Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Paean this
Aside to Susanna - the red ink isn't so bad, it's that confounded Liquid Paper that's really a PITA.
Cashing in
Now that Michael Schiavo has become a celebrity it's time to cash in. He's feeding us so much about his devotion to his wife's wishes, I figure the world is ready for a bunch of songs to let him show how he really feels about his wife.
What songs should he perform? We don't want the cliches here - let's give him a chance to develop his own style while sticking with proven but perhaps obscure hits. Here are a few suggestions:
Pat Travers' Boom Boom (out go the lights)
Guns 'n Roses' I used to love her
Rod Stewart's Foolish Behaviour
Robert Cray's Smoking Gun
Harry Nilsson's You're Breakin' My Heart
You're welcome to add suggestions in the comments.
It might well be that Mr. Schiavo hasn't yet had enough exposure. Perhaps he could benefit by teaming up with another like-minded Floridian whose name is better recognized. Do you suppose he could do a duet with OJ Simpson?
What songs should he perform? We don't want the cliches here - let's give him a chance to develop his own style while sticking with proven but perhaps obscure hits. Here are a few suggestions:
Pat Travers' Boom Boom (out go the lights)
Guns 'n Roses' I used to love her
Rod Stewart's Foolish Behaviour
Robert Cray's Smoking Gun
Harry Nilsson's You're Breakin' My Heart
You're welcome to add suggestions in the comments.
It might well be that Mr. Schiavo hasn't yet had enough exposure. Perhaps he could benefit by teaming up with another like-minded Floridian whose name is better recognized. Do you suppose he could do a duet with OJ Simpson?
Unsolicited advice
Hmm, sounds like a good name for a blog. Anyway, IMO these guys need one of these.
Monday, March 21, 2005
But at least he didn't push abstinence education
From the Urbana Champaign Indymedia: "Did you know that Bill Clinton, (who smoked but didn't inhale and was a Rhodes scholar), signed a bill which denies federal financial assistance to any student with a drug conviction, even for simple marijuana possession."
Sunday, March 20, 2005
What is Michael Schiavo hiding?
I suppose watching too many cop shows with twisted plots can affect your thought patterns. You'll be tempted to violate wisdom like "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."
And of course in criminal justice you must come up with suspects and investigate them. At the end they're cleared or indicted. No matter how huffy someone might get, there's no shame in being a suspect per se - speaking of "accusations" is pointlessly inflammatory. The justice system owes it to you to clear you or indict you as soon as possible. As for the suspect, it only makes sense that they should be forthcoming with evidence that clears suspicions.
One other thing before I start. Some relatives of mine had a daughter with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). A bright little girl, her descent into total incapacity started at about two. Her parents insisted on caring for her, and beyond all expectations she lived into her twenties. (Of all things, it turns out that her father was an insurance executive, and her healthy sister is an attorney.) I have to wonder what they would have done if someone had decided their girl should be deprived care while they were willing to give it.
Anyway, that's my baggage as I look at Michael Schiavo's behavior and the legal process to date. It seems clear to me that absent something compelling to the contrary, this woman's life is more important than upholding some right of her husband's to withhold her feeding.
Some questions haven't been answered to my satisfaction, or might take more digging that I have been inclined to do. Hey, bloggers know everything - let's see what turns up.
Hey, Michael Schiavo could be totally blameless, in which case I and countless others owe him huge abject apologies. But IMO questions like the above must be answered before we can determine that.
And lookie here - I did it all without mentioning the Bible once!
UPDATE: How could I leave out a link to Patterico, who has been following this for ages when not shredding the LA Times.
And of course in criminal justice you must come up with suspects and investigate them. At the end they're cleared or indicted. No matter how huffy someone might get, there's no shame in being a suspect per se - speaking of "accusations" is pointlessly inflammatory. The justice system owes it to you to clear you or indict you as soon as possible. As for the suspect, it only makes sense that they should be forthcoming with evidence that clears suspicions.
One other thing before I start. Some relatives of mine had a daughter with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). A bright little girl, her descent into total incapacity started at about two. Her parents insisted on caring for her, and beyond all expectations she lived into her twenties. (Of all things, it turns out that her father was an insurance executive, and her healthy sister is an attorney.) I have to wonder what they would have done if someone had decided their girl should be deprived care while they were willing to give it.
Anyway, that's my baggage as I look at Michael Schiavo's behavior and the legal process to date. It seems clear to me that absent something compelling to the contrary, this woman's life is more important than upholding some right of her husband's to withhold her feeding.
Some questions haven't been answered to my satisfaction, or might take more digging that I have been inclined to do. Hey, bloggers know everything - let's see what turns up.
- When Terri was taken to the hospital at the beginning, did anyone consider the possibility of foul play? Her husband Michael Schiavo's is the only account of what happened before he called 911. A bone scan in 1991 found evidence of past trauma, and there's more than one way for a woman to be deprived of oxygen Incidentally, Michael Schiavo is 6' 6" and 250 lbs.
- I've read that Michael Schiavo wants to cremate her immediately after she dies. Why? Why not have an autopsy?
- Similarly, why not have an MRI? A group of neurologists has written that that such testing would be expected in the normal ourse of a diagnosis of "persistent vegetative state"
- A group of neurosurgeons has signed a letter saying that a diagnosis of PVS is not warranted despite testimony from doctors at earlier trials. The reasons which could ultimately amount to pettifoggery - from what I've seen it seems likely that as the expression goes, the lights are on but no one's home. But I would expect a court to impose a high burden of proof on those who are advocating an irreversible result like death, especially when her parents are willing to take her over. If the diagnoses were not per standards of the neurological profession, IMO the court failed in its fact-finding function and maybe some professionals need to be disciplined.
- Near as I can tell, no one said anything about Terri Schiavo's desire to die until after Michael Schiavo received a malpractice settlement, and those are Michael Schiavo and two of his relatives. Her own relatives say otherwise. Whatever MS's rights as husband might be, how is it that the court determined who was telling the truth, if anyone? (sheesh, has everyone talked about this?).
- As her husband, absent the claim about her wishes, he could have decided to pull the plug on her anyway, right? The advantage of claiming that she wanted to die shortly after the settlement arrived would be that he would have cover to put her down sooner, laving more of her treatment money for him to use for his own purposes. It would look cynical if not suspicious if he decided to off her right away. In fact, I understand he's spent about $300K of the $700K awarded for her care on lawyers and has withheld physical therapy on numerous occasions.
- The court that found medical malpractice conclude that she was viable enough to be worthy of a $700K award for her care. But judging by how long Michael Schiavo has been trying to withhold life support and other care, she's allegedly been beyond help for years. What has changed about her health since the original malpractice settlement? If there have been changes, can it be traced to Michael Schiavo's supervision of her care? (incidentally, he got a $300K award for loss of consortium)
- We've heard complaints about "demagoguery" by those who would keep Terri alive. OTOH Michael Schiavo has presented himself as one who has been steadfast in carrying out his wife's wishes despite the efforts of her parents, even rejecting a $10M offer to turn her over to her
- Why has Michael Schiavo ever denied Terri's family access to her? Surely he didn't think they were going to kill her...
Hey, Michael Schiavo could be totally blameless, in which case I and countless others owe him huge abject apologies. But IMO questions like the above must be answered before we can determine that.
And lookie here - I did it all without mentioning the Bible once!
UPDATE: How could I leave out a link to Patterico, who has been following this for ages when not shredding the LA Times.
"Grossology"
If nothing else will get your boy interested in science, try this. How can you go wrong with exhibits like this?:
Would such an exhibit be as popular with girls? I doubt it, even at risk of forever forfeiting my chances to be president of Harvard. But in fact the idea is that of a woman, whose inspriration came as she was clipping her toenails.
CNN did not include pictures, but the exhibit does have a website here.
A life-size cow replica, which issues thunderous belches, is a see-through model baring the inner workings of ruminants, with as much information on cud-chewing as most people want to know. More, maybe.
A cow produces some 220 quarts of saliva a day. Humans manage only about one. The other end of the cow works, too. The tail flips up each time.
A cow produces some 220 quarts of saliva a day. Humans manage only about one. The other end of the cow works, too. The tail flips up each time.
Would such an exhibit be as popular with girls? I doubt it, even at risk of forever forfeiting my chances to be president of Harvard. But in fact the idea is that of a woman, whose inspriration came as she was clipping her toenails.
CNN did not include pictures, but the exhibit does have a website here.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
"Hey, that has to go through channels!"
Left wing French students are demonstrating on behalf of their downtrodden blacks and Arabs. And "it seems that, during these protests, many of the white liberal teens are being beat up and robbed of their phones and money by gangs of the very black and arab youths (up to 1,000 of them, in a recent Paris demo) that they're so earnestly trying to help."
Thanks to Scott Burgess posting at Vodkapundit.
Thanks to Scott Burgess posting at Vodkapundit.
It had to happen
Alton attorney Emert Wyss thought he could make money in a Madison County class action lawsuit, but he accidentally sued himself instead. Now he has four law firms after his money - and he hired all four.
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Stolen from Acidman, who's as incorrigible as ever. He also enlightens us wrt pyroflatulence and common sense environmental work.
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Stolen from Acidman, who's as incorrigible as ever. He also enlightens us wrt pyroflatulence and common sense environmental work.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Bloggers on Dennis Miller's show
Addie Collins, according to her blog bio, is a broadcast journalist and a soldier. What she doesn't say is that she's a knockout, and that might just be why she got on the Dennis Miller show tonight. She hasn't written much on her blog, which I hadn't heard of until she mentioned it. But she has a pet project - she gives away shoes to Iraqis. She's not in Iraq now, but she left an address on the blog in case you'd like to help.
And I hadn't even finished posting this when I spotted Bryan Keefer, probably best known for his contributions to the now-defunct SpinSanity site. He was on Miller's "varsity" panel along with David Horowitz and a woman whose name escapes me.
Ah, Dennis Miller just spoke of his experience working for Fox. He said that the Great Satan Roger Ailes, alleged evil genius behind Fox, never talked to him or otherwise attempted to influence his writing.
And I hadn't even finished posting this when I spotted Bryan Keefer, probably best known for his contributions to the now-defunct SpinSanity site. He was on Miller's "varsity" panel along with David Horowitz and a woman whose name escapes me.
Ah, Dennis Miller just spoke of his experience working for Fox. He said that the Great Satan Roger Ailes, alleged evil genius behind Fox, never talked to him or otherwise attempted to influence his writing.
And they say bloggers don't do original reporting?
Who says the rest of the media does? You must read this Glenn Reynolds original about prepackaged news.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Why won't GM sell off their EVs?
Maybe some attorney out there can explain this:
Lefties have only themselves to blame if GM won't play ball. My guess is that GM fears that some !#$! shyster will claim that GM knew or should have known about something that will impact the owners of the EVs.
Then again GM hasn't exactly been known for transparency or receptivity to criticism. They made Ralph Nader's career by their reaction to him when he reported allegations against their Corvair model. Former executive/automotive entrepreneur John DeLorean wrote an interesting book called "On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors" which discussed internal politics and much more at GM, and while one might well question how well DeLorean would fit in in any corporate environment, GM sounded particularly dysfunctional. And of course GM was the target of Michael Moore's "Roger and Me", which led to more interesting behavior.
All that said, given my druthers I'll trust GM over the lefties.
Anyway, this could be fun to watch.
Soggy southern California dried out enough on Saturday, February 26th for nearly 100 "vigiler" to rally in support of "freeing" the last 77 EV1 electric cars thought to be remaining in the state. They gathered in front of General Motors' Burbank training center, behind which are parked dozens of red, black, and silver highway-capable, battery-powered cars.
Using a solar-powered public address system and led by actress and environmentalist Alexandra Paul, organizers asked GM to sell them the cars for their estimated residual value of $25,000. Holding up a large art board check for $1.9 million, a dozen of the 80 people who had -- in just 48 hours -- expressed interest in buying the cars, stepped up into the bed of an electrically-powered Ford Ranger, itself the focus of a similar protest in Sacramento in January. In that case, Ford relented to media and environmentalist pressure and offered to sell the remaining trucks to their current lessees for a token amount of $1 rather than go ahead with its plan to crush the vehicles. That move heartened electric car advocates in the Los Angeles area who decided to take on the world's largest car maker. Ironically, it was GM that pioneered the rebirth of the modern electric car in 1990 when it debuted the "Impact", a concept car from which the EV1 was developed.
Obviously I don't have all the facts here, but it's not clear why GM won't rake in a quick $1.5 megabucks instead of crushing these cars. Buyers allegedly would assume all liability and free GM of responsibility for supplying parts or other support.
Using a solar-powered public address system and led by actress and environmentalist Alexandra Paul, organizers asked GM to sell them the cars for their estimated residual value of $25,000. Holding up a large art board check for $1.9 million, a dozen of the 80 people who had -- in just 48 hours -- expressed interest in buying the cars, stepped up into the bed of an electrically-powered Ford Ranger, itself the focus of a similar protest in Sacramento in January. In that case, Ford relented to media and environmentalist pressure and offered to sell the remaining trucks to their current lessees for a token amount of $1 rather than go ahead with its plan to crush the vehicles. That move heartened electric car advocates in the Los Angeles area who decided to take on the world's largest car maker. Ironically, it was GM that pioneered the rebirth of the modern electric car in 1990 when it debuted the "Impact", a concept car from which the EV1 was developed.
Lefties have only themselves to blame if GM won't play ball. My guess is that GM fears that some !#$! shyster will claim that GM knew or should have known about something that will impact the owners of the EVs.
Then again GM hasn't exactly been known for transparency or receptivity to criticism. They made Ralph Nader's career by their reaction to him when he reported allegations against their Corvair model. Former executive/automotive entrepreneur John DeLorean wrote an interesting book called "On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors" which discussed internal politics and much more at GM, and while one might well question how well DeLorean would fit in in any corporate environment, GM sounded particularly dysfunctional. And of course GM was the target of Michael Moore's "Roger and Me", which led to more interesting behavior.
All that said, given my druthers I'll trust GM over the lefties.
Anyway, this could be fun to watch.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
TVA - then and now
Glenn Reynolds blames TVA dirt-burners for the allergies found in Knoxville. I don't know if there's any science behind this, and he himself notes that the air looks clearer.
But then I know a little about TVA. Back in the 80's people I knew who had worked at the dirt-burners such as Widows Creek said that things were done a little differently at night when the smoke wasn't visible. And plant workers knew better than to drive presentable vehicles to work, because the atmosphere in the immediate vicinity would eat the paint off the vehicles eventually.
Mind you, this was 20 years ago and much could have changed in their attitudes in addition to forced changes via regulations. But the best thing they might have done for the local environment would have been to complete their nuclear power fleet.
It's not as if TVA doesn't have any nukes - they completed 3 at Browns Ferry (west of Huntsville, AL), 2 at Sequoyah (Soddy-Daisy, TN, just northeast of Chattanooga), and I hear that they finally finished 2 at Watts Bar (near Maryville, TN between Chattanooga and Knoxville). But that's less than half of what was originally planned back in the 60's. I'm working from memory here, but IIRC TVA has 10 partially completed nuclear power plants at 4 sites. The ones closest to completion are Bellefonte 1 and 2 (near Scottsboro, AL between Huntville and Chattanooga), which were something like 80% complete on unit 1 and 50% complete on unit 2 as of about 1985 when work was stopped. Other sites include Yellow Creek (2 units near Corinth in extreme NE MS); Hartsville A and B (4 units at Hartsville, TN east of Nashville), and Phipps Bend (2 units near Surgoinsville, TN ENE of Knoxville in the Bristol/Kingsport/Johnson City area).
(You might recall Browns Ferry. An event occurred there in the 70's which at the time was the scariest ever at a commercial nuclear power plant in the US. Nothing was released to the environment and no one was hurt, but with less fortuitous circumstances things could have been much uglier. Analysis of the event caused a number of regulatory changes that were incorporated at BF and also propagated through the rest of the nuclear power industry).
Why did TVA back off? Well, for one the financial burden of trying to build so many plants was incredible. Under ideal circumstances it would have been difficult, but this was in the post Jimmy Carter stagflation economy which had caused future energy consumption projections to fall, which led decision makers to believe that the plants would not be needed at their planned times of completion.
Also, many other sites were under construction at the same time, so experienced engineering and craft personnel were stretched very thin. Here TVA had unique problems due to its quasi-govt status, because their pay rates were constrained by govt regulations. IIRC no employee could make any more than the $65K or so a Congressman made at the time, including the CEO of the organization. CEOs with less responsibility at other electric utilities at the time (and TVA was about more than just electric power) made 4 or more times that. So it was difficult to keep enough talented upper management or technical people on staff to get the plants built - someone else was always hiring and offering more money.
But Jimmy Carter probably did the worst by appointing S. David Freeman to the board that ran TVA. Freeman was and is an opponent of nuclear power, and even one as self-absorbed as Carter had to have known this. Thus Carter's intent was clear. May they both freeze in the dark.
Can TVA revive their program? Energy use predictions certainly have changed since the Carter dark ages. Money is cheaper. The nuclear power industry has been moribund for some time, driving many like experienced professionals like me to alternate careers - some of us might be able to be seduced back into the business. Regulation has stabilized, and entire new inherently safer technologies are available now. I'm sure TN and adjacent states would welcome several $billion in spending over the next half-decade or so.
But politics always seems to intrude. I haven't been in a position to know anything useful internal to TVA for some time, and it wouldn't surprise me to see that they had built dirt-burners at some of the original nuclear sites. And nearby utilities will complain justifiably about TVA's unique status wrt the govt, just as other mortgage industry players complain about Fannie and Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Whatever the current situation, President Bush might be in position to jump-start TVA via the right appointments. Frist, Lamar! - get to work!
But then I know a little about TVA. Back in the 80's people I knew who had worked at the dirt-burners such as Widows Creek said that things were done a little differently at night when the smoke wasn't visible. And plant workers knew better than to drive presentable vehicles to work, because the atmosphere in the immediate vicinity would eat the paint off the vehicles eventually.
Mind you, this was 20 years ago and much could have changed in their attitudes in addition to forced changes via regulations. But the best thing they might have done for the local environment would have been to complete their nuclear power fleet.
It's not as if TVA doesn't have any nukes - they completed 3 at Browns Ferry (west of Huntsville, AL), 2 at Sequoyah (Soddy-Daisy, TN, just northeast of Chattanooga), and I hear that they finally finished 2 at Watts Bar (near Maryville, TN between Chattanooga and Knoxville). But that's less than half of what was originally planned back in the 60's. I'm working from memory here, but IIRC TVA has 10 partially completed nuclear power plants at 4 sites. The ones closest to completion are Bellefonte 1 and 2 (near Scottsboro, AL between Huntville and Chattanooga), which were something like 80% complete on unit 1 and 50% complete on unit 2 as of about 1985 when work was stopped. Other sites include Yellow Creek (2 units near Corinth in extreme NE MS); Hartsville A and B (4 units at Hartsville, TN east of Nashville), and Phipps Bend (2 units near Surgoinsville, TN ENE of Knoxville in the Bristol/Kingsport/Johnson City area).
(You might recall Browns Ferry. An event occurred there in the 70's which at the time was the scariest ever at a commercial nuclear power plant in the US. Nothing was released to the environment and no one was hurt, but with less fortuitous circumstances things could have been much uglier. Analysis of the event caused a number of regulatory changes that were incorporated at BF and also propagated through the rest of the nuclear power industry).
Why did TVA back off? Well, for one the financial burden of trying to build so many plants was incredible. Under ideal circumstances it would have been difficult, but this was in the post Jimmy Carter stagflation economy which had caused future energy consumption projections to fall, which led decision makers to believe that the plants would not be needed at their planned times of completion.
Also, many other sites were under construction at the same time, so experienced engineering and craft personnel were stretched very thin. Here TVA had unique problems due to its quasi-govt status, because their pay rates were constrained by govt regulations. IIRC no employee could make any more than the $65K or so a Congressman made at the time, including the CEO of the organization. CEOs with less responsibility at other electric utilities at the time (and TVA was about more than just electric power) made 4 or more times that. So it was difficult to keep enough talented upper management or technical people on staff to get the plants built - someone else was always hiring and offering more money.
But Jimmy Carter probably did the worst by appointing S. David Freeman to the board that ran TVA. Freeman was and is an opponent of nuclear power, and even one as self-absorbed as Carter had to have known this. Thus Carter's intent was clear. May they both freeze in the dark.
Can TVA revive their program? Energy use predictions certainly have changed since the Carter dark ages. Money is cheaper. The nuclear power industry has been moribund for some time, driving many like experienced professionals like me to alternate careers - some of us might be able to be seduced back into the business. Regulation has stabilized, and entire new inherently safer technologies are available now. I'm sure TN and adjacent states would welcome several $billion in spending over the next half-decade or so.
But politics always seems to intrude. I haven't been in a position to know anything useful internal to TVA for some time, and it wouldn't surprise me to see that they had built dirt-burners at some of the original nuclear sites. And nearby utilities will complain justifiably about TVA's unique status wrt the govt, just as other mortgage industry players complain about Fannie and Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Whatever the current situation, President Bush might be in position to jump-start TVA via the right appointments. Frist, Lamar! - get to work!
Monday, March 07, 2005
ABC News: 'Minutemen' to Patrol Arizona Border
Some people are upset about this: ABC News: 'Minutemen' to Patrol Arizona Border. Next thing you know they're crying about "vigilantes".
A respondent quoted on Lou Dobbs' show had the right response. Those people aren't "vigilantes", they're "undocumented Border Patrol agents".
A respondent quoted on Lou Dobbs' show had the right response. Those people aren't "vigilantes", they're "undocumented Border Patrol agents".
I hope it was worth it
Boeing CEO out in new scandal at embattled company - Mar. 7, 2005
He couldn't keep his hands off the help. Didn't he know you have to be a Democrat President to get by with that?
He couldn't keep his hands off the help. Didn't he know you have to be a Democrat President to get by with that?
Coping
The local Sam's Club is ridiculously busy, and at peak times you're lucky to get a cart. I've learned to grab one in the parking lot on the way in.
But a woman I'll assume was an immigrant didn't know all this. I saw her walking through Sam's with 4 bags of something balanced on her head.
But a woman I'll assume was an immigrant didn't know all this. I saw her walking through Sam's with 4 bags of something balanced on her head.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Back to earth
SI.com - NCAA Basketball - Ohio St. ends No. 1 Illinois' perfect season - Sunday March 6, 2005 2:40PM
I'm not superstitious, but I'm still glad I wasn't watching. I still haven't forgiven the Illini for the late 80's/early 90's swoons, losing in the NCAA tournament to teams like Austin Peay State College (Yeah, that's how they pronounce it - their battle cry is "Let's go Peay!" We won't even talk about South Carolina or Jacksonville State).
I'm not superstitious, but I'm still glad I wasn't watching. I still haven't forgiven the Illini for the late 80's/early 90's swoons, losing in the NCAA tournament to teams like Austin Peay State College (Yeah, that's how they pronounce it - their battle cry is "Let's go Peay!" We won't even talk about South Carolina or Jacksonville State).
America's sweetheart
I have more faults than there is time to write about. One of them is that I start writing posts and then I let them sit for a while, often until they are stale. For instance, this one was mostly written last Monday.
What's more, I'm too lazy to update the time references. So pretend like it's last Monday again.
But I do draw a line somewhere - I swear I'm not a reality TV junkie.
I *do* keep up with pop culture though. This has rewarded me with exposure to characters such as Omarosa Manigault Stallworth, the much-reviled "Apprentice" reject.
Omarosa has been doing a fair imitation of a professional wrestling "heel" - the ones you love to hate. She makes a big show of vanity, gratuitous nastiness, a superior attitude...whatever you might associate with being a first-class bitch. But she suggests just enough vulnerability to give her detractors hope that she'll go down in flames.
So tonight she's on "Fear Factor" and of course everyone is rooting for her not just to lose, but to be humbled in the process.
Knowing that, consider one of the stunts the contestants had to do tonight. One hand was handcuffed to a pipe that ran along a long table with the remaining props. A key was tied down with aircraft cable and two studs with locknuts finger-tight on the bottom of a terrarium filled with some sort of hyperactive small snakes that struck incessantly. The contestant had to release the key to unlock a big pan full of worms, which had to be transferred to an adjacent lower pan using only the contestant's face. From the lower pan they had to be transferred by mouth only into a blender. Then the blender would do its stuff, and the contestant had to suck out its contents and spit them into a graduated cylinder until it was what appeared to be about a pint or more full. This released the keys to unlock the handcuff so the contestant could jump into a dumpster full of worms and black slime which allegedly smell like a barn. Somewhere in the mire was a container full of blended worms which the contestant had to find and drink. The contestant with the fastest time would win.
There were two other women competing against her and Omarosa was scheduled last. Would she do it?
Yes she did, and she didn't finish last either. One might have thought that the snakes wouldn't have struck her out of professional courtesy, but she got her share of bites, and she howled to the obvious joy of her opponents.
She didn't win the whole competition, but as she walked off the set she said we'd be seeing her again. Yee haw!
What's more, I'm too lazy to update the time references. So pretend like it's last Monday again.
But I do draw a line somewhere - I swear I'm not a reality TV junkie.
I *do* keep up with pop culture though. This has rewarded me with exposure to characters such as Omarosa Manigault Stallworth, the much-reviled "Apprentice" reject.
Omarosa has been doing a fair imitation of a professional wrestling "heel" - the ones you love to hate. She makes a big show of vanity, gratuitous nastiness, a superior attitude...whatever you might associate with being a first-class bitch. But she suggests just enough vulnerability to give her detractors hope that she'll go down in flames.
So tonight she's on "Fear Factor" and of course everyone is rooting for her not just to lose, but to be humbled in the process.
Knowing that, consider one of the stunts the contestants had to do tonight. One hand was handcuffed to a pipe that ran along a long table with the remaining props. A key was tied down with aircraft cable and two studs with locknuts finger-tight on the bottom of a terrarium filled with some sort of hyperactive small snakes that struck incessantly. The contestant had to release the key to unlock a big pan full of worms, which had to be transferred to an adjacent lower pan using only the contestant's face. From the lower pan they had to be transferred by mouth only into a blender. Then the blender would do its stuff, and the contestant had to suck out its contents and spit them into a graduated cylinder until it was what appeared to be about a pint or more full. This released the keys to unlock the handcuff so the contestant could jump into a dumpster full of worms and black slime which allegedly smell like a barn. Somewhere in the mire was a container full of blended worms which the contestant had to find and drink. The contestant with the fastest time would win.
There were two other women competing against her and Omarosa was scheduled last. Would she do it?
Yes she did, and she didn't finish last either. One might have thought that the snakes wouldn't have struck her out of professional courtesy, but she got her share of bites, and she howled to the obvious joy of her opponents.
She didn't win the whole competition, but as she walked off the set she said we'd be seeing her again. Yee haw!
"My truth"
On February 4 Guiliana Sgrena was kidnapped in Iraq.Here's an account
Am I slandering Communists? If you think so, then I suggest that you read "Witness".
The abduction Friday, 4 February, of the journalist from Il Manifesto, Giuliana Sgrena, has Iraqi civil society living in anguish about her fate—they have added the burden of her disappearance to the litany of their daily, appalling, ever-mounting woes. In their utterly civilized and almost powerless humanity, they plead for her! I don't think it will be easy for even the brutality of the occupation to crush such a selfless strain of stubborn humanity!
Yes, in fact the source page has some political leanings. As did Ms. Sgrena, who wrote for a left-wing Italian newspaper and was a red diaper baby:Her 79-year-old father, pensioned railroad-worker Franco Sgrena, was an anti-fascist and partisan fighter in the Italian Resistance against Nazi-fascism in WW II and is still today a member and leader of the Communist Party.
But she was released by her captors. Here's what happened next:U.S.-led multi-national forces said the car carrying Sgrena was speeding and that soldiers fired warning shots in an attempt to stop it, before opening fire.
But the 56-year-old journalist, currently being treated for a shoulder injury in a Rome hospital, said the car was not speeding. Sgrena told Italian La 7 TV on Sunday "there was no bright light, no signal," according to The Associated Press.
And in an article for Sunday's edition of her newspaper, Il Manifesto, she said the shooting, which occurred Friday as agents were taking her to the airport in Baghdad, recalled her captors' warning that "the Americans don't want you to return."
Yeah, that's "her truth" all right. If she's as full-blooded a Communist as it looks, the truth is whatever serves her purpose. And it's pretty clear her purpose is opposing the war in Iraq. Whatever really happened, you can bet she'll spin it to the left.
But the 56-year-old journalist, currently being treated for a shoulder injury in a Rome hospital, said the car was not speeding. Sgrena told Italian La 7 TV on Sunday "there was no bright light, no signal," according to The Associated Press.
And in an article for Sunday's edition of her newspaper, Il Manifesto, she said the shooting, which occurred Friday as agents were taking her to the airport in Baghdad, recalled her captors' warning that "the Americans don't want you to return."
Am I slandering Communists? If you think so, then I suggest that you read "Witness".
Thursday, March 03, 2005
It's about time the rest of you caught up...
Today Glenn Reynolds and many others wrote of what GR called "the coming crackdown on blogging".
Congratulations to all of you, but I was writing about that over 3 years ago. And follow the link to see what Rand Simberg had to say too.
Congratulations to all of you, but I was writing about that over 3 years ago. And follow the link to see what Rand Simberg had to say too.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Susan Polgar Foundation
I remember learning to play chess. A kid taught me how, and I beat him the first game. But you might say I've peaked early, and my skill level today would be something like "sucks out loud".
Today's WSJ had a writeup on Susan Polgar. Who? She's one of only 2 women who have ever been ranked in the top 100 active chessplayers (the other one is her sister).
She's 35 years old, married with kids, and runs a chess club in Forest Hills, NY. And she has started the Susan Polgar Foundation to promote chess.
Why? Well, by now you've probably heard anecdotes about chess in Harlem and its effects. But here is some more from her front page:
Today's WSJ had a writeup on Susan Polgar. Who? She's one of only 2 women who have ever been ranked in the top 100 active chessplayers (the other one is her sister).
She's 35 years old, married with kids, and runs a chess club in Forest Hills, NY. And she has started the Susan Polgar Foundation to promote chess.
Why? Well, by now you've probably heard anecdotes about chess in Harlem and its effects. But here is some more from her front page:
In approximately 30 nations across the globe, including Brazil, China, Venezuela, Italy, Israel, Russia and Greece, etc., chess
is incorporated into the country's scholastic curriculum.
Chess can help develop critical thinking that can be used in other areas of a child's life, academics and social situations.
"Test scores improved by 17.3% for students regularly engaged in chess classes, compared with only 4.6% for children
participating in other forms of enriched activities".
The following are just some of the benefits of chess:
What can be wrong with that?
is incorporated into the country's scholastic curriculum.
Chess can help develop critical thinking that can be used in other areas of a child's life, academics and social situations.
"Test scores improved by 17.3% for students regularly engaged in chess classes, compared with only 4.6% for children
participating in other forms of enriched activities".
The following are just some of the benefits of chess:
- Chess develops decision making, critical thinking, logical thinking,
evaluating, planning, problem solving, and perseverance skills. - Chess improves concentration, memory, intuition and self-control
- Chess promotes independence, imagination and creativity
- Chess inspires self-motivation, self-esteem and self confidence
Some people can't even cheat right
I found this referenced on a Time magazine page that I'm not sure will come up the same way every time. Anyway, the following allegedly was published in their Feb 21, 2005 issue:
If you could walk past the teachers' lounge and listen in, what sorts of stories would you hear? An Iowa high school counselor gets a call from a parent protesting the C her child received on an assignment. 'The parent argued every point in the essay,' recalls the counselor, who soon realized why the mother was so upset about the grade. 'It became apparent that she'd written it.'
I hope that kid rags Mom forever about that.
Jef Raskin, RIP
You don't have to be one of those Mac lovers to appreciate Jef Raskin. If you haven't heard of him, or even if you have, check out the site dedicated to him to get an idea of what we've lost.
Thanks to my favorite Kevin Murphy for the heads up.
Thanks to my favorite Kevin Murphy for the heads up.
Attention Dancesport fans
So you've seen "Shall We Dance?" and you're all set to get into ballroom dance, eh? Here are a couple of chances to get a good look.
All this week the Heritage Classic Dancesport Championships are being held in Asheville, NC. I've never been there, but I hear that the venue is terrific (the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa) and the prize money is good.
Then next week the action is at the St. Louis Star Ball, held in the Renaissance St. Louis Hotel near the airport. It's not as big as some events, but it's more intimate and the promoters are really nice people who run the Just Dancing studio in Manchester, MO. So check it out, you, you, you, you, you, you and anyone else close by.
Incidentally, the event depicted in "Shall We Dance?" is real. It is the Chicago Crystal Ball, and the next one will happen in mid June.
All this week the Heritage Classic Dancesport Championships are being held in Asheville, NC. I've never been there, but I hear that the venue is terrific (the Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa) and the prize money is good.
Then next week the action is at the St. Louis Star Ball, held in the Renaissance St. Louis Hotel near the airport. It's not as big as some events, but it's more intimate and the promoters are really nice people who run the Just Dancing studio in Manchester, MO. So check it out, you, you, you, you, you, you and anyone else close by.
Incidentally, the event depicted in "Shall We Dance?" is real. It is the Chicago Crystal Ball, and the next one will happen in mid June.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Brrr!
It was about 10 PM and I was headed for the exit at the bookstore. A high school aged girl was a few steps behind me. I hadn't changed clothes since leaving work, so I guess I looked like a harmless enough middle aged man to her. I heard her hiccup.
I held the door open and waited for her to come through. Then I couldn't resist telling her that I'd just had an evil impulse - I'd heard her hiccup, and thought of suddenly turning on her and saying "Boo!" just as she went out the door to cure them. She giggled.
About this time we were clear of the building and a chill wind hit. And I'm sure that that's why she started running for her car...
I held the door open and waited for her to come through. Then I couldn't resist telling her that I'd just had an evil impulse - I'd heard her hiccup, and thought of suddenly turning on her and saying "Boo!" just as she went out the door to cure them. She giggled.
About this time we were clear of the building and a chill wind hit. And I'm sure that that's why she started running for her car...
Saving Terri Schiavo
K Lo from NRO's Corner has a few things to say about Terri Schiavo.
For one, where are the feminists? You'd think that some man with an obvious conflict of interest and is fighting to give his wife a horrible slow death might attract their attention. Perhaps they're all still thanking Bill Clinton for "keeping abortion legal".
And now her parents are trying to get her divorced from her trigger-happy hubby, who has knocked up another woman repeatedly since his wife has been indisposed. Gosh, do you suppose she has grounds? I'm sure that some time in her life she said "If my husband ever has kids with another woman while married to me, I'd want a divorce"?
The parents are certainly trying hard, but they've missed an obvious solution. All they have to do is spread a rumor that she is the only witness to something that could lead to the impeachment of George W. Bush...
For one, where are the feminists? You'd think that some man with an obvious conflict of interest and is fighting to give his wife a horrible slow death might attract their attention. Perhaps they're all still thanking Bill Clinton for "keeping abortion legal".
And now her parents are trying to get her divorced from her trigger-happy hubby, who has knocked up another woman repeatedly since his wife has been indisposed. Gosh, do you suppose she has grounds? I'm sure that some time in her life she said "If my husband ever has kids with another woman while married to me, I'd want a divorce"?
The parents are certainly trying hard, but they've missed an obvious solution. All they have to do is spread a rumor that she is the only witness to something that could lead to the impeachment of George W. Bush...
Your must-read post today
Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette. There's much more, but here's what got me:
The Washington Post business section (rarely read in this one-industry town) had a piece yesterday on the extraordinary failure of the federal government to comply with a 1999 law requiring the government to award 3% of its contracts to firms owned by disabled veterans.
As you might expect, not a single department has even come close to complying – with two of the worst offenders (and biggest contract granters) being The Pentagon and The Veterans Administration! – languishing at .18 and .41 percent respectively.
Maybe someone needs to tell them that some of those disabled veterans are women or minorities.
As you might expect, not a single department has even come close to complying – with two of the worst offenders (and biggest contract granters) being The Pentagon and The Veterans Administration! – languishing at .18 and .41 percent respectively.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Victor Kamber, jackass
Lacking a hairshirt, I watched CNN this morning. That exposed me once more to a jackass named Victor Kamber. He's an Democrat political consultant who apparently can't speak on any subject without some sort of partisan toxicity escaping. He has the delivery of a professional wrestler, if not the intelligence.
For example, at one point he acknowledged that he didn't fully trust the Russians, but then he didn't fully trust GWB either. IMO if he can't tell the difference he deserves deportation to live with Putin & co. until he learns something.
The general theme of the segment was foreign affairs, but did CNN bring on long-term foreign affairs hands to discuss it? Oh no, we have to have Kamber opposite some Republican political consultant (whose name escapes me), thus guaranteeing that what followed would be more like partisan bearbaiting than informed commentary. If I wanted "Crossfire" I'd watch it.
Oh yeah, Kamber was fond of referring to GWB as "your President". Yep, and he's Victor Kamber's president too.
Jackass.
For example, at one point he acknowledged that he didn't fully trust the Russians, but then he didn't fully trust GWB either. IMO if he can't tell the difference he deserves deportation to live with Putin & co. until he learns something.
The general theme of the segment was foreign affairs, but did CNN bring on long-term foreign affairs hands to discuss it? Oh no, we have to have Kamber opposite some Republican political consultant (whose name escapes me), thus guaranteeing that what followed would be more like partisan bearbaiting than informed commentary. If I wanted "Crossfire" I'd watch it.
Oh yeah, Kamber was fond of referring to GWB as "your President". Yep, and he's Victor Kamber's president too.
Jackass.
Political quiz
It's from 1994, the week before the elections that swept the Dems out of leadership in Congress, but then some things never change. Anyway, it might be worth a look.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Urban legend of the day
This one is known as the "MasterCard wedding". Check it out right here.
The killjoys at Snopes are all over it.
The killjoys at Snopes are all over it.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Riddle me this
Attention Catholics. Incidentally, I mean no disrespect in asking the following.
Pope John Paul II just got a tracheotomy to help him breath. It's not inconceivable that he might soon need extraordinary efforts to keep him alive.
Meanwhile in FL we have Terry Schiavo, whose husband wonders aloud "when is this bitch going to die?" He says she said she wouldn't have wanted to be kept alive with a feeding tube, so he advocates removing it. That way she can slowly die of thirst and he can have what's left of their malpractice settlement and marry the woman he's knocked up twice since Ms. Schiavo's misfortune.
So what would be done if the Pope, heaven forbid, were to find himself in Terry Schiavo's state? Who would pull the plug? Would they try to elect the next Pope first?
Pope John Paul II just got a tracheotomy to help him breath. It's not inconceivable that he might soon need extraordinary efforts to keep him alive.
Meanwhile in FL we have Terry Schiavo, whose husband wonders aloud "when is this bitch going to die?" He says she said she wouldn't have wanted to be kept alive with a feeding tube, so he advocates removing it. That way she can slowly die of thirst and he can have what's left of their malpractice settlement and marry the woman he's knocked up twice since Ms. Schiavo's misfortune.
So what would be done if the Pope, heaven forbid, were to find himself in Terry Schiavo's state? Who would pull the plug? Would they try to elect the next Pope first?
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Taking it like a man
At the recent CPAC convention in DC John Fund wound up using a blogger's PC to check his email without permission. It was a misunderstanding for which Fund certainly will hear no end of lip.
But now let's talk about the guy who left his PC unattended and signed on to the Net. Good going, bud. If you don't know what kinds of things could have happened to you or others as a result of that, please turn in your laptop and get off the Internet until you learn something.
Now we have this from Hindrocket at Powerline. Lefties had been calling the office phone and he'd been reading lefty abuse in email for a while - he finally lost it in a couple of emails. What's more, one of the emails went to a guy with a blog and an axe to grind - it's published here.
The recipient (let's call him "A sensitive soul") wrote "I must admit I was just a bit taken aback. It's not terribly unusual for people to simply refuse to address the issues, but the virulence and profanity was simply amazing to me". Wow - I hope he never goes to the Democratic Underground.
IMO the profanity shows that Hindrocket is strictly an amateur in the invective department - given how accomplished he and his team are in other areas, it suggests that he doesn't use it very often. I for one could have done far better, but I'm secure in the knowledge that I could make any dozen longshoremen with Tourette's blush, so it doesn't show up on this site.
Did A.S.S. deserve more consideration? What issues did he identify that weren't addressed? Read the post if it suits you, but IMO he just spouted lefty catechism, trying hard to make Jeff Gannon into some dark conspiracy to give President Bush's press secretary a softball question once in a while. It might be different if lefties had shown similar enthusiasm for investigating others who've occasionally received a press pass, with particular attention to which ones might be gay (not that there's anything wrong with that, unless they aren't liberals, right?). And the implicit concern for the President's security is really a riot, as if these lefty creeps would spit on President Bush if his guts were on fire.
And what's the point of A.S.S. writing to Hindrocket in the first place? A.S.S. says "Just one, just once, it would be nice to see a conservative with the ability to find fault with other conservatives". Ya know, when people are always defending themselves against groundless attacks, they don't have much time to turn on each other. Even so, it does happen once in a while, but the lefties can't hear anything over their own noise.
If the lefties really think that Bush & Co are misgoverning, they might want to pipe down on all these silly side issues so the problems worthy of note can shine through. They pay Bush a compliment with these silly diversions - if they knew important news were bad, they wouldn't have to amplify the chickenshit.
Back to Hindrocket. He has standards and realized that he failed to meet them, so he's standing up and taking the criticism. He won't claim that, say, someone else used his ID, or whatever lame crap lefties would repeat and defend until Doomsday if one of their own claimed it.
Hang in there, Powerline. You all are still one of the top blogs, but I'd lay off the profanity until I got better at it. Perhaps a tour here would help?
But now let's talk about the guy who left his PC unattended and signed on to the Net. Good going, bud. If you don't know what kinds of things could have happened to you or others as a result of that, please turn in your laptop and get off the Internet until you learn something.
Now we have this from Hindrocket at Powerline. Lefties had been calling the office phone and he'd been reading lefty abuse in email for a while - he finally lost it in a couple of emails. What's more, one of the emails went to a guy with a blog and an axe to grind - it's published here.
The recipient (let's call him "A sensitive soul") wrote "I must admit I was just a bit taken aback. It's not terribly unusual for people to simply refuse to address the issues, but the virulence and profanity was simply amazing to me". Wow - I hope he never goes to the Democratic Underground.
IMO the profanity shows that Hindrocket is strictly an amateur in the invective department - given how accomplished he and his team are in other areas, it suggests that he doesn't use it very often. I for one could have done far better, but I'm secure in the knowledge that I could make any dozen longshoremen with Tourette's blush, so it doesn't show up on this site.
Did A.S.S. deserve more consideration? What issues did he identify that weren't addressed? Read the post if it suits you, but IMO he just spouted lefty catechism, trying hard to make Jeff Gannon into some dark conspiracy to give President Bush's press secretary a softball question once in a while. It might be different if lefties had shown similar enthusiasm for investigating others who've occasionally received a press pass, with particular attention to which ones might be gay (not that there's anything wrong with that, unless they aren't liberals, right?). And the implicit concern for the President's security is really a riot, as if these lefty creeps would spit on President Bush if his guts were on fire.
And what's the point of A.S.S. writing to Hindrocket in the first place? A.S.S. says "Just one, just once, it would be nice to see a conservative with the ability to find fault with other conservatives". Ya know, when people are always defending themselves against groundless attacks, they don't have much time to turn on each other. Even so, it does happen once in a while, but the lefties can't hear anything over their own noise.
If the lefties really think that Bush & Co are misgoverning, they might want to pipe down on all these silly side issues so the problems worthy of note can shine through. They pay Bush a compliment with these silly diversions - if they knew important news were bad, they wouldn't have to amplify the chickenshit.
Back to Hindrocket. He has standards and realized that he failed to meet them, so he's standing up and taking the criticism. He won't claim that, say, someone else used his ID, or whatever lame crap lefties would repeat and defend until Doomsday if one of their own claimed it.
Hang in there, Powerline. You all are still one of the top blogs, but I'd lay off the profanity until I got better at it. Perhaps a tour here would help?
StationMasters Online
I'm not sure how long these guys have been around, but I sure could have used them when I first got to DC. It's info about the Metro train system augmented with information about the neighborhoods adjacent to the Metro stops.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
How high can birds go?
The highest floor I've ever lived on for more than a week is the 9th, and I recall seeing pigeons roosting outside my windows.
I'm guessing that there is no point in going beyond maybe a hundred feet or so. Their predators may chase them higher or they may chase prey higher, or maybe winds are favorable for long migrations at certain altitudes, but other than that why fly high?
Of course at some point the oxygen levels would be too low, and for something as metabolically supercharged as a bird I'd guess problems would start sooner than for other critters.
Silly me, thinking when I could have checked out the Straight Dope. There's more here, but it's suspect because Paul Ehrlich's name is on it (google "Paul Ehrlich error" and you get well over 100,000 hits).
I'm guessing that there is no point in going beyond maybe a hundred feet or so. Their predators may chase them higher or they may chase prey higher, or maybe winds are favorable for long migrations at certain altitudes, but other than that why fly high?
Of course at some point the oxygen levels would be too low, and for something as metabolically supercharged as a bird I'd guess problems would start sooner than for other critters.
Silly me, thinking when I could have checked out the Straight Dope. There's more here, but it's suspect because Paul Ehrlich's name is on it (google "Paul Ehrlich error" and you get well over 100,000 hits).
"It's a black man's game"
We'll be hearing a lot more about comments by basketball legend Larry Bird here. The two choicest were where he said of basketball "it's a black man's game", and how it bugged him when the other team would have a white guy guard him.
Mr. Bird is no scientist, but he certainly has been in position to make subconscious firsthand empirical observations. The utter dominance of black players in the NBA is hard to miss.
Has there ever been any scientific basis at all for this silly idea that intellectual and physical gifts and tastes are evenly distributed by race and sex? Whether these result from geography, culture or genetics is beside the point - the result is still there.
Mr. Bird is no scientist, but he certainly has been in position to make subconscious firsthand empirical observations. The utter dominance of black players in the NBA is hard to miss.
Has there ever been any scientific basis at all for this silly idea that intellectual and physical gifts and tastes are evenly distributed by race and sex? Whether these result from geography, culture or genetics is beside the point - the result is still there.
When couch potatoes become activists
Yeah, I'm a Law and Order junkie.
This of course means you have to get used to cast changes. Especially for ADAs - 4 years seems to be the max.
The latest one to be replaced is Elisabeth Röhm. In an episode that first aired in January, she was the first one whose character was fired, and in a strange plot twist her final line was "is it because I'm a lesbian?"
She wasn't my favorite of the bunch, and I wasn't alone apparently - somebody actually had started an online petition to have her replaced.
I don't know if it had any influence or not, but she's gone.
This of course means you have to get used to cast changes. Especially for ADAs - 4 years seems to be the max.
The latest one to be replaced is Elisabeth Röhm. In an episode that first aired in January, she was the first one whose character was fired, and in a strange plot twist her final line was "is it because I'm a lesbian?"
She wasn't my favorite of the bunch, and I wasn't alone apparently - somebody actually had started an online petition to have her replaced.
I don't know if it had any influence or not, but she's gone.
Help a guy in need
Yeah, I know - it's probably better just to forget about John Kerry. But after all the BS we heard about his military record, IMO he shouldn't be able to get away without signing his Form 180 to release *all* of his military records.
You thought he had? You're not the only one.
I'm sure there's an innocent explanation. Say, maybe he hasn't had a pen handy?
Link via Kausfiles.
You thought he had? You're not the only one.
I'm sure there's an innocent explanation. Say, maybe he hasn't had a pen handy?
Link via Kausfiles.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Jay Bryant on Social Security
If a private organization offered anything as bad as Social Security for retirement benefits, liberals would throw a fit. Not that they have any problem with screwing the American public - they just reserve that right to themselves. Here Jay Bryant tells how things have worked out for him.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Saturday, February 19, 2005
I hope they're proud of themselves
Hindrocket says what needs saying about the Jeff Gannon situation.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Tabby
She's a little Iraqi girl with the life-threatening hemangiomas in her head. For the latest check out prime mover Chief Wiggles (note that the pictures at this link are *after* much surgery - another link there shows you how she was found). For a history of the whole affair check Dean's World.
(With enough research I could probably dig up dozens of other cases of the military and others going the extra mile for some Iraqi kids with problems. For instance, there's Asma Muhana. But I haven't been able to find a followup on her.)
(With enough research I could probably dig up dozens of other cases of the military and others going the extra mile for some Iraqi kids with problems. For instance, there's Asma Muhana. But I haven't been able to find a followup on her.)
Thursday, February 17, 2005
If I could turn back the hands of time...
...we'd still have longtime R&B and blues singer Tyrone Davis. His funeral services were held on 2/17 in suburban Chicago.
At least we still have Britney Spears...
At least we still have Britney Spears...
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask)
Good grief, what am I doing up right now? Oh yeah, blogging. And you're reading one. So you might want to read this.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Just asking
I just stumbled across "Total Recall", an old Governator movie. What is it with fish tanks in movies? Do we ever see one that isn't destroyed before the movie is over?
Friday, February 11, 2005
Medical malpractice - not just an American problem
Either that or some of the most hard-core collection tactics I've seen. Via Betsy's Page
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Stupid parrot tricks
We've all heard parrot jokes by now. Wife buys parrot that used to belong to a cathouse and when hubby gets home it greets him by name. Husband buys parrot that speaks 12 languages and has it shipped home, wife cooks it, hubby laments about the bird's talent, wife asks "then why didn't he speak up?" And lately there's been a beer commercial with one ("She's irritating, but I'm desperate")
So I wondered what parrots would say if they hung around with various celebrities or TV shows. Say, Bill Clinton. Jerry Seinfeld. Jay Leno. Conan O'Brien. John Kerry. The Bushes. Ted Kennedy. Al Sharpton. Dan Rather.
Or maybe bloggers. If you heard a parrot saying "Heh. Indeed" would you know whose it was? How about "Screw them"? I'm sure Wonkette's would have a theme.
Or then what would you teach a celebrity's parrot to say? Like "no thanks, I'll fly" for Ted Kennedy's. Or "Arrgghh" for Howard Dean's. Or you could teach Ashlee Simpson's how to sing...
Quick - help rescue this post and make suggestions in the comments!
So I wondered what parrots would say if they hung around with various celebrities or TV shows. Say, Bill Clinton. Jerry Seinfeld. Jay Leno. Conan O'Brien. John Kerry. The Bushes. Ted Kennedy. Al Sharpton. Dan Rather.
Or maybe bloggers. If you heard a parrot saying "Heh. Indeed" would you know whose it was? How about "Screw them"? I'm sure Wonkette's would have a theme.
Or then what would you teach a celebrity's parrot to say? Like "no thanks, I'll fly" for Ted Kennedy's. Or "Arrgghh" for Howard Dean's. Or you could teach Ashlee Simpson's how to sing...
Quick - help rescue this post and make suggestions in the comments!
Overdone
You can argue about whether it's a good idea to try to keep track of grade school kids with RFID badges if you want, and I'm not convinced that the technology would perform well in such an app. And just how are you going to make the kids comply well enough to keep the system from driving you nuts? - it's hard enough with adults working under pain of dismissal.
But let's not get hung up about "privacy". What privacy rights does a grade school kid have that a tracking device worn during school hours would violate?
"Sorry folks, we haven't found your child yet. But in the meantime we thought we'd introduce you to the person whose lawsuit prevented us from implementing the technology that could have helped us track your child. This room is soundproof, the tire irons are over there, we'll lock the doors behind us and we'll be back in 15 minutes."
But let's not get hung up about "privacy". What privacy rights does a grade school kid have that a tracking device worn during school hours would violate?
"Sorry folks, we haven't found your child yet. But in the meantime we thought we'd introduce you to the person whose lawsuit prevented us from implementing the technology that could have helped us track your child. This room is soundproof, the tire irons are over there, we'll lock the doors behind us and we'll be back in 15 minutes."
A new dawn
Congratulations in advance to Dawn Eden for the terrific new job she'll have shortly, as well as for any settlement she'll be receiving.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Better role models
Feminists gave up all pretense of political evenhandedness when the defended Bill Clinton against Paula Jones et al. But people paying attention would have noticed the bias long before.
For instance, who do they pick as heroes? Susan B. Anthony? Margaret Sanger? Sacagawea?
Why not these three?
For instance, who do they pick as heroes? Susan B. Anthony? Margaret Sanger? Sacagawea?
Why not these three?
Did we have to know?
Marcia Cross of "Desperate Housewives" was asked by Barbara Walters if she were gay.
What he said
Glenn Reynolds explains the world with a couple of choice Mark Steyn and Nelson Ascher quotes here.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
What he said
There is this group of people who call themselves the "reality-based" community. Varifrank has more reality than they can handle right here.
The truth about the Social Security "trust fund" - and the Democrats
I can understand differences of opinion - I can even have them with myself.
But some things are determinate - there's a correct and knowable answer. Something like, say, the status of the Social Security system.
For Congressmen not to be aware of, or to actively misrepresent the situation, is a breach of duty that cannot be explained by mere ignorance or misunderstanding.
They can disagree about what is to be done about Social Security, but not about the fact that there is no "trust fund" - benefits are paid out of federal cash flow. They can disagree about when the net cash flow reverses direction, but not that it will.
David Frum explains the true situation very well here.
The bottom line is that by obstructing repair of Social Security (as FDR himself noted would be necessary), the Dems are engaged in active malfeasance worthy of recall elections or worse.
But some things are determinate - there's a correct and knowable answer. Something like, say, the status of the Social Security system.
For Congressmen not to be aware of, or to actively misrepresent the situation, is a breach of duty that cannot be explained by mere ignorance or misunderstanding.
They can disagree about what is to be done about Social Security, but not about the fact that there is no "trust fund" - benefits are paid out of federal cash flow. They can disagree about when the net cash flow reverses direction, but not that it will.
David Frum explains the true situation very well here.
The bottom line is that by obstructing repair of Social Security (as FDR himself noted would be necessary), the Dems are engaged in active malfeasance worthy of recall elections or worse.
Did it cover her voice?
Major performers often take out insurance to cover the risk of being unable to perform. Britney Spears did so before a tour which she had to end early because of a knee injury, and her underwriters are resisting paying up.
FDR knew
Yesterday's OpinionJournal quoted a subscription-only WSJ publication which contained the following:
Hmm - which party held the Presidency about the time FDR said it would need attention? Uh huh. But the Dems wanted that money to spend, so they gave us the mess we have today.
Note - this post was edited for clarity.
"In an address to Congress on January 17, 1935, President Roosevelt foresaw the need to move beyond the pay-as-you-go financing of the current Social Security system. 'For perhaps 30 years to come funds will have to be provided by the States and the Federal Government to meet these pensions,' the president allowed. But after that, he explained, it would be necessary to move to what he called 'voluntary contributory annuities by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age.' In other words, his call for the establishment of Social Security directly anticipated today's reform agenda: 'It is proposed that the Federal Government assume one-half of the cost of the old-age pension plan, which ought ultimately to be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans,' FDR explained.
'What Roosevelt was talking about is the need to update Social Security sometime around 1965 with what today we would call personal accounts,' says one top GOP member of the Ways and Means Committee. 'By my reckoning we are only about 40 years late in addressing his concerns on how [to] make Social Security solvent.'"
This makes perfect sense. Obviously the program would have to be bootstrapped to provide the money for pensions for those who were old enough to collect without paying their shares into the system. So rates would have to be sky-high in the beginning to catch up. But for long-term viability, and to avoid de facto socialism the retirement funds would have to go into individually managed investment accounts.
'What Roosevelt was talking about is the need to update Social Security sometime around 1965 with what today we would call personal accounts,' says one top GOP member of the Ways and Means Committee. 'By my reckoning we are only about 40 years late in addressing his concerns on how [to] make Social Security solvent.'"
Hmm - which party held the Presidency about the time FDR said it would need attention? Uh huh. But the Dems wanted that money to spend, so they gave us the mess we have today.
Note - this post was edited for clarity.
Potteroticism
Maybe I'm missing something, but whatever else you might say about the Harry Potter books, you wouldn't call them erotic. (as of book 5, anyway)
Hermione and some of the girls might get there soon, but who else? And I'm guessing it's not any better for the other team - Dudley? Hagrid? Dumbledore? Crabb and Goyle? Perhaps least of all, Snape?
The site says it's for 18 and older, and I'm taking their word for it - I just looked at the front page to convince myself it was really there. With no more fuss, I present Sexy Severus Snape
Hermione and some of the girls might get there soon, but who else? And I'm guessing it's not any better for the other team - Dudley? Hagrid? Dumbledore? Crabb and Goyle? Perhaps least of all, Snape?
The site says it's for 18 and older, and I'm taking their word for it - I just looked at the front page to convince myself it was really there. With no more fuss, I present Sexy Severus Snape
Monday, February 07, 2005
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Mortality TV
If you looked at all the pictures in the previous post you might think that the model's career options in show business were limited except perhaps as an understudy for the CryptKeeper. Not so fast:
Another ripoff from The Eyes Have It.
Which is more entertaining: watching paint dry or watching a human body decompose? Thanks to Channel 4, British audiences may soon get to decide for themselves. The tentatively titled documentary “Dust to Dust” will tackle the taboo of rotting human flesh and bring those images into British homes.
According to the Guardian newspaper, producers on the show are currently searching for a terminally ill patient whose family is willing to sign off on letting a national television audience watch him rot. After the patient’s death, the body will be placed in a private area of London’s Science Museum and a number of cameras and scientists will get to watch the body decompose.
If this kind of thing appeals to you, you should check out the volunteers in the University of Tennessee "Body Farm".
According to the Guardian newspaper, producers on the show are currently searching for a terminally ill patient whose family is willing to sign off on letting a national television audience watch him rot. After the patient’s death, the body will be placed in a private area of London’s Science Museum and a number of cameras and scientists will get to watch the body decompose.
Another ripoff from The Eyes Have It.
This is your face on drugs
IMO self-destructive people will always find a way to do themselves in, so warnings about the dangers of drug abuse can only do so much good.
Can vanity work when nothing else will? Unless you've known a junkie for a long time there's no way to know what has happened to their appearance. Maybe they always looked like that...
No, not always. Meet Roseanne Holland, via a succession of 5 mugshots taken between her 29th and 38th years.
(Did she recover? We don't know. Police assume she is dead.)
Here's more.
Via The Eyes Have It.
Can vanity work when nothing else will? Unless you've known a junkie for a long time there's no way to know what has happened to their appearance. Maybe they always looked like that...
No, not always. Meet Roseanne Holland, via a succession of 5 mugshots taken between her 29th and 38th years.
(Did she recover? We don't know. Police assume she is dead.)
Here's more.
Via The Eyes Have It.
NWA IV
This blog started during the 2002 Super Bowl. So I'll arbitrarily call today the beginning of the 4th year. (Who says blogs don't do original reporting? - where else could you have heard that?)
Believe it or not, the remarkable coincidence between this blog's beginnings and the Super Bowl goes unmentioned on the official Super Bowl site. We'll see if I ever give *them* any more free publicity, eh?
Believe it or not, the remarkable coincidence between this blog's beginnings and the Super Bowl goes unmentioned on the official Super Bowl site. We'll see if I ever give *them* any more free publicity, eh?
A taste of innovation
I've finally mustered a post to catch up with Hanah Metchis Volokh, who linked to this last fall.
In character
Would Ted Kennedy ever abandon anyone in their time of need? Unfortunately the best witness can't speak.
But Kennedy himself is alive and asinine as ever. I'll letGlenn Reynolds tell the story.
But Kennedy himself is alive and asinine as ever. I'll letGlenn Reynolds tell the story.
Supernova
The Diplomad blog will be no longer. Bummers.
That should free up enough interesting information, wit and insight for a few thousand other blogs. If only it worked that way.
That should free up enough interesting information, wit and insight for a few thousand other blogs. If only it worked that way.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Go figure
Do something gratuitous that offends Christians by the thousands on national television and then you get to make fun of anyone who complains.
But if you should offend an individual Muslim's faith while he is being interrogated about his efforts to kill Americans and noncombatants, you get in trouble.
Via Spoons.
But if you should offend an individual Muslim's faith while he is being interrogated about his efforts to kill Americans and noncombatants, you get in trouble.
Via Spoons.
"I just hope the girls learned a lesson."
Oh, I bet they did. How dare they deliver free cookies, anyway?
Friday, February 04, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Please, someone give me a clue...
...about why having Sunnis involved matters jack squat with the Iraqi government? Unless they're setting up a theocracy or building asinine group preferences right into their Constitution, what difference does it make who writes it?
Sure, you want them to buy into it. But IMO we've heard enough crap. They're the minority, and they'd better get used to it. If it takes a lot of jail sentences or worse to get the point across, c'est la vie.
Somewhere I read where an Iraqi said something like we were making distinctions that Iraqis themselves did not make. Just how different are the Shias and Sunnis? Are we talking, say, Methodists v. Lutherans? Baptists v. Episcopals? Pentecostals vs. atheists?
Sure, you want them to buy into it. But IMO we've heard enough crap. They're the minority, and they'd better get used to it. If it takes a lot of jail sentences or worse to get the point across, c'est la vie.
Somewhere I read where an Iraqi said something like we were making distinctions that Iraqis themselves did not make. Just how different are the Shias and Sunnis? Are we talking, say, Methodists v. Lutherans? Baptists v. Episcopals? Pentecostals vs. atheists?
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Monday, January 31, 2005
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Soldier for a day
Historically it hasn't been difficult to enter the military. Waddaya mean, join - armies would be raised by any means necessary, and anybody who didn't work out could be executed.
I have several older relatives who served in WWII, and they noted that physical requirements for the armed services were relaxed during the war. One claimed that the physical boiled down to two questions - could you see lightning and could you hear thunder? Or for the visual exam they'd tell you to read from a chart. You'd look and say "what chart?", and they'd say "you're right, there isn't any chart - you're 1A".
Of course our all-volunteer military is beyond this. They can be selective now, and I mean no disrespect to our armed service personnel when I point out that it hasn't always been so.
But we're about to lower the standards again in Iraq. No boot camp, no career interruptions, no long-term obligations. All they have to do is show up to vote.
IMO the Iraqis know this and will show up in huge numbers. Why not? - the "insurgents" are killing them at random daily anyway, so what's a trip to a polls? This might be the only way most Iraqis can ever fight back, especially the women.
Let's hope that they know that, and deliver.
I have several older relatives who served in WWII, and they noted that physical requirements for the armed services were relaxed during the war. One claimed that the physical boiled down to two questions - could you see lightning and could you hear thunder? Or for the visual exam they'd tell you to read from a chart. You'd look and say "what chart?", and they'd say "you're right, there isn't any chart - you're 1A".
Of course our all-volunteer military is beyond this. They can be selective now, and I mean no disrespect to our armed service personnel when I point out that it hasn't always been so.
But we're about to lower the standards again in Iraq. No boot camp, no career interruptions, no long-term obligations. All they have to do is show up to vote.
IMO the Iraqis know this and will show up in huge numbers. Why not? - the "insurgents" are killing them at random daily anyway, so what's a trip to a polls? This might be the only way most Iraqis can ever fight back, especially the women.
Let's hope that they know that, and deliver.
Tet II
I'm guessing that the timing of the election in Iraq was not chosen because it's an anniversary of the Tet Offensive. But it would be just as well if it were, because IMO there are several parallels:
- Attacks will occur all over Iraq
- The "insurgents" will be slaughtered and will take years to recover if they get the chance
- The press will portray it all as a victory for the "insurgents"
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Hardy har har
There's no fool like one who thinks he's clever. Glenn Reynolds really blows it here.
Yeah, I know what he's referring to. And perhaps the law professor would like to explain to this engineer exactly what it is that is scientifically impeachable about the stickers some zealot sued to have removed from biology textbooks in Georgia. Never mind what you think their goals are or anything else.
This is what the stickers said:It's not pettifoggery to say that science deals with "observations" and "theories", not "facts". Science is about critically considering theories. Creationism is not mentioned, and the only problem with creationism scientifically is not that it is not true (beats me - I'm agnostic), but that there is no means to test it scientifically. And if you don't know the difference between not testable and not true, you don't understand science, and maybe the concepts presented in that sticker are worthy of more attention in science classes.
(Incidentally, it's not just fundamental Christians who believe in creation. IMO if Muslims made an issue of it the school board would roll right over and put the stickers back, and issue a condemnation of "the Zionist entity" as a bonus).
That which is beyond criticism is dogma. The irony here is that once you treat science as if it yields anything more than theories, you've turned it into a religion.
And IMO for some people that's the whole idea.
Yeah, I know what he's referring to. And perhaps the law professor would like to explain to this engineer exactly what it is that is scientifically impeachable about the stickers some zealot sued to have removed from biology textbooks in Georgia. Never mind what you think their goals are or anything else.
This is what the stickers said:It's not pettifoggery to say that science deals with "observations" and "theories", not "facts". Science is about critically considering theories. Creationism is not mentioned, and the only problem with creationism scientifically is not that it is not true (beats me - I'm agnostic), but that there is no means to test it scientifically. And if you don't know the difference between not testable and not true, you don't understand science, and maybe the concepts presented in that sticker are worthy of more attention in science classes.
(Incidentally, it's not just fundamental Christians who believe in creation. IMO if Muslims made an issue of it the school board would roll right over and put the stickers back, and issue a condemnation of "the Zionist entity" as a bonus).
That which is beyond criticism is dogma. The irony here is that once you treat science as if it yields anything more than theories, you've turned it into a religion.
And IMO for some people that's the whole idea.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Pet mobility
Have you ever spent hours driving around looking for a lost pet? This could be the solution.
Via Gizmodo.
Via Gizmodo.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Not totally rhetorical
In further observance of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade let me ask this: did anyone ever grow up and go to medical school with the dream of being an abortionist?
And tell me - what happens to the absolute worst doctors? I could be wrong, but I'd expect to find them working at abortion clinics.
And tell me - what happens to the absolute worst doctors? I could be wrong, but I'd expect to find them working at abortion clinics.
Conflict of interest
- SayUncle offers this:
- Then we have this:The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation's most frequent provider of abortions, is performing more of the procedures than ever -- albeit in fewer clinics -- and relying increasingly on the revenue generated from abortions, according to its Fiscal Year 2004 annual report.
With other services becoming marginalized in Planned Parenthood's overall business, the organization relied on abortion for 34 percent of its clinic income from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004, up from 32 percent in Fiscal Year 2002 and FY 2003
Two girls from Cambodia
Not just any girls - the kind you can buy as your sex slaves for a couple hundred bucks apiece or less. Nicholas Kristof bought a couple, took them home, and...here's what happened.
Dumb comment
An announcer noted that the NFC championship game was the first in which black quarterbacks had gone head to head.
IMO this is only remarkable to those who might have thought it would never happen. Why would anyone think that?
IMO this is only remarkable to those who might have thought it would never happen. Why would anyone think that?
Does Simon Cowell watch football?
Ye gads, who was it that sang the national anthem before the NFC title game?
Don't be a social outcast
Read all aboutthe oeuvre of Junior Samples so you'll be ready to discuss him intelligently at your next cocktail party.
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