A National Geographic video welcomes #7 billion, arriving sometime this month.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
(via my buddy Kraig at the Adventure Blog)
Month: January 2011
has America’s obsession with the Middle East been worth it?
Economist does a nice summing up of the mess …
THE Middle East holds a giant chunk of the world’s energy reserves, and also generates its biggest political headaches. Small wonder that the United States has long had an outsize interest in the place.
Since September 11th 2001, and the rise of radical Islam as the sole violent challenge to an American-shaped international order, America’s focus on the region between the Nile and the Indus rivers has been obsessive. Yet all the attention would seem to have been in vain. America’s influence has dwindled everywhere with the financial crisis and the rise of emerging powers. But it seems to be withering faster in the Middle East than anywhere else. …
Is there any hope of getting out of the “Mesopotamia“. Economist doesn’t think so.
The conclusion:
… At the same time, the two things most consistently cited by Arabs and Muslims as their main objections to America—and which therefore serve as the biggest rallying calls to jihad—are its support for Israel and the regional presence of American forces. Neither of these is likely to change. That may one day lead Americans to ask why they invest so much in a troubled region with such poor returns. …
may you be ‘untangled’
Snopes confirms:
This time of year an email gets circulated about the 2005 rescue of a humpback whale tangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots. It was off San Francisco.
Here’s one of the divers quoted, James Moskito:
… “When I was cutting the line going through the mouth, its eye was there winking at me, watching me,” Moskito said. “It was an epic moment of my life.”
… When the whale realized it was free, it began swimming around in circles, according to the rescuers. Moskito said it swam to each diver, nuzzled him and then swam to the next one.
“It seemed kind of affectionate, like a dog that’s happy to see you,” Moskito said. “I never felt threatened. It was an amazing, unbelievable experience.” …
“You hate to anthropomorphize too much, but the whale was doing little dives and the guys were rubbing shoulders with it,” Menigoz said. “I don’t know for sure what it was thinking, but it’s something that I will always remember. It was just too cool. …”
read the original article
This photo is of a humpback whale. But it was taken about 4yrs later in the South Pacific.
Thanks Dana.
Leo Laporte in the NY Times
My man Leo got a nice shout out …
TWIT gets its name from Mr. Laporte’s flagship podcast, “This Week in Tech,” which is downloaded by a quarter of a million people each week. He produces 22 other technology-focused podcasts that are downloaded five million times a month. He also streams video all day long that captures his podcasting and a weekend radio show on computers, “The Tech Guy,” that reaches 500,000 more people through 140 stations. …
I’m a dedicated soldier in the TWIT army listening to perhaps 7hrs / week of his broadcasts from twit.tv.
Like almost everyone I subscribe via iTunes.
My favourite shows are This Week in Google and MacBreak Weekly.
my New Year’s resolution
Yesterday I bought a 1 litre Diet Coke at a rural gas station. The cost … $3.02
As usual at convenience stores, the price was not marked. I should have walked out. (My normal policy is NEVER to buy anything unless the price is clearly posted.)
Kicking myself, I need reaffirm my loyalty to the 10 Commandments for Frugal Living:
10. Thou shalt not buy things you don’t need.
9. Thou shalt only buy when you have the money.
8. Thou shalt purchase by value, not price.
7. Thou shalt be patient.
6. Thou shalt buy used.
5. Thou shalt look for alternatives before buying.
4. Thou shalt ignore the Joneses.
3. Thou shalt not pay full retail price.
2. Thou shalt not waste.
1. Thou shalt do things yourself.
Yes, I’ll be even a worse stingy cheapskate. in 2011. Be warned.
New Year holiday FUN
Here are a couple of the adventurers at the Adlard New Year’s weekend in Idaho.
… snowshoe excursion up Scout rocks on the 30th, a great XC ski and short run on the 31st! Epic, perfect conditions, and a more beautiful day would be hard to imagine! …
Morgen won the 10km run. Congrats.
I was in northern Saskatchewan at the time. Here’s our group cross country skiing.
Due to a painful toe, I ran along with the skiers taking photos and video.
Happy New Year.
things getting better – teenage girls
As a gymnastics coach, I work with a lot of teenage girls.
Troubled teens, I’m oft to call them.
Over my lifetime I’m convinced that young ladies have gotten more confident, savvy and funny.
I first started noticing the trend in the mid-1990s. Teen girls were smart, organized and independent. Teen boys were … the same. Teen boys.
The internet, especially Facebook, has really liberated their creativity. I’ve seen stats showing over two thirds of the posts are by females. But the GOOD posts are about 90% female.
Facebook has not changed teen boys one jot.
Girls are better communicators than boys. And Facebook gives them the chance to really go crazy.
In this Facebook photo one girl is proposing marriage to another. She’s even offering a ring.
Hilarious.
… Am I wrong?
I’ve never had anybody else concur with my theory.
Rick McCharles 