More Doubt on Global Warming

Unexpectedly, climate scientists and meteorologists have views conflicting as much as those of Coal State Democrats and coastal liberals regarding global warming.

"Climatologists, who study weather patterns over time, almost universally endorse the view that the earth is warming and that humans have contributed to climate change. There is less of a consensus among meteorologists, who predict short-term weather patterns." - Leslie Kaufman

A meteorologist from AccuWeather stated that "it is more likely that the planet is cooling" and that he "distrusts the data."

He is only one of the several other meteorologists who think likewise. Accoding to a survey done by George Mason University, only about half of the surveyed weather casters (571) believed global warming was occurring, and less than believed that the climate change was due to human activities.

Because weather casters dominate communication channels to the public, the disagreement between climate scientists and meteorologists is getting huge political and academic attention. (56% of the Americans trusted meteorologists more than news media or public figures. ) Several deem this dominance as "dangerous" and several are working to shrink the divide. For example, Yale and the National Environmental Education Foundation are working hand in hand to close the gap with research and educational forums.

It basically comes down to this: “'In a sense the question is who owns the atmosphere: the people who predict it every day or the people who predict it for the next 50 years?'” -Bob Hensen, a science writer for University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

SCO vs. Novell

I found this case rather intriguing as it involves technology. SCO, a software and litigation company, is suing Novell over claims of ownership of Unix IP (intellectual property). It seems the basis of either side is that Novell sold Unix to Santa Cruz Operations (which later becomes part of SCO) and thus, SCO owns it, but in the original deal, Novell never actually sold the IP part of Unix, just the revenue section. Now, after many attempts of SCO's to get Unix IP, Novell has filed a writ of certiorari in hopes of settling it once and for all.

I feel the end of a case of such nature will bring about more definitive lines of legislation that will determine how intellectual property is handled. If a developer writes a section of code but is paid by another for that section of code, who owns the right to it?

Here are a few links you might be interested in for a better background of the case.

9 teens charged in bullying that led to girl's suicide

On January 14 after what appeared to be a torturous day, Phoebe Prince hung herself in her family's apartment. Nine Massachusetts teenagers have been charged on the grounds of bullying (verbal and physical abuse, rape, etc) which led to her suicide. Apparently faculty members and several students witnessed the bullying on the day of her death, but no one reported it until after her death.

Prince was the new kid in town who has just moved from Ireland. She was harassed at both at school and on the walk back home on a regular basis. She was harassed the day of her death because of what "appears to have been motivated by the group's displeasure with Phoebe's brief dating relationship with a male student that ended six weeks earlier" But this harassment had been going on for nearly 3 months prior to this date. (which included verbally abusive, assaultive behavior and treats of physical harm)

Hampshire ground jury charged:

• 17-year-old Sean Mulveyhill with salutatory rape, violation of civil rights and bodily injury resulting, criminal harassment and disturbance of a school assembly
• 18-year-old Austin Renaud with statutory rape
• 17-year-old Kayla Narey with violation of civil rights wit bodily injury resulting, criminal harassment and disturbance of school assembly
• 3 other girls with violations including civil rights with bodily injury resulting and two were charged with stalking
• 3 other girls named in complaints charged with violation of civil rights with bodily injury resulting, criminal harassment and disturbance of a school assembly, violation of civil rights, criminal harassment and assault by means of dangerous weapon

This story is beyond shocking. This involved teenagers just like us seniors. The part that is most disturbing is the fact that this 3-month campaign of bullying took place mainly on school grounds, where faculty members and administrators failed to prevent it. (students said faculty members had intervened but the school's code of conduct was inconsistently enforced) Fault is equally put on both the students and faculty. This incident could have been prevented, and this just comes to show that bullying and harassment need to be taken seriously. While this kind of behavior is not widely apparent in our high school, everyone needs to take a step back and realize that all those assemblies on respect, and behavior have a purpose.

2010 US Census

I originally wished to make this post about the lack of detail that the US Census form requires members of the household to provide. (The forms only require you to state people's name, sex, age, DOB, race, and place of residence. It makes no mention of economic status, income, employment, etc.) However, after doing some research, I learned that the US Census conducted every 10 years isn't the only one out there, and I decided to share what I learned.

Decennial Census: conducted every 10 years; collects information necessary for determining the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives; described in the Constitution

Economic Census: conducted every 5 years; measures activity of individual businesses with at least 1 paid employee and significant production

Annual Economic Surveys: conducted annually/quarterly/monthly for differect sections of the economy; "measure a wide variety of economic activities, from capital expenditures for food manufacturing companies to annual auto dealership sales"; includes the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM), County Business Patterns (CBP), Zip Code Business Patterns (ZBP), Nonemployer Statistics (NES)

American Community Survey: ongoing, provides data about the community every year

Puerto Rico Community Survey: equivalent of the American Community Survey for Puerto Rico

Population Estimates Program: estimates population numbers between censuses

For more information, check out the US Census Bureau Homepage here.

Catholic Church abuse allegations ripple across the globe

In the past decades, the Catholic church is proving to be not so thorough covering up or handling child abuse charges. The Vatican hierarchy has been flooded with accusations about sexual abuse of children in Wisconsin, Germany and Ireland. I have always heard of sexual abuse cases within the church, but I never realized how appalling the numbers are. I was shocked when I read the following information.

Wisconsin

• Last week the New York time reported that from 1950-1974, Reverend Lawrence C. Murphy molested at least 200 boys at a school for deaf children in Wisconsin He was simply moved to another institution to continue his "religious work" for the next 24 years
• Cardinal Joseph , Pope Benedict XVI was in charge of the Congregations for the Doctrine of Faith (Vatican department for investigating these allegations)
• When Murphy was put under trial he pleated "I simply want to live out time that I have left in the dignity of my priesthood. i ask your kind assistance in this matter"
• The trial was halted and Murphy died in 1998 free of accusation

Germany

• Peter Hullerman working the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising was accused of molesting boys and was approved for therapy in 1980
• Hullerman was permitted to continue parish work in the path of more young children
• In 1986 Hullerman was convicted on sexual molestation charges. Only after his criminal history was revealed to the congregation was he suspended from his work as a priest
• The German wing of the church recently hired an attorney. "The cases are growing everyday," said Thomas Pfister, the attorney appointed by the German church to investigate abuse charges

Ireland

• The Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse which just ended its 9 year investigations states the the church leaders knew sexual abuse to be "endemic" but did little to stop it
• 2000 witnesses detailed that the church officials used rape, beatings, and other tactics to maintain a "culture of serving secrecy"
• More cases of abuse are appearing in other parts of Europe such as Austria, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland

Sin Tax Example: Taxing Alcohol vs. Taxing Drunk Drivers

See here. The comment thread is generally worthwhile. Raising alcohol taxes would also impact the ability of young people to consume alcohol, which, given the rates of binge drinking, might be another good outcome. Or maybe the prudes have found a politically acceptable way to raise taxes on people other than themselves.

Severe storms, tornadoes lash Southeast

Tornadoes in Northern Carolina took people out of their homes and destroyed many peoples lives work. The article reminded me of hurricane Katrina, although it is not nearly of the same magnitude. I think it will be interesting to see how our government responds to this catastrophe. Maybe they will emphasize their help efforts to try to put a new image in Americans minds about how the United States government responds to natural disasters within our borders and make the same mistakes. Have we learned our lesson?

Another War?

A South Korean Battleship was sunk today, killing 46 people. "Yonhap quoted military officials as saying that an unidentified explosion tore a hole in the ship's rear, shutting off the engine." says Andrew Salmon from CNN. The area where the incident occurred is a flashpoint maritime border area between North Korea and South Korea.

"The waters in the disputed western sea near the Koreas make up the most volatile section of the border. North Korea rejects a maritime demarcation line drawn by the United Nations at the end of the war. The two sides engaged in naval clashes in 1999 and 2002. In November, naval patrol boats from the North and South exchanged fire after a North Korean boat crossed the disputed sea border." (The International Herald Tribune)

Tension heightened today as North Korea and South Korea had dispute over tourism around

the area....

Is the war that has been put off for fifty years now, finally coming? Is there any hope of

reconciliation between the two countries? If so, it seems most likely that the US would be involved,

but what role would China play? Who really sunk the battleship?

Moscow Subway Kills Dozens

Though the cause of the blasts were ambiguous, there were two huge explosions affecting two Moscow subways today during rush hour. The Russian agencies suspect that the explosions were caused by two suicide bombers yet nothing is clear... The explosions were forty minutes apart according to the New York Times, and thirty minutes apart according to CNN. Approximately a little less than 45 people were killed and many more injured. This is one of several attacks on Russia's subway system, one of the world's most extensive. There have been three only in the past decade all of which had high casualties.

Moth forces wine country's secret into the open

Somehow, a grape-eating moth has found its way from Europe to the heart Napa Valley. No one knows exactly how this pest found its way to Napa Valley, but this puts federal agriculture investigators and researchers under harsh scrutiny. This "contamination" is suspected to have come from "Suitcase smuggling", an act that many Vintners now admit that they used this strategy to help build a handful of exceptional vineyards in the 1980s."A handful of California's best vintners today admit to having used "suitcase cloning" to avoid yearslong waits in USDA quarantine for their vines."

No one knows how the moth was brought in. Many farmers suspect that this is the product of vine smuggling. "Agricultural officials say that had the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) innocently evaded inspectors on a container ship, the first trapping of the grape eater would have been near a port. Instead the pest that has proliferated across European vineyards appeared last September in the heart of the region where fine cabernet can fetch hundreds of dollars a bottle." In other words, this contamination was most likely caused by human vine smuggling.

Who knew such a small bug could cause such huge problems for these farmers. But honestly the people who decided to break the law are the ones to blame. They decided to "cheat" by smuggling vines and taking shortcuts around the USDA, and because of this, Napa Valley has to deal with their problems. Whoever caused this mess is ruining their own business along with everyone else's.

More Doctors Giving Up Private Practices

There has been growing concern about the continuing trend away from small private practices and towards salary jobs at hospitals. Many of us are familiar with small private physicians from dentists and orthodontists, to podiatrists and optometrists. Because young physicians are becoming burdened by medical school debts and the costs of opening private practices there has been a huge drop in physician owned businesses in the last few years. These numbers are expected to drop as doctors decide to accept salaries at hospitals rather than worrying about the risks of a running a private business. The rise of bigger health care organizations may explain the rising costs of private health insurance. As the system continues this trend, more and more Americans will see the health care system as a monopoly.

For patients, this transformation is a "mixed blessing". Bigger health care systems can provide better care, but the the individual patient-doctor relationship that many of us still experience may no longer exist. What do you guys think?

Middle Class?

I thought this was a great article to post because this is exactly what we were talking about during the the Socratic seminar.

This article talks about ways different ways measure whether your household is holding steady or whether you are are slipping down further and further. Everyone knows this economy has put many families in an economic struggle, but this is one way to measure the how much your living standards have actually changed. From Income and Medical expenses to Everyday Spending and Education, the economy has shifted what we determine luxury versus necessity.

Best Week Ever!?!

The Obama administration just had its best week ever, even better than the inaugural. Consider:

1. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is law. Not only that, in a bit of a stunning reversal, the context of its enactment may have helped the Democratic party and hurt the GOP. With "deem and pass" and faux-drama about Senate reconciliation rules, a week ago it looked like the Republicans were creating a winning issue about legislative process on the way down and riling up their base while doing so. That was always stunningly hypocritical given their own use of those exact same procedures, but that didn't mean it lacked political bite. Then Pelosi called an audible and the Democrats ditched "deem and pass," deftly handled the abortion issue (Mark Shields correctly points out that no male Speaker of the House would have had the credibility to pull that off), and it passed. The night of its passage, GOP members of the House described it as "totalitarian" and that it would lead to an "apocalypse." Anti-abortion stalwart Bart Stupak (D-MI) was called "baby killer!" from the gallery.

Some ugly behavior by right-wing protesters has shamed their cause. Before the vote, a man with Parkinson's disease demonstrating in favor of the bill in Columbus, OH, was mocked as "looking for a handout" by, among other insults, having people stand over him and throw dollar bills on his crippled body (one of those has since apologized). In DC, some wingnuts really came off the screw and called members of Congress "N_____" and "F__" as the walked past their rally at the Capitol. Other miscreants have vandalized lawmakers' offices in various cities around the country.

Back inside the capital, Republican Senators offered a series of frivolous amendments to the 2nd "fix-it" bill that came over from the House and Harry Reid kept the Senate in session until 2:30 a.m.!!! Harry, I didn't know you had it in you. The GOP folded the next day, realizing the political theater wasn't going like they had planned. They did rile up their base, but that in turn riled up the Democratic base. It also unified the Democrats in the Congress, who are set to bring up legislation on financial reform (which will be very popular), changing "No Child Left Behind" and immigration. In each case, if the GOP derails the bill, the Democrats have a winning issue, although I'm less sure about how immigration reform will play in a bad economy. It is entirely possible that 2 or 3 more major reform laws will be enacted this year. How's that hopey-changey thing goin for ya?

That in and of itself would be best week ever. But ALSO

2. A major nuclear arms treaty with Russia was finalized. Did Obama just earn that Peace Prize? It is said that Henry Kissinger and George Shultz (2 former GOP Secretaries of State from the Cold War) support this treaty, which will really help as Obama needs 67 votes to ratify it in the Senate. I think the treaty is in our interests and I hope this doesn't get overly political, but if it does, I think it will drive establishment Republicans out into open revolt against the neocons. I think Obama needs to sit down with both George Bushes on this one, because a unanimous group of ex-Presidents can defeat the militarists, even in the Senate. Should be interesting.

3. The student loan reform package is law (bundled onto the ACA). Liberal policy wonks are happy about this. This creates more money for Pell Grants while removing a moral hazard by nixing a bank subsidy. There is probably not much change from a student point of view insofar as the loans themselves are concerned: the costs derive from the credit market and the administration of the loans (the bureaucracy part) is being outsourced back to the existing banks as service providers, which lessens the impact on the existing job structure for them but means you'll be dealing with the same people on the same terms, more or less.

4. The final results of the recent election in Iraq are in and this election was encouraging. Yes, the results are being contested as the the apparent winner (with a plurality) was a surprise, turning out to be a secular Sunni party headed by Allawi, who served in a previous Iraqi administration born from the American occupation. Back then, the country was riven with sectarian conflicts between Shia, Sunni, and Kurd that led to a brief civil war. Now, several leading political parties are emphasizing Iraqi nationalism and they are being rewarded with election victories. This is good for the US because it seems that the Iraqis are making peace with each other, because they want US military forces to leave (and we want to come home), and because they are generally secular in orientation and opposed to al-Qaeda. Now, if al-Malaki doesn't concede eventually then it is a big mess, and even when he does, Allawi doesn't have a majority and will need to put together a coalition government. Nonetheless, with every passing election, democracy in Iraq becomes more normalized and more legitimate.

If it holds, it also means that Bush was right to proceed with "the surge" when plenty of people (myself including) were willing to throw in the towel and let the place burn. If it holds, it will also free up military assets for the Afghanistan theater, which is also heading in the right direction. This is the first time in a long time that both those conflicts are improving at the same time.

The news from the rest of the world is mixed. Relations with Israel are frosty as the balance of power within Israel has tilted to the religious right-wing, but apparently Obama holds a Seder.

The New York Times and Washington Post have published pieces that directly challenge the moral authority of the Pope. The revelations about child abuse in Germany and Ireland were alarming enough, but the story about the deaf boys from Wisconsin actually made me cry.

I believe that justice doesn't just happen when you die. There should be justice on earth, and this criminal pervert is just unforgivable. And it wasn't just the church hierarchy that failed to act in this shocking case. Civil authorities failed miserably in their duties, too.

As much as I criticize the state of journalism, American newspapers have played a part in bringing truth to power here. The Boston Globe broke the story in Massachusetts in 2002. Since then, it has spread all over the world. This is a very sad situation, and I believe the church will come to regret its recent defensiveness. Blaming the liberal media isn't going to cut it.

It's been a big news week. Buried in all this was news that the Social Security trust fund has hit the tipping point 6 years ahead of expectations and that the United States is going to start selling off some major assets acquired as part of a prior bailout, notably Citigroup. The Fed made a point of confirming their commitment to a low Fed Funds rate, which makes me think this asset sale more about properly re-privatizing these firms for the sake of doing so and for the revenue it will raise than as a shift in monetary policy. But another piece of news was that a recent original auction for Government Bonds didn't sell well -- the bond market may well tire of US debt and extract a higher premium.

Bow down to the bond market, slaves.

The Obama Administration Aids Homeowners?

Background to the situation:

The foreclosure crisis is bringing down the economy and threatening to put many Americans in a position without homes. Congress pressured the Obama administration to do something. Hence, the initiatives to help homeowners:

1. Refinancing several million homeowners into government-sponsored mortgages that are cheaper.
2. Temporarily alleviate payments of those who are unemployed and seeking jobs.
3. Encourage lenders to write down the value of loans for borrowers in modification programs.

The Problem:

1. The people who have been able to keep up with their payments may protest as the aid is almost solely directed at those experiencing financial hardship.

2. If the plan is successful, it could potentially put taxpayers at higher risk.

a. “If many additional borrowers move into F.H.A. loans, a renewed downturn in the housing market could send that government agency into the red.” –David Streitfeld (NY TIMES)

Indian military to weaponize world's hottest chili

I thought this was pretty funny. It doesn't sound like a bad idea. The world's hottest chili has the potential to be an effective weapon without actually harming its victims. This is really creative.

Check this out: "It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000." I can't even imagine how spicy that would be to eat. No way am ever putting that in my food.

The article mentions the "ghost chili" as a use for " aerosol sprays to be used by women against attackers and for the police to control and disperse mobs." It could be used as a new type of pepper spray. I wonder if the chili juice would actually damage one's eyes though. Anyways, I think this is a really creative way for using a type of food. Who knew food could be used as a weapon?

Americans Approve of Healthcare by Slim Majority

Taking a look at the Gallup polls measuring Americans' overall reaction and emotional reaction to the passage of the Healthcare bill, it's heartening to know that a majority, although by a slim margin, approve of the bill's passage. I had trouble loading the polls to this post, so I'll restate their findings for you here:

Overall Reaction to Passing the Healthcare Bill:

• 49% of adults said the passage of healthcare was a good thing, compared to 40% saying it was a bad thing. 11% had no opinion.
• As expected, a majority of the Democrats polled (79%) said the passage was a good thing, and a majority of the Republicans polled (76%) said it was a bad thing.
• Independents were deeply divided on the issue, with 46% saying it was a good thing, 45% saying it was a bad thing, and 10% holding no opinion

Emotional Reaction to Passing the Healthcare Bill:

• 50% of national adults are either enthusiastic or pleased about the bill's passage
• 42% of national adults are either disappointed or angry about the bill's passage
• 8% of national adults hold no opinion
• Democratic and Republican skews are as predicted (Democrats more pleased, Republicans more disappointed)
• The curve for Independents, however, is interesting: 10% are enthusiastic, 35% are pleased, 27% are disappointed, 20% are angry, and 9% have no opinion. Although the highest percentage are pleased, Independents are twice as likely to be angry than enthusiastic, which is interesting.

One of the most interesting observances from the second poll is that only about a third of national adults polled felt strongly about the passage of the bill (15% enthusiastic, 19% angry). Given all the national hype about healthcare and all the fierce political debate going on in Washington, you would think Americans would be more passionate about the bill.

I also found it interesting that most of those who oppose healthcare do so because of supposed rising costs of insurance (20%), the bill does not address the real problems (19%), and because they need more clarity on how the system would work (9%). The last point is completely bogus; there have been plenty of explanations out there deconstructing the bill to help the public understand its provisions, so if you don't want healthcare because you're too lazy to read an article explaining it, then I don't know what to say to you. Regarding the second point, I think this bill's a start, and a good one at that. Would you reject a helping of icing because you can't get the cake all at once? And regarding the first point...well, that's why insurance is now mandatory for everyone: to keep costs down, because now insurance companies actually have to cover people who are sick. Also, a main reason the bill was proposed in the first place was to keep costs down; insurance was not getting any cheaper, and people have been seeing their premiums rise all year.

So, what are your opinions? Where do you fit in on these Gallup polls? And why do you think the polls turned out the way they did?

Google Pulls Out From China

Yesterday, Google closed its search engine in China after two months of threatening to leave due to censorship issues and Chinese hackers. The google.cn address does not work anymore, and users from mainland China are now directed to an uncensored Google search engine site in Hong Kong.

The move has spurred conflict between the international company and China. Chinese officials appear angered, citing that Google broke its promise to retain agreed upon censorship contracts. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it would handle the act "according to the law," and that the move should not affect Chinese-U.S. relationships. Google's chief legal officer said that he hoped "the Chinese government respects our decision."

Google's withdrawal from China is only partial, for now. Although the search engine no longer functions, Google will maintain their online maps and music services, as well as its research, development, and sales teams on the Chinese mainland.

Although censored, many believed that Google's entrance into China's market would allow Chinese citizens access to much more outside information. It symbolized China's growing acceptance of foreign influence on its citizens. Now that Google has removed itself from China, many Chinese have grown worried, especially students and professors who have lost access to Google's vast resources.

Looking from a business point of view, should Google have pulled out of China (keep in mind that only a small share of Google's overall profit is from China)? From a political and social point of view, was this a wise decision? Should this even be considered from the latter two points of views, or should it be contained purely as a business matter?

To read more about the official dealings, please read Google's blog post, with details about the situation.

India's newest class=the spending gurus

What is money if we don't spend it? This question does not seem to pose a problem for India's newest economic class of nouveau riche farmers. Many of these farmers have found themselves suddenly rich by selling their land and reaping the benefits.

It is not these new pockets of wealth that are of interest, however; it's what these newly rich farmers decide to do with their money. For many, the influx of cash translates to "Spend Big, and Spend Now." The attached picture illustrates this: the newly rich Yadav family has decided to marry off their son by flying him in a helicopter to his bride's hometown. Although this impulsive consumption could be blamed on poor education and financial planning, as well as the allure of cold hard cash, sociologists say that much of it is due to the desire of lower casts to "show off their social mobility, partly by emulating the practices of the upper classes."

In India, a country with a strict caste system, social mobility is considered a rarity and a well-earned privilege. Everyone wants to be better than their neighbors, and the more material wealth you show off, the richer you are perceived to be. In fact, many of these farmers are truly rich by Western standards. But we're seeing the same effect here as was demonstrated by the Harvard students economics study - it doesn't matter how much money you have; it just matters how much you have in comparison to everyone else.

Reconciliation: What is the Republican Strategy?

Senate Democrats have decided to take up budget reconciliation of the health bill to fix any last-minute errors and add necessary amends to the bill before it becomes law. For more information about what reconciliation involves and procedural details, please look here, but for now I would like to explore the Republican reconciliation strategy.

After losing, to put it bluntly, the healthcare debate, Republicans are now faced with a decision: to make worthwhile amends to a bill that they really have no chance of repealing and face criticism for supposedly "supporting" the bill, or reject all amends and blame Democrats for a lackluster bill, hoping that Americans will forget they didn't want healthcare in the first place. Right how, it's looking like they're leaning towards the latter, and that all Senate Republicans will appose the changes. Their top target to bring down is a list of changes to a proposed tax on high-cost employer-sponsored insurance policies. Obama had negotiated changes to the tax with the heads of organized labor, and successfully blocking the proposed changes could create a political "headache" for Obama.

A new strategy put forth by the Senate Republicans is to portray the changes desired by Senate Democrats as detrimental to the health bill. However, as the article states, "It was unclear that the argument would stick, given that many of the changes in the reconciliation measure are intended to adjust provisions the Republicans themselves had criticized."

But the question is, will these strategies work? Can the Republicans really succeed in portraying healthcare as a bad thing, and Democrats as the real "losers"? Politics is the game now, but when people's lives are saved and sick children suddenly receive care, I think the rules of the game will change drastically, and most likely not on the side of the Republican naysayers.

How Does the Health Bill Affect You?

Visit this interactive and easy-to-understand guide written by the New York Times. The bill will most likely affect everyone in some way or another, whether in a big way or small, so I highly suggest you take a look.