March 2006 Archives

Finally, some progress regarding Iraq:

On the issue of Iraq, Ms Rice acknowledged during a question and answer session with an audience at Ewood Park, the ground of Blackburn Rovers, that the US had made mistakes.

"I know we have made tactical errors, thousands of them I am sure," she said.

Admitting a problem is the first step toward recovery.

According to a report, congressional candidate Kaloogian who ran a bogus picture of Baghdad on his website, did so in part because:

The candidate said he hadn't recognized the error because "the military asked us to use our discretion and put things on the Internet that were nondescriptive ... (because) if we posted something that was easily identifiable, it could be a target."

Ohhhh, perhaps that's why the liberal media isn't reporting good news from Iraq: we're winning and we don't want the terrorists to see the evidence of our success. Yes, let's keep this victory our little secret.

Kevin Drum:

This is the central mystery of George Bush: How does this man-child with such an obviously mediocre mind manage to generate such intense loyalty in so many people?

The comment is directed toward his staff, but can also be applied to many voters.

I get appreciating a president if you agree with his ideology. Or in some cases (not the present one) being attracted to his personality. But you listen to some of the people at his staged events, and they sound as if they believe Bush is God's gift to humanity. Not only is it odd, but frankly it's a disturbing.

James Wolcott:

More and more, I'm sensing that the 2006 midterms, for better or worse, will be a Lou Dobbs election. (No single forum was more instrumental for aborting the Dubai ports deal than his.) The midterms will be fought not over cultural-war values like gay marriage or abortion, but over the sorts of economic and sovereignty issues Dobbs hammers on about every weeknight on CNN: the squeeze on the middle class; Washington's runaway budgets and the explosion in deficit; the gutting of pensions; the hollowing-out of America's industrial base; the war over immigration; globalization and free trade.

I'm not sure yet about the trade part, but we could well see "middle class" issues come to the fore, especially if health care and energy costs continue to climb. And immigration could heat up too, especially if we see gatherings Mexican-flag-waving demonstrators. I have a feeling that won't go over to well in the "heartland."

Looks like the White House stagecraft machine is operating at full steam. Here's a photo of President Bush speaking yesterday in West Virginia. Note the not one but two large signs proclaiming "Plan for Victory."

I don't know what the future holds for Iraq. It's conceivable that someday life there might be better than it once was. But after the pitfalls of the past three years, can anyone rationally believe that such an outcome would be the result of a masterful White House "plan"?

Sadly, many Americans aren't too rational these days.

The Tour de Georgia 2006 is coming to Chattanooga and Herbert at Litespeed has a related blog.

Although I appreciate the demands of a cycling race, I'm thinking it's not that great of a spectator event. By and large, you sit there and for a few seconds see the riders zoom by, and that's pretty much it. Seems even worse than a golf event; at least there you can move around and see different parts of the course.

I see Litespeed, in Ooltewah, has tours of their factory available. That would be pretty cool to see. I went to college just a few miles from there, but at the time didn't even notice that the place existed. Alas.

In other Chattanooga-area bicycling news, I'm thinking about doing my first 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge this May. I gather it's a good event, and they've already got over 1,400 people registered for this year's ride. The biggest hurdle in participating is that it's early in the season to be in good enough shape to do a century. Although I've basically been riding throughout the winter, the longest ride I've done in 2006 is 42 miles. [Long rides and cold temperatures don't mix well for me.] Better get cracking and hope for some nice warm weekends in April.

First the North American pi record fell and now this. Is no record safe?

Kuala Lumpur - A former Malaysian snake farm worker may have set a new world record after kissing a poisonous snake 51 times in three minutes, a report said on Sunday.

There's one for the ages.

Asked why he did such a dangerous act on Saturday, Shahimi said: "Malaysians should know that if one has sufficient knowledge of reptiles, there would be no problem in dealing with them."

Yes, I would hope a person would have at least two or three dates getting to know a creature before engaging in that much kissing.

Good news. Lamar! says that clean air is projected to invade Knox County . . . in 2015:

Revised air pollution forecasts predict Knox County will comply with federal limits for fine particle pollution by 2015, an improvement over previous projections.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., announced the new projections at a meeting Monday with East Tennessee county mayors and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam.

Knox and several other East Tennessee counties aren't in compliance with federal limits for fine particle pollution, which includes soot and other tiny airborne particles. Previous projects had indicated that Knox County wouldn't meet the federal standards until sometime after 2018.

So not to worry, lungs, help is on the way.

Here's an interesting line:

Alexander said local actions like restricting outdoor burning can have a big impact on air quality.

Yes indeed. Forget those tens of thousands of vehicles on the roads or the TVA power plant smoke stacks billowing away. The real culprit ruining our air is those pesky brush fires.

Come on, people. Stop it.

Per newsrack blog, someone at the National Review actually wrote this:

Ah, but here President Bush reveals his moral depth. He grasps how one of the fundamental lessons of Sophocles' Antigone applies to this case: in a democracy the purpose of the state is to safeguard the dignity of each and every individual.

Yeah, I can just imagine Bush waxing eloquently with his aides regarding the moral lessons of Greek drama.

How do people come up with this stuff?

CNBC's "On the Money" had a segment on cycling last week.

Reportedly, 2005 was the best year for bicycle sales since 1970. Reasons for the surge include higher gas prices and the "Lance factor."

Even for my tastes, $15,000 (or more) seems like a lot to spend for a custom bike, but apparently the market is there.

I was flipping through the news channels as they were reporting on the evacuation of San Diego's Cox Arena, due to the discovery of a suspicious object.

On Fox, one of the talking heads was giving a run down on San Diego, implying why it might be a terrorist target. He mentioned that there are several U.S. military bases nearby. Then he noted that San Diego is also "a big Fox News town."

That's it! Terrorists hate America and they are now targeting Fox News Channel viewers. Protect freedom; protect Fox News.

Bombs away:

U.S. and Iraqi forces on Thursday launched the largest air assault operation since the invasion of Iraq nearly three years ago, the U.S. military said.

More than 50 aircraft are involved in Operation Swarmer, supporting more than 1,500 Iraqi and U.S. troops near Samarra, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Just don't anyone call this a major combat operation, because we know those ended three years ago.

"Computer Researchers Warn of Net Attacks"

A new variety of unusually powerful Internet attacks can overwhelm popular Web sites and disrupt e-mails by exploiting the computers that help manage global Internet traffic, according to security researchers.

"DHS Gets Another F in Computer Security"

Most federal agencies that play key roles in the war on terror are doing a dismal job of protecting their computers and information networks from hackers and viruses, according to portions of a report to be released by a key congressional oversight committee Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security, which is charged with setting the government's cyber security agenda, earned a grade of F for the third straight year from the House Government Reform Committee. Other agencies whose failing marks went unchanged from 2004 include the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, State, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.

The House Government Reform Committee is expected to award the federal government an overall grade of D-plus for computer security in 2005, a score that remains virtually unchanged from 2004.

Nothing to worry about here.

Why?

A high school student Tuesday recited 8,784 digits of Pi — the non-repeating and non-terminating decimal — likely placing him among the top Pi-reciters in the world.

Gaurav Rajav, 15, had hoped to recite 10,790 digits and set a new record in the United States and North America. But he remembered enough to potentially place third in national and North American Pi recitation and 12th in the world.
. . .
Gaurav began memorizing Pi while a student in Gooding's class. Gooding holds the competition every year, and said she expected students to learn about 40 digits. Gaurav recited nearly 2,990 the first time.

Whew, close call--but the North American Pi record survives for another day.

If there's a practical application we need to instill in the youth of America, it's a full knowledge of pi. Just the other day, I was cycling through a remote area of eastern Roane County and my mind happened upon a geometric problem. I had the radius of a circle and needed to calculate the circumference. My brain went into meltdown mode, and for the life of me I couldn't come up with the seventh and eighth digits of pi. I came to a house and stopped to ask if the residents knew, but no one was home. So there I stood like an idiot, banging my head against a tree trying to remember it was 3.1415926. Duh.

Parents, don't let this nightmare happen to your kids. Make sure they memorize at least 40 digits of pi. If you really love them, I'd shoot for 100, just to be safe.

Can a deaf person tell when a train is approaching? At first glance, I'm inclined to think he or she might be able to sense it: either the ground rumbling, or the vibrations of the sound waves, or something. But tragically, at least in this case, the answer appears to be no, as an 18-year old was struck and killed along the tracks near Austin, Texas.

One has to wonder why an at-risk pedestrian was walking within one foot of the tracks. In general, the "shoulders" on the tracks are pretty wide.

Doesn't cut it in South Korea:

South Korea's prime minister offered his resignation and an apology Tuesday for playing golf while a national rail strike disrupted his country.

Lee Hae-chan's resignation was accepted by the country's president, Roh Moo-hyun, who had just returned from a trip to Africa.

Lee had been under fire from opposition parties and the public for hitting the links on March 1, which was the first day of a countrywide walkout by railway workers.

Hmmm. A national leader being forced to resign for being "out to lunch" during a national crisis. Interesting precedent.

Move over, duct tape and plastic wrap:

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is offering a rather specific warning about how to prepare for the disease [bird flu]. He urges Americans to buy extra cans of tuna and powdered milk and stash them under the bed to get ready.

It's not the first thing you might think of to protect yourself against a potential pandemic.

"Let me acknowledge that no one in the world is prepared for a pandemic," Leavitt said this weekend at a conference in Wyoming. "When you go to the store and buy three cans of tuna fish, buy a fourth and put it under the bed. When you go to the store to buy some milk, pick up a box of powdered milk. Put it under the bed. When you do that for a period of four to six months, you are going to have a couple of weeks of food, and that's what we're talking about."

Does tuna have special anti-flu properties? Just wondering. I'm not a tuna eater, and if it's just a matter of having something on hand to eat, I could go for canned something else.

As funny as this story seems, it's worth noting that at least on the surface, Leavitt seems like one of the more reasonable voices in this administration.

A clash over safety:

The mayor of a New Zealand town wants a nude cycling race to be called off -- because the participants won't be wearing helmets.

John Hurley, mayor of the Tasman District on New Zealand's South Island, said police would look like "fools" if they allowed the race to go ahead for the third straight year, in spite of the objection of local residents.
. . .
About 100 people are expected to take part in the "clothing optional" race Sunday around Golden Bay on the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. The race aims to promote safe cycling and alternative energy.

Hurley said police should enforce laws which require all cyclists to wear safety helmets.

So we have a potential showdown between organizers of an event purporting to promote "safe cycling" and authorities who may enforce a safety regulation. What a dilemma.

I think somewhere under the ambit of "safety" is comfort. Simply put, if you're not comfortable riding a bicycling, you're more likely to have other problems.

I can't speak from experience on this one, but I think riding a bicycle without shoes and shorts would get old pretty quickly--like after two minutes. Therefore, safe cycling includes shorts and shoes.

But maybe that's just me.

Another headline in our Age of Irony:

President Bush called on Iraqis Monday to embrace compromise as they negotiate a new unity government and asked Americans to show patience with the war even after weeks of "images of violence and anger and despair.":

Yes. If there is one president to sound a clarion call for diplomacy and meeting opponents in the middle, it's definitely this guy. Can't beat someone who leads by example.

Heh.

Enough of this brouhaha about the a Dubai company controlling U.S. ports. Our leaders in Washington clearly have their eye on protecting them. Particularly that strategic center in Dillingham, Alaska.

Oh yeah. And once the Bridge to Nowhere is completed, Osama can forget about striking that structure. DHS is going to be all over that baby.

I wouldn't have said this when it first launched, but in recent weeks " The Colbert Report is giving The Daily Show a run for its money.

Not only is the writing clever, but Colbert does a good job staying in character. Great spoofs on the rightist media.

North Korea, which presumably is enlarging its nuclear arsenal as I write, launches two missiles near China.

Iran threatened to bring retaliatory "harm and pain" on America if the situation escalates.

In Iraq, fifty employees of a security company were taken hostage. "Iraqi security" remains an oxymoron.

Four years ago President Bush warned us of the danger these three countries pose. I'm glad we've had the grownups in charge to adequately deal with the problems.

Tennessee lawmakers aren't the only ones with silly ideas bubbling out of their heads. A N.J. legislator proposes outlawing anonymous posting on the Internets.

From an eBay bicycle auction:

It's #4 of 50 Made, I have gone 70mph on flat ground, 100mph down hill, 50mph uphill, i have entered this bike in 20 different races and the worst place was 5th

Ha ha. Very surprising that I haven't seen this seller on the winner's podium in the Tour de France.

The Question & Answer section is also hilarious. A sample:

Q: I was wondering if this bike would be able to handle freeway riding? At the types of speed that you mentioned I should easily be able to keep up with freeway traffic but would people want to crash me because of jealously towards my spandex gear.

A: i have done freeway riding, ppl arent so much of assholes once your up there

Cool. If I get that bike I can ride on I-40, and when the traffic backs up, I'll simply cruise between the lanes of cars. Time to fire up the PayPal account.

Looking out for you and me. Well, not so much me.

It's okay that all of us breathe polluted air outside around the clock. But should people chose to have the "wrong" kind of bodily contact in their bedroom, it's reassuring to know that lawmakers are there to protect us.

Another misunderstanding in the "War on Terror":

An OU [Ohio University] officer on patrol saw a bike in a busy area of campus early yesterday that sported a sticker reading, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb.

Buildings were shut down. The Columbus Division of Fire's bomb squad drove down to investigate. Authorities used a high-powered water spray on the bike, and then pried it apart with a hydraulic device.

Hours later, police learned that the sticker referred to the Pensacola, Fla., band This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and had nothing to do with the bike's contents.

The ordeal not only cost graduate student Patrick K. Hanlin his bike, but also earned him a misdemeanor charge of inducing panic.
. . .
The officer found the bike about 5:30 a.m. outside a campus snack shop. Hanlin later identified himself as the owner of the bike -- what was left of it, anyway -- and explained what the sticker meant.

Despite his cooperation, OU spokesman Jack Jeffery said yesterday afternoon that the student was charged criminally.
. . .
Fire officials cordoned off a large section of campus and closed down four buildings while they investigated. It took them three hours to determine the bike was not set to explode.

Hogan said the bike was in a fairly high-traffic area of campus, but the buildings affected had not yet opened for business when it was found.

Until I read this piece, I had never heard of the group "This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb." So I can relate with the official not recognizing it. But is this response--particularly the criminal charge--warranted?

A little common sense here: are there any instances of actual terrorists clearly labeling their bombs prior to detonation? And how many people do you suspect were induced to a "panic" at 5 a.m., at least prior to the bomb squad showing up?

I understand the need to view the unknown with suspicion. But at some level, officials must use their discretion. Somewhere up the line, someone has to distinguish between a "that's odd" situation and a "we're all about to die" situation. Given the circumstances of this case, it's hard to justify an assumed threat level much higher than the former. ID labels don't fit the profile of your typical bomber.

National Review:

Although many of our friends have sincere doubts about the [Dubai Ports World ports] deal, we have yet to hear a compelling argument against it. So it is with regret that we say the deal should be jettisoned. That seems to be where the trajectory of this controversy is headed anyway, and the sooner it happens the less painful it will be for the administration. There are many more important issues on which Bush should, nay must, spend his dwindling political capital, the war in Iraq foremost among them. To realize this is to prioritize, not to panic.

One thing we can appreciate about conservatives: how they always advocate policy based on principle, not polls.

A retired couple attempting to pay off their credit card debt has their payment frozen and are investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.

Terrorists apparently prefer to live debt-free.

As AMERICAblog notes: "Living in a police state? Priceless."

President Bush, this morning:

You know, sometimes it's hard to get rid of history, and short-term history shows that the United States and India were divided.

Ahhh, that pesky history. Always getting in the way.

If only things were different. If we could only wave our shock and awe wand over a region and magically transform a region. You know, make people forget all about their culture, biases, feuds, and beliefs. If we could only get them to instantly abandoned their world view, and see the world the way we want them to. That would be great, wouldn't it?

Wave with care:

George W Bush had one hand off his handlebars when he came off his bicycle during last July's G8 summit, according to newly-published police documents.
. . .
"As the president passed the junction at speed he raised his left arm from the handlebars to wave to the police officers present while shouting 'Thanks, you guys, for coming'.

"As he did this he lost control of the cycle, falling to the ground, causing both himself and his bicycle to strike (the officer) on the lower legs. (The officer) fell to the ground, striking his head.

"The president continued along the ground for approximately five metres, causing himself a number of abrasions. The officers... then assisted both injured parties."

Sadly, this isn't the worst loss-of-control wreck we've experienced over the past five years.