Wordless Wednesday: Energy Crisis and Transportation Addiction

From the TreeHugger article: We Don't Have an Energy Crisis, We Have a Transportation Crisis
by Lloyd Alter. Most of our (US) petroleum is for transportation purposes. If we modify our transportation habits, our gas crisis might be better managed.

Environmental Programs in China Successful, Study Finds

Economic growth and environmental resourcefulness can co-exist. According to a recent report by the National Science Foundation, Environmental Programs in China Successful, Study Finds.

It is not easy (and never will be) to marry the interests and concerns of strict conservationists and strict capitalists, but educated compromise is possible...and is necessary for a 21st century (and beyond) survival.

Here are some excerpts:

Two of the world's largest environmental programs in China are generally successful, although key reforms could transform them into a model for the rest of the world, according to research results published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

These results illustrate the benefits of basic research on coupled natural and human systems," said Thomas Baerwald, program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, which funded the research along with NSF's Directorates for Geosciences and Biological Sciences. "In examining two major Chinese environmental programs, Liu and colleagues have provided generalizable knowledge regarding the complex ways policies affect interactions between natural and human systems.

"They also have generated specific information and insights that will assist Chinese policy makers--as well as policy makers in other nations--to design more effective programs to preserve the environment."

Please be sure to check out the full report.

Is it really about Sounding Black?

The Black Blog Buzz is all about a recent social science research study about Speech Patterns and Wage Inequalities in the US work place, by Dr. Jeffry Grogger at the University of Chicago.

I like how Cobb framed the discussion as an ability/inability to Code Switch. Code switching is an important tactic among ambitious people (race, class, and nationally doesn't matter). And in my interactions with urban youth and young adults, I believe lacking this skill frustrates their lives, especially when they encounter civil servants like police, social workers, or even customer service personally at stores and service providers.

One commenter on YPB Guide thought this study was a waste of time and energy, but as noted by the author, though this subject has received much attention there has never been an empirical analysis of the phenomenon. In fact, this study "represents the first attempt to determine empirically whether native-language differences between blacks and whites help explain racial wage differences." That is a big deal. To not only document but demonstrate how perceived differences in people, based on language patterns, can have a big impact on their employment status.

Now, I've always thought that the idea of 'sounding black' had more to do with the sound and rhythm of the speaker's voice. But according to linguistic standards there are variants of speech based on indices, one called Standard American English (SAE) and African-American English (AAE). Both are characterized by several several variables including syntax, grammar rules, phonology, and acoustics - basically, at every linguistic level.

The author had recordings of young people being interviewed for a summer program. There were a team of volunteers who listened to the recordings and were asked to indicate which group (black or white) they think the caller belonged to. They were also asked to indicate the speaker's sex, education level, and region of origin they thought he/she belonged to.

Listeners were able to accurately identify the sex of the speakers (98%). 84% of white speakers were accurately identified and 77% of black speakers were accurately identified by the listeners. The listeners were not able to identify education level of speakers and did not do well at identifying the region of origin of speakers, either.

The author then applies a statistical model and asks - Could these perceived differences in race, based on language impact wage differences between these groups. So the rest of the paper explores how such perceptions can the reason for wage inequalities between these groups. Though I'm not about to get into all of the statistical modelling stuff, it is an interesting thing to connect together. Could speech be a basis for discrimination? It certainly has been demonstrated in housing discrimination.

But a better question is: What do we do with this information? Help people speak better SAE or how to code switch or help people understand that using AAE doesn't mean you less intelligent, productive or profession? I think a little of all three.

The Importance of being a Bug

Agriculture or man’s ability to domesticate and modify plants and animals to suit our large-scale nutritional needs is an age-old science. There is the good – planting, raising and harvesting life sustaining crops like cereals, and livestock animals like beef, swine, and poultry. There is the bad – mass farming, corporate farming, the increased use of medicines, pesticides, and herbicides in order to maximize harvest (to feed a growing population). And there is the ugly – communicable diseases spread on livestock facilities, veal, and the cancerous side-effects of some medicines, pesticides, and herbicides.

No simple problems means no simple solutions can be offered.

But bugs have always been a special thing in Agriculture.

The good – many insects are essential for pollinating crops. Honey bees are our friend. That’s why the mystery of the declining bee population is so scary. Yeah, we see farmers on trackers planting rows of corn, wheat, rice, and such, but those seeds are produced in a lab. No, those seeds are made the old-fashioned way –boom chicka boom boom – pollination in the great wide outdoors. Bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies visit the flowers of these plants. (Yes, they have flowers. That fuzzy, hairy stuff that sticks from the top of the plants in the summer – those are flowers.) Insects visit them to collect nectar and spread pollen around. And that’s sex for plants. The seeds are made. At harvest time the plants are collected and so are the seeds. In a more natural agriculture system, farmers let the seeds drop and re-plant themselves. Others harvest it and replant it. Classic example: Corn kernels – those are corn seeds. Farmers save some ears of corn and plant them the next year.

The bad – many insects devour and destroy crops. Japanese Beetles are not our friend. They are responsible for over $450 million of damage to crops and trees every year! But thanks to good old-fashioned scientific inquiry, we’re learning more about their natural habits, in particular their mating habits. As we learn more about them we can tackle this problem without doing more harm than good.

The ugly - not knowing how insects play a role in your food security can be dangerous. With climate change, rising gas prices and flooding in the midwest, you will be well-advised to keep an eye on the markets (the supermarkets, farmer's markets, and the stock exchange markets) all are on the fringe of recession. Information is very empowering, you might want to consider cutting back on expensive foods, taking advantage of sales, buy more of your foods locally, and stock pile basics like rice, canned corn and beans, flour, sugar, and coffee.

Science Vocab: Nanotechnology

Simply put it is tiny technology – very tiny, in the nanoscale. Basically it is tiny machines and even computers at the molecular level.

A recent paper in Science explains how bacteria with flagella (those little whips, think to the might Euglena from your Biology class, or one better, sperm) move and stop.

The flagella attaches to the base of the bacteria and is engaged by a clutch device. Yes, just like your stick shift car. To stop the bacteria releases a protein that disengages the clutch from the engine and that’s how bacteria stop moving.

No talk of the exact applications, but my creative mind is racing – medicine delivery, micro-mechanics, etc. Read the complete story. Microscopic "Clutch" Puts Flagellum in Neutral.

Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, the umbrella field, are exciting and promising field of life sciences, engineering, physics, and medicine rolled all into one. And Biotechnology is perhaps the fastest growing science-related job field. And technicians are needed to move research and innovation along. Though typically, science professionals possess higher degrees, many technical work levels don’t require college degrees. Lots of career and job growth...

However, a post-secondary education is needed, usually at the associate' or community college level, and the pay potential is great. Here are great career opportunities, but a firm foundation in science and math is needed in order to take advantage of these opportunities.

Back to our regularly scheduled program - SCIENCE

I was poking around and realized I haven't presented much heavy science lately. I've been bent on socioeconomics and class matters lately that I haven't been presenting a balanced show.

I've mulled around alot of ideas in my head and thought, "what the heck, I might as well share them with you."

Very early on, I thought about presenting regular features like:

Tasty Bits:
Up your Vocab quick definitions/explanations of oft-intimidating science words and jargon.
The idea would be to breakdown barriers and encourage more science-related conversation among Black Bloggers and Black Blog Readers.
Example - Mitosis, sample size, experimental group, controlled variables.
labels would include: scientific processes, science literacy
My concern is that it could get a little too much like a science class and put people to sleep. Humor helps, but that doesn't always go over well in printed media.
Frequency - once a week, twice a month, once a month???

Spotlight on Minority Scientists:
Just what the title implies. I've done this a few times - Black History Month and Women's History Month got a lot of play. I could step this up to a more routine feature - once a month.
labels would include: diversity, STEM, African-Americans

Hot Topics:
I've been mulling over this once ALOT. I've got a few in progress essays about genetically modified food crops, and other topics like Stem cells, Global Warming, Race & Society are on my desk. I've tipped-toed around it - e.g. the Sewer Study posts 1 and 2.
labels would include: hot topic
But I want to give such topics their due presentation. My beef is that the news and even blog commentators give the science short shrift. Part of the reason has to do with science illiteracy in this nation. I think another big problem is the overwhelming tendency for Black Blog Commentators to be emotionally reactive while being simultaneously horribly under-informed. As a scientist, this one burns me a new one and is the very reason why I blog. But the accuracy of the information is too important to just give soundbites -- I become guilty of the very thing I accuse others of.
Maybe I'll do these as topics rear their heads.

Science and the public:
Discussing how science benefits society and ways to share science with the public, specifically under-served audiences. I've also thought about sharing science-related podcasts in an effort to get my readers (and target demographic) familiar with these science information gems.
This topic, too deserves more than a few passing lines.
chewing on it...
The podcast part I could do more regularly - once a week....give you something to come back for???

Science Education
Sounds alot like the aforementioned topic. But would include entries about why good science (and math) education matter - especially for children of color.
I dabble at this too.

Well, thanks for being patient and allowing me to procrastinate EVEN more. Now, to become disciplined enough to do it. I don't want to abandon topics related to class and socioeconomics. Is that a hot topic or something else??

I'm still not sure how to proceed.
Looking forward to your feedback.

Read all instructions before proceeding.

I've always been conflicted about the fine line between going one's own path and taking the advice & guidance of others. So, when I encounter mildly defiant, ambitious, tenacious, and calculating youth I ususally give them some leeway. I don't tolerate disrespect or rudeness, so as long as they don't cross any of major social boundaries, I'll give them the time to figure out problems and solutions...I let them handle it their way. I'll try to engage them in Socratic conversation to get them to think about things in a new way and sometimes try to get to them to see what I see or have learned. It works sometimes.

I'm all about people becoming independent, discerning critical thinkers. BUT.....
But what's with not following plain-old-simple directions? Paradox.
The last thing I want is for kids, especially urban kids, to become little drones simply doing rote tasks. That doesn't yield much in the way of long-term success.

I think about the follow before leading speech. Understand the system, first. Then you can improvise. At least know where, how, and why you have diverted from the path. It's just damn irritating. When someone doesn't do things the right way it causes so much extra work and lost time for others...and thinking back to class issues - it results in many individuals being eliminated from opportunities because they are judged as not comprehending or not caring to comprehend the system or whatever. But the consequences can be quite heavy, especially in the workplace. "A hard head makes a soft behind." This is age-old adage warning against disobedience and stubborness. As a child I could be hard-headed at times. But I was a passive-aggressive. So I often did what I was told but did it at a low pace or took my time getting around to. (I only pushed this "slowness" so far. I also learned that a passive-aggressive attitude makes a soft behind, too.)

It's something I had to deal with when I was teaching at Fair Eastside and at the jobhouse.