By Will Collette
People like “Progressives” more than they like “conservatives.” According to a December 2011 survey by the Pew Research Center, 67% of the public have positive feelings about “progressives,” compared to 62% for second-place “conservatives.” At the bottom of the list were “socialists” who only have a 31% positive rating and a 60% negative rating.
You can probably get a discount on this 2012 calendar. If you still haven't gotten yourself that special 2012 wall calendar for your office, this may be the one for you. The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, based in Norway, offers a unique 2012 calendar illustrated with beautiful photos of field toilets used on actual Arctic expeditions.
I just wish we had known about these interesting sanitary facilities before we finalized the plans for our new beach sanitary facilities. With some state of the art Norwegian technology, we could have had year-round toilets that would draw people from as far away as Western Connecticut. Dim Bulbs, unite! Despite the best efforts of ultra-right-wing conservatives, new light bulb efficiency standards are now in effect. Even though Republicans cut funding for enforcement of the standards, that didn’t stop the law from going into effect on January 1.
The trade association for light-bulb manufacturers lobbied intensively against the Republican effort to block the change, arguing that they had already geared up to comply. Contrary to right-wing legend, the new standards do not ban incandescent light bulbs nor mandate the use of compact fluorescent bulbs. The standards simply require newly manufactured bulbs to be 30% more efficient.
A big step toward redeeming Penn State’s honor. Penn State doctoral graduate Trevor Blank is this year’s winner of the American Folklore Society’s prestigious W.W. Newell Prize. The prize goes to the writer of the best paper on childhood folklore. The title of Blank’s winning entry is “Cheeky Behavior” The Meaning and Function of ‘Fartlore’ in Childhood Adolescence.” His paper studies myths about farting, how farting shapes children, the difference between boys’ and girls’ farts and so much more. New York Times rates Curt Schilling’s video among “most anticipated.” Curt Schilling convinced former Governor Don Carcieri to slip him $75 million to move his video game company, 38 Studios, from Massachusetts to Providence. This ate up most of the capital that could have gone to help Rhode Island businesses grow and prosper, but hey, this is Curt Schilling. So what that he’s never produced a video game? Well, maybe we won’t lose that $75 million after all – the New York Times game reviewer put "Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning on his list of games to watch in 2012. Whether video gamers actually buy the game, and in enough quantity to keep 38 Studios afloat (and not incidentally to pay our money back), is one of those "I'll believe it when I see it" things.