Why is it ...

... what we cannot reasonably discuss anthropogenic climate change, but we can make the climate anthropomorphous? See the picture below, lifted from the front page of FOXNews this morning.

It's All Been Done Before

by: The Barenaked Ladies

I met you before the fall of Rome
And I begged you to let me take you home

You were wrong, I was right
You said goodbye, I said goodnight

It's all been done
It's all been done
It's all been done before

I knew you before the west was won
And I heard you say the past
Was much more fun
You go your way, I go mine
But I'll see you next time

It's all been done
It's all been done
It's all been done before

And if I put my fingers here, and if I say
"I love you, dear"
And if I play the same three chords,
Will you just yawn and say (I hate it)

It's all been done
It's all been done
It's all been done before

Alone and bored on a 30th century night.
Will I see you on the Price Is Right?
Will I cry? Will I smile?
As you run down the aisle.

It's all been done
It's all been done
It's all been done before

New family member ...

... sister gave birth late Friday evening to a healthy little girl. Little is relative, since she came in at over 8 pounds. Thought about posting a picture, but I figure that's not my call to make. Couldn't be more happy if she were my own, and she's got a pair of lungs on her. Have already spoiled her rotten, but trying to find a truly suitable gift.

*ponder*

Perhaps if I name a bacterial species after her ...

w00t!

Sister's kidlet is taking the long, slow route into this world. She's about a week overdue, and he's putting on weight like a champ (over 8 pounds). Doctor wants to induce so it looks like kidlet will be dragged into this world sometime tomorrow. Next time I blog, I will be an uncle!

Lonely Day

by: System of a Down

Such a lonely day
And it's mine
The most loneliest day of my life

Such a lonely day
Should be banned
It's a day that I can't stand

The most loneliest day of my life
The most loneliest day of my life

Such a lonely day
Shouldn't exist
It's a day that I'll never miss
Such a lonely day
And it's mine
The most loneliest day of my life

And if you go, I wanna go with you
And if you die, I wanna die with you

Take your hand and walk away

The most loneliest day of my life
The most loneliest day of my life
The most loneliest day of my life
Life

Such a lonely day
And it's mine
It's a day that I'm glad I survived

Currently ...

PlayingAwesome turn-based strategy game. Currently stuck on Chapter 20.

Listening ToAwesome album. Sexiest voice ever.

Goodbye Texas

This should be the last darn straw. Really!Texas has gone completely wackadoo.

As part of the process a Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills review team composed of parents and teachers has suggested removing Neil Armstrong from a "science strand" in a 5th grade social studies book.

Why?

The team said they made this proposal because he was not a scientist.

Eh? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Texass! What are you thinking? Aside the obviously answer of "Nothing, nothing at all."

h/t: Sheril @ The Intersection

So now what?

I've been keeping track of this story. It's getting more complicated by the minute, and it'll be interesting to see how it is resolved. I'm sure whatever the final decision is, there will be people who do not agree with it. Does having male characteristics disqualify the individual from entering in female competitions?

Obviously Caster Semenya is a victim of circumstance here, and I think she's been manipulated/exploited by the track & field officials of her country. Plus, it's a shame that she has zero privacy in regards to this issue. Should she keep her medals from the World Championships? I think she should, but I'm not sure I see any reasonable way for the IAAF to allow her to continue to compete against the women. I imagine this situation will not come up very often, but it will crop up from time to time. What to do?

Forget Her

by: Jeff Buckley

While the city's busy sleeping
All your troubles lie awake
I walk the streets to stop my weeping
But she'll never change her ways

Don't fool yourself
She was heartache from the moment that you met her
My heart feels so still
As I try to find the will to forget her somehow
Oh I think I've forgotten her now

Her love is a rose dead and dying
Dropping her petals and man I know
All full of wine the world before her
But sober with no place to go

Don't fool yourself
She was heartache from the moment that you met her
My heart is frozen still
As I try to find the will to forget her somehow
She's somewhere out there now

Oh my tears fall down as I tried to forget
The love was a joke from the day that we met
All of the words all of her men
All of my pain when i think back to when
Remember her hair as it shone in the sun
It was there on the bed when I knew what she'd done
Tell yourself over and over you wont ever need her again

Don't fool yourself
She was heartache from the moment that you met her
Oh my heart is frozen still
As I try to find the will to forget her somehow
She's out there somewhere now

Oh! She was heartache from the day that I first met her
My heart is frozen still
As I try to find the will to forget you somehow
Cause I know you're somewhere out there right now

Time to back up the smack ...

The Jets have to get to Tom Brady today, rattle his cage, force a couple of turn-overs and put up enough points to survive the eventual 4th quarter heroics. My sister (also a die hard Jets fan) is not very optimistic about the Jets' chances today, and given their history it's probably warranted. However, I have hope today. Saw last weeks game, read all the news, and it seems that they have a new attitude this year. A winning attitude.

We'll see if my faith in them is justified in under an hour.

Microbiology 101

Lesson #1: Respect all bacterial cultures.

Doesn't matter if it's the lowly E. coli K-12, or Yersinia pestis. If you treat them all the same, respect them, and handle them with utmost care, you'll be alright. Get lax and lazy, and bad things can happen. Labs have safety procedures and precautions for a reason.

Attenuated doesn't necessarily mean it won't cause disease. It appears this researcher may have found that out the hard way.

Goodnight, Travel Well

By: The Killers

The unknown distance to the great beyond
Stares back at my grieving frame
To cast my shadow by the holy sun
My spirit moans with a sacred pain
And it's quiet now
The universe is standing still

There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now
There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now

And all that stands between the souls release?
This temporary flesh and bone
We know that it's over now
I feel my faded mind begin to roam

Every time you fall
And every time you try
Every foolish dream
And every compromise
Every word you spoke
And everything you said
Everything you left me, rambles in my head

There's nothing I can say
There's nothing I can do now
There's nothing I can say
There's nothing I can do now

Up above the world so high

And everything you loved
And every time you try
Everybody's watching
Everybody cry

Stay, don't leave me
The stars can't for your sign
Don't signal now

And there's nothing I can say
There's nothing I can do now
There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now

Goodnight, travel well
Goodnight, travel well

And there's nothing I can say
There's nothing I can do now

Souvenir?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

The son of a previous owner of the house tells police it was a souvenir he took home as a student at the University of Maryland's medical school more than 50 years ago.

Hopefully this asshat never practiced medicine.

I'm Your Villian

by: Franz Ferdinand

You toss in a word
and I'm your villain
I see the passion emerge
and I'm your villain
But serious
You're so serious
Like a waiter
Hating the rich
But taking their tips

If I could laugh I'd love you
If I could smile at anything you said
We could be laughing lovers
I think you'd prefer to be miserable instead
If I could love I'd love you
If I could love like anybody else

I know what I am
and I'm your villain
although I don't give a damn if
I'm your villain
Because serious
You're so serious
But I've got ready salted
ready on your belly
If you want to have fun

See you later, baby
See you later...

I want ...

... an 180-mpg car. The Volkswagen L1.It seats two. Not side-by-side by the looks of it, but who cares?

Rivalries

As a University of Oklahoma alum, and as a die-hard Sooners football fan (had season tickets my entire time spent there for graduate school), I've never been a big fan of the University of Texas*. However, one must give credit where credit is due, and Vince Young has shown he is truly a stand-up individual.

*Note how I ordered it and spelled it correctly, out of respect. This time. ;)

For Reasons Unknown

by: The Killers

I pack my case
I check my face
I look a little bit older
I look a little bit colder

With one deep breath
And one big step
I move a little bit closer
I move a little bit closer

For reasons unknown...

I caught my stride
I flew and flied
I know if destiny's kind
I’ve got the rest on my mind

But my heart
It don't beat
It don't beat the way it used to
And my eyes, they don't see you no more
And my lips, they don't kiss
They don't kiss the way they used to
And my eyes don't recognize you no more...

For reasons unknown
For reasons unknown

There was an open chair

We sat down in
The open chair
I said if destiny's kind
I’ve got the rest on my mind

But my heart
It don't beat
It don't beat the way it used to
And my eyes, they don't see you no more
And my lips, they don't kiss
They don't kiss the way they used to
And my eyes don't recognize you at all

For reasons unknown
For reasons unknown

Said my heart it don't beat
It don't beat the way it used to
And my eyes don't recognize
You no more

And my lips they don't kiss
They don't kiss the way they used to
And my eyes don't recognize you
No more

For reasons unknown
For reasons unknown
For reasons unknown
For reasons unknown

Now I know what it's like to be ...

... a Green Bay Packers fan. Brett Favre holds your team hostage long after he's gone.

Puppy Cuteness

Here is the third puppy, Casey.

Yes?

Oh yeah!

That's what I'm talkin' about!

Confused? Read here.

I plan on having a similar post up here next week.

Rearranged

by: Limp Bizkit

Lately I've been skeptical
Silent when I would used to speak
Distant from all around me
Who witness me fail and become weak
Life is overwhelming
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
I'd love to be the one to disappoint you when I don't fall down

But you don't understand when I'm attempting to explain
Because you know it all and I guess things will never change
But you might need my hand when falling in your hole
Your disposition I'll remember when I'm letting go of ...
You .... and me ... we're through
And rearranged

It seems that you're not satisfied
There's too much on your mind
So you leave and I can't believe all the bulls--t that I find
Life is overwhelming
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
I'd love to be the one to disappoint you when I don't fall down

But you don't understand when I'm attempting to explain
Because you know it all and I guess things will never change
But you might need my hand when falling in your hole
Your disposition I'll remember when I'm letting go of ...
You ... and me .... we're through
And rearranged

You're no good
For me
Thank God its over

You make believe
That nothing is wrong until you're cryin'
You make believe
That life is so long until you're dyin'
You make believe
That nothing is wrong until you're cryin'
Cryin' on me
You make believe
That life is so long until you're dyin'
Dyin' on me!

You think that everybody's the same
I don't think that anybody's like you
(You ruin everything and you kept f'n with me until its over and I won't be the same)
You think that everybody's the same
I don't think that anybody's like you
Be the same

Just think about it
You'll get it

Bixby Canyon Bridge

by: Dream Cab for Cutie

I descended a dusty gravel ridge
Beneath the Bixby Canyon Bridge
Until I eventually arrived
At the place where your soul had died

Barefoot in the shallow creek
I grab some stones from underneath
And waited for you to speak to me

In the silence it became so very clear
That you had long ago disappeared
And I cursed myself for being surprised
That this didn't play like it did in my mind

All the way from San Francisco
As I chased the end of your rope
'Cause I've still got miles to go

And I want to know my fate
If I keep up this way
And it's hard to want to stay
Awake

When everyone you meet
They all seem to be asleep
And you wonder if you're missing your dream
You can't see your dream
You can't see your dream
You just can't see your dream

A dream

And then it started getting dark
And I trudged back to where the car was parked
No closer to any kind of truth
As I must assume was the case with you

Want to feel icky?

I might just make this a regular feature. I'm sure I can find plenty of things which will gross people out if they stop to think about it for more than a few moments. So anyways, onto the story.

Why do people take showers? To clean themselves, right?

Well, a study revealed that one out of every five showerheads have bacterial biofilms which contain organisms responsible for causing pulmonary diseases in immunocompromised individuals.

About 20 percent of the showerhead swabs harbored significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, bacteria linked to pulmonary disease that most often infects people with compromised immune systems, said lead researcher Norman Pace of the University of Colorado, Boulder.

So when you put your head under the shower, you could very well be dousing yourself with bacteria. Not only that but the aerosol created by the shower is also inhaled and swallowed.

Lovely thought, eh?

At the end of the day, Pace doesn't recommend steering clear of the shower. "It's like anything else — there is a risk associated with it," Pace said.

Obviously you want to keep taking showers. What you might want to do though is occasionally disassemble your showerhead and set it in bleach or some other non-corrosive cleaner for a few hours before reattaching it to the plumbing. I'd also try to mechanically clean as much of the reachable parts of the showerhead to disrupt any biofilms which may form. Or, if you're like me and you buy the el-cheapo showerhead for your bathroom, you can just pitch it every 18 months or so and buy a new one.

The research* is published in this weeks PNAS (PDF, 6 pages).

*If I get the time, I may research blog this paper. I already have another research blog entry in the works.

If this event ...

... occurs, you'll have read about it here first. Well, actually you can read the whole story here, but at least credit me with pointing you in the right direction.

Beneath the shimmering surface of Africa's Lake Kivu, a deadly time bomb awaits. A "gold rush" to extract valuable methane from the lake's depths might trigger an outburst of gas that could wash a deadly, suffocating blanket over the 2 million people who live around Kivu's shores.

For some reason, I get the feeling that the Rwandan government probably doesn't care. All around, it's an environmental nightmare, which should be of great concern for all of us. We can clean up our neck of the woods as well as we can (and desire), but what are we to do with every other country (especially those that are developing) that wants to pollute their environment?

Unfortunately, there's an economic incentive for companies to pump waste water into the shallows, says Finn Hirslund of COWI, a Danish environmental and engineering consultancy. This nutrient-rich water triggers algal blooms that then die and sink, helping to form even more methane. "If companies mess around with the lake's density structures and accidentally trigger an entirely avoidable and deadly gas outburst, it will be a crime against humanity," he says.

Crime against humanity indeed.

Goodbye Patrick

Swayze succumbs to his pancreatic cancer. Fifty seven years old is too early, for anyone.

Just for the record ...

... there is no "off the record". Especially with technology the way it is nowadays, not to mention the idiots who use it.

An ABC spokesperson said, "In the process of reporting on remarks by President Obama that were made during a CNBC interview, ABC News employees prematurely tweeted a portion of those remarks that turned out to be from an off-the-record portion of the interview," Politico reported. "This was done before our editorial process had been completed. That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that it will not happen again."

Shouldn't have happened in the first place.

Of course, there is at least one thing (I am sure there are more) that President Obama and myself agree ... Kanye West is a jackass.

As a side note, I love Katy Perry's tweet about the Kanye West incident.

"F--- you, Kanye. It's like you stepped on a kitten."

LOL.

Pardon Me

Pardon me while I burst into flames.
I've had enough of the world,
and its people's mindless games.
So pardon me while I burn,
and rise above the flame.
Pardon me, pardon me ...
I'll never be the same!

I know it was only the ...

... Houston Texans we were playing, but man, oh man! We have a quarterback! Never had anything against Chad Pennington, he was a great QB but he was often injured and his lack of arm strength meant defenses didn't have to worry about the Jets going over the top on them. That's definitely not the case with Mark Sanchez, and as much as I can't stand USC, he's the man in NY and I'm happy about it!

J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets! Jets!

Next week will be start of the true tests. We have the Patsies at home with a healthy Tom Brady throwing to Randy Moss. Hopefully Ryans defensive schemes keep the Patsies on their heels and the Jets can eke out a win. After that, it doesn't get much easier with the Jets playing the team that stole their old name.

The world needs more playgrounds ...

... too bad people can't come together more often to do things like this.

"I like this playground, because when you slide on it all the sadness goes away," said 11-year-old Sonja Sultanova. "I think that Alex is a noble person."

I think he is too.

Remember

Photo by Gary Suson @ SeptemberEleven.Net

Not much to say today. When you think about the horror of this day eight years ago, especially for those who fell victim to those circumstances, any worries most of us may have today seem rather paltry in comparison.

Eternal memory. May memory of them be eternal!

Hell on Earth

Tonight is the start of Supernatural's fifth season.

Thursdays are loaded, and I'm not going to get to see all the shows I want. FlashForward is on from 8 to 9. Supernatural and Fringe are on from 9 to 10. Guess Fringe loses out.

I so want to see this ...

... 9. If anyone has seen it, what did you think? Please, no spoilers.

The original 2005 short film (which garnered an Academy nomination) can be found here on YouTube.

Since my college football team ...

... is currently on life support, would it be crass to mention that tonight starts the NFL season?


J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets! Jets!

Oh, and it's been 4,639 days since the Dallass Cowboys have won a playoff game.

Scientists and Journalists

Came across this article in Live Science. Do Scientists and Journalists Get Along?

The new study, from University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, finds "many mainstream scientists occasionally work with journalists and some do so routinely," according to a statement released by the university today.

The study, compared with previous similar studies, shows that this relationship has been remarkably stable since the 1980s. It is detailed in the current issue of the journal Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. It was done by journalism professor Sharon Dunwoody, life sciences communication professor Dominique Brossard and graduate student Anthony Dudo. The conclusion is based on a survey of 1,200 researchers in the areas of epidemiology and stem cell research (which is to say they did not survey astronomers or paleontologists or sociologists or psychologists, all of whom I argue are among the most enthusiastic and talkative of all scientists).

"By and large, scientists speak to journalists, they know it is important and they're willing to do it again," Dunwoody said. "The frequency with which scientists and journalists interact has been pretty stable over time."

The question though is, is that frequency considered to be enough?

I always figured Denise Richards ...

... was the crazy one (based on her reality exploits). I was wrong.

Sheen, 44, argues that “the official 9/11 story is a fraud” and claims the attacks served as “the pretext for the systematic dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.” Moreover, he charges that the Bush/Cheney “regime” was behind the attacks as a prelude to justify an invasion of Iraq. Sheen also insinuates that Usama bin Laden is working for the U.S. government.

Nucking futs. That's all I can say.

Sheen is the former husband of actress Denise Richards, who alleged that he was addicted to gambling, prescription drugs and prostitutes. While Sheen has openly discussed his previous struggles with drugs, he has denied Richards’ allegations against him. Still, Richards used his beliefs about 9/11 as proof for a judge that he was “delusional.”

My apologies Denise.

Bubbles

First embedded video on this site. Worthy subject though.

Bubble Machine Keeps Dogs Entertained

Currently ...

PlayingReading
Listening To

It's going to be a long rest of the year ...

OU: 13
BYU: 14

To say that the offensive line didn't come to play would be an understatement. Their ineptitude meant that Bradford and then his backup Landry Jones, who I think everyone in Sooner Nation prayed would not hear his number called this season, spent a whole lot of time looking up at the new Dallas Jumbotron from their backs. Supposedly Bradford is out 2 to 4 weeks, which is 2 to 4 weeks too many. Fortunately we have the Idaho State Bengals next week, which just lost 50-3 to Arizona State. However, after that OU plays Tulsa with their high-powered offense, followed by a bye week, and then Miami, in Miami. After that, conference play starts with Baylor. To think that OU could finish up that stretch, before heading into the Red River Rivalry at 2-3 (or even worse 1-4) is something I don't even want to think about, but is entirely possible. Add to that the fact that OU's best offensive threat, Jermaine Gresham is out for an unknown length of time with torn cartilage in his knee, and things start looking grim. Another 12 penalty for 93 yards game won't help matters either.

Eating Crowe

Reporter who made fun of actor Russel Crowe gets called out.

The Oscar-winning star was annoyed by an article mocking him for smoking and eating a fatty meal during a recent bike ride, so the notoriously prickly actor set out to prove he is still in gladiatorial shape.

Crowe, who has been photographed looking slimmer in recent months, was apparently none too pleased by journalist Annette Sharp's piece in Sydney's Daily Telegraph entitled: "Smokes and fatty foods - the fitness regime for Rusty".

Crowe was photographed pausing during a recent bike ride with his personal trainer to puff on a cigarette and chow down on three tacos and a soft drink.

So he challenged her to a 12 mile bike ride.

Video of the race shows the writer struggling to keep up while Crowe zooms along unfazed. At one point, she falls off her bike.

This will probably be the last time she does a hack reporting job ... at least one would hope. Not that I'm a huge fan of celebrities, but I give them the nod over these tabloid-reporting hacks. As far as I am concerned, she got her just desserts.

Ok, I'm done making puns about this tired affair.

It is finished

My tenure packet is out of my hands. Went through it one last time (a total of seven revisions by last count), appended all the necessary exhibits, and sent it to the secretary who will forward it onto the reviewers. Found time to give a seminar today as well, which went very well. So overall, it was a pleasant end to the week.

Now of course, comes the wait. They tell me it'll take between 60 and 90 days for me to catch wind on whether they'll keep me around, or I become another number in the unemployment statistics.

So, what to do? Treat myself to some soft serve ice cream, that's what.

That and probably pick up a new game for the Wii. By golly, I deserve it!

Who is paying these guys?

After listening to the news last night as they covered the idiotic comments Van Jones made a few months ago, I got to wondering ... exactly how mant czars does Obama have?

Came across this article. They list a total of 28. Twenty eight direct appointments by the President. Twenty eight jobs that didn't require a vetting process. Twenty eight jobs which are made up out of whole cloth, have no official written job description (other than what the President says it is), and probably have no yearly evaluations. Best of all, they are twenty eight jobs, the tabs of which I presume are being picked up by the American tax payer. We're looking at well over a couple of million dollars in salaries and benefits for these positions, unless they're all working for a dollar or volunteering, and I highly doubt that is the case.

What gives? Don't the various agencies have enough manpower that they can do the work the President needs to have done within their current structures? What good are the Secretaries of the various Departments, isn't this what they're there for?

Biotech shorts

I thought I had talked about GreenFuel Technologies on this blog before, but it appears that I had not. They had an interesting concept, capturing flue gas and pumping it into algal reactors to grow algae. This algae would eventually be used for the production of ethanol and other by-products. Well, they've gone under.

Ideally, GreenFuel's plants would sequester greenhouse gases, help the U.S. get off foreign oil, and bring the company revenue from carbon credits and product sales.

Getting the whole thing to run smoothly, though, was tougher than expected. GreenFuel could grow algae. The problem was controlling it. In 2007, a project to grow algae in an Arizona greenhouse went awry when the algae grew faster than they could be harvested and died off. The company also found its system would cost more than twice its target.

If algae won't do the trick (algae probably can but the question is whether they can be properly monitored long term) what about artificial trees? That's the route that the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the UK is proposing.

According to the report, constructing 100,000 such "trees" – each costing around $20,000 – would require 600 hectares of land but would be enough to remove the CO2 from the UK's homes and transport system.

It'll be interesting which approaches, since there won't be a single "one size fits all" solution to this problem, will wind up taking hold.