firehose

dvvglvs:

thecentrefolds:

kiggor:

The Scottie Pinwheel

STEP ASIDE RAINBOW WHEEL

NO

The Helicoverpa caterpillar’s cuteness may only be surpassed by its surprising lethality.

Brazil’s agriculture ministry was forced to declare a state of emergency this week in its main crop growing region, Mato Grosso, due to an infestation of the little caterpillars, as well as in the state of Bahia, where growers lost money last year because of the pests.

Smaller than a human thumb, and with a knack for ploughing through soy, corn and cotton, the Helicoverpa has been terrorizing Asia, Australia and Africa since the 19th century. In India and China, some 50% of pesticides (pdf) are used to kill the caterpillars. But they hadn’t appeared in South America until last year. In response, Brazil’s agriculture industry recently approved the importation of more powerful pesticides to fend off the menacing insects, but plenty of damage has already been done: The tiny buggers cost Brazil an estimated $4.7 billion last summer alone. Outbreaks have been reported in as many as 21 different states throughout the country.

Even global soybean giant Monsanto is sweating the many-legged crop muncher. In a call with investors earlier this month, chief technology officer Robert Fraley acknowledged that the pests are a “top-of-mind topic for both ourselves and for the growers,” and added that Monsanto has plans in place to deal with the caterpillars. “We’ll be in a position before the end of the decade to have multiple-mode-of-action products in that marketplace.”

While the infestation has yet to affect Brazil’s soy or other grain prices, it’s already increasing production costs where the caterpillar is present, since farmers have to apply several layers of insecticide and, potentially, destroy large swaths of infested plants. If the problem persists, however, the effects could spill over to Brazil’s soy and corn supplies, and subsequently to global grain prices. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of corn, and is vying to replace the US as the world’s largest exporter of soy—it’s currently a close second. China, which consumes over 60% of the world’s soy and is slated to increase its corn imports, can’t be happy to see that a longtime agricultural foe has gained a foothold in the breadbasket of South America.

The U.S.'s mobility rate, based on data released by the Census Bureau today, is about as low as it's ever been, dating all the way back to the 1940s.

wasbella102:

Astronomical Clock, Munster

I love these things. (Very partial to the one in Bern, the Zytgloggeturm.)

Gateway News

NSA violations compared to Obamacare website ills WLOS WASHINGTON (AP) -- The intelligence community's top lawyer is defending the surveillance violations by staff of the National Security Agency by comparing programs that collect mass amounts of information on Americans to problems with the troubled health ... NSA Releases Some Files On Electronic SurveillanceWVAS The latest secret document dumpThe Week Magazine all 244 news articles »

There are ***23*** are zero ambiguous holiday cards left. Thanks for nothing cards remain abundant.

lagamespace:

Perfect Stride is first person maximalist skater. Literally a perfect game. Based on old school FPS movement exploits (Quake jumping, Tribes skiing, CS surfing). The controls are hella hard & we like it that way so shut up.

These GIFs are from a sub-seven minute speedrun by @wnkrwnkr. Check out the whole run on Twitch.

Perfect Stride by the Arcane Kids is available as part of the Experimental Game Pack 01 at gamepacks.net

After working diligently for 13 years on upholstering and custom building furniture, Erin Lolcama of Exit Realty redirected her career in a massive way. The Portland native, born-and-raised in Northeast, turned her sights toward PDX’s real estate market. Now she feels more at home, finding homes for ‘her people.’

The city’s booming popularity has made it a bit of a real estate enigma. Caught in the cross-hairs of a popped market bubble and the uncontrollable rise in the city’s population, Portland has become a unique hot spot.

When compared to other growing cities around the country, apartment and home prices have remained surprisingly within reach.

“Between 200,00 and $250,000, it’s a really hot price bracket for first time buyers. It’s got a lot of competition,” said Lolcama about the pricing in some of the developing neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods are even cropping up further out than many ever imagined. So what’s the new boundary? 82nd Avenue but it’s more popularly known as the Mason Dixon line.

Horror stories of developments throughout the U.S. saturating the markets created unprecedented, and largely unforeseen, issues like the demand for jobs or unpredictable mortgage and interest rates.

But not here in Portland. Driving around in Southeast neighborhoods like Division, Hawthorne and Foster-Powell, where Lolcama has one of her listings, it’s easy to see the constant demand for more housing.

“They’re trying to fit everyone. As the city gets more and more populated people are getting more resourceful about where they go,” says Lolcama.

The city’s ‘low-inventory’ has a lot to with the steady pricing and sustained prominence of the neighborhoods.

“Home’s don’t stay on the market for long, if they do, it’s not price correctly,” said Lolcama.

A lot of the credit goes to the devotedly followed 10-minute rule. Whether it’s intentional or not, as a Realtor and life-time resident of PDX, Lolcama agrees that in most neighborhoods East of the Willamette you’ll find pretty much everything you desire within walking distance.

So, what does this all mean for the potential homebuyer? Lolcama’s offers some quick, and not-so-obvious tips, for those who are looking to up-size or simply want to invest in a property they can call their own.

-Do research

Before even stepping into the office of a realtor, Lolcama suggest doing some reflection on what it is that you truly want and need. Setting a comfortable and realistic budget can help dictate what is within reach. Consulting a mortgage broker and pre-qualifying for a loan can help any buyer set limits, avoid disappointed and speed up the entire process once you are approved.

-Be ready to compromise

“It’s an educational process. I don’t want to tell them[clients] they can’t. I want them to realize what they can get for their budget. Maybe you don’t need that third room or the garage or the basement shop,” said Lolcama.

Cutting the fat can save you thousands and help you nab a more attainable abode in a desired neighborhood or with a particular style. Also, realizing your capabilities is helpful. Not handy? Does you see yourself getting more handy? Because the house isn’t gonna get more fixed, it’ll get less fixed, says Lolcama. Maybe a condo is a better alternative.

-Rent vs. Buying

After figuring out the basics, take time to zoom out and think. Should I actually be looking to buy or rent? The renting market is highly competitive and harder to negotiate since rent brokers all but exist in PDX. But Lolcama recommends not ruling out the possibility of condos especially with budget and location restriction.

“Hit the pavement!” says Lolcama before you get stuck biding against hundreds of others on an apartment.

If you have any questions or would like to inquire about a property, contact Erin Lolcama at 971-506-4595

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Survey: 81 Percent of Universities Say Sequester Has Directly Affected Research Activities | Sequester Watch, What Matters Today | BillMoyers.com:

Universities say the automatic federal budget cuts that began last March have directly affected their research activities, leading to layoffs.

From Moyers & Company.

mrhifibanjostrings:

serenitytales:

"Take My Love." Written by the late Mark Bourne; pencils by Mike Russell; inks, colors and that final panel by Bill Mudron.

• Read it at CulturePulp.com.
• Read it at Comics Alliance.
• Read it at io9.
• Download a 3-page PDF.

Wash Amuck!

I’m a stick in the wind

now Wash is sore

A survey asked people if they were happy to go to work in the morning. The answer was a rather emphatic "no." What are we going to do about this global case of the Mondays?

After pricing much of San Francisco out of affordable housing, budding tech-types are regrouping in style: hotels, theaters, and other gaudy structures are now converted group homes, and having 12 roommates has never been so cushy.

“We look at him as a bulwark against the overreaching imposition and government power and control and expense,” says Neil Flagg, owner of the online shop Sports Poster Warehouse, and the founder of the I Hate the War on Mayor Rob Ford Facebook page. “This is why he still hits the nail on the head and why I’ll defend him to the political death: because he respects the money we send to him.”

It might take many people a whole sentence to send Jehovah's witnesses on their way, but this man does it with just two words.

Two New Mexico police officers are under investigation after one opened fire on a minivan. A mother and her five children were inside.

Across the the United States, public schools—even ones that teach comprehensive sex education—invite religious abstinence speakers to come in to talk to students about sex, and sometimes spread information that is factually inaccurate in the process.

This is what happens when the McRib and the McNugget get drunk and have a love child.

NSA surveillance “boxes” are helping the U.S. eavesdrop on terrorists and guide missiles to kill them.

Daniel_Stuckey writes "Congress held its first-ever hearing on virtual currencies this afternoon, and it may have been the best PR boost bitcoin's had yet. The tone at the hearing held before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee was overwhelmingly positive as the panel weighed the risks of the technology that grew out of the criminal underbelly of the web, with the potential economic value of the now-booming futurist money. The prevailing sentiment over the two-hour deep dive into the pros and cons of the digital coins boils down to this: We need to uphold America's position as center of technical innovation by welcoming the new currency—but that that can't be done without government safeguards and regulations." SonicSpike wrote in with a link to another report in Bloomberg. The Federal Reserve has no plans to regulate Bitcoin (lacking regulatory authority), but the SEC chair wrote "Regardless of whether an underlying virtual currency is itself a security, interests issued by entities owning virtual currencies or providing returns based on assets such as virtual currencies likely would be securities and therefore subject to our regulation."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Berlin

For those ardent Firefox users, Mozilla has pushed the Australis user-interface changes into the latest Firefox web-browser builds...