Here’s a cute story of a couple trying to smuggle their dog into Hawaii (which has a six month quarentine): Busted! Please Put the Dog Down, Sir, and Step Away – New York Times. But what I want to know is how did they just happen to end up on a plane with Mickey Hart and Bill Cosby? What are the odds of that? I’ve been flying a lot of a long time and the only famous person I noticed was a professional basketball player. And I only noticed him because all the kids in the airplane were leaning in the aisle trying to catch a glimpse of someone in business class and there was this six foot six inch plus guy in business.
The Prejudice Map
This map of the world shows stereotypes found through Google searches. The data was put together by Google Blogoscoped.
Link: The Prejudice Map.
Women Role Models
Women have recently been elected to lead the governments of Liberia, Chile and Germany. These new female leaders did not have husbands or fathers who ruled before them, a notable difference from the past.
Very public toilet
This public toilet in Houston is made of entirely one way glass. It looks like mirrors from the outside, but from the inside it looks like you are sitting in the middle of the street. Check out the pictures.
Dogs Can Smell Cancer
Dogs can smell cancer. These researchers have trained dogs to sit when they smell lung cancer and they got it right 99% of the time. This is not new news. I wonder why it hasn’t been applied more globaly? Is it a shortage of cancer researchers who also know how to train dogs?
Dogs Excel on Smell Test to Find Cancer – New York Times.
For more dog posts see my blog Humans for Dogs.
Minimum Wage
Many states are now looking at raising the minimum wage in their states. The question is, when will the federal minimum wage level be raised? Can you imagine trying to live off $5.15/hour? About $10,000/yr? Could you pay your rent, groceries and utility bills on that?
You too are a descendent of Genghis Khan
Did you always want to be like Genghis Khan? Well, there’s a pretty good chance that you might be one of his descendents. If you are male, it’s a 1 in 200 chance! The long march of everyman | Economist.com.
there were few males more alpha in their behaviour than Genghis Khan, a man reported to have had about 500 wives and concubines, not to mention the sexual opportunities that come with conquest. It is probably no coincidence, therefore, that one man in every 12 of those who live within the frontiers of what was once the Mongol empire (and, indeed, one in 200 of all men alive today) have a stretch of DNA on their Y-chromosomes that dates back to the time and birthplace of the great Khan.
The article also points out that we tend to elect alpha males to office and then act surprised when they act like alpha males.
Note: This is not what the article is about. It’s about the move of early homo sapiens and how they populated the earth. I just found the Genghis Khan stat amazing.