Odds ‘n Sods:

Patrick sent us a link to a promising new steam engine design. (I mentioned it once before in the blog, but their web site has recently been expanded, so it is worth another look.)

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Steve sent this: Citi Falls on Worries About Cash Levels. Steve’s comment: “The largest banks are in trouble and main stream media is reporting it.” Meanwhile, we read: Wall Street to Citigroup: Come clean

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Two more links from Eric, with more cheery news from abroad: International experts foresee collapse of U.S. economy and, Already we have riots, hoarding, panic: the sign of things to come?

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Scientists Make First Map of Emerging Disease Hotspots. Out of curiosity, I’d like to see a version of that map “normed” to a population density map. I would guess that it would still show some relatively hot spots in east Asia. But undoubtedly, latitude and population density play key roles.