Behavior

Nice guys do finish first, study confirms - Behavior- msnbc.com
At least when you're playing prisoner's dilemma under certain conditions where punishing people costs you. Still, nice to know.


Do three-strikes laws make criminals more violent? - By Ray Fisman - Slate Magazine
Yes. After all, if you're going to jail forever for your next crime, would you rather it was for jaywalking or pulling off a huge bank heist?


Clueless Guys Can't Read Women | LiveScience
"More often than not, guys interpret even friendly cues, such as a subtle smile from a gal, as a sexual come-on, and a new study discovers why: Guys are clueless."
And before you guess it's because most guys are horny, they also misinterpret actual flirting as being friendly. So actually, most of us just aren't sure what's going on most of the time.


Western and Asian observers judge facial expressions differently - International Herald Tribune
As you probably will guess, it's all about context for those crazy Asians. If one person is happy and everyone around him is not, Asians tend to rate his happiness lower than if he were alone. The reverse is true of Westerners. Well, ok, not the reverse. If you're really happy and everyone around you isn't, that doesn't mean you should be even more happy. That'd be silly. It's just the people around the person aren't taken into account as being part of that person's emotions.



Science


When Life Goes Cloudy - Olivia Judson - Evolution - Opinion - New York Times Blog
Some things actually do live in clouds. Warning: the author has a rather overblown writing style.


Scientist wins prize for 'virtual water' - Innovation- msnbc.com
He figured a way to include all the water that goes into a process or product. That's pretty handy, but why is this only now being recognized?


Growth hormone doesn't boost athletic abilities - Fitness- msnbc.com
Bad news for bodybuilders.


Food

Could we really run out of food? - MSN Money
The answer: we probably won't, but a lot of other people are screwed. Like everyone in North Korea.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | N Korea's food crisis 'worsening'
And this time it's not just the peasants.


Study: Corn ethanol will worsen 'dead zone' - LiveScience- msnbc.com
Hooray! In addition to making more people starve, driving up the price of gas, and driving up the price of food, ethanol produced from corn will create a bigger dead zone than ever before in the Gulf!
Thank you Congress.



Islam

Outrage over cartoons still trying for Danes - International Herald Tribune
Round two. Some more genius Muslims decided to prove to the world that they were being slandered - that they are not violent - by trying to murder one of their critics.
Fortunately, they were caught. And in a show of solidarity, all the Danish newspapers too cowardly to print those infamous cartoons last time around are now printing them. Naturally, this has been followed by more inane calls to violence.


And speaking of silliness...


China

Foreign nations support China's handling of Lhasa riot_English_Xinhua
Xinhua is always good for a laugh. Yes, it is true that some foreign countries have approved of shooting protesters for the crime of wanting foreign occupiers out. Those include such luminaries as Russia, Belarus, and Vietnam. Actually, that is the entirety of the list. The others are all very vague, noncommittal attempts not to anger the Chinese.


Tibetans mourn five young women who died in riot_English_Xinhua
More reliable Xinhua news. I feel kind of bad about posting this one, because it really is very sad. It's about six girls - they took shelter in their shop to hide from protesters. The protesters set fire to the shop. Five of the girls were burned alive. Only one escaped.
That is horrific, and sad. I cannot approve of that. It's perfectly justified to fight against those who oppress you, but killing people like those girls is inexcusable.
Of course, it is Xinhua, so it never mentions why the protesters are angry, or how many of them have died. It only mentions the pure, good, Chinese girls burnt to death by an angry crowd of Tibetans. And for that I despise them even more. Using those girls' deaths like that is disgusting.

And speaking of those riots...
I hadn't expected to, but I now have some respect for Nanci Pelosi.
Visiting Dalai Lama, U.S. House speaker denounces Chinese oppression - International Herald Tribune
If she's willing to meet with the guy, even though she knows how much that'll piss off the Chinese, that says something about her convictions. Or her lack of responsibility. It could be either...but I'm hoping it's the former.
She said, "If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression and (sic) China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world."


BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | New Chinese rules on Dalai Lama
You know those silly Buddhists aren't sufficiently loyal to Marxism, so of course the People's Republic must choose their religious leader for them. Yes, their power extends so far that they can choose who the Dalia Lama will reincarnate as. Simply amazing.

Innovation

A 'revolution' in batteries - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com
Batteries that could last ten times longer, thanks to silicon nanowires.

High-tech insulator created from rice husks - Innovation - MSNBC.com
You've heard of aerogel? A scientist from Malaysia figured out how to make it from rice husks - for about 1/5 of the usual cost.


Fed.Gov. Overreach

EPA justifies Calif. waiver denial - Environment - MSNBC.com
I understand why the EPA did it, and though I dislike the environmentalists (and suspect that if they were allowed to do as they wish, there would be tremendously costs without any real benefits), I do not see that the EPA should have the authority to regulate this. If one state wishes to have different automotive standards, so long as it does not impose those standards on visiting cars, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to do that. It'll cause problems, and it will be costly, but that doesn't mean it's illegal, or beyond their rights. Back off, Feds.

U.S. pulls the plug on Europeans who want to visit Cuba - International Herald Tribune
Another fine example of the US sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. Last I checked, Europeans were not subject to US law if they were not US citizens, and not in US territory, both of which are true if they are European and visiting Cuba (apparently this is still true in Guantanamo Bay, where US law also does not apply!)


Islam

Secular Pakistani wins Taliban support - World Blog - msnbc.com
Just like the title says - things aren't as simple as one would sometimes wish. Fortunately, they are more complicated than that, allowing solutions that don't suck as tremendously as wiping one group of people off the planet.

Young Iraqis are losing their faith in religion - International Herald Tribune
I can only consider this a good thing, if being religious means beheading, maiming, kidnapping, and just plain murdering innocent people. Another good sign of progress.

The archbishop of Canterbury's dangerous embrace of sharia. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine
This is probably no surprise to any of you, but the archbishop of Canterbury is sort of a moron. He wants to allow sharia law in the UK, for Muslims, doing away with "one law for everybody." Fortunately, he is a nobody. Does anyone even believe in state churches anymore?

Who needs a state censor when the press bites its own tongue so effectively? - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine
The press is cowardly, and loves appeasement. That's the gist of the article.


Science

Watching hyenas' social lives to understand intelligence - International Herald Tribune
Spotted hyenas turn out to be fairly intelligent, like other highly social creatures.

East and West: Seeing the world through different lenses - International Herald Tribune
The culture you are raised in changes the way you see the world. No, the image your eyes take in is roughly the same as anyone else's, it's just the way your mind processes it.

Urban landscapes force plants to evolve - LiveScience- msnbc.com
They change their seeds to take advantage of their new environment.

Why carpal tunnel cases are plummeting - More health news- msnbc.com
I'd forgotten all about that - used to hear about it all the time.

In romance, the hotties stick together - Behavior- msnbc.com
No surprise here - attractive people stick together, less attractive people stick together, but would like to be dating the attractive people...but they do learn to value other traits like humor.
Then again, the whole study was based off of hotornot.com data.

Dust mites, roaches can weaken your skin - Skin and beauty- msnbc.com
They make your skin weaker and more prone to damage. Bad news for people with already bad skin.

Aromatherapy is no cure for what ails you - Skin and beauty- msnbc.com
Surprisingly, in a study done by believers in aromatherapy, and funded by yet others, and performed on believers and non-, no evidence was found for aromatherapy having any effect whatsoever.

Smelly guy? It’s all in your nose - More health news- msnbc.com
Some people think guys stink. Like Gloria Steinem. Oh. Bad pun.
Others think men don't smell like much of anything; others like the smell. And it all has to do with what your particular copy of a gene is doing for your receptors.

Cell Phones Fuel Risky Behavior LiveScience
No surprise there. Women go places they ordinarily wouldn't, because they feel safer with cell phones. Etc.

Goo Makes Flu Worse in Winter LiveScience
Its protein coat gels up in the winter, making it more durable. When it reaches warm air, that outer coating falls apart. That's why summertime is bad news for the flu, and great news for us. Unfortunately, that coat lets it survive in cold temperatures much better; when it reaches warm air, like inside your lungs, it pops out and introduces itself in a way no one appreciates.

Asian cockroach found to eat crop-killing pests - International Herald Tribune
They look just like regular cockroaches, except they're really great to have around.



Hugo Chavez, War-Mongering Idiot

Colombia links slain rebel leader to Venezuela - International Herald Tribune
Supposedly, Chavez gave $300 million to FARC. And years ago, they gave him money, too. What happened to loving your neighbor as yourself? Oh, right. He already overthrew Venezuela's government.
Venezuela-Colombia conflict widens - Americas- msnbc.com
Also, FARC was supposedly attempting to purchase uranium. Some in the Colombian government say it was for a dirty bomb; others say it was to resell for profit.

Colombia escalates Venezuela's quarrel with U.S. - International Herald Tribune
Naturally, this has not been good for relations among nations in the Americas. No one wants a war, except maybe Chavez. And even he couldn't really want a war, could he? He's not likely to gain anything from it.