Month: July 2005

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, July 20 2005 @ 11:06 AM CST

Reading Victor Davis Hanson is the intellectual equivalent of splashing very cold water on your face.

In his article titled Elegant Nonsense[*1] , this quote regarding the generally prevalent view in the entertainment industry of George W. Bush’s intellectual capacity:

In fact, what do a talented Richard Gere, Robert Redford and Madonna all have in common besides loudly blasting the current administration? They either dropped out of, or never started, college. Cher may think George Bush is “stupid,” but she — not he — didn’t finish high school.

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, July 20 2005 @ 09:59 AM CST

Special mention: “Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed.”[*1]
As always, click on the article title above or on “read more” below to get the entire list.

#10: Scotty beams up: James Doohan passes away.
James Doohan, who created the archtypical engineer character “Scotty” in the original Star Trek TV series, has died, according to a Fox News report.

#9: Shuttle engineers completing tests on empty fuel tank
NASA may need to perform tanking test[*2] to identify sensor problem.

#8: Parrot understands concept of zero
28-year-old parrot[*3] knows 50 different objects, seven colors, five shapes.

#7: Royals 4, Indians 0
Utility infielder Graffanino dealt to Boston, Royals get hard-throwing minor league pitcher and fast, good-hitting AAA outfielder in return. Royals need to go 49-22 to finish .500, 32-39 to avoid 100 losses.

#6: Daylight Savings Time in U.S. to be extended by two months
Canadians concerned.[*4]

#5: “We’re witnessing a civil war that’s taking place in Islam.”
hat tip Chrenkoff[*5] . British writer Ian McEwan is interviewed in der Spiegel[*6] .

#4: Iraqi draft constitution expected in “days”
Chairman says constitution will be ahead of August 15 deadline.[*7]

#3: London back to normal: Mayor blames us for bombings
If you drive a car, you’re the problem, according to London mayor Ken Livingstone[*8] : “”I think we have just had 80 years of Western intervention in predominantly Arab lands because of the Western need for oil.”

#2: Afghanistan’s Karzai takes hard line against hate madrases
Afghan President[*9] says some Islamic schools are preaching hate and need to be shut down.

#1: Introducing John G. Roberts
OpinionJournal[*10] likes him. So does Michelle Malkin[*11] . Daily Kos[*12] resents the lack of a “paper trail” (what did the left expect after inventing “Borking?”) They also are offended that this has taken valuable rant-space away from the Plame Game.

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, July 19 2005 @ 04:33 PM CST

Article from the Houston Chronicle via Fark[*1] :

Costco’s average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its fiercest rival, Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club. And Costco’s health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco “it’s better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder.”

What a thought! Treat your employees well, and they’ll treat your customers well. Nah, it’ll never catch on.

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, July 19 2005 @ 12:30 PM CST

From the US Postal Service[*1] (hat tip fark.com[*2] ):

Hippos

You’ll need:

* 1,000-gallon tank per hippo
* 1,000 gallons of water
* Crane
* 1-pound sedative
* Soothing hippo music
* 2 Aspirin (for you)

How to pack:

1. Fill your tank with 800 gallons of water. Start yesterday. Remember, a medium-sized hippo takes up at least 200 gallons. (Just out of curiosity, why do you have a hippo, anyway?)

2. Apply sedative. Take two Aspirin.

3. Hold it, hold it – put the hippo in the tank, first. Start with soothing hippo music, followed by a large winch and crane.

4. Now go relax in a hot bath before the forklift arrives.

WAIVER: We in no way advocate moving a hippo or any animal without the express advice and consent of your local vet or zoo keeper. If you’d like advice from a veterinarian on moving with pets click here[*3] .

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, July 19 2005 @ 08:34 AM CST

There’s only eight entries in today’s Top Ten, and that’s including several fluff items. I guess we’re solidly in the Dog Days of Summer. As always, click on the article title above or on “read more” below to get the entire list.

#8: IBM to kill off OS/2–finally
IBM says use Linux instead[*1] .

#7: Morgan Spurlock watch
Morgan Spurlock is the guy who made the breathtakingly disingenuous film SuperSize Me and is now making some TV show somewhere. The Blogosphere is on the job . . .[*2] . You just can’t get away with B.S. any more—too many eyes and hands with keyboards and blogs are watching.

#6: Plame Game
Today’s press hyperventilation: Bush is backing off of his pledge to “fire anyone” blah blah blah. Well…not really. It’s actually the press who have Moved the goalposts[*3] .

#5: Supreme Court Vacancy
Who’s the favorite?[*4] Edith Clement? Edith Jones? Maura Corrigan? Cecilia Altonaga? Some guy instead?

#4: Indians 6, Royals 2
Rain-shortened game[*5] leaves Royals needing to go 50-22 to finish .500, 31-39 to avoid 100 losses.

#3: Kansas City allows street vendors again
KC street vendors are back[*6] after a six-week ban prompted by complaining restaurateurs.

#2: 9 year old Pakistani girl gets Microsoft certification
Even a child can do it? Apparently so[*7] . Remember this next time some desktop support dweeb gets on his high horse about being “certified.”

#1: U.S.-India summit goes well
Agreement on civilian nuclear energy[*8] marks progress in implementing the US-India Next Steps in Strategic Partnership[*9] agreement.

Contributed by: filbert Monday, July 18 2005 @ 07:22 AM CST

#10: Is there life on Mars? Did we put it there?
NASA microbiologist says microbes can survive space environment[*1] . War of the Worlds in reverse?

#9: Plame Game (Summer in D.C.)
Mark Steyn comments.
Even the Washington Post is (refreshingly) skeptical[*2] : This is a tangled tale in which no one looks good.

#8: Oh, now the Left is concerned about FBI files
FBI collected thousands of pages of documents on activist groups. Well, 1) the I in FBI stands for “Investigation.” 2) Where was this outrage when thousands of FBI files went missing in the Clinton White House? (They have not yet been recovered, by the way). 3) Hell, there’s an FBI file on me due to my previous employment.

#7: Shuttle glitch troubleshooting may require fueling test
Engineers consider full test to locate the problem with hydrogen tank sensor.[*4]

#6: Royals 5, Tigers 0
Four batters hit, brawl ensues, seven ejected[*5] . Royals and Tigers really don’t like each other much. Or, these guys will do anything to get on SportsCenter.

#5: Ethanol is an energy loser
Researchers from Cornell and Berkeley[*3] say it takes 29% more energy from fossil fuels to produce ethanol than is stored in the fuel.

#4: Al Qaeda cell taking over parts of Somalia
The International Crisis Group reports[*6] that an al Qaeda cell is operating in Mogadishu.

#3: Germany frees suspected Al Qaeda leader
German high court rules that EU warrant is not valid under German law.[*7]

#2: Details of India Prime Minister’s Visit to U.S.
Almost ignored by the Plame-happy U.S. press, P.M. Singh’s visit to the U.S.[*8] is being closely watched by Indian media.

#1: Property rights in St. Louis? What a silly idea!
We’ve got a shopping center to build.[*9] Who cares about those sixty homeowners?

Contributed by: filbert Sunday, July 17 2005 @ 11:26 AM CST

To view the full Whip list, click the article title above or the “read more” link below.

#10: Pig sperm . . . In . . . Spaaaaaacccccceeeeee!!!!!!!!
Chinese to send pedigree swine semen soaring spaceward[*1] .

#9: Bullying is learned, not inherited
Quebec researchers study pairs of twins.[*2] Don’t hit your brother. Don’t call him a poopy-head either.

#8: Hangovers, on the other hand, might be genetic in part
Japanese researchers[*3] zero in on the gene for processing acetaldehyde as the key to susceptibility to hangovers.

#7: Plague of locusts hits France
As if losing the Olympics to England wasn’t enough, parts of southern France are being stripped bare by the voracious insects[*4] ,

#6: Go see Batman Returns.
It’s a surprisingly good movie[*5] , much truer to the spirit of the comic than either the 60’s TV show (BAM! POW!) or the various recent movies.

#5: Tigers 5. Royals 3
Royals[*6] need to go 50-22 to finish at .500, 32-40 to avoid 100 losses.

#4: First criminal case filed against Saddam
Saddam is charged[*7] in the death of “dozens” of Shia Iraqis.

#3: Shuttle launch on hold “indefinitely”
No progress reported[*8] in search for elusive sensor problem which is keeping the aging Shuttle on the ground.

#2: Plame Game update
The 2005 Washington Summer Games, having come up empty with Karl Rove, now go after Cheney’s chief of staff[*9] . Anything to pass the time until the Redskins take the field, I guess. Still unanswered is why it’s appropriate for a senior diplomat to be married to a CIA officer, covert or otherwise.

#1: India-U.S. Summit on tap this week
India Prime Minister to visit Washington[*10] this week. Medary.com’s stand is that India and the U.S. need to become much closer allies and partners to meet the 21st Century’s challenges.

Contributed by: filbert Saturday, July 16 2005 @ 07:36 AM CST

Today’s Whip:

For details click on “read more” below or on this article’s title. #10: Harry Potter
The book[*1] is out. BBC liveblogged it here[*2] .

#9: NBA Arena turned into church
Houston’s Compaq Center becomes the new 16,000 seat home of the Lakewood Church[*3] .

#8: Planet with three suns
Astronomers find planet[*4] 149 light years from Earth that they dub “Tatooine planets” after Luke Skywaker’s home in Star Wars.

#7: KC Wizards “Break The Record Night”
Kansas City pro soccer team hopes to draw 30,309[*5] or more to game with Salt Lake tonight.

#6: KU disciplines itself
Kansas University voluntarily reduced scholarships[*6] in football and women’s basketball after discovering violations in those programs. Men’s basketball escaped sanctions despite former coach Roy Williams’ allowing graduating seniors to receive gifts from boosters.

#5: Royals lose to Detroit 4-1
No run support for Lima.[*7] Royals need to go 50-23 to finish .500, 32-41 to avoid 100 losses.

#4: Shuttle Update: Launch no earlier than late next week
NASA engineers struggling to find sensor problem[*8] which cancelled this week’s “Return to Flight.”

#3: Tee-ball coach puts hit out on autistic player
Coach alleged[*9] to have paid $25 to injure a disabled player so that he could not play on the coach’s team.

#2: Military tribunals upheld by Appeals Court
Circuit court ruling that said that Guantanamo military tribunals were not “competent tribunals“ is slapped down hard[*10] by the U.S. Court of Appeals, which rules among other things that the Geneva Convention is not enforcable in U.S. Courts, and that terrorists aren’t covered by the Conventions anyway.

#1: Chinese general threatens to nuke U.S.
Chinese general Zhu Chenghu rattles the nuclear saber[*11] if America defends Taiwan. It’s OK though, he was just speaking for himself, not for the ChiCom government. Right.