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Looking for the exception that proves the rule (itself a counter-intuitive notion)? The global cooling experienced in 2008 may actually illustrate how fast the world is warming. 2008's average temperature of 57.9 F. was cooler than that of any year since 2000 but was the ninth warmest since such measurements began in 1880. Frozen folks in Colorado and Montana, states which experienced all-time lows in December, probably should actually be hot under the collar about global warming.
Percentagewise, if you trade in a vehicle that gets 20 m.p.g. for one that gets 40 m.p.g., are you doing more to improve your mileage than if you trade in one that gets 10 m.p.g. for one that gets 20? No--less. To go 100 miles, the vehicle getting 10 m.p.g. needs 10 gallons, so changing to a 20-m.p.g. vehicle saves five gallons, a saving of twice as much as the change from 20 to 40. Going from 33 m.p.g. (three gallons) to 50 m.p.g. (two gallons) is a saving of only one gallon. Going from a 10-m.p.g. vehicle (10 gallons) to an 11-m.p.g. vehicle (9 gallons) also saves one gallon. Lesson: it's less important to get people to move from, say, 30 to 50, than it is to move from, say, 10 to 20.
Happy that gas prices have dropped dramatically? Tickled that you can fill your tank with a $25 bill? Don't be. Economists now fear that falling oil prices are one of the worst things that can happen to the economy. They will result in a reduction of future supplies, because oil companies will cancel major projects to discover and develop new energy sources, which will set the stage for another surge in prices and possibly create long waiting lines at gas stations. For your own good, lobby your favorite dealer to increase his prices.
On a related note, many economists who only a few months ago were complaining that Americans do not put enough money into savings, today say that we must spend our way out of the current recession.
Barack Obama's election to the Presidency, hailed world-wide, may actually lead to a set-back for people of color in this country, as many Americans may now assume that they live in a color-blind society in no need of affirmative action programs. Exhibit A: the Supreme Court this term will review the federal law that ensures access to the polls for minorities. "The elephant in the room is what to make of the Obama election," said Nathaniel Persily, professor at Columbia Law School. "Does the election of the first African-American president undermine the central justification for parts of the Voting Rights Act?" Exhibit B: when the NAACP protested the tradition of Azalea Trail Maids parading in plantation style dresses in Mobile, AL, each Inauguration Day, this quote by "Anonymous" appeared in the online Drudge Report of Jan. 13: "This is a perfect example of how ridiculous the NAACP is. Come on, already, we've just elected the first African-American president...time to move on already and quit living in the past."
Many environmentalists now say that we must change our way of life (by going green) so that we won't have to change our way of life (by dealing with the ramifications of global warming).
Siding with life by creating "green" buildings (ones with lots of glass siding and windows to provide natural light, thereby reducing energy requirements) unfortunately means death to the billion birds who see mirror images of sky and trees and crash into them each year, according to the American Bird Conservancy.
After losing billions in bad investments and subsequently receiving billions in bailout aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's largest banks say that they can't track exactly how they are spending the gift funds. Some won't even talk about it. Thomas Kelly, spokesman for J.P. Morgan Chase, which received $25 billion, said, "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to." Probably much of the money is going to the development of a new 50-page form demanding an account of how each penny will be spent by future loan applicants.
A report in The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, studying the brain images of drivers in a simulator, indicates that the use of a hands-free cellphone when driving a car is no less dangerous than one held in the hand, and is significantly more dangerous than talking to a friend in the passenger seat or listening to talk radio or an audio book.
Statistics show that conservatives, who in general do not favor social assistance economic programs, as individuals volunteer more often and give more to charities and blood drives than do liberals, who in general favor such programs. And many liberals, who in general value freedom of expression, want to restrict it when it comes to hate speech, "politically incorrect" speech, and unlimited campaign contributions.
"The ultimate respect is showing no respect at all," says Pat Riley of the NBA's Miami Heat (which may explain why I felt so proud when Clover Park beat my Woodway H.S. girls' basketball team by 50 points in a regional tournament game in 1979).
Oprah Winfrey, now up to 200 pounds and concerned about the weight, says she will make time in her schedule for her personal well-being. "I am hungry for balance. I'm hungry to do something other than work." So now she's going to make time to not eat?
Other recent unexpected developments:
A scheduled dog sled race in Minnesota was canceled because of too much snow.
A U.S. anti-kidnapping expert, working in Mexico as a security consultant on how to confront abductions, was abducted by gunmen in Mexico.
Moving beyond that tired protest strategem of the hunger strike, Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas pulled out his right eye and ate it.
And 42 of 72 Health Department workers in Illinois suffered stomach ailments after attending a Department party at a local restaurant.
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