Ferri Tales

How long do the people of Earth have before we run out of energy? According to the DOE/EIA 2011 report, world energy consumption has increased by 1.8% per year since 1990 and is projected to increase at that rate to 2035. Subsequent calculations will use a growth rate of 1.8% per year. Funds in an account that offers 1.8% annual earnings would double every 39 years. Annual world energy consumption varies depending on the source, but an average seems to be about 500 billion billion joules. A joule in a unit of energy similar to the familiar kilowatt-hour; one kilowatt-hour equals 3.6 million joules. The population of Earth is currently using energy of all forms (coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and renewable) equal to the annual electrical energy usage of 12 billion average U.S. homes. To simplify the calculations, I'll use 1 WEU (World Energy Unit) as the current world annual energy consumption. What energy resources are available for the world to use? According to the BP 2010 World En...

In Arthur Clarke's science fiction novel "Childhood's End", benevolent aliens from forty light-years away visit Earth, end all wars, help form a world government, and essentially create a utopia. When asked why they were helping mankind, their reply was, "Your race has shown a notable incapacity for dealing with the problems of its own rather small planet." On the real Earth, we can expect no help from non-Earth entities or from mythological super beings. We are on our own and had better shed this "notable incapacity" to deal with our problems. Earth really doesn't care if humans go extinct. The planet will do just fine without us. As with any problems, a solution first requires the realization that problems exist. And yes, we have a multitude of them. The top problems, from a quick internet search include: species extinction, war, nuclear proliferation, malnutrition and hunger, clean water, health care, population growth, peak oil consumpt...

HOLY SEX -  In the movie Cannonball Run (1981), Dean Martin played a race car driver disguised as a Catholic priest. His primary competitor, played by Burt Reynolds, drove a supercharged ambulance with Farrah Fawcett playing a fake transport patient. Martin stopped the ambulance with the pretense that he always stops ambulances to bless patients. However, during the blessing his partner would stealthily poke a hole in one of the tires. When Martin opened the side door of the ambulance and saw Fawcett lying invitingly on a gurney, he said, "Oh, I gotta bless her." I think this is what happened in Wyalusing recently when on May 17 ( Review , May 25, 2013) the local police charged a couple in the back seat of a car with open lewdness, the female mostly naked, the male a Roman Catholic priest. I'm sure there was some sort of blessing happening, and the police were just not familiar with Roman Catholic procedures. Bishop Bambera of Scranton expressed anger at this ...

- He would like to evolve, but can't. - He once thought he was right, but was mistaken. - His business card simply says, "Go fuck yourself." - He gives money that he took from the poor to the rich. - Once while sailing around the world, he fell off the edge. - He divorced his wife because he caught her reading a science book. - When he speaks, he often disagrees with himself. - He speaks seven languages, and makes no sense in any of them. - He loves everyone, as long as they're white, male, and incredibly rich. - He listens to anyone who agrees with him. - He considers marriage sacred, so he’s done it 3 times. - He loves women, as long as they don’t have an opinion. - He considers all life sacred, except during the period after birth and just before death. Stay stupid my friend. (Reminder: After the recent presidential election, Republican Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said that Republicans should, "Stop being the stupid party.") .

We're #1 -- at protecting pedophiles.  Maybe #2 -- the Catholic Church is #1. Do the right thing. Remove the statue. Update: On July 22, 2012, Penn State removed the Paterno statue. Next, they need to shut down the football program. Now if only the Catholic Church would shut down ...

Merry Mithra-mass, Merry Horus-mass, Merry Ra-mass, Merry Baal-mass, Merry Sol-mass, Merry Helios-mass, and for the new kid on the block (around 350C.E.) Merry Christ-mass. JLF .

In the December 9, 2011 issue of Science, researchers from the University of Chicago placed pairs of rats in plexiglass pens, one pair per pen, with one of the rats trapped in a smaller cage within the pen. After about a week of apparent consternation, prodding, and testing, the unrestrained rat eventually figured out how to open the inner cage door and free their mate. In another test, a second inner cage containing bits of chocolate -- the rat’s favorite snack -- were added. The unrestrained rats first freed the caged rats, then shared the chocolate with them. Further tests showed that the rats had no interest in opening empty cages, or cages containing toy rats, indicating that their goal was to help a cage-mate in distress. Mason and Bartal, the UC researchers, concluded that rodents are far more altruistic that previously thought. I would like to propose similar experiments using humans rather than rats. Experimental protocols would use liberals and conservatives as roommates w...

In response to Duane Campbell’s letter of support for Joe Paterno  (Review, Nov. 11, 2011), I doubt that Campbell has read the grand jury  report. He wrote that Paterno “is not only a historically outstanding  coach, he has been all his life a genuinely good person devoted to his  school and to his students.” However, when called upon to do something  that would have added “hero” to his traits, Paterno failed miserably  and, by his own admission, did less that he should have. A “genuinely  good person” does not tolerate the cover-up of the rape of children. Granted, nothing has been proven yet and all will have their day in  court. But the report to Paterno in 2002 by Mike McQueary, then a  graduate assistant, about the alleged rape of a 10 year old boy by  Jerry Sandusky in the Penn State shower room must have been credible.  Otherwise, McQueary would not have been employed for almost a decade  by the university. Mr. Patern...

The video below is from 1989 by The Razorbacks with Mary Margaret O'Hara performing Blue Christmas . The group and Ms. O'Hara are from our neighbor to the north, Canada, where everyone has health care and where the banking system didn't blink in 2008 because of proper government regulation. In the great U.S. of A., we have a dysfunctional congress, and an electorate who vote for candidates who support platforms that are detrimental to the electorate. Anyway, enjoy the music. JLF .

I was watching a scifi movie, Slither , on the AMC yesterday. Not a bad flick, on par with Tremors . A song by The Yayhoos (not Yahoos as the video notes), " Baby I Love You" , played as the final credits scrolled by. It should probably be titled " Baby I Love You But ..." JLF . .