Pi Day Mini-Links

I hope you had a great Pi Day.  I figured I would throw a few links up, especially since the first one involves a high seed that might not be in the tournament very long:

The Nun in Loyola-Chicago’s Huddle Has a Few Things to Say – New York Times 

Why No. 1 Virginia’s Plodding Pace Makes It Ripe for an Upset – Wall Street Journal

The EU Is Going After the U.S. Cranberry Industry – Bloomberg.  Targeting Paul Ryan's home state.

The Number of Monarch Butterflies Wintering in Mexico Is Down Again – Modern Farmer. For what it's worth, I've been avoiding the milkweed when mowing waterways and scrubland.  I've noticed more Monarchs the last couple years than I saw in previous years.

When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home - The New Yorker 

Stephen Hawking Is Still Underrated – The Atlantic  

Pi Day 2018: the math of pi explained, as simply as possible - Vox

Trump's mining giveaway – Politico.  There is no better example of the ineptitude and corruption of Congress than the fact that a law as shitty as the General Mining Act of 1872 is still the law of the land after 146 years.

Canadian Amateurs Discovered a New Type of Aurora.  It’s named Steve. - The Atlantic  

The Papermaker

The Papermaker from Kings&Kongs on Vimeo.

I'm Getting a Bad Feeling About This

I have to say that my fear that we will end up in a war with Iran or North Korea or both increased significantly today.  I can't say that Mike Pompeo is as dumb as Trump, considering his extremely impressive resume, but the fact that he agrees with Trump about North Korea, Iran, climate change and environmental regulation is absolutely terrifying.  I didn't really think our country's future was tremendously bright before today, but it got quite a bit darker in this spin on the earth's axis.

Chart of the Day: Looming Farm Crisis Edition

From AgWeb:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: unfortunately, it is going to get worse before it gets better.  As the chart on the left shows, debt-to-income is at the highest level since the late '80s, and guys are still throwing $8,000-12,000 an acre at land in this area.  This will not end well.  Also, if you are looking for a stock to short, I'd suggest you take a look at Farmland Partners (I am not a financial advisor, and would recommend that you should never short a stock).

NCAA Bracket

First Four: LIU Brooklyn, St. Bonaventure, NC Central, Syracuse
South Region
First Round: Virginia, Creighton, Kentucky, Arizona, Loyola-Chicago, Tennessee, Nevada, Cincinnati
Second Round: Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cincinnati
Sweet Sixteen: Virginia, Cincinnati
Regional Final: Virginia

West Region
First Round: Xavier, Missouri, Ohio State, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan, Providence, North Carolina
Second Round: Xavier, Gonzaga, Houston, North Carolina
Sweet Sixteen: Gonzaga, North Carolina
Regional Final: Gonzaga

East Region
First Round: Villanova, Alabama, West Virginia, Wichita State, Florida, Texas Tech, Butler, Purdue
Second Round: Villanova, Wichita State, Florida, Butler
Sweet Sixteen: Villanova, Florida
Regional Final: Villanova

Midwest Region
First Round: Kansas, Seton Hall, New Mexico State, Auburn, Syracuse, Michigan State, Rhode Island, Duke
Second Round: Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State, Duke
Sweet Sixteen: Kansas,Michigan State
Regional Final: Michigan State

Final Four: Villanova, Gonzaga
Champion: Villanova


Also, since the Irish ended up in the NIT, I'll forecast the Final Four there:
Notre Dame, Louisville, Western Kentucky and St. Mary's, with St. Mary's knocking off Notre Dame in the final.  It's not going to happen, but I'll dream.

Selection Sunday Links

Here are the best stories I saw in the last part of the week: 

Suicides, Drug Addiction and High School Football - New York Times.  Madison, Indiana

America's Basketball Heaven - ESPN 

Country Star - Washington Post

Steve Francis: I Got a Story to Tell - The Players' Tribune 

Nun Involved In Katy Perry Convent Lawsuit Collapses And Dies In Court - NPR

Deep gas bands, shapely cyclones — NASA's Juno reveals more of Jupiter's secrets – LA Times 

What scientists found trapped in a diamond: a type of ice not known on Earth - LA Times

Salk, Sabin and the Race Against Polio - Smithsonian.  An old story, but one I was wondering about recently.  

Why Are New Hampshire's Tax-Free Liquor Stores Selling So Much Hennessy? - The Salt

For many factory towns, white collar job loss hurts the most – AP News

Magnesium May Save the Town of Asbestos – Bloomberg 

This Is What Happens When Bitcoin Miners Take Over Your Town – Politico 

A New Documentary Honors the Work and Life of Photojournalist Chris Hondros - The Atlantic.  I didn't know it until after he died, but he started his photojournalism career at the local small-town paper.

China's Staggering Demand for Commodities  - Visual Capitalist 

Still Hayseed Enough to Say Look Who's in the Big Town

Early March Links

Here are a few of my favorite stories from the last week or so:

We X-Rayed Some MLB Baseballs. Here’s What We Found. - FiveThirtyEight

Sweet Redemption As Men's Curling Team Brings Olympic Gold Home To Duluth - NPR

Schuyler, Nebraska, school officials call state intervention a 'scarlet letter'- Omaha World-Herald.  The state declared the school was low-performing because of changing demographics.  Translation: the town has a meatpacking plant so the school-age population is is over 85% immigrant.

California Fruit Will ‘Die on the Vine’ After ICE Raids, Labor Warns - Bloomberg.  Stupid.

Harvard Blew $1 Billion in Bet on Tomatoes, Sugar, and Eucalyptus - Bloomberg

Jerry and Marge Go Large - Highline (h/t my former boss).  Good story about a screwy lottery game that got gamed.

The Rise Of Yeast: How Civilization Was Shaped By Sugar Fungi - The Salt

Impact of warming seas felt by northeastern fisheries - Toledo Blade

Some of the World's Biggest Lakes Are Drying Up. Here's Why. - National Geographic

The Slow-Motion Catastrophe Threatening 350-Year-Old Farms - The Atlantic 

The Man Who Bottled Evolution - MSU Today

How Trump’s Hudson Tunnel Feud Threatens the National Economy - Bloomberg

The Radical Left-Wing Theory That the Government Has Unlimited Money - Vice.  Well, not so radical.  It is Modern Monetary Theory.

Who Was Marjory Stoneman Douglas? - Portside

'Corporations Are People' Is Built on an Incredible 19th-Century Lie - The Atlantic 

WH quietly issues report to Congress showing benefits of regulations - The Hill

Trump steel tariffs to hit these 8 countries the hardest — and China isn’t one of them - MarketWatch.  Actually, they will probably hit the U.S. the hardest.

End of February Links

Here are some stories from the last few days that caught my eye:

Canadian Grief: Curling and Hockey Losses Are “Terrible, Terrible, Terrible” – WSJ and The Worst Tickets at the Winter Olympics – WSJ

The Doomsday L Train Shutdown Just Might Save NYC - Wired
 
Like Lemons? Quinoa? Thank This Food Explorer For Bringing Them To Your Plate – The Salt

Refiner goes belly-up after big payouts to Carlyle Group - Reuters.  Ted Cruz is blaming the Renewable Fuel Standard and RINs.  I'm guessing Carlyle bled them more than the RFS.

Rainfall's natural variation hides climate change signal – Phys.org

Worst Roommate Ever - New York Magazine 

A Well-Regulated Militia - Part 0 - Advice Unasked.  A good explanation of the most poorly understood part of the Second Amendment.  I think this will have to figure in any assault rifle ban that may come about.

 'This is not normal': Glitches mar new tax law - Politico.  Democrats will have to help these idiots fix these fuckups.

The Frat House of Representatives – Politico

Here are two bonus medical history stories I was talking about this weekend.  I think I've posted each at one time or another, but they are both fascinating.   How Moldy Hay And Sick Cows Led To A Lifesaving Drug - All Things Considered, and The 'Man Who Touched His Own Heart' Changed Medicine - All Things Considered.

35 Minerals Absolutely Critical to U.S. Security - Visual Capitalist

2018 Ohio River Flooding By The Numbers

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:






1937 must have been absolutely ridiculous.