DonorsChoose 2011 | Gene Expression

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Since 2006 I’ve been participating in DonorsChoose (thanks to timely reminders from Janet Stemwedel whenever life got too busy for me to keep track of anything). So I finally set up a page where you can donate to various life science related projects, with a bias toward genetics. Of course you don’t have to donate to just the projects that I selected. And if DonorsChoose is not to your taste, but you have funds you’d like to allocate to charity, please see the GiveWell recommendations.

Also check out the Leaderboard for science blogs.

But peace does reign! | Gene Expression

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The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is finally out. I can’t read it in the near future because of time constraint, but I’m heartened that a public intellectual of Steven Pinker’s stature is finally making people more aware of the fact that in some ways the world is better than it has ever been! This being Pinker the media has responded in force. Peter Singer has given it a thumbs up in The New York Times, as you’d expect. But John Gray has one of the more disgusting responses I’ve seen in The Prospect, Delusions of peace: Stephen Pinker argues that we are becoming less violent. Nonsense, says John Gray. The comments notice what I did: Gray’s attack on Pinker is rhetorical sophistry, making no pretense at engaging the data which Pinker reports. This is particularly interesting coming from me because in terms of political philosophy I share many sympathies with Gray. I worry a great deal that the progressive liberal Whig moment in human history is a transient, and that the medium term future may be less than cheery. Nor do I have much faith in a utopian “End of History.” But whatever my concerns about the present and future are, they need to engage what we know about reality. That is one reason I revel in data and analysis which go against my intuition and falsify my own preconceptions.

The data that Pinker reports on the decline of violence are real, and responding to it by citing a handful of horrible genocides and sneering elegantly are low tactics which degrade intellectual discourse. Pessimism can’t be based on sentiment alone, one has to draw upon facts and robust theory. If those of us who who are wary of an arrow of history have only bluster and rhetoric, then the prophets of progress have won the day.

Barcelona’s last remaining Bull Fighting Ring may be replaced by a Mosque

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ISLAMIZATION OF EUROPE

La Reconquista de los Moros

From Eric Dondero:

Another icon of Western culture may be falling victim to increased Muslim immigration funded by big money Islamic financing.

From The Times am "No bullfights in Spain any more" Sept. 26:

As dusk fell in the Catalan capital, sequin-clad local matador Serafín Marín dispatched the last of six bulls on the sand of the packed La Monumental bullring – where touts had been offering tickets at eight times their original price.

With bullfighting banned in Catalonia as of next year – and with Sunday’s fight marking the end of the season in Barcelona – no Spanish fighting bull will be killed in the city in the name of sport or art for the foreseeable future.

Supporters denounced the ban as an infringement of civil liberties.

What will replace the centuries old bull ring?

Among the projects proposed for the site are an indoor market, a block of luxury apartments and a mosque financed by Dubai.

Next up on Islamists’ hit list: Shopping Malls and Karaoke Centers

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From Eric Dondero:

An icon of Western Civilization has become a Radical Muslim target.

From the ADNKronos, Indonesia, "Islamic movement protests against shoppings malls":

Members of the Indonesia's Islamic Student Assocation (HMI) clashed with riot police during a rally... Thursday.

"Open the gates or we'll break them down," protesters yelled.

The students were rallying against the mushrooming of modern shopping and karaoke centers in Kediri... eastern Java, is situated 105 kilometers southwest of Surabaya, the country's second-largest city.

The students also demanded the closure of karaoke centers, which they said were centers for prostitution. The group urged members of the council to sign a statement saying they would close the businesses.

Editor's comment - Karoake centers, hotbeds for prostitution? Who knew? Photo - Jakarta's Java Mall

Solar LED Lighting For an Art Gallery

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I want solar powered LED lighting: around 40-50 lights, 12V, around 9W each, with motion sensing activation for 3-4 areas (for an art gallery). It should also be grid-wired to an inverter, as backup, but have a low cycle battery as main storage.

I am looking for fittings as well as reliable 9-1

San Diego may elect a fiscally conservative Gay GOP Mayor

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A Rick Perry supporter?

From the Boston Globe Boston.com "San Diego considers an openly gay GOP mayor":

San Diego, which has had Republican mayors since 1992, could easily become the nation's largest city to ever choose an openly gay GOP leader...

[City Councilman Carl] DeMaio, 36, is almost single-mindedly focused on city finances. The businessman-turned-city councilman is spearheading a proposed ballot measure that would put new hires on 401k accounts and curb pension payments for all workers.

DeMaio, who has endeared himself to fiscal conservatives and enraged organized labor, says any discussion of his being gay is intended to distract voters from the city's finances.

"(Sexual) orientation is not an issue. It's not a plus or a minus," he said.

It remains to be seen if Republican voters will vote for a gay mayor. Several said they would at a rally last month for Rick Perry's GOP presidential bid, where DeMaio gave his standard speech about city finances before the Texas governor spoke.

Photo credit - Jon Fleischman, CA FlashReport

Saturday Stuff – October 8th, 2011 | Gene Expression

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FF3

1) Post from the past, One Nation Under Gods, and Mitt Romney, over before it began.

2) Weird search query of the week: “false jewish genetic studies racist.”he

3) Comment of the week:

Frank Sweet’s “Legal History of the Color Line” is a good read on this topic. One of Sweet’s arguments is that black leaders, particularly Northeastern leaders, had a seminal role in the creation of an artificial, fiat-defined African American ethnos.

I think Sweet stresses the centrality of black leaders too much. They were more in a reactive, rather than proactive position vis-a-vis white racial codes and attitudes. But, still, a worthwhile read and this is not his central point.

The one drop rule wasn’t enforced effectively because the Jim Crow system was not totalitarian, the funds for an effectively intrusive bureucracy weren’t there. I think people are finally discussing the many ways it was ignored in practice. I had relatives who were remembered as “white colored men” in newspapers, and in one government document from the 1930s was described as “white” with some black ancestry. In other words, these are people who were legally and socially white, they voted, their kids went to white schools, and they married, but local memory knew that they had some African ancestry. My father told me that as a child it was the equivalent of having a crazy aunt in the family.

I read an old article from the Richmond Times Dispatch, by Walter Plecker, a colleague of Grant’s, and the VA state registrar of vital statistics. In the article Plecker was complaining about Greene County, and some other counties, I believe, midwives listing mixed ancestry children as Mexican. On the face of it, Plecker was correct, the kids obviously weren’t Mexican. But it shows how Plecker was relatively powerless in the face of local ad hoc decisions on who was non-black and who wasn’t. Unlike the Nazis, he was not operating in a totalitarian system. I’ve never seen these Mexican birth certificates, they are still closed per state laws. Plecker also made an infamous list of surnames, you can find it online, of mixed-race families.

4) Your weekly fluff fix:

Romney – Strength on Defense not "wave the white flag of surrender"

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Reagan Revival

From Eric Dondero:

Mitt Romney spoke to cadets at The Citadel on Friday. He took to task those who support a weak foreign policy and isolationism.

From the ChronicleHerald.ca, "Romney presents vision of dominant America":

"This century must be an American century. In an American century, America has the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world," Romney said. "God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. America must lead the world, or someone else will."

"I will order a full review of our transition to the Afghan military to secure that nation’s sovereignty from the tyranny of the Taliban,"

He also condemned the isolationist policies...

This is America’s moment. We should embrace the challenge, not shrink from it, not crawl into an isolationist shell, not wave the white flag of surrender, nor give in to those who assert America’s moment has passed. That is utter nonsense,"

MittRomney.com

Cain finishes #2 to Ron Paul among Values Voters

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From Cliff Thies:

Seems as though Herman Cain is everybody's #2. This time, it's coming in second in the Values Voters straw poll to Ron Paul.

Ron Paul scored a very impressive 37 percent among the mostly evangelical Christians who constitute this group. Herman Cain, who got 23 percent, finished second; and, Rick Santorum, a Catholic, placed third with 16 percent.

Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman each received 8 percent; Mitt Romney, a Mormon, 4; Newt Gingrich, 3, and Jon Huntsman, another Mormon, 0.

Though, the day didn't go off without some controversy, via Mediaite:

In a press conference following the announcement of the straw poll results at the annual Washington gathering of social conservatives, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins all but dismissed the results as irrelevant, citing 600 people who registered Saturday morning and, he said, “left after Ron Paul spoke.”

A total of 1,983 ballots were cast. “You do the math,” Perkins said.

Generator not Maintaining Correct Speed for Load

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I have a cat 3406B with a 300kw MagnaMax generator.

It was on line for a little over 24hrs, when i heard a change in tone, like a heavy load was just put on it, and not recovering speed wise. when i got to the engine room, checked over the engine, noticed that all gauges were normal (fuel pressure)

A Farne-acle Goose Barnanza!

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Barnacle Geese pass by the pele tower (Andy Denton)
A Long-tailed duck lingers in the kettle (Andy Denton)

Our first seal pup has a kip under the watch of his mum (Ciaran Hatsell)

A passing skein of Barnacle Geese fly over Inner Farne (Ciaran Hatsell)

Saturday 8th October comments: It’s been lovely weather...for ducks (and geese). Whilst the overcast, damp climate may not be so good for the human denizens of the islands, the migrating wildfowl have been enjoying it greatly.

The wardens recorded the highest ever number of Barnacle Geese on the Farnes, with 1405 of these winter wanderers passing over the islands today. Having finished breeding in their northern territories such as Svalbard, they are now heading south-west to overwinter on the Solway Firth. One skein of 70 also included a first winter Whooper Swan cygnet, tagging along for the ride! 6 pale-bellied Brent Geese were also recorded flying north over Inner Farne.

The day brought in good numbers of ducks as well, with three long-tailed ducks recorded, including a female and beautifully long-tailed male showing well in the kettle. Seawatching also produced 17 Mallard, 7 Pintail, 43 Wigeon, 41 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 13 Common Scoter and 2 Velvet Scoter, not a bad haul indeed!

As if not wanting to be bested by the wildfowl, the Islands also produced good records of divers, with 27 Red Throated, 3 Black Throated and 2 Great Northern Divers spotted by the team. A much admired Slavonian Grebe winged its way northwards along the Inner Sound, the first of the year, a cracking winter plumaged adult. Keeping with the firsts of the year, a winter plumage Black Guillemot or “Teisty” briefly landed on the Inner Sound before heading northwards, whilst the first Twite of the autumn was spotted flying amongst Inner Farne’s lingering flock of Linnet. Three late Sandwich Terns were also seen around the islands, possibly the last to be seen before they return to breed next April!

In other news, it appears three is the magic number, as our third grey seal pup has been born on the islands. Found on the North Wamses on the 7th October not too far from pup number 2, he should be in good company as he grows up! Large gatherings of females are now appearing on the rocks and tops of the islands, with only one purpose in mind, it won’t be long until the outer group of islands is speckled white!

Saturday 8th October totals: Whooper Swan 1, Barnacle Goose 1405, Pale-bellied Brent Goose 6, Mallard 17, Pintail 7, Wigeon 43, Teal 41, Tufted Duck 1, Common Scoter 13, Velvet Scoter 2, Long-tailed duck 3, Red Throated Diver 27, Black Throated Diver 3, Great Northern Diver 2, Slavonian Grebe 1, Peregrine 1, Oystercatcher 60+ in roost, Golden Plover 2, Great Skua 2, Arctic Skua 3, Sandwich Tern 3, Black Guillemot 1, Dunnock 1, Wheatear 2, Song Thrush 1, Redwing 2, Chiffchaff 1, Goldcrest 2, Wren 2, Brambling 1, Linnet 8, Twite 1.