Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #55

Posted on February 16, 2007 in Roundup

It was good to hear that the House — including 17 brave Republicans — voted to tell the Commander the Creep that [[escalation]] in Iraq is not acceptable. Whether these will join the Democratic leadership in opposing the surely to be illegal bombing of Iran remains a vague plot on the pronosticators’ charts. We need to do more than hope: We must call.

• No Free Speech: The title was worth stealing from The Smoking Gun. Rudy Giuliani has found a way to let others fund his presidential campaign by arranging campaign visits through his speech booking agency. If elected, will he continue to expect a royalty for public addresses?
• Tax Cheats: A cabal of property owners in Troon, Arizona created a school district without school, administrative staff, or teachers so that they could avoid paying taxes and still send their children to school in adjacent districts. Just the sort of thing you’d expect in the Affluent [[Redneck]] Belt.
• Dowsing: Scientists continue to look for signs of water on Mars. Satellite photos appear to reveal crevices where water flowed up from underground sources. “It lends support to the idea that a substantial body of groundwater existed on Mars in the past and may still persist to the present day,” said Professor Stephen Clifford of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas. “The fact that there is such persuasive evidence of joints and fractures in the crust also suggests that this groundwater had the ability to flow enormous distances.” I wonder, however, if we aren’t looking at erosion caused by another liquid. Meanwhile, Terran scientists have mapped a network of undertheice rivers and lakes in Antarctica.
• Suicide Pact: Twice this month carmakers have been pressured to drop a commercial in which suicide figured as a selling tool. In a Volkswagen ad, a despondent man gets a new lease of life when a stranger drives past and informs him that three Volkswagen models – including the latest version of the Beetle – are available for less than $17,000.
• The New Dinosaurs: Scientists are scrambling to save 2000 species of amphibian from a deadly fungus that invades the surface pores of frogs and makes it difficult for them to regulate their water intake. The option is to build a series of amphibian arks that will protect the [[gene pool|gene pools]]. “Bringing [frogs] into an amphibian ark is really the last option,” said Kevin Buley, director of herpetology at Chester Zoo in England, and chair of the European Assn. of Zoos and Aquaria’s amphibian ark. “Everyone is aware of endangered pandas and tigers, but no one is making noise about these tiny creatures that have lived for 200 million years.” If the thought of [[Kermit the Frog]] failed to inspire humans to take action, Buley argued there was a more pressing incentive. “Think of them as the canaries in the coal mine,” he said.
• Youth in Asia?: The more a doctor fears death, the more likely he is to hasten the death of infants with untreatable mental or physical defects according to a survey of 78 neonatologists.
• Incest Ain’t Best: How do we know not to have sex with our siblings?
• Why Some Can’t Just Say No: Drug addicts underestimate the power of their cravings which may explain why people keep trying addictive drugs even though there is ample evidence of the harm.
• Beats Beanie Babies: Have you ever thought of collecting Dunnys?
• South Seas Revivalism: The world’s largest and one of the last cargo cults marked its official 50th anniversary. Devotees say that an apparition of John Frum first appeared before tribal elders in the 1930s. He urged them to rebel against the aggressive teachings of Christian missionaries and instead said they should put their faith in their own customs. Oddly there is a materialist angle to the worship which calls on followers to wait for the arrival of food, medicine, and other supplies from unspecified locations.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #54

Posted on February 15, 2007 in Roundup

Mediocrity not found here.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #53

Posted on February 14, 2007 in Roundup

Too bad we can’t have binding referendums on these things like they do in some countries.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #52

Posted on February 13, 2007 in Roundup

I’m just waiting for the press to say that the man responsible for the Trolley Square shootings was bipolar. It’s the “dangerous mental illness” of the moment, more compelling than schizophrenia or personality disorders such as borderline or asocial. Many of my fellow bipolars will not reveal that they have the disease. When you see how the public treats a mentally ill person, you will understand why. Personally, I’ve had a stalker who insists that my disease means that I am severely disabled. It’s ultimately a power thing, a chit that the avaricious and the asocially ambitious use to destroy what might infringe on their own quest for authority.

Let us just say that we bipolars do not have to defend ourselves when we take our medications. Even when we are in episode, we are less violent towards persons than normal people and addicts. A few of us (though not me) may have left holes in the wall, but the same have never bruised, have never battered, have never left holes or broken bones in people.

It’s time to demand accountability of the press. If they want to identify bipolar perpetrators of violence, let them also note when the person is abusing drugs or alcohol or not diagnosed at all. Maybe the extra effort it takes to type out these facts will put it through their heads that bipolar disorder itself does not engender violence.

• Nyah nyah nyah time: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied reports that his government was supplying the road bombs that crop up in Iraq. Funny how in all this discussion of where the charges come from, no one remembers how American troops stood by as the Iraqi armories were looted by future militants. And given that the rebels in the Iraqi war are [[Sunni|Sunnis]] and the Iranians [[Shia|Shias]], the charge becomes more far-fetched. We all know from Iraq and, perhaps, Haiti, that the Bush Administration is not above fabricating evidence to promote its [[realpolitik]]. Iranians say that should the US attack, it will be punished using sophisticated drones.
• Nine one one in Samarra: Last year’s destruction of the Golden Dome mosque is the Iraqi version of the World Trade Center bombing.
• More Support for Sleep: An afternoon nap helps prevent heart disease. The study’s got to be good: it’s Greek. (Hat-tip to Lynn.)
• Little Cow vs. the Little Fisherman: A sanctuary for a rare porpoise called the [[Vaquita]] will put a community of fishermen out of business.
• Cheap Cat Food?: Mice have been cloned from skin stem cells.
• Did they get stupid or what?: Archaeologists exploring a site in the Ivory Coast discovered that chimps living four thousand years ago used stone tools to crack nuts. The skill could have been inherited from a common ancestor of chimps and humans, the authors say, or learnt from humans by imitation. This isn’t the first report: back in the nineteenth century, observers saw [[chimpanzee|chimps]] cracking away but the reports were dismissed.
• But it Shrank in the Wash: An unusual sexual harassment case is underway in Los Angeles. The harassment action was brought by Dr. David Martorano, a former opera singer and the son of a psychiatrist who did his residency at UCLA — and, according to testimony, found the time to zip around [[Malibu%2C_California|Malibu]] in a two-seater going on dates and attending a private party thrown by adult entertainment companies. In his suit, Martorano claims he and his former supervisor, Dr. Heather Krell, had a liaison. He was all set to become chief resident of Krell’s clinic. But the job was taken away from him after he broke off the affair, and rumors of it began to circulate, Martorano claims. He also contends that Krell smeared his reputation and painted him as a liar by claiming no affair ever took place.
• Not Punished for Being First: The Dixie Chicks’ recent triumph at the Grammys goes to show that vision regarding the war in Iraq isn’t going to be punished.
• A Little Louder Please: Blind people are protesting the silence of hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius. [[Hybrid_car|Hybrids]] deliver better mileage and less pollution than traditional cars by switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor. But when operating on the electric battery, especially when idling at a stop or running at low speeds, the engine in a hybrid is almost silent. A hybrid vehicle is generally quieter than a vacuum cleaner.
• Medieval Technical Support: Introducing the Book
• Web Site: Snackimals
• Someone is Going to Pay: To thank the Red Chinese for building a brand new [[cricket]] stadium, the government of [[Grenada]] brought in a police band which honored its benefactors by playing the Taiwanese national anthem. Whoops.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #51

Posted on February 12, 2007 in Roundup

I waited until I commented on Putin’s speech castigating the United States for its campaign for a “unipolar world”. This article by Paul Craig Roberts about the nuclear option (or even just the spent uranium option) in the Middle East sent shivers up my spine. We’re not interested in solutions: we’re interested in [[blitzkrieg]]. In other words, Hitler did not lose the Second World War: his philosophy is alive and well in the USA.

Roberts notes: The reception given to Putin’s words made it clear to Russia, China, and every country not bribed, threatened or purchased into participation in America’s drive for world hegemony that the US has no interest whatsoever in peace. Intelligent people realize that American claims to be a moral and democratic force are mere pretense behind which hides a policy of military aggression.

I hope that bloggers will walk off the track of the big media and give this article from Counterpunch the attention it deserves — especially since the Bush Administration has started the disinformation campaign to justify the intended bombing of Iran..

Happy Darwin Day.

• The Good Old Dollar Something or Other: Opponents of US foreign policy may have an unthought of option: stop using the dollar as a basis for trade. (See the Craig article mentioned above.) Here in the United States, consumers say that they prefer the bill to a proposed coin.
• Little Mercy for Mercenaries: The War in Iraq has the largest ratio of civilian support to military units (125,000 to 135,000) in any conflict in history. What is the result of privatized militaries? You get screwed just like the cubicle farm workers.
• Update: You don’t want to be infected by the [[Chikungunya]] virus.
• Let the Worms Do the Work: Most people are green in the home and something else entirely when they go to work. An article in The Guardian describes how people are bringing environmentalism to the office.
• Chocolate Box Art: Pierre-Auguste Renoir wasn’t always a painter of pretty middle class scenes. One early painting entitled Woman’s Torso in the Sunlight received this comment: “Try to explain to M [[Pierre-Auguste_Renoir|Renoir]] that a woman’s torso is not a mass of decomposing flesh.”
• Sounding the Territory: Hikers are ecstatic about the new topographic maps of Mars releaed by the European Space Agency. Unfortunately, human visitations are not expected in most people’s lifetime.
• The Tax Man Refundeth: Check the fine print on your 2006 return — there’s a one time telephone tax rebate.
• Nice to Know that I am Part of a Trend: Women win the bread in an increasing number of households. Census Bureau data from 2005 show that 25.3 percent of women in two-income marriages bring home a paycheck larger than their spouses, up from 17.8 percent in 1987.
• Despite all Evidence to the Contrary: Opponents of mental health parity insist that it will raise costs.
• Timothy Sounders: Check out Jane’s comment about the death of this young man while in police custody.

Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #50

Posted on February 11, 2007 in Roundup

I try to avoid the big headlines, but now and then — despite my best efforts — I hit on a story which excites the journalistic lack of imagination. Such is the case with Anna Nicole Smith, the now dead tabloid star. The latest news is that they can’t figure out what she died of. I hate it when that happens.

• Just Go After Everyone: You know, something interesting is happening because of our war in the Middle East — we’re pissing everyone off. In Iraq, we’re helping the [[Shia]] destroy the [[Sunni]] minority. We support a [[Wahabi]] government in Saudi Arabia — the sect that gave us [[Osama bin Laden]]. And now, with the proposed bombing in Iran, we’re going after the Shia. We’ve managed to accomplish what centuries of reformers have failed: to reunite the factions in a great [[jihad]]. Check out Patrick Cockburn’s thoughts on attacking the Shia.
• A Whack on the Back of the Head: Just how hard was Carson Public Works Commissioner Jan Schaefer hit? Check out the video and read about tense goings on in this city hit by extensive corruption.
• It Better Be Worth It: For $39, you can have 0.9 ounces of Nokia chocolate. Which comes out to $693 a pound. People actually buy these things?
• Password Security: It’s so damn hard to remember uI8822RHtx9e7W!
• Site Recommendation: The use of graphology as a tool for employee hiring and evaluation. A good overall evaluation of a pseudoscientific practice popular among personnel officers.
• What Would You Give: Alan Smullin will do anything legal for one million dollars. The sign also included his phone number, which prompted calls from people cursing him, telling him to get a job, giving him encouragement (but no money) and making mock offers (i.e., walk from California to Hawaii for the money).
• You’ve been dying to do it: The [[Havasupai]] Indians have initiated a controversy with the building of a skywalk across the Grand Canyon. Environmentalists charge that the billion dollar structure is an eyesore, but tribal members hope it will draw tourists to their impoverished reservation.
• The Down and Dirty: What you didn’t want to know about defecation in Space.
• The Virtue of a Long Nap: The more you sleep, the more new brain cells you grow. This might explain why high-powered executives can make such numbheaded decisions at times. They cut their hours of rest to a minimum (and they want more!) and the brain cells just never replenish themselves. Should we ask presidential candidates just how much sleep they get every night? It’s been a good week for those of us who like to get in 10 or more hours a night.

If you find any articles worthy of mention in these roundups, send the URL to gazissax at best dot com. And feel free to comment!