I Love Cynics!

Alaska, Politics, and Book Reviews, Oh My!

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Entries Tagged as 'Science'

BOOK REVIEW: The Ancestor’s Tale

January 10th, 2008 · No Comments

Yes, I’m reviewing a four year old book. As the debate continues over evolution vs. intelligent design, and more of the fundamentalist right try to push creationism in the classroom, I decided to take a refresher course on the science of evolution. Consider it a sanity break.
I read other reviews of The Ancestor’s Tale: […]

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Tags: Book Review · Science

BOOK REVIEW: The Omnivore’s Delimma

December 5th, 2007 · 2 Comments

I had typed up a nice long review of this book, and then the database server ate it. Fitting… Let’s see if I can remember what I typed.

If you think you eat well, think again. Here’s an exercise for you. Go to your fridge or cupboard. Grab an item or two out at random. Don’t […]

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Tags: Book Review · Science · Politics

BOOK REVIEW: LiViNG GREEN

September 17th, 2007 · No Comments

The best parts of this book are the last 18 pages. No, that’s not really a slam on the book… well… you’ll see.
LiViNG GREEN: A practical guide to simple sustainability is exactly what the subtitle suggests; a guide to improving sustainability in your daily life. Everything, from what you eat to what you drive, has […]

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Tags: Book Review · Science · Politics

BOOK REVIEW: The World Without Us

September 6th, 2007 · 2 Comments

If I could award one person with Cynic of the Year, it’d go to Alan Weisman. How often have we, as the jaded cynical people we are, considered the thought experiment “What would this place be like if every one of us disappeared?” Usually there’s the addendum “except for me.”
No, in Weisman’s book we all […]

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Tags: Book Review · Science · Politics

Green Day

August 21st, 2007 · 1 Comment

Went to the Chena Hot Springs Renewable Energy Fair this weekend. I got there much later than I anticipated, and missed some of the talks. I have to say, one of the more interesting ones was the speech by Sen. Inouye of Hawaii.
In Alaska, we pride ourselves on our self-sufficiency and isolation from the “lower […]

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Tags: Alaska · Science · Politics

Kensington Mine Permit Illegal

May 22nd, 2007 · 1 Comment

A momentary sigh of relief. A couple of years ago, I wrote here about the possible damage from the dumping of tailings into Slate Lake by the Kinsington Mine. I then let it slip off my radar. Good news came today.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, CA, ruled today that the […]

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Tags: Alaska · Science · Politics

Mayors meet on global warming

September 15th, 2006 · No Comments

Scientific consensus, particularly when it comes to global warming, is a much misunderstood and often misrepresented term. At it’s simplest, the term means that through a process of experimentation and peer review a scientific concept has been accepted, without any substantial doubt, by the scientific community.
This happens to be the case for global warming, where […]

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Tags: Alaska · Science · Politics

Some people pray for rain, others dig a well.

September 5th, 2006 · No Comments

That was a phrase I heard this weekend. Wish I could remember where, so I could attribute it to whoever said it. It brought me back to the argument of religion vs. science, though I don’t think that was what was being discussed when the phrase was uttered.
I take a lot of flack from people […]

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Tags: Religion · Science

Geothermal electricity debuts in Alaska

August 21st, 2006 · No Comments

This weekend I attended the 1st Annual Chena Renewable Energy Fair. While it was a drizzly gray day, the plethora of interesting booths, and the tour of Chena Hot Springs Resort’s new geothermal electric plant was to big of a draw to keep me away.
The plant is the first geothermal plant in Alaska and is […]

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Tags: Alaska · Science · Politics

Review: The Republican War on Science

August 14th, 2006 · No Comments

Reposting this lost book review
There is no doubt that the current administration will be known for its myriad failures. From Iraq to cronyism, Bush Jr.’s reign has been one of corruption and deceit. While the press seems to have done a fair, though not excellent, job reporting these infractions, there’s one that seems to have […]

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Tags: Book Review · Religion · Science · Politics