Athenæum

Thursday September 4th, 2008

Technologica

Want Energy Independence? The Electrical Grid Can't Handle It (Yet)
from The New York Times

It appears that the American electrical grid currently cannot handle the amount of energy that it needs to transmit if this country is to achieve "energy independence." Why are we all fired up about building all these wind turbines and nuclear power plants ("As President, I will ...find ways to safely harness nuclear power." -Sen. Barack Obama, 8/28/08) but aren't talking about the fact that we cannot get this energy to market?

Wednesday September 3rd, 2008

Arcanum

Descendents Of Templars Sue The Pope
from NPR

In one of the more interesting lawsuits filed in recent memory, people who claim to be descendants of the Knights Templar are suing Pope Benedict XVI. They are not looking for money, only recognition of wrongdoing by the Roman Catholic Church when they declared the Templars heretics, seized their assets and burned them at the stake. Something tells me this apology will be a long time in coming (see Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandal for more details).

Here's a link to the original article in the Daily Telegraph.

Friday May 23rd, 2008

Breaking News

La-Di-Da-Di! Slick Rick's Being Pardoned!!!
from Yahoo! News

New York Governor David Paterson is about to grant Slick Rick a pardon. Slick Rick served time in the 1990s for the attempted murders of two men. Homeland Security has been trying recently to get Rick the Ruler deported as part of their program to deport foreigners convicted of violent felonies, and the pardon should help stop the proceedings. Whether this bold decision will go over well with the citizens of New York who are not old school hip-hop fans is another story.