I'm siiiiiiiinging in the raaaaaiiiiiin...

This musical number has been interrupted to bring you a special announcement from Gene Kelly's wife who wants a liberal NY Times columnist to apologize for using Bush and her late husband in the same sentence together. Ouch.

Science Saturday II - a shocking find

This is kind of cool, but that people test this seems creepy to me...

Science saturday I - Skinny people have it easier

“Dieticians are tested on this idea; textbooks quote it. But no one could tell me where it came from.”

A campaign is said to age people, but...

I know there's a lot of talk going on right now about the whole Bosnia "I misspoke" thing, which probably is more important than mentioning that Hillary is long overdue for an appointment with her Botox specialist. But she is. Long, long overdue.

-SM

Oregon Takes the Cake

Two "weird news" labels in one day? Oregon's on a roll.

-SM

Baby for Tweak

I'm speechless.

-SM

Still holding out hope

When I was in elementary school, we did this project where we each wrote a note that was then put inside a balloon. The balloon was then filled with helium and released, free to travel the world and choose someone out there to be the recipient of my note.

For all these years, I was sure that my balloon got tangled in some telephone wires or just popped after hitting a tree branch no more than 200 feet from my school, the note torn to shreds by some birds looking to build a new nest. But this story gives me renewed hope. Sure, this girl used a bottle instead of a balloon (wise choice). And yes, she dropped her bottle in the ocean (smart move). But now, 21 years later, her note was found. And the guy who found her bottle got in touch with her. Pretty cool.

Somewhere, my note is out there. And maybe someday, it'll reach its destination. I just hope that when it does, my note wasn't something like this.

-JT

Pods.

Pods = Procrastination.

Jack Bauer's Revenge on Canada

Looks like Jack's upset since 24 isn't airing until 2009. But this time, he's taking it out on his own people.

It seems like something comes up every day that makes me lose a bit of respect for our neighbors to the north.

-10-key princess

No stone left unturned

In case you were wondering if every single topic imaginable has been covered by one blog or another, I think we have our answer - Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians.

-JT

Dream Big

Remember those days in school when we'd each go around and tell the rest of the class what we wanted to be when we grew up? And response after response would be the same? "Baseball player." "Doctor." "Firefighter." "Lawyer." Each one more cliche than the previous one. Well, not anymore.



Could you imagine being the teacher whose student showed her this? If nothing else, at least she can take comfort in the fact that kids still look up to their parents. Mom must be so proud.

-JT

Desperate Princesses

-SM

Hey, It's Tradition

I treated my niece and nephew to see the dyeing of the river today, followed by a jaunt to Grant Park for the famous parade.

My 8-year old nephew asked me exactly what implications this had on the environment. I had to do some research. Apparently, it's not harmful. Apparently.

My answer to him at the time: "I don't know if this is bad for the river or not, but hey, it's tradition."

What a Republican answer.

-10-key princess

Happy St. Patrick's Day From Eliot Spitzer

I was bored so I made this today.



You can make your own by clicking on the "create your own" link above. Duh.

-JT

Science Saturday - II

For a bonus, a lesson on second order polynomials.

Science Saturday - Alligator

I'm sure Tee-hee has no comment.

The Fine Print

After talking with JT today, I did a quick search for the fine print on the Virgin Mobile ad. Here it is:
Gotta love the way Canadian ad agencies use outed American prostitute-seeking politicians to their advantage.

-10-key princess

Here they come

A new Virgin Mobile ad running in Canada:
Don't you just love advertising sometimes? Or, in my case, all the time? I'm sure this isn't the last ad we'll see using Mr. Spitzer as the butt of a joke.

-JT

Was St. Patrick a Republican?

There once were two cats of Kilkenny
Each thought there was one cat too many
So they fought and they fit, and they scratched and they bit
Till excepting their nails and the tips of their tails
Instead of two cats there weren't any.

-10-key princess

Brave commenters should post what they think this is an ad for before clicking...

Another lovely meme brought from the slow-publishing folks at memepool. I particularly like the shadenfreunde of watching the actors visibly do their best to pretend that this commercial was not going to be something will regret.

Ad from Eliot Spitzer's 2006 campaign for New York governor

Who else finds this just a tad ironic?

-JT

Dieses ist ganz verrückt!

Ok...Germany just fell down a notch for me. I guess nobody is perfect...

M, ty 4 b!

To the elusive "M" who had a scrumptious breakfast delivered to my door this morning, thank you. What a nice way to start off this day. (Michael, if it's you, you have an impeccable memory!)

M, D, L, K, R, and all of my fantastic friends and family . . . your thank-you cards are in the mail.

-10-key princess

Oprah Tickets

As a Chicago transplant, the first question all of our family and friends asked when we moved here was, "Have you seen Oprah yet?"

The answer? No.

I wasn't there when Tom Cruise maniacally jumped on Oprah's pretty leather couches, nor was I there when she gave away Spanx on her Favorite Things show. I didn't even score tickets to see Dr. Oz talk about poop or Nate Berkus share soothing stories about Fernando. And yes, to be clear, I'm somewhat disappointed that even though we live just minutes away, we still haven't had any run-ins with THE Oprah.

My husband just forwarded me this website for a company that calls and calls and calls on your behalf until they get through to the studio, guaranteeing tickets for you and three friends. The service fee for 4 tickets? $999. And that's probably not inclusive of Chicago's already-steep sales tax.

Why didn't I think of that first? Smart entrepreneurs!

-SM

Marumushi

This is the most visually fascinating news application ever.
Brilliant. But don't worry, beloved Drudge... I'll still remain loyal.

-10-key princess

Can I get a napkin please?

The latest from our friends at Improv Everywhere. You may remember them from "No Pants 2K8," "Frozen Grand Central" and "Mobile Desktops."



-JT

Happy Monday everyone!

I ♡ L.A.

It's all true.

Belated Science Saturday

Sorry for the absences, but I've been caught up with a few too many things the past two weeks.

I hope to make up for it by trying to talk about...global warming! Yay! A lot of this material is about one year late due to Al Gore's documentary and big oil's denial.

Before I jump into the proverbial swimming pool of double-edged razor blades, it'd be useful to talk about greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are special kinds of gaseous molecules. They are called greenhouse gases because they absorb energy from the sun and then reflect it in every direction - sometimes away from the earth, and something right into the earth.

Just like happenings in our bodies, processes in the atmosphere are governed by extremely delicate equilibriums. One of those equilibriums is the amount of radiation reaching the earth coming in from the sun. Greenhouse gases affect the amount of radiation reaching the earth.

How does this happen? First we need to see what makes a greenhouse gas. This is easy. Any molecule that is asymmetric will be a greenhouse gas to some degree. If a molecule displays any asymmetric nature, it will have something called an electric dipole, where the net number of electrons on one half of the molecule are different than the net number of electrons on another half of the molecule. If the molecule ever has a dipole, we call it "dipole active", and if it is dipole active, it will absorb energy and then radiate the energy out as infrared radiation.

If there are a lot of extra dipole active molecules in the air than the planet is used to, then there will be more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere emitting infrared radiation down to us. This will cause the planet's temperature to rise (but a big debate is to what degree will the temperature rise).

Here are the five main components of the earth's air:

(I know that if you add up all the percentages you will wind up with a number more than 100%. Thats because these compositions are all somewhat variable, with water vapor being the most variable depending on altitude, and proximity to bodies of liquid water.)

So lets learn about what we're breathing.

Nitrogen has a very strong 'triple-bond', and all of its electrons are are paired up into happy couples, so they are quite content being where they are. Because this molecule's electrons are so content, we usually call it "inert". Furthermore nitrogen is NOT a greenhouse gas because if we do a few tests on it (I'm going to call them the the stretch-test and the bend-test) the N-N molecule always will have an average number of electrons spread out in a symmetric manner. Nitrogen passes the stretch-test, and since it only has two atoms, it can't take the bend-test (we won't hold it against molecules that they can't take particular tests...)


Oxygen is a special molecule. Whereas nitrogen is very inert, oxygen has two electrons not paired up. Since two electrons are not paired up, this makes oxygen a very reactive molecule. (Reactive in the sense that it helps power our bodies, causes food to go bad, and helps makes metal rust.) Despite this great difference from nitrogen, oxygen is NOT a greenhouse gas. If you do the stretch-test on oxygen, you still have a very symmetric spreading of electrons around the whole molecule. Likewise, oxygen can't take the bend test. Oh well...

What about water? We all know about the importance of water to us and the planet. However, to determine if its dipole active, you should know that oxygen atoms hold many more electrons than hydrogen atoms. You don't even need to employ any test on water to see that there are more electrons on the left side of the molecule than on the right side, so water IS dipole active and IS a greenhouse gas. If anyone wonders why we don't talk about water as being something worth legislating, its because once water reaches high enough in the atmosphere it will cool and then condense to rain. The rain then falls to the ground and saps energy and heat to gain evaporate, thus cooling the earth. Basically, we consider the long-term effect of water as a greenhouse gas to be a wash (pun intended).

How about argon? Argon is a one of the "noble gases". That means it is a single atom, all of its electrons are paired up, and it is inert. If there was a single-atom equivalent to nitrogen gas, it would be a noble gas. Its just one atom, and for all intents and purposes, it is completely symmetric, so its not a greenhouse gas.

What about carbon dioxide? Well...its an interesting subject. Carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of us breathing out. Likewise, plants and vegetation need it for photosynthesis so they can live. In that sense its "natural". Is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas? It looks kind of like nitrogen and oxygen gases, and neither of those are greenhouse gases...but IT IS. Doing the stretch-test results in a still-symmetric molecules. However, the bend-test results in something looking bent like water. Oxygen atoms store more electrons than carbon atoms, so this molecule will be dipole active and will be a greenhouse gas...but only when it's bent.

Now, since carbon dioxide is only a greenhouse gas when it bends, its not necessarily as potent a greenhouse gas as water, which is always bent. (The dipole moment of water is also quite a bit stronger than the dipole moment of carbon dioxide.) Furthermore, there is about 25x as much water in the air as carbon dioxide, and its a natural molecule that plants and vegetation need in order to live. Thats enough data for some people to think that carbon dioxide isn't a pollutant.

The problem is, the reason why water isn't a serious greenhouse gas is not true in the case for carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide doesn't condense as easily in the atmosphere and fall to the ground cooling the earth. When it goes up...it just stays up there. It would be one thing if there was a mechanism in place to reprocess the carbon dioxide (besides rainforests which are getting cut down for development purposes), but there isn't, and so we wind up seeing charts like this where carbon dioxide is never really decreasing:


It just happens that there are also charts that look like this:


Now from basic physical understanding, we know that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Its also not going away, and the more of it there is the warmer the planet will be. It also happens that there is data that seems to support temperatures started getting a little funky around the turn of the 20th century. Scientifically, there isn't a sound way to show this though.

Does anyone know for sure if this trend is because of carbon dioxide (or other greenhouse gases)? NO! A recurring spread by non-scientists and big oil conglomerates is the argument that weather patterns are cyclical, and thus we can't presume anything about our own impact. Thats kind of a creepy thought though especially since...can we be 100% certain that humans are contributing to global warming? YES!

We know that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, we are producing more and more greenhouse gases that warm the earth, and so we are definitely causing an impact. We're seeing an impact now. We know what one of the causes of it is. So, it isn't so much that the 2nd chart is influenced by the 1st, its that the 1st chart alone is quite troubling. It's so troubling that some purveyors of crap (who are not surprisingly funded by big oil) do everything they can to muddle the picture. At least some people do their homework, here.

Maybe the solution is to just sue Al Gore. Sigh...

Dance, Sing, Floss and Travel

Last weekend was pretty awesome. Not only did I almost get mugged, have a 4-hour intensely emotional conversation with someone from my past, and make a commitment to apply for a reality show with a friend (not all the same person!), but I also got this shopping tote, which - let's face it - was almost more exciting than the dance clothes I took home in the bag.

So, here are some Deep Thoughts a la Lululemon Athletica:

• Coke, Pepsi and all other pops will be known as the cigarettes of the future. Colas are NOT a substitute for water. They are just another cheap drug made to look great by advertising.

• Do one thing a day that scares you.

• Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.

• Choose a positive thought. The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time.

• The world is changing at a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!

• Friends are more important than money.

• That which matters the least should never give way to that which matters the most.

• Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.

• Write down your short and long-term goals four times a year. Two personal, two business, and two health goals for the next 2, 5, and 10 years. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer.

And of course, my favorite (and this is so me!): DANCE, SING, FLOSS AND TRAVEL.

-10-key princess

Splurges for Mom

I found this article on Babycenter's website entitled "6 Splurges that are Worth It." Taking a bubble bath, buying a nice new outfit (sans stains), a DQ blizzard, mani-pedis, getting a sitter and going on a date, and going to a movie alone were some of the highlights on the list.

I'm taking it upon myself to add a few things to this list.

• Go on a trip with girlfriends only - and don't talk about the kids back home!

• Get Tivo. Record your favorite non-PBS shows to watch late at night with a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Mine include House, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Dancing With the Stars, and Divine Design.

• Join a gym with free child care. Go often, even if it just means you're going to sit in the locker room and watch Oprah and The View back-to-back.
• Get an iPod. I put in my earbuds whenever I'm doing laundry, cleaning the toilets, scrubbing the showers, or vacuuming. Makes chores fun and tunes out the kiddos.

• Once-a-Month Cooking. Cook everything you need one day a month. You can go to places like Dinner by Design if you don't like the prep and clean up.
  
• Get a pet. Goldfish, bird, dog, cat, whatever. Apparently, it's good for your health, too.
  

• Splurge on home decor. If you want a Restoration Hardware Parisian Armchair, get it!
• Get a DSW frequent shopper card. Enough said.

We deserve it! Moms, let's get a bit decadent and indulge!

-SM

All Swayze, all the time

I'm sure the timing was coincidental, but yesterday, VH1's Best Week Ever ran a blog posting titled "The Top 20 Stupid Faces Made by Patrick Swayze in Ghost." Hilarious.

Today, Patrick Swayze's reps announced that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Poor guy can't catch a break. We wish him a speedy recovery.

-JT

Riding Favre off into the sunset

Growing up as a life long Chicago Bears fan, I was conditioned to hate the Green Bay Packers. And I did. I hated them when Charles Martin picked up Jim McMahon and slammed him into the ground in 1986. I hated them when, in 1989, Packers QB Don "Magic Man" Majkowski cheated and crossed the line of scrimmage to throw a game-winning touchdown pass against the Bears. I hate (still do) those stupid cheeseheads their fans wear to games.

But while I've hated so much about the Packers over the years, the one thing I could never hate was Brett Favre. Yes, he sliced and diced the Bears throughout most of his career. But he was one of the most enjoyable players to watch on a football field in my lifetime. He was one of the few athletes who realized that he was an adult playing a kid's game, and it showed. No matter the situation, he was always having fun. It was refreshing.

Well, today Brett Favre announced that he was retiring from the NFL. Take a look at the shot of the front page of today's Green Bay Press-Gazette:


Favre played 17 magical seasons, and after last year, it looked like he still had a few more good ones in him. But he was tired, and from what I've seen and heard, it was more mentally than physically. Think about this - during Brett Favre's career, which began in 1992, the Chicago Bears have started 21 different quarterbacks. 21! That's absurd.

It's too bad Brett Favre is retiring. He really was one of the good guys of the NFL. And the one Packer I'm not ashamed to say I enjoyed watching play football.

-JT