No Need to Panic About Global Warming

An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, signed by sixteen scientists, about global warming and some possible motives of those who are alarmed:

Alarmism over climate is of great benefit to many, providing government funding for academic research and a reason for government bureaucracies to grow.

Steel Sculpture

This "Steel Sculpture" was created 1986 by a University of Florida engineering professor for teaching structures. Over 100 other universities now have one also (see http://www.aisc.org/content.aspx?id=704). Photo from the UF Civil Engineering department web site. Where on the UF campus is this sculpture?

Reforming public schools

In the January, 2012, issue of First Things, Charles Glenn's article reviews the history of public schools and argues that a wide variety of schools is needed and "Parents should be free to choose the school their children attend without financial penalty."

Typewriter history

From the ASME announcement:

The Sholes & Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful mechanical writing machine, will be recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for historic significance and contribution to the progress of mechanical engineering.

See also the typewriter's Wikipedia entry.

Religious Freedom

The Maryland Catholic Conference has an interesting document about religious freedom and how it is being attacked. Related to this is an article on "The Most Important Religious Liberty Case of the Past Thirty Years."