J.C. Nemecek

The NY Times’ Green Blog has an interesting article about all things you do that you think save energy….which really don’t. Also, interestingly, your awareness of the environment impacts your perception of a green reality.

Delusions Abound On Energy Saving

The gap between perception and reality narrows somewhat, but not dramatically, with a respondent’s self-identification as an environmentally aware person.

The rather shockingly titled article, “Are Zombie Vultures in Our Future?,” discusses the effect of eating drug-treated livestock on the vulture population in Asia.

Apparently, vultures can consume rotting corpses without a problem — but add anti-inflammatory drugs into the mix and vultures start dropping dead.  It looks like this sensitivity is also an issue for owls, raptors, and other flesh-eating birds.

The dicynodonts were planting-eating mammal-like reptiles that lived during the Middle and Late Permian.  There’s limited evidence that they may have survived long enough to walk among the dinosaurs.

They look a bit like mole rats with a beak, in my opinion, and they ranged from as small as a rat up to the size of an ox.

Here’s a cool blog post with descriptions and illustrations of these weird creatures.

The Washington Post sent a food critic out to review the offerings at federal government cafeterias.

Although I think the review of the NIH cafeteria in B1 is fair, there are so many cafeterias on campus that doesn’t seem right to judge them all based on that one. In particular, the building 1 cafeteria is quite nice–even if it is much smaller than some of the others.

Here’s an interesting article discussing how someone could drown right in front of you–and you might not even notice.

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind.

In my household, we’ve really been enjoying the new Fox show The Good Guys:

My husband and I had a very brief conversation about which cop we are. It was clear, quickly, that I am the cop with the mustache. I wish I had ammunition to debate this, but I know I don’t. My husband is definitely the straight-laced cop.

Which cop are you, in your relationship?

Here’s an interesting post about why some countries drive on the right side of the road and others on the left.

During the middle ages the roads weren’t always very safe for travelers; meeting people coming the other way on the road was something best done defensively.  Historians then believe the keep-left rule was adopted because, on a horse, if you were right handed and you met some unsavory company on the road, you could draw your weapon, typically attached to your left side, with your right hand and bring it to bear quickly against the person who is going the opposite way of you on your right; all the while, controlling the reigns with your left hand.

All very interesting stuff–worth the read.

I loved driving on the “wrong” side of the road (for me, at least) when I visited New Zealand.  I found that after the first five minutes each day it felt very natural, like I had been driving that way all my life. Yet, somehow it was slightly more awesome.

I also had no trouble readjusting when I returned home to the States–even though I had always heard this was an issue.

I’m happy to share the most recent edition of the Carnival of Maryland with you!  I hope you enjoy these stories from bloggers all around the Free State.

• John Frenaye shares several bits of news:

The Abby Sunderland Saga Takes A Twist

Crofton Man Charged With Sexually Abusing Children

2nd Human Trafficking Arrest

and also Did That Waitress Just Hit On Me?

• Clark Bjorke shares No soup for you, Democrats posted at ROTUS.

• Cheryl Taragin says the closing of ESPN Zone will leave a hole in Baltimore hearts, posted at Reckons of Crass Construction.

• Susan’s post One year at Toddler Planet details life one year after the Red Line Metro crash.

• Clark Bjorke discusses a book where a man who spent a year living on Tilghman Island  working as a crewman on skipjacks and dredging oysters. I’ll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book!

A group of seventh graders drew pictures of what they thought a scientist would look like and also wrote a brief description of an average scientist. Then, they took a trip to the Fermilab.

Their pictures and descriptions changed dramatically after meeting real scientists. You can check out the results at this website.

Lesson learned? Us scientists dress like bums.

This book was suggested to me as a classic of the time travel genre. It didn’t disappoint.

Young Dan Eakins inherits a time machine. As he uses it, he realizes he is creating endless alternate realities. He tangles with new and altered versions of himself and the psychological effects of traveling through his own timeline.

Admittedly, the “surprise” ending is not a very big surprise. Perhaps it was less predictable when it was first published in 1973. This really takes very little away from the book.