Besides making me giggle inappropriately every time I heard its name, Hurricane Gustav did mercifully little damage to either people or property when it hit Louisiana this week, which is good because like everyone else I was watching its progress with nauseated apprehension. However, while the oil platforms fared all right, the area's natural wetlands took a severe beating. From Grist:
I'm also looking forward to the day when "energy independence" doesn't automatically translate into "offshore oil drilling", but that's just me.
Also:
- Measles uptick! Even as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging more measles vaccinations with cases at a 12-year high, some parents are not vaccinating because they fear a possible link between the vaccine and autism. With such conflicting information if I were a parent I have no idea what I would decide to do.
- Inexplicable speed! The performance of world-record-shattering Jamaican Usain Bolt in the Beijing Olympics has scientists scrambling to explain how he did it, positing factors like a hereditary disposition toward fast-twitch muscles and long stride. Even as a former sprinter myself I can't begin to wrap my brain around the fact that people keep getting faster and faster.