February 2008

From NYTimes.com: Buried Seed Vault Opens in Arctic

There are something like 1,400 seed banks around the world, guarding samples of crop plants ranging from alfalfa to yams. But, as I wrote last year, this agricultural archive is eroding under forces including war, storms, scant money or bad management, particularly in the world’s poorest or most turbulent places. A Fort Knox has been needed, many experts said. Now they have it.

I always thought something like this is a good idea.  It’s like having a backup copy of data.  If something catastrophic happens, you have the ability to get it back.

This is hilarious!

You got to love a politician who’ll poke fun at himself.

I love this clip.  Star Wars according to a 3 year old.  

From Knowledge@Wharton: Steve Wozniak on Apple, Steve Jobs and the Value of a Good Prank

A nice interview with Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.

From ABCNews.com: Lawmakers Call for Congress to Probe Bodies Shows in Wake of ’20/20′ Report

“There is a due diligence that has to be done, particularly coming from a totalitarian dictatorship where execution of prisoners and a general lack of value for human life are paramount,” said Smith, who has championed human rights issues in China for many years.

Smith said he will be issuing a formal request to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for a congressional hearing. “There needs to be a moratorium immediately. There is something very very wrong here.”

I think the 20/20 investigation has raised a lot of questions in regards to where these bodies are coming from.  Premier Exhibitions says they get them legally, but they never provide any documentation or paper trail to show that these bodies are obtained.  The investigation raises the possibility that the bodies could contain political prisoners purchased off the black market.  Premier Exhibitions just issues press releases but has little transparency.  Only the government can force them to testify and to show any documentation they may have.

Other issues the 20/20 investigation raises which is that the bodies are brought through customs not as cadavers, but as “plastic models for educational display”.  This circumvents all the laws regarding transportation of corpses.  How are they able to turn a human body from a corpse into a piece of property?

This should be interesting if Congress opens their own investigation.

From NYTimes.com: Wisconsin? Texas and Ohio Are Where All the Action Has Gone

Adding to the complexity, Texas holds a primary and a caucus on the same day, with the evening caucus open only to those who have already cast primary ballots, either in early voting (which began Tuesday) or at the polls on March 4. Mr. Obama has prevailed in most caucuses up to now.

Mrs. Clinton said she could not begin to explain how the Texas system worked. “I had no idea how bizarre it is,” she said aboard her plane flying from Wisconsin to Ohio. “We have grown men crying over it.” (bold my emphasis)

I thought this was an interesting choice of words for Hillary Clinton to use as the phrase seems to perpetuate the stereotype that men can deal with more complex issues.  If an issue is so complex that men are crying over it, then it is a difficult issue.  How do you rank the complexity of a task, gender, and crying in frustration?  Is this a scale that Hillary Clinton has in mind?

From CNBC.com: Warren Buffett: Playing Bridge Theoretically More Interesting Than Naked Woman

Warren Buffett says he’s addicted to Bridge.  To emphasize just how much, he told CBS News, “You know, if I’m playing bridge and a naked woman walks by, I don’t ever see her.”

I wonder if this quote is a commentary on how exciting the game of Bridge is or the demographics of Bridge players.

From tampabay.com: God wants you to have sex

Some excerpts from the story:

This latest challenge isn’t about losing weight, saving money or eating more vegetables.

Church members, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, will get a journal to track their sexual encounters – or lack thereof – and jot down their feelings. Ranters can vent on the church’s blog, which is set to go up after the challenge starts, at www.30daysexchallenge.com. (ed.- safe for work, but the

It’s about having sex. Lots of it. As in every day, if you’re married. Or not at all, if you’re single.

“When you talk about sex, everybody expects the church to say God hates sex,” Wirth said. “That’s just not true. I really believe that God wants us to have great sex.”