What is the U.S. Governments Official Position on Climate Change?
I tried to get through it, I really did. But I stopped at page 62.
This morning I sat down with the A State of Knowledge Report from the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The Knowledge Report was recently put out by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (now the U.S. Global Change Research Program), which is sponsored by 13 federal agencies including the U.S. EPA.
The Knowledge Report is the so-far definitive climate change report/study put out by the United States government.
Health Care Facts and Figures
The healthcare reform debate is heating up. As you listen to the debate, its prudent to have some facts and figures at your finger tips.
Are Your Car’s Tires Underinflated?
When I was home last weekend I caught my brother-in-law checking out the underside of my car. My first thought was that he was cutting my break lines. After I determened that he was only looking at my tires, I was obviously relieved.
After much discussion, he convinced me to do some research and write up a post on what the proper tire pressure should be for a car. Much to my chagrin, it turns out that John was right: if you’ve grown accustomed to inflating your tire pressure to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure, you’re probably not putting enough air in your tires.
How Much Sugar is in Sprite?
I said that I would try and put together a visualisation of how much sugar there is in a can of Coca-cola.
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How Much Money is in the Social Security Trust Fund?
This article is a continuation of the discussion on the United States’ National Balance Sheet. That thread was getting a little too long and so I thought I would re-invigorate the conversation with a new post on the Social Security Trust Fund.
Yeah…About That Red Meat Study…
Per capita beef consumption was higher in 1910 than it is today.
There are lots of things that are “wrong” with the typical American diet. I don’t think however that the media has done a good job of letting us know that we did listen to what the experts have been saying about “meat” over the last 30 years.
Compare the amounts and ratios between 1970 and 2006 and tell me that people haven’t been listening.
The National Balance Sheet of the United States
With all the hand wringing going on over the housing and financial crisis I decided to see if I could put some of the massive numbers being thrown about in a little bit of perspective.
The math is below. As you’ll see, the above numbers take into account the fall of housing prices, the stock market decline and the $4 trillion in debt that the U.S. government will take on over the first three years of the Obama Administration. I’ll try to form some conclusions in a future post, but clearly, the United States isn’t broke.
Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?
The National Popular Vote legislation is working its way through the Iowa Legislature. The National Popular Vote compact has been enacted in Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey (50 electoral votes). Bills to join the compact are currently pending in ten additional states. If the Act passes in states that have 270 Electoral Votes, it would effectively abolish the Electoral College without the use of a constitutional amendment.
Cowboy Cooking: How to Sear a Ribeye Steak
I’m going to assume that you’ve picked yourself out a melt-in-your-mouth 1.5-2″ thick ribeye and that you’ve got the right equipment.
Preparation
A Cowboy thaws his steaks in the refrigerator between 34° and 40°F, not at room temperature. The primary reason for this is safety. Defrosted whole meat cuts are safely useable for 3-5 days in the refrigerator before cooking.
George Bush’s Accomplishments
George Bush on how he thinks he’ll be remembered:
I think I’ll be remembered as a guy who was dealt some pretty tough issues and I dealt with them head-on and I didn’t try to shy away. I helped this country protect itself, and at the same time was unabashed at spreading certain values to others— the main one being liberty.
The Bush White House has issued a report on the “Highlights of Accomplishments and Results of the Administration of George W. Bush.”
Its inherent bias aside, I thought it was interesting because for all the negative things which occurred in the last eight years, a lot of good things have also occurred.
Potassium in Salt Substitutes Can Lower High Blood Pressure
I’ve talked in the past about how a person’s blood pressure is significantly influenced by the ratio of potassium to sodium in one’s diet, not necessarily the amount of sodium itself.
One way to positively affect this ratio is to use a salt substitute such as Cardia Salt
Chicago’s World’s Fair: The Remains of the Day
Not much remains of Chicago’s World Columbian Exposition. The site of the Columbian Exposition is on the right, now known as Jackson Park. The Museum of Science and Industry sits at the north end, the lagoon and Wooded Isle in the center of Jackson Park.
The Original Ferris Wheel
George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. designed and built the original wheel for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
A Pictoral Walking Tour of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago
The World’s Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World. The Chicago Columbian Exposition was largely designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted.
High Blood Pressure: Its Not Sodium, Its the Potassium
Of all the health and eating advice that we are constantly inundated with, one that has sort of fallen by the wayside recently concerns sodium intake. Maybe its because the advice to limit how much salt you put on your food has been taken to heart. Unfortunately, I think we still don’t understand how much sodium we’re intaking through our processed food diets. These pre-processed foods are generally so loaded with salt that the salt shaker in your house is no longer the primary source of evil.
The United States is the World’s Most Generous Country
In 2006, the United States initiated $62.3 billion in private capital flows to the developing world. This amounted to one-third of all international private capital flows to developing countries. Remittance outflows from the United States to the developing world totaled $71.5 billion in 2006, or 37 percent of total U.S. economic engagement with developing countries. They exceed any other donor country’s government aid program and are equivalent to 68 percent of total ODA from all developed countries.
Why Are Only Three Year Old Horses Allowed to Race in the Kentucky Derby?
A reader asked me to look into the question of why only three year old horses are allowed to race in the Kentucky Derby. I wasn't able to find a "for sure" answer, but I did find some information that points in the general direction. The Kentucky Derby is a Graded...
How Much Sugar Is In A Can of Coke?
There are 40.5 grams of sugar in a 12 oz can of Coke.
- Forty grams of sugar is the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar.
- Drinking one Coke a day for a year results in the consumption of 32 pounds of sugar.
- Drinking one Coke a day, instead of an equivalent amount of tap water, for a full year would cause you to gain 18 pounds.