Nobel prize in econ...

October 13th, the "Nobel prize in Economics" was awarded to Paul Krugman "for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity."

Quote: "... Patterns of trade and location have always been key issues in the economic debate. What are the effects of free trade and globalization? What are the driving forces behind worldwide urbanization? Paul Krugman has formulated a new theory to answer these questions. He has thereby integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography. Krugman's approach is based on the premise that many goods and services can be produced more cheaply in long series, a concept generally known as economies of scale. Meanwhile, consumers demand a varied supply of goods. As a result, small-scale production for a local market is replaced by large-scale production for the world market, where firms with similar products compete with one another ..."

Krugman has been tipped as a future winner for some time, so no surprise here. As an economist he is great, as a political commentator he sometimes is a total hack e.g. see the 'Truth, RIP (updated 9/22)' blog entry...

The Conscience of a liberal - Krugman blog at the NYT.

The US Army and conservation...

Partly in response to recent legislation (the FY 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, that requires that the president appoint a Director of Operational Energy Plans and Programs to designate a senior responsible official in each service, while coordinating their multiple energy programs) the U.S. Army has decided to launch an initiative to reduce its huge energy needs... A Senior Energy Council has been created, to be co-chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment and the Vice Chief of Staff (currently Keth Eastin and General Peter Chiarelli respectively).

Per the Defense Science Board, in FY 2006 the Department of Defense consumed 110 million barrels of premium fuel and used 3.8 billion kilowatts of electricity (total cost USD 13.6 billion). Understanding that much of this occurs at fixed installations (bases, etc.) the Army plans to work on converting army bases from their current state as energy consumers to net energy producers within 15 years e.g. by installing wind, solar, biomass, etc. generators to power the bases and to provide excess energy to nearby towns.

U.S. Army launches energy drive
Army Launches New Energy Initiatives
U.S. Army's energy initiative announcement
US Army gets eco-conscious, preps mega solar plant
Army Launches New Energy Initiatives, Test Projects at Posts

Zombies

Picture Credit: Steve Yanoviak/University of Arkansas at Little Rock

'Zombie animals and the parasites that control them' has some amazing pictures and stories, for example:

"... This spider, Plesiometa argyra, is an expert builder of perfectly round webs. But with one sting, a parasitic wasp can take over its mind. The wasp deposits its larvae inside the spider's body, along with a new blueprint—instead of building its web, the spider spends the last night of its life constructing a silk cocoon, which becomes a home for its killers. When the silk sack is done, the larvae kill the spider. Then they take up residence in the cocoon, suspended safely above the predators of the rainforest floor..."

"... Turn over a piece of wood in your yard and you might find pill bugs on the bottom, hiding from birds who consider them a tasty treat. Parasitic spiny-headed worms that live in pill bugs, however, need the birds to find them: While the worms grow up inside their pill bug hosts, they can't reproduce there. Instead, they need to be in the belly of a starling. To achieve this goal, the worm gets control of the bug's brain and makes it crawl out into the open. When a bird gulps down the pill bug, the parasite can move through another step of its life cycle...."

... and a number of other amazing examples...

Next up at the trough...

Farmers have been doing well for a number of years (see graphic below). For example , this year U.S. net farm income is projected at USD 95.7 billion, up 10.3% from last year and up 65% from two years ago (per U.S. Agriculture Department estimates).... However, with the costs of some inputs rising (e.g. fuel, fertilizer, seed, etc.) and some crop prices weakening the outlook is a little less rosy.

Prediction: if there is a slight downturn in the next 12 to 24 months expect to see copious lamentations about the fate of the family farm and Congress rushing to the 'rescue.'

Great quotes...

"He was someone whose word you could rely on. As we say in the infantry, this is a guy you can take on a long patrol." - Colin Powell, referring to Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), currently on trial for mis-reporting gifts...

"I can assure you his word is good enough to take to the bank" - Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

Ted's Connections @ Retire Ted
Most Corrupt Spotlight: Senator Ted Stevens
Stevens Verdict Pushed Closer to Election
Ted Stevens for Alaska
Senator Charged With Lying About Gifts
USA vs, Theodore F Stevens (indictment) - PDF file

Computer simulations... and cancer

Graphic credit: Forbes

"In her laboratory at the University of Washington, mathematician Kristin Rae Swanson peers into the future of brain cancer patients--on her computer screen. She has created a software program that uses data from magnetic resonance imaging scans to simulate how fast a patient's brain tumor is likely to spread. She can pinpoint with uncanny precision where a tumor will grow months ahead of time and predict how long a patient is likely to live under various treatment scenarios ..." Read the rest here in Forbes...

Thank you CA (and FL)

Percentage of California mortgages in non-Fannie/Freddie mortgage-backed securities: 34%

Graphics credit: USA Today