Bjorn Lomborg has apparently defected, calling global climate change
“undoubtedly one of the chief concerns facing the world today” and calls for the world’s governments to invest tens of billions of dollars annually to fight climate change.
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Some 19 high school football players on a team in Oregon have come down with a mysterious illness. There appears to be no evidence of steroids or other drug use that could have caused a tissue condition that has required surgery for some, and intravenous fluids for others. Maybe they worked out in too much heat, or drank too many of the wrong supplements. But none of the reports I’ve seen include interviews with the cheerleaders. Maybe they know. Wow, there’s a 9-day, 62 mile long traffic jam near Beijing, China. Can they really think that more automobiles and roads are a good path to the future? Haven’t we already proved in the US that such growth is NOT progress? To make matters worse, one stranded driver said I’ve been off on a vacation, but have heard snatches about the salmonella fuss here and there. But I don’t understand the problem, because, as I learned while studying public health, one has to flat out assume that salmonella is in and on raw eggs, as well as in and on raw chicken, and act accordingly. (As I recall, about 25% or more of raw chicken has always had some level of salmonella, for example). The problem may actually be one of education, but it’s really pretty simple: always assume that raw eggs or raw chicken has salmonella, as will everything they touch. Cook the eggs and chicken to a good, high temperature, enough to kill the salmonella, and don’t put the food you intend to eat onto plates that held uncooked chicken and eggs. Oh, and wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw eggs and chicken. That said, perhaps the problem is one of far too much fecal material getting into the eggs that are being recalled. Still, that’s no reason for anyone to assume that the recall will ever remove salmonella from raw eggs and chicken.
Aug
05
2010
New York’s senate passed a 9 month moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus shale, and the house is not far behind. The gas industry is hoisted on its own petard, because removal of federal controls has made it such that individual states are more likely to act on their own. I’d sure like to see New York require addition of tracers to all the fracking fluid. Again, if the process is safe, then the industry should be all for it. Scientists at public universities who are funded by BP are being told by BP that they can’t reveal their oil-spill results while litigation is pending. I’m not sure I buy it. (Caveat: I’m not an attorney.) States like NC have public records statutes making all state records, except for trade secrets, the property of the people, available for all to copy upon request. Now, BP might take a shot at claiming that the data must be kept confidential by virtue of its being a trade secret, but, if this claim were challenged in court, I don’t see how it would be upheld. Nobody will stand to gain financially by acquiring such data, for example, which is one way of justifying a confidentiality claim. In the end, to really pry this open, somebody may have to spend some bucks to mount a challenge. It would be a nice project for some law students, if nothing else.
Aug
04
2010
I don’t think fish should be tested for safety using smell, any more than looking at how clear the fish eyes are. Many Gulf fishermen agree. What is needed is a comprehensive composite testing program: puree a whole lot of fish in a huge blender, and analyze the resulting mash using state-of-the-art techniques of chemistry. Publish and repeat as necessary.
Aug
04
2010
A laser company seems to have stopped comparisons to Star Wars light sabers,
What sort of hobbyist needs a military-grade Spyder II™ GX, which is
Aug
04
2010
I’ve been advocating adding tracers to fracking fluids, and not just for research. Tracers can allow following water movement from individual wells, for example, so that liability can be assigned in the event of ground or surface water contamination, even decades after a well is closed. EPA’s science advisory board is on the right track, where they say in their scoping document that |
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