check yourself

in slate's today's papers, andrew rice references a NYTimes "Dust Bowl" comparison for current dry conditions in the great plains.

unfortunately, the lazy NYT repeatedly characterizes it this way--having done it 8 times since 1980.

Finally, the NYT reefers a big piece on arid conditions in the Great Plains, which have left "farmers and ranchers with conditions that they compare to those of the Dust Bowl of the 1930's." It's the worst drought since … well, maybe 2003, "an extremely dry summer that … brought back memories of the 1930's Dust Bowl" (NYT, 9/5/03). Or maybe 2002, when "farmers shrug[ed] and wonder[ed] if a new Dust Bowl [would] soon be upon them" (NYT, 5/3/02). Or 1998: "a dry spell that officials say shows signs of developing into the costliest and most devastating the region has seen since the Dust Bowl years" (NYT, 8/12/98). Or 1996: "Coming after two years of low rainfall and a number of other weather problems, the ferocity of this year's drought has slowly begun to evoke memories for some here of the Depression-era Dust Bowl" (NYT, 5/20/96). Or 1988: "Since the spring's dry weather evolved into the worst drought since the Dust Bowl, the farm policy has been turned upside down" (NYT, 7/10/88). Or 1982: "And when the winds come, turning the sky dark with dust and burying fence rows under shifting dunes of soil and thistle, those who are old enough remember the bleak days of the Dust Bowl." (NYT, 5/14/82). Or 1980: "Is the nation in for a new Dust Bowl or at least a succession of scorching summers?" (NYT, 7/17/80).

the lame newspaper that cries wolf

¶ - nitish @ 9:00 AM | 0 comments

  who's the puppet now

following up on the (not so) cookie monster debacle, the blue beast subjects himself to an interview with matt lauer.
however, when matt overstate the dietary change, cookie monster puts his paw down:
No! You members of the media blow story way out of proportion! Me still like cookies!i have to find audio of that one

¶ - nitish @ 3:22 PM | 0 comments

  colbert kinda sucks

mr goodwrench pitchman stephen colbert gets loads of MSM attention (if not ratings) despite evidence of unfunny material.

in order to piggyback another popular phenomenon, colbert rips-off a 3 year old video by the 25 year old star wars kid.

with all those writers, you'd think they could come up with something funny on their own

¶ - nitish @ 3:08 PM | 0 comments

 

much ink (and many pixels) have been devoted to the 'asian miracle', including the ascendance of china economically, politically, etc.

but china also worries about the little things like protests, domestic animation, and strippers at funerals (via the uk reg)...
apparently scantily clad women are brought in to up the attendance at funerals. the gov't crackdown includes the ever helpful tip line with rewards
...i hope they pay out in dollar bills...

similar to the accented cow story, this story could have gone with multimedia aids

¶ - nitish @ 8:50 AM | 0 comments

  this animal story demands audio

animal stories intrigue: when they are wacky, heartless, heroic, ironic.

while it may not be as catchy as snakes on a plane, but cows with accents grabbed me.
i'd really like to hear a cockney moo as opposed to a drawl moo

¶ - nitish @ 9:01 AM | 0 comments

  the nature of global warming

enviros tend to confuse doubts about global warming being manmade and global warming, going so far as to reject dissension from the party line. taking it to the extreme, haters link bush and hurricanes.

"the most comprehensive [study] ever conducted on the movements of Greenland's glaciers" reveals the glaciers shrinking for well over 100 years.

those who doubt man as principle cause global warming point to such natural phenomena (it even extends to space).
further, the cost-benefit analysis of onerous actions like the kyoto protocol led to senate rejection of its principles--which signatories appear to mock

¶ - nitish @ 8:42 AM | 0 comments

  underreported progress on AIDS in africa

in the boston globe, john donnelly relates progress in africa, partially owing to bush 43 initiatives.

Today, the change for the better is astonishing: Idoko now treats nearly 6,000 HIV-positive patients. He has expanded his clinic three times in five years, and his waiting room once again is too crowded. ``Now, we are eyeing an abandoned building nearby," he said last week, chuckling.
The major reason for Idoko's success is the Bush administration's AIDS program, which in the last three years has sent billions of dollars to Africa and helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

unfortunately, their appears to be institutional resistance to anything bush among

One telling moment in Toronto came last Sunday when Bill Gates, whose foundation has spent billions on global health in recent years, praised PEPFAR, prompting a chorus of boos from the audience.

that's right the two people who have perhaps devoted the most resources for causes in africa get booed.
the resistance likely stems from 3 buzzwords: 'abstinence', 'faith based', local. taking them one by one...
donnelly explains that less than 10% go towards abstinence programs. the wariness of support for faith-based orgs is undercut by the fact that africa's medical services (hospitals and clinics) often are run by them. finally the local control of resources fails in africa due to mind-boggling corruption in where leaders live it up at their countries' expense. the corruption proves so pervasive that it's allowed in sports)

¶ - nitish @ 8:51 AM | 0 comments