I'm skeptical about the idea that those who bike to work eat substantially more (or even statistically more) than those who drive. Do you have any actual evidence or studies that back this up?

I thought that was the point of airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet (and for that matter, many other short-haul airliner routes in Europe)?

While I can't dispute the smug factor, is it your hypothesis that bicyclists eat more meat than car drivers?

I'm mostly surprised that goats were roaming freely through the exhibit.

Hey, this is off-topic, but I've been interested in the topic of color blindness recently, after figuring out that my son is color blind. He has not been officially diagnosed as colorblind (and he is only 4), but he has a lot of trouble with certain shades or blends, and the Ishihara plate graphics that we tried online seemed pretty definitive as well.

I'm just curious about your experience. My son seems to have NO trouble with red and green most of the time (which I didn't expect), but rather colors like purples, oranges, even yellow.

Another person I've spoken with said something like "I can figure out green...and I can figure out red...but don't ask me to find a red bird in a green tree!"

I'm just curious if these impressions match your experiences at all?

Thanks for your insights!

Ah, I see I got the infamous "-1 disagree" moderation. I thought my post cited enough outside sources (Slate, for goodness sake!) that I'd be immune. Ah well.

No, you're changing the topic of conversation. I did not say that our presence is the Middle East was good for the MIddle East--it of course has been terrifically destructive. I did not say that is morally right--it's morally reprehensible. I said that American interests have not been hurt. Given that President Obama has continued--and intensified--many of the worst abuses of American supremacy (most notably drone killings), the only conclusion a rational observer can arrive at is that Republicans and Democrats have the same end goals--destabilize the Middle East. Our alleged enemies do have their hands full in what's rapidly becoming a full-blown Sunni-Shia crapfest. Please don't put words in my mouth or play Internet couch psychiatrist. It rarely comes across well.

Wow, I was honestly hoping for better! Of everything you can pick from the Bush administration, that's the best you can come up with?

First of all, where's the "toxic" revolving door here? I understand that you disagree with the decision that the Bush FCC made regarding unbundling (though the article you linked to is completely incoherent), but that's not at all what this discussion is about.

Secondly, if unbundling was so disastrous, why has gigabit internet rapidly proliferated around the country over the last decade? If it was such a bad decision, decreed by a "toxic" individual, why has the Obama FCC shown zero interest in changing the rule? Here's a thought: "...by the time Barack Obama took office in 2009, [unbundling rules] had become so discredited that the FCC didn't try to revive them."

http://www.vox.com/2015/2/26/8117489/conservatives-winning-net-neutrality

Here, btw, is a Slate take on Michael Powell, who they call "an earnest technocrat, out of place in the politically calculating Bush administration. ... Powell is the closest thing to Al Gore in official Washington today. ... But Powell's not a fire-breathing conservative and shill for big business. Like Gore, he's a wonk with an abiding interest in policy minutiae and a deep faith in technology."

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/hey_wait_a_minute/2003/02/the_real_michael_powell.html

Toxic revolving door? Hilarious.

I know you're under no onus to fulfill my request, but I did say specifically, not incredibly broad and general strokes!

Are you talking about Clinton's repeal of Glass-Steagal?

And debt has risen even faster and higher under President Obama. So is he even worse than President Bush? Would have been nice if the 90s dotcom boom and the post-Soviet boom had continued forever.

What Clinton regulations were rolled back?

Honestly, destabilizing the Middle East seems to have succeeded wonderfully and I don't see how American interests are hurt at all. All of our alleged enemies have their hands full now. The loss of American lives is very unfortunate.

This is, more or less, Bernard Lewis's thesis. Check out the book "What Went Wrong" by Lewis. Interesting read.

Famous scholar of Islam and the Middle East Marshall Hodgson coined the term "Islamdom" for "Islam-land" (and to echo "Christendom"). Islamdom thus is Morocco to Western China, Central Asia to Central Africa (roughly). Good term. You can refer to Islamdom without referring to Arabs, Persians, South Asians, etc.

What damage, specifically?

Could you give some examples of the truly toxic?

I completely agree with your point. One interesting point of speculation is that it's highly possible that Brother Adam (the developer of the Buckfast bee) was responsible for bringing Varroa to Europe. Brother Adam imported bees from around the world, and the first appearance of Varroa in the UK was not very far from where he operated.

What about Timewarner?

North Carolina generally has cheap electricity. If you have a heatpump, your electricity bill should not be that bad! Heatpumps generally work well in our climate.

I've run the numbers for the Triangle area after getting quotes through several local companies. Including both the federal and state tax credits and depreciation (this was for a commercial installation), break even is generally 7-8 years off. Probably worthwhile, but not a clear case. Add in a number 10 grand plus for batteries and the case is even more borderline. If you've got the cash, I agree it's great--would love to have power after a hurricane!

Isn't the price of electricity in NC literally 50% of what it is in California? We have cheap electricity.