WASHINGTON — Tobacco companies have manipulated menthol levels to attract young cigarette smokers and keep older ones, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reported Wednesday.
Their finding, with which industry spokesmen disagree, is based on a review of more than 500 internal tobacco-industry documents dated from 1985 through 2007.
The documents showed, according to the researchers, that tobacco companies studied how controlling levels of menthol could increase brand sales. They concluded that new and young smokers liked mild menthol that masked the harshness of tobacco smoke. Veteran smokers, the companies are said to have concluded, favored stronger doses of menthol for its cooling effects on their throats.
And we know it's mostly African-Americans who prefer the menthol cigarettes too, so it's a racist plot, as well.
Notify Al Sharpton!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
It Had To Happen
Environmentalists are worried about the impact of solar power facilities.
I think we all saw that one coming, didn't we?
I think we all saw that one coming, didn't we?
New Charlotte Police Chief Asking Questions
Apparently he's asking why the Mecklenburg County DA keeps letting criminals go with a slap on the wrist.
Good for him.
By the way, this article is by Tara Servatius, one of the best news reporters in Charlotte. She also hosts a weekday radio show on WBT Radio (AM 1110) that can be heard all up and down the Eastern Seaboard from 9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Give her a listen sometime.
Good for him.
By the way, this article is by Tara Servatius, one of the best news reporters in Charlotte. She also hosts a weekday radio show on WBT Radio (AM 1110) that can be heard all up and down the Eastern Seaboard from 9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Give her a listen sometime.
I Like It When Gun Law Like These Are Enforced.
Dantrell Reginald Chatman has been sentenced for his part in making strawman purchases of guns that ended up in the hands of criminals in New York.
What's with the crap plea deal, though? Six months' house arrest?
That's the sort of crap sentences that the Mecklenburg Country DA has given out for years; that, and dismiss serious felony charges for lack of prosecutors.
What's with the crap plea deal, though? Six months' house arrest?
That's the sort of crap sentences that the Mecklenburg Country DA has given out for years; that, and dismiss serious felony charges for lack of prosecutors.
Musical Suggestion
If you have never listened to Fado, you might give it a try. Amalia Rodrigues is probably the best place to start.
You can thank me later.
You can thank me later.
Pelosi Drills Line In Sand
Story.
We'll see what the result is in November when gasoline is $5 a gallon. Maybe she's brave and principled; let's see if she's willing to pay the price for her stand at the polls.
h/t Drudge
We'll see what the result is in November when gasoline is $5 a gallon. Maybe she's brave and principled; let's see if she's willing to pay the price for her stand at the polls.
h/t Drudge
Shipwreck Blog: Troop Transport Torrent, 1868, Alaska
"You are helping write history today," shipwreck historian and dive team leader Steve Lloyd of Anchorage told a gathering of more than 130 people aboard the USCGC Hickory Monday afternoon.
The significance of the moment was not lost on representatives from the Pratt Museum, archaeologists, historians, researchers, teachers, writers, Coast Guardsmen and others surrounding a collection of items spread across the Hickory's deck. Before them were pieces from the Torrent, a privately owned 141-foot, 641-ton ship, that sank after its oak hull crashed against the jagged rocks of Bird Reef the morning of July 15, 1868. Just off Dangerous Cape, Bird Reef is in southern Cook Inlet, near Port Graham.
Being used as a military transport, the Torrent, with Capt. Richard Carlton as master, was carrying Battery F, Second United States Artillery, from Washington State to the newly purchased territory of Alaska. Under the command of 1st Lt. John McGilvray, their mission was to establish a military presence at "Fort Kenay." Aboard were five officers, 120 enlisted men, four laundresses, two servants and 11 children, as well as the Torrent's crew.
The significance of the moment was not lost on representatives from the Pratt Museum, archaeologists, historians, researchers, teachers, writers, Coast Guardsmen and others surrounding a collection of items spread across the Hickory's deck. Before them were pieces from the Torrent, a privately owned 141-foot, 641-ton ship, that sank after its oak hull crashed against the jagged rocks of Bird Reef the morning of July 15, 1868. Just off Dangerous Cape, Bird Reef is in southern Cook Inlet, near Port Graham.
Being used as a military transport, the Torrent, with Capt. Richard Carlton as master, was carrying Battery F, Second United States Artillery, from Washington State to the newly purchased territory of Alaska. Under the command of 1st Lt. John McGilvray, their mission was to establish a military presence at "Fort Kenay." Aboard were five officers, 120 enlisted men, four laundresses, two servants and 11 children, as well as the Torrent's crew.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Archbishop Of Canterbury Steps In It Again
Christian doctrine is offensive to Muslims, the Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday.
Um...Dr. Williams? Muslim doctrine is offensive to Christians (and most other humans), as well.
Just wanted that on the record.
By the way, you might trim those eyebrows sometime.
Um...Dr. Williams? Muslim doctrine is offensive to Christians (and most other humans), as well.
Just wanted that on the record.
By the way, you might trim those eyebrows sometime.
UK: The Revolution Begins?
In a civil disobedience worthy of the Boston Tea Party, a person or persons unknown burned down a strip club that had been built without consultation of the town of Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK.
So the revolution starts...over a titty bar?
So the revolution starts...over a titty bar?
Why, God, Why?
Why, God, are the Israelis swapping live terrorists for dead Israeli soldiers?
If Ariel Sharon wasn't already IN a coma, this would be enough to cause one. It's so fundamentally wrong that no words can express my outrage.
If Ariel Sharon wasn't already IN a coma, this would be enough to cause one. It's so fundamentally wrong that no words can express my outrage.
The Fundamental Difference Between US and UK
In UK, if you, as a subject of Her Majesty, the Queen, try to interfere with a criminal going about his criminal business, you can expect to be arrested and jailed.
In US, if you, as a free-born citizen (not a subject), with rights enumerated and guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, try to interfere with a criminal going about his criminal business, you can expect to be asked sufficient questions by the police to ascertain that you are a law-abiding citizen, then you will be allowed to go on your way.
Presumption of Innocence vs. Presumption of Guilt. Treated as a free citizen istead of an enslaved subject.
Patrick Henry:
"Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!"
Um... got a bit carried away there at the end. Sorry about that.
In US, if you, as a free-born citizen (not a subject), with rights enumerated and guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, try to interfere with a criminal going about his criminal business, you can expect to be asked sufficient questions by the police to ascertain that you are a law-abiding citizen, then you will be allowed to go on your way.
Presumption of Innocence vs. Presumption of Guilt. Treated as a free citizen istead of an enslaved subject.
Patrick Henry:
"Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!"
Um... got a bit carried away there at the end. Sorry about that.
Project, Much?
World-class projection from the headline writers at the Los Angeles Times:
Europe Awaits Obama With Open Arms.
They're so deep in the tank that you can't even hear the echo.
Europe Awaits Obama With Open Arms.
They're so deep in the tank that you can't even hear the echo.
Is The Tide Turning In UK...
...or is the Labour Party pandering for the votes of Britons fed up with being treated more like criminals than the criminals themselves?
Labour deserves to lose. Criminalising the right of self-defense and disarming law-abiding citizens is tyranny.
Labour deserves to lose. Criminalising the right of self-defense and disarming law-abiding citizens is tyranny.
Manson Family Murderer Susan Atkins To Remain Imprisoned
I blogged about convicted murderer Susan Atkins here, and even took a poll about whether Atkins, who is dying of brain cancer and bed-ridden, should be released from prison for compassionate reasons. (My poll respondents, all 31 of them, said no.)
Well, Susan Atkins, aka Sadie Mae Glutz, has been denied compassionate release and should die in prison.
I have no problem with that. Atkins was originally sentenced to death, so every day she has lived since then has been a grace she should be thankful for. Sharon Tate and her unborn baby were given no such grace by Atkins and her associates.
Well, Susan Atkins, aka Sadie Mae Glutz, has been denied compassionate release and should die in prison.
I have no problem with that. Atkins was originally sentenced to death, so every day she has lived since then has been a grace she should be thankful for. Sharon Tate and her unborn baby were given no such grace by Atkins and her associates.
Snake Causes Power Outage
In the Hickory, NC, area.
We had a similar situation at the house a few years ago when a Black Rat Snake (elaphe obsoleta) tried to crawl into our air conditioning compressor, and became wrapped around the shaft of the fan when it kicked on. The a/c repairman marveled at the sight, claiming never to have seen such a thing before.
We had a similar situation at the house a few years ago when a Black Rat Snake (elaphe obsoleta) tried to crawl into our air conditioning compressor, and became wrapped around the shaft of the fan when it kicked on. The a/c repairman marveled at the sight, claiming never to have seen such a thing before.
Two Views Of Home Defense
While reading blogs this evening, I came across two diametrically opposed viewpoints on home defense, specifically, whether to advertise to the public that the homeowner is also a gun owner.
Brigid comes down on the "give fair warning" side of the argument, posting bullet-riddled targets in her garage for burglars and home invaders to look at.
Michael Bane represents the other argument:
It’s worth noting that those of us have owned and used guns for years have quite literally changed our lifestyles to accommodate that decision. My house is secure. My locks are good. I live in a safe neighborhood in a safe small city. I own an excellent gunsafe. I don't broadcast the fact that I own and carry guns.
We might call these the difference between the rattlesnake and the copperhead. The rattlesnake tries to give fair warning, relying on recognition of his potential lethality as a deterrent; the copperhead is silent, trusting that he won't be noticed, knowing that he is still capable of lethal action.
The danger in the first approach is that it deters ony those weaker than the rattlesnake/home owner. A sufficiently powerful predator will not be deterred, and the element of surprise has been lost.
The danger in the second approach is that it increases the potential pool of predators, but the homeowner/copperhead still has the advantage of surprise.
Two approaches, each with advantages and disadvantages. I can't say that one is wrong and the other right; it's a totally subjective judgement decision.
Wish I had enough of a blog audience to discuss it. :)
Brigid comes down on the "give fair warning" side of the argument, posting bullet-riddled targets in her garage for burglars and home invaders to look at.
Michael Bane represents the other argument:
It’s worth noting that those of us have owned and used guns for years have quite literally changed our lifestyles to accommodate that decision. My house is secure. My locks are good. I live in a safe neighborhood in a safe small city. I own an excellent gunsafe. I don't broadcast the fact that I own and carry guns.
We might call these the difference between the rattlesnake and the copperhead. The rattlesnake tries to give fair warning, relying on recognition of his potential lethality as a deterrent; the copperhead is silent, trusting that he won't be noticed, knowing that he is still capable of lethal action.
The danger in the first approach is that it deters ony those weaker than the rattlesnake/home owner. A sufficiently powerful predator will not be deterred, and the element of surprise has been lost.
The danger in the second approach is that it increases the potential pool of predators, but the homeowner/copperhead still has the advantage of surprise.
Two approaches, each with advantages and disadvantages. I can't say that one is wrong and the other right; it's a totally subjective judgement decision.
Wish I had enough of a blog audience to discuss it. :)
Home Invader Invades Wrong Home
18-year-old Lamont Darden has terrorized his last homeowner.
He fell afoul of a homeowner with a shotgun.
I'm at work, or I'd drink a toast to that good man.
He fell afoul of a homeowner with a shotgun.
I'm at work, or I'd drink a toast to that good man.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Florida Doctor Invents Cloth That Blocks Radiation.
Ronald DeMeo places a radioactive wafer about the size of a silver dollar on his desk and waves a handheld Geiger counter over it. The machine chatters wildly, the numbers on the readout spin upward and visitors instinctively lean back.
But when the Coral Gables doctor covers the disc, which is designed for materials testing and quite safe, with a thin piece of fabric, the numbers dive and the noise from the Geiger dips to a low growl.
It's an effective demonstration of Demron -- the radiation-blocking material of DeMeo's invention -- and one that his Coral Gables company, Radiation Shield Technologies, hopes will find a receptive audience in a post-9-11, security-conscious world.
The patented fabric -- just slightly thicker than denim -- is embedded with metal particles and other compounds capable of blocking X-rays, low-energy gamma rays and other types of nuclear emission that might be found anywhere from a doctor's office to the site of a dirty bomb blast.
The company had just under $1 million in sales last year, providing torso vests and full Demron suits to doctors and a specialized niche of first responders. But now RST is hoping to broaden its reach into the military market with the launch of Demron-W, which is also impervious to chemical and biological agents.
Wait until the tinfoil hat brigade hears about this stuff!
But when the Coral Gables doctor covers the disc, which is designed for materials testing and quite safe, with a thin piece of fabric, the numbers dive and the noise from the Geiger dips to a low growl.
It's an effective demonstration of Demron -- the radiation-blocking material of DeMeo's invention -- and one that his Coral Gables company, Radiation Shield Technologies, hopes will find a receptive audience in a post-9-11, security-conscious world.
The patented fabric -- just slightly thicker than denim -- is embedded with metal particles and other compounds capable of blocking X-rays, low-energy gamma rays and other types of nuclear emission that might be found anywhere from a doctor's office to the site of a dirty bomb blast.
The company had just under $1 million in sales last year, providing torso vests and full Demron suits to doctors and a specialized niche of first responders. But now RST is hoping to broaden its reach into the military market with the launch of Demron-W, which is also impervious to chemical and biological agents.
Wait until the tinfoil hat brigade hears about this stuff!
Monday, July 14, 2008
World's Oldest Blogger Dies
Olive Riley, an Australian who was 108 years old.
Her blog can be found here. (Note: problems connecting due to high traffic).
Her blog can be found here. (Note: problems connecting due to high traffic).
Briton Beheads Himself With Chainsaw
He didn't want to lose his home to developers.
I guess after the knives are all banned and collected, the UK government will start on chainsaws...
I guess after the knives are all banned and collected, the UK government will start on chainsaws...
London Bridge Is...Getting Painted.
London's Tower Bridge and Southwark Bridge are going to be spiffed up, courtesy of a bunch of rich monks that Henry VIII apparently overlooked.
Maybe while they're at it they can reinstitute the old practice of posting the heads of criminals atop the ramparts of the bridge, starting with a few knife-wielding thugs (as an example) and whichever MP it was who decided that self-defense in UK is a crime.
Maybe while they're at it they can reinstitute the old practice of posting the heads of criminals atop the ramparts of the bridge, starting with a few knife-wielding thugs (as an example) and whichever MP it was who decided that self-defense in UK is a crime.
Ever Heard Of Pharology?
It's the study of and interest in lighthouses, and one of UK's royal family has an interest in it.
I like to look at them myself, and have several of Bruce Roberts' wonderful books on the subject. The hermit in me would like to live alone on one of the old screwpile lighthouses in Chesapeake Bay, with a supply of guns, fishing gear, and books; something rather like this:
I like to look at them myself, and have several of Bruce Roberts' wonderful books on the subject. The hermit in me would like to live alone on one of the old screwpile lighthouses in Chesapeake Bay, with a supply of guns, fishing gear, and books; something rather like this:
Pointing A Finger At Smokey
When most people think about bears shot in self defense, they think about charging grizzlies. But there is another kind of dangerous bear out there -- the predaceous black bear.
A real rarity in most of North America, these dangerous bears pop up occasionally in the Far North. Back in 1977, geologist Cythia Dusel-Bacon lost both arms to one that attacked her in a thicket north of Fairbanks and tried to eat her alive.
Smokey's hungry, and he could care less about forest fires. He wants to eat you.
A real rarity in most of North America, these dangerous bears pop up occasionally in the Far North. Back in 1977, geologist Cythia Dusel-Bacon lost both arms to one that attacked her in a thicket north of Fairbanks and tried to eat her alive.
Smokey's hungry, and he could care less about forest fires. He wants to eat you.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Dividing Time
I'd blog more, but I probably need to mention my division of time/labor so it's understood why I don't.
I work full-time as a hotel front desk night clerk, which is from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. From the time I get home until about 4 in the afternoon, I tend to my mother, who is an invalid. She's not bedridden, but not far from it; she walks to and from the bathroom with a walker, and can walk the short distance to the car for doctor visits and hairdressing appointments, but not much more. I blog during the day hours tending her, and alternate with playing Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar to keep my sanity and escape from my real life temporarily.
I can blog a bit at night, if it's quiet. The work computers have too slow a connection for blogging, and cause problems with Blogger, so I have to use the lobby computer, which has a faster connection but limited functionality, being locked down via a program called Site Kiosk.
I probably need to acquire a laptop for use at work, and use the wi-fi connection there. It can go on the list of things to spend money on, along with car repairs, dental work, new clothing, etc.
Anyway, here's a screenshot from Middle-Earth:
I work full-time as a hotel front desk night clerk, which is from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. From the time I get home until about 4 in the afternoon, I tend to my mother, who is an invalid. She's not bedridden, but not far from it; she walks to and from the bathroom with a walker, and can walk the short distance to the car for doctor visits and hairdressing appointments, but not much more. I blog during the day hours tending her, and alternate with playing Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar to keep my sanity and escape from my real life temporarily.
I can blog a bit at night, if it's quiet. The work computers have too slow a connection for blogging, and cause problems with Blogger, so I have to use the lobby computer, which has a faster connection but limited functionality, being locked down via a program called Site Kiosk.
I probably need to acquire a laptop for use at work, and use the wi-fi connection there. It can go on the list of things to spend money on, along with car repairs, dental work, new clothing, etc.
Anyway, here's a screenshot from Middle-Earth:
Meme-ishness
Swiped from Brigid at Home On The Range:
Lee Van Cleef isn't much of a western badass, but at least I didn't get Gabby Hayes. Or Jack Elam, for that matter.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You? created with QuizFarm.com | ||||||||||||||||||||
| You scored as Lee Van Cleef You look like an accountant, but your steely glare and matching nerves make you a match for any hard-case out there.
|
Lee Van Cleef isn't much of a western badass, but at least I didn't get Gabby Hayes. Or Jack Elam, for that matter.
Piracy Blog: Venezuela
A British businessman and his wife have told how they were attacked and robbed by armed pirates as they sailed through the Caribbean on a round-the-world adventure.
Peter Lee, 61, rammed his pursuers in a bid to knock them off their boat as it came alongside his 41ft yacht but the pirates managed to scramble on board after firing several shots at him.
The couple's dog then furiously attacked the men, biting and snapping at them, until one of them shot and stabbed the animal between the shoulder blades, leaving him for dead.
Mr Lee and his wife Betty, 57, who are originally from Stockport, were two years into their adventure aboard their £65,000 yacht, Raven Eye, when they encountered the pirates last Saturday evening.
Mr. Lee is talking of acquiring a shotgun after this incident. It's problematical, having guns at sea when travelling around the world; so many regulations to comply with in each port visited, so many chances for them to be stolen while you are ashore. I'm glad this didn't end in tragedy, though.
Peter Lee, 61, rammed his pursuers in a bid to knock them off their boat as it came alongside his 41ft yacht but the pirates managed to scramble on board after firing several shots at him.
The couple's dog then furiously attacked the men, biting and snapping at them, until one of them shot and stabbed the animal between the shoulder blades, leaving him for dead.
Mr Lee and his wife Betty, 57, who are originally from Stockport, were two years into their adventure aboard their £65,000 yacht, Raven Eye, when they encountered the pirates last Saturday evening.
Mr. Lee is talking of acquiring a shotgun after this incident. It's problematical, having guns at sea when travelling around the world; so many regulations to comply with in each port visited, so many chances for them to be stolen while you are ashore. I'm glad this didn't end in tragedy, though.
Stars & Stripes Profile: Marine 1st Sgt. Charles Hutto
Story.
He shaves his head to save money on barbers. I do the same with barber clippers; I'm mostly bald from Male Pattern Baldness, so I decided to stop wasting time and money on barbers, bought some clippers, and never looked back. My nephew Jeremy is already doing the same thing.
He shaves his head to save money on barbers. I do the same with barber clippers; I'm mostly bald from Male Pattern Baldness, so I decided to stop wasting time and money on barbers, bought some clippers, and never looked back. My nephew Jeremy is already doing the same thing.
Need A Job...As A Snakesitter?
Military spouse Pam Zich tells of the trials and tribulations in finding someone to watch her son's pet Corn Snake when the family travels on vacation.
Despite all the efforts of networks like Animal Planet and Discovery, people still get squeamish about snakes, and only a minority of the population wants one as a pet.
I personally haven't killed a snake consciously since I was a teenager in Florida (I may have run over a couple since then with my car, but not intentionally). I captured a live Copperhead once on a visit to the Carolina Raptor Center, so even venomous snakes won't trigger a killer instinct in me unless no other alternative offers.
Some of us like snakes, some don't. That will probably never change.
Despite all the efforts of networks like Animal Planet and Discovery, people still get squeamish about snakes, and only a minority of the population wants one as a pet.
I personally haven't killed a snake consciously since I was a teenager in Florida (I may have run over a couple since then with my car, but not intentionally). I captured a live Copperhead once on a visit to the Carolina Raptor Center, so even venomous snakes won't trigger a killer instinct in me unless no other alternative offers.
Some of us like snakes, some don't. That will probably never change.
Dolphin Amputee Fitted With Prosthetic Tail
Clearwater, Florida - Winter the dolphin is the only dolphin in the country, one of only 2 in the world, with a prosthetic tail.
Abby Stone, Winter's trainer, says, "Working with this prosthetic, it's never been done before so a lot of it's trial and error, but to see her really appreciate and to pick up the concept of using the tail, its one of those things you don't get to experience a lot."
Winter was rescued from an abandoned crab trap and lost her tail in the process. She's in rehab at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and continues to improve. As she grows, new prosthetic tails are made for her.
Abby Stone, Winter's trainer, says, "Working with this prosthetic, it's never been done before so a lot of it's trial and error, but to see her really appreciate and to pick up the concept of using the tail, its one of those things you don't get to experience a lot."
Winter was rescued from an abandoned crab trap and lost her tail in the process. She's in rehab at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and continues to improve. As she grows, new prosthetic tails are made for her.
Swiss Fribourg Cows Extinct; Oops, Maybe Not
ZURICH, Switzerland, July 12 (UPI) -- Swiss Fribourg cows, thought to have disappeared in the 1970s, may have been rediscovered in southern Chile, a researcher said.
Retired Swiss economist Roger Pasquier said he discovered the cows, imported from Switzerland to Chile in the 1930s, while researching his family ancestry in Patagonia, Swissinfo.com reported Friday.
I have to guess that the cows are grateful to have emigrated and missed out on the extinction, even if they DID have to learn Spanish...
Retired Swiss economist Roger Pasquier said he discovered the cows, imported from Switzerland to Chile in the 1930s, while researching his family ancestry in Patagonia, Swissinfo.com reported Friday.
I have to guess that the cows are grateful to have emigrated and missed out on the extinction, even if they DID have to learn Spanish...
Criminal Innovation: Stealing Grease
At 7.6 cents a pound, grease is...well, grease. At 34 cents a pound, it's suddenly a valuable commodity, drawing thieves.
I guess that in the hierarchy of crime, that grease thieves will never get the prestige or the chicks.
I guess that in the hierarchy of crime, that grease thieves will never get the prestige or the chicks.
Criminals As Civilians, Criminals As Soldiers...In Iraq
Story.
Asked why someone like Delano Holmes was allowed to deploy to Iraq, Marine Capt. Brett Miner, a prosecutor at Holmes' court-martial, said: "We’re kind of short on bodies."
Not good.
Asked why someone like Delano Holmes was allowed to deploy to Iraq, Marine Capt. Brett Miner, a prosecutor at Holmes' court-martial, said: "We’re kind of short on bodies."
Not good.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
How About Half-Baked?
Heinz drops the word "baked" from its cans of Baked Beans in a label redesign.
Notice the cutesy intarwebz spelling on the new label.
Notice the cutesy intarwebz spelling on the new label.
Volcano Blog: Scientists Say Mt. St. Helens Is Sleeping
VANCOUVER, Wash., July 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said Mount St. Helens appears to have returned to slumber after more than three years of activity.
The U.S. Geological Survey has lowered the volcano alert level from "advisory" to "normal" and the aviation color code from yellow to green, the agency said Friday.
"Five months have passed with no signs of renewed eruptive activity," said scientists at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory. "Earthquakes, volcanic gas emissions, and ground deformation are all at levels seen before the eruption began."
With volcanoes, though, just like people, you can't be certain if you're getting a sound sleep or a fitful sleep of snores, belches and farts.
The U.S. Geological Survey has lowered the volcano alert level from "advisory" to "normal" and the aviation color code from yellow to green, the agency said Friday.
"Five months have passed with no signs of renewed eruptive activity," said scientists at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory. "Earthquakes, volcanic gas emissions, and ground deformation are all at levels seen before the eruption began."
With volcanoes, though, just like people, you can't be certain if you're getting a sound sleep or a fitful sleep of snores, belches and farts.
Back To 55 MPH?
Senator John Warner of Virginia wants to reinstate the national 55-mph speed limit, with the idea of fuel savings.
Unlike most people, I never really objected to 55. I'm an extremely conservative driver; I have nothing to prove to anyone on the highway, and I'm not addicted to cars or driving fast. I like a leisurely pace when driving, although I know that most of my fellow citizens don't share my preference. The measure saves a lot of fuel, though, so it's worth at least discussing.
Unlike most people, I never really objected to 55. I'm an extremely conservative driver; I have nothing to prove to anyone on the highway, and I'm not addicted to cars or driving fast. I like a leisurely pace when driving, although I know that most of my fellow citizens don't share my preference. The measure saves a lot of fuel, though, so it's worth at least discussing.
Tony Snow, 1955-2008: R.I.P.
Tony Snow, who served honorably as President Bush's press secretary, has died of colon cancer.
I think he was the best of those in that unenviable job, and the only one to give as good as he got from the hostile White House Press Corps. He'll be greatly missed.
I think he was the best of those in that unenviable job, and the only one to give as good as he got from the hostile White House Press Corps. He'll be greatly missed.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Volcano Blog: San Cristobal, Nicaragua
MANAGUA, July 11 (Reuters) - Nicaragua's San Cristobal volcano rumbled with a series of small explosions on Friday and spewed gases and ash that reached a small town in the northwest of the country, but authorities said no one was hurt.
San Cristobal, which stands 5,725 feet (1,745 meters) above sea level, is Nicaragua's highest volcano and one of eight active volcanoes in the small Central American nation, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.
If that's the one I think it is, I saw it when I was in the Navy back in the early 1980's. It's a big one with the classic conical shape.
San Cristobal, which stands 5,725 feet (1,745 meters) above sea level, is Nicaragua's highest volcano and one of eight active volcanoes in the small Central American nation, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.
If that's the one I think it is, I saw it when I was in the Navy back in the early 1980's. It's a big one with the classic conical shape.
In Japan, Tattoos Still Stigmatized
Story.
The Japanese associate tattoos with the Yakuza, or organized crime gangs, whose members are extensively tattooed. The other group in Japan that is commonly tattooed is, of course, US military members and families, who are also being penalized by the stigma.
The Japanese associate tattoos with the Yakuza, or organized crime gangs, whose members are extensively tattooed. The other group in Japan that is commonly tattooed is, of course, US military members and families, who are also being penalized by the stigma.
Eaglet Cures Itself
The Bald Eagle eaglet born at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens that I blogged about here has healed itself of a growth on its beak before veterinarians could intervene with surgery.
Story.
Apparently the vets still have to correct the eaglet's beak, which has been deformed by the growth. In a Disney movie, this eaglet would probably be named Crookbeak and be the villain of the movie.
Story.
Apparently the vets still have to correct the eaglet's beak, which has been deformed by the growth. In a Disney movie, this eaglet would probably be named Crookbeak and be the villain of the movie.
A Sport Of Suicidal Craziness
Rock Jumping in the Czech Republic.
How can they make those jumps and not damage their huge, clanging brass bollocks?
How can they make those jumps and not damage their huge, clanging brass bollocks?
The Mouse Vs. The Second Amendment
Walt Disney World tries to claim an exception to a Florida law allowing employees of companies to keep firearms in their locked cars.
Disney says that they are exempt from the law because of an exception granted to companies that handle explosives, citing Disney's plentiful pyrotechnics used in fireworks displays.
What, they store the fireworks in the employee parking lots?
*rolls eyes*
Disney says that they are exempt from the law because of an exception granted to companies that handle explosives, citing Disney's plentiful pyrotechnics used in fireworks displays.
What, they store the fireworks in the employee parking lots?
*rolls eyes*
After Son Is Killed In Iraq, Father Enlists, Goes To Iraq
FORT WORTH — In a few days, Francisco Martinez will land in Iraq.
He is one of tens of thousands of men and women who, with various motivations, enlisted in the armed forces, knowing that they’d someday end up there.
For Martinez, Iraq is a kind of perdition, a receptacle for all the dark emotions, anguish and guilt that have buffeted him for the last three years.
When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his father’s life.
This deployment — in fact, his entire enlistment — is completely his doing. Nobody forced this on Martinez, except maybe the sniper who put one well-placed bullet in Spc. Francisco G. Martinez on March 20, 2005, in Ramadi.
Shades of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
He is one of tens of thousands of men and women who, with various motivations, enlisted in the armed forces, knowing that they’d someday end up there.
For Martinez, Iraq is a kind of perdition, a receptacle for all the dark emotions, anguish and guilt that have buffeted him for the last three years.
When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his father’s life.
This deployment — in fact, his entire enlistment — is completely his doing. Nobody forced this on Martinez, except maybe the sniper who put one well-placed bullet in Spc. Francisco G. Martinez on March 20, 2005, in Ramadi.
Shades of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Canadian-Born Sioux Serves As US Army Sniper In Iraq
WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 – Looking through a rifle sight into the eyes of an enemy -- no matter how evil that enemy is or how many innocent people he has killed -- and then pulling the trigger to end that enemy’s existence affects a soldier.
It takes a certain type of person to perform the duties of a sniper.
Army Sgt. Murray Spence -- a 30-year-old sniper assigned to Multinational Division Baghdad with the 10th Mountain Division’s Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team -- is a full-blooded Sioux who was raised by German Mennonites in Canada after he was put up for adoption at birth.
The life of a sniper is challenging, to say the least. But Spence has been facing and overcoming challenges since the day he was born. He served as a reservist in the Canadian military for two years, assigned to a rifle company called the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. After leaving Canadian military service, Spence tried to return, he said, but the process was taking too long, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He decided to become an infantry scout and earned honor graduate honors in his sniper school class.
After I got out of the Canadian army, Spence said, he thought his military days were over. “But I got into construction,” he explained, “and just got bored. Somehow, I ended up here. Somehow I ended up a sniper in Iraq.”
Spence overcame the sweltering August summer heat of Georgia in 2007 and the challenge of mathematics to leave the sniper school with top honors. He was 28 years old when he attended the school, years removed from high school math classes. “Getting back to the math and how to figure out calculations … on the fly was pretty tough,” he admitted, “but it was worth it.”
Spence is more than just a long-range shooter. Army Staff Sgt. Tommy Peek, Spence’s platoon sergeant from Fort Polk, said Spence has provided protection for their battalion commander while moving throughout the Wild Boar operating environment and also has helped many less-experienced soldiers.
“He is a very diverse soldier,” Peek said, explaining Spence was a crew-served-weapons expert with the M-240 and 50-caliber machine guns and the Mk-19 while assigned to Company D. “All his information and guidance to the younger soldiers we had actually helped a lot in their mentorship and their understanding of the crew-served weapons systems.
“He is a cut above the rest,” Peek continued. “He is not just the basic soldier. He has a lot more to offer than just long-range target acquisition.”
Working with Spence is a “delight” because of his consistent professionalism and guidance to younger soldiers, which makes Peek’s job much easier, he said.
Because of his Canadian birth, Spence could not be considered for Special Forces, and several attempts to go to Ranger school have not worked out for one reason or another. But whatever Spence does in his life after he leaves Iraq, it is a safe bet it will not be boring.
It's worth reading the article in full. The series is called "Face of Defense," but ironically, Sgt. Spence's face is hidden in the photograph provided:
It takes a certain type of person to perform the duties of a sniper.
Army Sgt. Murray Spence -- a 30-year-old sniper assigned to Multinational Division Baghdad with the 10th Mountain Division’s Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team -- is a full-blooded Sioux who was raised by German Mennonites in Canada after he was put up for adoption at birth.
The life of a sniper is challenging, to say the least. But Spence has been facing and overcoming challenges since the day he was born. He served as a reservist in the Canadian military for two years, assigned to a rifle company called the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. After leaving Canadian military service, Spence tried to return, he said, but the process was taking too long, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He decided to become an infantry scout and earned honor graduate honors in his sniper school class.
After I got out of the Canadian army, Spence said, he thought his military days were over. “But I got into construction,” he explained, “and just got bored. Somehow, I ended up here. Somehow I ended up a sniper in Iraq.”
Spence overcame the sweltering August summer heat of Georgia in 2007 and the challenge of mathematics to leave the sniper school with top honors. He was 28 years old when he attended the school, years removed from high school math classes. “Getting back to the math and how to figure out calculations … on the fly was pretty tough,” he admitted, “but it was worth it.”
Spence is more than just a long-range shooter. Army Staff Sgt. Tommy Peek, Spence’s platoon sergeant from Fort Polk, said Spence has provided protection for their battalion commander while moving throughout the Wild Boar operating environment and also has helped many less-experienced soldiers.
“He is a very diverse soldier,” Peek said, explaining Spence was a crew-served-weapons expert with the M-240 and 50-caliber machine guns and the Mk-19 while assigned to Company D. “All his information and guidance to the younger soldiers we had actually helped a lot in their mentorship and their understanding of the crew-served weapons systems.
“He is a cut above the rest,” Peek continued. “He is not just the basic soldier. He has a lot more to offer than just long-range target acquisition.”
Working with Spence is a “delight” because of his consistent professionalism and guidance to younger soldiers, which makes Peek’s job much easier, he said.
Because of his Canadian birth, Spence could not be considered for Special Forces, and several attempts to go to Ranger school have not worked out for one reason or another. But whatever Spence does in his life after he leaves Iraq, it is a safe bet it will not be boring.
It's worth reading the article in full. The series is called "Face of Defense," but ironically, Sgt. Spence's face is hidden in the photograph provided:
Rabbit Serial Killer On Loose In Germany
The roll call of victims is growing longer by the day. They have names like Rocco, Fussel, Marianne and Fluffy — and a five-man police unit has a file on each and every one. The so-called “bunny murders” — 40 domestic rabbits killed at night in their hutches, heads and sometimes paws sliced off, their bodies drained of blood — is stunning communities across western Germany.
“Nobody knows where the killer will strike next,” said Inspector Volker Schütte. One theory is that a group of Satanists is behind the wave of killings, because there is an almost ritualistic pattern. Amputated paws have been placed on doorsteps; the blood may have been drained into phials for use in an initiation ceremony.
And apparently he uses Google Earth to identify potential bunny sites.
“Nobody knows where the killer will strike next,” said Inspector Volker Schütte. One theory is that a group of Satanists is behind the wave of killings, because there is an almost ritualistic pattern. Amputated paws have been placed on doorsteps; the blood may have been drained into phials for use in an initiation ceremony.
And apparently he uses Google Earth to identify potential bunny sites.
Welsh Priest Tests His Parishioners
Taking Matthew 25 to heart, I guess:
When Reverend Rigby wanted to teach his congregation a lesson about being kind to others he came up with a rather colourful way of demonstrating his point.
As the 70 churchgoers turned up for their regular Sunday morning service at the Methodist church in Prestatyn, north Wales they found a scruffy tramp sitting in the church porch.
Stinking of beer and dressed in filthy clothes, the disgusted churchgoers did their best to ignore him as they filed past.
This task was made even harder when the unwanted guest joined them on the pews, surrounded with syringes and drinking from a can of lager.
Here's the reverend in his tramp outfit:
And here's what he looks like normally:
It's slightly cruel to play such a practical joke on your parishioners, I suppose, but would Jesus do any differently? (I'm agnostic, but this fits in with Biblical teaching).
When Reverend Rigby wanted to teach his congregation a lesson about being kind to others he came up with a rather colourful way of demonstrating his point.
As the 70 churchgoers turned up for their regular Sunday morning service at the Methodist church in Prestatyn, north Wales they found a scruffy tramp sitting in the church porch.
Stinking of beer and dressed in filthy clothes, the disgusted churchgoers did their best to ignore him as they filed past.
This task was made even harder when the unwanted guest joined them on the pews, surrounded with syringes and drinking from a can of lager.
Here's the reverend in his tramp outfit:
And here's what he looks like normally:
It's slightly cruel to play such a practical joke on your parishioners, I suppose, but would Jesus do any differently? (I'm agnostic, but this fits in with Biblical teaching).
Volcano Blog: Chaginigak, Alaska
Teaser from an article in New Scientist (subscription required). Great free slideshow link, however.
Volcano Spews Lethal Acid Brew
ALL the fish and birds were gone, the trees were defoliated and their mosses dead, and the local lakes and rivers were lined with yellow scum. This was the aftermath of a mysterious catastrophe in July 2005, as reported by a lodge-owner near the remote Chiginagak volcano in Alaska.
One of the slideshow photographs shows a crater lake, presumably acidic, at the top of the snow-covered volcano.
Volcano Spews Lethal Acid Brew
ALL the fish and birds were gone, the trees were defoliated and their mosses dead, and the local lakes and rivers were lined with yellow scum. This was the aftermath of a mysterious catastrophe in July 2005, as reported by a lodge-owner near the remote Chiginagak volcano in Alaska.
One of the slideshow photographs shows a crater lake, presumably acidic, at the top of the snow-covered volcano.
Greater Love Has No Man
Local man jumps into a river to save a friend, ends up drowning with him.
Looks like I'll be making this a series.
Looks like I'll be making this a series.
Maybe It's Too Early To Write UK Off.
There's still some people with the human decency to try and intervene when injustice is done, even at the cost of their own lives.
It's sad that UK government seems all too often to be on the side of the hoodlums, instead of the heroes.
It's sad that UK government seems all too often to be on the side of the hoodlums, instead of the heroes.
Low Morale In UK Armed Forces
Times Online story, so take it with a grain of salt.
The report says that 47% of the personnel in the UK armed forces are ready to quit, but doesn't really spell out the reason.
I'm guessing it's the low esteem that the UK military is held, in comparison with the US military, which generally is quite well-regarded by the US public.
The report says that 47% of the personnel in the UK armed forces are ready to quit, but doesn't really spell out the reason.
I'm guessing it's the low esteem that the UK military is held, in comparison with the US military, which generally is quite well-regarded by the US public.
Now Feet Are Washing Up On Swedish Beaches.
HALMSTAD, Sweden, July 10 (UPI) -- Officials said they are investigating how a human foot in a man's shoe ended up on a beach in southern Sweden.
The foot was found Tuesday on the shore in Tylosand in Halmstad, Sweden, the Swedish News Agency TT reported.
Sjolander said it was "far too early" to say whether the foot is related to six other feet found on Canada's Pacific coast.
Traveling serial killer? Copycat? I'm baffled.
Think I need to start a new category "feet," since I've been covering this story already. I'll go back and tag the previous entries.
The foot was found Tuesday on the shore in Tylosand in Halmstad, Sweden, the Swedish News Agency TT reported.
Sjolander said it was "far too early" to say whether the foot is related to six other feet found on Canada's Pacific coast.
Traveling serial killer? Copycat? I'm baffled.
Think I need to start a new category "feet," since I've been covering this story already. I'll go back and tag the previous entries.
It's Not Burger King. Glad You Realized It.
A liberal NC state employee resigned rather than lower the US flag to half-mast to honor the death of former NC Senator Jesse Helms.
He tried to Burger King at first--have it his way--but the state of NC challenged him, so he actually acted on the courage of his convictions and resigned. I applaud him for being a man about it.
Of course, he'll probably file a lawsuit...
He tried to Burger King at first--have it his way--but the state of NC challenged him, so he actually acted on the courage of his convictions and resigned. I applaud him for being a man about it.
Of course, he'll probably file a lawsuit...
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Mexican Comic Book Removed From Wal-Marts, Offensive To Blacks
HOUSTON, July 8 (UPI) -- African-American activists are demanding that a Wal-Mart store in Houston remove a popular Mexican comic book that they see as insulting and racist.
The latest issue of Memin Pinquin incensed some shoppers because the main character in the long-running series is a black boy with a face that has ape-like characteristics.
Here's what he looks like:
Yah, I can see that offending people, it's an old-fashioned way of drawing black people; pretty much caricature, when it comes down to it. You can tell it's old-fashioned because Memin has doesn't have his hat on backwards and his pants hanging down showing his ass.
The latest issue of Memin Pinquin incensed some shoppers because the main character in the long-running series is a black boy with a face that has ape-like characteristics.
Here's what he looks like:
Yah, I can see that offending people, it's an old-fashioned way of drawing black people; pretty much caricature, when it comes down to it. You can tell it's old-fashioned because Memin has doesn't have his hat on backwards and his pants hanging down showing his ass.
Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Sought
Story.
I don't have any problem working with gays, myself. I do have a huge problem with people trysting in public bathrooms. As long as the gays refrain from screwing in barracks rooms and bathrooms, I could care less. Same applies to straights, but since men and women mostly live in segregated barracks this isn't usually an issue.
I don't have any problem working with gays, myself. I do have a huge problem with people trysting in public bathrooms. As long as the gays refrain from screwing in barracks rooms and bathrooms, I could care less. Same applies to straights, but since men and women mostly live in segregated barracks this isn't usually an issue.
"Reptiles of Concern."
Palm Beach County, Florida, has an iguana problem:
PALM BEACH, Fla., July 8 (UPI) -- Palm Beach County, Fla., officials are asking state wildlife authorities to classify the iguanas that have infested many backyards as "reptiles of concern."
County commissioners requested the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission take the step, which would require owners of pet iguanas to pay a $100 annual permit fee and have microchips implanted in the reptiles to help identify them among the many iguanas living in the wild in South Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday.
You can always eat them, I suppose. Are iguanas good to eat? Taste like chicken, I suppose...
PALM BEACH, Fla., July 8 (UPI) -- Palm Beach County, Fla., officials are asking state wildlife authorities to classify the iguanas that have infested many backyards as "reptiles of concern."
County commissioners requested the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission take the step, which would require owners of pet iguanas to pay a $100 annual permit fee and have microchips implanted in the reptiles to help identify them among the many iguanas living in the wild in South Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday.
You can always eat them, I suppose. Are iguanas good to eat? Taste like chicken, I suppose...
Bring Back Scouting?
My last post about people who sound ignorant suffering professionally, combined with this story from UK about kids knowing Dr. Who "Daleks" but not being able to identify a magpie outdoors, makes me think that we desperately need to bring back the old scouting tradition. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Campfire Girls.
I read Robert Baden-Powell's original 1908 scouting manual recently, and was struck with the plan for organizing the lives of children who desperately need organization. The book is undeniably old-fashioned in its desire that boys be taught how to be proper citizens in addition to learning woodcraft skills.
The plan would help parents and adults, too, as it would require them to act as responsible for adults, for perhaps the first time in their lives. It has to be better than the situation that UK, especially, finds itself in with regards to rampant crime and hooliganism.
I think it's worth considering, anyway. Buy the book, and the similar US version published in 1911, and you'll see what I mean.
I read Robert Baden-Powell's original 1908 scouting manual recently, and was struck with the plan for organizing the lives of children who desperately need organization. The book is undeniably old-fashioned in its desire that boys be taught how to be proper citizens in addition to learning woodcraft skills.
The plan would help parents and adults, too, as it would require them to act as responsible for adults, for perhaps the first time in their lives. It has to be better than the situation that UK, especially, finds itself in with regards to rampant crime and hooliganism.
I think it's worth considering, anyway. Buy the book, and the similar US version published in 1911, and you'll see what I mean.
Jobseeking While "Sounding Black."
NY Times story:
Fascinating new research by my University of Chicago colleague, Jeffrey Grogger, compares the wages of people who “sound black” when they talk to those who do not.
His main finding: blacks who “sound black” earn salaries that are 10 percent lower than blacks who do not “sound black,” even after controlling for measures of intelligence, experience in the work force, and other factors that influence how much people earn. (For what it is worth, whites who “sound black” earn 6 percent lower than other whites.)
How does Grogger know who “sounds black?” As part of a large longitudinal study called the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, follow-up validation interviews were conducted over the phone and recorded.
Grogger was able to take these phone interviews, purge them of any identifying information, and then ask people to try to identify the voices as to whether the speaker was black or white. The listeners were pretty good at distinguishing race through voices: 98 percent of the time they got the gender of the speaker right, 84 percent of white speakers were correctly identified as white, and 77 percent of black speakers were correctly identified as black.
Grogger asked multiple listeners to rate each voice and assigned the voice either to a distinctly white or black category (if the listeners all tended to agree on the race), or an indistinct category if there was disagreement.
Then he put this measure of whether a voice sounded black into a regression (the standard statistical tool that economists use for estimating things), and came up with the finding that blacks who “sound black” earn almost 10 percent less, even after taking into account other factors that could influence earnings. One piece of interesting good news is that blacks who do not “sound black” earn essentially the same as whites.
(It turns out you don’t want to sound southern, either. Although pretty imprecisely estimated, it is almost as bad for your wages to sound southern as it is to sound black, even controlling for whether you live in the south.)
This study is a good beginning, but raises as many questions as it asks, and isn't comprehensive enough for this southerner. I'd like to see the test applied to people with heavy New York City/New Jersey accents, to see if there is a reaction to those, as well.
I think that the basic prejudice in this case is a prejudice against sounding lower-class and ignorant. Probably the more your speech differs from standard english/midwestern accent, the more ignorant you are perceived as being. The same thing occurs in UK, but is more along class lines there.
h/t Hot Air Headlines.
Fascinating new research by my University of Chicago colleague, Jeffrey Grogger, compares the wages of people who “sound black” when they talk to those who do not.
His main finding: blacks who “sound black” earn salaries that are 10 percent lower than blacks who do not “sound black,” even after controlling for measures of intelligence, experience in the work force, and other factors that influence how much people earn. (For what it is worth, whites who “sound black” earn 6 percent lower than other whites.)
How does Grogger know who “sounds black?” As part of a large longitudinal study called the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, follow-up validation interviews were conducted over the phone and recorded.
Grogger was able to take these phone interviews, purge them of any identifying information, and then ask people to try to identify the voices as to whether the speaker was black or white. The listeners were pretty good at distinguishing race through voices: 98 percent of the time they got the gender of the speaker right, 84 percent of white speakers were correctly identified as white, and 77 percent of black speakers were correctly identified as black.
Grogger asked multiple listeners to rate each voice and assigned the voice either to a distinctly white or black category (if the listeners all tended to agree on the race), or an indistinct category if there was disagreement.
Then he put this measure of whether a voice sounded black into a regression (the standard statistical tool that economists use for estimating things), and came up with the finding that blacks who “sound black” earn almost 10 percent less, even after taking into account other factors that could influence earnings. One piece of interesting good news is that blacks who do not “sound black” earn essentially the same as whites.
(It turns out you don’t want to sound southern, either. Although pretty imprecisely estimated, it is almost as bad for your wages to sound southern as it is to sound black, even controlling for whether you live in the south.)
This study is a good beginning, but raises as many questions as it asks, and isn't comprehensive enough for this southerner. I'd like to see the test applied to people with heavy New York City/New Jersey accents, to see if there is a reaction to those, as well.
I think that the basic prejudice in this case is a prejudice against sounding lower-class and ignorant. Probably the more your speech differs from standard english/midwestern accent, the more ignorant you are perceived as being. The same thing occurs in UK, but is more along class lines there.
h/t Hot Air Headlines.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Florida: Teach Gun Safety In High School?
They're considering it, and are soliciting opinion.
We know which way the teachers' unions and the media will come down on this one, don't we?
We know which way the teachers' unions and the media will come down on this one, don't we?
What To Do With Fort Monroe?
Virginia officials are wondering what to do with Fort Monroe, in Hampton, Virginia, after the US Army leaves in 2011.
I visited the fort often when I was in the Navy. It's a lovely moated fortress with tons of history; fugitive slaves lived there, Robert E. Lee served there while in the US Army, Edgar Allan Poe was a US Army sergeant stationed there, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned there after the Civil War.
Here's a shot from Google Earth:
There's discussion of making it a National Park or National Historic Site; I don't think it's of sufficient historical interest for national status, but it would be a crown jewel in the Virginia State Park program.
I visited the fort often when I was in the Navy. It's a lovely moated fortress with tons of history; fugitive slaves lived there, Robert E. Lee served there while in the US Army, Edgar Allan Poe was a US Army sergeant stationed there, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned there after the Civil War.
Here's a shot from Google Earth:
There's discussion of making it a National Park or National Historic Site; I don't think it's of sufficient historical interest for national status, but it would be a crown jewel in the Virginia State Park program.
Ain't That A Shame
MARION, S.C. -- Authorities say a man trying to break into his ex-wife's home through a tiny window got stuck and choked to death.
Marion County deputies tell WPDE-TV that someone called 911 on Thursday morning after seeing 46-year-old Tommy Dixon hanging from the window several feet above the ground.
That improves the gene pool, I'd hazard.
Marion County deputies tell WPDE-TV that someone called 911 on Thursday morning after seeing 46-year-old Tommy Dixon hanging from the window several feet above the ground.
That improves the gene pool, I'd hazard.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Freakish Plants
Ace just put up a great post on poisonous plants, including a freakish thing called a dolls-Eyes plant:
I love reading about stuff like this. When I was in the 5th grade I discovered a book on carnivorous plants, and gave a lecture (book report) on them to the class.
I love reading about stuff like this. When I was in the 5th grade I discovered a book on carnivorous plants, and gave a lecture (book report) on them to the class.
Chicago Pizzas For US Troops In Iraq
WASHINGTON — Troops at seven bases in Iraq will get fresh deep dish pizza straight from Chicago today, courtesy of an idea from a retired airman and the generosity of hundreds of others.
The 3,000 pizzas — each with a pound of cheese and packed with other toppings — were cooked by Lou Malnati’s Restaurant staffers last week, then shipped though New York, Belgium and Bahrain on their way to U.S. troops around Baghdad.
The logistical nightmare of frozen freight and military regulations cost nearly $100,000 to pull off, most of that coming from donations from the restaurant chain and DHL Express.
Americans pitching in to support the troops. The associated charity if you wish to get involved is Pizzas4Patriots.
The 3,000 pizzas — each with a pound of cheese and packed with other toppings — were cooked by Lou Malnati’s Restaurant staffers last week, then shipped though New York, Belgium and Bahrain on their way to U.S. troops around Baghdad.
The logistical nightmare of frozen freight and military regulations cost nearly $100,000 to pull off, most of that coming from donations from the restaurant chain and DHL Express.
Americans pitching in to support the troops. The associated charity if you wish to get involved is Pizzas4Patriots.
Pompeii: Preserved By Volcanic Ash, Destroyed By Tourists
ROME, July 4 (UPI) -- The Italian government declared a one-year state of emergency Friday at Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash more than 2,000 years ago.
Culture Minister Sandro Bondi is to name a commissioner to oversee the archaeological site, one of the most important in the world, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The commissioner will be in charge of administration while Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, the archaeological superintendent, will remain in charge of preservation.
Antonio Irlando, who heads a regional group involved with cultural preservation, said Pompeii's buildings are falling to pieces.
Maintenance funds for such places are always in short supply, unfortunately.
Culture Minister Sandro Bondi is to name a commissioner to oversee the archaeological site, one of the most important in the world, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The commissioner will be in charge of administration while Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, the archaeological superintendent, will remain in charge of preservation.
Antonio Irlando, who heads a regional group involved with cultural preservation, said Pompeii's buildings are falling to pieces.
Maintenance funds for such places are always in short supply, unfortunately.
Scandal In Japan Over "Monkey President" TV Ad
TOKYO, July 3 (UPI) -- Some African-Americans residing in Japan said they were offended by an ad for a telecommunications company that featured a monkey running for U.S. president.
The TV commercial featured a suit-wearing monkey behind a podium holding a sign with the word "Change" on it, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.
The ad was supposed to be a parody of the U.S. presidential election, the newspaper said.
Novelist/travel writer Paul Theroux is on record as saying that the Japanese are unapologetic racists, and it's well known that they feel that the rape problems caused by US Military in Japan and especially Okinawa wouldn't occur if not for the presence of African-American service members.
The TV commercial featured a suit-wearing monkey behind a podium holding a sign with the word "Change" on it, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.
The ad was supposed to be a parody of the U.S. presidential election, the newspaper said.
Novelist/travel writer Paul Theroux is on record as saying that the Japanese are unapologetic racists, and it's well known that they feel that the rape problems caused by US Military in Japan and especially Okinawa wouldn't occur if not for the presence of African-American service members.
Statue of Liberty: Open The Crown
The National Park Service and City of New York would like to re-open the crown of the Statue of Liberty to visitors.
Good news on Independence Day. Be cool if they could someday re-open the torch, too.
Good news on Independence Day. Be cool if they could someday re-open the torch, too.
Sen. Jesse Helms, 1922-2008: R.I.P.
Former US Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina has passed on at the age of 86, appropriately enough on the 4th of July.
Leftists are already celebrating, in their usual no-class fashion; at the Village Voice, the headline reads Jesse Helms Finally Dies: If We're Lucky, He Took Some Of His Bitter Bigotry With Him.
I only have a few memories of Sen. Helms. When I was in the US Navy, I was stationed with a man named Glenn Helms who claimed Sen. Helms was his uncle. I discovered this one night in November of 1982, when I found Glenn watching election returns. "What are you watching that crap for, Glen?" I asked. He answered, "I'm watching to see if Uncle Jesse wins reelection." Seeing my puzzled face, he added, "Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina is my uncle."
Another memory is during Sen. Helms's bitter Senate campaign against former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, an African-American. I read the Charlotte Observer daily back then, and noted that the race was free of racial issues until Mayor Gantt made a pointed racial remark in an interview; a few days later the infamous "hands" TV commercial was released to universal media outrage. Senator Helms waw accused of "injecting" race into the senate race. I wrote a letter to the Charlotte Observer mentioning Gantt's interview, which had preceded the ad, and said that fairness required that they acknowledge that Mayor Gantt "injected" race first. The editors published the letter, and later that same morning Senator Helms called me at home to thank me for writing the letter.
*laughs*
Senator Helms was 100 years past his time. Had he been a senator in the 1890's instead of the 1990's no one would have remarked on his attitudes toward race or homosexuality; he would have been very much in the mainstream of political thought. He was elected and faced re-election in a rural state that was extremely conservative and didn't yet have the influx of Yankees from New Jersey and other northeast states that have moved North Carolina politics more toward the center of the political spectrum.
Died on Independence Day. Well, no one was more independent than Jesse Helms. If there's an afterlife Senator Helms may have cause to worry, or not, depending on the wishes of those who loved and hated him, and the nature of such a place.
Rest In Peace, Senator. You were honest and principled in a place that isn't noted for it.
Here's a screenshot of the Village Voice article referenced above, just in case it disappears down the memory hole:
Leftists are already celebrating, in their usual no-class fashion; at the Village Voice, the headline reads Jesse Helms Finally Dies: If We're Lucky, He Took Some Of His Bitter Bigotry With Him.
I only have a few memories of Sen. Helms. When I was in the US Navy, I was stationed with a man named Glenn Helms who claimed Sen. Helms was his uncle. I discovered this one night in November of 1982, when I found Glenn watching election returns. "What are you watching that crap for, Glen?" I asked. He answered, "I'm watching to see if Uncle Jesse wins reelection." Seeing my puzzled face, he added, "Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina is my uncle."
Another memory is during Sen. Helms's bitter Senate campaign against former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, an African-American. I read the Charlotte Observer daily back then, and noted that the race was free of racial issues until Mayor Gantt made a pointed racial remark in an interview; a few days later the infamous "hands" TV commercial was released to universal media outrage. Senator Helms waw accused of "injecting" race into the senate race. I wrote a letter to the Charlotte Observer mentioning Gantt's interview, which had preceded the ad, and said that fairness required that they acknowledge that Mayor Gantt "injected" race first. The editors published the letter, and later that same morning Senator Helms called me at home to thank me for writing the letter.
*laughs*
Senator Helms was 100 years past his time. Had he been a senator in the 1890's instead of the 1990's no one would have remarked on his attitudes toward race or homosexuality; he would have been very much in the mainstream of political thought. He was elected and faced re-election in a rural state that was extremely conservative and didn't yet have the influx of Yankees from New Jersey and other northeast states that have moved North Carolina politics more toward the center of the political spectrum.
Died on Independence Day. Well, no one was more independent than Jesse Helms. If there's an afterlife Senator Helms may have cause to worry, or not, depending on the wishes of those who loved and hated him, and the nature of such a place.
Rest In Peace, Senator. You were honest and principled in a place that isn't noted for it.
Here's a screenshot of the Village Voice article referenced above, just in case it disappears down the memory hole:
Independence Day
May all of you enjoy a happy and safe Independence Day.
Here's an image for the day; it's the USS Independence, CV-62. I used to see her when I was stationed in Norfolk while in the Navy. She's decommissioned now, and scheduled to be scrapped.
Here's an image for the day; it's the USS Independence, CV-62. I used to see her when I was stationed in Norfolk while in the Navy. She's decommissioned now, and scheduled to be scrapped.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Father Damien To Be Canonized
HONOLULU, July 2 (UPI) -- Roman Catholic Church officials at the Vatican have voted to canonize Father Damien of Molokai, KITV in Honolulu reported Wednesday.
The Congregation of the Causes of Saints took the vote following verification of two medical miracles and decades of investigation into the life and work of Damien De Veuster, the TV station said. All that is left to elevate Damien -- also known as the Martyr of Molokai -- to sainthood is the signature of Pope Benedict XVI.
I remember seeing the television production of the one-man play Damien on PBS back in 1978 and crying my eyes out over the sacrifice he made. I've often wondered since why it's taken so long to get Father Damien canonized.
You want to see him? Here's a famous photograph taken not long before his death, with all the ravages of leprosy showing for us all to see:
Face of a Saint.
In the rotunda of the US Capitol Building, each state of the union is allowed two statues of its most famous sons; Hawaii chose Father Damien; the artist didn't choose to show Damien as a handsome young priest, but chose the image shown above to work from.
The Congregation of the Causes of Saints took the vote following verification of two medical miracles and decades of investigation into the life and work of Damien De Veuster, the TV station said. All that is left to elevate Damien -- also known as the Martyr of Molokai -- to sainthood is the signature of Pope Benedict XVI.
I remember seeing the television production of the one-man play Damien on PBS back in 1978 and crying my eyes out over the sacrifice he made. I've often wondered since why it's taken so long to get Father Damien canonized.
You want to see him? Here's a famous photograph taken not long before his death, with all the ravages of leprosy showing for us all to see:
In the rotunda of the US Capitol Building, each state of the union is allowed two statues of its most famous sons; Hawaii chose Father Damien; the artist didn't choose to show Damien as a handsome young priest, but chose the image shown above to work from.
UK: Basic Civility Is Gone
George Washington's Boyhood Home Found
George Washington’s boyhood home has been found.
Researchers announced Wednesday that remains excavated in the last three years were those of the long-sought dwelling, on the old family farm in Virginia 50 miles south of Washington. The house stood on a terrace overlooking the Rappahannock River, where legend has it the boy threw a stone or a coin across to Fredericksburg.
That'll be an interesting place to visit. I wonder how many men will go there and try to throw a rock, or even a silver dollar, across the river?
Researchers announced Wednesday that remains excavated in the last three years were those of the long-sought dwelling, on the old family farm in Virginia 50 miles south of Washington. The house stood on a terrace overlooking the Rappahannock River, where legend has it the boy threw a stone or a coin across to Fredericksburg.
That'll be an interesting place to visit. I wonder how many men will go there and try to throw a rock, or even a silver dollar, across the river?
As Radical Professors Retire, US University Faculties Trend Moderate
NY Times Story.
Note I said moderate, not conservative. The Times story makes that distinction, as well.
It's generational in nature; the 60's radical Boomer faculty is retiring, and the replacement generations that didn't grow up on radicalism and confrontation are more moderate in their approach.
Note I said moderate, not conservative. The Times story makes that distinction, as well.
It's generational in nature; the 60's radical Boomer faculty is retiring, and the replacement generations that didn't grow up on radicalism and confrontation are more moderate in their approach.
Snarkus Maximus: NY Daily News Story On Christy Brinkley Divorce
Story.
Snippet:
At lunchtime, Christie and her best friend, NBC correspondent Jill Rappaport, walked out arm-and-arm, like a pair of high school girls who had just pulled off a prank on the star quarterback.
And then, just after Christie's camp basically held up Cook's testicles for the world to see, she snipped them off and put them in her purse when the 49-year-old Ken doll admitted some of the naughty things he had posted on sex Web sites.
*laughter*
Snippet:
At lunchtime, Christie and her best friend, NBC correspondent Jill Rappaport, walked out arm-and-arm, like a pair of high school girls who had just pulled off a prank on the star quarterback.
And then, just after Christie's camp basically held up Cook's testicles for the world to see, she snipped them off and put them in her purse when the 49-year-old Ken doll admitted some of the naughty things he had posted on sex Web sites.
*laughter*
Hunter S. Thompson Documentary In Theaters Today
LA Times story.
The interesting thing about this story is the revelation that Thompson recorded much of his thoughts on audiotape, the taping basically continuing throughout his life, and meticulously archived; this is a treasure on a par with Frank Zappa's famous basement vault.
The interesting thing about this story is the revelation that Thompson recorded much of his thoughts on audiotape, the taping basically continuing throughout his life, and meticulously archived; this is a treasure on a par with Frank Zappa's famous basement vault.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Technical Note
I knocked a bunch of programs out of my computer the other day, it's been running more slowly than I like and too many of the programs were using up too much RAM. Included in the cut was FeedReader, which I used for blogging purposes; it just spent too much time updating, and the process for looking at stories/reading summaries was too cumbersome. I'm currently testing Google Reader to see if it is a worthy replacement.
Crabzilla!
From a Daily Mail story, so take it with a grain (shaker?) of salt.
It seems obvious, to begin with, that the photo was shot with a wide-angle lens that distorts the size of the crab.
It seems obvious, to begin with, that the photo was shot with a wide-angle lens that distorts the size of the crab.
I Want A Phaser, Myself.
NY Times article on the Heller decision and less-than-lethal methods of self-defense.
Tasers are mentioned. They work fine, if the assailant doesn't rip out the wires (Rodney King did) and if there is only one assailant.
Personally I want a Star Trek phaser. Small, unobtrusive, reliable, versatile, able to do everything from heat rocks, to stun an assailant, and even to kill him if necessary.
Tasers are mentioned. They work fine, if the assailant doesn't rip out the wires (Rodney King did) and if there is only one assailant.
Personally I want a Star Trek phaser. Small, unobtrusive, reliable, versatile, able to do everything from heat rocks, to stun an assailant, and even to kill him if necessary.
Hitchens Gets Waterboarded.
Vanity Fair article and video.
Well done, Professor Hitchens. And a good article.
Update: Instalanche! Thank you, Professor Reynolds!
Update 2: Welcome, Ace of Spades Morons!
Well done, Professor Hitchens. And a good article.
Update: Instalanche! Thank you, Professor Reynolds!
Update 2: Welcome, Ace of Spades Morons!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Shipwreck Blog: Elizabethan "Titanic?"
Elizabethan 'Titanic' Discovered By Archaeologists.
Marine archaeologists who explored the 600-ton vessel off Dorset believe it may have been as luxurious in its day as the Titanic.
Among the treasures they have retrieved is a statue of a merman whose eye sockets would have held precious stones.
The 4.5ft wooden figure was one of a number of statues that would have adorned the stern of the vessel.
More information and pictures of the merman statue at This Is Dorset.
Marine archaeologists who explored the 600-ton vessel off Dorset believe it may have been as luxurious in its day as the Titanic.
Among the treasures they have retrieved is a statue of a merman whose eye sockets would have held precious stones.
The 4.5ft wooden figure was one of a number of statues that would have adorned the stern of the vessel.
More information and pictures of the merman statue at This Is Dorset.
You Know Your Mother Loves You...
...when she's willing to help you in a jailbreak.
So be sure to buy those Whitman's Samplers for Valentine's Day, guys.
So be sure to buy those Whitman's Samplers for Valentine's Day, guys.
Christopher Hitchens: Please Donate Books To Iraq
Hitchens' latest Slate article:
It's quite common to read, usually from liberal opponents of the engagement in Iraq, that George W. Bush's administration hasn't asked the American people to make any sacrifices. I must confess that I never quite understand this criticism. As a society, we collectively contribute a great deal from our common treasury to give Iraq a fighting chance to recover from three decades of war and fascism and to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemies of civilization. And as fellow citizens, we experience the agony of loss when our soldiers, aid workers, civil servants, and others are murdered. (That each of these is a volunteer is a great cause for national pride.)
However, I do believe that many people wish they could do something positive and make a contribution, however small, to the effort to build democracy in Iraq. And I have a suggestion. In the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniya, the American University of Iraq has just opened its doors. And it is appealing for people to donate books.
So here's what to do. Have a look at the university's Web site. Get some decent volumes together, pass the word to your friends and co-workers to do the same, and send them off to:
Nathan Musselman
The American University of Iraq—Sulaimani
Building No. 7, Street 10
Quarter 410
Ablakh Area
Sulaimani, Iraq
(+964) (0)770-461-5099
It's important to include the number at the end.
I would guess that scholarly books would be most appreciated, not a biography of Britney Spears.
It's quite common to read, usually from liberal opponents of the engagement in Iraq, that George W. Bush's administration hasn't asked the American people to make any sacrifices. I must confess that I never quite understand this criticism. As a society, we collectively contribute a great deal from our common treasury to give Iraq a fighting chance to recover from three decades of war and fascism and to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemies of civilization. And as fellow citizens, we experience the agony of loss when our soldiers, aid workers, civil servants, and others are murdered. (That each of these is a volunteer is a great cause for national pride.)
However, I do believe that many people wish they could do something positive and make a contribution, however small, to the effort to build democracy in Iraq. And I have a suggestion. In the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniya, the American University of Iraq has just opened its doors. And it is appealing for people to donate books.
So here's what to do. Have a look at the university's Web site. Get some decent volumes together, pass the word to your friends and co-workers to do the same, and send them off to:
Nathan Musselman
The American University of Iraq—Sulaimani
Building No. 7, Street 10
Quarter 410
Ablakh Area
Sulaimani, Iraq
(+964) (0)770-461-5099
It's important to include the number at the end.
I would guess that scholarly books would be most appreciated, not a biography of Britney Spears.
It's Gonna Blow! Run!
Marine archaeologists have an encounter with a 400-year-old cannon:
The barrel of the cannon had been plugged with a tampion of wood and sealed with candle wax by sailors more than 400 years ago.
The stale air of another age whistled out with a hiss when the seal was broken finally last week. Archaeologists gathered around the weapon could smell the gunpowder and hydrogen sulphide as it escaped.
Mr Mensun said: “When we opened it there was a spontaneous combustion of gun powder. It started to smoke.” The historians ran in all directions, fearing a discharge.
This from a cannon that had been underwater for 400 years. *grins*
The barrel of the cannon had been plugged with a tampion of wood and sealed with candle wax by sailors more than 400 years ago.
The stale air of another age whistled out with a hiss when the seal was broken finally last week. Archaeologists gathered around the weapon could smell the gunpowder and hydrogen sulphide as it escaped.
Mr Mensun said: “When we opened it there was a spontaneous combustion of gun powder. It started to smoke.” The historians ran in all directions, fearing a discharge.
This from a cannon that had been underwater for 400 years. *grins*
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