The Seven Americas?

Facebook data reveal a map of close regional ties
There seems to be a trend dividing the 50 states into the ‘Seven Americas’.
Are you in favor?

‘Where do your friends live? For most people, the answer is “nearby.” PeteSearch compiled data from 210 million public Facebook profiles, mapping where our friends connections are, and found some tight regional clustering—and some big divisions. The blog breaks the country into seven distinct groupings’:

Stayathomia: People in this Northeast region, stretching from New York to Minnesota, form very tight geographic connections, with most friends living in neighboring cities.
Dixie: A fairly intuitive “Old South” grouping, with Atlanta as the network’s hub.
Greater Texas: Places like Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas are connected more to this Dallas-centric group than the South.
Nomadic West: In this huge region, even small towns are strongly connected to distant big cities.
Mormonia: A slice of tightly-knit Utah and Eastern Idaho towns inside, but isolated from, the Nomadic West.
Socalistan: LA is king here, linked to almost everywhere in California and Nevada—and many exterior cities, too. Outside the big cities though, Californians form very tight clusters.
Pacifica: This Seattle-centric area has surprisingly few connections outside of Washington. –Pete Search

Fearless Gambling Could Mean Brain Damage

If you think fearless gamblers are crazy, you might just be right:

‘People with damage to their amygdala, a deep part of the brain that governs basic value judgments, are more likely than others to take big risks for uncertain payoffs. A new study pitted 2 women with amygdala-specific lesions against 6 controls in tests of their willingness to gamble. The control group went for it only if the return were 50% to 100% higher than the potential loss; not so with the brain-damaged participants.

‘Those with a damaged amygdala consistently made gambles with a smaller likelihood of gain, in some cases taking risks where the payoff was smaller than the potential loss. The loss of “loss aversion” fascinates the researchers. “It may be that the amygdala controls a very general biological mechanism for inhibiting risky behavior when outcomes are potentially negative,” one tells the BBC. He calls it a “basic evolutionary defense mechanism.”’ -BBC

International Types of Crime

I did a lot of search about types of crime when I learned that broadly speaking, U.S. law recognizes two types of crime: misdemeanor and felony. I was surprised when I learned that in Philippines, the types are against person or property. Is this true? I mean are crimes against person or property misdemeanor or felony? Can’t Philippine law simplify this? –dirp.pids.gov.ph /http://dirp.pids.gov.ph/cgi-bin/st2?ncr_crime_type.tbl

The Plato on-line Group at FaceBook

I have just created the Plato on-line Group at FaceBook and I invite everyone who’s interested in social media and writing to join me. I’m sure to give you great tips on the subjects. Thank you.

My Way Killings Still Plague Filipino Karaoke Bars

If you’re in Philippines and fond of singing in karaoke bars, you better get near the exit when you hear someone sings My Way by Frank Sinatra because trouble, if not murder, might follow next. Some of those who sing the song gets murdered until now! And the spate of killings started in the late 80’s, imagine. The song might just be plain cursed:

‘If you sing My Way at a karaoke bar in the Philippines, the end may be nearer than you realize: A spate of killings of people singing the Frank Sinatra song has prompted many bars to remove it from their playbooks and many Filipinos to avoid singing it. In a country wild about both karaoke and Sinatra, the “My Way killings” have left Filipinos struggling for answers, the New York Times reports.

‘Some blame the killings on the drinking, machismo, and violence that converge in the country’s karaoke bars; others see something sinister in the song itself. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer,” one Filipino said. “That’s why it leads to fights.” Whatever the cause, singing the song badly appears to be especially dangerous: Most of the “My Way killings” occurred after the singer was laughed at for singing out of tune.’ –NY Times

Soda Linked to Cancer: Study

Do you know that if you soak a healthy tooth in one of the most popular cola brand in 12 hours or overnight, what you will see next is a rotten tooth? But here’s a more scary news:

2 soft drinks a week could raise pancreatic cancer risk by 87% -Health Day

The Whiteout at the White House

While the Associated Press described it as ‘historic’, NPR dubbed the blizzard as
‘Snowmageddon’ and ‘Snowpocalypse’ and ‘was indeed epic’:

‘Federal agencies will be closed Monday in Washington as the region continues to dig out from a weekend storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in the nation’s capital.
‘Planes were grounded, trains stood still and Greyhound buses weren’t rolling in the Mid-Atlantic region on Sunday, leaving stranded travelers wondering when they’ll be able to escape the icy, gray mess created by a major snowstorm.

‘Hundreds of thousands of homes were without power with temperatures below freezing all day, and utilities warned it could be days before electricity is restored to everyone. Plows had scraped down to bare pavement on some main thoroughfares while not touching streets in other areas buried by 2 feet or more.’ -AP

Rental cars buried deep in snow waited to be dug out at an auxiliary lot at Dulles International Airport, one of Washington, D.C.’s two main airports. The airports warned of more flight cancellations Tuesday. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Activist Ship Collides Again with Japanese Whaler

Second major clash this year in Japanese whaling standoff -AP

Deck of Bob Barker

DrawSpace – Learn How To Draw Technical and Realistically

Are you tired of Photoshop? Why not try drawing on-line?
You can learn how to draw technical and realistically at DrawSpace.

Internet Nominated For 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

And this is NOT a joke.

Those wishing to sign the petition nominating the net can do so on the just-launched Internet for Peace website. The site will include a planisphere that scrolls down the names and countries, in real time, of all those supporting the initiative. Early backers include 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, professor Umberto Veronesi and stylist Giorgio Armani. -Wired