We all know what role pollen plays in “May Flowers,” but what about its role in “April Showers?”
It’s well understood how clouds are formed by water condensing on particulates high in the atmosphere. Certainly pollen would be among these particulates, wouldn’t you think?
Put another way, do plants have the ability to actually make it rain?
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is putting $500 million of his fortune into looking for the “essence of humanity” in our brains.
I sent him an email explaining that, while the brain is indeed fascinating and worthy of study, it is nothing but the hardware. The software (what makes us who we are) is the mind. You ain’t gonna find the “essence of humanity” in the jumbled nerves of the brain.
If Mr. Allen really wants to find what makes us human, he’ll fund some studies of consciousness.
I’ve always been fascinated by the workings of the human brain. I’m awed by its enormous complexity. Our brains are many magnitudes more advanced in the way they work than any computer software ever invented. Think about this: We can teach students to program computers in a couple of years of school. But even with a lifetime of learning, at present we are far away from fully understanding the brain.
Evelyn Contre (boardmember) and Dan Sargent (Director) of Rebuilding Together of the Triangle
Mr. Snipes, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam era, had a tree fall on his home by last year’s tornado and his insurance didn’t cover all the costs of fixing it. For 11 months his home has been covered by a tarp. Mr. Snipes’s roof and air conditioning needed replacing, too. His home had no insulation and for the past two years he heated his home with electric space heaters.
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I got this creative phishing email scam in my inbox today. The links go to a phishing website where the crooks collect your payment information. Don’t be fooled!
Return-Path: USPS_Shipping_Alert@usps.com
From: “Royce Erickson” USPS_Shipping_Alert@usps.com
To: mister cool guy at markturner.net
Subject: Your USPS shipment postage labels receipt.
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:14:02 -0300Acct #: 0341903
Dear client:
This is an email confirmation for your order of 3 online shipping label(s) with postage. We will charge you the following amount:
Transaction ID: #6924766
Print Date/Time: 03/12/2012 02:30 AM CST
Postage Amount: $47.65
Credit Card Number: XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXPriority Mail Regional Rate Box B # 0697 5722 3716 9279 1176 (Sequence Number 1 of 1)
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Recycling bin
My issue with recycling theft stemmed completely from seeing men in pickup trucks systematically scouring recycling bins, never with the homeless people trying to get by. Perhaps Raleigh’s recycling theft ordinance should be adjusted so that those taking smaller quantities might not be unfairly targeted.
One suggested adjustment the ordinance I’ve heard would simply make the contents of the recycling bin the city’s property and make it a crime to remove them, omitting the spelling out of any penalty. Raleigh could then choose how to respond based on the level of the theft. It’s definitely worth considering.
There has been a lot of discussion in Raleigh’s neighborhoods regarding the Treyvon Martin tragedy in Florida, specifically about the proper role of community watches. I thought to email Chief Dolan, Raleigh’s chief of police, today to see if he and his staff would be interested in participating in a forum delving into the role of community watches and how we can keep our communities safe while still respecting everyone’s civil rights. I initially thought this would be a good discussion at April’s RCAC meeting but the interest and audience might be bigger than that.
I think this is something that the community needs to discuss so I am hopeful we can hash things out to clear up any confusion.
Ouch.
The Associated Press hired the worst CEO in the newspaper industry as its 13th chief executive. Its board of directors should be ashamed, as should anyone who works at the news company. Gary Pruitt, the head of McClatchy NYSE: MNI, will move to the AP after destroying the newspaper chain he has run. He will move on with his former firm still in tatters.
Pruitt became the CEO of McClatchy in 1996. The chain took on about $2 billion in debt, a great deal of it to buy rival Knight Ridder for $4.6 billion in 2006. In 2009, it teetered close to bankruptcy. A restructuring of obligations saved it, for a while at least. McClatchy is in financial trouble again. Pruitt leaves for the AP just in time to avoid leading McClatchy as it heads toward a new crisis.Pruitt has decided to leave his company, and its shareholders, at a time when they are in great peril, again.
After his AP appointment, Pruitt said, “The Associated Press is the most important news organization in the world and an essential force in democracy.’ That it true. As such, it deserves a better leader.
via AP Hires Worst CEO in Newspaper Industry – 24/7 Wall St..
The commute has been a challenge the past few mornings, with several accidents making a mess of the roads. I can’t help but think that perhaps the many nights of slow-moving thunderstorms have been disturbing people’s sleep and making them more prone to accidents. The weather at the time of many of these wrecks is fine, so you can’t say it’s due to road conditions.
Of course, there are a million distractions confronting today’s driver, so it’s hard to say for sure if there’s one cause. Certainly a restless night caused by thunderstorms can’t be good for one’s concentration the next day!
Little Raleigh Radio
I’m excited about the progress, though. It’s a good team and last night’s meeting was very productive. We can certainly get this done, and before we know it a new station will be on the air from downtown Raleigh.
Shortly after my employer at the time imploded and closed up shop, I got to talking to one of my former coworkers. He and I had done the very same job. We were peers and had similar qualifications. Somehow, though, he was getting paid about 40% more than I was! Losing my job smarted, of course, but finding out how I was getting screwed really added insult to injury.
I think about that experience whenever debate comes up about how women should be the paid the same as men for doing the same work. The truth is that almost no one gets paid the same as anyone else. Your boss will pay you whatever amount she thinks you’ll accept, you’ll work for whatever amount you’ll accept, and rarely will anyone else be the wiser.
In today’s workforce, with nearly all gender barriers gone, women and men are now equals. That means women workers can now be as grossly undervalued or overpaid as their male counterparts.
