The first census of penguins at the South Pole has found nearly 600,000 – twice the number previously thought to be there.
Using state-of-the-art satellite imagery, scientists found 44 colonies of emperor penguins. Seven colonies were previously unknown, and many of the known ones were bigger than expected.
But pay not attention to the penguins.
‘We expect to lose as many as half of the penguins in the next 60 years, because they breed on the sea ice.”
Hope springs eternal, I guess.
When money moves from one country to another, the central bank of the receiving sovereign must lend an offsetting amount to its counterpart in the source country — a mechanism that keeps the currency union’s accounts in balance. The Bank of Spain, for example, ends up owing the Bundesbank when Spanish depositors move their euros to German banks. By looking at the changes in such cross-border claims, we can figure out how much money is leaving which euro nation and where it’s going.
This analysis suggests that capital flight is happening on a scale unprecedented in the euro era — mainly from Spain and Italy to Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (see chart). In March alone, about 65 billion euros left Spain for other euro- zone countries. In the seven months through February, the relevant debts of the central banks of Spain and Italy increased by 155 billion euros and 180 billion euros, respectively. Over the same period, the central banks of Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg saw their corresponding credits to other euro- area central banks grow by about 360 billion euros.
Jon Meacham asked, “Has there been a moment in the last 40 years when you thought the government was helping” when it comes to energy production?
“I don’t know of any place,” Pickens replied.
Meacham followed by asking if the upcoming election matters. Pickens responded, “Obama, his hands are tied. He’s got the greenies and the Left, but nobody accuses me of not being green. I’m in the wind business…I’ve lost my ass in the business.”
Host Joe Scarborough said laughing, “You’ve invested more in alternative energy than anybody else.”
If only Texas weren’t so far away. There must be some way to get news of these many wind energy failures to our own Saskatchewan Party government before it’s too late!
Four alleged terrorists targeted Danish Crown Prince Frederik as part of their planned revenge attack on a newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, a court heard today.
The suspects intended to attack the offices of Politiken in a Mumbai-style terror attack when the crown prince was handing out awards, it was claimed.
The men were arrested on their way to the ceremony which eventually took place at the paper as planned.
Via BCF.
This past week will be remembered as an important turning point in Western Canadian history. “A job well done” and much thanks are well deserved by Danielle Smith and all of the Albertans working hard for the Wildrose Alliance and their province’s future! Ezra Levant sums things up beautifully:
Bonus videos: Rob Breakenridge & Ezra, plus Monte Solberg & David Menzies.
Update: Charles Adler has a few choice words for Redford and then chats with Lorne Gunter.
“But apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?” Your conspiracy theories in the comments.
Should I wear sweatpants? [flowchart]
(h/t Karen)
SDA gets results! Suzuki resigns from the David Suzuki Foundation. (Sure, he gives all the credit to Sun News, but we all know who got the ball rolling.)
…for Canadian federal politics. Stop this:
Opposition:
How many babies has the government killed today?
Government:
How many babies have died today because the opposition voted against our bills?
According to the Harvard Law School course catalog, professor Charles Ogletree will be teaching a reading group called “Understanding Obama” for one classroom credit during the 2013 spring term.
“This reading group will focus on the way in which race, religion, and politics have impacted the development of President Obama as a leader,” the Harvard Law School Course Catalog explains. “We will explore his views as a biracial child, his time as a student at Harvard Law School, the successes and failures of his political campaigns, and the way religion and his views on faith nearly derailed his campaign. Finally, time will be spent analyzing the challenges he faces as president of the United States in establishing both his domestic and global policies.”
h/t TimR
Kathy Shaidle reviews;
Today, we have more and more people chasing more and more worthless degrees. For those of us without either children or degrees ourselves, the spectacle resembles nothing short of a zombie movie, set during Tulipmania.
Reading Worthless was spooky at times. Like me, Clarey’s been saying for years that BAs are today what high school diplomas used to be: that is, so commonplace that not having one makes no difference if you’re a genius, an energetic entrepreneur, or both.
In which a Liberal government directed public funds to Liberal friendly ad agencies, who redirected them into Liberal campaign coffers in Quebec.
Now, I have no evidence whatsoever about the “teamwork” responsible for the 2010 GSA party scandal beyond what’s been reported in media – $820,000 spent on a four day conference that included $7,000 for sushi, $4 apiece shrimp, and $6,325 for commemorative coins.
But I will point out that Las Vegas is Harry Reid’s town.
Bumped for Update: Toni writes;
I love your blog and read it daily .Last night when you mentioned the Sponsorship Scandal, I googled who the owner of the M casino where the GSA had its convention and that honour goes to Mr. Tony Manell who turned from Republican to Democrat to support Harry Reid in the last election… but then I found this: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/high-speed-rail-project-linked-to-sen-reid-on-verge-of-landing-4-9b-fed-loan/
What a coincidence.
Update 2 – The General Services Administration official tasked with organizing a now-infamous $822,000 Las Vegas conference plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights ahead of a scheduled Monday grilling on the Hill.
Via email;
Ray Danyluk must love being an MLA for the good folks of Lac-La-Biche St Paul.
Indeed he must be very committed to his constituents and very committed to living among them.
We know that is true because nothing else would explain his irrational attachment to the jinxed land that he farms.
You see, over the last ten years Ray Danyluk’s small mixed farming operation in Elk Point has had AFSC claims totalling $1.36M – that’s not too much less than he got for being an MLA and cabinet minister.
He has had worse luck than his neighbours many of whom have more land and larger operations.
Year after year, since Ray was elected in 2001, bad luck strikes and Ray gets AFSC payouts to cover his catastrophic losses.
Indeed, his best luck years have resulted in payouts that were twice his insurance premiums, in his worst year he received 13 times what he paid in premiums.
In the last 4 years he has received over $700K in payouts on premiums of $101K.
The voters of Lac La Biche need to do Ray a favour and defeat him.
That way he won’t feel compelled to hold onto this accursed land. He might be able to sell it and move to farmland that won’t be so prone to flooding, hail, and drought.
I hope he`s laying low today, what with it being Friday the 13th.
Update: Latest poll results h/t Gord Tulk
Update 2: Ezra’s Debate Recap
Courtesy of a tip from SDA regular ‘bluetech’ comes this delightful video entitled A Young Boy Built a Cardboard Arcade.
Your uplifting reader tips are welcome, as always, in the comments.
Saskatchewan – where every hour is Human Achievement Hour!
The David Suzuki Foundation has placed Saskatchewan and Alberta as the highest greenhouse gas emitters in the country.
In its 2012 ‘All Over the Map’ report, the organization indicates that Saskatchewan tops the list at 71 tonnes per capita with Alberta following at just over 63 tonnes per capita.
“The leadership of the Saskatchewan government has really lagged behind other provinces in the country when it comes to addressing climate change,” said Ian Bruce, climate change specialist at the David Suzuki foundation.
While most of the other provinces showed fluctuations over the years, Saskatchewan has had little change since the same study was conducted four years ago.
SDA gets results!