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Tjadendevries's blog

Science Friday: Titanoboa vs T-Rex | Rare Photo: Black Hole Devouring a Star | CSI Neolithic: Ötzi's Autopsy

Sorry, the video's a fantasy; they lived about 5 million years apart


How Titanoboa, the 40-Foot-Long Snake, Was Found

In Colombia, the fossil of a gargantuan snake has stunned scientists, forcing them to rethink the nature of prehistoric life

Remember when ...

Who is Scytl? And Why You Should be Aware if You're a Voter

Source: The American Dream
 

Do you know who is going to be counting the votes on Election Day 2012?  Most Americans never even think about this.  Most Americans just assume that their votes will count and that the government will ensure that the counting process is done honestly and fairly.  But is this really the case?  Sadly, the vast majority of people never take the time to “look behind the curtain” to see how things really work.  If they did, they might find themselves extremely upset about what they would find.  The integrity of our voting process is of the utmost importance.  If we do not have the ballot box, then what avenues for changing our government do we have left?  Unfortunately, the integrity of our elections has been called into question quite a few times in recent years, and now a Spanish company known as Scytl will be involved in reporting election results for hundreds of jurisdictions across the United States this upcoming election day.  Will those election results be accurate?

Science Friday: Moby Dick Found (sort of) | Ancient 'Wave of Poseidon' Was Real Tsunami | Gobekli Tepe

White Killer Whale Spotted—Only One in the World?

Christine Dell'Amore

    The headline-grabbing all-white adult killer whale spotted off Russia this month may well be one of a kind. But the sighting may not be the first time he's been caught on camera.

Imagine a Nuclear-Free California (It’s Already Here)

Imagine a Nuclear-Free California (It’s Already Here)

By: Gregg Levine Friday April 27, 2012 6:17 am

    California has two nuclear power plants. San Onofre, between Los Angeles and San Diego, has been offline for months as everyone tries to find an excuse for the alarmingly rapid wear on new reactor tubing. (Being shut down, however, did not prevent a fire from breaking out this week when a pipe ruptured and released radioactive steam.)

    But as of Thursday, Diablo Canyon, the nuclear plant to the north, is also offline–thanks to. . . uh, salp?

    Yes, salp–those loveable, gelatinous, jellyfish-like, plankton-eating sea creatures that multiply like, well, salp–have swarmed Diablo Canyon’s water intake system. D-Can draws in tens of thousands of gallons of seawater every day to cool its reactors, and with all that salp clogging the intake pipes, the plant could no longer operate safely.

Ironically, Hitler stole the idea for the Volkwagen from a Jewish Engineer

The Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen

    Finally, the full story behind emergence of Volkswagen, "Hitler's pet project"

    We welcome back our contributing writer Paul Schilperoord, whose book “The Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz – The Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen” has just been released in the US and Canada.

Science Friday: Trompe-l'œil | Old Laptop Into A Touchscreen Tablet Conversion | Your Microwave is an EMP Protector

Trompe-l'œil (deception of the eye)

Video: Making a Stream of Water Flow Up, Using Trickery

    If you only watch one optical illusion today in which a stream of water appears to have droplets freeze in mid-air or inch their way backwards back into the tube from whence they came, make it this one.

Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm

Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm

    Monsanto, the massive biotechnology company being blamed for contributing to the dwindling bee population, has bought up one of the leading bee collapse research organizations. Recently banned from Poland with one of the primary reasons being that the company’s genetically modified corn may be devastating the dying bee population, it is evident that Monsanto is under serious fire for their role in the downfall of the vital insects. It is therefore quite apparent why Monsanto bought one of the largest bee research firms on the planet.

    It can be found in public company reports hosted on mainstream media that Monsanto scooped up the Beeologics firm back in September 2011. During this time the correlation between Monsanto’s GM crops and the bee decline was not explored in the mainstream, and in fact it was hardly touched upon until Polish officials addressed the serious concern amid the monumental ban. Owning a major organization that focuses heavily on the bee collapse and is recognized by the USDA for their mission statement of “restoring bee health and protecting the future of insect pollination” could be very advantageous for Monsanto.

MLK’s Lessons for Occupy

Eyes on the Prize: MLK’s Lessons for Occupy

by Valerie Schloredt

    When he was assassinated in April, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. had just begun “The Poor People’s Campaign.” This focus on economic injustice, which included plans for a mass encampment of poor people in Washington, D.C., was remarkably similar to that of today’s Occupy movement. The connection is clear to present-day activists Kazu Haga and Jonathan Lewis, who are promoting King’s philosophy of nonviolence to Occupy groups, both for moral guidance and practical strategy.

Cenk Uygur Slams Millionaire CNN Host Erin Burnett for Protecting Her Own With Fawning Coverage

Cenk Uygur Slams Millionaire CNN Host Erin Burnett for Protecting Her Own With Fawning Coverage

    [...]
    Most of his ire was reserved for CNN host Erin Burnett, who is one of the millionaires herself that would be affected if that rule ever passed and her penchant for quoting sources like the Tax Foundation and bringing on billionaires like John Paul DeJoria to discuss why the rich should not have to pay more in taxes.

Missouri police greet Nobel Peace Prize nominee with riot gear

It's hypnotic and shocking at the same time. And seems so out of place from the standpoint of what we've been told our whole lives about the US standing for free speech

via boingboing

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Average California Taxpayers $423 a Year, Each California Small Business $2,010

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Average California Taxpayers $423 a Year, Each California Small Business $2,010

    With tax day approaching, a new study released by CALPIRG found that the average California taxpayer in 2011 would have to shoulder an extra $423 tax burden to make up for revenue lost from corporations and wealthy individuals shifting income to offshore tax havens. The report additionally found that to cover the cost of the corporate abuse of tax havens in 2011, small businesses in California would have to foot a bill of over $2,010 on average.

    Every year, corporations and wealthy individuals avoid paying an estimated $100 billion in taxes by shifting income to low or no tax offshore tax havens. Of that $100 billion, $60 billion in taxes are avoided specifically by corporations. A GAO study found that at least 83 of the top 100 publically traded corporations use offshore tax havens.

Science Friday: 3 year old Sings the Element Song | Filling Potholes with Non-Newtonian Fluids | Aphasia

The entire periodic table, as narrated by a three-year-old

    After learning the names of the elements when she was two, three-year-old Rose from Seattle has now memorized Tom Lehrer's classic paean to the periodic table. Who knew somebody could make Yttrium totally adorable?

The Great American Foreclosure Song

Science Friday: James Hansen's 1981 Cassandra-like Prediction | Will Your House be Undersea in 2100 | MIT's Solar Panel Pancakes

James Hansen at a recent TED Talk

Evaluating a 1981 temperature projection

    Sometimes it helps to take a step back from the everyday pressures of research (falling ill helps). It was in this way we stumbled across Hansen et al (1981) (pdf).