An American Hero??

Today McCain referred to Joe the Plumber as "an American hero," someone he plans to take with him to Washington to 'shake things up.'

What the bloody hell is hero-like about Joe the Plumber??? Really, I totally don't get it. He's a plumber...who's not licensed. He owes a bunch in back taxes. He is the hard-worker who wants to buy a business...only he doesn't (his boss has no plans to sell, and Joe doesn't have anywhere near enough money for said activity). He's an "average American"...who has a publicist, is working on a record and a book deal, and is thinking about a run for Congress.

What's the deal?? I was always taught that you "hire better than yourself." We've build a great department by always doing just that. But McCain keeps surrounding himself with these mediocre minds. Imagine who he'll have for a Cabinet, who he'll choose for judges, etc. if he gets into office.

I know it's not popular to say these days, but I want a President and all the people around him/her to be so much smarter than me that I wouldn't dare speak if we were to 'have a beer together.' The most powerful political positions in the world - seems a pretty reasonable request. Joe Wurtzelbacher and Sarah Palin? Not so much.

Happy Halloween !!!

It's All My Fault

A little treat from Jaime. And yes, it's her fault that I sent one to you too.

PS -- for the record, I already voted.

Sovereignty - So Last Century

In the interest of full disclosure, I've been against the Iraq War since it's inception. We invaded a sovereign nation that was in no way involved with 9/11. None of the so-called threats panned out, something the UN inspectors said all along. Some currently speak of "success" in Iraq now, ignoring that fact that we have no business being there in the first place.

And due to Rumsfeld et al. dropping the ball in Afganistan, Osama hightailed it into Pakistan (reportedly). So our answer to that difficulty - cross the border into Pakistan, against the wishes of yet another sovereign nation.

And now this week, to make it an even 3 -- WE INVADED SYRIA!!! Yep, crossed the border in a raid, killed several folks, slipped back into Iraq.

US Syrian embassy 'may be shut'
BBC.com, Oct 29, 2008

What's the deal?? Does Bush not understand the concept of 'sovereign'? Is he TRYING to get us into another war before he heads out of office? Hasn't this man done enough damage to our country? We need a new rule -- if you're a complete idiot, you have to leave office immediately upon the election of the new President.

Mad Cow??

I had a serious 'senior moment' today - something that'll come as a big surprise to those who know me -- I lost my keys. I tore everything apart. At one point, several students were helping me look, no luck. Earlier in the day I'd lent them to a TA to open the seminar room so we could work on tomorrow's Osteology exam, so finally decided I hadn't gotten 'em back from her.

She was off volunteering with autistic kids, so had friends drop her off at the lab on the way home. She too had no recollection of giving them back to me, so we started looking around. Then I was struck by the thought that they might be on the sink in the bathroom. Turned out to be true, sadly, the thought didn't happen until about 1.5 hours into the search.

So, finally found 'em, took Danielle to her dorm, and came home to three kitties with their paws on their hips saying "where have you been, we're HUNGRY!"

What a dolt!! Thanks to everybody who helped me look.

Tony Hillerman

I was saddened to hear Tony Hillerman passed away today. His novels made for some fun reading while traveling around the Southwest, or helped bring back memories of those trips when read in snowy South Bend.

And lest we forget, some of his book covers were a good source for skeleton action figures (case in point to the right)!!

In appreciation of Tony Hillerman
By Marjorie Kehe
ChristianScienceMonitor.com, Oct 27, 2008

SNL

The first is a rally in Pennsylvania where Joe Bidden "tries to blow the election for Obama." Quite humorous...and sadly, as with Palin skits, they simply had to parody Biden's own words.



This one is about the 30-minute spots that Obama will be running this week. Since he's so far ahead in the polls,, he decides to turn those spots into a "Barack and Michelle Variety Half-Hour".

On the Road

Yay team!!

First road game win this season. Something of a trouncing.

Gonna be kinda sad if we're the final nail in Ty's coffin. Hope not.

Onion Fun

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans

Voted

I did my patriotic duty this afternoon, along with a sizeable portion of South Bend. Long snaking line, and this is 10 days before the election. It's gonna be a big one. Hard to tell from the crowd what the breakdown would be, the folks in front of me were pro-McCain, the lady behind me Obama. Not a button or sign to be seen in the crowd. All ages were there. I chatted for awhile with one of the staff working there, she said they've never seen anything like it. And they're expecting several bus loads of people around 3pm. Obama supporters I hope!!

I haven't been to sleep yet today/yesterday. So I went to the Farmer's Market bright and early, made a necklace, answered a bunch of emails, went to vote, stopped by Obama headquarters to do a bit of work, and now am (hopefully) off to take a nap until the ND game. Go Irish!!

Random Bytes

Hot drinks promote warm feelings
BBC.com,
October 24, 2008
Make it hot chocolate, and you've a friend for life!!

Human species 'may split in two'
BBC.com, Oct 17, 1008


This Is Not a Test: Sitting on an aircraft-carrier deck in 1962 didn't prepare John McCain for the presidency
By Fred Kaplan
Slate.com,
Oct. 23, 2008


From a Strip of Scotch Tape, X-Rays
By KENNETH CHANG
NYTimes.com, October 23, 2008


Eating Quickly And Until Full Triples Risk Of Being Overweight
ScienceDaily.com,
Oct. 22, 2008


Underground Lab Probes How Matter Licked Antimatter
By Alexis Madrigal
Wired.com, October 24, 2008
Very Star Trekky


Ancient Bone Tool Sheds Light On Prehistoric Midwest
ScienceDaily.com,
Oct. 22, 2008
Highlights the work of one of our Summer NSF-REU speakers


Woman Arrested After Killing Virtual Ex-Husband
By David Kravets
Wired.com, October 23, 2008
A woman scorned...


"Loving" Bonobos Seen Killing, Eating Other Primates
by Matt Kaplan
National Geographic News.com,
October 13, 2008
Mike's favorite "monkey"


Obama's big lead in the polls is real
By Paul Maslin
Salon.com, Oct 23, 2008
Woo hoo!!


Contact Lenses Are Home To Pathogenic Amoebae
ScienceDaily.com,
Oct. 22, 2008
Ick


Oldest cases of human TB found beneath the sea
by Ewen Callaway
NewScientist.com, October 15, 2008


'Devils' trails' are world's oldest human footprints
by Catherine Brahic
NewScientist.com,
October 13, 2008
But...where are the dinosaur footprints??


Midlife suicides are on the rise
By Bruce Bower
ScienceNews.com, October 21, 2008
Oh-oh...

I Was Robbed!

About 9:30, my sweet tooth got the better of me and I decided to make a quick Dairy Queen run. I noticed as I got to the car (which was parked in the driveway) that the door wasn't completely closed. Odd, I thought.

I opened it and saw that the glove compartment was open and half empty. Thought again, hmmmm, unusual. Next I noticed that the elbow rest was up and all the stuff from both locations was piled on the front seat.

Amazingly, although I had a Garmin GPS, nice flashlight, iPod, and somewhat pricey iPod tuner among the loot in the car, none of it was taken. It was on the front seat. All of the change was gone from the middle holder, but that's it.

Pretty balls-y I dare say. There are two big floodlights shining on the car, and it was tucked up right next to the house (right next to a living room window). Guess it's good that I left the car unlocked. Must've been some junkie looking for quick money.

Little does he know how lucky he is. If Wiley had spied him, it would've been all over!!! (quit laughing Yorke).

WVPE online

South Bend may be lacking in some amenities found in larger cities, but one exceptional thing we do have access to is a GREAT NPR station. For those who are no longer in the area, those who want to reminisce about long days trapped in the lab with me and the radio, and/or are not as fortunate to have a full-time NPR station, WVPE now streams on-line.

On the Lighter Side

Mike just sent me a large file called "Cats for Obama." Here are some of the better entries:

Republicans for Obama

Turns out there are so many that they have a name in this election -- ‘Obamacans’. For the majority of those listed below, the final straw was the selection of Sarah Palin for VP.

Colin Powell, Secretary of State under Bush 43
Susan Eisenhower, Granddaughter of President Eisenhower & President of the Eisenhower Group
CC Goldwater - Barry Goldwater's granddaughter and AZ resident, speaking for all her siblings
Scott McClellan, George Bush's former press secretary
Christopher Buckley, Son of National Review founder William F. Buckley
David Friedman, Economist and son of Milton and Rose Friedman
Douglas Kmiec, Head, Office of Legal Counsel, Reagan & Bush 41
Ken Adelman, foreign policy adviser to Ronald Reagan
Jim Leach, Former Congressman from Iowa
Lincoln Chafee, Former United States Senator from Rhode Island
William Weld, Republican governor of Massachusetts 1991-97
Richard Riordan, Former Mayor of Los Angeles
Wayne Gilchrest, Congressman from Maryland
Arne Carlson, Republican governor of Minnesota, 1991-99,
Jackson M. Andrews, Republican Counsel to the U.S. Senate
Francis Fukuyama, Advisor to President Reagan
Rita Hauser, White House intelligence advisor under George W. Bush
Larry Hunter, Former President Reagan Policy Advisor
Bill Ruckelshaus, served in the Nixon and Reagan administrations
Ken Adelman, served in the Ford administration
Lilibet Hagel, Wife of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
Lowell Weicker, Former Governor and Senator from Connecticut
Jim Whitaker, Fairbanks, Alaska Mayor
Linwood Holton, Former Governor of Virginia
Jeffrey Hart, National Review Senior Editor
Wick Alison, Former publisher of the National Review

SNL Bush Endorsement

Woo Hoo!

Obama's October Surprise
By John Dickerson
Slate.com, Oct. 23, 2008

With less than two weeks to go, he's competitive in Indiana. Apparently 35,000 showed up for today's rally in Indy.

Ouch!!

The GOP is starting to turn on itself. This was published today in a very right-leaning newspaper -- McCain bashes Bush, in no uncertain terms. Here are some excerpts:

EXCLUSIVE: McCain lambastes Bush years
by Joseph Curl and Stephen Dinan
WashingtonTimes.com, October 23, 2008

Sen. John McCain on Wednesday blasted President Bush for building a mountain of debt for future generations, failing to pay for expanding Medicare and abusing executive powers...

"Spending, the conduct of the war in Iraq for years, growth in the size of government, larger than any time since the Great Society, laying a $10 trillion debt on future generations of America, owing $500 billion to China, obviously, failure to both enforce and modernize the [financial] regulatory agencies that were designed for the 1930s and certainly not for the 21st century, failure to address the issue of climate change seriously," Mr. McCain said...

He rejected Mr. Bush's use of issuing "signing statements" when he signs bills into law, in which the president has suggested that he would ignore elements of the bills, labeling them potentially unconstitutional...And Mr. McCain emphatically rejected Mr. Bush's claims of executive privilege, often used to shield the White House from scrutiny...'I don't agree with [Vice President] Dick Cheney's allegation that he's part of both the legislative and the executive branch,' he said.

"I think, frankly, the problem was, with a Republican Congress, that the president was told by the speaker and majority leaders and others, 'Don't veto these bills, we need this pork, we need this excess spending, we need to grow these bureaucracies.'

He bashes Obama alot too, but the Bush stuff is more fun ;-) Apparently this is part of a strategy to distance himself from Bush. And the Bushies are none too happy about it (although I have a feeling the White House signed off on the policy). Here is a response on Politico.com from "one of the "most senior Republican strategists in the land" (Rove ??):

“Lashing out at past Republican Congresses instead of Pelosi and Reid, and echoing your opponent's attacks on you instead of attacking your opponent, and spending 150,000 hard dollars on designer clothes when congressional Republicans are struggling for money, and when your senior campaign staff are blaming each other for the loss in The New York Times [Magazine] 10 days before the election, you’re not doing much to energize your supporters. The fact is, when you’re the party standard-bearer, you have an obligation to fight to the finish...”

McCain tags Bush, GOP Congress
Johnathan Martin
Politico.com, Oct 23, 2008

Bye-Bye Bachmann

Michelle Bachmann gets her come-uppins'. This is the woman who said there should be an investigation of members of Congress to see if they are American enough. Chris Matthews gave her some rope, and she hung herself about 12 times over.

Today it was announced that her opponent has raised almost $1,000,000 since her interview a few days ago, and that the Republican party has pulled funding for her TV commercials.



UPDATE: The former Republican governor of the state announced that he supports Obama, in light of Bachmann's comments.

GOP's Arne Carlson endorses Obama
By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
MinnesotaStarTribune.com, October 23, 2008

Ode To Hannity

I found this on a colleague's website (Neuroanthropology), and thought I'd pass it on.

Ode to Sean Hannity
by John Cleese

Aping urbanity
Oozing with vanity
Plump as a manatee
Faking humanity
Journalistic calamity
Intellectual inanity
Fox Noise insanity
You’re a profanity
Hannity
.

Kitty Angst

Took the day off from writing, politicing, etc. and cleaned house. While cleaning, I cooked up a storm as well. November is usually pretty hectic, so now there's plenty of home-made spaghetti sauce, split pea soup, corn chowder, and risotto (which freezes surprisingly well) waiting in the wings.

The cats hated it - I was in the kitchen much of the day opening cans and chopping stuff, which they interpreted as being for them. They have not hesitated to express their bitter disappointment about the whole situation ;-)

Real America: Wasilla, AK

I promised not to pick on Sarah Palin again, unless she did something stupid. Well, guess what? Real America??

Here is a Daily Show bit about the heart of "real America" - Wasilla, AK. She brought this on herself:

Arab Family Man

This is the Daily Show's response to McCain's "no ma'am, no ma'am, he's a decent family man" comment when Obama was accused of being an arab:

2000 and counting...

...days that is, since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. A number not to be confused with the number of dead Americans since that day, or dead Iraqies, or the number of wounded, orphaned, widowed, dollars spent, etc...

Bill Kristol Dumbs Down America

Anti-intellectualism on parade. Although Bill Kristol is trying to mock 'the intellectuals' -- he instead summarizes the problems with today's Republican party, in a nutshell. He believes that 'the common man' applauds the 'dumbing down' of arguments in this election - a neo-con mistake that will likely cost them the election...and hopefully the party. We all need to be afraid when critical thinking and informed discussion are overrun by simple-minded name-calling.

Here the People Rule
By WILLIAM KRISTOL
NYTimes.com, October 20, 2008

A few points --

1. Conservatives’ hearts have always beaten a little faster when they read Horace’s famous line: “Odi profanum vulgus et arceo.” “I hate the ignorant crowd and I keep them at a distance.” --- I think with this line he summarizes the belief system of the neo-cons, which is EXACTLY what people are responding to in this election.

2.Indeed, as Sept. 11 did not result in a much-feared (by intellectuals) wave of popular Islamophobia or xenophobia, so the market crash has resulted in remarkably little popular hysteria or scapegoating. -- Really?? I would imagine if you asked members of the Muslim American community if there hasn't been a wave of popular Islamophobia, they might have a different view than Mr. Kristol. And the folks at WaMu might have a different view on how much scapegoating occurred as the run on their banks was underway.

3. The media elites really hate that idea. Not just because so many of them prefer Obama. But because they like telling us what’s going to happen. They’re always annoyed when the people cross them up. -- and here you have it. Kristol isn't talking about intellectuals as a group, he's mad at the press. The non-Fox news press. Because as a 20 minute viewing at any time of the day will show, Fox News does indeed like to tell us what will happen.

4.”Here the people rule.” -- indeed they do. And come Nov 5th, we'll see what they said. If Obama wins, will Bill Kristol hold to his pronouncements in this Op-Ed, or will we get a piece on how the intellectual elite fooled the common man??

Colin Powell on Meet the Press

John Cleese Interview

Here's an interview with John Cleese on the American election. Pretty spot on, interesting to hear the views of someone from across 'the Pond.'

John Cleese (part 2): Obama, Biden & Fox News

Good News Obama

Yay Colin Powell! He just endorsed Barak Obama on Meet the Press in a very eloquent, thoughtful manner. Add that to the number of newspapers that have likewise sided with Obama - Chicago Tribune, LA Times,Washington Post - things look better and better. That brings the tally to 55 newspapers for Obama, 16 for McCain. I hope that matters, tho' I don't know how much attention people pay to endorsements.

UPDATE (9:45 am)-- even if Powell's endorsement doesn't help Obama directly, it was so fun to watch the guys on "Fox and Friends" go apoplectic, that it was TOTALLY worth it. What a bunch of boobs.

Palin on SNL

Here are the SNL segments with Sarah Palin. It was humorous, but in truth, the first segment felt pretty awkward. The rap piece was quite fun.

Fall Break

Yay, Fall Break has begun!!

I love Fall Break!!

SNL and Letterman

Here are the Saturday Night Live Thursday edition bits on the 3rd Presidential Debate, and making fun of the woman from the McCain rally that said Obama is an Arab. As one student observed, if you close your eyes and listen to the voices, it's pretty amazing how spot on many of them are.

The third clip is McCain's visit to Late Night w/David Letterman. It was one of the most detailed interviews I've seen with McCain during this election -- from a former weatherman. Says a bit about the press, eh?

No More Palin

I finished up my "Why Fear Palin - II" segment, linked all the articles, etc., then watched the news and saw a clip of McCain/Palin campaigning today, saying how Joe the Plumber was the real winner last night. And apparently meaning it. I actually felt sorry for them (for a minute). Then I remembered feeling bad for Palin when she was boo-ed at the hockey game. And when you look at her poll numbers - I decided, really, why bother.

Truth is, I think Obama will win. And win by a Reagan-esque landslide. Feel free to mock me if I'm wrong. But I don't think it'll happen.

So anyway, I'm not going to single out Palin again (unless she does something particularly stupid) and rather stick to policies and the top of the ticket.

But before I give up on this, I do have to recommend one hilarious website recommended by Stephanie. Click on various items in the picture to see inside, open 'em, etc. (be sure to open the curtains and the door).

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

It will be updated daily until election day. Okay. Now I'm done. Really. You betcha. Ooops, sorry, dogonit. Doh!

Related Posts??

Here are two toilet-related articles of interest:

Let's talk crap
By Katharine Mieszkowski
Salon.com, October 16, 2008
Our frank interview about human waste may horrify you about how the world cleans itself down there.

Joe the Plumber Related to Keating?
By Christopher Weber
AOLnews.com, Oct 16th 2008
They thought they had a real live Joe Six-Pack who's spurned Barack Obama's tax plan. But what they forgot to do was check on Joe Wurzelbacher's background.

Obama Tax Calculator

And this is a site Louise H. posted on Facebook. It is a tax calculator using the Obama-Biden plan. See how much you'll save (since I'm assuming most people reading this are among the middle class - whether it means under $250,000 a year as defined by Obama or $5,000,000 by McCain...)

Obama-Biden Tax Calculator

Off-Base

Yorke forwarded this to me. Maybe I wasn't so off base last night. However, I suspect if we were to head over to Fox News, we might see a different interpretation...

The Deal, Sealed?
By Timothy Egan
NYTimes, October 16, 2008
McCain plays the Ayers card again, and it feels like it's time for him to fold.

Differing Perspectives

Hmmmm. I'm watching the post-debate summaries on MSNBC, and several folks are saying the debate went to McCain. Really? I thought he seemed like a grumpy, surly old man. His worst debate of the three. He tripped over himself repeatedly, and he made comments during Obama's responses that looked snooty at best. Most offensive was his near-mocking of the health of a woman being an issue in an abortion -- hopefully this will come back to bite him as it should. He supports killing in a war, but thinks an unborn fetus is more important than a living woman. Quite a statement.

Also, I think Obama took the high road on two questions where he could've laid McCain bare -- a) the comments of people at McCain rallies recently - for McCain to act righteously indignant was an insult to every person watching the debate. And, b) the qualifications of the VP choices - again, McCain insulted all of us on that one as well. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen him clobber McCain on these points, but I understand his strategy. I do wish Obama had called McCain on three points:

• McCain's policy does not give each person $5,000 for health care, it gives each person $2,500 - it's $5,000 per family. Since single people now outnumber married folk, it's not a trivial distinction.

• if we're going to bring up Bill Ayres, let's chat about the Keating 5.

• Quit saying you're "proud" of Palin. You look silly, and it's patronizing as hell. Enough already!

Have to admit, the "you should've run 4 years ago" comment was a good one. I wish he had!!! But that aside, I thought it was a clear win for Obama. Guess I'm not in touch with the pundints.

Brunch with Yorke

Fun morning/afternoon visit with Yorke over some eggs and pancakes. I missed a party in his honor last night at Meredith & Ian's (I had a training thing in the evening for new Obama volunteers), so it was great to visit today. Nice to have him in 'the neighborhood.' Soon Morag too.

On that note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORAG!! Your husband ate Canadian bacon in your honor ;-)

Why Fear Palin - Part I

After talking to some students, it's clear some still feel unclear about their vote in November. One asked why there was such a strong response against Palin, so I promised to give a primer here.

This post will highlight (with links to references) core beliefs held by Palin. A post later this week will deal with her trustworthiness.

• You can pray away the gay --
The link above is an AP article about her church's view on homosexuality. Her church is the Wasilla Bible Church. They are slated to host a Focus on the Family conference that deals with curing homosexuality.

• The Alaska pipeline is part of God's plan --
Hear it from her own lips - it occurs at about the 2:47 mark on this video.

• Witchcraft is a real concern from which we need protection --
This is a video clip where she is prayed over to protect her from witches.

• Creationism should be debated in the classroom --
She points out evolution's "unresolved issues" and the "scientific weakness of evolutionary theory" and suggests both be taught. In a 2006 debate for Governor, she expressed the following about teaching evolution alternatives:

Oct. 25, 2006: Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject – creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides.

That may sound "progressive", but it is scientifically equivalent to teaching about a Flat Earth. "Healthy debate" requires comparable issues. Creationism is not science, it does not adhere to any of the precepts of scientific inquiry, it is not falsifiable. It is theology...and bad theology at that (no concept of exegesis, ignoring the fact that there are 2 creation stories in Genesis that are not equivalent, etc.)

• The Iraq war is a task from God --
Hear it from her own lips, it occurs at the 3:48 mark in this video:

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God,"... "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

• She got her passport last year --
She's a heartbeat away from the Presidency and has had a passport for a little more than a year?? Her lack of travel outside the bounds of the US may go a long way towards explaining her naive views.

• Palin's views on contraception have been questioned --
She is a member of "Feminists for Life", a group against abortion, and with supposedly no official view on contraception. However, this is from the Winter 1997/98 newsletter of FFL:

“birth control counseling and abortion often indirectly contribute to the victim’s sense of shame, guilt, and blame for what is happening, since she is told to “take control” and “be responsible” for her “sexual activity,” implying that this situation is indeed within her power to control.”

And when questioned about why the FFL did not promote contraception by a reporter for The Nation, the president of the organization was evasive:

"I got similarly evasive answers when I asked why FFL didn't promote birth control, and when I asked if FFL considered the pill an "abortifacient." She did tell me that "birth control doesn't work" for swing-shift nurses because they lose track of their body clock--interesting, if true--or for teenagers, which I know to be false. "We just want to focus on meeting the everyday needs of women," she told me. But when I asked how the everyday needs of women with unwanted pregnancies would be served by encouraging them to bear children and place them for adoption, Foster didn't answer. Instead, she extolled the benefits of open adoption."

• Dinosaurs and humans co-existed --
Apparently this is a much disputed point. A blog quote that brought this topic to national prominence was made up by the blogger - a point he freely admits, and which is corroborated by Factcheck.org. However, according to the LA Times, such a statement of belief has been spoken by Palin - tho' the source of said quote has purportedly questionable motives. The article says:

"Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said.

When he asked her about prehistoric fossils and tracks dating back millions of years, Palin said "she had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks," recalled Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and has regularly criticized Palin in recent years on his liberal political blog, called Progressive Alaska."

Close, But No Cigar

Ouch. That one hurt.

Exciting game, tho' admittedly more fun while ND was ahead. Quite the finish. Gotta give UNCs defense for this one. Bummer.

Random Bytes

Turning a Blind Eye: An image said to reveal an "unknown" tribe instead exposes a history of our ignorance and greed.
by Greg Downey
Seed.com, Sept. 25, 2008
Yay Greg!!!

'End in sight' for elephantiasis
BBC.com, Oct. 8, 2008
Good news, especially given the next article...


Deadly by the Dozen: 12 Diseases Climate Change May Worsen
By David Biello
ScientificAmerican.com,
October 8, 2008
Not so good news


Meet Sarah Palin’s radical right-wing pals
By Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert
Salon.com, Oct 10, 2008


Is anybody listening out there?
BBC.com, Oct. 9, 2009
Pretty cool! Some might question spending money on this, but nothing will bring this planet together more quickly than learning we're not alone.


One in 4 Mammals Threatened With Extinction, Group Finds
By JAMES KANTER
NYTimes.com, Oct. 6, 2008


Think You're Multitasking? Think Again
by Jon Hamilton
NPR.org,
Oct. 2, 208


Sarah’s Pompom Palaver
By MAUREEN DOWD
NYTimes.com, October 4, 2008
This is REALLY humorous!!


How Long Until We Find a Second Earth? Researchers are racing to find the first planet that might support life as we know it.
by Robert Kunzig
Discover.com, October 10, 2008


The Really Busy Person's Guide to Political Activism
By Christopher Beam
Slate.com, Oct. 7, 2008
Some good tips on what works, what doesn't


U.N. Says Biofuel Subsidies Raise Food Bill and Hunger
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
NYTimes.com,
October 7, 2008