I am getting very tired of this winter.  We had a slight dusting of snow overnight (which continues at this moment) but the temps weren't quite as cold as predicted but still single digits when we should be right around 40F is a bit much.  And we have another week of much below normal temps.  I plan to make a bunch of paper pots today, clean up the potting area and plant some seeds on Saturday.  I really do want my garden back but Winter just doesn't seem to want to let go of it.

I am not really surprised at this item.  But I have a question:  how many of the supposed authors included the fake papers on their vitas?  Academic science has been dominated by the "publish or perish" paradigm for decades.  And another question:  what happened to peer review?  Did the reviewers not read the papers?

I always thought the panic over the perceived shortcomings in American science education was just that--a mindless panic.  This L.A. Times article provides some of the absurdity over the focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in our schools.  I remember the panic after Sputnik.  Suddenly, all of the educational experts demanded more concentration on science and math at all levels.  Only a couple of years before the panic was over Why Johnny Can't Read.  We seem to slew from one fad to another but it seems to do no good.  Our schools always seem to be failing.

This has an eerily familiar ring to it.  Does anyone remember the political crisis in Georgia with Russia-leaning provinces breaking away with the help of Russia?  That is still on a slow simmer on the back burner.

A couple of dramatic photos from California.  The picture from July 2011 morphs to January 2014.  And even though parts of the state are going to get as much as 5+ inches over this weekend it won't even dent the 15+ inches they need to really break the drought.  It is enough to cause serious problems but not enough to do any lasting good.