What Caught My Eye Today - Boston, Arizona, Morocco, China, Lasers, Mars

Fred's Note:  I had originally intended today's posting to highlight the occasional wackiness associated with road running events. Alas, recent events force me to start off on a far more somber note.

Boston - Two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon just before the finish line. The bombs went off within 550 feet  of each other, killing 3 people and injuring at least 176. Video from the finish line shows about 12 seconds passed between the two blasts. The winners had crossed the finish line about two hours earlier; other runners were still coming across.  Law enforcement officials said that they believe the explosions were caused by homemade bombs. There had been no prior indications of an imminent attack. No official suspects have been named, and no arrests or claims of responsibility for the attack have been announced. Another sobering reminder of evil that humans are capable of unleashing on each other. Thankfully, this sort of thing also tends to highlight the resiliency of those who come out such experiences as stronger, yet more compassionate people.  

No doubt there will be a great deal of follow up to this tragedy, which is why we will return to our originally scheduled news items of the day.

Arizona - The inaugural Scottsdale Beat The Heat race this summer, billed as the hottest sporting event on the planet, is being deliberately staged at the warmest time of year and during the most oppressive part of the day, all to maximize the discomfort and enhance the challenge of those either courageous or deranged enough to sign up. Let me see if I've got this straight.  Some genius has decided to stage a race in an urban desert at the hottest time of day during the hottest time of the year...on purpose?   Temperatures are expected to tip the thermometer at upwards of 110 Fahrenheit on June 22, with participants set to complete a seven-mile course beginning at 2:47 p.m., the specific time when the heat is predicted to be at its fiercest. The concept was dreamed up at a tourism workshop among Scottsdale business leaders that sought to combat the challenges posed by the extreme weather conditions in the middle of summer, when visitor numbers routinely plummet.  And staging a road race was the best they could come up with.  Wow, the gene pool is in bigger trouble than I thought. Race organizers are taking strong precautions to ensure racers do not endanger their health by taking part. There will be water stations every half mile, instead of every two miles as would be normal. The fire department will be on hand, and potential participants are encouraged to seek their doctor's permission before they enter the race. For those of you who have decided to run this race and somehow managed to get your physician's blessing to subject your body to this, might I offer you a bit of advice...GET YOURSELF A NEW DOCTOR!

Now mind you, this race is Arizona is just a 10K, which is little more than a warm up lap for what our friends in Africa have come up with.

Morocco - The Marathon des Sables or Sahara Marathon is a six-day, 156 mile ultra marathon, which is the equivalent of six regular marathons. This multi day race is held every year in southern Morocco, in the Sahara desert. It is considered the toughest foot race on Earth. It is run in 6 stages, the longest stage being around 80 plus kilometer when many of the competitors will run through the night to complete it. For some context, this is the equivalent of running the Beat The Heat race in Arizona, eight times in a single day, then doing it all over again for the next 5 days. Entrants are self-sufficient, carrying all of their provisions for the full 6 days on their backs; sleeping bag, first aid kit including an anti-venom pump for snake bites, food, cooking stove and clothes.  So not only do I get to run across a desert, but I get to carry all my food and water with me for the duration, and, just to keep things interesting, I can pass the time trying to avoid getting bitten by a venomous snake.  Where do I sign up? Rationed water is provided throughout the race at check-points along each stage, and again at the camp at the end of each day. Water rationing? Well, you are in the middle of a desert, so I guess it is in keeping with the overall theme.  At the end of each stage a camp is set up for the competitors, with traditional Moroccan bivouacs sleeping 8 people. Here the competitors will cook their own dinner and visit the medics to have their blisters lanced and dressed. One can only imagine the dinner table conversation that must go on during this race.

China - A new strain of avian flu that has killed at least nine people in the past five weeks is causing panic in eastern China. For those of you keeping track, the last bird flu scare also came from China.  Maybe it is something in the water. Some officials said a traditional herb, indigo woad root, could protect against the virus while an army colonel posted a theory on social media that the virus, H7N9, was actually a U.S. biological weapon meant to destabilize China. Forget for a moment that this "theory" came from a member of the military. Here's my question.  Let's just say for argument sake, that the U.S. was capable of such a thing.  Why would we waste this on China, when there is a whack job in North Korea that we could unleash this on? Authorities have slaughter tens of thousands of birds and closed several large markets in an effort to contain the outbreak.So far, the virus does not appear to have made the leap to human-to-human transmission. Not to worry, I hear these viruses are rather resourceful in adapting to their environments.  I'm sure it is just a matter of time.

Lasers - The U.S. Navy is going to sea for the first time with a laser attack weapon that has been shown in tests to disable patrol boats and blind or destroy surveillance drones. Dude, is the U.S. Navy the man, or what? Lasers. Damn. A prototype shipboard laser will be deployed on a converted amphibious transport and docking ship in the Persian Gulf, where Iranian fast-attack boats have harassed American warships and where the government in Tehran is building remotely piloted aircraft carrying surveillance pods and, someday potentially, rockets. You don't poke the bear without some reprisal, something the Iranian regime will so discover. Bring on the pain, Navy! The laser is designed to carry out a graduated scale of missions, from burning through a fast-attack boat or a drone to producing a nonlethal burst to “dazzle” an adversary’s sensors and render them useless without causing any other physical damage. Say what? These lasers don't kill, they just "dazzle"?  Well, I have to say that's a little disappointing. Still, we got lasers! The Pentagon has a long history of grossly inflating claims for its experimental weapons, but a nonpartisan study for Congress said the weapon offered the Navy historic opportunities. The law of averages suggests that even the Pentagon, on rare occasions, will get something right. Among the advantages cited in the study for Congress was the low cost — less than $1 per sustained pulse — of using a high-energy laser against certain targets. By comparison, current short-range air-defense interceptor missiles cost up to $1.4 million each. Deadly -- I mean dazzling -- and cheap.  Could this get any better? However, several limitations have been cited, such as the lasers are not effective in bad weather because the beam can be disturbed or scattered by water vapor, as well as by smoke, sand and dust. Come again? It is also a “line of sight” weapon, meaning that the target has to be visible, so it cannot handle threats over the horizon. Seriously? And enemies can take countermeasures like coating vessels and drones with reflective surfaces. So to summarize, a cloudy day, some dust, a sand dune or a mirror could render our dazzling lasers useless. Pity. Still, we got lasers!

Mars - Scientists say nuclear fusion, the energy source that fuels the sun and other active stars, could one day propel rockets that allow humans to go to Mars and back in 30 days. You know, I say a lot of things too. Alas, everything I say doesn't always happen. Previous estimates have found that a round trip manned mission to Mars would require about 500 days of space travel. NASA studies have centered on Mars flights that would take two years to complete, and could cost $12 billion just to launch the fuel needed for the mission. A substantial cost, to be sure, but bear in mind we spent the same amount in just 12 days funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At least with a trip to Mars that $12 billion gets you 500 days of space travel. Nuclear fusion occurs when the nuclei of two or more atoms combine, resulting in a release of energy and could occur by compressing a specially developed type of plasma to high pressure with a magnetic field. To get this fuel to propel a rocket to Mars, a powerful magnetic field could be used to cause large metal rings (likely made of lithium) to collapse around the plasma material, compressing it to a fusion state, but only for a few microseconds. Energy from these quick fusion reactions would heat up and ionize the shell of metal formed by the crushed rings. The hot, ionized metal would be shot out of the rocket nozzle at a high speed. Repeating this process roughly every minute would propel the spacecraft.I find it curious that for a group of people that place such a high standard on fact, scientists sure are a speculative lot.

What Caught My Eye Today - Gun Control, Samoa, Basketball, Potpourri

Gun Control - Those of you who follow U.S. political news are well aware of the push to pass stricter gun control laws in the wake of several recent mass shootings.  Our friends in the great state of Georgia have taken a slightly different approach to dealing with guns. Council members in Nelson, a small city located 50 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia, voted unanimously to approve the Family Protection Ordinance. The measure requires every head of household to own a gun and ammunition to "provide for the emergency management of the city" and to "provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants." However, it contains no penalties and exempts anyone who objects, convicted felons and those with certain mental and physical disabilities. Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but "exempts" is the same thing as "excludes" or "prohibits," which begs the question, could a convicted felon actual own a gun and ammunition if he or she decides not to be "exempt" from the law? The proposal illustrates how the response to the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, varies widely in different parts of the country. While lawmakers in generally more liberal states with large urban centers like New York and California have moved to tighten gun control laws, more conservative, rural areas in the American heartland have been going in the opposite direction. While I personally favor tighter gun controls over the alternative, I understand the opposition to them. I find it hard to believe that anyone would need a military style firearm capable if discharging hundreds of rounds per minute for recreational purposes, but at the same time, where do you draw the line for reasonable gun control?  Quite frankly, I think this decision is best made at the local level by the citizens who will be most impacted by  gun controls, or lack thereof.  As an individual I have the choice of deciding if I want to live in a community that has gun controls or one that doesn't.

Samoa - Samoa Air has become the first airline in the world to do what was previously unthinkable: charge passengers by weight. The cost is 93 cents to $1.06 for each kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. I mean no offense to Samoans, but this doesn't seem that unreasonable to me. Have you ever met a scrawny Samoan?   Neither have I. The Samoa Air homepage reads "We at Samoa Air are keeping airfares fair, by charging our passengers only for what they weigh. You are the master of your Air'fair', you decide how much (or little) your ticket will cost. No more exorbitant excess baggage fee's [sic], or being charged for baggage you may not carry. Your weight plus your baggage items, is what you pay for. Simple."  You have to appreciate the candor in which they defend the pricing policy. A section of the airline's web site titled "How does pay what you weigh work?" outlines the steps in determining a passengers final airfare:

1. Select 'book online', and choose your flight
   So far so good.
2. Enter your details, including your estimated weight(s) of passengers and baggage
   So does the weight of your clothing count?  I don't know about you, but my shoes easily add 15 pounds.
3. Your airfare is then calculated using your weight.
   Even if you are the ideal weight, I'm thinking this has got to sting a little bit.
4. You travel happy, knowing full well that you are only paying for exactly what you weigh... nothing more.
   That might be a bit of a stretch. I've never seen a 300 pound traveler looking particularly thrilled with the prospects of getting on a plane.  Of course, that probably has more to do with the lack of legroom and elbow room.

Basketball - According to a formula that measures the unpredictability of each NCAA Men's Basketball tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams, the 2013 edition is the most unpredictable ever. Maybe that's why they call it March Madness. On a scale of 0 to 100 — with 0 meaning the higher seed wins every game and 100 meaning the opposite — the 2013 tournament checks in at 21.8 so far. Even if top overall seed Louisville wins it all, this year's tournament will break the previous record of 19.8, set in 2011 (the year Virginia Commonwealth and Butler made the Final Four, and a nine-loss Connecticut team won the title).  Predicting the whole Final Four was almost impossible this year. ESPN reports that 47 perfect out of 8.15 million brackets in its Tournament Challenge game made the right picks. That works out to about 1 in 173,000 brackets. Still better odds than Powerball. Yahoo Sports reports 9 correct Final Four picks out of more than 3 million brackets. Suffice it to say, I was not one of those 56. In fact, my bracket did not contain a single team in the Final Four. I didn't do much better on the women's either, picking just one of four Final Four teams, Connecticut.

Potpourri - This edition offers a bit of perspective on a variety of topics that affect us all but that we might not give much thought to.

• Charity - in 2011, the poorest 20% of Americans gave 3.2% of their income to charity while the wealthiest 20% donated 1.3% of their income. Studies suggest that those with less to give may have "higher empathy" because they are more exposed to need. That's a diplomatic way of putting it. However, before we cast stones at the wealthiest 20%, if you look at the actual dollars donated, the upper class does contribute the vast majority of charitable contributions.  Remember, perspective.
• Toilets - Of the world's 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones, while just 4.5 billion have access to a working toilet. Kind of makes you think about how we prioritize basic needs, doesn't it?  
• Retirement Benefits - The U.S. government spent $3.7 million last year to support former presidents, paying for pensions, office support, travel and postage.  The most expensive ex-president was George W. Bush, at $1.3 million, followed by Bill Clinton at just under $1 million. Costs do not include Secret Service protection. If you ask me, $3.7 million doesn't seem that unreasonable, then again, I'm not sure how meaningful this statistic really is when it excludes the single largest expense associated with former presidents, lifelong protection.  It reminds me of a certain president who decided not to include the costs of waging two wars in the federal budgets.  
• Vacations - President Barack Obama took 131 vacation days in his first term. In his two terms as president, President George W. Bush took 1060 vacation days. Big deal. You know how many vacation days I've taken in the last 4 years--72. My company gives my 18 paid days off a year, which turns out to be rather generous.

Did You Know? #25

What are the top ten nations with the fewest number of tourists?

1. Nauru - 200 tourists. Nauru is a tiny island nation in the Pacific  It is the smallest republic in the world covering only 21 square kilometers and is the only country in the world without a capital.
2. Somalia - 500. Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa.
3. Tuvalu - 1200. Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. If sea levels continue to rise, Tuvalu is the first country that will disappear.
4. Kiribati - 4700. Kiribati is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean.
5. Marshall Islands - 5000. The Marshall Islands is an island country located in the northern Pacific Ocean.
6. Equatorial Guinea - 6000. Equatorial Guinea is a country located in Middle Africa and is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa
7. Turkmenistan - 7000. Turkmenistan, formerly also known as Turkmenia, is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia and until 1991 was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union.
8. Sao Tome & Principe - 8000. Sao Tome & Principe is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.
9. Comoros - 15000. Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa.
10. Afghanistan - 17500. Afghanistan is a landlocked sovereign state forming part of South Asia, Central Asia and Western Asia.

Did You Know? #24

When was the last time the United States ran a budget surplus?

The last time the U.S. government ran an annual surplus was 2001. 

Under Bill Clinton, the U.S. Treasury Department reported a budget surplus of $127 billion. In that same year, the government paid off $90 billion in debt, the second largest debt reduction in history.  In 2000, the budget surplus was $237 billion.

What Caught My Eye Today - Google, Colombia, Brazil, Zippers

Fred's Note: In honor of April Fool's Day, we lighten up the mood a bit and mix it up with items of a more esoteric nature (especially true of our fourth item).

Google - Every year, Google goes all out for April Fools’ Day. The company not only pulls together more jokes than all the other tech giants, but the company makes a point to outdo itself too. Geek on, my friends, geek on! Among the gags that Google came out with this year:

• Google Maps Treasure Mode (click here) - Google has created a new treasure map mode on Google Maps. Personally, I prefer the 2D version they had in 2012, but the instructional video for this one is still worth checking out. 
• YouTube is closing - Apparently all this time the site has been an eight-year contest, the goal of which was to find the best video ever created. Google says it has 30,000 technicians working on narrowing down the list. It has even managed to get YouTube celebrities and film reviewers on board to participate in the prank. This has the be the cream of this year's crop and one of the all-time greats in Google's pranking history. Simply brilliant.
• Google Nose (click here) - Google Nose is a new service that lets you search to find out what your queries smell like. Vintage Google on this gag. The banality in which they describe the service is what makes it so good. In every way (other than the obvious) it looks like a legitimate service.
• Gmail Blue (click here) - Google has made everything blue in Gmail . All characters, buttons, and menus are now blue. The video is priceless (nice cameo appearance to boot) and you know what, it doesn't look half bad.
• Google Wallet Mobile ATM (click here) - Google Wallet Mobile ATM is a device that attaches to your smartphone after which it “dispenses money instantly and effortlessly. Where do I sign?

Colombia - Two spectators were gored to death and dozens injured at a bullfight in northern Colombia.  Unlike Spanish bullfights, in which a single matador in the ring faces down a bull and kills it, Colombian bullfights allow spectators to run or ride horseback around the ring. The bulls are not killed, but spectators often are. While there is little risk in diluting the gene pool with this lot, you have applaud them for their sense of fair play. Going mano a mano with a bull might not be the smartest idea, but bravo for leveling the playing field.

Brazil - Domestic workers in Brazil now have the same rights as other workers.  I think that we should take a moment and give ourselves a hand.  Its only 13 years into the twenty-first century, and we finally seem to be making some real progress on this whole indentured servitude thing. Well done, everyone. A recently passed law gives the nation's estimated 7 million maids and cooks the right to be paid overtime if they work more than eight hours a day or 44 hours a week. Middle class Brazilian families have traditionally had a daily maid to do all the housework and laundry, but many have cut back in recent years as maids' wages rose. Alas, as is the case with some many things, progress doesn't come without consequence. The mental image of the middle class making its bed and doing its own laundry, is almost more than I can bear.

Zippers - Despite the fact that it is April Fools Day, I swear this is a legitimate story. Over the past decade, more than 17,500 people in the United States - mostly men - have sought emergency room treatment after trapping their genitals in the teeth of their trouser zippers. Occasionally, a zipper injury requires surgery, including unwanted circumcision. I'm thinking the public humiliation would be far worse  than surgery, but maybe that's just me. More often  the biggest risk is infection by the multitude of bacteria that a penis tends to harbor. It's a wonder the ladies want to come anywhere near us men. Wearing underwear and avoiding distractions while zipping can help prevent an accident. One would sort of assume this sort of advice would be self-evident. For those who do get stuck, the key is not to panic. Yet more pearls of wisdom. If easing the zipper down doesn't work, seek professional help. Great idea. There is no standard medical procedure for freeing sufferers.  You don't say. Current methods employ everything from mineral oil to screwdrivers and wire cutters. Let me ask you this. After shredding your junk in a zipper, do you really want to subject it to more sharp or pointed objects? 

Did You Know? #23

How long can a person live without food?

A person can survive without food for about 45 days. 

Survival without water is considerably shorter at just 7 days. Humans are extremely fragile when it comes the temperature, being able to live for 30 minutes in 40 degree water and just 10 minutes in 300 degree heat. Air is the ultimate deal breaker with the average person able to survive under 3 minutes without it.

What Caught My Eye Today - Norway, Sweden, Venezuela, Fish

Norway - As if there were not enough reasons to envy Norway... Middle East-style oil wealth combined with a generous Nordic welfare model is slowly throttling big chunks of Norway’s economy, threatening western Europe’s biggest success story. On the surface, Norway is the envy of the world: growth is strong, per capita GDP has exceeded $100,000 and the nation sits on a $700 billion rainy day cash reserve, or $140,000 per man, woman and child. But it may just be too much money as Norwegians, more keen on leisure and family life are working less and less. Gee whiz. Your heart just bleeds for these poor folks, doesn't it? Wage costs are up 63% since 2000, about six times more than in Germany or Sweden, while the employment rate, adjusted for part time work, is 61%, below rates anywhere in the Nordics and even below Greece. Still, unemployment is a barely visible 3% as more prefer part time work. The government recently warned that unless working hours are increased by 10% over time, the state will eventually start eating into its savings. Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river. You have $700 billion collecting dust in some vault. There are worst things that could happen. The central bank also warned that the welfare model is simply. encouraging people to leave the labor market. Norway’s egalitarian wage distribution pays low-skilled workers well above the European average but pays the higher-skilled at, or even a touch below, international norms. The central bank predicts that wages will rise about twice as fast as GDP for several years to come while productivity improvements will trail economic growth. With a budget surplus worth 12% of GDP, Norway can afford just about anything now but unless it scales down benefits, that surplus will melt away. But generous benefits, a good work-life balance and limited wage inequality are long-standing parts of a social model cherished by many Norwegians, so any change will be difficult. And that, my friends is why they are called entitlements. When times are good, governments pass along that prosperity to its citizens, as it should. The problem, is that those same citizens get used to the frills they receive in good times and cannot understand why they shouldn't get what they have become accustomed or entitled to when the good times inevitably end.

Sweden -  Sweden is in a bit of a pickle: the squeaky clean Scandinavian nation of more than 9.5 million has run out of garbage. How is this even possible? The landfills have been tapped dry; the rubbish reserves depleted. And although this may seem like a positive predicament for a country to be facing, Sweden has been forced to import trash — 80,000 tons of refuse annually, to be exact — from neighboring countries, namely Norway. Pray tell, why would anyone do this? Swedes' remarkable recycling habits - only 4% of all waste generated in the country is landfilled - are also a bit of a problem given that the country relies on waste to heat and to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes through a longstanding waste-to-energy incineration program. So with citizens simply not generating enough burnable waste to power the incinerators, the country has been forced to look elsewhere for fuel. Finally something I can relate to. It’s kind of a great deal for Sweden. Why am I not surprised. Norway pays Sweden to take its excess waste, Sweden burns it for heat and electricity, and the ashes remaining from the incineration process, filled with highly polluting dioxins, are returned back to Norway and landfilled. On one hand, I'm impressed at what Sweden has managed to accomplish with not only its recycling program but also its innovative energy incineration program.  One wonders if other countries couldn't learn something for the Swedes.  On the other hand, don't you just hate these guys? 

Venezuela - Venezuela's government has given up on its plan to preserve the body of late President Hugo Chavez in a glass case like that of Vladimir Lenin. Bugger. I guess I will have to cancel my trip to Venezuela. If I cannot see Chavez's corpse, the trip just wouldn't be worth it.  After Chavez died early this month of canter, the acting president announced that the body would be placed on display in perpetuity in the Museum of the Revolution.  But Russian scientists told Venezuelan officials that the body was not embalmed in the right way to preserve it for long, and now it is too late.  I cannot help but wonder what these guys did to Chavez's body in attempting to embalm it the "right way".  I know it's a bit gross, but tell me you weren't thinking the same thing. Instead the government will convene a commission of "the world's best scientists" to study tissue samples and investigate whether Chavez was poisoned by the United States. Will this commission really consist of "the world's best scientists" or just those who weren't able to come up with a good enough reason to get out of it? Personally, I think a good lie detector is all that is needed here. What with everyone lining up to take credit for this, I'm not sure science is really going to help here.

Lent ends this Friday, so I thought this next item was not only rather amusing but also timely.

Fish - Early settlers of Quebec had a tough time following the Catholic Church's Friday dietary restrictions, since there wasn't much edible fish around.  There was no shortage of beaver meat, though. Lucky them. So in the 18th century the Quebecois asked the church to declare that the beaver was a fish. Seriously? How do you make that connection? After all, it lived in the water and had a flat, scaly tail. How can you argue with logic like that? The Church agreed and the beaver got classified as a Christian fish. Of course they did.

Run, Fred, Run Update - Mar 2013

Fred's Note: My elliptical journey around the country has entered its sixth year. After nearly 3 years in Texas, the next 3 states have come in relatively rapid succession. I just arrived in my one and only stop in Alabama, Mobile. With luck, I'll get through the Florida panhandle and start working my way up the Atlantic coast sometime this summer. I'm also just 60 miles from completing the equivalent of my 100th marathon. 

Total miles to date: 2,560.1
Number of marathons (26.2mi): 97.7
States visited: 7 (CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL)
States to go: 26
Miles to go: 5895.9

Did You Know? #22

How long does a U.S. one dollar bill last in circulation?

A one dollar bill will circulate for approximately 21 months. 

By comparison, a $5 dollar bill lasts only 16 months, a $10 bill makes it 18 months and a $20 bill will go for 24 months. Larger denominations have longer lifespans with the $50 bill going for 55 months and the $100 bill circulating for 89 months.  

Coins circulate, on average, for 25 to 30 years.

What Caught My Eye Today - Texas, The Universe, Asteroids, Space

Fred's Note: Today's items fall into the "out of this world" category, and I mean that quite literally. We'll begin our inter galactic voyage with the the fine folks from another planet, otherwise known as Texas.

Texas - A Texas lawmaker has proposed a bill to create a Texas Bullion Depository, which would allow the state and its citizens to store gold bullion in its own facility in Texas, with the protection of the state. They went way out on a limb to come with the catchy nickname, "The Fort Knox of Texas". Gold is considered a hedge against inflation. And while inflation is currently low in the U.S.,  an uptick could come later this year or early next year. If people were to lose faith in the dollar, Texas could have the foundation for its own currency, of sorts, which could come in handy if they push forward in trying to secede. As if that would ever happen. Then again...(click here). Texas isn't the first state to think about hedging its monetary destiny with precious metals. Citing concerns over the value of the U.S. dollar, Arizona lawmakers are the latest to pursue legislation that would declare privately minted gold and silver coins legal tender. In 2011, Utah became the first state in the country to legalize these precious metal coins as currency. Lawmakers in Minnesota, North Carolina, Idaho, South Carolina, and Colorado have debated similar laws.  Is it just me or is there a common thread shared by most of these states.  Perhaps a red thread?  

The Universe - New results from a look into the split second after the Big Bang indicate the universe is 80 million years older than previously thought. Those results have now added about 80 million years to the universe's age, putting it 13.81 billion years old. Put into slightly simpler terms, the universe is 0.6% older than previously thought. The Big Bang is the most comprehensive theory of the universe's beginning. It says the visible portion of the universe was smaller than an atom when, in a split second, it exploded, cooled and expanded rapidly, much faster than the speed of light. In an attempt to acknowledge various schools of thought on this topic, let me first address the creationists among us. Yet more hokum from godless  scientists who, no doubt, will burn in hell for all eternity.  For those readers who choose to embrace that which is based on actual fact, it is pretty cool that humankind has the wherewithal to fine tune it understanding of the universe with such precision. That said, I cannot help but question what make the science community think they got the age right this time around.

Asteroids - NASA has advice on how to handle a large asteroid headed toward New York City: Pray. Kind of ironic don't you think? All that science and technology, and the best NASA can come up with is to pray. That's about all the United States - or anyone for that matter - could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, NASA's chief told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing. On the bright side, while your physical being will be toast, your soul will be well provided for, assuming the guy upstairs heard you. NASA has found and is tracking about 95% of the largest objects flying near Earth, those that are .62 miles or larger in diameter. An asteroid of that size, a kilometer or bigger, could plausibly end civilization. On average, objects of that size are estimated to hit Earth about once every 1,000 years. About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth. The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles. I've always believed that perspective matters a great deal when it comes to forming opinion. For as much influence that humankind has on the planet Earth, it pales in to comparison to what Mother Nature can do (and often does) when she feels like it.  It's sort of the same deal when you compare Earth's place in the universe.  In a lot of ways, the Earth (and by extension, us) exists by pure luck.  

Space - Voyager 1, launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets, has passed into a new region on its way out of the solar system. The spacecraft, now more than 11 billion miles away, detected two distinct and related changes in its environment on August 25, 2012. The probe detected dramatic changes in the levels of two types of radiation, one that stays inside the solar system, the other which comes from interstellar space. The probe, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 5, 1977, may be in a new and previously unknown boundary region between the heliosphere and interstellar space. In December, scientists said Voyager had reached what they called a "magnetic highway," where magnetic field lines from the sun connect with magnetic field lines from interstellar space. Voyager project scientists believe Voyager is just a few months to a couple of years away from leaving the solar system.  This is really rather remarkable if you think about it.  We put humankind on the moon using 1960s technology and still have contact with man-made objects build in the 1970s that are 11 billion miles from Earth. And in spite of all this, I still cannot figure out how to upgrade the operating system on my stupid smartphone.

Did You Know? #21

Which U.S. state has the most national parks?

The United States has 59 protected areas known as national parks, which are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. Twenty-seven states have national parks, as do the insular areas of American Samoa and the United States Virgin Islands. California has the most, with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. 

What Caught My Eye Today - Saudi Arabia, Central African Republic, Basketball

Fred's Note: These first two items may be the most peculiar and disturbing stories that I've come across in a long, long time. Gentlemen, you may just want to skip the second story altogether.

Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia may have to stop beheading the condemned because of a lack of skilled swordsmen who can act as executioners. I'm sorry, what was that? Officials reportedly said that swordsmen are not readily available everywhere. Seriously, someone is punking me, right? On some occasions, executions were marred by confusion as the executioner was late prompting people to spread false rumors through social media that the accused had been pardoned. Let's assume for a moment that this story is true, this is really disturbing. Is there no honor among thieves?  As if it isn't bad enough that you have been sentenced to die for your crimes, you go and make it worse by lying in order to avoid having your head chopped off? Shameful. Just shameful.  A government committee studying execution alternatives has rejected a proposal to use lethal injections, but has ruled that execution by firing squad would not violate Islamic law. By no means I am an advocate of capital punishment in any form, but you have to admit that death by beheading or firing squad is probably rather painless and, unless I am very much mistaken, almost certain to get the job done in a fraction of a second. 

Last chance, boys. You sure you want to read this next item?

Central African Republic -  Ordinarily, I'm good for plenty of color commentary, but every once and a while a story like this one comes along where I find myself with nothing to add.  An anthropologist who recently visited a small town in the Central African Republic where she encountered two men who claimed that their penises had been stolen. It seems that the day before, a traveler visiting the town had shaken hands with a tea vendor who immediately claimed he felt a shock and sensed that his penis had shrunk. He cried out in alarm, gathering a crowd, and a second man then said it also happened to him. The condition is a real psychological disorder called koro in which victims (mostly men, but sometimes women) come to believe that their genitals are shrinking or retracting into the body. In order to prevent further shrinkage, victims have been known to securely tie their penises with string or metal clamps — even sometimes having family members hold it in relays until treatment can be sought, usually from shamen or traditional healers. Victims of koro usually believe that a touch or "accidental" brush with a stranger caused the theft, in the same way that a pickpocket might steal a wallet. No one has ever died from koro, at least not directly. Belief in koro can have deadly consequences: hundreds of people have been accused of stealing (or shrinking) other people's genitals, and dozens have been killed for the accusations. You can appreciate my quandary   Should I laugh (the mental image of a relay to hold a man's junk might be considered amusing in some circles)? Should I cringe (the idea of my package holing up in my nether regions for the rest of my life doesn't seem terribly pleasant)? Should I sympathize (psychological disorders, regardless of the affliction, are tough nuts to crack)?  I just don't know.

 Basketball - March Madness is here, my friends. For those of you not familiar with this annual downturn in office worker productivity, 68 men's college basketball teams and 64 women's teams will participate in their respective single elimination tournaments in hopes of winning the national championship for 2012-2013. As a way to engage casual fans who might not otherwise have any interest in college basketball, some genius came up with the idea to predict which teams would advance through their bracket to contest for the national championship. And thus, bracketology was born. Pretty stupid, right? I mean really, don't we have more useful pursuits to invest our time in? Clearly, I don't, but what about the rest of you? Before I reveal my picks to win (which is essentially the kiss of death for the teams that I've selected), take a look at just how big this stupid idea has become:

• $771 million - Amount paid for the TV broadcast rights to this year's men's tournament. 
• $0 - Amount that the athletes will take home as a result of competing. 
•  40 million - Number of brackets that will be filled out for this year's men's tournament. 
•  35.4 billion to 1 - Odds of filling out the perfect bracket.
  Coincidentally, there are about the same number of web sites offering advice on picking the perfect bracket. 

Now then, on to my picks. Ladies first. My Final Four includes (1) Baylor vs. (1) Stanford and (1) Connecticut vs. (3) Texas A&M. I've got Baylor beating Connecticut in the Final. On the men's side, my Final Four has (3) Michigan State vs. (2) Ohio State and (1) Kansas vs. (1) Indiana. I've got Indiana over Michigan State in the Final.

What Caught My Eye Today - Pope, Daylight Savings

Pope - Habemus Papam! ("We Have a Pope!"). Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, from Argentina was elected as the Catholic Church's new pope. He chose the name Pope Francis. No pope has ever taken the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, the 13th century reformer who lived in poverty.  So what's in a name, you might ask? Apparently, a wagering opportunity. An Irish bookmaker had Leo as the top pick for the next pope. The name has a progressive ring because the last to choose it, Leo XIII, helped adapt the Church to modern thinking about the industrial age during his papacy from 1878 to 1903. Pius was the second most popular choice, and would have suggested that the new pope was a staunch conservative.. The new pope will replace Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation last month prompted the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals to initiate a conclave, a Latin phrase meaning "with a key," to pick a new leader for the world's almost 2 billion Catholics. Bergoglio will become the first pope from Latin America, a region of the world with 480 million Catholics. Based on the newsflashes I read, initial reaction to the announcement went something like this, "Who's this guy?" He won the necessary two-thirds vote after only two days of the conclave. Several other candidates were considered front runners, including Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who would have become the first African pope in modern times. Despite the fact that I am self professed disenfranchised Catholic, I'm pretty sure I will do the same most Catholic tonight and say a pray for the new pontiff in hopes that he will have the strength and conviction to address the many issues confronting the Catholic church.

Daylight Savings Time - Who besides me thinks that Daylight Savings Time has outlasted its usefulness; I mean besides the guy who wrote this article? The idea of daylight saving time has always been about conserving energy. But these days, when turning the lights on at night isn’t nearly as wasteful as it once was, any benefit from energy conservation is far outweighed by the economic drawbacks of a time switch. Here are several reasons why daylight saving time should be put out to pasture:

1. It wastes air conditioning. In the fall, we’re essentially getting an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. But in warmer climates, that means more energy is used on air conditioning.
Seriously, if you are buried under a 12 foot snow bank or suffering through water rationing due to severe drought are you really going to pay that much attention to turning your clocks forward by an hour?
2. It increases pollution. One extra hour of daylight means more time to run around doing errands and enjoy the long summer evenings. But that leads to increased pollution emissions.
I think we can all agree that we're creating enough extra pollution without needing any additional incentive.
3. It messes with your body. Earlier waking times and sleep deprivation, not to mention a disruption in your sleeping patterns, can be hard on the body. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a significant increase in heart attacks in the first three weekdays after the transition to daylight saving time in the spring.
How about some love for parents? I'm certain they are well versed in early wake up calls and sleep deprivation. Why the need to pile on?
4. It brings more drowsy drivers. Sleep deprivation can be deadly on the road. The National Road Safety Foundation is warning drivers this week to be extra careful as they adjust to waking up an hour earlier.
As if we were distracted enough already.
5. It hurts the economy. Studies suggest that moving the clock ahead each spring causes some $434 million in total losses to the U.S. economy. Because we're all so tired, there are higher chances for workplace injury and loafing around on the job as we wait for the coffee to kick in.
True dat. Although for me, it's a bit the opposite. I'm pretty good from about 7:00am to 2:00pm. You mess with my sleep and you'll be lucky if I'm conscious until lunchtime.
6. It's annoying. Adjusting all the clocks and waking up earlier is just plain irritating.
I don't know about you, but the settings on my sprinkler system make now sense at all.

Not everyone hates daylight saving time. Retailers love it because more shoppers head into stores. Golf companies adore it, and told Congress in 1986 that one month of daylight saving translated into $400 million a year in extra sales and fees. Just what we needed. More pandering to the whims of people who already have...you guessed it...too much bloody money!

Did You Know? #20

How many states have jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

The majority of 9 states fall within the jurisdiction of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. There are an additional 7 counties with at least one county or township covered by the Act: California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, South Dakota, Michigan and New Hampshire.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S. The Act prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." The Act established extensive federal oversight of elections administration, providing that states with a history of discriminatory voting practices (so-called "covered jurisdictions") could not implement any change affecting voting without first obtaining the approval of the Department of Justice, a process known as pre clearance.

What Caught My Eye Today - Debt Sequestration

Debt Sequestration - In case you had not noticed, the United States is supposed to careen off a fiscal cliff on March 1. Let's recap how we got here, shall we? 

The fiscal cliff was the sharp decline in the federal budget deficit that could have occurred beginning in early January 2013 due to increased taxes and reduced spending as required by previously enacted laws. The previously enacted laws leading to the fiscal cliff had been projected to result in a 19.63% increase in revenue and 0.25% reduction in spending from fiscal years 2012 to 2013. Those laws included the expiration of the 2010 Tax Relief Act and planned spending cuts under the Budget Control Act of 2011. The spending reduction elements of the fiscal cliff are primarily contained within the Budget Control Act of 2011, which directed that both defense and non-defense discretionary spending be reduced by "sequestration" if Congress was unable to agree on other spending cuts of similar size. The scope of the law excludes major mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Up to now Congress has unable to reach agreement on spending cuts and the sequestration was delayed until March 2013 as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

I'll grant you a moment or two to get over the shock of Congress being unable to agree on pretty much anything. Right then? Let just see what all the commotion is about here.

At last check, the U.S. debt stood at slightly more than $16.6 trillion. The impending doomsday of sequestration amounts to $85 billion in 2013. So much sequestration does that buy you? Not much.  $85 billion represents just over one half of one percent of our national debt. So if we manage to take off $85 billion a year then that debt will be history by the year 2213 (give or take a year or two).  Of course, the government is running a $1.1 trillion deficit so the debt will actually continue to grow more than the $85 billion we are paying back each year. Which means we'll eliminate the debt...never.

A recent news item suggested that one of the outcomes of the debt sequestration could be a delay in tax refunds. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service paid out $300 billion in tax refunds (about $3,000 per household).  Never mind the fact that this money amount to an interest free loan to the government courtesy of the taxpayers. I say keep it for the debt.  In fact, keep those tax refunds for the next 53 years of so. That'll get rid of the debt. Oh, but wait just a second. The government is running a $1.1 trillion deficit so the debt will actually continue to grow more than the $300 billion we are paying back each year. Which means we'll eliminate the debt (yep, you guessed it)...never.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated spending on Social Security and healthcare for 2012 at $2.5 trillion ($1.6 billion for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and $900 billion for healthcare).  And that figure is expected to rise to more than $3.2 trillion over the next 10 years as the rest of the healthcare reform law kicks in. I suppose we could scrap entitlements altogether and we'd have that debt down in no time. Of course there would be no social safety net, but isn't that what churches are for anyway?

You know, we could always just sell off some states to pay down the debt. In 2010, the GDP of all fifty states was $14.7 trillion. That's a wee bit short of $16.6 trillion, but would it really matter?  Who are the debtors going to collect from if there aren't no more United States?

I get that you don't indiscriminately cut $85 billion without the possibility of hitting some bone.  A lot of people are going to get hosed by this deal through no fault of their own.  My point here is that the government seems to be making a real big deal out of something that, in the grander scheme of things, does not make much of an impact on the issue we are supposed to be tackling in the first place, the national debt.

Anyway, I'm off to my homemade bunker to wait things out. Geeze, I thought after the end of days and recent close encounters with asteroids, I wouldn't be going back so soon.

What Caught My Eye Today - Misery, Guam, College Endowments, Flatulence

Fred's Note:  At the risk of stating the obvious, this is one of the more eclectic collections we've had.  

Misery - With its violent crimes, high unemployment, dwindling population and financial crisis, Detroit was recently named as the most miserable city in the United States. Yeah, yeah. Big surprise, I know. Still, I cannot help but feel a bit sorry for this poor city.  They've had a ridiculous run of bad luck. It toppled Miami, which held the title last year, and surpassed Flint, Michigan, Rockford and Chicago in Illinois and Modesto, California, which rounded out the five most unhappy urban areas. Is it just me or does it strike you as a bit odd that Miami and Chicago rank that high on this list.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on relocating to either place anytime in the foreseeable future, but I find it rather difficult to compare the likes of Chicago to Modesto (seriously, how many of you even know where Modesto is?). "Detroit's problems are hardly news. It has been in a four-decade decline paralleling the slide in the U.S. auto industry," according to Forbes.com, which compiles the yearly ranking. To compile the list, Forbes looked at 200 of the country's largest urban areas and ranked them on factors including crime rates, foreclosures, taxes, home prices, commute times, weather and decreasing populations. Violent crime, high foreclosure rates and declining home prices pushed Chicago into the fourth spot, along with the high expense of living there. New York, which came in at No. 10, was also cited for its high cost of living. The Big Apple has one of the country's highest income tax rates and longest average commuting time at 36 minutes. Being from California, home to 20% of the nation's population, I gotten used to the fact, that my state will always rank somewhere near the bottom of most rankings for bad stuff.  We have more people for bad stuff to happen to.  Big cities, like Chicago and New York, are always going to get hosed. 

Guam - Fair warning, people. This next item can be summarized in one word --- Eww. Dead mice laced with painkillers are about to rain down on Guam's jungle canopy. I swear that this is a legitimate story. They are scientists' prescription for a headache that has caused the tiny U.S. territory misery for more than 60 years: the brown tree snake. Most of Guam's native bird species are extinct because of the snake, which reached the island's thick jungles by hitching rides from the South Pacific on U.S. military ships shortly after World War II. There may be 2 million of the reptiles on Guam now, decimating wildlife, biting residents and even knocking out electricity by slithering onto power lines. The infestation and the toll it has taken on native wildlife have tarnished Guam's image as a tourism haven, though the snakes are rarely seen outside their jungle habitat. Interestingly, the Guam Visitors Bureau doesn't seem to mention the presence of two million snakes anywhere on its website. Go figure.  The solution to this headache, fittingly enough, is acetaminophen, the active ingredient in painkillers including Tylenol. The strategy takes advantage of the snake's two big weaknesses. Unlike most snakes, brown tree snakes are happy to eat prey they didn't kill themselves, and they are highly vulnerable to acetaminophen, which is harmless to humans. U.S. government scientists have been perfecting the mice-drop strategy for more than a decade with support from the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior. One wonders how something like this actually gets funding and, what with fiscal sequestration a mere two days away, whether or not this funding will continue or not.  To keep the mice bait from dropping all the way to the ground, where it could be eaten by other animals or attract insects as they rot, researchers have developed a flotation device with streamers designed to catch in the branches of the forest foliage, where the snakes live and feed. A 2010 study conducted by the National Wildlife Research Center found brown tree snakes would cause between $593 million and $2.14 billion in economic damage each year if they became established in Hawaii like they are on Guam. So far, Guam's containment seems to be working. Only a few brown tree snakes have ever been found in Hawaii, and none over the past 17 years.

College Endowments - As a proud alumnus of San Jose State University (Class of 1993. Go Spartans!), this story stings a bit.  Read on, you'll see what I mean. Stanford University has set a new record for college fundraising, becoming the first school to collect more than $1 billion in a single year. In the 2012 fiscal year, roughly 3,500 U.S. colleges and universities raised $31 billion, 2.3 percent more than the previous year. The record was set in 2008 when schools took in $31.6 billion before fundraising dropped during the height of the financial crisis. Topping the list was Stanford at $1.035 billion, followed by Harvard University at $650 million, Yale University at $544 million, the University of Southern California at $492 million and Columbia University at $490 million. The top 10 fundraising colleges collected $5.3 billion, or 17 percent, of the $31 billion, even though they represent only 0.3 percent of the 3,500 accredited, nonprofit schools. Isn't it a comforting thought that the income equality gap between the haves and the have nots is just as prevalent in centers of higher learning as it is everyplace else. Of course, logic would follow that you would need to learn the difference being having and not having someplace. Why not at school? The 10-campus University of California system raised $1.56 billion. That sum includes $405 million collected by UC Berkeley, which was the leading fundraiser among all public universities. Stanford's $1.035 billion haul is equal to nearly $56,000 for each of its roughly 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students, though much of the money will be used for research and construction. By contrast, San Jose State University, a public college 20 miles away, raised $14 million, which is equal to $450 for each of its 31,000 students. Twenty years ago, that $450 dollars would have covered most of my tuition for a semester. These days $450 covers less than 10%.  One last thing, and yes I know this will sound like sour grapes, but if you can afford to go to Stanford, do you really need an extra $56,000 to boot? Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

Flatulence - I had to check the archives on this, but I'm pretty sure this  is the first time flatulence has made the list. Yeah, I was a bit surprised myself. I've been doing this for a pretty long time (767 postings and counting) and you'd think that I would have covered this sort of thing well before now. Scientists say physics can explain why you feel gassier when you fly. As an airplane increases in altitude, pressure decreases. And according to what's known as the ideal gas law, when pressure decreases, volume increases. Cabin pressure tries to compensate for these changes, but it can only do so much and your intestines end up expanding with volume. Speaking strictly from a 'good for your health' standpoint health professionals recommend you release the volume from your intestines. Flatulence may be inconvenient, but it serves a purpose. And if it really is good for your health, I'm sure the poor schmuck sitting next to you (or behind you ) will completely understand and sympathize with your situation. If you don't pass gas when you need to, you may develop abdominal discomfort. Researchers suggest being as discreet as possible and even wearing activated charcoal underwear liners to absorb the odor. Seriously, who actually owns a charcoal underwear liner? For that matter, where would you even buy one? (Yes, I checked. It seems you have to go online to such sites as flat-d.com or myshreddies.com to procure such on item, but they do offer free shipping.).  Let's say you are mindful of your fellow passenger and decide to don said charcoal underwear liner after that  visit to the taco truck before coming to the airport.  Do you really think you are going to make it through TSA screening without incident. I got felt up by security once because I forgot I was wearing a ThermaCare heat wrap on my back.

Did You Know? #19

How many popes have there been?

There have been 266 popes according to the Annuario Pontificio under the heading "I Sommi Pontefici Romani" (The Supreme Pontiffs of Rome). Published every year by the Roman Curia, the Annuario Pontificio attaches no consecutive numbers to the popes, stating that it is impossible to decide which side represented at various times the legitimate succession.

What Caught My Eye Today - Contagion, Universe, Mississippi, Bourbon

Contagion - As if flu season isn't bad enough, now there's...well, we're not quite sure, but it's kind of bad. A British man infected with a new virus from the same family as SARS has died, bringing the worldwide death toll from the previously unknown disease to six. Is it just me or does the phrase unknown disease scare the bejeezus out of you? The virus, called novel coronavirus or NCoV, was unknown in humans until it emerged in the Middle East last year. Usually you expect these sorts of things to come out of Africa or Asia.  Way to step it up, Middle East. There have been 12 confirmed cases worldwide - including in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Britain, and so far 6 patients have died. If I did my math correctly (and I'm pretty sure I did) that makes for a 50% mortality rate.  Again, unknown disease...yikes.  NCoV was identified when the World Health Organisation issued an international alert in September 2012, saying a completely new virus had infected a Qatari man in Britain who had recently been in Saudi Arabia. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that includes those that cause the common cold as well as the one that caused SARS, which emerged in China in 2002 and killed about a 10th of the 8,000 people it infected worldwide.

Universe - Scientists are still sorting out the details of last year's discovery of the Higgs boson particle, but add up the numbers and it's not looking good for the future of the universe. Researchers have come to the conclusion that, "it may be that the universe we live in is inherently unstable and at some point billions of years from now it's all going to get wiped out." Okay, first of all, lighten up fellas. A lot can happen in several billion years. Secondly, it must be nice making bold predictions that have absolutely no chance of being proven or disproven. Physicists last year announced they had discovered what appears to be a long-sought subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, which is believed to give matter its mass. Work to study the Higgs' related particles, necessary for confirmation, is ongoing. If confirmed, the discovery would help resolve a key puzzle about how the universe came into existence some 13.7 billion years ago, and perhaps how it will end. According to scientists, "this calculation tells you that many tens of billions of years from now, there'll be a catastrophe." Scientists had grappled with the idea of the universe's long-term stability before the Higgs discovery, but stepped up calculations once its mass began settling in at around 126 billion electron volts - a critical number it turns out for figuring out the fate of the universe. Earth will likely be long gone before any Higgs boson particles set off an apocalyptic assault on the universe. Physicists expect the sun to burn out in 4.5 billion years or so, and expand, likely engulfing Earth in the process. Don't get me wrong, I love science. What I don't get is all this doomsday talk about something that may or may not happen billions of years after the Earth ceases to exist which, oh by the way, probably won't happen for billions of years. Seriously, science geeks, maybe you should take up a hobby or something.

Now, let's take step back from the ledge a bit, shall we?

Mississippi - Mississippi just became the final state to officially ratify the Thirteenth Amendment serves as the final punctuation mark on a dark chapter in American history. Now then, for those of you who chose to sleep through civics class, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution (yes, that's what Amendments are attached to) outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude and was adopted in December, 1865. After seeing Lincoln in theaters last November, a middle-aged recent immigrant from India  did a little bit of Internet research only to discover the Mississippi never got around to actually ratifying the amendment. The state did vote to ratify the amendment back in 1995, nearly 20 years after Kentucky, the second-to-last state to ratify the amendment, held its vote. At first I was ready to dump all over Mississippi, but then reconsidered.  It isn't as if Mississippi was the only state to drag its feet on ratifying this amendment. Eight other states (Oregon, California, Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, Texas, Delaware and Kentucky) also did not ratify the Thirteenth Amendment at the time.  That said, 130 years is a really, really long time to drag one's feet.  And even then, Mississippi managed to screw things up.  However, through an apparent clerical error, Mississippi never officially notified the United States Archivist of the ratification, meaning that they've officially been on the side of slavery for a century-and-a-half. Mississippi finally sent in the paperwork to complete its belated ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Is it possible the folks in charge of such matters may have been "hittin' the till" a bit too hard?

Which brings us to our final item of the day...

Bourbon - Maker’s Mark executives announced that they’re reversing the decision to water down their bourbon. Show of hands, people. Who didn't see this coming?  You don't mess with Mother Nature and you certainly don't mess with a man's bourbon. When the company announced plans to cut the alcohol content in its bourbon from 45% (90 proof) to 42% (84 proof) due to supply problems, customers were mad. Really mad. Turns out, people would rather deal with a shortage of their favorite bourbon than a shortage of alcohol in their bourbon.  In defense of Maker's Mark, they really were trying to do a solid for their patrons.  Basic economics say that when supply is short and demand is high, prices will tend to rise.  The upstanding folks at Maker's Mark were trying to avoid price hikes by increasing supply, which would have required diluting their bourbon by a few percentage points.  It is worth noting, that almost every other bourbon on the market is a mere 80 proof, so even if Maker's Mark went forward with its new blend, it still would have been more potent than any other bourbon.  Taking all that into consideration, I think the conclusion is pretty clear.  What the heck, were they thinking?  You don't mess with a good thing.  Just ask Coca Cola how well that New Coke deal worked out.

What Caught My Eye Today - Citizenship, Medals, Asteroids, Junk Food

Fred's Note: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  In honor of the occasion, we'll try to make a "love connection" for each of today's items.

Citizenship -  It's been said that money cannot buy love or happiness, but I guess you can put a price on citizenship. Turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa has led to a surge of interest in programs that let investors buy citizenship or residence in countries around the world in return for a healthy contribution or investment. Most are seeking a second passport for hassle-free travel or a ready escape hatch in case things get worse at home. Arab Spring in the Middle East. Al Qaeda uprisings in North Africa. How much "worse" are these folks expecting things to get?  "Investor visa" or citizenship programs are offered by many nations, including the United States, Canada, Britain and Austria. But the Caribbean countries offer a fast path to citizenship at a very low cost. The whole process, including background checks, can take as little as 90 days in St. Kitts. And there's no need to ever live on the islands, or even visit. That may be true, but I gotta say, you could do a lot worse than hanging out in a Caribbean paradise unless, of course, you prefer the soothing sounds of civil unrest and unfettered gunshots. A foreigner can qualify for citizenship in St. Kitts with a $250,000 donation to a fund for retired sugar workers or with a minimum real estate investment of $400,000. The minimum contribution in Dominica is $100,000. By contrast, a U.S. program allows visas for a $1 million investment in a U.S. business employing at least 10 people or $500,000 in designated economically depressed areas. The investor can apply for permanent residence in two years, and seek citizenship after five more. And they said there was no path to citizenship. Turns out there is...if you happen to have a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket. Demand in Canada is so great that the country stopped accepting new applications last summer. Critics say the programs undermine the integrity of national passports and have security risks. While there are no known cases of terrorists using the programs, experts say that's a possibility with many visa arrangements anywhere. Here's the thing. People determined to do evil are going to find a way to do so. I doubt "investor visas" are going to contribute to the problem. Heck, if anything, issuing more visas might make it easier to keep track of such individuals.

Medals - Good news for those whose love of country doesn't necessary put them in the line of fire.The Pentagon is creating a medal that can be awarded to troops who have a direct impact on combat operations, but do it well away from any combat zone. The new Distinguished Warfare Medal will be awarded to individuals for "extraordinary achievement" related to a military operation that occurred after September 11, 2001.  But unlike other combat medals, it does not require the recipient risk his or her life to get it. In the article I read, there was specific mention of recognizing drone aircraft operators who have been instrumental in strategic air strikes against terrorist targets.  The new medal will be the first combat-related award to be created since the Bronze Star in 1944. A recognition of the evolving 21st century warfare, the medal will be considered a bit higher in ranking than the Bronze Star, but is lower than the Silver Star, defense officials said. The Bronze Star is the fourth highest combat decoration and rewards meritorious service in battle, while the Silver Star is the third highest combat award given for bravery. If recent engagements in Afghanistan and Pakistan have proven anything, its that you don't have to have boots on the ground to fight a war. I think its great that there is recognition for all of our soldiers' contributions.

Asteroids - Less than 24 hours until the next "close call."  Best not take any chances...go tell your loved ones just how much they mean to you...just in case. The 150-foot-wide asteroid 2012 DA14 — which will zoom within 17,200 miles of Earth on Friday, marking the closest approach by such a large space rock that astronomers have ever known about in advance — may harbor $65 billion of recoverable water and $130 billion in metals, say officials with celestial mining firm Deep Space Industries. $130 billion? That's a lot of bling for your better half. The company has no plans to go after 2012 DA14; the asteroid's orbit is highly tilted relative to Earth, making it too difficult to chase down. But the space rock's close flyby serves to illustrate the wealth of asteroid resources just waiting to be extracted and used, Deep Space officials said. Deep Space Industries is just one of two asteroid-mining firms that have revealed their existence and intentions in the past 10 months. Deep Space aims to launch a phalanx of small, robotic prospecting probes called Fireflies in 2015. Sample-return missions to potential targets would occur shortly thereafter, with space mining operations possibly beginning around 2020. Sure there's $200 billion to be had according to the brilliant minds at Deep Space; too bad they have no clue how to get it.  Maybe I can get in on this.  I bet if I come up with a cure for cancer I could make a fortune. Of course, I don't know the first thing about the causes of cancer or existing cancer treatment protocols, but why should that slow me down?

Junk Food - No one said love (or in this case a serious food craving) was painless. A regular patron and unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill has died of an apparent heart attack, the second unofficial Heart Attack Grill spokesman to die in as many years. Founded in 2005, the unapologetically unhealthy restaurant employs waitresses dressed as nurses and serves butterfat milkshakes, "flatliner" fries and 9,982-calorie "quadruple bypass burgers." Yes, you read that correctly and for that, these guys got themselves into the Guinness Book of World Records. Patrons who are able to finish them are escorted to their cars in wheelchairs. Customers who weigh over 350 pounds eat free. Since opening in Las Vegas in October 2011, there have been various reports of customers having medical emergencies while dining at the grill. As the song says...Love hurts.

And on that note, we're done. So go out there and show some love to someone.  

Did You Know? #18

What is the world's oldest living organism?

Pinus longaeva, the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, is a long-living species of tree found in the higher mountains of the southwest United States. One member of this species growing in the White Mountains of eastern California, at 5062 years (as of 2012), is the oldest known living non-clonal organism on Earth.

What Caught My Eye Today - Pope, China, Iceland, Olympics

Pope - Pope Benedict XVI stunned the Roman Catholic Church when he announced he would stand down, the first pope to do so in 700 years, saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to carry on. In an announcement read to cardinals in Latin, the universal language of the Church, the 85-year-old said: "Well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of St Peter ..." Renounce seems like such a harsh word.  Couldn't he have gone with retire, like everyone else?  Benedict is expected to go into isolation for at least a while after his resignation and does not intend to influence the decision of the cardinals in a secret conclave to elect a successor. I'm thinking a nice long beach holiday. Maybe St Tropez? Several popes in the past, including Benedict's predecessor John Paul II, have refrained from stepping down over their health, because of the division that could be caused by having an "ex-pope" and a reigning pope alive at the same time. I don't know how big of a deal that really is. The U.S. has 4 ex-Presidents, and none of them seem to be getting in the way of the current President. The resignation means that cardinals from around the world will begin arriving in Rome in March and after preliminary meetings, lock themselves in a secret conclave and elect the new pope from among themselves in votes in the Sistine Chapel. There has been growing pressure on the Church for it to choose a pope from the developing world to better reflect where most Catholics live and where the Church is growing. You know, for as conservative as Benedict XVI is, I find it fascinating that his legacy will likely be framed by a rather progressive, and most certainly provocative,  action on his part.

China - Chinese courts have convicted eight Tibetans for encouraging self-immolation protests against Beijing's rule over Tibet, One of the eight, a monk, was given a suspended death sentence, while the others got long prison terms. I find it a bit ironic that the Chinese courts, in their infinite wisdom are handing down death sentences to dissidents who have tried to kill themselves. Sort of sends a mixed message, don't you think? Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and laypeople have set themselves on fire since 2009 to protest the lack of religious freedom. Tibetans who have self-immolated are mostly younger than 25 and have grown up under Chinese rule. The burnings have galvanized many Tibetans, who see them as selfless acts of sacrifice, making it hard for authorities to denounce the self-immolators. I'm thinking government executions are probably going to have the same impact on Tibetans, if not more.

Iceland - A 15 year-old Icelandic girl who has been called, for official purposes, "Girl," won a court battle to keep her given name, Blaer. The Iceland government had refused to recognized the name because it wasn't on the country's list of 1,853 approved girls' names. On the off chance that you were curious, boys have it even worse, with only 1,810 names to choose from. Like a handful of other countries, including Germany and Denmark, Iceland has official rules about what a baby can be named. Good grief, this practice isn't just limited to Iceland? Names are supposed to fit Icelandic grammar and pronunciation rules; choices like Carolina and Christa are not allowed because the letter "c" is not part of Iceland's alphabet. I have to believe that these laws, however stupid they might be, have something to do with the preservation of the language. What with there being just 320,000 native speakers of the Icelandic language, I suppose one can see some logic here. Still, I find it hard to believe that a name could pose that much of an existential threat to an entire language.

Olympics - International Olympic Committee (OIC) officials dropped wrestling from the Olympic program on Tuesday, a surprise decision that removes one of the oldest Olympic sports from the 2020 Games. The IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon — the event considered most at risk — and remove wrestling instead from its list of 25 "core sports." Pop quiz. Who can name all 5 disciplines in the modern pentathlon? The IOC board acted after reviewing the 26 sports on the current Olympic program. Eliminating one sport allows the International Olympic Committee to add a new sport to the program later this year. Wrestling, which combines freestyle and Greco-Roman events, goes back to the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Wrestling was voted out from a final group that also included modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey. I'm torn on this one. On one hand, it's a bit sad the the IOC is breaking with tradition by eliminating one of the original sports of the modern Olympics that also figured prominently in the ancient games. At the same time, it is hard to criticize the IOC's desire to keep up with the times. Wrestling will now join seven other sports in applying for inclusion in 2020. The others are a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. Wushu? What's that? They will be vying for a single opening in 2020. Okay then. The modern pentathlon consists of fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting. As for wushu, it is a full-contact sport developed in China in 1949, in an effort to standardize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. Call me crazy, but I would have stuck with wrestling.

What Caught My Eye Today - Netherlands, Russia, Asteroid, Numerology

Netherlands - Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, 74,  is stepping aside to let her son rule. Following a Dutch tradition of making room for a younger monarch, the queen will abdicate her throne in April so her son, Prince Willem-Alexander, 45, can begin his reign. Thirty-two years is good run, wouldn't you say? And the queen is following in her mother's footsteps. Mommy dearest (or Queen Juliana, if you prefer) handed the crown to Beatrix in 1980. Alright lad (or King Willem, if you prefer), let's see what you got. Britain's Prince Charles, won't be so lucky. You don't say. Queen Elizabeth, 86, is unlikely to follow Beatrix' example. Again, I'm stunned. Wearing the British crown is considered a lifetime commitment, and abdication is seen as a scandal. Last time I checked, being a member of the royal family was not exactly a scandal-free lifestyle. I've lost track of how many tabloid headlines the House of Windsor has accounted for. Speaking of which, anyone know what Prince Harry is up to these days? He just got back from another tour in Afghanistan, which must be music to the ears of the daily rags.

Russia - I'm not saying the U.S. Government is the model of efficiency, but one thing we don't get hung up on is time.  Too bad Russia cannot say the same thing. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a decree that Russia would observe year-round DST. Under the decree, all clocks in Russia were advanced one hour on 27 March 2011 as usual, but are not to change back the following October, effectively making Moscow Time UTC+4 permanently. The move he made in 2011 when he was president has been widely unpopular as it has plunged the sprawling nation into darkness until late morning throughout the winter. Medvedev's mentor, Vladimir Putin, who returned to the presidency in May after spending four years in the premier's seat due to term limits, has indicated that Russia could switch back the time soon. Putin said in December that sticking permanently to summer time would make it difficult for TV audiences in Europe to watch the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. As it turns out, Russia has been tinkering with its time zones for several years now. In 2010, Russia reduced its number of time zones from 11 down to 9, and would have gotten rid of more, if not for the vehement protests of residents in Eastern Russia. I guess Russians aren't quite as amiable as the Chinese are. Since 1949, all of China has only had a single standard time.

Okay, boys and girls. Time to get your geek on for these last two items.

Asteroids - A 150-foot-wide asteroid, Asteroid 2012 DA14, will come remarkably close to Earth next week, even closer than high-flying communication and weather satellites. Really? "Asteroid 2012 DA14" is the best name we could come up with? How is one supposed to get excited about something call "Asteroid 2012 DA14"? It will be the nearest known flyby for an object of this size. Scientists promise the megarock will be at least 17,100 miles away when it zips over Indonesia at 17,400 mph next Friday (February 15). Of course it would be Indonesia that would have been impacted if the asteroid were to collide with the planet. It's not like those poor bastards haven't suffered enough at the hands of Mother Nature. Might as well have extra-terrestrial forces pile on. Impossible to see with the naked eye, the asteroid is considered small as these things go. By contrast, the one that took out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was 6 miles wide. If it impacted Earth, it would release the energy equivalent of 2.4 million tons of TNT and wipe out 750 square miles. The likelihood of something this size striking Earth is once in every 1,200 years. A close, harmless encounter like this is thought to occur every 40 years.

Numerology - I wish I could explain my fascination with stuff like this. I wish I could, but I can't. The largest prime number yet has been discovered — and it's 17,425,170 digits long. The new prime number crushes the last one discovered in 2008, which was a paltry 12,978,189 digits long. The number — 2 raised to the 57,885,161 power minus 1 — was discovered as part of a giant network of volunteer computers devoted to finding primes. The network, called the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) harnesses about 360,000 processors operating at 150 trillion calculations per second.  GIMPS, huh?  I'm not even going to attempt to figure out how they overlooked the unfortunate acronym they created. Seriously, this is why no one aspires to careers in science. Honestly, would you really want to be associated with something called GIMPS? STUDS maybe, but GIMPS...I think not.  In addition, the number is the 48th example of a rare class of primes called Mersenne Primes. Mersenne primes take the form of 2 raised to the power of a prime number minus 1. Since they were first described by French monk Marin Mersenne 350 years ago, only 48 of these elusive numbers have been found, including the most recent discovery. The person who made the discovery is eligible for a $3,000 GIMPS research discovery award. Again, where's the love for science?  I guess it isn't bad enough to have socially awkward acronyms for otherwise extraordinary mathematical discoveries. The poor schmucks who make these discoveries get stiffed as well. 

Did You Know? #17

Which U.S. President delivered the shortest Inaugural Address?

George Washington's second inaugural address in 1793 contained just 135 words. Rounding out the 5 shortest addresses are Franklin Roosevelt's fourth address (1945, 559 words), Abraham Lincoln's second address (1865, 700 words), Theodore Roosevelt's address (1905, 984 words), and Zachary Taylor's address (1849, 1090 words).  William Henry Harrison holds the record for longest inaugural address in 1841 at 8460 words.  William Howard Taft is a distance second in 1909 at 5434 words. Barack Obama first address in 2009 contained 2395 words, slightly longer than his 2013 address of 2096 words.

What Caught My Eye Today - North Korea, Death Star, Potpourri

We start off with a daily double from the "powerful and prosperous nation" of North Korea.  Really? That's their motto?  Maybe something got lost in translation.

North Korea (Part I) - News out of North Korean in notorious unreliable, but food shortages in the country have gotten so bad and people so desperate that there are now reports of men murdering their own children for food. Dude, that just ain't right. Reports are being filed by independent reporters commissioned by Asia Press, a independent press agency focusing on Asia. Among the stories: "While his wife was away on business a man killed his eldest daughter and, because his son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home, he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat'. One hopes that there is a bit of journalistic hyperbole going on here, but even so, if these stories are remotely close to being true... Seriously, what hope do future generations have when this sort of thing is allowed to happen?

North Korea (Part II) - And now for something just a bit lighter. You may notice a larger than normal  amount of references to official agencies and historical locations.  I did this intentionally to prove that this is an actual news story.  That just makes this all the more amusing.  Archaeologists of the History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences have recently reconfirmed a lair of the unicorn rode by King Tongmyong, founder of the Koguryo Kingdom. Say what?  A lair of unicorns? The lair is located near the Yongmyong Temple in Moran Hill in Pyongyang City. A rectangular rock carved with words "Unicorn Lair" stands in front of the lair. The carved words are believed to date back to the period of Koryo Kingdom (918-1392). The discovery of the unicorn lair, associated with legend about King Tongmyong, proves that Pyongyang was a capital city of Ancient Korea as well as Koguryo Kingdom." It's kind of impressive, if you think about it, that the North Koreans can find the time to make these important archaeological discoveries despite the fact that most of the scientific community is dedicated to building a nuclear arsenal to launch against the evil empire across the Pacific Ocean.

Speaking of "evil empire," what a great segue to our next item.

Death Star - A White House petition requesting the United States government “secure funding and resources, and begin construction on a Death Star by 2016” garnered well over the 25,000 required supporters needed for the White House to provide a response. You know, after the official English-language North Korean news agency's website, The "We the People" site is quickly becoming my go to source for comic relief. The official response is as follows:

The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons: 

• The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.

• The Administration does not support blowing up planets.

• Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

I'm not sure there's anything I can add here.

Potpourri - Let's go ahead and call this the "So this is what a civilized world looks like" edition.

• Health - Americans under the age of 50 are more likely to have poor health and die prematurely than people in 16 other developed countries. Car accidents, gun violence, obesity, diabetes and drug overdoses are the leading contributors to the U.S.'s comparatively low life expectancy. Clearly, the folks that conducted this study forgot the unofficial motto of the people -- "Fat, dumb and happy."
• India - In India, about 100,000 women are burned to death each year by husbands or families.  Another 125,000 die from injuries in domestic violence that is never reported to police. It seems the world's largest democracy has some work to do with regard to gender equality and rights.
• Email - The average office worker spends 650 hours a year (28% of working hours) reading and writing emails. The total number of words in those emails, about 41,400, is equivalent to a novel 166 pages long. If think that's a lot, you should see the statistics for texts and tweets.
• Gun Control About 80,000 people were caught lying about prior criminal records when attempting to buy a gun in 2010. Only 44 of them were charged with a crime. I wonder what the Second Amendment says about the right to possess arms under false pretense?

What Caught My Eye Today - Honduras, New Zealand, Texas, Doomsday

Honduras - I'm not saying that the U.S. on the brink of financial collapse, but perhaps the wonks in Washington DC should heed this item as a cautionary shot across the bow. Honduras has been on the brink of bankruptcy for months, as lawmakers put off passing a government budget necessary to pay for basic government services. The country is also grappling with $5 billion in foreign debt, a figure equivalent to last year's entire government budget. By comparison, the U.S. has about $5.6 trillion in foreign debt. The financial crisis adds to a general sense that Honduras is a country in meltdown, as homicides soar and drug trafficking overruns its cities and coasts. Experts say a mix of government corruption, election-year politics and a struggling economy has fueled the crisis. The international watchdog group Transparency International issued a study alleging some lawmakers had spent money on plane tickets to a tennis tournament in Spain, Mother's Day gifts and other personal expenses. Gee, that never happens. You'd think that as public servants, these folks would put country before personal gain. Still there must be something these guys are doing that merits hope. Lawmakers are discussing proposals already declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and don't deal with the immediate financial problems. In addition, Congress approved the sale of an additional $750 million in bonds last November without resolving any of the core budget issues. Okay then, let's summarize shall we? The federal government is spending money it doesn't have, passing laws that have nothing to do with resolving the budget crisis, and the laws it is passing are being declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Is it just me or do these things have a familiar ring to them?

New Zealand - I'm a dog person through and through. As a child I was allergic to cats, an allergy which I outgrew, but certainly did nothing to endear me to them.  Still this is a rather harsh deal...even for a cat. An environmental advocate in New Zealand started an initiative asking his fellow countrymen to make their current cat their last in order to save the nation's unique bird species. He doesn't recommended people euthanize their current cats but rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. That's awfully big of him. No need to kill off the species right away, just let them go extinct slowly. The campaign is not sitting well in a country that boasts one of the highest cat ownership rates in the world. For thousands of years, New Zealand's native birds had no predators and flourished. Some species, like the kiwi, became flightless. But the arrival of mankind and its introduction of predators like cats, dogs and rodents have wiped out some native bird species altogether and endangered many others. 48% of households in New Zealand owned at least one cat, a significantly higher rate than in other developed nations. The survey put the total cat population at 1.4 million. In the U.S., 33% of households own at least one cat for a total of 86 million domestic cats. It never ceases to amaze me how the human race thinks it can circumvent Mother Nature. Animals have been roaming the Earth for a lot longer than humans and done a much better job of not screwing things up. We're pretty good at wiping out species even without conscientiously trying to do so. One final note, let's say boyfriend succeeds in his attempt at mass felicide (It's  a word. I checked). Do you really think he's thought through the impact on ecosystem? 

Texas - The White House has responded to a petition asking that Texas be allowed to break away from the country, saying the Founding Fathers who created the nation "did not provide a right to walk away from it." I don't suppose they gave us the option of kicking a state out of the Union. More than 125,000 people signed the petition, which was created a few days after President Barack Obama won re-election. The White House has promised to respond to any petition that gets more than 25,000 signatures within 30 days. In a related story, the White House recently increased the threshold to 100,000 signatures. Apparently, there are a lot of folks who have way too much time on their hands. A White House spokesperson, issued a response quoting Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address and a Supreme Court opinion after the Civil War. It said America was created as a "perpetual union," but one that allows people with different beliefs to debate the issues. In asking that Texas be allowed to leave the country, the petition cited the "economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending." It argued that given the size of Texas' economy and because the state has a balanced budget, it would be "practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union." The petition also said the federal government didn't share the same values held by the Founding Fathers. Pray tell, how exactly would this petitioner know what the Founding Father valued? They have been dead for 200 years. The White House responded that the writers of the U.S. Constitution addressed the need for policy change through elections, not secession. Don't you just hate when the government rains on your parade by providing unassailable proof that you are an idiot?

Doomsday - Just when you though it was safe to plan for the future now that we survived then predicted end of the world, there is another harbinger of the end of days. At least this one has an appropriate name. The hands of the infamous "Doomsday Clock" (click here) will remain firmly in their place at five minutes to midnight,  symbolizing humans' destruction, for the year 2013. In making their deliberations about how to update the clock's time this year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists considered the current state of nuclear arsenals around the globe, the slow and costly recovery from events like Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and extreme weather events that fit in with a pattern of global warming. The clock is a symbol of the threat of humanity's imminent destruction from nuclear or biological weapons, climate change and other human-caused disasters. These guys strike me as "glass half empty" sort of people. The Doomsday Clock came into being in 1947 as a way for atomic scientists to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons. That year, the Bulletin set the time at seven minutes to midnight, with midnight symbolizing humanity's destruction. By 1949, it was at three minutes to midnight as the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated. In 1953, after the first test of the hydrogen bomb, the doomsday clock ticked to two minutes until midnight. The Bulletin was at its most optimistic in 1991, when the Cold War thawed and the United States and Russia began cutting their arsenals. That year, the clock was set at 17 minutes to midnight. You know, that totally makes sense to me. I had one hell of good time in 1991. Silly me, I thought it was because I was in college and had my whole life in front of me. It never dawned on me that the real reason I was in such a good mood was because human destruction was such a remote possibility that year.

Did You Know? #16

What is the top financial center in the world?

According to the Xinhua-Dow Jones International Financial Centers Development Index, the top ten financial centers in the world, as of 2012, are:

1. New York City
2. London
3. Tokyo
4. Hong Kong
5. Singapore
6. Shanghai
7. Frankfurt
8. Paris
9. Zurich
10. Chicago

What Caught My Eye Today - Milky Way, Admiration, Congress

Happy 2013, everyone! Let's start this year's musings with some light-hearted fare. I'm sure things will turn south soon enough.  You'll need to get your geek on for this first item.

Milky Way - A new study suggests that the Milky Way galaxy is home to at least 100 billion alien planets. Have you noticed that more often than not, we refer to planets as "alien planets"? I wonder if all those alien planets refer to Earth as that one "human planet"? The findings are based on the study of a five-planet system called Kepler-32, which lies about 915 light-years from Earth. The five worlds were detected by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, which flags the tiny brightness dips caused when exoplanets cross their star's face from the instrument's perspective. The Kepler-32 planets orbit an M dwarf, a type of star that is smaller and cooler than our sun. Are you with me so far? We're not done just yet.  The five Kepler-32 worlds are similar in size to Earth and orbit quite close to their parent star, making them typical of the planets Kepler has spotted around other M dwarfs. So the Kepler-32 system should be representative of many of the galaxy's planets. Kepler-32 worlds have diameters ranging from 0.8 to 2.7 times that of Earth, and all of them orbit within 10 million miles of their star. By comparison, Earth circles the sun at an average distance of 93 million miles. For our astrologically challenged readers, what this basically means is that the planets these guys studied are pretty similar to the Earth, which makes the comparison a bit more newsworthy.   M dwarfs are the most common star in the Milky Way, accounting for about 75 percent of the galaxy's 100 billion or so stars.  Researchers calculated the odds that an M-dwarf system in the Milky Way would have this orientation, then combined that with the number of such systems Kepler is able to detect to come up with their estimate of 100 billion planets. The galaxy may actually harbor many more planets than the conservative estimate implies, perhaps 200 billion, or about two per star. These researchers probably kill more brain cells over their morning coffee, than I have in my entire brain, so why is it that the best they can do is a guess that could be off by as much as 100% or more?  If it was me, I'd stick with 100 billion and wait for someone to prove me wrong. Seriously, how many naysayers will have access to the Kepler Space Telescope?

Admiration - Gallup has run its most-admired man and woman survey since World War II, and in the 2012 edition. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama kept their top positions among those asked a simple question: “What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?" Don't get me wrong, I admire the heck out of Clinton and Obama. I just find it hard to believe that a nation as politically divided as the United States can't find anyone else to admire than the woman and man that makes most conservatives cringe at the very mention of their names. Clinton was named as most-admired woman for the 17th time since she became a national figure in 1992. In the current rankings, Clinton had 21%, followed by First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Condoleeza Rice. Eleanor Roosevelt held the previous record when she was named 13 times as the most-admired woman. The only two women to finish ahead of Clinton in that 20-year period were Mother Teresa (twice) and Laura Bush (once). Obama was named most-admired man for the fifth time. Obama had 30% of the polling for men, followed by Nelson Mandela, Mitt Romney, the Reverend Billy Graham, George W. Bush, and Pope Benedict XVI. President Dwight Eisenhower was named 12 times in the survey as most admired. No offense to Hilary and Barack, but as admired as they might be right now, they have a long way to go in order to contend with the big guns. The Reverend Billy Graham has appeared in the top 10 list 56 times. Queen Elizabeth II has been in the top 10 list 46 times.

Congress - In a recent survey, Public Policy Polling found that Congress; approval rating is mired at 9%.  If you ask me, that actually seems a bit high. 85% of respondents said they disapproved. I don't buy it. There is no way these guys found people who actually think Congress is doing a good job?  The survey pitted Congress against a series of unpleasant things or unpopular people, and the results were not flattering for lawmakers. First, the good news. Congress is more popular than telemarketers (45 to 35%), the deadly ebola virus (53% to 25%), gonorrhea (53% to 28%), the Kardashians (49% to 36%), Lindsay Lohan (45% to 41%), communism (57% to 23%), disgraced Democratic former Senator John Edwards (45% to 29%) and North Korea (61% to 26%). Good news is a relative term. I think that comparing Congress to the ebola virus speaks volumes in and of itself. And now, the bad news. Here are some things Americans have a higher opinion of than Congress: head lice (67% to 19%), colonoscopies (58% to 31%), cockroaches (45% to 43%), Nickelback (39% to 32%), NFL replacement refs (56% to 29%), and root canals (56% to 32%).  Speaking from personal experience, colonoscopies are getting a bum wrap here getting compared to Congress. That crap they make you drink the day before clears you out far more effectively then any of the health spa de-tox programs and costs a lot less too. The procedure itself isn't too bad either. It's the part after you wake that kind of sucks, the feeling that you have been violated in some unspeakable way. And how about a shout out to Nickelback? It has be to somewhat comforting to the band that there is a group out there more hated than they are.  That should take away some of the sting of being the most hated band that has sold more than 50 million albums.