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I’ve always been fascinated by crow intelligence and at the same time amazed how few people recognize this intelligence especially since, according to some cognitive research, theirs exceeds that of dogs. This video lecture from a writer Joshua Klein, who has been involved with an amateur study of corvid behavior, highlights this.
Of course [...]
More Web Sightings hereBisphenol A or BPA is an important industrial chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. The plastics industry maintains that BPA is completely safe. But academic and government researchers say the chemical needs to undergo a new risk assessment.
...Read MorePercholorethylene, commonly known as perc, is used by about 80 percent of U.S. dry cleaners to remove stains and clean clothes.
When first introduced to dry cleaners in the 1930s, little was known about its health effects, and it was considered something of a miracle chemical because it could be aggressive on stains, but was not [...]
...Read MoreThe principle of maximum diversity operates both at the physical and at the mental level. It says that the laws of nature and the initial conditions are such as to make the universe as interesting as possible. As a result, life is possible but not too easy. Always when things are dull, something [...]
Is the current economic crisis, an ecological crisis? This is essential the question Thomas Friedman is asking in his latest NY Times Op-Ed:
What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years [...]
This absolutely infuriates me. From CNN, “a coalition of Democrats and some Republicans reached a compromise that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version of the Senate economic stimulus bill. Some of the cuts:
• $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)
• $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 [...]
An editorial in Artvoice discusses some salient themes for economic development in Buffalo and Upstate New York that will be the focus of an upcoming conference on September 27-28 in downtown Buffalo called “The High Road Runs Through the City.” The essay begins with some surprising news to me at least that Buffalo was [...]
From the Rochester D & CThe Big Boxes are getting a makeover.
Developers and municipalities are working more closely together to create buildings that blend in with the community.
Good enough. But as I’m reading this article, I’m realizing that this supposed national trend is about changing “facades”. Is good design really just about aesthetics?
A [...]
That is the title of an essay by Jon Rynn of the Sanders Research Associates and a thesis I clearly agree with: The Economy is an Ecosystem. (I’ve reprinted the entire article below since the site requires registration – though it is free!) The idea of course is meant more as a metaphor [...]
Commenting on this news post, Endicott’s Pollution Legacy and “The Glen”, Jesse over at the York Staters adds some additional background to the story.
A few years ago (6 I believe) when IBM was pulling out of the region, they were attempting to squeeze as much value out of the land as they [...]
Barbara Ehrenreich’s Bait and Switch may not be on the same level as her previous book, Nickel and Dimed, but it still has some important things to say on the current uncertainty in white collar employment. Some of the ideas discussed in her book seem especially relevant to supposed need to attract a “creative [...]
Baloghblog, NYCO, and Phil have been kicking around the concept of neighborhood. Its interesting because there is of course the generic conversation of what makes a neighborhood or a good neighbor. But there’s another sublime dimension in the fact that this web conversation is happening among local bloggers (neighbors!) which raises the [...]
The Observer-Dispatch has an thought-provoking interview with pollster John Zogby on the Rome-Utica area and the lack of vision in Upstate New York:
“I don’t think local officials are accustomed to thinking in terms of visions. I think they need to spend so much of their time micromanaging. Everything from the day-to-day issues to issues like [...]
My thoughts exactly (from Phil via NYCO):
I would be a Green Party member if the local chapter made even the slightest effort at organizing real people, working on real issues and gaining some real power.( Don’t Believe The Green Party Hype.)
I’ve always tried to throw a vote in the direction of the Greens when it [...]
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