The Lumpen Proletarian

Technology Review: The Geoengineering Gambit

For years, radical thinkers have proposed risky technologies that they say could rapidly cool the earth and offset global warming. Now a growing number of mainstream climate scientists say we may have to consider extreme action despite the dangers.

 

Vengeful Fury In Drug War Chills Mexico - NYTimes.com

Hours after Ensign Melquisedet Angulo Córdova was buried, gunmen burst into his family’s home and killed his mother and three other relatives, officials said.

 

As Foreclosure Nears, Home Fixtures Start to Vanish - NYTimes.com
The practice of stripping and selling items from homes that are slated for foreclosure appears to be worse in boom-and-bust regions.

 

Amazon.com: Tattoo in Japan (Illustrated) (HC) (9783934020641): John Harte, Geoff Johnson, Toshihiro Oshima Martin Hladik: Books

Amazon.com: Tattoo in Japan (Illustrated) (HC) (9783934020641): John Harte, Geoff Johnson, Toshihiro Oshima Martin Hladik: Books

 

Police: Auschwitz sign stolen for 'mad collector' - Telegraph

The Auschwitz death camp sign which was recovered on Monday may have been
stolen to order for a "mad collector", Polish police have said.

 

Cliff Young (athlete) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bernanke Blames Weak Regulation for Financial Crisis - NYTimes.com

Ben S. Bernanke’s remarks came as he awaited confirmation for a second term as Fed chairman and as he sought greater authority from Congress.

 

Charges Against Blackwater Guards Dismissed in Iraq Killings - NYTimes.com

A federal judge has dismissed all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in a deadly Baghdad shooting.

 

The Safety Net - Living on Nothing but Food Stamps - Series - NYTimes.com
The number of Americans reporting food stamps as their only income soared 50 percent over the past two years.

 

Pinched - Salon.com [via claudio]

Antarctic's first plane found in ice - Australasia, World - The Independent [via claudio]

Rare things happen once in a blue moon, and on New Year's Day a blue moon, coupled with an exceptionally low tide, uncovered a long-sought treasure in the frozen wastes of Antarctica: one of the world's earliest aeroplanes, entombed in ice for decades.

Smart wind turbines can predict the wind

Risø DTU researchers have recently completed the world’s first successful test on a wind turbine with a laser-based anemometer built into the spinner in order to increase electricity generation.

Novelties - Magnetic Bearings That House Their Own Controls - NYTimes.com

Despite their advantages, magnetic bearings have been slow to catch on widely in industry. A Virginia company that makes them is using technology to overcome one of the obstacles.

 

Technology Review: A Helmet to Prevent Paralysis
Engineers are designing a helmet that could protect the spine from serious injury.

 

In Russia, a Bankrupt Town Keeps Humming - NYTimes.com

The Russian government must address the future of 300 or so “monocities,” where a single plant supplies heat, income and social security.

 

Wood-Based Synthetic Bone is Just Like the Real Thing | Popular Science

On Location - In London, River Views at the Right Price - NYTimes.com

A sculptor from London bought this former fishing trawler for about $7,750 and converted it into two apartments.

 

Race Riots Grip Italian Town, and Mafia Is Suspected - NYTimes.com [via claudio]

Riots in Calabria, where organized crime is known to have a strong grip, have shone a bright light on growing racial tensions in Italy.

 

AP report: Cadmium found in some Chinese-made children’s jewelry - The Boston Globe

LOS ANGELES - Barred from using lead in children’s jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States.

 

Technology Review: China's High-Speed-Rail Revolution
Dedicated lines are the key to record-breaking speeds.

 

Technology Review: Blogs: TR Editors' blog: A Way to Fix Lightweight Drinkers

From MIT. Information on Emerging Technologies & impact on business & society

 

Findings - Jaron Lanier Is Rethinking the Open Nature of the Internet - NYTimes.com

If the mantras of “open culture” and “information wants to be free” have produced a destructive new social contract, how can it be reversed?.

 

YouTube - NAMGAR "Two Yokhors"

Our first TV shooting on TV channel "Russia"Song from "Nomad" - www.cdbaby.com/cd/namgar

 

From bikinis to burkas - The Globe and Mail
In his childhood, Toronto writer Kamal Al-Solaylee recalls a cosmopolitan, secular family from southern Yemen. Today his sisters and brothers are close-minded Islamists. As one middle-class clan loses its own struggle with extremism, so goes the country

 

Sponge-Like “Swelling Glass” Absorbs Toxins in Water | Inhabitat

A Green Design Blog, Sustainable Design Blog, Future-forward design for the world you inhabit - your daily source for innovations in sustainable architecture and green design for the home.

 

Op-Ed Columnist - Learning From Europe - NYTimes.com

Despite what conservatives claim, Europe has a successful economy and a social democracy that works.

 

Deadly Scorpion Venom Used to Create New, Safer Pesticide : TreeHugger

digg_url = 'http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/deadly-scorpion-venom-used-create-new-safer-pesticide.php'; Scorpions are notorious for harnessing a powerful, debilitating venom in their tails. Some species harbor venom potent enough to kill a human being. But other parts of that venom cocktail are only intended for other insects--and

 

Using Bees to Battle Crows in Japan : TreeHugger

Photo via fishermansdaughter Crows are considered a menace in Japan and for the last 10 years, the country has been waging a war against them. There's been a range of tactics, but one that catches our eye is using

 

California Man Fights for Homeless and Battles Authority - NYTimes.com

Dan de Vaul, who has made his ranch a refuge for the homeless, faces jail time for housing code violations.

 

Square Feet - Finding a Way to Pay for Green Makeovers - NYTimes.com
The effort to improve the energy efficiency of New York’s big buildings has turned to ways to share costs between landlords and tenants.

 

'Weekend effect' makes people happier regardless of their job, study says

From construction laborers and secretaries to physicians and lawyers, people experience better moods, greater vitality, and fewer aches and pains from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, concludes the first study of daily mood variation in employed adults to be published in the January 2010 issue of ...

 

Blind architects have a real feel for the site lines - latimes.com

The architects met on a damp October Saturday and set off to visit a modern New York landmark, the American Folk Art Museum.

 

Kenya fishermen see upside to pirates: more fish - Yahoo! News

People here have one thing to thank Somali pirates for: Better fishing.