[personal profile] moominmuppet
I got to meet one of the other cats in the neighborhood this morning. He's a giant grey tabby, and very friendly. He's wearing a flea collar, so someone's obviously at least partially caring for him. He was up on the porch enjoying the outdoor food bowl, and dealt well with being petted and talked to. Other than that, almost nothing to report, since I've been flaring pretty badly this past week, and spending almost all my time sleeping. I have gotten a bit done on building the comic box shelves, though. They're coming together well, even if I'm only doing work in 20 minute bursts before I'm worn out again. We're about to head into what is traditionally one of our busiest seasons at work; open enrollment. They're changed the system around again this year, after we finally got most of the employees sorted on using the old one, so it will likely be pretty hectic at work for the next month.

Researchers Identify Eight HPV Types That Cause Most Cervical Cancers

Hold on Pentagon Nomination Over Abortion Issues Hampering Military Health Care, Official Says

Rare Vote Set on a Union in Fast Food

Hagfish Analysis Opens Major Gap in Tree of Life

Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/vertebrate-origins/#ixzz13JfbfDow


Angela Davis talks prison abolition on Democracy Now

Former NPR analyst Juan Williams, among other ignorant people, has an irrational fear of Muslims, and thinks you can identify them based on what they look like. Here I will post pictures of Muslims wearing all sorts of things in an attempt to refute that there is such a thing as "Muslim garb" or a Muslim look.

Does entropy increase with time or does it make time?

20 heroic librarians who save the world

Feminism, astronauts, and riding sidesaddle: Talking to Dreamsnake's Vonda McIntyre
Related: Dreamsnake: The controversial Hugo winner that's no longer in print

The Black Ops department that’s on the monsters’ side

Peter S. Beagle takes you to myth-making school

The physics of the wet dog shake

The National Zoo is making great progress with introductions between Shera and her cubs, Naba and her own cubs (born just 3 weeks after Shera's) and Luke, the father of all seven cubs.

NAACP report on ties between the Tea Party movement and white nationalists

Skepchick Quickies 10.21

Efforts to Prosecute Blackwater Are Collapsing

Walkom: Khadr’s only hope is U.S. embarrassment

A New Set of Wheels Can Improve a Dog's Life, Too
Advances in Wheelchairs for Hobbled Pets Help Bring Home Bacon, a Pot-Bellied Pig


Preserving Gay History in Film Form

Making a Home in a Pyramid, 462 Feet Above Seattle

India Relies on 'Two-Finger' Test to Verify Rape

Bishop Gene Robinson: How Religion Is Killing Our Most Vulnerable Youth

Virginia Beach GOP Sending Around Racist Emails

Could the Courts Outlaw the Minimum Wage?

Breast Cancer More Deadly in Women Who Used Hormone Therapy, Study Finds

Tricks and Treats for the Whipsnade Zoo's Cheetah Cubs

China denies reports on halting export of rare earth

Buffalo Zoo Welcomes a Baby Gorilla

American's #1 threat, MEXICAN BEER DERMATITIS!

Flier Calls Gay Florida Man 'Child Predator'

15 classic science fiction and fantasy novels that publishers rejected

Ancient turtle bones reveal that Antarctica was once a rain forest

Catherynne M. Valente is a mythpunk in Episode 23 of The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

Dove’s Social Construction of Chocolate

Why creature features are my comfort food

Methuselah Nebula MWP1

How is one gun store tied to so many crimes?

Speaking of God, as Souls Hurry By

Adorable Girl Tests Global Warming Hypothesis

Orion: Head to Toe

CERN scientists eye parallel universe breakthrough

The We Got Your Back Project

New report on the treatment of mothers and pregnant women in U.S. prisons

Moon's water is useful resource, says Nasa

5000 year old door found in switzerland

OLDEST OBJECT IN UNIVERSE FOUND

Creationist lawsuit fails

Date: 2010-10-25 05:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jajy1979.livejournal.com
Unionization may not produce better wages given the economics of fast food, but it might at least force the companies to pay the due overtime and provide reasonable accommodations and breaks, and perhaps sick leave. Unfortunately they (unions) aren't likely to succeed at most chains.

BAD BAD ARTICLE! The argument over the links among Chordates is a long standing one, and yes there is a lot there, but it has NOTHING to do with "invertebrates", since we're talking about one single phylum. The sub-phylum relationship is what is at dispute, and once again we're missing the boat with the "these are the ancestors" thinking. No, the common ancestor is NEVER the current critter. Bah. Bad reporting on what should be very good science.

Haifa Wehbe, in fishnets and just a few strings of pearls. Hmm, definitely like looking at this. Also Muslim:



What the fuck? A finger test? So you can be further violated and humiliated based on 'laxity'?

The number of "off-color" jokes around here get on my nerves. I childed someone the other day for choosing to use the term "afro-rigged" around me. I don't care for the terminology or the implications. Irks me more because I know the majority of people on welfare are white, vote republican, and bitch about spending while drawing checks from various government agencies, and nothing pisses me off more than hypocrisy.

The courts aren't likely to overturn minimum wage, and neither are most congresses. These are just two whack-jobs. If minimum wage were really a burden to most companies they'd all be paying it. Most actually pay more than, and still make out like bandits. The minimum wage was instituted to combat the effects of monopsony more than monopoly anyway. And there is a lot of difference between the hour mandates (which do exist still in some industries) versus fair compensation rates.

I've been following the rare earth story for a while, there's a lot more going on here than just what that article spits out. If you want I'll explain more of it.

A lot of books get rejected, repeatedly and by many publishers. Some are the proverbial "diamonds in the rough".

ACSI v. Stearns - ABOUT FUCKING TIME! (That we got actual good news and a sensible decision or three from the courts.)



Date: 2010-10-25 09:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] moominmuppet.livejournal.com
I've been following the rare earth story for a while, there's a lot more going on here than just what that article spits out. If you want I'll explain more of it.

I'd definitely be interested.


And I think you're right about the potential benefits of unions, and the unlikelihood that they'll succeed in unionizing. I think a lot of the problem with our current situation is the massive power imbalance caused by the decline of unions to piddling 11% of the population. Unions sure aren't perfect, but there needs to be bargaining power on both sides, not just management.

Date: 2010-10-25 10:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jajy1979.livejournal.com
The long and the short of the REM stuff:

Low regulation (environmental) and low wages caused the manufacturers of REM to move to China over the last decade or so. This has lead to China producing about 95% of the misnomer (they're not actually rare).

About a year or so ago the US started prodding China on Green Tech protectionism, where China had been favoring their internal industries over US attempts to move into that market, and attempts to defend its own territory. Sometime this spring, Japan succeeded at pushing China a bit too hard on the issue and got slapped with a retaliatory quota reduction of REM supplies which are mostly used in high tech devices.

The US responded by filing with the WTO to force China to open their Green Tech sector. China responded by claiming Environmental Concerns to cut the quota to the US, and several other nations which had been riding it. The US has since responded by claiming their being targeted for illegal trade, while China has said it is in compliance with WTO and there is no specific embargo going on. It just happens that the cuts (which haven't materialized for the US yet) target top economies because they use them the most.

After all is said and done, China has a 5 year lead time on REM production, and the US grumbling won't do much good unless we reestablish our own REM production here. Which is expected to take 3 to 5 years minimum and will require significant financial support from the government to give an incentive to companies which would invest in it. Congress already has at least one bill moving in that direction.

That more or less sums up that aspect. There's a lot of flow though which involves currency and other commodity markets which China is messing with heavily. They're not playing by our rules, they're not playing by Europe's Rules, and they're not playing by the WTO rules, and it's about time that the rest of the world stopped pretending that they are (or will).

Date: 2010-10-25 10:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] moominmuppet.livejournal.com
Interesting, thanks!

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