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December 22, 2004
Joseph and Mary
Another danger of sentimentality is that we tend to lose interest in the parts of the story that are not so comfortable. We smile at the warm cozy nativity scene, but have you ever spent a night in a barn? Or given birth in a barn? The reality is very different. Most scholars suggest that in Luke's account it's not just that the inns were full but that Mary and Joseph were forced to take the barn because their family had rejected them. Joseph has relatives or friends of relatives in Bethlehem. So rather than being received hospitably by family or friends, Joseph and Mary have been shunned. Family and neighbors are declaring their moral outrage at the fact that Joseph would show up on their doorsteps with his pregnant girlfriend.
from "Putting Herod back into Christmas" by Joy Carroll Wallis
from SojoMail 12.22.04
Posted by thdyck at December 22, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 20, 2004
Eight+ human tendencies to make investing mistakes
Human beings, it turns out, are wired to make dumb investing mistakes. What's more, we are wired not to learn from them, but to make them again and again. If there is consolation, it is that it's not our fault. We are born suckers.
In the past 30 years, academic research has progressed beyond efficient-markets theory, which mistook humans for robots, into behavioral finance, which acknowledges that we are, in fact, sweating, breathing, herding, hoarding, pleasure-seeking, pain-avoiding animals who employ a looser definition of "rational" than computer chips. A full enumeration of the innate tendencies that doom most of us to investing mediocrity would fill a hard drive. So, here are some highlights...
Born Suckers - The greatest Wall Street danger of all: you. By Henry Blodget
Posted by thdyck at December 20, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 18, 2004
People cannot believe their eyes when they see the delicate "sparrow's wings" made from cucumber and the little spools of rolled-up chives.
Lan Guijun brings out his terrifying machete and starts cutting sheets of green dough into hair-like strands.
Xiao Jianming, shown via video-link from the kitchen, stir-fries prawns in a lychee-flavoured sauce which he pours over crispy rice.
There is an explosion of steam and sizzling, and then an explosion of applause.
BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Asia's hottest chefs turn up the heat
Posted by thdyck at December 18, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 14, 2004
Romantic British addresses
I find British addresses greatly appealing. They have so much charm and personality.
ChairmanWelcome to the website of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London!
Philip Porter,
Hilltop Farm,
Knighton-on-Teme,
Near Tenbury Wells,
Worcestershire, WR15 8LY.
Merchandise
Mrs E. M. Godden
Apple Tree Cottage
Smarden
Kent TN27 8QE
The District Messenger
Roger Johnson
Mole End,
41 Sandford Road,
Chelmsford CM2 6DE
Posted by thdyck at December 14, 2004 | Comments (0)
Wonderful profile of longevity theorist Aubrey de Grey
Great writing and photos.
My last day in Cambridge, I am being ferried by de Grey up the River Cam, which, as he talks indefatigably about the relative imminence of near-immortality, seems more and more like the river of time. We rented our flat-bottomed punt at Scudamore's Punting Co., Est. 1910, and de Grey, with remarkable felicity, is now poling the boat through the congested stretch of river that runs by the university. Soon, though, we're in Elysian countryside, skimming by lush, overhanging willow trees and other riverine flora that de Grey, no all-purpose biologist, can't name. He cuts a remarkable figure, one hand on the punter's pole, another wrapped around a tallboy of John Smith ale, his voluminous beard flowing behind his shoulders in the mild breeze like a scarf. De Grey never successfully learned to drive a car, too intimidated by the speed and potential lethality. But in his first year at university, he discovered he was a punting natural, and even made good money one summer taking tourists up and down the Cam in his second- hand boat, tossing off outrageous lies about the local history and architecture.
As de Grey handles the boat work, my exercise, purely intellectual, is to imagine the world he's advocating. Even if research science disappoints him and we blunder our way to a measly life span of 150 years sometime in the next century--something that's not guaranteed but isn't a bad bet either--society as we know it will be turned on its head. And if de Grey turns out to be closer to the mark, some obvious elephant-in-the-room questions present themselves.
The Prophet of Immortality - Popular Science
Posted by thdyck at December 14, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 8, 2004
New high blood pressure drugs
Further details about the results of the study are not yet available, but the researchers said the cardiovascular benefits of the newer treatment were "significant".
The older treatment strategy is based on the beta-blocker, atenolol and the thiazide diuretic, bendroflumethiazide.
The new treatment strategy involved two drugs - the calcium channel blocker, amlodipine, and the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, perindopril.
BBC NEWS | Health | Hypertension trial stopped early
Posted by thdyck at December 8, 2004 | Comments (0)
Physics Today: The Hydrogen Economy
A major attraction of hydrogen as a fuel is its natural compatibility with fuel cells. The higher efficiency of fuel cells--currently 60% compared to 22% for gasoline or 45% for diesel internal combustion engines--would dramatically improve the efficiency of future energy use. Coupling fuel cells to electric motors, which are more than 90% efficient, converts the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical work without heat as an intermediary. This attractive new approach for energy conversion could replace many traditional heat engines. The broad reach of that efficiency advantage is a strong driver for deploying hydrogen fuel cells widely.
Physics Today December 2004- The Hydrogen Economy
(from WorldChanging)
Posted by thdyck at December 8, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 7, 2004
CBC News: U.S. army deserter seeking refugee status in Canada
Hinzman enlisted in the U.S. army three years ago as a paratrooper with the 82 Airborne Division. He deserted earlier this year, rather than go to Iraq, and moved to Canada with his wife and small child.
In an interview several months ago Hinzman said he enlisted "for pragmatic reasons, because I wanted a college fund."
His lawyer says Hinzman is seeking refugee status because he's morally opposed to the war in Iraq and that the U.S. invasion of Iraq violates international human rights.
CBC News: U.S. army deserter seeking refugee status in Canada
Posted by thdyck at December 7, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 5, 2004
Fate of the US dollar
The dollar's fall, along with the trade and budget deficits, is a classic symptom of a country living beyond its means. Twenty years ago, American households saved about nine cents of every dollar they earned; today, they save less than a penny. The federal government is spending about four hundred billion dollars a year more than it raises in taxes, which means that the Treasury has to sell about thirty-four billion dollars' worth of bonds every month to remain solvent. By far the biggest purchasers of Treasury bonds are the central banks of China and Japan, which, last year alone, accumulated some four hundred billion dollars' worth of them. Since the purchases were made in dollars, they also provided much needed support for the currency.
The New Yorker: The Talk of the Town
Posted by thdyck at December 5, 2004 | Comments (0)
Thais drop origami 'peace bombs'
The Thai government has dropped an estimated one hundred million paper origami birds in an unusual peace bid.
The birds were dropped by military planes over the country's Muslim south after a surge of violence in the area.
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Thais drop origami 'peace bombs'
Posted by thdyck at December 5, 2004 | Comments (0)
December 3, 2004
Happiness measurements
Among the results, they found most people will repond positively when asked, "Do you enjoy your children?" But if asked a more specific question about child-rearing, it drops to near the bottom of the list of enjoyable activities.
Commuting and spending time with the boss were the worst activities, participants said. Relaxing with friends, having lunch with co-workers, and solitary activities like watching TV, shopping or cooking alone ranked highest.
Quality of sleep also seemed to have a direct impact on quality of life, as did time pressures at work, the researchers reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
In fact, sleep quality and temperment had a greater impact on enjoyment than income and education levels.
CBC News: Why money doesn't buy happiness
Posted by thdyck at December 3, 2004 | Comments (0)