to pay attention to" rule of thumb. But I don't think he's ever said anything completely silly yet, even though his views on a quantum role in biology and consciousness views are controversial. Here's part of the review:
Penrose claims that even well-confirmed theories, such as quantum mechanics, are 'oversold' with respect to their presumptive stability. Quantum physics has had an impressive record of predictive success, ranging from quantum chemistry to elementary particle physics. But it faces a deep conceptual problem. Whereas quantum mechanics has a perfect internal consistency when it describes a system that evolves without being measured, the way in which it represents measurements is not coherently embedded in that description. To Penrose, this indicates that the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics have not yet been found and will rely on the elusive full integration of gravity into quantum physics. He argues that the success of quantum mechanics tends to make physicists insensitive to the theory's conceptual problem and generates an unjustified degree of faith in its basic principles as a solid foundation of physics.
Another source of undue trust in a theory, Penrose asserts, is the physics community's tendency to follow fashion — that is, to settle on one strategy of dealing with a problem before severely testing the theory's empirical predictions. Penrose views string theory (a theory of quantum gravity) as the pre-eminent example.
Sunday, October 09, 2016
Behold! Stupidity (and worse)
What a fantastic gloat-fest of a weekend, with the Party-breaking quandary for the GOP of how to finally deal with its poisonous orange candidate, all because its leadership couldn't earlier find the gumption to just outright tell a large slab of its base that they were just being nuts. And that being largely due to a decade of participating in the Fox News, Breitbart, right wing radio echo chamber that encouraged its base to believe conspiracy and nonsense. (All with the added irony that, for all of those years, Fox News had serious sexual harassment built into its leadership, too.)
At least I can muster a modicum of respect for commentators like Jonah Goldberg, who has let fly with this:
(Mind you, Goldberg was trying on the "it's all Obama's fault that we've ended up with support for Trump" line earlier this year - I would in no way say he's always a reliable commentator.)
But for peak stupidity and offensiveness, where else to go in Australia but to Catallaxy? First, the "it's not so bad, is it? And it's all his in past" ridiculousness:
Hard to believe the gullibility, no? But then again, she doesn't believe in climate change because her husband told her so. She hasn't picked up on the difference between money and reliable smarts, yet. No wonder she supports Trump.
Mind you, the resident expert on Aquinas and groupie of the unreadable Edward Feser wasn't sure it was that big a deal either. Yes, a theological brain the size of a planet, and yet no common sense:
What? Aquinas mustn't have written anything about the importance of character in a leader, obviously...
Then there's the obnoxiousness of old cohenite, who tells us more about the type of man he is than he probably should:
Yeah, "go hard, Trump" is some pretty popular advice thereabouts. And one commentator, frequently bordering on needing institutionalisation, by the sounds, takes it to the next level:
Just stupid, paranoid, nuts.
Update: And here's Republican supporting Drudge making his contribution to right wing respect for women:
At least I can muster a modicum of respect for commentators like Jonah Goldberg, who has let fly with this:
Donald Trump is a fundamentally dishonorable and dishonest person — and has been his whole adult life. The evidence has been in front of those willing to see it all along. And there’s more to find. And there’s more in the Clinton stockpile.Character is destiny. The man in the video is Donald Trump. Sure, it’s bawdy Trump. It’s “locker room Trump.” And I’m no prude about dirty talk in private. But that isn’t all that’s going on. This isn’t just bad language or objectifying women with your buddies. It’s a married man who is bragging about trying to bed a married woman. It’s an insecure, morally ugly man-child who thinks boasting about how he can get away with groping women “because you’re a star” impresses people. He’s a grotesque — as a businessman and a man, full stop.
If you can see that, but still think Hillary Clinton would be worse. Fine. Just be prepared for an endless stream of more embarrassments in your name. And, for my friends in the media and in politics, if you minimize, dismiss, or celebrate his grotesqueness out of partisan zeal, just keep in mind that some people, including your children, might think you mean it. Or, they might know you don’t mean it. Which means they now know you lie for a living.
And if you can’t see what a hot mess Donald Trump is yet, I doubt you ever will and I wonder what fresh Hell will allow the realization to penetrate your consciousness. Either way, this video is not an aberration. It is not a special circumstance. It’s him. There’s no pivot in him. There’s no “presidential” switch to flip. He’s Donald Trump all the way down. And he will humiliate and debase his defenders so long as they feel the need to defend this indefensible man.
But for peak stupidity and offensiveness, where else to go in Australia but to Catallaxy? First, the "it's not so bad, is it? And it's all his in past" ridiculousness:
Mind you, the resident expert on Aquinas and groupie of the unreadable Edward Feser wasn't sure it was that big a deal either. Yes, a theological brain the size of a planet, and yet no common sense:
Then there's the obnoxiousness of old cohenite, who tells us more about the type of man he is than he probably should:
Yeah, "go hard, Trump" is some pretty popular advice thereabouts. And one commentator, frequently bordering on needing institutionalisation, by the sounds, takes it to the next level:
Update: And here's Republican supporting Drudge making his contribution to right wing respect for women:
Saturday, October 08, 2016
Letterman has it right
I see that Trump is in the news this morning for a tape showing what a complete and utter sordid boor he is. How's that playing for you, Evangelicals? (Of course, who knows how Bill Clinton has talked about sexual conquests before - although I don't think that being being a powerful philandering man necessarily means you have to be a braggart with other men about it.)
Anyway, at the NYT, there's an interview with David Letterman, who (apparently, I didn't recall) had Trump on his show often. He has a sensible take on Trump:
Anyway, at the NYT, there's an interview with David Letterman, who (apparently, I didn't recall) had Trump on his show often. He has a sensible take on Trump:
Update: Hotair acknowledges how bad this is for Trump:I’ve known Donald Trump for a long time, and I always thought he was exactly what New York City needed to have: the big blowhard billionaire. “By God, I’m Donald Trump, and I date models, and I put up buildings, and everything is gold.” Nobody took him seriously, and people loved him when he would come on the show. I would make fun of his hair, I would call him a slumlord, I would make fun of his ties. And he could just take a punch like nothing. He was the perfect guest.So now, he decides he’s running for president. And right out of the box, he goes after immigrants and how they’re drug dealers and they’re rapists. And everybody swallows hard. And they think, oh, well, somebody will take him aside and say, “Don, don’t do that.” But it didn’t happen. And then, I can remember him doing an impression, behind a podium, of a reporter for The New York Times who has a congenital disorder. And then I thought, if this was somebody else — if this was a member of your family or a next-door neighbor, a guy at work — you would immediately distance yourself from that person. And that’s what I thought would happen. Because if you can do that in a national forum, that says to me that you are a damaged human being. If you can do that, and not apologize, you’re a person to be shunned.I kept telling people he will absolutely not get elected. And then David Brooks said he’ll get the nomination and he will be crushed in the general election. And I thought: Yeah, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I stand by that. The thing about Trumpy was, I think people just were amused enough about him to keep him afloat in the polls, because nobody wanted the circus to pull up and leave town.
Friday, October 07, 2016
Not sure I would take this report very seriously
Tech billionaires convinced we live in the Matrix are secretly funding scientists to help break us out of it | The Independent
All sounds like a report that should be in the National Enquirer rather than The Independent, but I haven't had time to follow the links. I do think Elon Musk is a bit nutty, though...
All sounds like a report that should be in the National Enquirer rather than The Independent, but I haven't had time to follow the links. I do think Elon Musk is a bit nutty, though...
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Yeah, sure
3D printing and how it can revolutionise Australia’s remote communities | Guardian Sustainable Business | The Guardian
I reckon 3D printing's prospects for long term importance are about as good as 3D TV's.
I reckon 3D printing's prospects for long term importance are about as good as 3D TV's.
Spinning in all directions
Just a quick note to observe that both sides are still spinning what happened in the South Australian power blackout in their own directions. Chris Uhlmann is taking a "hey, don't attack the messenger" approach, feeling semi justified by the interim report, when the real problem is that he was obviously leaping in to help promote network issues caused by wind power well before anything much was know about what precisely happened.
And we know from way back that he's something of a climate change skeptic and therefore not to be trusted on anything (my handy rule of thumb for everything!) He was a bland and soft interviewer of Abbott and the Coalition when he was host of 7.30 - I don't know how his Labor wife puts up with him.
Katherine Murphy meantime seems to also be feeling justified by the interim report, but in the opposite way.
I suspect that, at the end of the day, part of the problem here will be different "causation" tests being applied by each side when discussing the outcome. Everyone should perhaps read up on this in preparation for the final report.
Update: and here is some credible sounding technical analysis (even if it is from a pro renewables source) of what the report includes that suggests that Uhlmann's take is wrong.
And we know from way back that he's something of a climate change skeptic and therefore not to be trusted on anything (my handy rule of thumb for everything!) He was a bland and soft interviewer of Abbott and the Coalition when he was host of 7.30 - I don't know how his Labor wife puts up with him.
Katherine Murphy meantime seems to also be feeling justified by the interim report, but in the opposite way.
I suspect that, at the end of the day, part of the problem here will be different "causation" tests being applied by each side when discussing the outcome. Everyone should perhaps read up on this in preparation for the final report.
Update: and here is some credible sounding technical analysis (even if it is from a pro renewables source) of what the report includes that suggests that Uhlmann's take is wrong.
A libertarian experiment
I see via JS that Johannesburg has an avowedly libertarian mayor. How odd that libertarians should turn up in Africa. Have Randians started a missionary outreach system, like the Mormons? (He does sound to me much like a Randian style libertarian.) I sense trouble coming - or a "success" that improves the lot of some at an unacceptable cost to others.
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
The problem with India
India heading for a shortage of women - 04/10/2016
Sad but interesting story on 7.30 last night about gender selecting abortion in India having the inevitable result of men not being able to find wives. Has the government ever tried simply banning dowries? I see there has been some move along these lines, but I don't quite understand it.
Sad but interesting story on 7.30 last night about gender selecting abortion in India having the inevitable result of men not being able to find wives. Has the government ever tried simply banning dowries? I see there has been some move along these lines, but I don't quite understand it.
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