With growing speculation that electric cars and other energy efficient vehicles will soon dominate markets worldwide, Bolivia is a nation that perhaps stands to benefit (or suffer) more than any other from the energy revolution. The reason: lithium.
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Monday, February 09, 2009
How to think like a mathematician
Mathematicians are often considered to be a world apart, more Archimedes than average Joe. However, a new book sets out shortcuts that can give anyone with an interest a head start in mathematical thinking.How to Think Like a Mathematician, by Dr Kevin Houston, a maths lecturer at the University of Leeds, aims to be a one-stop guide to the tricks
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A New Puzzle Challenges Math Skills
KenKen, which starts in The New York Times today, is a new numerical logic puzzle from Japan.
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Gmail Poised to Surpass Hotmail by End of 2009
The growth of Google's Gmail service is accelerating and, if current trends continue, it could surpass Windows Live Hotmail by the end of this year.Between December 2007 and December 2008, Gmail's number of unique monthly visitors in the United States grew 43%, from 20.8 million to 29.6 million, according to ComScore.
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Will the Incas become the New Arabs?
Bolivia is the site of some of the biggest lithium fields. This element, the third in the periodic table of the elements, after hydrogen and helium; is going to be more and more important in the making of batteries. With coming electric cars, the reader may perhaps imagine how important this resource is. We are talking here of billions of dollars.
Evo Morales is the first Aymara indian ever to govern Bolivia.
He has promised to use that wealth for the benefit of Incas.
This is a historic opportunity for this South American country. I felt the same way when in the early seventies it was becoming more and more clear that the price of oil could not go but up. Sadly after more than thirty years, all I can report about that Arab renaissance I was hoping for, is that the money coming from oil resources went mainly into wasteful and decadent lifestyles of the Arab kings.
I hope we don't get a new slew of Inca Kings wasting away the wealth of their people.
So far President Evo Morales has shown prudence and wisdom. This has to continue. Long Live the Inca. A new era must begin for the people that moved to this continent more than ten thousand years ago.
Evo Morales is the first Aymara indian ever to govern Bolivia.
He has promised to use that wealth for the benefit of Incas.
This is a historic opportunity for this South American country. I felt the same way when in the early seventies it was becoming more and more clear that the price of oil could not go but up. Sadly after more than thirty years, all I can report about that Arab renaissance I was hoping for, is that the money coming from oil resources went mainly into wasteful and decadent lifestyles of the Arab kings.
I hope we don't get a new slew of Inca Kings wasting away the wealth of their people.
So far President Evo Morales has shown prudence and wisdom. This has to continue. Long Live the Inca. A new era must begin for the people that moved to this continent more than ten thousand years ago.
Iran’s China Option
Can Iran manage a Chinese-style reform where its Islamic hierarchy endures through change, or does opening to America equal Soviet-style implosion?
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In Global Economic Crisis, Mexico Is Resilient - NAM
New America Media is a nationwide association of over 700ethnic media organizations representing the development of a more inclusive journalism. Founded in 1996 byPacific News Service, New America Media promotes ethnic media by strengthening the editorial and economic viability ofthis increasingly influential segment of America's communicatio
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The Milky Way Poll
The results of the poll were.
1 No
1 Don't know
5 Too much light in my town
My readers are astronomically savvy. Only one doesn't know, 4 must live in small towns with no light pollution, the ones that said no could've also chosen the non exclusive answer too much light.
I cannot see it in Chilpancingo, too much light in this town. Also we have too much smoke because old traditions among peasants make them burn their fields.
Thanks
CAN YOU SEE THE MILKY WAY AT NIGHT?
4 Yes1 No
1 Don't know
5 Too much light in my town
My readers are astronomically savvy. Only one doesn't know, 4 must live in small towns with no light pollution, the ones that said no could've also chosen the non exclusive answer too much light.
I cannot see it in Chilpancingo, too much light in this town. Also we have too much smoke because old traditions among peasants make them burn their fields.
Thanks
Oil Prices: Get Ready for the Rebound
Oil bears claimed victory Friday, pushing crude down as much as 6% before finishing down about 2% as grim employment data underscored the dismal shape of the U.S. economy.
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The Destructive Center
President Obama’s pursuit of bipartisanship, warped his economic strategy. The cuts imposed by “centrists,” have led to an inadequate, insufficient stimulus bill.
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Friday, February 06, 2009
As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force
With the economic downturn taking a toll on industries that employ more men, women are close to surpassing men on the nation’s payrolls.
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Arpaio’s America is OUR AMERICA
THESE ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS, THEY'RE ILLEGAL ALIENS COMMITTING CRIMES JUST BY BEING IN OUR COUNTRY WITHOUT PROPER DOCUMENTS.....WE WANT THEM GONE AND SHERIFF ARPAIO WINS BIG IN EVERY ELECTION...HE'S RIGHT AND THE NY TIMES IS WRONG, AS USUAL.....TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK, CONTROL OUR BORDERS. WE ARE BEING OVER RUN BY ILLEGALS DRAINING SOCIAL SERVICES.
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Tough Times at Obama Inc.
Face it, you miss George W. Bush. Ever since he slunk off the scene, things have gotten all vague and squishy.
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Playing With Fire
Republicans in Washington have behaved like a milling crowd standing in the way of firefighters trying to respond to a devastating blaze. Unfortunately, what is in flames is the economy.
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Senate Saw the Light
I guess after two weeks, the Senators understood the urgency of the situation.
Now everybody come behind our leader!
So far so good. Politics is messy, we who are not in politics, do not understand it. At least I do not understand the political man and woman mentality.
I heard and agree, that most people don't know how sausages are made, and it is better that way. The same saying goes for laws. I just trust Obama, Emmanuel, Schumer, Orzag, and a few more. I really do not want to know all the deals that went behind this agreement.
"The deal, announced on the Senate floor, was a result of two days of tense negotiations and political theater. Mr. Obama dispatched his chief of staff to Capitol Hill to reassure senators in his own party and called three key Republicans to applaud them for their patriotism."
Now everybody come behind our leader!
So far so good. Politics is messy, we who are not in politics, do not understand it. At least I do not understand the political man and woman mentality.
I heard and agree, that most people don't know how sausages are made, and it is better that way. The same saying goes for laws. I just trust Obama, Emmanuel, Schumer, Orzag, and a few more. I really do not want to know all the deals that went behind this agreement.
"The deal, announced on the Senate floor, was a result of two days of tense negotiations and political theater. Mr. Obama dispatched his chief of staff to Capitol Hill to reassure senators in his own party and called three key Republicans to applaud them for their patriotism."
When the Chinese Come to Mexico.
The BBC (below) writes this:
"China faces droughts and floods annually but has seen a recent increase in extreme weather conditions."
I have written before about China's interest on Latin America, and Mexico in particular. They are welcome.
I worry though. Do they know something we don't? Here in Guerrero water is just there for the taking. All we have to do is collect when it rains, and use it all year long. For historic reasons that I have explained somehow in this blog, that has not happened. There is no fundamental reason I am aware of to stop water management infrastructure, besides the technical backwardness of Guerrero's people.
I do feel like the earthlings in a Twilight episode, "To Serve Man" . Rod Serling made us believe all through the beginning of the episode that the idea was to help us; at the end we find out the true meaning of that statement. Are the Chinese eying our water or thinking of our well being?
We'll find out, I hope that soon enough.
"China faces droughts and floods annually but has seen a recent increase in extreme weather conditions."
I have written before about China's interest on Latin America, and Mexico in particular. They are welcome.
I worry though. Do they know something we don't? Here in Guerrero water is just there for the taking. All we have to do is collect when it rains, and use it all year long. For historic reasons that I have explained somehow in this blog, that has not happened. There is no fundamental reason I am aware of to stop water management infrastructure, besides the technical backwardness of Guerrero's people.
I do feel like the earthlings in a Twilight episode, "To Serve Man" . Rod Serling made us believe all through the beginning of the episode that the idea was to help us; at the end we find out the true meaning of that statement. Are the Chinese eying our water or thinking of our well being?
We'll find out, I hope that soon enough.
China declares drought emergency
China has declared an emergency in northern and central drought-hit regions, where nearly four million people are suffering water shortages.Nearly half of China's winter crop - some 10m hectares (24m acres) of wheat and rape seed - are also under threat. China's drought relief office called it an event "rarely seen in history".
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LHC Now Targeted For "Late 2009" Startup
Here we go again. Giving doomsayers yet more time to predict the end of the Earth, the perpetually delayed restart of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has once again been pushed back.
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Why Geithner Was Worse Than Daschle
The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting team—and authors of The Great American Tax Dodge—on the breakdown of America’s tax system—and why Timothy Geithner’s lapses were far more egregious than Tom Daschle’s.
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Senators Close to Reaching Accord on Stimulus Bill
Spurred by a dismal unemployment report, senators were close to agreement on an $800 billion economic stimulus program sought by President Obama.
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Susana Rappo
My friend, the Economist, Susana Rappo, originally from Argentina, but now living in Mexico since a long time ago, writes today in "La Jornada de Oriente" (Spanish language) the financial crisis Mexico is going through.
She should know, she has relatives living in the US, the dollar-peso exchange is in turmoil.
From what I read, I do expect more intervention by the Mexican State. If the past is any guide, our fearless leaders go ahead, save themselves, and most of us pay the broken china.
She should know, she has relatives living in the US, the dollar-peso exchange is in turmoil.
From what I read, I do expect more intervention by the Mexican State. If the past is any guide, our fearless leaders go ahead, save themselves, and most of us pay the broken china.
Economy Sheds 598,000 Jobs in January
Job losses were once again spread across both manufacturing and services industries, reinforcing the picture of an economy contracting at its fastest pace in decades.
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Low Intensity War in Chilpancingo?
Today in La Jornada Guerrero I read that a group of journalists were harrased by Army personnel on the streets of Chilpancingo. If you understand Spanish, read the note here .
It is difficult to predict human behavior, which produces social changes, I do not claim to know what is coming. All I can do is report what I see. My salary is 30% less than when I got here, you can read in the note above that the US has a terrible job situation right now.
I see clear signs of some social change coming. I do not know what it is, but I'll keep my eyes open to take my next step.
It is difficult to predict human behavior, which produces social changes, I do not claim to know what is coming. All I can do is report what I see. My salary is 30% less than when I got here, you can read in the note above that the US has a terrible job situation right now.
I see clear signs of some social change coming. I do not know what it is, but I'll keep my eyes open to take my next step.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
On the Edge
Washington has lost any sense of the reality that we may well be falling into an economic abyss, and that if we do, it will be very hard to get out again.
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Reality
Paul Krugman is catatonic (see above).
These bozos in Washington just kept playing old games while the sky is falling. Before we had one Nero playing fiddle as Rome burned. Now there is a bunch of senile old hags going at it as if there is no tomorrow. At this rate there may not be one.
I am in dire economic stress, so I understand Paul. Of course people can blame me and not the system for my sorry state.
It does feel like a lot is going to go down these coming days.
I'll try to run for cover.
These bozos in Washington just kept playing old games while the sky is falling. Before we had one Nero playing fiddle as Rome burned. Now there is a bunch of senile old hags going at it as if there is no tomorrow. At this rate there may not be one.
I am in dire economic stress, so I understand Paul. Of course people can blame me and not the system for my sorry state.
It does feel like a lot is going to go down these coming days.
I'll try to run for cover.
Contradictions Between Obama’s Politics and Ethics
The leader of the Cuban Revolution wrote that, a few days ago he referred to some of Obama’s ideas which point to his role in a system that denies every principle of justice, he adds that he’d rather address some questions of many that could be raised and that the new President of the United States should answer
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What Stops Population Growth? [VIDEO]
Hans Rosling is once again debunking myths. Watch this high-definition video to find out what population growth really is.
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Why Do We Live in Three Space Dimensions?
Low dimension geometry teaches us that unique cases happen when there isn't enough space. Phase transitions cannot occur in one dimension. One dimensional mathematics like Ising's solution for a magnet system; does not show a phase transition. In two dimensions or more it is possible to have a transition, as Onsager showed in 1942.
Apart from Statistical Mechanics there are other geometric arguments to consider. Hamilton's version of Mechanics can be studied with Symplectic Geometry. Even though the dimensions in this so called phase space, are not the dimensions of space, Symplectic Geometry needs an even number of dimensions. From the dimension point of view, we cannot have a one or three dimensional symplectic structure. I am not saying that the three dimensions of space are explained by the need of the symplectic mathematics to have an even number of dimensions, what I'm saying is that I haven't understood the implications of the number of space dimensions in the structure of reality.
The complex plane is two dimensional. Cartesian products of this structure also give us even dimensional spaces. Quaternions are four dimensional. Now I say Symplectic Geometry also needs even dimensions. I am trying to understand the significance of this.
Poincaré's conjecture in three dimensions was hard to prove. Odd dimensions again.
Imagine that after the big explosion we believe gave birth to all we know, there were all kinds of possibilities for the number of macroscopic dimensions. Why did we end with three space and one time?
This question may be deeper than why we don't have yet a Quantum Theory of Gravity?
And my thoughts go on.
New Proposal March 2011 arXiv
Apart from Statistical Mechanics there are other geometric arguments to consider. Hamilton's version of Mechanics can be studied with Symplectic Geometry. Even though the dimensions in this so called phase space, are not the dimensions of space, Symplectic Geometry needs an even number of dimensions. From the dimension point of view, we cannot have a one or three dimensional symplectic structure. I am not saying that the three dimensions of space are explained by the need of the symplectic mathematics to have an even number of dimensions, what I'm saying is that I haven't understood the implications of the number of space dimensions in the structure of reality.
The complex plane is two dimensional. Cartesian products of this structure also give us even dimensional spaces. Quaternions are four dimensional. Now I say Symplectic Geometry also needs even dimensions. I am trying to understand the significance of this.
Poincaré's conjecture in three dimensions was hard to prove. Odd dimensions again.
Imagine that after the big explosion we believe gave birth to all we know, there were all kinds of possibilities for the number of macroscopic dimensions. Why did we end with three space and one time?
This question may be deeper than why we don't have yet a Quantum Theory of Gravity?
And my thoughts go on.
New Proposal March 2011 arXiv
Holographic universe may herald new era in physics
Researchers searching the depths of space to study gravitational waves may have stumbled on one of the most important discoveries in physics: A holographic universe.
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Economic Decline Lifts the Prospects of a Vocal Populist
The dominant political figure of Mexico’s left seemed to be heading toward irrelevance, but the recession has created opportunities for his brand of economic populism.
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Mexico: Killing of American Is Questioned
A human rights organization said its review of forensic evidence in the shooting of an American while he filmed protests contradicts the government’s findings.
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Mexico Crisis Response Linked to U.S., Carstens Says
Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican Finance Minister Agustin Carstens said the economy’s ability to mitigate the global financial crisis this year will depend largely on the U.S. stimulus plan and how quickly financial markets stabilize.
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Mexico’s Central Bank Intervenes to Halt Peso Slide
Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Mexico’s central bank bought pesos in the foreign-exchange market after the currency plunged to a record low today.
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
An Ode to the Stimulus Bill
What’s not to like about the stimulus bill? That it’s messy? My desk is messy. Everything Congress ever touches is messy.
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The Unthinkable Option
In the effort to get Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program, the U.S. military option is not an option. It is unthinkable.
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Reprogramming Biology: Scientific American
Biology is now in the early stages of a historic transition to an information science, while also gaining the tools to reprogram the ancient information systems of life. Our electronic devices typically update their software every few months, yet the 23,000 software programs called genes inside our cells have not changed appreciably in thousands ..
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Five Mysteries of The Universe
Even today, there are scientific phenomena that defy explanation. If history is anything to go by, resolving these anomalies could lead to a great leap forward, so what are the greatest mysteries, and what scientific revolutions might they bring?
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World's largest telescope under construction
China has begun building the biggest radio telescope in the world, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). Sitting in a natural bowl-shaped depression in a remote region of Guizhou province, southwestern China, FAST is due to be completed in 2014.
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Singularity University: You, too, can study the future: Scie
Just how special is your intelligence? If you're a unique kind of smarty-pants, you can go to Singularity University, a program launched this week with the lofty intention of tackling "humanity's grand challenges."
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Make Money
What I really wanted to write about is how to make money?
The question is as basic as how to have children and feed them. That is all we do. I happened to go to the states when they were throwing people out of jobs. Not the best timing. Now I wonder what to do next. I came back to Mexico, but again the card deck turned against me.
Inside me I feel that there must be ways to make money. I guess I'll keep trying.
The question is as basic as how to have children and feed them. That is all we do. I happened to go to the states when they were throwing people out of jobs. Not the best timing. Now I wonder what to do next. I came back to Mexico, but again the card deck turned against me.
Inside me I feel that there must be ways to make money. I guess I'll keep trying.
Money
As almost everybody knows, paper money is a symbol for value. In the past real gold coins were carried around, and stolen. Printing more bills may not solve today's problems. Real objects, say computers, cars or corn flakes, are the real issue. Should I worry about the present financial crisis?
Trust is gone, Madoff took care of that.
Is the trust in Obama enough to pull this through?
Both statement and question make me feel uncomfortable, I feel I am writing about ghosts. A few friends and relatives read these lines, and some curious readers that fall around here. I am trying to clarify these issues for myself, so I know what is the next step. That is a way of life that will last until I stop breathing.
My symbolic money is shrinking here in Mexico. Thirty percent less than at the beginning of this new stage of my life.
More than the end of the world, I am worried about the end of my ability to get greenbacks.
Trust is gone, Madoff took care of that.
Is the trust in Obama enough to pull this through?
Both statement and question make me feel uncomfortable, I feel I am writing about ghosts. A few friends and relatives read these lines, and some curious readers that fall around here. I am trying to clarify these issues for myself, so I know what is the next step. That is a way of life that will last until I stop breathing.
My symbolic money is shrinking here in Mexico. Thirty percent less than at the beginning of this new stage of my life.
More than the end of the world, I am worried about the end of my ability to get greenbacks.
EDUARDO CANTORAL Y LA PIÑATA
EN UNA DE LAS POSADAS EL DR. CANTORAL MAESTRO DE LA UAG, FUE EL GANON EN QUEBRAR LA PIÑATA, POR SU FUERZA BRUTA
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Urgency at the Shores of the Huacapa
Today we had our "Candelaria" tamal and atole feast. Whoever gets the little Jesus baby doll inside the Kings Day sweet bread on January 6, has to provide this food February 2, The Candle Mass Day is a Jewish holiday. Jesus was taken after a few days for this mass, and catholics take the baby Jesus for this.
Some friends and I were talking about the development of our school, and our State. There is a river here in Chilpancingo that is dead, Rio Huacapa. As the river goes so will the town and the State.
It doesn't look good.
Some friends and I were talking about the development of our school, and our State. There is a river here in Chilpancingo that is dead, Rio Huacapa. As the river goes so will the town and the State.
It doesn't look good.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long
It took Tom Daschle’s resignation to shake the president out of his attitude that his circle doesn’t have to abide by the standards he lectured us about for years.
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Don’t Try This at Home
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is now broken into so many different pieces it may take a whole State Department of its own to resolve it.
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Symplectic Integrator and the Jacobi-Gómez Morin Problem
These equations turn up in the study of the Symplectic Integrator when generalized to high orders. It is interesting that one gets cubic roots, which can be studied by Domingo Gómez Morín's methods .
Symplectic Integrator
Symplectic Geometry is a relatively new branch of this old science, Geometry. What is it good for?
If you are interested in the stability of a newly discovered pair of planets in a solar system far, far away. Then you can use the Symplectic Integrator. Correia et al. did just that (below HD45364). Using Hamilton's version of classical mechanics, they were able to integrate the equations of motion of a pair of big planets in the presence of their star.
Old Newton would've been proud of his baby: Classical Mechanics.
If you are interested in the stability of a newly discovered pair of planets in a solar system far, far away. Then you can use the Symplectic Integrator. Correia et al. did just that (below HD45364). Using Hamilton's version of classical mechanics, they were able to integrate the equations of motion of a pair of big planets in the presence of their star.
Old Newton would've been proud of his baby: Classical Mechanics.
Vladimir Igorevich Arnol'd (1937- )
"Many modern mathematical theories arose from problems in mechanics and only later acquired that axiomatic-abstract form which makes them so hard to study"
I am very happy, since I am teaching math students Classical Mechanics. I will use Arnol'd's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics.
What a treat!
I am very happy, since I am teaching math students Classical Mechanics. I will use Arnol'd's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics.
What a treat!
The Battle of the Tribes
Through my life I've known Cain-Abel kind of battles. The children of Jacob v.s. the children of Ishmael. Here in my country the Aztecs v.s. the Tlaxcaltecs, and on, and on, and on. In the work place I saw good friends of mine battling over the common good.
Maybe it is productive, but I've seen some destructive battles.
I am resigned to see them until the day I die.
Amen.
Maybe it is productive, but I've seen some destructive battles.
I am resigned to see them until the day I die.
Amen.
Is Pluto a Planet?
This sounds like a grammar school question. Nevertheless Correia et al. (below) just posted their discovery of a 3:2 mean motion resonance in a planetary system, far, far away.
I belatedly vote to have Pluto back.
The Neptune Pluto couple should be high in our list of things to know, even since our grammar school days. This way any of these pairs we discover can be easily analyzed once we remember everything there is to know about our own synchronous pair!
Correia et al. write:
"It is quite remarkable that, in contrast to the findings of
Correia et al. (2005) for the 5:1 resonance in the HD202206 system, there is perfect coincidence between the stable 3:2 resonant islands, and curves of minimal χ2 obtained in comparing with the observations. Since these islands are the only stable zones in the vicinity, this picture presents a very coherent view of dynamical analysis and radial velocity measurments, which reinforces the confidence that the present system is in a 3:2 resonant state."
Chaos Theory is good to know that exoplanets are stable. I did not imagine that!
I belatedly vote to have Pluto back.
The Neptune Pluto couple should be high in our list of things to know, even since our grammar school days. This way any of these pairs we discover can be easily analyzed once we remember everything there is to know about our own synchronous pair!
Correia et al. write:
"It is quite remarkable that, in contrast to the findings of
Correia et al. (2005) for the 5:1 resonance in the HD202206 system, there is perfect coincidence between the stable 3:2 resonant islands, and curves of minimal χ2 obtained in comparing with the observations. Since these islands are the only stable zones in the vicinity, this picture presents a very coherent view of dynamical analysis and radial velocity measurments, which reinforces the confidence that the present system is in a 3:2 resonant state."
Chaos Theory is good to know that exoplanets are stable. I did not imagine that!
HD45364, a pair of planets in a 3:2 mean motion resonance
Precise radial-velocity measurements with the HARPS spectrograph reveal the presence of two planets orbiting the solar-type star HD45364. The companion masses are msin i = 0.187 MJup and 0.658 MJup, with semi-major axes of a = 0.681AU and 0.897AU, and eccentricities of e = 0.168 and 0.097, respectively. A dynamical analysis of the system further..
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LaTeX/Tables
In academic writing, tables are a common feature, often for summarising results from research. It is therefore a skill that needs mastering in order to produce good quality papers.
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iPhone 4G Concept Is a MacBook In a Phone
Oh. So. Pretty. It needs some small aesthetic fixes here and there, but boy I would like to see something along these lines coming from Apple. And I like the fantasy specs too.
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Tom Daschle Withdraws As Health Nominee
Tom Daschle has withdrawn as President Obama's nominee to become secretary of health and human services.
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Oops! LinkedIn Goes Down, Can't Get Up
LinkedIn may be profitable and growing fast, but something seems to be going very wrong with the business social networking service today..
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Marcy Kaptur
Representative Kaptur is a representative.
That phrase might bother educated people. What do I mean?
Most representatives only represent themselves. I am watching the communicator Amy Goodman who is a communicator. The interview today in Democracy Now is historic.
The US is going down the drain, as I see it, only people can pull themselves out of this mess.
The longest serving Democratic woman in Congress; is my heroine now.
That phrase might bother educated people. What do I mean?
Most representatives only represent themselves. I am watching the communicator Amy Goodman who is a communicator. The interview today in Democracy Now is historic.
The US is going down the drain, as I see it, only people can pull themselves out of this mess.
The longest serving Democratic woman in Congress; is my heroine now.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Risking the Future
We do not seem to learn much from history. Time and again an economic boom has followed a period of sustained infrastructure investment.
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Chilpancingo Twenty Years from Now
I was in Puebla, Mexico, over twenty years ago. I got there in 1980. When I recently went to visit friends it was very different. More money and more progress.
I see the capital of the State of Guerrero, Chilpancingo, very underdeveloped. I know why. The rich people of the coast have been exploiting poor Indians, African slaves, and their descendants in an unproductive way. Progress came from the north, but didn't go all the way south. The train rails stopped midway, at the Balsas River.
This is a challenge, an opportunity. We can do progress well. Not in the predatory way it has been made in other parts of Mexico and the whole world.
The future of this State will be full of life and beauty if we do just one thing. Develop the scientific training of ALL Guerrero's children. The apartheid system in place will only lead to more war, civil, and criminal. We live in sin, there are many people, children of the original settlers, not treated in a humane way.
Chilpancingo in twenty years can be a good place to live, if we just do the right thing. Develop the minds of all children.
Good deeds are easy to state, but difficult to do.
I see the capital of the State of Guerrero, Chilpancingo, very underdeveloped. I know why. The rich people of the coast have been exploiting poor Indians, African slaves, and their descendants in an unproductive way. Progress came from the north, but didn't go all the way south. The train rails stopped midway, at the Balsas River.
This is a challenge, an opportunity. We can do progress well. Not in the predatory way it has been made in other parts of Mexico and the whole world.
The future of this State will be full of life and beauty if we do just one thing. Develop the scientific training of ALL Guerrero's children. The apartheid system in place will only lead to more war, civil, and criminal. We live in sin, there are many people, children of the original settlers, not treated in a humane way.
Chilpancingo in twenty years can be a good place to live, if we just do the right thing. Develop the minds of all children.
Good deeds are easy to state, but difficult to do.
Punxsutawney
"Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses, many dressed in black and gold to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory the night before"
Believe it or not, I've been in that town.
I cannot imagine the scene. 13,000 witnesses in that small town. It must be crowded. And what if the animal escapes from the handlers and bites me like the one that bit Major Bloomberg today ?
Americans are a funny bunch. Of course Mexicans have their oddities too. I'll tell you about the Chilpancingo weird scenes another time.
You've got to love them!
Believe it or not, I've been in that town.
I cannot imagine the scene. 13,000 witnesses in that small town. It must be crowded. And what if the animal escapes from the handlers and bites me like the one that bit Major Bloomberg today ?
Americans are a funny bunch. Of course Mexicans have their oddities too. I'll tell you about the Chilpancingo weird scenes another time.
You've got to love them!
Well, What If There Is No Tomorrow? There Wasn't One Today.
The world's most famous groundhog has seen his shadow, which — legend has it — means an already long winter will last for six more weeks. Punxsutawney Phil's forecast was announced in front of thousands of revelers gathered at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
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Darwin 200 years later: Evolution by selection of quotations
"If I were to give an award for the single best idea anyone ever had, I'd give it to Darwin." So wrote philosopher Daniel Dennett in his 1995 book Darwin's Dangerous Idea. "In a single stroke, the idea of evolution by natural selection unifies the realm of life, meaning and purpose with the realm of space and time, cause and effect, mechanism and..
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India promises $10 laptops for students: Scientific American
Can a laptop be manufactured for $10? The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project created by Nicholas Negroponte and the MIT Media Lab has struggled to keep its promise to provide $100 laptops to school kids in developing countries (In fact, the cheapest one goes for around $188). But the Indian government says it will distribute laptops to students ..
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Plummeting Mexican peso nears 15-per-dollar level
The Mexican peso, one of the world's weakest currencies since the global economic meltdown began in September, is nearing the 15-to-the-dollar mark -- a stunning loss of value in just six months.
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A Leap for Teleporting, Between Ions Feet Apart
Scientists have achieved a milestone in communication: teleporting the quantum identity of one atom to another a few feet away.
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Coming Chinese
In a previous post I warned you about this very inportant new development.
Read below
Read below
In a Tidal Shift, Chinese Spending More Overseas
The challenge for economists is figuring out why money is leaving China, and how long the trend will last.
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read more | digg story
In Bolivia, Untapped Bounty Meets Nationalism
In the rush to build lithium-reliant electric cars, a sobering fact confronts automakers and governments, Bolivia controls nearly half of the world’s lithium supply.
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read more | digg story
Interpersonal Gifts
I relate well with others for long periods of time. But I cannot relate and get things done with too many people. Howard Gardner defines this ability as an intelligence. I am dense in this regard. My participation in the Night of the Stars activities was not successful as far as getting my team what they needed. I am not good at interpersonal intelligence.
Scientists discover ground-breaking material: Graphane
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at The University of Manchester have produced a ground-breaking new material, graphane, which has been derived from graphene.
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Big Play by Steelers’ Harrison Took His (and Others
Exhausted from the longest play in Super Bowl history, James Harrison lay supine on the side of the end zone all but motionless, trying to catch his breath.
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When did we stop caring about civilian deaths during wartime
I wonder if we are "normalising" war. And after [Israel's] own foreign minister said that Israel's army had been allowed to "go wild" there, it seems to bear out my own contention that the Israeli "Defense Force" is as much a rabble as all the other armies in the region.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
U.K. Citizens Doubt Darwinism And Richard Dawkins Is Pissed
A new poll reveals that even in the U.K., the public seriously doubts Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins is seriously upset about it.
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read more | digg story
Watching the Sky in Chilpancingo
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. Four hundred years ago, Galileo Galilei turned one of these instruments to the sky. This can be considered the birth of modern Astronomy. He saw the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.
On Saturday we directed our eyes here in Chilpancingo towards those night lights in the sky. We had over a hundred people waiting to use the few telescopes we could gather, and the even fewer expert users of those instruments.
I had invited a friend to bring his binoculars some time ago. He was a show saver that night. Thanks David.
I was impressed by the genuine interest of so many people to use a telescope.
We had other activities, talks, puppet shows, origami activities, lantern walks, and so on. It was good fun.
The grammar school kids competed to win a telescope, when the walk through town was over; they came to the stage and said: "Este es mi farol". This is my lantern; and went on to describe the materials it was made of and so on. It melted my heart: they were so proud of their contribution to the event.
On Saturday we directed our eyes here in Chilpancingo towards those night lights in the sky. We had over a hundred people waiting to use the few telescopes we could gather, and the even fewer expert users of those instruments.
I had invited a friend to bring his binoculars some time ago. He was a show saver that night. Thanks David.
I was impressed by the genuine interest of so many people to use a telescope.
We had other activities, talks, puppet shows, origami activities, lantern walks, and so on. It was good fun.
The grammar school kids competed to win a telescope, when the walk through town was over; they came to the stage and said: "Este es mi farol". This is my lantern; and went on to describe the materials it was made of and so on. It melted my heart: they were so proud of their contribution to the event.
Bailouts for Bunglers
The plans for rescuing the banking system are shaping up as a classic exercise in “lemon socialism”: taxpayers bear the cost if things go wrong, but stockholders and executives get the benefits if things go right.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Lead and Mercury in Huitzuco
This morning I heard that scientists from the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, where I work, have found above normal levels of lead in the blood stream of some Taxco people.
There have been silver operations there, at least since Cortes' time if not before, we are talking here over four hundred years.
Huitzuco nearby, where my mother is from has mercury besides. I'm glad she moved before I was born.
I still feel I have to justify my existence in a place that needs science to be viable!
With the recent peso devaluation (below) my income went down.
My children were not born in Huitzuco either but in Puebla. I do not know of any lead in babies blood there. Now they live in Illinois.
These are not pleasant thoughts. All those children for centuries with high levels of lead in their blood. What a mess.
There have been silver operations there, at least since Cortes' time if not before, we are talking here over four hundred years.
Huitzuco nearby, where my mother is from has mercury besides. I'm glad she moved before I was born.
I still feel I have to justify my existence in a place that needs science to be viable!
With the recent peso devaluation (below) my income went down.
My children were not born in Huitzuco either but in Puebla. I do not know of any lead in babies blood there. Now they live in Illinois.
These are not pleasant thoughts. All those children for centuries with high levels of lead in their blood. What a mess.
The Other Iran
The axis-of-evil myopia has led U.S. policy makers to underestimate Iran’s social, psychological and political forces for pragmatism, compromise and stability.
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read more | digg story
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Mexico’s Peso Stuns UBS With Biggest Drop Since 1995
Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The steepest decline in Mexico’s peso in 13 years blindsided everyone from UBS AG economists to Gustavo Huitron, the local marketing manager for Mercedes-Benz.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Friday, January 30, 2009
The six biggest mysteries of our solar system
Once upon a time, 4.6 billion years ago, something was brewing in an unremarkable backwater of the Milky Way.
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Methane Rain Formed New Lake on Saturn Moon
A large, lakelike body suddenly appeared on Titan around the same time that a heavy rainstorm was hovering over the area, newly released images reveal.
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The Big Con Game
Milton Friedman's Chicago school of deranged predators who wanted, and nearly managed as well, to completely distort the economic system on a global scale was born out of a creed that everything could be gained by a tiny minority.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Chinese Are Coming!
"We have a proverb in China: it takes a decade to grow a strong tree and a century to create a nourishing environment in which talents could flourish," says Jia. "Without a long-term commitment to creating such an environment, any talent schemes would be futile." Poo agrees: "Talent schemes and science-infrastructure reform must go hand in hand."
You can read this in the article below.
The Chinese know something about the long haul.
I am prepared to see more talented Chinese coming to Mexico to support the lives of their families in China. Once their plants and companies reach our land, as the one already in Michoacán, Chinese talent will come to Mexico to haul our resources to feed their people overthere.
What I do not know is if they will be as shortsighted as the long waves of brothers and sisters that came from Spain to "civilize" us?
Only God Knows!
China targets top talent from overseas
China has announced a nationwide plan that promises top salaries and attractive funding to elite researchers who are working overseas and willing to return to the country. The plan, known as the one-thousand-talents scheme, aims to boost China's innovation capability. But critics say that its success will depend on whether domestic talent gets ..
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Cheap, Super-Efficient LED Lights On The Horizon
Compact fluorescent bulbs may soon follow incandescent bulbs into history – the material needed to build LED lamps has just gotten cheaper.
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read more | digg story
Health Care Now
Why has the Obama administration been silent about one of the key promises during the campaign — the promise of guaranteed health care for all Americans?
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read more | digg story
Lula's Contradictions
Brazilian President Lula needs to follow the example of Mexico and Colombia with more market-friendly policies and signals.
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read more | digg story
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
After the War on Terror
In his first White House televised interview, with the Al Arabiya news network, President Obama buried the lead: The war on terror is over.
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Obama Says Not a ‘Moment to Spare’ on Stimulus P
Hours before the House was expected to approve his plan, largely along partisan lines, the president met with business executives at the White House.
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Hansen’s Former Supervisor Says Hansen ‘Embarrassed NASA'
James Hansen’s Former NASA Supervisor Declares Himself a Skeptic - Says Hansen ‘Embarrassed NASA’, ‘Was Never Muzzled’, & Models ‘Useless’
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read more | digg story
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Galileo may get eyes checked 367 years after death
ROME - Italian and British scientists want to exhume the body of 16th century astronomer Galileo for DNA tests to determine if his severe vision problems may have affected some of his findings. "If we knew exactly what was wrong with his eyes we could use computer models to recreate what he saw in his telescope," said Paolo Galluzzi.
read more | digg story
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Wall Street’s Socialist Jet-Setters
The former masters of the universe don’t seem to fully comprehend that their universe has crumbled and, thanks to them, so has ours.
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read more | digg story
Abdullah II: The 5-State Solution
What might King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia propose if asked to update his plan for peace in the Middle East?
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Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education
School districts, child care centers and university campuses would receive $150 billion in new federal spending in the economic stimulus package that is scheduled for a vote in Congress on Wednesday.
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read more | digg story
Monday, January 26, 2009
New Day on Climate Change
President Obama’s decision on emissions in California shows his commitment to the cause of reversing the rise in greenhouse gases.
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The Same Old Song
Republican policies have brought the country to a deplorable state. But the party is still at it, attacking President Obama’s stimulus plan and calling for ever more tax cuts.
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Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy
Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth.
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read more | digg story
What Does It Mean To Sign A Letter Of Intent?
I am in the middle of negotiations between two academic institutions in Mexico to collaborate. On the one hand I should go directly to sources of support to get the money and make an offer that my counterparts cannot refuse, on the other hand, why should I start a long process and maybe drain my resources, for a partnership the counterpart does not feel eager to see completed.
I am still waiting for some kind of signed go ahead from my friends on the other side.
That I want to call a Letter of Intent. In Mexico we call it Convenio, from the same Latin word in convenience.
I am still waiting for some kind of signed go ahead from my friends on the other side.
That I want to call a Letter of Intent. In Mexico we call it Convenio, from the same Latin word in convenience.
What Galaxy Do You Live In?
I asked this to a perplexed sixteen year old student here in Chilpancingo last Saturday. He did not know.
I am starting a poll today, you are invited to participate.
The result for Darwin's Magna Opus was. Seven people knew the year, 1859, and one didn't, the person chose 1759, i.e. , a hundred years before. We are celebrating 150 years of The Origin of Species, this year.
I am starting a poll today, you are invited to participate.
The result for Darwin's Magna Opus was. Seven people knew the year, 1859, and one didn't, the person chose 1759, i.e. , a hundred years before. We are celebrating 150 years of The Origin of Species, this year.
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