Guess I must be doing something right. 

Starz has had trouble with making original series stick and it seems proud of its success with this particular entry. As with The Walking Dead, the allure for viewers may be the violence, and some at least appear to be sticking around to see what happens next. We shall see if Spartacus has the endurance it needs; after all, the show’s historical counterpart was eventually defeated in a bloody battle almost as vicious as cable ratings wars.

Uh, spoilers?

Show emotion and you are too fragile, untrustworthy, and incapable for the serious adult work of politics. You are manipulative, and all the other things people like to say about women when they express feelings; you can’t approach situations objectively, you can’t be trusted to make the right decisions in times of stress, you clearly aren’t capable of setting aside your feelings on complex emotional issues. Don’t show your emotions and you’re inhuman, suspect because you don’t behave in a feminine way, which means you might be too cold and unfeeling for politics, unable to bring compassion to your job.

Senator Howell took a stand for what she thinks is right, highlighting the absurdity of requiring costly testing and waiting periods to access routine medical care. People might say it’s ludicrous for the state to interfere in the practice of medicine by requiring a digital rectal exam before a Viagra® prescription, and it would be. It’s also ludicrous for the state to interfere with the practice of medicine by requiring abortion providers to torment their patients before performing procedures, which it is doing right now.

Many people are predicting that this is going to be a key year in terms of reproductive rights and access to abortion, and rightly so. Emboldened by successful legislation in a number of states, a growing number of anti-choice groups are lobbying hard to get more restrictive measures on ballots and in statehouses. Anti-choice demonstrators are following suit, ramping up the rhetoric, the protests and the threats.

An important source of uncertainty in anticipating the effects of climate change on agriculture is limited understanding of crop responses to extremely high temperatures^1, 2. This uncertainty partly reflects the relative lack of observations of crop behaviour in farmers’ fields under extreme heat. We used nine years of satellite measurements of wheat growth in northern India to monitor rates of wheat senescence following exposure to temperatures greater than 34 °C. We detect a statistically significant acceleration of senescence from extreme heat, above and beyond the effects of increased average temperatures. Simulations with two commonly used process-based crop models indicate that existing models underestimate the effects of heat on senescence. As the onset of senescence is an important limit to grain filling, and therefore grain yields, crop models probably underestimate yield losses for +2 °C by as much as 50% for some sowing dates. These results imply that warming presents an even greater challenge to wheat than implied by previous modelling studies, and that the effectiveness of adaptations will depend on how well they reduce crop sensitivity to very hot days.

Today in work-related reading.

Cactus by Claire Brownlow on Flickr.

[Image: A very spiny little cactus.]

The Journal points out the obvious: Brown doesn’t necessarily mean green. Today, “white paper can be made from 100% recycled fibers and whitened without chemical chlorine, traditionally the primary complaint against it.” Seventh Generation actually adds a step to the production process—brown pigmentation—to make its diapers appear eco. It’s not clear whether Target, Dunkin’, and Cinnabon’s new napkins are any better for the environment than the old ones were, they’re just browner.

In need of a second act, Archipley and his wife Karen pooled their resources to open the farm in 2007. Their mission is twofold; they hope to operate a successful small-scale organic farm and help soldiers make the transition from fighters to champions of sustainable agriculture and financial independence. Together the couple runs a program called Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT), a six-week course run in partnership with two local community colleges that focuses on organics and hydroponics (and the combination of the two, which is rare), as well as greenhouse production and the basics of putting together a business plan.

Another San Francisco resident, Edward - on the streets from age 13 - reckons he can make six to seven dollars (£4) an hour collecting bottle cans and plastic.

“It’s degrading,” he says. “You’re not going to be picking up any chicks while you’re doing it.”

Note: the current minimum wage in San Francisco is $10.24/hour.

Closeup on Flickr.

[Image: A daffodil.]

Someone recently suggested that I should add an ‘explanation’ about my gender to every piece I write. I think that’s a GREAT IDEA! Everybody everywhere should be obligated to explain their gender in the ledes of all their written work.

Oh, wait.