Schoolgirl tries science experiment, arrested for felony | Technically Incorrect - CNET News

Schoolgirl tries science experiment, arrested for felony | Technically Incorrect - CNET News: "This student at Bartow High School in Florida allegedly thought she'd put a couple of household chemicals in an 8-ounce water bottle, just to see the reaction.
The reaction was that she was expelled and marched off in handcuffs, accused of felony possession/discharge of a dangerous weapon."

"Ron Pritchard, explained that she was notorious -- for being a very nice person.
Pritchard said: "She is a good kid. She has never been in trouble before. Ever."
You might imagine, then, that this explosion caused vast damage to school buildings, which had to be evacuated.
Not quite. The top of the bottle popped off and there was some smoke. No one was hurt."

"One of the most important parts of a science education lies in the need to experiment. It's only curious minds that make the world progress.
One of the most important parts of a general education is the teaching of judgment.
Who exercised the worse judgment here? Kiera Wilmot or the Polk County Schools District and the local police?"

Can a 4,000-mile wall of trees stop Sahara Desert's drift? - CSMonitor.com

Can a 4,000-mile wall of trees stop Sahara Desert's drift? - CSMonitor.com: "The initiative plans to strategically plant swaths of trees roughly nine miles wide and over 4,000 miles long.

The central idea is for this belt of forest to serve as a barrier against desert winds and thus revitalize soil to protect against land degradation."

"Mongolia and China began similar efforts to combat the encroachment of the Gobi Desert in 2006. Furthermore, President Franklin Roosevelt initiated successful Shelterbelt programs in the 1930s, using strategic planting of foliage to combat the land degradation caused by the Dust Bowl on the American high plains.

The Shelterbelt initiative, however, was successful because it supplemented its “green wall” policies with monetary incentives for farmers who changed their techniques to more ecologically sound production methods."

Government Spending Up, Private GDP Down | Cato Institute

Government Spending Up, Private GDP Down | Cato Institute: "The downward slope of Excel’s fitted trend line means that higher government spending growth in a year corresponds to reduced private GDP growth that year. For example, if real government spending growth was zero, private GDP would be expected to grow at 4.2 percent. If real government spending growth was 5 percent, private GDP growth would be expected to fall to 2.8 percent."

Study: Sandy dumped 11 billion gallons of sewage into surrounding waters, mostly in NYC and NJ | Fox News

Study: Sandy dumped 11 billion gallons of sewage into surrounding waters, mostly in NYC and NJ | Fox News: "Superstorm Sandy released 11 billion gallons of sewage from East Coast treatment plants into bodies of water from Washington, D.C., to Connecticut."

"The study found one-third of the spilled sewage was untreated. Ninety-four percent was due to coastal flooding damage."

How does that compare to the gulf oil spill? Will any investigation of fixes be done?

The DJIA Fallacy - Absolute Rights

The DJIA Fallacy - Absolute Rights: "The highest closing price ever for the Dow was achieved on April 10, 2013 reaching $14,802. Compare that to the point reached at the bottom of the great recession of $6,547."

A different road out of poverty: saving instead of borrowing

A different road out of poverty: saving instead of borrowing: "A family chooses how much they want to save each week for a 10-week-long period. After they complete the 10-week phase, GOA rewards the successful savers with 10 percent interest."

That is an APR of 64%! No wonder people like the program -- I'll take that deal any day!

"not all organizations with microsavings programs can provide the 10 percent interest that GOA achieves, which relies heavily on donations."

Further Thoughts on Sensible Gun Legislation | Cato @ Liberty

Further Thoughts on Sensible Gun Legislation | Cato @ Liberty: "Manchin-Toomey is complex and controversial. Committee hearings are necessary and the public must have ample time to review the legislation. Still, considered as a package, a reworked Manchin-Toomey would offer substantial benefits to gun owners while imposing tolerable restrictions—none of which intrudes on core Second Amendment liberties."

But how much would those "tolerable restrictions" actually help?

Would a do-it-yourself gun background check work?

Would a do-it-yourself gun background check work?: "A gun buyer would log in to a free federal web portal and enter some personal information. If the buyer passes the background check, he or she would get a multi-digit key code, good for 30 days, to print out and take to a seller. That seller would use the same portal to confirm the authenticity of the background check."

"That dealer might not be convenient, and may charge a fee for the transfer service, Coburn said. And forcing everyone to go through a licensed dealer would simply push gun sales into the shadows. "If you make it easy for people to comply with the law, they'll do it," he said. "If I'm a gun owner, I want to know I'm not selling to someone who's on the list." "

Meet the current frontrunner for $580K coffee with Tim Cook | Apple - CNET News

Meet the current frontrunner for $580K coffee with Tim Cook | Apple - CNET News: "We are limited with a shoestring budget."

$580,000 can come out of a shoestring budget?

Supreme Court Saves Our Privacy? Media Sleeps | Cato Institute

Supreme Court Saves Our Privacy? Media Sleeps | Cato Institute: "“An invasion of bodily integrity (that) implicates an individual’s most personal and deep-rooted expectations of privacy.”

Crucial to the outcome of this case, as Whitehead emphasizes, is “at no point did the officer attempt to obtain a warrant authorizing the extraction.”"