Earl Bockenfeld: Miscelleous

Friends protest Pluto's demotion

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 20:20:13 GMT

Friends protest Pluto's demotion

Oh great!!! The belligerent and aggressive hallmarks of "short planet syndrome".

Size doesn't matter. That was the message as friends and colleagues of the late Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto, gathered on the New Mexico State University campus to protest the International Astronomical Union's recent decision to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.

Tombaugh's widow, Patricia, and their son, Al Tombaugh, also participated.

NMSU astronomer Bernie McNamara told the crowd that textbooks shouldn't be rewritten.

"Why not? Because the debate is not over," McNamara said.

The IAU determined last week that a planet must orbit the sun and be large enough to assume a nearly round shape, as well as "clear the neighborhood around its orbit." Pluto's oblong orbit overlaps Neptune's, which led the IAU to downsize the solar system to eight planets from the traditional nine.

McNamara argued that only about 400 of the union's thousands of members were present when the Aug. 24 vote was taken.

"This was not a statement by the astronomical community at large," he said, adding that a petition opposing the IAU definition of a planet is circulating among the world's planetary scientists and astronomers.

Tombaugh was 24 when he discovered Pluto while working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., in 1930. He came to NMSU in 1955 and founded the school's research astronomy department.

His legacy is visible across the city, where an observatory, a campus street and an elementary school bear his name.

Some say Tombaugh's discovery was significant because it took 60 years for stronger telescopes to locate another object with an unusual orbit like Pluto's, and 73 years before scientists discovered a bigger object in the area.

"Clyde Tombaugh was an American hero," said Herb Beebe, a longtime colleague. "For that reason alone, Pluto's status as a full-fledged planet should be kept."

Don't Leave Home Without Your Condom-On

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 06:59:24 GMT

Don't Leave Home Without Your Condom-On

Completely safe? Lab Tested for Your Safety On Mice!

Condoms aren't that hard to use; any flight attendant would be happy to demonstrate. But for men who just can't seem to learn, here's an infomercial for the Condom-On. "Using technology developed by NASA for the Mars Lander, the Condom-On has been aerodynamically optimized in wind tunnels to prevent air drag and ensure that your condom arrives at its destination ASAP," says the Web site. There. Problem solved.

Via Boing Boing.

But Joshua Davis, who created it, says "I actually think this could be a viable product but I don't have any background in manufacturing so I decided to just shoot the commercial and put the site up."

Let's hope he's less serious about the "i-Cut Home Circumcision device" he's also hawking. That really looks dangerous.

Bonus: we're not naming names, but viewers may recognize a certain golden-voiced jazz moonlighter and Wired Magazine senior editor in the ad.

Link to website, direct link to video.

Arizona Looks To Run Montana-Style Anti-Meth Ads

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 05:24:42 GMT

Arizona Looks To Run Montana-Style Anti-Meth Ads

In Montana, where the campaign is hard to miss, it's been credited with a 30 percent decline in use of the drug among teens. People are often more disturbed by the truth then a lie.

THE MONTANA METH PROJECT

The gritty, in-your-face ads on television, radio, billboards and newspapers have exposed Montana teenagers to the ugly truth about the evil grip of meth addiction.

They're as subtle as a sledgehammer.

A billboard shows a grungy, dirty toilet with the words, "No one thinks they'll lose their virginity here. Meth will change that."

One TV spot shows a young man covered with scabs harassing people in a coin laundry and beating them up for loose change. At the end of the ad, the teen runs up to his pre-meth self and screams, "This wasn't supposed to be your life!"

Fueled by the deep pockets of software billionaire Thomas Siebel, the Montana Meth Project has become a national success story with its often-shocking content. Now, Arizona officials are close to bringing the provocative ad campaign to the state, where meth has taken hold in cities and suburbs, rural areas, affluent houses and lower-income neighborhoods.

On Tuesday, county and state officials, including staff members from the Governor's Office and the Attorney General's Office, will fly to Helena, Mont., to watch the latest round of TV spots and meet with Siebel. The multimillion-dollar ad campaign, "Not Even Once," has saturated the airwaves in Montana, helping reduce meth use among teens by as much as 30 percent.

"I just don't think we have time to waste," Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said. "I don't think there is hardly a family in Arizona that doesn't have some tragedy associated with meth. It's scary that kids think this is a drug you can experiment with at parties and it won't hurt you."

"We need teenagers talking to teenagers."

The goal is to have an Arizona Meth Project up and running by August, Goddard said. A non-profit organization in Arizona would run the project and continually raise funds. An advisory group, comprised of elected officials, doctors, business owners, educators and tribal officials, would be set up.

Dr. Marc Matthews, director of the trauma unit at Maricopa Medical Center, has seen the physical, emotional and psychological devastation of meth addiction firsthand.

"It's absolutely brutal," Matthews said. "The American people are unwilling to recognize the horror that is happening every day here in Arizona and across the country. The drug is almost maniacal. Once it gets hold of you, that's it."

This campaign takes a lot of hits from ad professionals, which seems strange to me. Toilet sex and flesh slicing are on the minimal end of what meth can inspire.

I am sure that those who have issues with these campaigns have never had a father/son/wife/grandmother who was a junkie... it is a different animal when it is in your backyard and you have to live with it.

I haven't seen these ads but if they are an effective deterrent, then more power to them and the agency that created them. The crack epidemic of the 1980s was very real, and very obvious, to anyone who lived in a city. But that's probably why nobody tried to say its existence was being blown out of proportion. Meth addiction seems to be more of a problem among poor, rural whites who are too often invisible to the media or laughingly dismissed by the general population in "white trash" or "trailer trash" jokes.

14 Things To Do If You Have Missed The Rapture

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 04:38:15 GMT

14 Things To Do If You Have Missed The Rapture

Dude, I can DO this! This is what Grand Theft Auto has been training me for since Vice City.

In pdf or text.

1. DO NOT commit suicide, and stay extremely calm if you have missed the rapture. There will be a period of total chaos, suicides, and heart attacks. People all over the world will be in total chaos. Please understand the fact that you who remain here have missed the rapture, and are living in the tribulation period, and nothing you do can change that fact. Listen! DonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t look back. Face the fact you've been left, but there still is hope for you!!

2. KEEP A TIME TABLE. Look back and find the date people were reported missing or raptured, mark that date, and put it away. Keep track of the following 7 years. The first three and a half years will not be too bad, but the last three and a half years will be so horrible that human vocabulary is insufficient to describe the events that will take place.

5. BEWARE OF A WORLD CHURCH. This church is not of God. Do not back this church. It is from Satan himself. Do not associate with any kind of world church. Beware of Communist agents who will play the role of pastor. Beware of any big church movement after the rapture. Ask Jesus for a spirit of discernment.

7. DO NOT accept the mark of the beast (666). The Anti-Christ will control the economic system completely, and he will destroy the money system and install a number system either on your hand or your forehead. Do not take this mark. If you do, you will be automatically doomed for eternity. Be prepared if you do not take it. You will be tortured or even put to death, but your soul will be saved in the end. You probably won't be able to buy, sell, or trade anything, but do not take the anti-Christ's number system. Begin now to ask Jesus for strength and boldness. There will be very rough times ahead.

I've Been Tagged - The Meme of Seven

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:27:02 GMT

I've Been Tagged - The Meme of Seven

Finally, I'm trying to obey Lance's Meme and responding to his Meme of Seven. Some of my answers are actually serious and truthful.

Thanks Lance, I'll get even with you if I can.

Seven things to do before I die:

1.- Ride on the "Orient Express" train at least from Paris to Venice.
2.- Visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
3.- Ride the "City of New Orleans" train to a rebuilt New Orleans
4.- Ride my mountain bike on the trails around Moab Utah
5.- Revisit battlefield at Gettysburg and monuments in Washington DC
6.- Ride train from Cusco to mountain-top Incas ruins at Machu Picchu
7.- Attend a "Burning Man" happening in the desert

Seven things I cannot do:

1.- Pat my head while rubbing my stomach
2.- Be too good-looking or have too much money
3.- Can't eat and chew food quietly
4.- Can't drive my car without listening to my iPod
5.- Can't organize my work space
6.- Can't find the CD/DVD that I need right now
7.- Can't have enough memory and/or disk space on my computer

Seven things I say most often:

1.- Damn
2.- God damn it
3.- Where's mine
4.- Just a minute Dear, I'm checking my eMail
5.- WTF
6.- Just go ahead and do what you want to, I don't care
7.- This is the worst, at least they can't do anything lower than this

Seven books I love:

1.- HTML for the Web - Elizabeth Castro
2.- The Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stall
3.- Best Democracy Money Can Buy - Greg Palast
4.- Rise of the Creative Class - Richard Florida
5.- Secrets & Lies - Bruce Schneier
6.- Body of Secrets - James Bamford
7.- Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlosser

Seven Movies I Watch Over and Over:

1.- High Noon - Gary Cooper
2.- The Gods Must Be Crazy - N! Xau
3.- Tom Jones - Albert Finney
4.- Breaking Away - Dennis Christopher
5.- Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf - Elizabeth Taylor
6.- The Birdcage - Robin Williams
7.- Mister Roberts - Henry Fonda

Seven Songs I Play Over and Over Again:

1.- Who Will Answer - Ed Ames
2.- A Good Hearted Woman in Love with a Good Timin' Man - Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson
3.- To Beat The Devil - Kris Kristofferson
4.- To All The Girls I've Loved - Willie Nelson/Julio Iglesias
5.- Frankie and Johnnie - Glen Yarbrough
6.- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow - Johnny Cash
7.- Suzanne Takes You Down - Judy Collins

Seven celebrity crushes:

1.- Angelina Jolie

2.- David Strathairn
3.- Charlize Theron
4.- Christina Applegate
5.- David Letterman
6.- Jon Stewart
7.- George Clooney

Bin Laden Niece in Glamour Shots

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 02:11:50 GMT

Bin Laden Niece in Glamour Shots

The niece of Osama Bin Laden has posed for provocative photographs for an American magazine.

Wafah Dufour, an aspiring musician and model, is the daughter of the al-Qaeda leader's half-brother Yeslam.

She appears stripped to ostrich feather lingerie, and in a bubble bath, in photos for American GQ magazine.

US-born, she says she is an American, and distances herself from her uncle. "Everyone relates me to that man, and I have nothing to do with him," she says.

Ms Dufour, 26, took her mother's maiden name after the events of 11 September 2001.

She lived in Saudi Arabia, where Bin Laden is from, until she was 10, before moving on to Geneva and back to the US.

'Like any New Yorker'

She says she never sees any of the extended Bin Laden clan, including her father.

"There are 400 other people related to him, but they are all in Saudi Arabia, so nobody's going to get tarred with it. I'm the only one here," she said.

Her father and Osama Bin Laden are among more than 50 children fathered by Mohammed Bin Laden, a Yemeni immigrant to Saudi Arabia, and construction magnate.

Ms Dufour was in Geneva when the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US, masterminded by her uncle, were launched.

She said: "I was freaking out, crying hysterically, watching this in horror. I was like 'Somebody's bombing my city, and I wanna go home!'"

"I was born in the States, and I want people to know I'm American, and I want people to understand that I'm like anyone in New York. For me, it's home," she said.

'Girls Gone Wild' Creator Probed About Police Record

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 05:13:21 GMT

'Girls Gone Wild' Creator Probed About Police Record

The creator of the "Girls Gone Wild" video series was barraged with pointed questions in court this morning designed to counter his claims that he was the victim of robbery, kidnapping and extortion at his Bel-Air mansion last year.

Joe Francis, 32, who made a fortune persuading young women to bare their breasts for the camera, testified that an armed intruder stole cash and possessions and then forced him to make a humiliating, half-naked video.

Francis identified his assailant as Darnell Riley, 28, who is accused of six felony counts of burglary, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and attempted extortion.

In Los Angeles County Superior Court today, Riley's lawyer fired back at Francis, grilling him on his own police record.

Defense attorney Ronald Richards asked Francis about a theft arrest in North Carolina, and a case pending in Florida alleging that he filmed minors for one of his videotapes and was charged with racketeering, prostitution, obscenity, child pornography and possession of an illegal drug.

"Is it true you have a 47-count indictment against you in Florida?" asked defense attorney Ronald Richards.

"I cannot answer any questions about this case, per advice of counsel," Francis answered.

Francis declined to answer half a dozen times more, citing his right against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment.

Under questioning by Richards, Francis acknowledged in the past, he had accused four other people of extortion. But he said those cases, about which no details were available, were separate from today's charges.

"Nobody else broke into my house and put a gun to my head," Francis testified.

Francis testified that after he returned home from a night of partying Jan. 22, 2004, Riley broke in, pulled a gun on him and videotaped him, seminude, making sexually humiliating comments about himself. He then threatened to distribute the video unless Francis paid him $300,000 to $500,000.

Riley has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His preliminary hearing is expected to end today

Police were tipped to the case by tabloid magnate and socialite Paris Hilton, Francis' former girlfriend, who heard discussion of the alleged plot at a party.

Over prosecutor Hoon Chun's objections, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Bernard F. Kemper on Monday allowed the media to film portions of the partially obscured video when it was presented in court, but banned broadcasters from televising Francis' testimony.

Francis said Riley took his watch, $1,100 in cash and his cellphone but demanded more. "He said, 'I need $100,000 in cash right now or you're going to die,'" Francis testified.

Francis was unapologetic this afternoon following his testimony.

"Even if you think I'm a bad guy cause I do 'Girls gone Wild', it didn't give him (Riley) the right too break into my home and rob me and threaten me," Francis told reporters outside the courtroom.

"I don't want attention from this in my life," Francis said. "To relive this is even more painful."

Finally Six Flags' Mr. Six Getting Deep-Sixed

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:45:14 GMT

Finally Six Flags' Mr. Six Getting Deep-Sixed

Six Flags... the Wal*Mart of amusement parks

Mr. Six, that freakishly festive old bald guy (actually, probably not old) with the oversized glasses and bad makeup is won't be invading our televisions again with his manic dancing and annoying "We Like to Party" song.

Now new owners will have finally put him to rest. He's not an appealing character, and he would seem to frighten some children. (He frightens some adults.)

Mr. Six memorabilia flies off the shelves. The look-alike contests draw hundreds. He has his own roller coaster, Mr. Six's Pandemonium. All in all, Mr. Six has been a huge, if annoying, success. Despite this, Dan Snyder, who took control of Six Flags amusement parks along with two partners yesterday, plans to force the old spokesgeezer into retirement, the New York Post reports. Apparently, Snyder and his team want to shift the primary marketing focus from thrill-seeking teenagers to mothers with young children.

Mr. Six did like to party, but the party's over.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 22:37:35 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving

For all the readers who will be out of town for the festive feasting, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. For all of the rest of you, hang on -- it's a news-filled festival weekend. More to come...

Over 2,000 American young people are not going to be having Thanksgiving dinner with their families on account of George Bush's incompetence and sociopathology.

I pray for Americans like Congressman Murtha and Patrick Fitzgerald this Thanksgiving. They and millions like them are rays of hope in a desolate landscape.

President Bush has pardoned two Thanksgiving turkeys, and they are headed for Disneyland.

Marshmallow and its backup, Yam, are being shipped to Disneyland in California, where Marshmallow will serve as grand marshall of the annual holiday parade.

Turkeys have been known to look into the sky when it rains and drown themselves, earning it the reputation as the world's dumbest animal. Today at the White House, the turkey met his match.

Meanwhile, the unpardoned Dick Cheney is presiding over the mass torture of the turkeys.

Ha. So ANOTHER turkey figured out how to get a free pass into the White House press corps....

Fan Who Took Favre's Ball Says He's Innocent

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 22:59:23 GMT

Fan Who Took Favre's Ball Says He's Innocent

Don't let the fact that you were filmed stripping the ball out of an NFL quarterback's hands on live television stop you from pleading innocent to the charge

CINCINNATI - The fan who ran out of the stands and snatched a football from Brett Favre's hand pleaded innocent to a variety of charges at his arraignment Monday, while the Bengals promised not to let it happen again.

Gregory Gall, 31, of Cincinnati, is accused of resisting arrest, trespass and disorderly conduct while intoxicated. He was released on his own recognizance following his appearance in Municipal Court.

The Bengals are reviewing their security measures to prevent a repeat of Gall's run on the field, which interrupted the final minute of Cincinnati's 21-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday that the league doesn't get involved in team security issues.

"It's a local matter," he said. "If there's any questions, we can assist them. But it appears to be an isolated incident, and the Bengals are reviewing it."

Favre drove the Packers to the Cincinnati 28 in the final minute and took a snap from center when Gall ran onto the field, prompting officials to blow the play dead.

Gall approached Favre from behind, snatched the ball from his throwing hand and ran to the other end of the field with security guards in pursuit. He was finally tackled and taken from the field.

The five-minute delay gave the Bengals time to regroup. They sacked Favre on the next play, and the clock ran out after Favre faked a spike and wound up running downfield. He flipped the ball forward illegally as the game ended.

Several Packers complained about security, noting that the fan could have hurt Favre. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis acknowledged after the game that the delay broke the Packers' momentum, and joked that the team would pay the fan $20.

A day later, Lewis said fans must be kept off the field.

"That's the first fear you have — there's a guy running clean at Brett Favre," Lewis said Monday. "That's why you can't allow that to occur. Our people that handle security feel very badly about it and will take steps (so) that kind of thing never happens here again at Paul Brown Stadium."

Sports leagues have struggled with the question of how to prevent fans from going on the field. In September 2002, a father and his son ran onto the field during a

Chicago White Sox game and attacked Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa.

A fan went onto the field at halftime of the Patriots' Super Bowl win over Carolina two years ago, briefly delaying the second-half kickoff.

The NFL required all 32 teams to conduct pat-downs of fans entering their stadiums before games this season. Local government officials initially balked, but the pat-downs were conducted before each of the last two Bengals home games.

Big Easy lets 'The Ghoul Times Roll'

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 22:39:25 GMT

Big Easy lets 'The Ghoul Times Roll'

Ghost town alive. After the real horror of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans revels in 'Mardi Goth'

Revellers get political in the French Quarter Saturday night. The "You're doing a great job, Brownie" sign is an ironic paraphrase of U.S. President George W. Bush, who praised former FEMA director Mike Brown's handling of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina before Brown resigned under a torrent of criticism.

The margarita Diane Spieler sips during her nocturnal masquerade on Bourbon St. perfectly matches the glow-in-the-dark green of her hideous face, airbrushed in dreadful detail with reptilian scales and skeletal hollows. Is she a radioactive ghoul? An alien sea serpent?

"If somebody asks me, I just tell 'em I'm Katrina," the 57-year-old New Orleans accountant says, glaring through ghostly pale contact lenses beneath hair molded into spikes. "Doesn't it look mean and freaky?"

Two months after the monster hurricane's horrifying rampage, Halloween has brought back the French Quarter's thirst for theatric horror and debauchery, its Mardi Goth mojo in the heart of a city long known for its reverence for voodoo and Anne Rice's glamorously gothic vampire novels.

"Halloween is the best kept local secret. It's shoulder-to-shoulder, just like Mardi Gras, but everybody's in costume,"

Spieler said late Saturday, the spooky celebration in full swing two days early. "It's the first big, fun, drinking night since the hurricane."

Much of New Orleans remains a ghost town, but the French Quarter teems with wicked witches and pimps in purple velvet. Elvis struts the sidewalk flanked by Supergirl and Marilyn Monroe. An Amazonian blond's skimpy cop outfit flirts with indecent exposure. Others share the Katrina theme, dressing as discarded refrigerators and the blue tarps that cover broken city roofs.

"Enough cleanup! Time for a drink!" said Bobby Hughes, 23, a Loyola University graduate student sporting a blond pigtailed wig, a plaid skirt that is too short on his 6-foot-6 frame, and a blouse knotted above his waist that bares traces of a red bra.

"Helga's my name tonight," said Hughes, joined by girlfriend Kat McKibben, a "love bug" with floppy antenna, feather boa, butterfly wings and fuzzy slippers. "You're hot!" a passing man tells Hughes.

Spared the brunt of Katrina's wrath and the flooding that followed when levees ruptured, the French Quarter has steadily revived since reopening a month ago. Its bars, restaurants and T-shirt shops have been kept afloat by a transient stream of construction workers, relief volunteers and journalists.

Trash cans overflow with discarded beer cups. Shoes stick to sidewalks lacquered in spilled liquor. Outside the Bourbon Street Blues Company, a woman lifts her shirt in return for a shower of beads tossed from the balcony.

"Different parts of the city, the Garden District and everything, are not the same at all," said Dawn Carroll, 33, dressed as a "Tool Time" character from the sitcom Home Improvement, only with a naughty tool belt. "This makes you think that (New Orleans) is going to come back. It'll be back full force."

Bourbon St. might not be kid-friendly, and many neighbourhoods remain too wrecked for door-to-door trick or treating, but children haven't been neglected.

Outside De La Salle High School in the Garden District, little Batmen and butterfly-winged fairies fill sacks with chocolate bars and lollipops from bowls on tables lining the sidewalks. Indian warriors and cheerleaders dance to zydeco music, oblivious to the downed power lines in the median of St. Charles Ave.

Cherly Oncale worked on her son's costume for two weeks during their hurricane exile in Atlanta. Their flight from Katrina took them to five hotels in five cities. They returned two weeks ago to a friend's house.

"We need a good party right now, to kind of reground us," Oncale said.

Date For Da Vinci Code Trial Set

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 06:07:37 GMT

Date For Da Vinci Code Trial Set

Lawyers acting for Dan Brown, the world's highest-paid author, and the two men who claim he stole their ideas, met at the High Court in London yesterday to agree details of a trial scheduled to begin on February 27.

Two historians, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, are suing Brown's publishers, Random House, claiming that Brown lifted "the whole architecture" of the research from their 1982 book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, for The Da Vinci Code, Brown's global hit of a religious thriller.

Baigent and Leigh's non-fiction work presents the theory that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child, and that their descendants have carried on their bloodline to the present day. This theme forms the basis for the action in Brown's novel, which has sold 29m copies worldwide, earning its author £45m in the last year alone.

The novel's suggestion that the Catholic church has spent the last 2,000 years working tirelessly to cover up the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene has roused the ire of the Vatican, which was driven in March to appoint a cardinal to rebut what it calls the "shameful and unfounded errors" contained in the book.

However, the combination of the central conspiracy theory and the clues, anagrams and puzzles that litter the pages are central to the appeal of the book, which has been translated into over 40 different languages.

Commentators have already pointed out that the name of one of the major characters, Sir Leigh Teabing, is an anagram of the names Leigh and Baigent, although there is no sign of Henry Lincoln, the third author of the 1982 book, who has chosen not to take part in this suit.

This is not the first time that Dan Brown has been called to defend himself over the provenance of his novel. In August, he won a court case brought by another author, Lewis Perdue, who claimed that The Da Vinci Code reproduced elements from two of his novels, Daughter of God and The Da Vinci Legacy. Perdue had sought damages of $150m (£84.2m), and had requested that the court block further distribution of the book and stop work on the movie adaptation currently in production, starring Tom Hanks and the French actor Audrey Tautou in the lead roles.

Following yesterday's discussions between the lawyers, Random House says that a "substantial" part of the claim by Baigent and Leigh has been dropped. The publishing house adds that it is "delighted with this result, which reinforces [its] long-held contention that this is a claim without merit."

Hair Didn't Have Anything To Do With It

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 04:37:57 GMT

Hair Didn't Have Anything To Do With It

To superstitious athletes, hair is a big thing. They'll grow good-luck beards, carve out funny-looking goatees, shave their heads bald. Somehow, this is supposed to improve their chances of winning. So, what are we to make of this year's World Series? The Astros were the ones messing about with their hair, and they're just got swept four games to none. (They grew beards, then shaved them. Who knows what they'll do now that it's over.) The White Sox, meanwhile, have a more unusual superstition -- they think it's a good thing to have Journey's Steve Perry follow them around. Hair is less important. Or is it? Back on Sept. 2, the team did host a Mullet Night promotion at U.S. Cellular Field. It seemed like no big deal. But before Mullet Night, the Sox had lost 15 of 22 games at home, and they had a losing record overall for August. After Mullet Night, they picked things up, steamrolled the Indians, the Red Sox, the Angels and the Astros, and now they just won their first world championship in 88 years. Coincidence?

Viking Love Boat Boys Are Just Boys

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 04:07:42 GMT

Viking Love Boat Boys Are Just Boys

If the allegations are true, it’s awful. We understand that athletes aren’t necessarily role models, but we at least expect them to abide by the basic laws of the state. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty

How sad is it when the biggest news about the team you grew up dying to beat is about something that didn’t even happen on the football field? Of course, with the Vikings mailing in their first four games this year, a good sex scandal might be just what the team needs to divert the attention of fans and the media from their miserable 1-3 start.

Personally, I don’t much care what adults do in their spare time. It’s a free country, and when you have a collection of large men hopped up on testosterone and possessing more money than sense, what do you think is going to happen? Of course, If laws were broken, then the legal system should be allowed to do what it does. If not, then those folks who in the meantime all falling all over themselves in fits of righteous, moralizing indignation need to just shut the hell up.

Of course, given that the Vikings were a team in disarray before this alleged incident occurred, it’s not as if this is going to make putting Humpty Dumpty back together again any easier.

The names of 17 Minnesota Vikings who were identified as being aboard two charter boats last week where sex parties allegedly took place have been given to Vikings officials in a controversy that has put the team’s bid for a new stadium and its standing among fans and community leaders in jeopardy.

At least six crew members who allege they were confronted with out-of-control Vikings players on the boats met Wednesday with Hennepin County Sheriff’s detectives who are investigating allegations of prostitution and lewd behavior….

The claims involve players aboard two boats on Lake Minnetonka. Because of the ongoing investigation, the repercussions are hard to gauge. But what is known is this: The NFL once again is monitoring a legal issue involving the Vikings, anti-stadium opponents are having a field day, public relations is at its lowest point in memory and the Vikings are the butt of jokes.

At the time of the party, Vikings officials were heavily lobbying state legislators to convene a special session to get public funding for a stadium….

No one has been charged with a crime in connection with the charter boat cruises, which occurred last Thursday night on Lake Minnetonka….

Employees of the boat company and a resident of the lake community of Mound described players having public sex, drinking heavily, urinating on a lawn and aggressively propositioning female crew members.

Yep, just a bunch of rich, randy, spoiled athletes having some good, clean fun during their bye week…or breaking a few laws along the way. Who knows what actually happened? Hey, you must as well get your fun in now. Before too much longer, winter will descend on the Frozen Tundra, and the only things on Lake Minnetonka will be snowmobiles. Kinda tough to have a sex party on one of those, eh??

The Viking's next game may be on CourtTV.

The Burger King King Guy Scares Me Alot

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 17:37:39 GMT

The Burger King King Guy Scares Me Alot
The Spot: It's morning. Birds are chirping. A man wakes up in his bed … and discovers he's not alone! Next to him on the mattress there is some sort of royal personage: a king, clad in burgundy robes and a crown. But the king's head appears to be made of plastic and is perhaps three times too large for his body. He hands the stunned man a breakfast sandwich. They laugh together.

How did the fast-food wars become a frightfest? A while ago, we wrote about Ronald McDonald and coulrophobia—aka, fear of clowns. But in recent months, it's Burger King’s mascot who's been giving people the willies. Check out the fear and loathing that a quick blog search pulls up: "If I were to ever chop down a tree to find the creepy King standing behind it with a nasty sandwich on a silver platter ... well I would all of a sudden have a new use for my saw." • "If I saw the Burger King standing at my bedroom window, behind a tree or at the other end of a log, I think I can safely say I would freak out completely. I would never eat anything he gave me." • "If that sumbitch just appeared out of nowhere, I'd 1) mess myself; 2) kick him in the jimmy; 3) run like hell." • "The reason why I have guns is in case I wake up and some creepy guy in a Burger King mask is looking in my window." • "I had a nightmare last night that he was in league with the gophers in my backyard on a mission to mock me and destroy my lawn. He was standing at the back of my lot line with that disturbing permagrin and sending forth squadrons of the creepy little vermin to dig holes relentlessly." • "If someone stalked me at work, was wearing a costume, wouldn't say a word and then tried to offer me a sandwich, I'd call the police." • "It's just scarey [sic] to look at, especially when he pops up in all the wrong places." • "He's just a creepy S.O.B. I fear him like a clown."

But there's more to it than that. Using a ridiculous plastic head, and an absurd situation, gives this ad an edgier mood—more ironic and wink-wink—than that of your average fast food campaign. And that's the goal. CPB thinks Burger King can differentiate itself with a hipper vibe. Its competitors (namely McDonald's and Wendy's) have more family-friendly images and thus couldn't (or wouldn't) go as far. More Burger King marketing in this edgier mode: the Subservient Chicken Web site. Meanwhile, when McDonald's tries to get hip, they show us kids playing basketball on rollerblades. BK's stuff is just far more subversive. CPB says the core market for fast food is 18- to 35-year-old males, and these are "the most cynical" consumers out there. In setting the mood for the campaign, CPB tries to keep in mind "the cool uncle—the uncle who tells you how things really are, and lets you get away with a little bit more than your mom and dad do."

Your Bike Seat Can Hurt More Than Just Your Butt

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 05:14:29 GMT

Your Bike Seat Can Hurt More Than Just Your Butt

"We make kids wear helmets and knee pads," Dr. Goldstein said. "But no one thinks about protecting the crotch."

A raft of new studies suggest that cyclists, particularly men, should be careful which bicycle seats they choose.

The studies add to earlier evidence that traditional bicycle saddles, the kind with a narrow rear and pointy nose, play a role in sexual impotence.

Some saddle designs are more damaging than others, scientists say. But even so-called ergonomic seats, to protect the sex organs, can be harmful, the research finds. The dozen or so studies, from peer-reviewed journals, are summarized in three articles in September's Journal of Sexual Medicine.

In a bluntly worded editorial with the articles, Dr. Steven Schrader, a reproductive health expert who studies cycling at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, said he believed that it was no longer a question of "whether or not bicycle riding on a saddle causes erectile dysfunction."

Instead, he said in an interview, "The question is, What are we going to do about it?"

The studies, by researchers at Boston University and in Italy, found that the more a person rides, the greater the risk of impotence or loss of libido. And researchers in Austria have found that many mountain bikers experience saddle-related trauma that leads to small calcified masses inside the scrotum.

This does not mean that people should stop cycling, Dr. Schrader said. And those who ride bikes rarely or for short periods need not worry.

But riders who spend many hours on a bike each week should be concerned, he said. And he suggested that the bicycle industry design safer saddles and stop trivializing the risks of the existing seats.

A spokesman for the industry said it was aware of the issue and added that "new designs are coming out."

"Most people are not riding long enough to damage themselves permanently," said the spokesman, Marc Sani, publisher of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. "But a consumer's first line of defense, for their enthusiasm as well as sexual prowess, is to go to a bicycle retailer and get fitted properly on the bike."

Researchers have estimated that 5 percent of men who ride bikes intensively have developed severe to moderate erectile dysfunction as a result. But some experts believe that the numbers may be much higher because many men are too embarrassed to talk about it or fail to associate cycling with their problems in the bedroom.

The link between bicycle saddles and impotence first received public attention in 1997 when a Boston urologist, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, who had studied the problem, asserted that "there are only two kinds of male cyclists - those who are impotent and those who will be impotent."

Cyclists became angry and defensive, he said, adding: "They said cycling is healthy and could not possibly hurt you. Sure you can get numb. But impotent? No way."

The bicycle industry listened, said Joshua Cohen, a physical therapist in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the author of "Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat." Manufacturers designed dozens of new saddles with cut outs, splits in the back and thick gel padding to relieve pressure on tender body parts.

Scientists also stepped up their research. Since 2000, a dozen studies have been carried out using sophisticated tools to see exactly what happens when vulnerable human anatomy meets the bicycle saddle.

The area in question is the perineum, between the external genitals and the anus. "When you sit on a chair you never put weight on the perineum," Dr. Schrader said. "But when you sit on a bike, you increase pressure on the perineum" sevenfold.

In men, a sheath in the perineum, called Alcock's canal, contains an artery and a nerve that supply the penis with blood and sensation. The canal runs along the side of a bone, Dr. Goldstein said, and when a cyclist sits hard on a narrow saddle, the artery and the nerve are compressed. Over time, a reduction of blood flow can mean that there is not enough pressure to achieve full erection.

In women, Dr. Goldstein said, the same arteries and nerves engorge the clitoris during sexual intercourse. Women cyclists have not been studied as much, he added, but they probably suffer the same injuries.

Researchers are using a variety of methods to study the compression caused by different saddles. One method involves draping a special pad with 900 pressure sensors over the saddle. The distribution of the rider's weight is then registered on a computer. In another technique, sensors are placed on the rider's penis to measure oxygen flowing through arteries beneath the skin. Blood flow is detected by other sensors that send a "swoosh" sound to a Doppler machine.

The research shows that when riders sit on a classic saddle with a teardrop shape and a long nose, a quarter of their body weight rests on the nose, putting pressure on the perineum. The amount of oxygen reaching the penis typically falls 70 percent to 80 percent in three minutes. "A guy can sit on a saddle and have his penis oxygen levels drop 100 percent but he doesn't know it," Mr. Cohen said. "After half an hour he goes numb."

Dr. Goldstein added, "Numbness is your body telling you something is wrong."

Today's ergonomic saddles have splits in the back or holes in the center to relieve pressure on the perineum. But this may make matters worse: the ergonomic saddles have smaller surface areas, so the rider's weight presses harder on less saddle, Dr. Schrader said. The perineum may not escape injury because its arteries run laterally and they are not directly over the cutouts. The arteries can come under more pressure when they come into contact with the cutouts' edges.

Thick gels on saddles can also increase pressure to the perineum, the studies found, because the material can migrate and form clumps in all the wrong places.

Just as many smokers do not get lung cancer, many cyclists will never develop impotence from bicycle seats, the scientists said. What makes one person more vulnerable than another is not known. Body weight seems to matter: heavier riders exert more pressure on saddles. Variations in anatomy may also make a difference.

Dr. Goldstein said he often saw patients who were stunned to learn that riding a bicycle led to their impotence. One middle-aged man rode in a special cycling event to honor a friend and has been impotent since. A 28-year-old who came in for testing, Dr Goldstein said, showed the penile blood flow of a 60-year-old. A college student who had competed in rough cycling sports was unable to achieve an erection until microvascular surgery restored penile blood flow.

"We make kids wear helmets and knee pads," Dr. Goldstein said. "But no one thinks about protecting the crotch."

Who Would Imagine, Superdome Is Cursed

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 07:51:00 GMT

Who Would Imagine, Superdome Is Cursed

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome became a symbol of relief efforts gone wrong, a scene of heartbreaking misery for thousands.

There is intense irony in the Superdome becoming the symbol of the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans lore, it's a haunted building - a cursed structure in this city that lives shoulder to shoulder with its Cities of the Dead. Similar to the Boston Red Sox Bambino curse and the Chicago Cubs billy goat curse, the Saints teams, that play in the Superdome, have always been very unlucky. The Saints football team has had to live through 'Black Sunday', 'Big Ben', the Botched Extra-point, Bungled drafts, the Ditka disaster, a total of three decades of futility and heartbreak.

And local lore is that the Superdome was cursed . . . a punishment for desecrating this City of the Dead. Exorcists and voodoo priestesses have been used to dispel the curse. That lore will no doubt expand into an even more gruesome story for buggy drivers in the Quarter to enchant their passengers.

Today's New Orleans visitors can't visit the old Girod Cemetery. Abandoned for years, its iron caskets and bones were tossed up by excavation gear in the early 1970s as the crews moved in to build . . . the Superdome. Beneath the now-shredded roof and the fetid stinking mess of excrement and blood where tens of thousands huddled in storm and flood . .. and some died . . . likely lie even more unexcavated bones.

What to do now with this building? No decision has been made about the future of the iconic city structure, and the manager of the domed stadium expects it will take more than two months to get a damage assessment and determine whether the Superdome should be repaired or razed.

The last storm victims stuck at the Superdome climbed aboard evacuation buses Saturday, leaving millions of dollars of damage behind -- a flooded field, overflowing bathrooms, a sea of garbage up to 5 feet deep and a wretched stench.

Three large holes marred the roof. In all, about 70 percent of the roof failed. Water poured into the building during the storm, along with debris.

Elevators, escalators and ceiling tiles were damaged. Two inches of water were on the field in some places, and the entire surface on which the New Orleans Saints play their football games must be removed. There's damage to seats, bathrooms and other interior areas from the thousands of evacuees who were stranded in the building. The Superdome was used as a shelter of last resort for those who couldn't scramble out of town ahead of Hurricane Katrina, but it wasn't equipped with supplies for those stuck there. Buses took days to arrive and finally move the people out.

The manager estimated repairs to the building would be a minimum $100 million, but demolition and construction of a new stadium could cost between $500 million and $600 million. Finances aren't the only considerations though. There are psychological ones, too, Thornton said.

Many likely will remember the Superdome as a haven for misery and despair, but the building is also a 30-year-old icon to many New Orleanians that could be the symbol of recovery from Katrina, he said.

"There are a lot of good memories in the Dome: Final Fours, papal visits. There was a president nominated there,'' he said."Certainly, there are a lot of good memories, as well as the bad memories.''

The Saints team during it's history has tried to ward off the curse by changing stadiums, playing surfaces, coaches, players, uniforms, training camp sites, all without much success."

Something else the Saints have yet to change: Their name. And retired kicker Tom Dempsey is among the legions familiar with the idea that using Saints as the team's nickname, "pissed off the Almighty. But I'm sure he would do worse than cause us to lose football games if he was mad." Enough said.

Speculators Rushing In as the Water Recedes

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 00:55:43 GMT

Speculators Rushing In as the Water Recedes

Would-be home buyers are betting New Orleans will be a boomtown. And many of the city's poorest residents could end up being forced out.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Brandy Farris is house hunting in New Orleans. The real estate agent has $10 million in the bank, wired by an investor who has instructed her to scoop up houses — any houses. "Flooding no problem," Farris' newspaper ads advise. Her backer is a Miami businessman who specializes in buying storm-ravaged property at a deep discount, something that has paid dividends in hurricane-prone Florida.

But he may have a harder time finding bargains this time around.

In some ways, Hurricane Katrina seems to have taken a vibrant real estate market and made it hotter. Large sections of the city are underwater, but that's only increasing the demand for dry houses. And in flooded areas, speculators are trying to buy properties on the cheap, hoping that the redevelopment of New Orleans will start a boom.

This land rush has long-term implications in a city where many of the poorest residents were flooded out. It raises the question of what sort of housing — if any — will be available to those without a six-figure salary. If New Orleans ends up a high-priced enclave, without a mix of cultures, races and incomes, something vital may be lost. "There's a public interest question here," said Ann Oliveri, a senior vice president with the Urban Land Institute, a Washington think tank. "You don't have to abdicate the city to whoever shows up." For now, though, it's a seller's market, at least for habitable homes.

Two months ago, Steve Young bought a two-bedroom condo in New Orleans' Garden District as an investment for $145,000. Last month, he was transferred by Shell Oil to Houston. Last week, he put the condo on the market. In a posting on Craigslist, an Internet classified advertising site, Young asked $220,000. He got a dozen serious expressions of interest — enough so he's no longer actively pursuing a buyer. "I'm pretty positive the market's going to move up from here," he said.

So, to their surprise, are many others.

"I thought this storm was the end of the city," said Arthur Sterbcow, president of New Orleans-based Latter & Blum, one of the biggest real estate brokerages on the Gulf Coast. "If anyone had told me two weeks ago that I'd be getting the calls and e-mails I'm getting, I would have thought he was ready for the psychiatric ward." Messages from those wanting to buy houses — whether intact or flooded — and commercial properties are outrunning those who want to sell by a factor of 20, said Sterbcow, who has set up temporary quarters in his firm's Baton Rouge office. "We're pressing everyone into service just to answer the phones," he said.

These eager would-be buyers may be drawing their inspiration from Lower Manhattan, which proved a bonanza for those smart enough to buy condos there immediately after the Sept. 11 attack. Of course, in southern Louisiana, everything is hypothetical for the moment. The storm destroyed many property records and displaced buyers, sellers, agents and title firms, so no deals are actually being done. Insurance companies haven't started to settle claims yet, much less determine how, or whether, they will insure New Orleans in the future. The city hasn't even been drained. But people are thinking ahead, influenced by a single factor: the belief that hundreds of billions of dollars in government aid is going to create a boomtown. The people administering that aid will need somewhere to live, as will those doing the rebuilding. So will employees of companies lured back to the area, and the service people that attend to them. All this will lead to what Sterbcow delicately calls a "reorientation" of the city.

"Everyone I talked to has said, 'Let's start with a clean sheet of paper, fix it and get it right,' " he said. "Some of the homes here were only held together by the termites." What the owners of the city's estimated 150,000 flooded houses will get out of "reorientation" is unclear, especially if the houses were in bad shape and uninsured.

Some black New Orleans residents say dourly that they know what's coming. Melvin Gilbert, a maintenance crew chief in his 60s, stood outside an elegant hotel in the French Quarter this week and recalled how the neighborhood had been gentrified. He remembered half a century ago when the French Quarter had a substantial number of black residents. "Then the Caucasians started offering them $10,000 for their homes," he said. "Well, they only bought the places for $2,000, so they took it and ran." The white residents restored the homes, which rose quickly in value. Gilbert said he expected the same dynamic when the floodwaters receded in the heavily black neighborhoods east of downtown.

The question of who should own New Orleans is already sparking tension. The first posting seeking New Orleans property "in any condition or location" was placed on Craigslist on Aug. 29, while the storm still raged. With small variation, it was repeated numerous times over the next week. Some readers were infuriated. "Do you read/watch/understand any of the news broadcasts coming from the city? Or do you just go to 'Cashing in on Desperation, Despondency, and Depression: How to Make a Zillion Dollars investing in Disaster Area Real Estate' seminars. Sheeeeeesh!" wrote one.

The process of tracking down owners of deluged houses is greatly slowed by the absence of records. It's not going to be easy to find these people, said Farris, the Baton Rouge real estate agent. What would she pay for a ruined house? Farris demurred, saying it was too early to tell, but probably only the value of the land, if that. Though the French Quarter may be back to life within months, outlying districts such as North Bywater and the Lower 9th Ward will take years, if they ever do. Investors might hope this is the equivalent of buying land on the outskirts of a boomtown, but it's not a guarantee.

For one thing, there are already proposals to convert certain flooded areas — including some water-logged neighborhoods — into parks. Under the Supreme Court's recent ruling broadening the definition of eminent domain, speculators could be forced to sell their properties to the government. That would be a great outcome for many homeowners in the parishes south and east of New Orleans that bore the brunt of the storm.

Six months ago, Todd La Valla, a Re/Max real estate agent, bought a four-unit apartment building for $59,000 in the community of Buras, an unincorporated hamlet in Plaquemines Parish 55 miles southeast of New Orleans. The tenants evacuated in the storm, or at least La Valla hopes they did. He's sure the building is gone too, like just about everything else in the area. La Valla had no insurance, which means his $10,000 investment is probably a complete loss. Yet where there's disaster, there's opportunity.

"I've had calls from investors in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York looking to buy property," La Valla said. "This is going to be hard for the poor, the elderly, those that didn't have insurance. But it's going to be great for some people."

At first, Lucia Blacksher thought she was in the bad news group. In June, she and her boyfriend put their entire savings, about $35,000, into their dream house — a century-old shotgun Victorian in the New Orleans neighborhood of Mid-City. When the storm came, they fled to Blacksher's parents' house in Birmingham, Ala. The house, which cost $225,000, is partially flooded. Her boyfriend, a Virginian who figures he's seen enough of hurricanes to last him the rest of his life, wants to move. The insurance company won't return calls. Last week, Blacksher was worried she would lose her beloved house either to foreclosure or a forced sale. One of those bottom-feeders would get it. She was more optimistic Wednesday. Somehow, she would get through this.

"Because the house survived the storm, it will be even more valuable," she said. "You could offer me $300,000 and I wouldn't take it. No way."

Shaq Helps Cops Nab Suspect

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 04:11:08 GMT

Shaq Helps Cops Nab Suspect

Shaquille O'Neal provided an assist to police over the weekend, trailing a man who allegedly assaulted a gay couple before alerting an arresting officer.

The 7-foot-1 Miami Heat center, who is in the process of becoming a Miami Beach, Fla. reserve officer, was driving on South Beach around 3 a.m. Sunday. He saw a passenger in a car yell anti-gay slurs at the couple, who were walking, said Bobby Hernandez, a spokesman for the Miami Beach Police Department.

The man then got out of the car and threw a bottle, hitting one of the pedestrians, who was not seriously hurt. The man got back in the car, which sped off. O'Neal followed, flagging down an officer who made an arrest, Hernandez said.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon. The driver of the car was not charged.

O'Neal, who hopes to be a police chief or county sheriff one day, was already being fitted for his Miami Beach police uniform before he helped the police out.

"For this incident I don't want to be credited as an individual who does police work," O'Neal said in a statement. "I want to be credited as a Miami Beach police officer."

Katrina, Petroleum Reserves and Higher Gas Prices

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 19:18:58 GMT

Katrina, Petroleum Reserves and Higher Gas Prices

I would advise everybody to fill up their vehicles with gas today because if Katrina maintains its course and intensity gasoline could easily be $4/gallon by the end of next week, probably higher because of the damage to the nation's oil infrastructure.

This post is not meant to downplay the likely catastrophic damage to life and property in the region affected by Katrina, just to make everyone aware that the effects of this Hurricane will likely be nationwide. I hope for anyone on the board has friends or relatives in the NO, Biloxi, Mobile area that those friends or relatives are hunkered down somewhere safe out of the path of what looks like being a monster hurricane.

The LOOP is the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port in Port Fourchon, LA. It handles 30% of the oil imported by the US, about 3-4 million barrels per day and is the only facility that can handle VLCC's (Very Large Crude Carriers: Supertankers). On its present course, Hurricane Katrina will pass close to if not directly over Port Fourchon with the result that a significant fraction of US oil supply will be cut off for some indeterminate period of time. There is also a lot of refinery capacity in the neighbourhood of Port Fourchon and New Orleans that will likely be affected by the Hurricane.

If all the refineries within the band of hurricane force winds goes offline, the US loses 1.8 million barrels per day of refining capacity or about 10%. In addition, 3 million barrels per day of imported crude and petroleum products will be lost from the LOOP. Get ready for a huge spike in energy prices and possible gasoline shortages.

VMA131Marine posted the map shown above says: Hurricane Katrina's projected path in relation to the oil supply and refinery facilities in the region. Note in particular the LOOP and Port Fourchon: Louisiana Petroleum Resources

If all the refineries within the band of hurricane force winds goes offline, the US loses 1.8 million barrels per day of refining capacity or about 10%. In addition, 3 million barrels per day of imported crude and petroleum products will be lost from the LOOP. Get ready for a huge spike in energy prices and possible gasoline shortages.

Associated Press reports that President Bush will announce later today whether he will release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to make up for production losses caused by Hurricane Katrina:

It is still a problem that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is in Louisiana, if there are logistics issues in the coming weeks? Also, the SPR is crude, so you would still have fuel shortages if the refineries are out of commission. The SPR may well require an off-shore rig to get to as it will probably be under water and without power for an extended period. We don't know about the conditions of roads and bridges in the area; we don't know about the condition of the facitities at the port of New Orleans; we don't know enough to make a decisions at this time.

Superdome's Roof Leaking, People safe, So Far

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 16:01:36 GMT

Superdome's Roof Leaking, People safe, So Far

'I could have stayed at home and watched my roof blow off,'' said one of the refugees, Harald Johnson, 43. ''Instead, I came down here and watched the Superdome roof blow off. It's no big deal; getting wet is not like dying.''

This is where about 8,000+ of New Orleans' poorest residents have taken shelter, in the Superdome. The NYTimes reports now even that imposing structure is taking damage from Katrina:
"Strips of metal were peeled away, creating two holes that were visible from the floor of the huge arena. Water dripped in and people were moved away from about five sections of seats directly below.
Others watched as sheets of metal flapped visibly and noisily. From the floor, more than 19 stories below the dome, the openings appeared to be 6 feet long."
Superdome and government emergency officials stressed that they did not expect the huge roof to fail because of the relatively small breaches, each about 15 to 20 feet long and 4 to 5 feet wide.

''We think the wind somehow got into the vents and got between the roof's (waterproof) membrane and the aluminum ceiling tiles,'' said Doug Thornton, regional manager of the company that manages the huge arena.

The dome was filled with the sound of metal rattling, which Thornton said was produced by the metal ceiling tiles.

They're stuck sitting in the stadium seats because the authorities don't want to risk the possibility that the field may flood, which will start to get damned old in about 24 hours.

Aside from the tear in the huge roof, the 77,000-seat steel-framework stadium, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, provided few comforts but at least had bathrooms and food donated by charities.

The wind that howled around the dome during the night was not heard in the interior of the building where the refugees were kept.

''Everybody slept last night. They didn't seem to have any problems,'' said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., in charge of the medical shelter in the Superdome. ''They slept all over the place.''

Power failed in the Superdome around 5 a.m. Monday, triggering groans from the crowd. Emergency generators kicked in, but the backup power runs only reduced lighting, not the air conditioning.

Residents lined up for blocks, clutching meager belongings and crying children as National Guardsman searched them for guns, knives and drugs.

Then Katrina's rain began, drenching hundreds of people still outside, along with their bags of food and clothing. Eventually, the searches were moved inside to the Superdome floor, where some people wrapped themselves in blankets and tried to sleep.

It was almost 10:30 p.m. before the last person was searched and allowed in. Thornton estimated 8,000 to 9,000 were inside when the doors closed for the 11 p.m. curfew.

More than 600 people with medical needs were inside. ''And we sent another 400 to hospitals,'' said Gen. Ralph Lupin, who commands the 550 National Guard troops in the Dome.

''We've got sick babies, sick old people and everything in between,'' Stephens said. ''We're seen strokes, chest pain, diabetes patients passing out, seizures, people without medicine, people with the wrong medicine. It's been busy.''

Thornton worried about how everyone would fare over the next few days.

''We're expecting to be here for the long haul,'' he said. ''We can make things very nice for 75,000 people for four hours. But we aren't set up to really accommodate 8,000 for four days.'

God help these folks, and all the rest down there.

Stripping Off In The Name Of Art

Mon, 18 Jul 2005 22:19:40 GMT

Stripping Off In The Name Of Art

Makes me think of those dreams I used to have where I'd go to school in my underwear . . . or less.

When Yve Ngoo announced she was going to take part in this culturally historic event, reactions ranged from "are you mad?" to "you pervert". Even her mother feared she could suffer some sort of post traumatic stress disorder - and be blighted by flashbacks for the rest of her life. But all she wanted to do was experience what thousands of people across the world had previously done - take part in a Spencer Tunick installation.

What I had signed myself up for didn't really hit home until I received the lengthy email containing my consent form, which included the demands for sobriety and the banning of socks, hats and sunglasses.

Once undressed you had to leave your clothes, possessions and dignity in an unidentifiable plastic carrier bag in the middle of a car park.

After maybe 30 minutes, Spencer Tunick and his crew welcomed us, addressing the crowds via megaphone, whilst perched precariously on a step-ladder.

Spencer explained the "set ups". These would involve walking three abreast (if you can have three breasts) across the magnificent Millennium Bridge, along the Newcastle Quayside, up historic Dean Street across the Swing Bridge, along the side of the Sage Gateshead to return to the car park.

Getting naked

At advantageous points that would take in the exciting and the fantastic surroundings of regenerated Quays, we would be asked to stop and pose.

You could sense tension, excitement and apprehension in the air. There was also a final rush for the loos.

Finally, Spencer, spoke the words we all waited for: "OK, you can get naked now".

Everyone started stripping, very rapidly, as if it were a race - men were particularly quick at disrobing.

I took off my sweat top and jogging bottoms. I was naked.

Other naked people were appearing everywhere, some balancing on one leg trying to remove socks and shoes without bending over. I didn't look at either of my friends.

In less than two minutes, only naked bodies were visible. People started looking at each other, friends and strangers, seeing their bodies totally uncovered in the diffused early morning light, in a Gateshead car park!

Dunkirk spirit

Then people began to whoop and cheer, laughing and talking like nothing had happened. Tunick had to call for quiet.

To be surrounded by hundreds of naked people is an awesome, overwhelming sight. So many different shapes and sizes, in varying hues, blending into a uniform mass.

Then we all started walking towards the bridge. The only people clothed were Spencer, his crew, security and the police.

When you're surrounded by total nudity in all its diversity, inhibitions gradually become less.

We dutifully fell into rank - full of the Dunkirk Spirit, we marched triumphantly from Gateshead to Newcastle across the magnificent Millennium Bridge to embark on cultural expedition that would affect each and every one of us.

Three hours later, and it was a bit sad to dress again, People dressed slowly - some holding onto their precious naked moment as long as legally possible.

It was just after 7.30 am, and Newcastle Gateshead was beginning to wake up to lazy sunny Sunday morning.

Attention Homeland security and Police Security types. Don't you realize this is a foolproof new method for avoiding suicide bombers. These people could be commuters safe and without fear on their way to work! A second benefit would also be protection against pickpockets and pursesnackers. Wouldn't it also be great for the sales of suntan-in-a-bottle and sunglasses.

Bush hits police officer while on bike ride

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 02:19:17 GMT

Bush hits police officer while on bike ride

GLENEAGLES, Scotland - President Bush collided with a local police officer and fell during a bike ride on the grounds of the Gleneagles golf resort while attending a meeting of world leaders Wednesday.

Bush suffered scrapes on his hands and arms that required bandages by the White House physician, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

The police officer was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, McClellan said. The extent of the officer's injuries was not known, but he might have an ankle injury, the spokesman said.

It was raining lightly at the time.

The officer was on a security detail. He is a member of the police department of Strathclyde, a nearby town, McClellan said.

The president was concerned about the officer's condition, and talked with him for some time after the collision, McClellan said. The president also asked White House physician Richard Tubb to monitor the officer's condition at the hospital.

The fall did not affect the president's schedule. Dressed in a tuxedo, he attended a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth at the annual Group of Eight economic summit. He showed no signs of distress. (link)

He falls off a couch chokes bruises? and one or two other time bruises, the first thing he hits with a hammer is his finger, he falls off the Segway and once before on a bike and now; KLUTZ stirkes again.

I'm sending him ice skates for xmas - pretty white ones.

Once you learn how to fall off a bike, you never forget.

Freedom is Nothing But a Chance to be Better

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 01:20:10 GMT

Freedom is Nothing But a Chance to be Better

Ron Kovic served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was paralyzed from the chest down in combat in 1968 and has been in a wheelchair ever since. Along with Oliver Stone, Kovic was the co-screenwriter of the 1989 Academy Award-winning film based on his book, Born on the Fourth of July (Akashic Books). The following is the introduction to the new edition of the book.

It was exactly forty years ago this past September that I left my house in Massapequa, New York to join the United States Marine Corps and begin an extraordinary journey that was to lead me into a disastrous war which would change my life, and others of my generation, profoundly and forever. There are times in the lives of both individuals and nations when we cross certain thresholds where there is no going back, no return to the innocence we once knew; the change is utter and irreconcilable. We often sense these moments. I know I did that day.

Happy 4th of July to Ron Kovic and all the other veterans and servicemen and servicewomen today!

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck