So Long, 2009

It’s a beautiful day outside. Sunny, mid sixties — and no rain!

I think I’m going to take the rest of the year off…

See y’all in 2010.

Nuke

Best song of the decade

In 2003, The Foo Fighters released their album One by One, which included the cut “Times Like These.”

A solo acoustic version of the song, performed by Dave Grohl, was released some time later, and it is my pick for Song of the Decade.

I am, after all, a one-way motorway….the road that drives away … then follows you back home.

Limbaugh condition described as “serious”

Update: From KITV

Paramedics responded to the call at 2:41 p.m. at the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

Limbaugh, 58, suffered from chest pains, sources said. Limbaugh was sitting in a chair in his ninth-floor hotel room at the Kahala when emergency crews arrived, sources said. He told medical crews that he was taking medication for a back problem, sources said.

Paramedics treated him and took him to Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition. He will not be released from the hospital on Wednesday night, sources said.

from the Associated Press

HONOLULU — A Honolulu television station is reporting that conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to a hospital with chest pains.

KITV reported Wednesday that paramedics responded to a call at 2:41 p.m. from the Kahala Hotel and Resort where Limbaugh is vacationing.

The station, citing unnamed sources, said paramedics treated Limbaugh and took him to The Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition.

Queen’s spokesman N. Makana Shook says the hospital is unable to comment on the report.

Limbaugh was seen golfing at Waialae Country Club earlier this week. The country club is next to the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

Mike Leach Fired From Texas Tech!

From the ESPN article:

The school handed a termination letter to Leach’s attorney, Ted Liggett, just minutes before the two sides were to appear in a Lubbock courtroom for a hearing on the coach’s suspension.

Liggett said the letter said Leach was “terminated with cause effective immediately.”

For those not familiar with the incidents involved, it was alleged that Coach Leach had a player confined to small dark rooms for hours, when he couldn’t practice or play due to a concussion. The player is the son of former SMU/NFL running back and ESPN analyst Craig James.

It wouldn’t have been difficult to conduct this investigation, all they had to do was question the team trainer that was told to lock him in the unlit rooms…case closed. And so it is, and Coach Leach is now fired.

I have always viewed Mike Leach with a bit of apprehension, as he just seemed…odd, somehow. The “mad scientist” coach who never played the game, and always seemed detached or aloof from the players themselves, only concerned with the X’s and O’s.

I’m certain this will bring a change in the fortunes of Texas Tech football, but winning without caring for the players is just being mercenary about the sport.

While this is likely going to cause some dissension among team mates, as I’m certain many are still loyal to their coach, the team will be much better off moving forward without him, and his odd ball ways.

Max “Tater” Baucus, drunk in public

This video of Montana senator Max Baucus has made the rounds on the internet tubes over the past few days.  I watched a few minutes of it and couldn’t help but be reminded of Ron White’s hilarious “Drunk In Public” routine …

Not that Ol’ Tater doesn’t have his defenders. The least imaginative excuse that I’ve seen so far is that Max was just “tired and angry” after expending so much effort and brainpower on the healthcare fiasco. Heh. Not even a kennedyesque, I was on medication.

Sigh. Call me old school, but I long for the days when watching politicians speak out of both sides of their mouth, at least had some entertainment value …

And with that, I present an oldie but goodie, “The Whiskey Speech,” by the Judge Noah S. Soggy Sweat, Jr. to the Mississippi Legislature in 1952 …

“My friends,

“I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.

“If when you say whiskey you mean the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

“But;

“If when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman’s step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life’s great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

“This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.”

They don’t make ’em like that anymore.

New Hampshire Woman Diagnosed with GI Anthrax: What the News Leaves Out

I read this account last night about a woman contracting anthrax (which is rare, but cases have occurred from handling unprocessed imported hides).

From WHDH.com:

STRAFFORD, N.H. — Investigators are trying to determine if a woman who took part in an African drumming circle got anthrax from her drum.

The woman from Strafford, New Hampshire got sick earlier in December, and is now in critical condition in the hospital.

State officials believe she may have breathed in anthrax spores, which can occur naturally in animal hides. Officials are asking anyone who attended drumming events at the Waysmeet Center between October and December to contact them.

She breathed in anthrax spores? That means she has inhalational anthrax, right?

From BostonHerald.com:

CONCORD, N.H. — State and federal authorities are searching for the naturally occurring (Editor’s note: Naturally occurring? Says who?) source of anthrax that has left a New Hampshire woman in critical condition.

State public health director Dr. Jose Montero says the woman from Strafford County became ill in early December. Authorities have confirmed she is suffering from gastrointestinal anthrax and are investigating whether the anthrax spore came from an African drum she took to a drum circle event at the United Campus Ministry at the University of New Hampshire.

Montero says investigators are testing the drums because two recent anthrax cases in New York and Connecticut were related to animal hides. He says anthrax is not transmitted from person to person and the public is not at risk

Hunh. She clearly didn’t “breathe in” spores that caused her case of GI anthrax.

Disease from exposure to anthrax spores comes in three forms: Cutaneous anthrax (from spores entering the skin through a cut), inhalation anthrax (inhaling the spores), and intestinal anthrax (swallowing the spores in undercooked meat from diseased animals). Unless she was chewing on the drum or had recently been out of the country into an area where anthrax is endemic and eaten diseased, undercooked meat contaminated by anthrax spores, I have to wonder about the etiology of this. I also have to wonder about the sloppy reporting that gives the impression that inhaling spores causes GI/intestinal anthrax.

Per the CDC:

While the biowarfare and bioterrorist development of anthrax has focused on inhalation, ingestion has been considered as well. The Japanese experiments in China during the 1930s and 1940s included attempts to poison children with chocolate impregnated with anthrax (31). More recently, the apartheid government of South Africa had developed biological weapons, including another attempt at anthrax-containing chocolate (32). Given the large community outbreak of salmonellosis caused by an intentional contamination of restaurant salad bars the in United States by the Rajneeshees (33), awareness of the potential for GI anthrax due to bioterrorism is important.

In conclusion, GI anthrax is probably greatly underreported in rural disease-endemic areas of the world. The spectrum of disease, ranging from no symptoms to death, has not been fully appreciated. Awareness of anthrax in a differential diagnosis remains important in disease-endemic areas and also in settings of possible bioterrorism.

So, GI anthrax is rather rare even in rural disease-endemic areas of the world (where it may be underreported) and, when it appears outside those areas, we need to consider bioterrorism. Just how rare is it?

BACKGROUND: Bacillus Anthraces is a non-motile, rod like, gram-positive and aerobic bacillus that produces central oval-shaped spores and characterized by rough, irregular and often comma-shaped colonies in blood agar. About 95% of human anthrax is cutaneous and 5% respiratory. GI anthrax, a very rare type, has been reported in less than 1% of all cases. We thus report a case of GI anthrax with autopsy findings. CASE REPORT: A 15-year-old young adult man was admitted to our hospital with history of fever, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea from 48 hours after ingestion of half-cooked sheep’s meat. In endoscopic exam of upper GI tract, the esophagus had been filled with fresh blood without any varices, stomach showed evidence of hemorrhage and had multiple erosion but no ulceration of duodenum. Penicillin G 24,000,000 U/day IV was started but unfortunately severe upper and lower GI hemorrhage developed, leading to hypotension and death. In autopsy, ascites, paraaortic and mesenteric lymphadenopathy was accident with some of them being hemorrhagic. The spleen was slightly enlarged with hemorrhagic congestion in some parts of it. In the blood sample drawn from the spleen, the filamentous bacillus was successfully found. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the fatal nature of the disease and the similarity of the signs and symptoms to the other gastrointestinal diseases, we should consider it as one of the probable differential diagnosis in the patients with upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding with fever esp. in the endemic areas.

Less than 1% of anthrax cases are GI? Very rare indeed. Forty eight hours after ingestion, hunh? I suppose that would vary from person to person with the amount of infection present in the meat/spore count. The CDC, in investigating cases of GI anthrax in Thailand, found a mean time between ingestion and symptoms of @ 42 hours. Children in Africa that ingested undercooked contaminated meat in another reported case perished in @ 24 hours after ingestion.

So, how big of a risk could drums really pose for contracting GI anthrax? Not much, unless she ate the drum.

How is anthrax transmitted?
B. anthracis spores can live in the soil for many years, and humans can become infected with anthrax by handling products from infected animals or by inhaling anthrax spores from contaminated animal products. Anthrax can also be spread by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. It is rare to find infected animals in the United States .

Am I at risk for anthrax from animal hides or hair, or from making a drum from these products?
Animal hides pose a low risk of cutaneous (skin) anthrax, and an extremely low risk of inhalation anthrax. Exotic animal hides may pose a higher risk for exposure than domestic (U.S.-origin) hides. The risk of contracting Bacillus anthracis from handling individual hides is believed to be very low; however, the industrial processing of hides or hair has historically been associated with increased risk of anthrax. Such industrial handling of large numbers of hides or hair from multiple animals results in prolonged direct contact with contaminated materials, often in enclosed or poorly ventilated settings. Among the 236 cases of anthrax reported to CDC from 1955 to 1999, 153 (65%) were associated with industrial handling of animal hide or hair. Only 9 of the 153 cases (6%) associated with industrial handling of hair or hide were inhalation anthrax. (Editor’s note: Apparently none of those cases were GI anthrax.)

Am I at risk for anthrax from my souvenir animal hide drum?
The risk of acquiring anthrax from an animal hide drum is very low. Of 236 cases of anthrax reported to CDC from 1955 through 1999, only one case of cutaneous anthrax was associated with a goat hide bongo drum purchased in Haiti . No cases of inhalation anthrax in the US have ever been associated with animal hide drums. The New York patient’s exposure occurred when he was making and finishing drums made from untanned animal hides, and was not associated with playing finished drums. His exposure was similar to that experienced during industrial handling of hides, which has previously been associated with an increased risk of anthrax. CDC does not currently recommend prophylaxis for persons who have had contact with animal hide drums. However, drum owners or players should report any unexplained fever or new skin lesions to their healthcare provider, and describe their recent contact with animal hide drums.

Recent cases of anthrax in USA related to importing untanned hides from Africa for drums (September 2007).

Mayor Mark D. Boughton of Danbury said the house was being used to store untanned animal hides obtained from areas of the world where anthrax is known to be common.

At least one of the patients is believed to have contracted cutaneous anthrax from working with the hides, Mayor Boughton said. Local and state officials were examining the patient’s house in an effort to pinpoint the source of the anthrax, Mayor Boughton said.

It is the second time in two years that African drummers in the metropolitan region have contracted anthrax.

In both cases, untanned hides for drums were believed to be the source.

These cases were cutaneous anthrax.

To recap: It would appear that if the woman got anthrax from banging on a drum, it would be either cutaneous or inhalation anthrax. No cases of GI anthrax from drum banging. The most commonly contracted form of anthrax, cutaneous anthrax, was acquired from drumming. People working with/storing hides have come down with inhalational anthrax. Let’s review those causes of anthrax again:

In humans there are three possible forms of the disease anthrax. Historically, the most common form has been cutaneous anthrax, in which the organism enters through a break in the skin. The cutaneous form begins as a papule at the entry site that progresses over several days to a vesicle and then ulcerates. Edema, sometimes massive, surrounds the lesions, which then develop a characteristic black eschar. The patient may have fever, malaise and headache.4 A small percentage of cutaneous infections become systemic, and these can be fatal.

A more serious form is inhalation anthrax. Here the victim breathes in the organism and develops a severe respiratory disease. Systemic infection resulting from inhalation of Bacillus anthracis has a mortality rate approaching 100%. Initial symptoms are vague and flu-like, progressing to hypotension, shock and massive bacteremia and toxemia. The severe symptoms are believed to be the result of the bacillis exotoxins. Early antibiotic treatment is an absolute necessity and should be started during the incubation period if a person has been exposed.5 After acute symptoms have appeared, antibiotics can kill the organisms, but will not destroy the powerful toxins that have already been formed, and the person commonly dies in 2-3 days from respiratory failure, sepsis and shock.

The third form, intestinal anthrax, is contracted from the consumption of contaminated meat. In industrialized countries this is not usually a risk, although rare exceptions have been described. In August 2000, the Minnesota Department of Health was notified that Bacillus anthracis had been isolated from a steer on a farm in Roseau County. The infected steer was one of five dead cattle found in a pasture. On the basis of identification of the bacteria by phage typing of isolates cultured from tissues and blood samples by the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, anthrax was confirmed. A report of this incident described the management of and public health response to human exposure to meat contaminated with anthrax.

Instead of chasing drums, shouldn’t the question be “where did this woman eat anthrax-contaminated meat”? If she didn’t eat anthrax-contaminated meat, where did she acquire this disease? Until such time as the source of anthrax-infected meat is identified, this should be presumed to be bioterrorism. It should also be presumed that there are/will be more cases unless she was in an anthrax-endemic country shortly before becoming ill or ingested undercooked meat originating from said anthrax-endemic country. I certainly hope that hospitals/physicians have been alerted to BOLO for additional cases.

Update:

Concord – Two African drums stored at the United Campus Ministry in Durham have tested positive for anthrax, the state confirmed yesterday as it continues to investigate the nation’s first known case of gastrointestinal anthrax.

The young woman with the disease, who attended a drum circle at the center, remains in critical condition, state Public Health Director Jose Montero said.

The state ordered the ministry, which serves but is not part of the University of New Hampshire, closed for further testing. As many as 30 drums are stored at the 15 Mill Road building.

Montero continues to ask drum owners who attended the drum circle events since October to call his office for possible drum tests. The state lab has sent some samples, including DNA samples, for further testing at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

About a half-dozen attendees have contacted the state health officials since the anthrax case was announced Saturday, when more than 50 people may have attended the most recent drum circle.

Montero said the unidentified Strafford County woman brought her own drum, which had a synthetic covering and not one of animal skin typically used on an African drum.

Investigators have not yet confirmed that the two drums are the source of anthrax exposure. Technicians are still trying to match strains between the patient and the drums.

They are probing other possible sources of contamination, including soil, animal products, and food possibly ingested by the woman, who is in an undisclosed, out-of-state hospital.

“We have not yet been able to confirm that the drums are the cause of the patient’s illness and we are continuing to follow up many leads,” Montero said. “Anthrax is not an illness that you can catch from someone else.”

Montero and state Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas emphasized that there is no risk to the public.

The state Division of Public Health has increased surveillance at hospitals and health care providers across the state.

It is possible tests may never fully identify the point of infection transmission, according to Montero.

Investigators are interviewing the woman’s family and her friends to try to identify eating habits and any other link for possible point of transmission.

Samples at the United Campus Ministry building were collected over the weekend by the New Hampshire National Guard, state Department of Environmental Services, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Additional samples will be collected and tested.

Anthrax is caused by a spore that is ingested, inhaled or enters the body through a cut in the skin. Gastrointestinal anthrax, an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract, has an incubation period of three to 60 days. Symptoms include nausea, fever and abdominal pain, vomiting of blood and severe diarrhea.

The African drum connection is a source under investigation after contaminated animal hides on drums were involved in anthrax infections in New York City in 2006 and in two Connecticut residents in 2007. Those cases were types of inhalation anthrax and cutaneous anthrax, not GI anthrax, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Julie Corey of Village Drum Shop in Hooksett, who facilitated the most recent drum circle at the United Campus Ministry, said she has been in touch with the state and with the woman’s family.

Corey and the Rev. Larry Brickner-Wood, executive director of the United Campus Ministry, were alerted to the anthrax case and possible connection by investigators on Christmas eve.

“Obviously I’m very upset about the situation,” said Corey, who knows the woman and her family. “We need to pray for her and pray that she gets through this.”

Brickner-Wood said he has also reached out to participants of recent drum circles. He said his thoughts and prayers go out to the young woman and her family.

“It’s terrible and scary and all that,” he said.

There have been only 11 cases of naturally occurring anthrax in the country since 1957. The last anthrax cases in New Hampshire were nine involving employees at a textile mill in Manchester.

Montero said owners of drums played at the drum circles, as well as concerned residents, may call his office at 271-4496.

1. Her drum was made of synthetic materials.
2. Two African drums stored at the University where the drum circle took place tested positive for anthrax spores (if drums are made of hides imported from Africa or Haiti that are haired or untanned, they have a pretty good likelihood for being positive for anthrax, something that the immunocompromised should be aware of but probably are not).
3. Other people that were at the drumming circle (last month!) are being given antibiotic prophylaxis, although none have showed any symptoms.
4. The mean time between ingestion and symptom onset is @ 42 hours with a variation of 1 to 7 days. The longer periods of time between exposure and symptoms are for inhalation anthrax.

I agree with the antibiotic prophylaxis for the people at the drum circle because it can take 60 days from exposure for pulmonary anthrax to manifest, although people that have contracted pulmonary anthrax from drums were making drums and/or had multiple anthrax-spore-infested hides on the premises, and were exposed to a much higher spore count than what the average drummer/participant would be subject to. While the chance of infection from such an event is *very* low, the fatality rate is very high, and the prophylaxis is inexpensive.

I still wonder how it is that this woman (with the synthetic drum) is the only person that became ill. Did she (or anybody else) have an open drink at the event? Were anthrax-spore-covered cookies served afterwards? If so, how is it that only her drink/food were sufficiently covered in spores so as to cause illness?

Merry Christmas

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. Luke 2:8-16

More facts about Jarvis Varnado, VZville, and other interesting MSU stuff

Taking a brief break from the news of the day …..

There is no news yet on today’s Montgomery, AL eligibility meeting between Renardo Sidney’s family and NCAA. You may recall that Fox’s Jeff Goodman,   reported last week that the probability of Renardo taking the court for the Dogs is getting slimmer and slimmer.  I think Goodman is right.  I just can’t imagine  State allowing Sidney to play without being granted clearance from the PTB.

My favorite sports blog is now on WordPress. Welcome to WP, VZ.

Also, I’m still wondering what kind of voodoo is used to calculate RPI. I just checked over at Nolan’s. Last night’s neutral court blowout victory was worth a 2 point drop in RPI. Go figure.

And, finally, a follow up to last season’s favorite, “Top Twenty Jarvis Varnado Facts” …

Even More Facts About Jarvis Varnado

(that you probably didn’t know).

1. In honor of Jarvis Varnado, all McDonald’s in Starkville have an even larger size than the super-size.  When ordering, just ask to be Jarvis-sized.
2. Latest News Report from NASA … Last week NASA discovered a giant asteroid headed directly for earth.  Jarvis Varnado swatted it and saved the planet.  Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
3. Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Jarvis Varnado.
4. Jarvis Varnado does not sleep.  He waits.
5. Jarvis Varnado is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
6. Jarvis Varnado counted to infinity – twice.
7. Jarvis Varnado can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.
8. Jarvis Varnado doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.
9. To be or not to be? That is the question. The answer?  Jarvis Varnado
10. When Jarvis Varnado says “More cowbell”, he MEANS it.

Plus — feature article in Jackson Sun

Medice, cura te ipsum!

Following an earlier Latin theme here, it simply states, “Physician, heal thyself!”

These words are contained in the following video, an excerpt from the end of the movie “State of the Union.” It’s an excellent summation of how shallow the electorate and the elected are, and a cautionary tale to the current office holders in our nations capitol.

There is a momentum to rid our nation of the selfish and self-serving politicians who have so callously undermined the people of this great nation, and their offspring, which we all need to continue to add too.

We The People are the physicians of this great nation, not those we elect, and it is far past time to remind them of it and to let the healing begin.

obama boilerplate comments on senate healthcare vote

historic … ed rhoncus tincidunt metus. Quisque dolor velit, varius vitae dapibus non, cursus quis felis. Curabitur ligula tortor, porta eu venenatis vel, pulvinar … unprecedented … volutpat vitae aliquam at, hendrerit vitae velit. Aliquam luctus suscipit ligula nec fermentum. Aliquam eget lacus in ipsum dictum …

extraordinary … placerat bibendum tellus. Nunc rutrum erat vel ante tristique id scelerisque sapien hendrerit. Vivamus ac libero enim, porta congue lorem. Ut euismod lectus et urna posuere tempor. Pellentesque nisi erat, rhoncus ut varius non, porta at nunc…. the last eight years.

more at washington times

Huckabee in Nebraska

Great speech today in Omaha by Mike Huckabee.

h/t Robt D

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about "Huckabee in Nebraska", posted with vodpod

Green Peace Gets Pwned!

This happened in Copenhagen earlier this week, during the “Global Tax” conference, by the group CFACT.

Friday Night Fly In

Just for the fun of it!

Somewhere in Arkansas

A village is missing an idiot.

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), was asked the following question …
“What part of the Constitution do you think gives Congress the authority to mandate that individuals have to purchase health insurance?”

“Well, I just think the Constitution charges Congress with the health and well-being of the people,” Lincoln said.

CNSNews.com then asked the Senator: “So, what area though? You’re saying the health and well-being. What area, though, does that fall under?”

“The health and well-being of the people of the country,” she replied.

Of course. The old “health and well-being clause.” How could anyone have missed that?

Perhaps Mrs. Lincoln might be reminded of other words in the Constitution: The Oath of Office. In fact, the oath is required by the Constitution; the wording is prescribed by law.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Mrs. Lincoln, the words “health” and “well-being” do not appear anywhere in the Constitution.

You are a **#$% disgrace.

h/t cnsnews

Issues update

I took a lickin’, but I’m still tickin’.

Surgery sucked bad. Kidney was stage 2 renal cell carcinoma, but contained.

Radiation treatments for maltoma sucked.

But, not quite as bad.

Doc says, “99% cure. I’d give you a 100%, but I’m an M.D., not a G-O-D.” Heh™
(And, that reminds me of several “God Moments” that have occurred over the past 90 days or so. Remind me to tell you about them sometimes.)

Looks like y’all are going to have to put up with me a bit longer.

Another global warming “oops”

Strike Two for Algore ….

Or, maybe it was just a typo.  “2350” and “2035” are separated by just a keystroke.  Not much of a difference, unless you’re discussing dates, then the difference is staggering.

The UN panel on climate change warning that Himalayan glaciers could melt to a fifth of current levels by 2035 is wildly inaccurate, an academic says.

J Graham Cogley, a professor at Ontario Trent University, says he believes the UN authors got the date from an earlier report wrong by more than 300 years.

He is astonished they “misread 2350 as 2035”. The authors deny the claims.

Leading glaciologists say the report has caused confusion and “a catalogue of errors in Himalayan glaciology”.

The science is settled?

hmm. I guess the billion folks who depend on the Himalayan glaciers for drinking water have a little bit longer to work this problem out than Al thought.

Useful Idiot of the Year

Be sure to drop by Conservative Hideout 2.0 and cast your vote for 2009’s “Useful Idiot of the Year.”

Matt has assembled an impressive list of nominees, which run the gamut from “ACORN” to “Zombie messianic koolaid drinkers.” My favorite? East Anglia CRU’s own Phil Jones, the father of Climategate.

The poll is located in the right-hand side bar. Scroll down, you’ll see it.

Go forth and vote!

Al Gore: at his hyperbolic best

Al Gore was at his hyperbolic best in his speech to the Copenhagen climate change summit when he made this statement,

“These figures are fresh. Some of the models suggest to Dr [Wieslav] Maslowski that there is a 75 per cent chance that the entire north polar ice cap, during the summer months, could be completely ice-free within five to seven years.”

Dr. Maslowski not only didn’t say that, he was unable to explain how Gore came to those conclusions. When confronted, Gore’s office said, well, it was a “ballpark figure.”

Translation: Gore just made it up.

Great. Next thing you’ll tell us is that Obama really can’t stop the seas from rising.

Last minute gift ideas

Still struggling to find that perfect gift for the conservative blogger in your life?

Well, search no more! TNOYF has come through for you!

Texas:The NCAA’s QB Factory!

Texas High School football has had a long and storied history. Anyone familiar with football in this state can name a long list of former Texas football greats, from almost any era.

In the current era of High School football, however, the list of Quarterbacks competing at the highest levels of the NCAA’s FBS schools is simply astounding.

My friend Nuke asked me last year, why are there so many QBs from Texas playing for big time college football teams. At that time, Chase Daniel was still playing for Missouri, Matthew Stafford was at Georgia, and the newest kid of notice, particularly for Nuke since he is from Mississippi, was the Ole Miss QB, Jevan Snead.

My answer to Nuke was, and still is, Texas Seven On Seven football, which began in 1998. In the current Rivals recruiting rating on Qbs, Texas has nine listed in the top fifty, while California(traditionally dominant) has eleven recruits.

Which brings us to the current QBs in the NCAA FBS statistical leaders, as well as the major bowl games.

Of the top fifty highest statistically rated QBs in the NCAA, fifteen(33%) played high school football in Texas. Also, of the thirty four bowl games, there will be twelve starting QBs from Texas, including the two from the teams competing for the BCS Championship game, Alabama and Texas.

It is also important to note that the top statistical QB in the country is from Texas, Case Keenum, from 3A Abilene Wylie High School, which is competing for the state championship this very day. Case has set new records at the University of Houston, breaking those set by Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware, and his successor David Klingler. It’s unfortunate that UofH doesn’t get more exposure, as Case is deserving of consideration for the Heisman, but then there is always next year.
He’s only a junior.

What the Seven On Seven has meant for the QBs in our state who participate each summer in this program is they get many, many repetitions throwing the prolate spheroid. This affords them the opportunity to develop accuracy, finesse, strength, timing and vision, all attributes that translate directly to on the field performance.

Since the era of Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, to the current era, Texas High School football has encountered many different styles of play, but putting the ball in the air is still the most exciting and productive means to move the chain down the field.

*Cross-posted*
At Urban Grounds.

Palin v Shatner on Tonight Show

Good-natured fun on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

First up, William Shatner does his signature dramatic reading from Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue, complete with background bongos and bass.

Moments later, in a surprise appearance, Gov Palin returns the favor with a spoof reading from Shatner’s own autobiography.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about "Palin v Shatner on Tonight Show", posted with vodpod

source

Breitbart rides again

Announcing Big Journalism

“If these traditional media outlets can’t be shamed into telling the truth, diverted for doing the wrong story, for simply running defense for one party, and mocked away from creating journalistic rules that only hold those on the right accountable, then it puts us in a position to do more than we’ve done in the past with talk radio and web aggregation.”

You gotta love it.

Obama accepts Nobel, early favorite for Heisman

President Barack Obama officially accepted his first Nobel Peace Prize today in Oslo, and acknowledged his peace-making resume’ was “slight”.

Mr. Obama used the occasion to ignore the ongoing struggle for freedom in Iran. Not one single mention was made of the student-led protests in Tehran, or of the brutality of the Iranian regime.

It was a perfect opportunity missed.

More: Robert Stacy McCain dispels the rumor that President Obama is the early Heisman favorite.

2nd day of protests in Iran

TEHRAN — Hard-line militiamen firing tear gas and throwing stones stormed a crowd of thousands of university students protesting for a second day Tuesday, as Iran threatened a tougher crackdown on the opposition after the biggest anti-government demonstrations in months.

More than 200 people were arrested in Tehran on Monday during protests by tens of thousands at universities nationwide, and Iran’s top prosecutor warned further unrest would not be tolerated. He hinted authorities could even pursue the top opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, an escalation the government has so far balked at in Iran’s postelection turmoil.

Masked motorcyclists — likely hard-line militiamen — harassed Mr. Mousavi at his Tehran office on Tuesday. An angry Mr. Mousavi confronted them, daring them, “Kill me!” before being hustled away by aides, according to pro-opposition Web sites.

There has been no comment from the White House, as President Obama is busy preparing for his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. This is now the second opportunity for President Obama to offer support for democratic protesters in Iran, and again he seems to be voting “present”.

In the first round of protests after the stolen elections in June, Obama made a self-serving and self-promoting statement claiming credit for his speech in Cairo as the motivator of the student protests, never once condemning the brutality of the ahmadinejad regime. In fact, within a month of the uprising, Obama was still trying to curry favor with the mullahs by the release of the Irbil Five.

It isn’t comfortable for many Americans to see their president appearing feckless on the world stage. And, since the eloquent Mr. Obama seems unable to find just the right words for the Iranian people, I offer these words for consideration …

To the people of Iran:

You are rich in culture and talent.

You have a right to live under a government that listens to your wishes, respects your talents, and allows you to build better lives for your families. Unfortunately, your government denies you these opportunities, and threatens the peace and stability of your neighbors. So we call on the regime in Tehran to heed your will, and to make itself accountable to you.

The day will come when the people of Iran have a government that embraces liberty and justice, and Iran joins the community of free nations. And when that good day comes, you will have no better friend than the United States of America. source

How’s that transparency thing working out for you?

The Obama administration conducted a workshop on government openness for federal employees behind closed doors Monday, a private training session for freedom-of-information officials to learn about a new U.S. office that settle disputes between the bureaucracy and the public.

The decision to preclude the public and the media from attending Monday’s workshop left open government advocates scratching their heads, given President Barack Obama’s campaign promise to make his administration the most transparent ever. A reporter for The Associated Press was turned away from the door Monday. Link

“The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails,” Obama told government offices on his first full day as president.

Unless of course it doesn’t.