In the News

Just some things I found interesting. Of course nobody's expected to follow every link unless they really, really want to.

Lab fireball 'may be black hole'

Even if the world stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, the emissions already in the atmosphere would cause global temperatures to climb for the next hundred years and the sea level to keep rising for even longer, scientists have calculated.

The US Senate has voted to allow a plan that opens up a remote wildlife refuge in the northern state of Alaska to oil drilling.

Acid Rain Likely Stunts U.S. Forests.

End-of-time theories still fascinate.

Proposed specifications for the U.S. electronic passport. Some comments on this here.

More bloggy than newsy, but anyway: The Science and Christianity Showcase.

Virginity pledges do not reduce STD risk. "One reason is that sexually active pledgers were less likely to use condoms at first sex than non-pledgers. Because most pledgers are sexually active (88 percent of the pledgers), lower rates of condom use increases STD risk." For some reason, this doesn't surprise me in the least.

Writing this week in the journal Science, paleontologist Bruce J. MacFadden said the evolution of horses involved many more twists and turns than previously imagined.

President Bush presented medals today to eight scientists and engineers, including two Nobel laureates, for their distinguished careers and lifelong and individual achievements.

Visual Crowding in Faces and Words - Implications for Dyslexia and Autism

(no subject)

Just had a conversation with someone else in the bureaucracy which was more pleasant than the one yesterday, though still very frustrating. It sounds like someone is trying to be helpful... but wasn't I convinced that someone was helping me out in January? Yes, yes I was. I am sitting on the razor's edge between hope and cynicism. (No wonder my butt hurts.) Still have other things to do to help myself in the fight for (not to be too melodramatic about it) my survival, but not sure how I'll manage to do them.

Argh. Bureaucracy is evil, and not in a fun way.

In less-personal news, it's almost the 25th anniversary of Mount St. Helens' big eruption.

In other hot news, This year's Sun-Earth Day on March 20 focuses on "Ancient Observatories: Timeless Knowledge" and falls on the vernal equinox when day and night are the same length. Appropriately, NASA and the Exploratorium in San Francisco are focusing on ancient peoples and their fascination with the Sun, which played a major role in most Native American religious practices and social events. And for those with better connections than mine: This new experiential Web site lets you explore Chaco Canyon, learning about NASA research on the Sun and Native American solar practices within a larger historical and cultural context.

In still other news, Woman sues hospital, says therapy turned her into witch. "The former Woodstock resident filed a federal lawsuit against the Geneva-based hospital this week alleging it did nothing to stop a psychologist on staff, Letitia Libman of St. Charles, from using witchcraft on her and eventually inducting her into a Wicca coven." People scare me.

Post of no real consequence

::zing::

::ping::

::pong::

::zoom::

There is every reason for me to go collapse in bed now. I still have pain in my lungs or the muscles & stuffs around them, I walked 2.5 miles today with this ongoing infection, and I was very tired earlier today. And then I took a dose of the cough syrup with codeine in it, which I haven't been taking this week till now because I was hoping to cough more gunk out, and which should make me sleepy enough. And any caffeine high or sugar high should have dropped me back to low again.

And I'm hyper, bouncing off the walls. Well, bouncing off the walls just means I'm clumsy, but I'm bouncing at a faster rate than usual.

::zing::

I expect to crash any minute now. But I wanted to go on the record as saying that yes, for a few shining minutes in very very late winter, I actually did manage to be hyper.
::zooooom::

(I'd guess the weather could have something to do with it. Today was bright & sunny (some haze around the edges), with temperatures around 60 degrees F. My kind of weather. If it hadn't been for some necessary phone calling, I'd have loved to spend more time out of doors today.)

Ookay, I feel the crash coming now. Yessss, I am glad that I won't be bouncing all night. My poor old bed would collapse under the strain. I do hope I get plenty of good sleep tonight. Sleep is something I still need to get more of. Yes, sleeeeeeep...

zzzzz...