Thursday, January 27, 2005

Statistics Can Say Just About Anything

Cyclical?...

Nameless researchers always have something interesting to say, most times in order to obtain more funds for this or that, because more study is needed in order to understand the problem at hand.  At least that’s what the nameless researchers say.

Today, nameless researchers are stating “Syphilis rise tied to natural cycle." Okay, I think, I’ll bite, so I read the article.  This paragraph jumped out at me.

”...Unlike those who catch gonorrhea, people who recover from syphilis can resist re-infection for some time afterward. That means when the disease sweeps through a city, it leaves behind a relatively immune population, and infection rates fall."

“When the disease sweeps through a city...” I can hear it now.  Honey, I was in Toronto, minding my own business, and boom, the next thing you know I have drippy dick and burning sensation when I urinate.  I must have caught syphilis on the train or bus.  Hey, but I might be immune, now.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/27 at 04:38 AM
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Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Nicely Said

Another failure for Jesus speakers…

Coming from a deeply religious family, I fully understand the words of Rabbi Marc Howard Wilson regarding the Abu Ghraib guards, at least those who are being prosecuted.

"I cannot tell you much more about their upbringing, but I can tell you this: If, as friends and family are saying, the Abu Ghraib guards were a bunch of “good, churchgoing kids,” the pulpit betrayed them. Strive though it may, the pulpit will never have the influence to prevent every incident of promiscuity, shoplifting and getting crazy at college. But, it has flunked every test known to humanity if “good churchgoing kids” have not internalized the message that forcing captives at gunpoint to perform fellatio while mugging for the camera makes you a barbarian who has mortally desecrated every word of God’s teaching."

Amen.

“The ‘Good Churchgoing Kids’ of Abu Ghraib"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/26 at 06:53 PM
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In Place Of Parents

Unfit, or conditioned to acquiesce?...

When I read the story about the two boys, aged nine and ten, who were arrested for drawing, crudely, pictures which appear to show mayhem being inflicted on an individual, named or initialed in the drawn pictures, I just shook my head.  Arresting children for drawing graphic pictures.  Come on.  Granted, children can, with a mixture of pleasure and macbre curiosity, inflict cruelties on other children, an unfortunate but somewhat normal part of growing up, but does this picture drawing warrant arresting children?  What happened to calling mom and dad in, immediately, for a conference with the kid, asking the kid what the pictures are all about, and then dressing the kid down?  Remember how to do that?  Or, if one wants to attempt the kinder, gentler approach, set the kid up with the school psychologist.  I’m fairly certain that the school has one of those on board, can’t have a school without one now-a-days.

The State is way out of line, here, and the school officials are simply their dumb waiters.  The parents, well, the parents are either sheeplely standing back, possibly they actually are unfit parents, or they are simply sucked into the vacuum of vacuousness that State bureaucracies have become, and they acquiesce to numbing stupidity.

“Students Arrested Over ‘Violent’ Stick Figure Drawings"

Update: Mike Soja remarks on the imbecility mentioned in this post over at No Treason. Mike’s post is titled “The New Nanny State and Probable Cause."

Update, again: Sean, at Everything I Know Is Wrong, states this in his post on this subject.

"By the standard they are using to charge the two boys, anyone could be arrested for anything. If I made a sandwich for lunch and you were for some reason frightened by it, I could be arrested. If you said “pudding” and I felt threatened by it, you could be arrested. This is no basis for a legal system."

This most recent update is courtesy of Ally.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/26 at 06:03 PM
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Good Question

Endarkment continues apace…

Billy Beck asks the right question after reading that Villianova University will honor a dead teacher who slashed her six month old baby’s throat, and then killed herself while in jail for said act.

The teacher’s name was Mine Ener, and the university will honor the murderer by dedicating a section of their library, in her name.  You know, just a quiet place to get away.

Billy’s question.

“On what planet?"

The story.

“University Honors Popular Teacher Who Killed Her Baby"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/26 at 04:26 AM
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Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Too Intrusive

Employers reaching into your home…

I firmly support private businesses setting their own rules for employee behavior.  Unfortunately, many businesses are now incorporating into their employee behaviorial rules, restrictions that reach far outside their places of business.

"Weyco Inc., a health benefits administrator based in Okemos, Mich., adopted a policy Jan. 1 that allows employees to be fired if they smoke, even if the smoking happens after business hours or at home."

The founder of Weyco, Howard Weyers, states that the policy adopted is meant to shield the company from high health care costs, a legitimate business concern, but the fact remains that the business is simply succumbing to State interference in private business matters.

The State’s reach into aspects of individuals’ lives, through control of private businesses via laws and policies, continues to further complicate individuals’ lives, even in their homes.

“Company Fires All Employees Who Smoke"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/25 at 12:51 PM
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Be Nice, Johnny

Sticks and stones will break your bones but words…

Dang, if I would’ve known, I wouldn’t have called that dumbass, a dumbass.

“‘No Name-Calling Week’ begins in schools"

Y’all play nice, now.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/25 at 04:51 AM
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A Conversion?

Roll away the stone…

Zondervan, located in good old Grand Rapids, MI, not far from my home, bills itself as “The Leading Christian Communications Company.”

The company is coming out with a “new” Bible; “Today’s New International Version of the Bible;” and as part of their publicity blitz wanted to run an ad in Rolling Stone. At first, Rolling Stone said yes to the ad, but then they changed their minds and said no to the ad, because of its “spiritual message.”

Well, it now appears that the naysayers at Rolling Stone may have seen the light, or at least the bottom line, and have decided to allow the ad to run.  No word on whether any apostles, or other contributing biblical writers, will be available for book signings.

“‘Rolling Stone’ reverses, will accept Bible ad"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/25 at 04:34 AM
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Artificial Petrified Wood

Faster, please…

When I was a kid, Sunday afternoons were spent at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  As a youngster, these Sunday afternoon visits were quite a welcome treat, as my grandparents had quite a collection of interesting pieces from their travels, including pieces of petrified wood, which never failed to intrique me, especially after Grandpa informed me that the petrified wood was millions of years old.

Today I read that what Mother Nature takes millions of years to create, can now be made in a matter of days.

"Researchers at a national science laboratory in south-central Washington have found a way to achieve in days what takes Mother Nature millions of years — converting wood to mineral."

“Scientists Create Petrified Wood in Days"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/25 at 04:21 AM
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Monday, January 24, 2005

I'm Going To Test It In The Field

Geological compasses…

Whenever I’m out in the wilds, I’m also rock hounding.  I’ve carried some heavy rocks, a long ways, just because the rock’s shape, color, size, or what not, appealed to me.  But I’ve never considered rocks as possible compasses.

"There are ways to find your bearings by looking up at the stars. But how about looking down at the rocks?

According to Leslie McFadden of the University of New Mexico, there may be a kind of compass in the alignment of cracks in certain rocks.

In trying to explain how a boulder falls apart when water is scarce, McFadden has incorporated the power of the Sun, and the simple fact that it rises in East and sets in the West, roughly speaking.


“It dawned on me that Nature might exhibit the effect of solar heating by having cracks line up in a North-South direction,” McFadden told LiveScience in a telephone interview."

That’s interesting.  I’ll be testing the theory in the field, for my own personal gratification.

“A Natural Compass: Rock Cracks Point North"

Via Fred Lapides.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/24 at 07:05 PM
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Pshaw, He Says, We Helped Alot of People

Pissing it away, in the rain…

According to an AP article, Dan Craig, who directs FEMA’s recovery division, paying out $12 million to individuals who shouldn’t have received it, as if any one individual does, is no big thang.

"Dan Craig, director of FEMA’s recovery division, said the problem occurred throughout the state but he downplayed the error, saying the agency processed 1.2 million applications statewide."

Wish I could use excuses like that.  I was so busy, though, look at those numbers, man I was busy.

Craig also has this to say about paying out hurricane disaster funds.

"Any home anywhere can be damaged by a hurricane,"

Any home?  Anywhere?  That ought to increase the number of applications.

But, it was just a glitch in the system so don’t worry, citizens, a crack staff of investigators is on the case.

"The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs announced last week it would investigate FEMA payments in Florida and other states."

“Glitch blamed for aid overpayments"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/24 at 06:35 PM
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The New Doomsday Clock

Tick, tick, tick…

“Countdown to global catastrophe"

The holders of the timepiece.

"The countdown to climate-change catastrophe is spelt out by a task force of senior politicians, business leaders and academics from around the world..."

It must be true if “senior politicians,” “business leaders,” and “academics” are counting down.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/24 at 04:10 AM
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Sunday, January 23, 2005

Star Quality

Here’s, Johnny..

Johnny Carson has died.

Did you notice that this most famous of teevee men didn’t go out hawking any particular political philosophy, denture cleanser, or other feel good issue of the day?

Johnny Carson stepped away from the Tonight Show and lived the remainder of his life the way he saw fit.

“Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies"

"I have an ego like anybody else,” Carson told The Washington Post, “but I don’t need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."

The “King of Late Night,” indeed.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/23 at 11:55 AM
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Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned

Never too late to the party, evidently…

Some woman, formerly employed by Temple University, is alleging that

”...she recalls Mr. Cosby touching her breast and placing her hand on his genitals."
Though she also states
”...that her memory of that night is poor,..."

The alleged incident took place, allegedly, about one year ago, and the woman is just now coming forward.  The police term this a

”...historical sex assault..."

Why did the woman wait so long to report this alleged incident, you ask?  Here’s why.

"The woman reportedly told police she did not immediately come forward because of Mr. Cosby’s fame and her position at the university at the time."

Right.  And now that I’m out of a job, and need a few bucks, and Bill doesn’t call, and he doesn’t write, well, damn him, I’ll sick the cops on his ass.

“Police remain mum about Cosby allegations"

I wonder if the woman has been speaking with Naomi Wolfe?

Posted by John Venlet on 01/23 at 06:34 AM
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Your Sunday Morning Appeal to Feelings

“I’m a loser, baby, so why don’t you kill me?”... (line stolen from Beck Hansen)

In an unsigned op-ed, this morning, The New York Times sets it sights on American Idol and their “viscious encounters” with talentless losers.  NYT bemoans,

”...they send a truly dreadful message to millions of young viewers about the proper way to treat fellow human beings."

and then ends the op-ed this way,

"But there is a very wide gap between demonstrating that life is full of hard knocks and embarrassment, and glorying in the abasement of the utterly defenseless."

This op-ed is nothing but rubbish.  Each and every one of those contestants is fully aware of how that show plays on teevee.  They realize that the show, and the individuals who tune in to it, revel in the awfulness displayed by some of the contestants.  They also realize, no matter how terrible they are, that there is a possibility they could be swept up into the glories of their fifteen minutes of fame, complete with strip mall appearances, like that one loser.

“American Awful"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/23 at 06:01 AM
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Double, or Nothin'?

Peek, a boo…

"With the trail of Osama bin Laden gone cold, the U.S. State Department is revving up a new publicity blitz to remind Afghans and Pakistanis of the $25 million bounty for al-Qaeda’s chief. Bin Laden is still thought to be hiding somewhere along the 1,640-mile, mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border, but intelligence officials in Kabul and Islamabad say there has been no trace of him for the past 20 months. By the end of February, the White House is expected to double the sum on bin Laden’s head, to $50 million, acting on legislation passed in November by Congress."

Yep, that’s going to do a lot of good.  I’d plumb forgot that there was a $25 million dollar bounty on Bin Laden’s gourd-lee-oh, as, evidently, have so many of the Afghanis, and Pakastanis, and other of our Muslim friends. The publicity blitz, and extra $25 mil, ought to stir the natives to action.

“A New Osama Push."

Posted by John Venlet on 01/23 at 05:46 AM
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