Buffalo Boy's Blog
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Recently in Science Category
Atom Smasher a Good Thing?
This atom smasher sounds great on the surface and the scientists who are working on it are giving it glowing reviews about how much it could tell us but realistically, is it a good thing? Look, Im all for science. Science explains a lot of things from evolution to medicine, biology to zoology, and ultimately I think science explains away religion and creationism, but there are certain things like cloning, controlling the weather with rockets and chemicals and atom smashers made to tell us about the beginning of the universe that maybe should be left untouched. I understand what they want to do, but hopefully their quest for knowledge isn't blinding the potential negatives. They are not going to turn it on full blast for a few months to a year but when they do there is concern that this thing could trigger a black hole on Earth, that doesn't sound good. Now the negatives that are brought up are probably Y2K in nature, they will probably be hyped up and turn out to be nothing really, but if they are right, I think a lot of us would be wising Y2K were true instead. The article got me thinking of a Jeff Goldblum exchange in Jurassic Park:Category: Science
What A Dick
The EPA is an agency that is supposed to have been created by the federal government to protect human health, the air we breath, water, and the land on which we live. It began operations December 2nd, 1970. And it was doing a damn good job until 8 years ago when the Bush administration took office.
The latest report that will no doubt lend its hand to the horrendous enironmental legacy that this administration is leaving behind is the report out now that Dick Cheney's (from now on Im just going to call him Dick, if the shoe fits, wear it right?) office purposefully tried to and was successful in altering EPA testimony that would have shown adverse health effect to humans from CO2 and resultant global warming as per the Clean Air Act.
Isn't knowing that grounds for punishing this man with prison time? This is our air, our water, our land and they are preventing the EPA from protecting US, U.S.A. citizens from pollutants. From warning us of dangers to our health.
Its sad that there are people out there who are so brainwashed by this administration that they won't even recognize this as serious. This administration is more concerned about coorporate welfare than its own citizens and the environment in which we live.
These men at the top of this administration are as evil as the look on Dick's face up above. They are criminals and have used the White House as their own little lawless, coorporate backed, playground. 6 Months, 10 days till they are gone.
Category: Global Warming | News | Politics | Science | environment
Defending Ethanol
Brazil is set to defend its position and use of ethanol stating that if done right, ethanol can sustain energy needs. At a UN summit on food security, with all respect to South America and specifically Brazil, why is it that it is not the US doing the talking at this summit and teaching the world about its successful energy independence.
I think its sad. Even if not the US, why not Japan, China, Russia, or Canada? Some industrialized country should be taking the lead on this. But instead we bitch and argue over a treaty about how best to solve global warming and ignore high fuel prices. Instead we bitch about fuel prices and ignore the solutions.
We can all learn a thing or two from Brazil and the sooner we do, the better. I hope that our leaders in this country are listening. They certainly don't listen to us. Instead their ideas include drilling for more oil, which really, is what got us to this energy conundrum in the first place. Its time for our elected officials to step it up and promote this issue. There are times when the government has to force choices upon us for the good of the people and this is one of those times.
The problem is, as long as our president's last name is Bush or is a republican, we will continue with the same energy policies we have right now.
Category: News | Science | environment
Add Nigeria To The Forward Thinkers
Yes thats right, the African country of Nigeria is thinking as well, sorghum is going to be their pet project that they plan to have up and running by 2012.
They can harvest it 2-3 times per year and use only the stalks that are rich in sugar and it makes more ethanol per hectacre than sugar cane that the Brazilians use. It also has no effect on food prices.
Im not saying the US go and start growing sorghum but geez, for being supposedly the smartest, most powerful country in the world why can't we figure something out?
While we are talking about praying at the pump, removing gas taxes that obviously aren't doing anything because I honestly thought that those taxes were supposed to go towards exploration and development of fuel sources (or at least some of them were), these countries are making us look stupid and as our economy goes down the toilet, Nigeria and Brazil will be energy independent and prospering......
Food Shortages Hitting Home
Sam's Club is calling for limits on how much rice customers can buy due to food shortages. This is rice, not corn, who people are expecting to be the culprit due to bio fuels. Rice, its a staple in most peoples diets around the world.
It is also Sam's Club here in the USA, the richest country in the world that is starting to see a little of what is plaguing the rest of the world.
I hate to keep sounding down when I write about world issues like this and global warming and other environmental issues, but has anyone seen this stuff and actually started to think that maybe, just maybe we have hit a tipping point in terms of world population and what the earth can sustain?
We are at 6 billion right now give or take a few million. Realistically, its more if you take into consideration all the animals in captivity, family pets and wild animals that need to feed themselves. You do have to take them all into consideration because like it or not, humans are apart of the global ecology and its balance.
From oil to food and other raw materials, we are starting to see that maybe, we are starting to outstrip what this planet can sustain.
Category: News | Science | environment
How Scary Is This
A 13 year old boy corrected NASA. NASA had the Apophis asteroid at a 450,000:1 shot at hitting earth on April 13th 2029. Those are not the odds
The boy actually figured that the odds are 450:1 and after double checking the boy, NASA confirmed his calculations. Apophis will pass within 35,000 KM of earth, sounds like a lot, however, there are 40,000 satellites orbiting earth.
If it hits one of the satellites, he calculated that it will through the asteroid off course and on its next driveby in 2036, it would hit earth.
I just hope I get to retire and travel a little before it hits.
Prayers Do Not Replace Medical Science
Madeline Neumann of Weston, Wisconson was only 11 years old and with proper care for her diabetes would have lived a normal life. Instead her parents decided to ignore scientifc fact and medical care to pray for her health. Great choice. What did the prayers do? They killed her.
Her parents should be put on trial and serve jail time. This is a case of neglect and quite possibly murder. It should also be a case in point that maybe, just maybe there is no God. If there was, don't you think he would have answered these prayers? I wonder how much the parents believe in religion now?
This article helps prove that empirical and scientific evidence be it medical or any other field or profession that involves making informed decisions should always trump faith. The parents should have known better.
I realize these parents are in the minority religious nut jobs of the world but it is a dangerous and growing population of this country that thinks the way they do.
The daughter in this case, hadn't seen a doctor since 3 years old, she was 11 when she died. Faith can kill if put in the wrong place. The parents believe they did nothing wrong, well, look it up folks, because when you go to trial the jury will convict you of something called neglect and realistically, it should be murder. The parents, despite their intentions belong in jail and that my friends can not be argued.
Category: News | Science | healthcare | religion
330 Miles Per Gallon?!?!
According to this article I read on How Stuff Works the Aptera gets an incredible 330 miles to the gallon. It is being developed by a small company of 15 individuals who are trying to design the most fuel efficient car. They have a few kinks to work out but once they do this baby could be mass marketed.
At a reasonable price, who wouldn't sign up for that? I know I would. Even with my current little rice burning Toyota Corolla I feel a pinch at current prices with fill ups now routinely costing me around $40. I fill up about once a week. Add that up over a year and im spending about $13 more per fill up than I was last year at this time. Thats over $600 more per year Im spending.
Now take this Aptera deal. With how much I drive, I had an oil change around December 14th. I am just now approaching 2900 miles. Based on an 11.5 gallon tank at 330 miles per gallon, I would get approximately 3795 miles per tank. I would have to change my oil before I ran out of gas.
Most of us would buy into that. There are those who say they would buy only Chevy or Ford or whatever car company they have been loyal to, but If someone told you that gas prices were as high as they are now and you have the option to fill your 11 gallon tank up 4 times a year, Im in. The makers of this say it was for their concern for the environment. Even if you have no concerns about the environment and don't believe in global warming, most of us have concerns about our wallet which would be good enough reason to look into this option.
Speaking of Oil
It should be no surprise that oil is getting more expensive. Its a limited resource. The price of oil is going to continue to rise because we have past what is called Peak Oil, the point in which the easy oil has been found and production peaks.
This video from Link TV discusses peak oil:
Is It Water?
According to the definition of water, water is a tasteless, odorless liquid. So what gives?
There should be no debate, but recently I had a debate with people at work recently and it has come up in other venues as well. Vitamin Water and other "waters" that are on the market are very misleading. Propel made by Gatorade is another that is misleading with its claim to be a "water". The definition is clear and the stuff that is in the Vitamin Water bottles is not, I repeat, NOT water.
If these were water it would be not just tasteless and odorless but also colorless and free of calories. However, these vitamin waters have color, they certainly are not tasteless and they have calories and are not odorless so I say the word "water" shouldn't even be on the bottle.
It is misleading to people and they think that they can drink it like it is water, when in fact a bottle of this stuff has over 100 calories per bottle and the Propel actually has corn syrup in it which is code for sugar.
The argument came back that its made of water and had vitamins in it, yeah well beer is made of water too but I don't see anyone labeling it Alcohol Water do you? Coffee is made of water, yet no one is trying to insist that coffee is in fact water. Its coffee, the second you change the properties of water, it is something else.
So, the stuff isn't water, its a clever way to get those who think they are doing something right to buy the stuff. It may be better than getting a Pepsi or Coke, but reality is, nothing is better than a plain simple glass or bottle of colorless, odorless, calorieless and tasteless WATER.
Category: Miscellaneous | Science
