Shots Across The Bow

One more for the road

Nope, no smoking gun here...no links betwen Al Qaida and Iraq. Nope. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

WASHINGTON - A one-legged Jordanian terrorist is the man the Bush administration believes could be plotting a biological attack on the United States for Saddam Hussein if war with Iraq erupts.

He is Abu Mussab al Zarqawi, one of al Qaeda's top operational leaders and the mastermind of the London ricin plot, as well as the assassination of American diplomat Laurence Foley in Jordan last October.

An Al Qaida leader in Iraq? Threatening to act against the US if we attack Iraq? Threatening to use WMD, which they claim not to have?

Say it ain't so Susan!

"Before our kids start coming home from Iraq in body bags and women and children start dying in Baghdad, I need to know, what did Iraq do to us?" asks Sarandon in the 30-second spot,

One for the road

Cities are being forced to pay out large sums of money to people who are hurt while committing a crime.

In another instance, Angelo Delgrande shot and wounded his parents and himself in a June 1995 dispute. He then received surgery at a hospital in Westchester County, N.Y. That night, he yanked the tubes and monitoring devices from his body and tried to commit suicide by jumping off the second story of a parking garage. Now a paraplegic, Delgrande sued the hospital for failing to treat his depression and keep him indoors. He was awarded $9 million.

And in Oakland, Calif., a bank robber didn't know the bag of cash he stole contained a time-delayed tear-gas canister that went off, scorched him and sped his arrest. He sued the bank and the police for $2 million for burning him.

Reminds me of the guy who was shot while resisting arrrest in NYC, filed a lawsuit and won a couple million dollars.

Does this make sense to anybody?

Except trial lawyers, of course...

Here's one guy who agrees with the system:

"Just because somebody robbed a bank, doesn't mean that they have no legal rights whatsoever," said Mark Geistfeld, a professor at New York University's School of Law. "The idea that all of us deserve to be protected by the law, even while we're breaking the law, is something that we all will benefit from on a daily basis."

Yep, everyday as I rip off the corner market, I'm proud to know that if the owner tries to defend himself in any way, I can sue him into bankruptcy, getting all his worldy possessions.

Legally.

Gone for the Weekend

After school lets out, I'm taking the kids to see their grandparents in Indiana, so there will be no blogging this weekend.

Y'all take care, and I'll be back Monday

Your Euro at work

This tells me all I need to know about the eventual fate of the European Union:

FARMERS throughout the country have 90 days to put a toy in every pigsty or face up to three months in jail.
The new ruling from Brussels, which is to become law in Britain next week, is to keep pigs happy and prevent them chewing each other.

Official instructions to farmers are to give pigs “environmental enrichment” by providing “manipulable material”, which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs last night defined as balls.

I was going to add a funny tagline, but I can't think of anything funnier than the story itself....

Reverse Ludditism?

A professor at Texas Tech is getting sued for refusing to write recommendations for students who do not believe in evolution.

Dini writes that he has the policy because he doesn't believe anyone should practice in a biology-related field without accepting "the most important theory in biology."

"Good scientists would never throw out data that do not conform to their expectations or beliefs," he writes.

Kinda naive for a professor, who should know that good scientists disregard data all the time when it disrupts their pet theories.

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I have several problems with the theory of evolution as currently espoused, particularly regarding the origin of life. I'm not real fond of scientific creationism either, because there's more religion than science. Despite it's flaws, evolution is the dominant theory today, and should be respected as such. Pr. Dini has every right to refuse a letter of recommendation for students who refuse to acknowledge that, even if his reasoning is flawed. After all, the doctors who overprescribed anti-biotics were all trained in classical and neo Darwinism. To attribute the resulting antibiotic resistant disease strains to a belief in creationism is ludicrous.

The article ands with this grammatical gem:

Department spokesman Jorge Martinez refused to not confirm or deny an investigation, citing department policy.

Hunh?

Will the new leaders of Europe please stand up?

Read this

We in Europe have a relationship with the U.S. which has stood the test of time. Thanks in large part to American bravery, generosity and farsightedness, Europe was set free from the two forms of tyranny that devastated our continent in the 20th century: Nazism and communism. Thanks, too, to the continued cooperation between Europe and the U.S. we have managed to guarantee peace and freedom on our continent. The trans-Atlantic relationship must not become a casualty of the current Iraqi regime's persistent attempts to threaten world security.

Signed by the leaders of Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.

So much for the charges of unilateralism. As for France and Germany, well, if we need to learn how to surrender, we'll call the French. If we want a Volkswagon Beetle, we'll call the Germans.

I can't believe he SAID that!

I thought he had more sense than that:

Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who Bush has praised as a hero of human rights, joined the chorus of critics by calling Bush arrogant and implying the president was racist for threatening to bypass the United Nations and attack Iraq.

"Is it because the secretary-general of the United Nations is now a black man? They never did that when secretary-generals were white," Mandela said.

No, and people who hate us never flew planes into our buildings killing thousands before either. It's a new world out there, Sparky. You might want to pay attention.

It gets even worse:

Mandela accused the United States of committing what he called "unspeakable atrocities" around the globe. "If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don't care."

I guess one of those atrocities was helping force an end to apartheid and getting your butt out of jail.

"All that he wants is Iraqi oil because Iraq produces 64 percent of oil in the world," Mandela said. "What Bush wants is to get hold of that oil."

Apparently, prison has addled his brain.

According to this, 62% of world oil production in 2001 came from non OPEC nations.

OK, maybe he meant that Iraq produced 64% of the oil from the Middle East.

Nope. Same source shows that Saudi Arabia alone produces 7.38 million barrels a day, nearly 4 times the amount Iraq produces, making it impossible for Iraq to produce 64%.

Ok, maybe he meant 64% of oil reserves.

Nope. According to this, Iraq has about 11.4% of the world's oil reserves.

Well, maybe he meant 64% of Middle Eastern oil reserves.

Nope, same source shows Iraq at 17.6%.

What a crock.

The Ultimate Tagger

Most grafitti artists stick to walls, or bridge abutments, but that wan't good enough for Dr. Michael Guiler

Michael Guiler told NBC's "Today" show that marking the uterus is a necessary part of the surgery, adding that surgeons rely on such markings to orient themselves within the human body

Guiler said he simply picked the initials of his alma mater, the University of Kentucky, as his marker for convenience.

More on the SOTU

I forgot to mention his call for research into hydrogen powered cars. As I posted earlier, fuel cells do not get us off foreign oil, nor do they reduce pollution because the energy to make the hydrogen has to come from somewhere. In fact, because of losses, we will use more energy, not less. Part of this money will have to go to developing clean energy sources, such as solar, geothermal, wind, or nuclear.

State of the Union

I thought the speech was well done, although it contained little that was surprising. I was disappointed, though, in the democrat reaction. Their dislike of our president is so strong that the were reluctant to stand even on things as inoffensive as praising our men and women in uniform.

Shameful.

A few notes on the speech itself:

1. Hillary! sat with Lieberman. Is this a preview of the Democratic ticket? If so, who's the boss?

2. The AIDS in Africa initiative was something of a surprise, particularly in the amount pledged, 15 billion over 5 years.

3. Prescription drugs for senior citizens. Why not for everybody? Why should one group be favored just because they are older? Somehow, that seems to violate equal treatment, but I guess I'm not supposed to notice that. I'm sure that Bubba, being a little bit closer to senior status than I am, will be able to explain it for me....

4. Ensuring that all people have affordable healthcare. Why? Health care is not a right; it's a benefit of living in a wealthy society. All the same, I do have an idea on how to provide health care to lower income folks; let folks who got gov't loans to get through med school pay those loans back with pro bono service instead of money. They aren't paying the money back anyway; at least this way we get some value out of it. Instead of a few hundred dollars a month, a few hours a month in a clinic. Seems win-win to me.

5. Call to ban partial birth abortions and all human cloning. Most of Congress favored ending partial birth abortion, but support for a ban on cloning was lukewarm at best. A funny thing, while many who support cloning for research oppose cloning for reproduction, they are not able to articulate why in any way which distinguishes them from those who oppose cloning altogether. They apply basically the same arguments at a different point in the process.

6. "Well, let's put it this way. They are no longer a problem to the United States and our allies" [quote from memory] I really think that this was an oblique reference to Osama bin Laden. He's toast.

7. Allowing Colin Powell to present new intelligence to the UN is a great move for the President. Powell all along has been the voice of caution, and is known to resist the idea of going to war unless all other options are exhausted. Allowing him to make the presentation sends a clear message that all other options are exhausted.

8. Gary Locke's response was absent of any specifics at all. He claimed that the Dems have a specific plan to help people and the economy now, yet he did not articulate that plan. He stated that Bush's plan would force seniors to leave Medicare in order to get prescription drugs, a harge which Bill Frist refuted a few minutes lkater. According to frist, seniors would have access to a plan similar to the one Federal employees have, or they could remain with Medicare.

9. Joe Biden indicated that the President has already scheduled another major speech, to take place shortly aafter Powell addresses the UN. I believe that will be the call for war.

10. No call for nuclear propelled rockets to Mars. Sorry, Richard. Maybe next year.

State of the Union preview

My predictions:
1. President Bush will say that war with Iraq is now justified. We have all the evidence we need from Hans Blix's report. Iraq has not disclosed the whereabouts of weapons that we know they have, based on earlier inspections.

2. President Bush will not declare a war, or signal that action is imminent. He will ratchet up the pressure, but don't expect any call for war. Also, I don't expect any bombshell revelations in this speech, instead a summary of what we know so far. The "smoking gun" won't be delivered for another 3 to 4 weeks. The reason is simple. Never back a rat into a corner unless you're ready to kill it, because any cornered animal will fight with everything it has. Think about it; if we released intelligence documenting the precise location, type, and disposition of Hussein's WMD, he would have only one choice: use 'em or lose 'em. Once the "smoking gun" is public, the time for talking is over.

3. President Bush will defend his economic stimulus package, calling on Congress to act in a bipartisan manner to quickly enact the package of tax cuts and spending initiatives. He will place particular focus on his plan to give $3000 to folks to be used to help find work. I'm tempted to get fired just to get the $3000.

4. Contrary to the wishes of Richard Hoagland, President Bush will not announce an initiative to produce nuclear powered spacecraft for a flight to Mars. But it's a nice thought.

5. We'll see the usual programmed ovations, both partisan and bipartisan. That's one part I could live without. I wonder what penalty you pay to your party if you stand when you shouldn't?

6. Immediately after the speech, the talking head's will all repeat what the speech said, reading from their annotated copy, given to them well in advance. For this, they get paid the big bucks. After them, the "analysts" will come on and the ones on the right will praise everything the President said, while the ones on the left will curse it. There will be no meaningful analysis.

7. The Democratic response will be muddy, emotional, filled with worn out rhetoric. It will attack President Bush's plan, but offer no alternative. If the Dems had a viable alternative, then one of the Presidential hopefuls would be giving the response.

Chicago

I saw that Chicago took a lot of awards on the Golden Globes the other night, so Friday night I went to see what all the fuss was about.

I and about 12 other folks had to sit through about 10 minutes of commercials before the movie started. Not trailers, mind you, but commercials. Message to theater owners; if I want to see commercials with my movies, I'll wait until they hit HBO. I've already shelled out $7 for a ticket, and $7 more for popcorn and a coke; I don't need you shilling more crap on my dime.

When I go to the movies, one of my favorite parts is the coming attractions. Sadly, many times they are more interesting than the movie I'm there to see. This night was an exception, probably because of the main movie. I don't think studios are going to pitch XMen2 at an art house. One movie, The Quiet American looks good, although I have a hard time picturing Brendan Fraser as a CIA agent. BUt it has Michael Caine, and although I haven't forgiven him for On Dangerous Ground or Miss Congeniality yet, I do still try to see anything he's in.

The other trailer of note was for The Hours, which I'll wait to miss on video.

Chicago tells the story of chorus girl Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) who winds up in prison after murdering her lover. While there she meets her idol, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), also in jail for murdering her husband and sister. The two women share a fast talking smooth operating lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), who promises to get them off, and make them famous. The movie also stars the ubiquitous John C. Reilly, who plays Roxie's somewhat less than bright husband, and Queen Latifah as the prison matron, Mama. It may well be nearly impossible to make a movie in Hollywood without giving Reilly a part. I'm beginning to think the only reason Peter Jackson filmed The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand was to get away from Mr. Reilly.

Roxie: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"
Mama: "You talkin' to the wrong people, girl!"

The above quote is the heart of this movie. It celebrates the venality of man, so we watch with a feeling akin to the fascination we feel when passing a car wreck on the side of the road; we know it's going to be ugly, but we want to see just how ugly. There's a difference between exploring the darker side of our natures, as in The Gangs of New York, and celebrating it, as in this movie. In Chicago, there is not a single charater I cared about. Roxie is vain, manipulative, and grasping from start to finish, as are Velma and Billy. Mama is as corrupt as they come, and Roxie's husband Amos is too dim to be counted as loyal.

What keeps us involved in the show is the music and the dancing, which is top notch throughout. All three leads perform admirably, including Gere, who at times seems to channel Robert Preston's Harold Hill. (As an aside, if you want to remake The Music Man, Gere would be a much bette choice than Ferris Bueller.) The singing and dancing were top notch, with the surprise performance being Reilly's song, Mr. Cellophane, the only touching moment in the movie.

3 out of 5. I'd like to give this movie a higher rating, because it was so well done, but the incessant cynicism wore me down after a while.

Reunited

I just found out the Virginia Heinlein died on Saturday, Jan 18.

For those of you who don't know who she was, she was the wife of Robert Heinlein, one of the great American writers of all time. Calpundit has a quick rundown of who she was, and if you need to know who Robert was, go here, or here, or here.

As for me, I have to say that much of my personal and political philosophy is rooted in Heinlein's work. Since Ginny was an integral part of that work, inspiring several of his female characters, I owe as much to her as to him.

Now, after 24 years of being apart, they are together again.

A very special occasion

Today marks a special occasion. Can you guess what it is?

Today is the first day of my second year as a blogger.

365 days, 769 posts, 24,000 hits (some of those actual people and not web 'bots), $1.63 in the tip jar, and here I am.

A lot of things have changed since I started. I've gone from writing in a vacuum to membership in the rapidly expanding RockyTop Brigade. I've seen the Blogger's Bash grow from a three person luncheon to almost twenty blogger's spouses, friends and readers. I've met people I wouldn't have met otherwise, and even enjoyed long chats with (gasp) a liberal!

I've gotten comments and emails from all over the country, and beyond. I've seen my blog linked to on some blogs that I highly respect, while others still ignore the inevitable, and fail to link me. I've debated with lawyers, scientists, architects, engineers, writers, newspapermen, students, and given the anonymity of the internet, who knows who else. I haven't gotten much hate mail yet, except for a brief bit about my hair style, but I'll keep trying.

I've seen spikes in my readership whenever Instapundit adds a link, and slumps whenever life intervenes in my blogging, but I'm pleased to see that the average continues to increase slowly, and that my direct referrals now outnumber my 'bot hits. Of course, referrals still make up the bulk of my traffic, but that's the nature of blogging.

To last in blogging takes only persistance; anybody with a little self discipline can blog for a year or so, but it takes something more to continue to grow, particularly when there's so much competition.

In the coming year, I hope I have enough time to upgrade this site, adding a few more pages, and learning enough html to really upgrade the look. Who knows, if I get feeling really flush, I may even pay somebody to do a site design for me.

Naaah, I'm too cheap for that; I'll figure it out eventually.

So, I hope y'all have enjoyed the trip as much as I have, and I hope you continue to enjoy whatever it is I'm doing here.

A brief message to TDOT

Hey guys, I know you don't handle snow all that often, but here's a tip.

When the sun hits the streets, it combines with cars to melt the snow left behind after you scrape. When the sun goes down, any water left becomes ice. If you know that it's going to be too cold for your de-icing fluid to work,

DON"T PUT IT ON THE STREETS!

Before it has a chance to do it's job, the cold causes it to freeze, and all you've done is Zamboni the roads, which is great for a hockey game, but sucks when you are trying to drive.

Just a suggestion

Gangs of New York

I've been struggling to write this review for a few days, and it hasn't been going well, but I think I just figured out the problem. I've been trying to write a serious, insightful, professional review, and that's just not my schtick. I have some serious things to say, but I just can't get into the mindset to get into the critic's voice. Now that I'm just being me, things should go better.

I was going out to see the new Bond flick with my date when for one reason or another, she decided she didn't want to be my date anymore. It was disappointing, because we enjoyed each other's company, but we were headed in different directions, and looking for different things.

Anyway, I decided instead of seeing the Bond film, I was in the mood for something a little darker, so I went to see Gangs of New York.

I'll start off by saying I'm not a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan, and nothing I saw in this movie changes that. I did gain more respect for Cameron Diaz, who adds another excellent performance to her growing list of films, belying her initial appearance as eye candy in The Mask.

Scorsese has created an epic vision of New York during the Civil War, revealing a slice of American History text books usually ignore and Hollywood usually romanticizes. He once again takes us on a journey into the dark underbelly of American culture, only this time the gangs are Irish, and uses these gangsters as a mirror for America as a whole. The story itself is trite, with DiCaprio playing Amsterdam Vallon, a young man out to avenge his father's death at the hands of Bill, "the Butcher" Cutter, played magnificently by Daniel Day Lewis. Along the way, DiCaprio falls for a beautiful pickpocket and sneak thief (Diaz), who is one of Bill's favorite mistrisses. Di Caprio worms his way into Bill's organization, and soon becomes his close confidante, positioning himself to take down Cutter. So we have revenge and a love triangle of sorts as the plots driving the film. Throw in betrayal by a jilted lover, and the cliches are complete.

The shortcomings of the plot are compounded by Scorsese's take on the history of the time. He tells us that the true birthing place of America is the slums and tenement houses of the Five Points, not the drawing rooms of high society. However, as the history behind the movie makes clear, the gang wars in New York were a tool wielded by those powdered wig aristocrats, not the other way around. The gangs were used by Boss Tweed and others to carry out their agendas, not the other way around. Any tool may turn on it's user; that doesn't mean it isn't a tool.

The strength of this movie is not in the plot or thematic material, but in the characters, which is why DiCaprio is so disappointing. Instead of seething with rage, his Amsterdam sulks and pouts like a child denied a sweet. He simply does not have the depth to pull off the complex emotions required by the part. Amsterdam sets out to destroy Cutter, but finds himself beginning to admire him, and there's reason to do so. Cutter praises Amsterdam's father, Priest Vallon, played by Liam Neeson, as a man of honor, the only man, he says, worth killing. Cutter even becomes a father figure to Amsterdam, which isn't too surprising, since there was little difference between Cutter and Priest. They both lived, fought, and died by the same rules; they were both hard men, unyielding in devotion to their principles. Although we don't see Priest Vallon for very long, we have no reason to believe he'd be any less brutal than Cutter. As Amsterdam gets closer to Bill, he becomes confused, at one point saving Bill's life from another assassin. None of this confusion ad turmoil is in DiCaprio's performance. We know of it only because he tells us in a voice over narration. A good performance would tell us what we need to know about a character without the need for a narrator.

The character of Cutter is a complex mix of brutality and intelligence, and Day-Lewis really shines in his protrayal of the man. It would be easy to make Bill totally unsympathetic, to concentrate on his brutality, but Day-Lewis instead gives a fuller portrayal of the man. He does this without lessening the brutality one bit; while we can't bring ourselves to like Bill, Like we could with Michael Corleone, we don't see him as a complete monster either. In the end, Cutter shows the purity of a true ideologue, prefering to die rather than compromise his beliefs.

Cameron Diaz shows a hard edge as the character of Jenny Everdeane, the 'turtledove' who falls for Amsterdam. She plays the role to the hilt, showing the toughness Jenny would need to survive in the hell hole of the Five Points, while still showing tenderness once she opens up to Amsterdam. You see true vulnerability when she shows her scars to Amsterdam. Sadly, we don't get anything similar from DiCaprio.

The production itself is gorgeous, as is the cinematography. Although it does take liberties with history in order to make it's point, the script is excellent, almost literary in quality. The pacing is good, except for a few scenes towards the end of the second hour that could have been tightened up a bit.

The final image of the film, the WTC standing over a decrepit graveyard where both Bill Cutter and Priest Vallon are buried, is both haunting and confusing. In two hours and firty-five minutes, Scorsese doesn't manage to give us enough information to understand what he is trying to say with this image. I thought that maybe it was just me, that I missed something, but as I look around a various reviews, there appears to be as many interpretations as there are reviewers.

Over all, I give the movie 3.5 out of 5. I was absorbed throughout the movie, despite the relative flatness of DiCaprio and the fact that I never really cared about what happened to any of the major characters was ofset by the magnificent sets, and the glimpse into a part of history usually swept under the rug.

The Bloggies

We have awards?

Well, they showed their good taste by not nominating me, however that small praise is negated by the fact that the drivel posted by Wil Wheaton won four awards, including Best American Blog, Best New Blog, and Blog of the Year. The fourth award was for best shameless whoring merchandising.

Even worse, the most successful and widely read blog of them all, our own Instapundit, wasn't even nominated. I'm sure Glenn was crushed by this omission.

If he even noticed.

Actually, I think the blogosphere is simply too big and changes too rapidly for any award to even attempt to try and represent a "Best of."

I thought about posting my own awards, but then I realized that with what must be close to one million blogs, I haven't even seen .01%. How can I, or anybody for that matter, even pretend to know what blogs are the best.

It's laughable.

I'll stick to linking to blogs that I like, and plugging them where I can. That's my award.

So to all of you on the list at the left, you just won a Richie! Congratulations, and keep blogging.

Please keep your acceptance speeches to under 5 minutes.

What a week!

There's a scene during the duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vadar in The Empire Strikes Back where Luke, who has been holding his own to this point, gets hammered as the Sith Lord mentally tosses chucks of the room at him. No matter which way Luke turns, he's blindsided by a control console or slapped upside the head by a levitating droid, all the while trying to fend of Vadar's slashing lightsaber. Eventually, he gets knocked out a broken window to fall for a mile or so down a huge ventilation shaft, which sucks but at least for a few seconds, nothing is hitting him.

The last few days, I've learned what that feels like, except that I still have both hands, and my father is not the Dark Overlord of the Universe.

Between kids with the flu, snow storms, icy weather, work, and regular chores, my time for bloggin has shrunk to practically nil for the last week or so. Fortunately, every storm blows out eventually, and this one is showing signs of passing. With any luck, this post marks the beginning of a return to regular blogging. Then again, this could be just the eye of the hurricane, with more to come. Either way, rest assured that I will try to give you your money's worth every time you stop by.

Not too difficult considering that this is free...

and worth every penny.

The Taxman Cometh

That Bastard!

I did my taxes tonight, and happy, happy, joy, joy, I got hit with the AMT. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a tax designed to get the evil rich bastards who don't pay enough in taxes because of excessive deductions.

I guess I'm a member of the evil rich now, 'cause My taxes were increased by $120 over what I expected. My excessive deductions?

I call 'em my kids.

Pretty sad state of affairs. It's getting so you can't afford to make a little extra money. I wonder who's idea that was?

Driving in the Snow

Well, K-Town finally got a real snowfall, and as usual some folks acted like it was Armageddon. I left work at 4PM as the snow really started, and on the way home, it became clear that it was my duty as a son of the South to give y'all some pointers on how to survive the white stuff from the sky.

First rule: If you don't have to drive, DON'T! Trust me, I've seen you drive, and you don't know how to handle the snow. You drive too slow, or too fast, or your follow too close, sometimes all of the above. I know you've been conditioned to run to the Piggle Wiggly for milk and bread when the first snow flake falls, but I'll bet if you look around in your kitchen, you can find food for at least a week, giving you plenty of time before having to consider the Donner option. We live in the Southeast; we won't be snowed in more than a day or so. Let the groceries wait.

Second rule: I know you're going to break the first rule; you just gotta have that Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk, or life won't be worth living, so you'll hop into your car and head on down to the grocery store, never mind that even professional drivers are staying off the roads because they are too dangerous. You can handle the snow, right?

Wrong!

Everything you know about driving changes in the snow. reflexes which save your life and keep your insurance rates low will cause tremendous property damage, as well as inspire terror in everyone in your car or your path as you careen wildly down the road.

Or sidewalk as the case may be.

If you're going to drive, remember the following:

• Understand that we don't get a lot of snow here, so chances are everybody on the road is just as incompetent as you are, and just as oblivious to that fact. One wrong move and you could be the featured attraction in a 60 car pile up.
  
• Give the guy in front of you plenty of room, and by plenty, I mean at least 15 car lengths. Riding his tail does two things: it guarantees that if something goes wrong, your car will become intimately involved with his car, and second, by distracting the guy in front of you, it increases the chances of something going wrong 200 fold.
  
• Your brakes are no longer your friend. Yes I know, you rely on your brakes to get you out of trouble all the time. They are your ally, your buddy. Normally, when you fail to notice the traffic slowdown in front of you because you are answering your cell phone, you slap on your brakes, and all is well. Unfortunately, now that the road is covered with snow and ice, your brakes have gone from allies to your worst enemy. If you get into trouble, hitting your brakes will make sure that you get into worse trouble. Avoid the temptation to slam on your brakes when you see the guy in front of you spinning out because if you don't you will join him in the Pirouette of Doom, and wind up swapping insurance information while the wrecker pulls your cars off the median wall. "But Rich", I hear you asking, "If we can't use our brakes, how do we keep from hitting the guy ahead of us?" which leads me to:
  
• For God's sake, slow down! If the normal speed limit is 55 mph, 50 mph is not slow enough. Cut your usual speed in half, and see how that feels. You can save some time by going faster, but it takes more time to push your car out of the ditch than you save by going 5mph faster.
  
• Pretend you are driving a load of nitroglycerin, and any sudden moves might set it off. Gentle turns, gradual starts and stops, that's the recipe for driving in the snow. Any sudden movement of the wheel, the accelerator, or the brake will cause your car to imitate Michelle Kwan in the Olympics, complete with a triple sowcow into a telephone pole. (Ewww, the East German judge didn't like that landing at all, Bob!)
  
• When you begin to go into a skid, (and you will), turn into the skid gently, and allow the car to straighten itself out. Don't touch your brake or you will find yourself watching the world go by.

  Sideways.

  This is not a driving method recommended by the Tennessee State Highway Patrol, and will result in a ticket, some moderately expensive body work, or both.
  

• Never stop while going up a hill, unless you want to go back down the hill.

  Backwards.

  At least for awhile, until the spin starts. It's an 'E' ticket ride until you shoot out into the cross traffic, but don't worry, you might get lucky and nobody else will be coming.

Follow these basic tips, and you will successfully avoid causing an accident. However, you are still at the mercy of idiots who don't follow the rules because they don't know them. You will have to prepare for and evade the guy who wants your lane, even though you're using it; the guy who is running late and figures that if he goes fast enough, he'll get where he's going before he has time to have an accident. You'll have to avoid the lady who gets almost to the top of the steepest hill in town, then stops to check her makeup, and trhe guy in the SUV who drives 30mph faster than everybody else on the road because "I have 4WD by god and I'm going to use it!" Sooner or later, he discovers that 4WD doesn't mean anything when you lose traction, except that the repairs are going to be more expensive.

Well, I hope I've helped in some small way to keep you safe on the road on the days ahead. Now , if you will excuse me, I have to run to the store for some milk and some bread....

New rocky Top Brigade member

Welcome to Barry, fresh from comments on several other blogs to his own page, Inn of the last Home.

I'm looking forward to meeting you at the next Blogger's Bash....

If this is Global Warming,

gimme more! I'm sitting in my office with the windows open. It's almost 60 degrees outside, and a beautiful day, unless you want to go sledding.

You know, if the butterflies have to move a few miles to the north, I can handle that.

Of course, it won't last long....forecast is for a high in the low to mid 30s this weekend.

I'm Back!

A day early, and I may never fly again.

The additional security didn't bother me, even though I was selected for a ful search.

Twice.

I didn't mind having to take off my shoes, or having strangers paw through my luggage. I did find it silly that I wasn't allowed to put my address tag on my bag once they were through inspecting it. It bugged me that I walked up to the counter, gave them my name, and got my ticket without ever showing ID, but I knew I wasn't a terrorist, so I wasn't worried.

I wasn't worried when they said my flight would be delayed, as they found an electrical problem on the plane, but maintenance was taking care of it.

I didn't mind waiting 30 minutes while they checked out the plane, before we were allowed to board.

I didn't mind when I saw the plane, and realized it was a Pontiac Aztec with wings and jet engines bolted on. Fairchild 328 JET

I got a litttle concerned when they said the aux power unit had failed, and they had to jump start the jets. (where's a lawn mower when you need it?)

I began to get more concerned when the pilot said that there were some abnormal indications, so they were going to power down the plane, and turn it back on again, as directed by maintenance, sort of like when I reboot the computer when it locks up. I just didn't know that airplanes were also subject to the blue screeen of death.

Well, they powered down the plane, and started bring the systems back up again. Meanwhile one lady was complaining that the airline should do something because it was getting hot in the plane. I guess she just couldn't grasp the whole "shutting down all power" thing. I bet she was one of those people who try to turn on the lights when the power goes out so they can see where they left the candles. The woman behind me started talking about the plane. She said she was a former flight attendent and she always hated this plane because it spent more time grounded for mechanical failures than flying.

OK, now I was nervous.

Then the pilot came on and said the problem ahad fixed itself and we were going to take off. They started it once, and it didn't work. They started it again, and it did. In my mind, this is not fixed. It could come back as quickly as it went away.

Now I'm more than nervous. The former flight attendent behind me is going on about all times she's been grounded by mechanical failures on this type of plane. We taxi out to the runwway, while the real flight attendent walked the cabin to make sure we were all strapped in place. Two rows in front of me, she ducked over a passenger to look out the window.

"Did you see that?" she asked the passenger, an older gentleman who said he did see it. What was it? Nothing much, just blue flames shooting out of the engine for a few seconds.

She called up to the pilot, to let him know that the engine was on fire. He must not have believed her, because he cranked up the engine. She repeated that she had seen actual flames coming out of the engine. Before he throttled back, I saw more flames coming out for about 5 seconds.

OK, now I had a slight laundry problem.

The pilot throttled back, and called maintenance. meanwhile, the flight attendent got on the PA, and reassured us by saying, "I just wanted you all to know that the pilot is aware that the left engine is on fire." We weren't feeling particularly reassured, especially those who were unaware anything was going on.

Now, a truck came rolling up next to the plane, and Cooter from The Dukes of Hazzard got out, followed by a clone of Junior Samples. They looked at the engine a few minutes, then Cooter pulled out a walky talky to talk to the pilot. He talked for a few seconds, then without ever touching the engine, they left. The pilot got back on the PA, and told us that Cooter told him that because of the jump start that the flames were most likely caused by excessive fuel built up in the drip pan in the jet cowling, and that we would be taking off momentarily.

I'm seriously unhappy at this point, but I don't have time to protest before we are making our run down the run way. You're reading this, so you know everything came out OK. No more fires or electrical problems, and we were only an hour late getting in.

All the same, next time, I think I'll take a bus.

Due to circumstances beyond our control....

Shots Across the bow will not be seen at this time. Instead, we'll loop Bang Your Head, a Muzak tribute to Quiet Riot for the next 72 hours. (The sad thing is I actually heard this once...)

I've been sent on a business trip to St Louis, Mo. I leave in about 4 hours. (I love this advance notice thing.) Now, if I were a big shot, likie Instapundit, I'd blog from my laptop over a wireless connection, but I'm not.

So I won't.

I'll be back late Thursday, at which point blogging will resume at it's regularly scheduled time.

Wait, I don't have a regular time.

Ah well.

Neo-Confederates

Prof Reynolds has this to say about those who feel that things would be better if the South had won:

Oh, anyone who reads Confederates in the Attic (and everyone should) can grasp the way in which the Civil War can capture people's imagination. But wishing the South had won? Ridiculous. Anyone who wishes that should read Harry Turtledove's all-too-plausible alternate history novels (here's the first in the series) in which the South did win the Civil War, leaving the United States looking, well, like Europe. Ugh.

First off, speculative fiction is just that; fiction, and while How Few Remain is intriguing, it is hardly definitive.

My feelings on this are complicated. The South stood for many things other than slavery; limiting the role of the federal Government, maximizing individual freedoms, and free trade. These are things that I believe in, and all have suffered since the conclusion of the War. The Union victory represented the triumph of unrestrained federalism over State sovereignty. While this triumph may have been necessary for America to achieve the greatness it has, I think it also sowed the seeds of our eventual downfall. The Federal government increased it's authority beyond that which the Founding Fathers envisioned, and did so at bayonet point, in the process corrupting the dream.

However, had the South won, would things be any better? I don't know. I think if their had been a quick resolution to the War, for example if Stonewall hadn't gone missing during the Seven Days campaign, and the Union Army had been cut off and captured, The USA and the CSA would have gone separately for a time, but eventually merged into a strong alliance.

But that's just the optimist in me...

More than likely, the CSA would have splintered further, as the border states split off from the Deep South. Both nations would have competed for the Western territories, which likely would have remained largely in Spanish and Mexican hands, with Texas establishing it's independence. How would WWI and II gone without a United States? I can think of any number of possibilities, none of them good.

Yet I still believe that even though a strong, united America was the best possible outcome, I don't believe that the ends justify the means, and that there will be a price to pay in the future.

But that's just the pessimist in me...

Vols final report card

OK...the anger has been replaced with a sick feeling of frustration. Could the Peach Bowl have been ANY worse?

According to the local sports writers, it could have. I think these guys have been kissing the University's butts for so long, their heads are wedged firmly up Doug's Dickey, and they can no longer see straight.

A few examples:

from Mike Griffith's Peach Bowl report card:

QUARTERBACK (C-): Casey Clausen had his moments, making some good throws and some productive scrambles, but he also made a costly mistake. Clausen overshot his receiver on a screen pass and it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Clausen completed 23 of 37 passes for 242 yards.

RUNNING BACKS (F): The longest run of the night was a 10-yarder. Troy Fleming's blocking was embarrassing. Cedric Houston's runs were average, and Jabari Davis (10 carries, 10 yards) was ineffective. Derrick Tinsley had a huge fumble at the Maryland 7. There were also protection breakdowns.

23 of 37 for 242 yards, no touchdowns (except for the INT for Maryland) and that gets a C-, when the running backs get an F for a similar performance? Give me a break Mike. Clausen stunk up the joint.
Again. Why didn't he throw to Fayton after the first half?

Here's more:

SECONDARY (D+) Maryland was an efficient 11 of 19 passing for 120 yards. Gibril Wilson had a team-high 12 tackles, and Rashad Baker had six tackles. Cornerback Julian Battle got beat deep once and had a personal foul. Corey Larkins missed two sack opportunities.

SPECIAL TEAMS (D) Punter Dustin Colquitt was the highlight, averaging 47.7 yards on six punts. The punt coverage broke down late when Steve Suter broke a 79-yard return. but was otherwise good. Alex Walls missed a 41-yard field goal. Larkins ran tentative on kick returns.

Lead the team in tackles, but grade out worse than Clausen? One breakdown on punt coverage (when the game was already out of hand), gets an otherwise good performance a D?

Please!

It gets worse. In Sunday's paper, Mike gives his season report card. Clausen grades out to a B. I'', sorry, but an 8-5 performance, and running dead last in the SEC for scoring offence isn't a B. Not for a team ranked in the top 5 at the beginning of the season.

Receivers graded out to a D. Well, if you aren't going to hold Clausen accountable, I guess you have to blame the receivers. Maybe if Clausen had thrown to the open man, instead of waiting for his favorites, another receiver could have emerged.

The defense, which statistically ranked as the 7th best in the nation, griffith gives a C-, a B and a B-. Let me get this straight; the unit which suffered the lion's share of injuries manages to maintain a top ten ranking, and only gets a C?

The funniest thing was pointed out by the Maryville paper's sports writer, who noticed that the overall grade, D+ was significantly lower than the individual positions average. I think that what Mike was accounting for was an important grade that he couldn't put on the report card.

COACHING.

I'll say what he couldn't.

F--.

Here are my grades:

Quarterbacks: D
Clausen gets a D-. His off the field comments coupled with his on the field actions contributed to tearing this team apart. He made poor throwing decisions, lost his composure during the Florida game, bad mouthed his team mates after the Georgia game, all while achieving the lowest scoring percentage of any quarterback at Tennessee that I can remember. James Banks may not know the schemes yet, but he showed a willingness to do whatever he could to win. He gets a C. We never got to see enough of Leak, so he gets an Incomplete.

Running BacksC
Jabari Davis, Derrick Tinsley, and Cedric Housaton all gave it their best, but were hampered by injuries, both to them and to the offensive line. Troy Fleming was called on this year to fulfill the traditional fullbacks roll, and failed to answer the call. I can't count the number of times I saw him fall flat on his face after failing to pick up the blitzing end.

ReceiversC
Kelley Washington gets a D-. He started off the season running his mouth, tearing up the team. Unfortunately all he could run was his mouth, unless he was dodging for the sidelines, where he was plenty quick. There's no denying his physical skills; the man has a spin move that virtually guarantees 10 yards after the catch. But he never fully realized those skills when it counted; when the game was on the line. He couldn't be counted on to block downfield, or to misdirect defenses when the play wasn't coming his way. He simply is not a team player. Countering his score was Jason Witten, who gets an A. Jason did all that was asked of him, and all I can say is that if he decides to stay another year, it would be a mistake. UT has nothing to offer him.

Offensive LineD
True, they were riddled with injuries, but started to pull together during the last couple of games. Then in the Peach Bowl, they couldn't handle two guys who weren't good enough to get scholarships, and walked on at Maryland. In a word, pathetic.

Defense A-
Defense alone kept us in the Georgia game. And the Bama game. And the Peach Bowl...at least until they were exhausted. Our number of interceptions skyrocketed from last year. Had we any kind of offense, we would have gone 10-2 in the regular season, and potentially 11-1. John Chavis deserves the raise that Fulmer is going to get.

Special TeamsC+
I don't disagree too much with Griffith's assessment here.

CoachingF-
You all know how I feel about Randy Sanders, so I won't rake him over the coals again. Besides, with the meltdown of the Peach Bowl, I now have to consider the possibility that he did the best he could with the cards he was dealt. It does say something when the Offensive co-ordinator, the guy in charge of devising the game plan, doesn't know until a few hours before a major game that his star receiver isn't going to play. Who was responsible for letting him know that this was a possibility? We'll get back to that. First, John Chavis grades oput to an A-. To accomplish what he did with the injuries he had to deal with is nothing short of amazing. The fact that he has decided to stay with UT is a blessing and the only mitigating factor I can find in Fulmer's performance. If Chavis wants to stay, Fulmer must be doing something right.

Coach Fulmer, on the other hand, gets an F. Befoer the season ever started, it was clear that he didn't have a handle on this team. There were no clear leaders; nobody to step up and take the place of the Al Wilsons, Leonard Littles, Peyton Mannings who led the team on and off the field. Instead we had Kelley Washington telling us he was playing for himself, not the team. We had Casey Clausen, badmouthing the performance of the team when he couldn't play. Instead of stepping on it early, telling Kelley Washington to pipe down, Fulmer allowed it to continue, and the worst fears of the fans were realized. We didn't have a team this year, we had a bunch of guys wearing a uniform, and it showed in their performance.

A lot of people want to know what the Head Coach's job is. There's an offensive coordinator who designs the offense and calls the plays; there's a defensive coordinator who designs the defensive schemes, and there are coaches for every position, ensuring their players know the right techniques for their position. So what is left for the head coach?

It's his job to build all of these positions, players and coaches into a team. He harnesses the egos, converting them into a cohesive unit that is greater than the sum of it's parts. A lot of years, it's an easy job; you have kids on the team who can do most of it for you. This year was a true test of Fulmer's coaching ability, because there were no real leaders on the team; nobody stepped up to bring the team together. The fact that we were still having trouble getting the right number of players on the field in our 13th game of the season demonstrates just how much control Fulmer lost.

OverallD
Something Pat Summitt said comes to mind. She says that you can't coach intensity; your team either wants to win, or it doesn't. The 2002 Vols didn't want to win. Coach Fulmer takes the heat for that, because that is his job; at the same time, the players themselves have to take some of the heat. There were bad attitudes on the team starting in the spring. Rather than stamp them out, the players let them spread.

Should we fire some coaches? I don't believe in firing somebody just to make a change. We should ask the question, "Can we find somebody better to replace them?" I like Fulmer. He's an excellent recruiter and a good coach. There aren't many coaches with a National Championship under their belts. It'll take more than one season for me to say it's time for him to go. But he has a hard job ahead of him; he has to get his team back. The great coaches are able to rebound from a bad year; we should see marked improvement next year. Not necessarily in the record, since our schedule is much tougher next year. Buit we should see a team on the field, not just a bunch of guys.

We need to keep Chavis. Period.

Sanders, on the other hand, well, let's just say I wouldn't cry to see him pursue other opportunities. He hasn't demonstrated the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, or the guts necessary to run a wide open offense, something that is at the heart of SEC football.

Nuclear Power--at last!

Mr bubba asked me to do a bit on nuclear power, pros and cons. I've been putting off the job, mainly because it's been the holidays, and I'm lazy. But the holidays are over, and while 'm still lazy, since I've been writing some science stuff lately, I figured now was as good a time as any. besides, some of the stuff I talked about on global warming comes in to play here as well (which is where I learned it in the first place).

So saddle up boys and girls for a quick primer on nuclear physics.

First I have to tell you that I'm simplifying this stuff tremendously. If any real nuclear physicists read this, please take that into accountbefore you laugh and call me names.

My parents used to ask me what I did in the Navy. Since I didn't want to tell them what I did while on liberty in foreign ports, I told them about my job as a reactor operator.

"I boil water," I'd tell them.

That's really all a nuclear reactor is; it's a big tea pot. See, the best way way we've found to generate electricity is through electromagnetism. If you move a wire through a magnetic field, you induce a current in the wire. It's like magic, only without the wand. The rub is that you have to keep moving the wire through the magnetic field to keep generating electricity. So what we did was make the wire into a coil, and stick a magnet in the middle. Then we attached a rod to the wire, and spun the rod. This is called a generator. The guy spinning the coil would get tired after a while, so next we had to find a way to keep the rod turning. Now this was an easy problem to solve, because we had these steam engines lying around that were great at keeping things turning, so we attached a steam turbine to the coil, and made a turbine generator, which takes heat energy from the steam and converts it to electricity.

Now our next problem is how to boil the water, and this is where the nuclear part comes in. We've used fuels like wood, coal, oil, and alcohols, all of which work to varying degrees, but we wanted something better, something that didn't take quite so much effort, didn't cause acid rain and smog, something that wouldn't run out in a few centuries.

About that time, Ms Curie and several thousand of her closest friends discovered how to get at the energy inside an atom.

Now, if you remember your science from high school, you'll remember that the atom has electrons (negative charge), protons (positive charge), and neutrons (no charge). The electrons hang out in a cloud around the nucleus, which is made up of protons and neutrons. This nucleus is what we are interested in. We've all messed around with magnets when we were kids and we know that like charges repel each other. So how then does the nucleus hang together, since it is filled with protons, which all have like charges?

Well the answer is that there is another force at work in the nucleus, one that is stronger than the repellant force of the like charges, and as long as the protons and neutrons are kept close enough, this force holds the nucleus together. We'll call this the binding energy of the nucleus. What scentists discovered was that if you hit a nucleus hard enough, and at the right spot, you overcome this binding energy, and the nucleus splits, or fissions. When this happens, the binding energy is released as heat.

Now, working at the atomic level, the heat released is too small to be noticed. What we have to do is make this happen in millions of atoms, and go on happening. Until we want it to stop. A guy named Oppenheimer found a way to get the energy to come out, but it comes out all at once, and doesn't stop until all the fuel is used. Not very good for our purposes.

Well, what we found was that one of the best ways to split a nucleus was to hit it with a neutron. We also found that when a nucleus splits, it doesn't split evenly, but in different sized chunks, and a few stray neutrons. All we had to do was find a way to get those stray neutrons to cause more fissions, releasing more neutrons, and so on, creating a chain reaction. Sounds simple, yes?

No. It took years, and many experiments before we found the proper configuration where the number of neutrons released in each generation would be enough to keep the reaction going, without growing out of control, or dying out. What we did was to pile large amounts of uranium in very tightly defined arrays, with graphite rods between them. We use uranium because it is naturally radioactive, and fissions all by itself. The rods absorb the neutrons, keeping a chain reaction from occurring. When we want to start the reactor, we pull the rods out, allowing the neutrons to build a chain reaction and grow in strength to generate the heat we need to boil the water. If we need more power, we pull the rods out further; less, we push the rods in.

Obviously we are generating a lot of heat when we operate the reactor, and we have to cool it to keep everything from melting. (Not to China. Like nearly everything else out of Jane Fonda's mouth, the China Syndrome is BS. A reactor when it melts loses the configuration to maintain the chain reaction. Fission halts and the metal cools. It leaves a hell of a mess behind, but it isn't going to bore a hole all the way to the core. We proved that with Three Mile Island) To keep the reactor cool, we run water through it. It takes the heat out of the reactor, (through conduction and convection), and carries it off. Now this is the cool part, because this water is so hot, it flashes to steam, which we use to run our turbine generator to make the electricity.

It's like we planned this or something....

It sounds so simple; what's all the fuss about?

If that was all that was going on, it would be simple. Unfortunately, there are some other types of radiation given off, and other efects that we have to deal with.

Which we will discuss tomorrow.....

Global Warming--the real story

Ok, folks, time for another science lecture from yours truly. Sorry, SK, it isn't on nuke power this time, but that's your fault for getting this whole global warming thing going! By the way, for those of you who haven't checked it out, there's a nice lttle exchange going on in the comments to SKBubba's post here. True to my style, I have to break out of there, and go long form.

Hope you all took naps, because this could take awhile.

In all seriousness, this is an important issue, and you have to understand the basics before you can evaluate the laims of the various sides. I don't want you to just take my word for it; that would be just as bad as the greenies who believe just because Ralphie tells them to. Check out the links I provide. Check their references. Go get a basic science text out of the library, or at the used book store.

Ok, first we have to talk about the proposed mechanism of global warming. Simply put, the global warming theory says that man is in effect putting a blanket over the entire planet by emitting greenhouse gases, primarily CO2. The theory says that the CO2 rises into the upper atmosphere where it acts as a one way heat sheld, trapping radient energy from the sun, and causing the earth to heat up.

Why does that make the earth heat up?

Glad you asked. Now we venture into the world of thermodynamics. It's a little scary in here, but don't worry, I'll hold your hand.

Heat is transferred across a difference in temperature. If you hold something hot next to something cold, the temperature will equalize between them, as heat energy is transferred from the hotter item to the colder item. The rate of the transfer is driven by the difference in temperature between them; the larger the difference, the faster the transfer. Here's the key; without a difference in temperature, no transfer takes place, and energy transfers always go from hotter to colder. Remember this. It's key to why global warming cannot occur as the current model states.

OK, now, there are three ways that this heat energy can be transferred;

1. Conduction--the two items are in direct contact
   
2. Convection--the two items are separated, but a transfer medium envelops them both. This can be air, water, whatever.
   
3. Radiation--the two items are separated, but energy is transferred without a medium. This is how the sun warms the earth through a vacuum.

So the sun warms the earth directly, through radient energy. That energy is trapped on the earth by our atmosphere through the greenhouse effect. But how does it work, exactly?

OK, first, the sun is the radient body. It send energy to the earth which absorbs it, growing warmer. Once the earth is warmer than the atmopsphere, it becomes a radient body, transferring energy to the atmosphere via conduction and convection. As the atmosphere warms, the temperature difference between it and the earth decreases, slowing the transfer rate. This allows the earth to hold more of the sun's energy, staying warmer. Eventually an equilibrium is reached, where the rate energy is radiated to the earth by the sun is equalled by the rate energy is radiated by the earth into space. Luckily for us, this equilibrium occurs at a temperature we find comfortable.

Now, global warming theory suggests that man-made greenhouse gasses are accumulating in our atmosphere, shifting the equilibrium point higher. The gasses build up in our upper atmosphere, in effect pulling a blanket over the planet.

Now, in order for our blanket to have a warming effect, it must slow the heat transfer from the lower atmosphere, aka the troposphere, to the upper atmosphere, beyond the greenhouse layer. Like we stated above, the rate of heat transfer is affected by the difference in temperature. Therefore, we should see an increase in temperature in the greenhouse layer if it is causing the equilibrium shift.

As has been noted in many places, tropospheric temperatures are not increasing; in fact they are decreasing. As we have learned, thermodynamically this would mean that heat transfer would increase, cooling the earth, rather than heating it.

The second link above attempts to explain away this discrepancy by positing the presense of contaminants in the stratospheric layer, which artificially reduce the temperature of the troposphere.

While a combination of human activities and natural causes has contributed to rising surface temperatures, other human and natural forces may actually have cooled the upper atmosphere. For example, natural events such as the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 tended to decrease atmospheric temperature for several years. And burning coal and oil for energy produces tiny aerosol particles in the atmosphere that can have a cooling effect. Upper-air temperatures also can be reduced by depletion of ozone in the stratosphere caused by chlorofluorocarbons and other chemicals being emitted into the atmosphere. When these variables are accounted for in atmospheric models, satellite and balloon data more closely align with surface-temperature observations.

Thermodynamically, this makes no sense. The cooling effect noted results primarily from blocking solar radiation above the troposphere, resulting in a cooler troposphere and a cooler earth. the drop in both allows the equilibrium to shift and stabilize at a lower level. This is readily demonstrated by observations following Mt. Pinatubo's eruption in 1991, which are welldocumented. The presence of aerosols in the stratosphere results in cooling in both the troposphere and the surface.

But we are seeing rising surface temperatures and cooling tropospheric temperatures. How can this be?

Let's look at the thermodynamics again. We said that heat transfer is driven by temperature differential. We are begining to see a larger differential, so it stands to reason that the energy transfer rate has increased as well. remember that the earth is in equilibrium with energy input from the sun equalling energy radiated into space. If we are radiating more energy, then we must also be recieving more energy; otherwise the earth would be cooling. Let's take a look at the amount of energy the sun is sending us. Lo and behold, we find that we are in a peak of solar energy output. In fact, if we graph what we know of global surface temperature against solar activity, we find a very close correlation. The following chart, reproduced from this site, and originating from

Baliunas, S. and Soon, W. (1995) Astrophysical Journal 450, 896-901; Christensen, E. and Lassen, K. (1991) Science 254, 698-700; [sbaliunas, wsoon@cfa.harvard.edu].

demonstrates this correlation.

Thermodynamically, it all makes sense. More energy is transferred from the sun to the earth, resulting in a higher surface temperature, which causes a higher differential temperature from the earth to the stratosphere, resulting in more heat being radiated out, maintaining equilibrium.

Anybody still awake?

Good, cause now it gets really fun. The enviros will cry out at this point about the "tons of emmissions we are producing every year, through our wasteful ways, our SUV's, and such. Surely that has some effect?"

Well, let's take a look. The accepted figure for human related CO2 emissions is 5.5 gigatons of carbon per year. That's 11 trillion pounds of carbon! That's monstrous, isn't it?

Well, not really. The atmosphere already contains about 750 gigatons of carbon. In addition, the earth exchanges about 150 gigatons of carbon with the atmosphere yearly. So we have an equilibrium of 750 gigatons, with a dynamic exchange of 150 gigatons, and we are worried about 5.5 gigatons?

Ok, if CO2 emissions were the only factor in the greenhouse equation, then we might need to worry in 300-400 years. The cumulative effects could begin to cause problems in that time span, but that hardly means we need to panic now.

However, CO2 is not the only factor. In fact, it is a minimal factor in the overall greenhouse effect. Water vapor, both as humidity and cloud cover, represents a tremendous heat shield and far outweigh the effects of CO2. Even a massive increase in atmospheric CO2 would only have a small effect on the greenhouse effect.

So, why the big fuss? If there's nothing to worry about, why are all the scientists concerned?

Well, first, not all the scientists are concerned, and some who were are no longer as concerned. Remember, scientists are very conservative. Once a position is adopted, regardless of whether it is sound or not, it takes a long time to get them to change their mind. Look at how strongly Einstein resisted quantum theory. Add to this natural conservatism the current political and ideological climate, and it is much easier to go along with the flow, rather than to stand against it.

Ok, this post is almost done, but now it's my turn to equivocate. The earth's surface temperature is rising. It is possible that man's activities has something to do with it. It is also possible that this is a bad thing. But it hasn't been proven yet. It hasn't even come close to proof. Even so, some are using this possibility to extort billions from the US, and that is all Kyoto was designed to do. If we do find evidence that man is changing the earth's climate, AND we have evidence that this change will be abd, then we should act. As of now, both possibilities are remote. They are worth exploring, but no more.

The Year in Review

It’s January 1, 2003, and like the god Janus, I’m going to take a look at the high points of 2002, as well as a few choice clips of my own. Of course, since I started this at 0030 on January 1, I’m already running late.

So much for that resolution…

Well, the year started with stories of cloning and ended the same way. Clonaid announced the birth of a baby cloned from the birth mother. This seems to me to be unlikely, since they only claimed to have completed fertilization in June. Regardless of whether or not the claim is proven, cloning is here to stay. Here’s a question for you:

If you have a clone of yourself, can you both vote?

Answer:

Yes, but only in Florida, and only because they can’t count the votes anyway.

Which leads to another highlight of the year, the elections, and the Republican surprise. In spite of the best efforts of Michael Moore, Babs Streisand, et al, Republicans solidified their hold on the House, and took back the Senate. Democrats were left claiming victory since they gained more governorships. Even more embarrassing, Jeb Bush won handily in Florida.

The Winter Olympics took place in February. The highlight was a self proclaimed prophetess predicting that aliens would appear over the Olympic City. They didn’t.

Andrea Yates went on trial for drowning her 5 children. She blamed it on postnatal depression. NOW blamed it on her husband. He blamed it on her psychiatrist. The jury blamed her.

At 8:02 PM on February 20th, time read the same forward as it did backwards. Nothing of significance occurred at this time.

Lance Bass made a bid to be the first boy band member in space. Sadly, he couldn't raise the funds needed to achieve this dream, dooming us all to the next N'Sync CD.

The violence continued in Israel, with Palestinian bombers slaughtering people who committed the unpardonable offence of getting on the bus to go to work, or hanging out in a disco, or attending a religious ceremony celebrating the attainment of adulthood.

In March Rosie O'Donnell came out of the closet, stunning millions who didn't realize she was ever in the closet.

A nugget from March:

By the way, a piece of advice from personal experience:

Some little kids love to be tossed in the air and caught by daddy. Some love it when you throw them higher and higher. This is a fun way for daddy and baby to play together, but please remember that babies are not structurally aerodynamic or balanced, and given enough time between throw and catch, can easily assume a completely different orientation.

My middle daughter was one who enjoyed the game. I tossed her in the air once and she arched her back at the same time. This resulted in her performing an unexpected, although perfect back flip in the layout position, followed by a perfect catch by yours truly, who immediately announced his retirement from baby tossing, amidst tremendous remonstrations from my spouse, who questioned my intelligence, sanity, and the legitimacy of my birth with great vigor.

In May, my oldest son graduated from high school, and left for college. His younger brither decided to leave high school early, and attend college in Massachusetts. I'm either doing something right, or driving my children away.

India and Pakistan came very close to war (again) this time nuclear, until the whole thing (Kashmir again) blew over.

Microsoft announced Xbox live, and on-line complement to the XBox gaming system. It's out now, and it's pretty cool.

Cleanup of Ground Zero was completed, ahead of schedule and under budget.

In June, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional. They were overturned.

I turned 39.

A nugget from June:

Now then, how are the messages transmitted? Once the mind is in a properly receptive state, the messages are delivered via the actions of the character. Archetypical characters are introduced, and then made to behave in ways which support communist propaganda.

For example, the professor on Gilligan’s Island is a direct representation of American technology and ingenuity. He can build a trans-atlantic phone network out of coconuts, some colored vines, and a cable that washed up on the beach. He is a true whiz with gadgets, and a fountain of knowledge. But he is helpless when it comes to solving the primary dilemma, how to fix the boat. This symbolizes the futility of American technology and initiative when faced with the insurmountable obstacle of the communism, as it marches to inevitable victory. Wiley Coyote similarly represents the futility of technology when facing a natural power in the Road Runner. The tip off here is in the name “Road Runner.” The initials RR actually stand for Red Russia. Notice that the syllabic pattern is the same as well. Another tip off.

Going back to Gilligan’s Island, Ginger represents the seductive nature of capitalism. It looks great from the outside, but once involved, you find out that it is all an act. That’s why Ginger was an actress on the show. Another tip off-her hair was red.

It’s beginning to get frighteningly plausible isn’t it?

The Howells are easy, representing the useless, exploitative, upper class parasites, who exist on the efforts of others. The tip here is in the name Thurston Howell III. The Industrial revolution came first, then the American Revolution, and the third great revolution will be the Communist Revolution.

MaryAnn and Gilligan are the workers, the heart of the communist system. Good hearted, and simple, they follow the lead of the state, represented by the skipper, and do most of the labor that keeps the commune running. They need the guidance of the skipper to keep them out of trouble, just as the worker needs the state to take care of him.

July's nugget:

My mind raced as I tried to think about what I could do. Now like any good Tennessee redneck, I have several abandoned cars in my yard as lawn ornaments, but of course, their batteries had long since been scavenged for other vehicles. I had a battery charger in the garage that I bought for the lawn mower, but that would take hours to…wait a minute. The lawn mower! It has a battery! This could work! After all, the engine in a Tracker isn’t much bigger than a lawn mower engine. I went to the barn, fired up the lawn mower, and rode it down to my car. I hooked up the jumper cables, got in the Tracker, and turned the key. The motor ground very slowly for a second, then spun once and started. Victory was mine!

Nine miners survived for several days in a flooded mine shaft, supporting each other until they were rescued.

Taking a cue from the tobacco lawsuits, a fat man sued fast food restaurants for selling him food that was fattening. He'll probably win.

John Walker Lindh was sentenced to 20 years for fighting alongside the Taliban.

August's nugget:

Now I don't know about you, but to me, kite flying is exciting for about 30 seconds. You launch it, pay out your string, and there you are. The kite floats in the air and you watch it. It's like watching paint dry without the suspense.

So, I went out and bought a stunt kite....
"This," he said, "is the XJ-27. It'll fly in 5 to 30 mph winds; do loops, stalls, figure eights, dives, and will hover sideways. The control lines are 250 lb test; the struts are
a reinforced carbon composite material. They're held in place by soft rubber sleeves which are designed to breakaway on impact to protect the structural integrity of the unit in the event you crash it. This model can be launched solo, or with a partner. Just a kite? I don't think so."

My eyes had glazed over, looking at this wonderful APAAD. Even in the shop, it looked like it was flying, ready to soar on the winds, to take on whatever challenges the weather and I could throw at it. I had to have it.

We negotiated the financing, and when my credit check came back denied, he directed me to a nearby plasma bank, where I quickly and painlessly acquired the funds I needed. I had my kite.

Mass arrests at K-Mart showed us the real meaning of a blue light special.

September and the Vol football season ended before it began. Sadly, they insisted on playing all of the scheduled games, including the Peach bowl where they embarrassed themselves with a 30-3 pasting by Maryland.

The first anniversary of 9-11 came and went without a peep from Al Qaida, which was fortunate, since nobody would have noticed with the 24 hour news coverage of the memorials.

October, and the Wellstone Memorial sets new standards for bad taste, and contributes to the coming downfall of the Democratic Party.

October's nugget:

Yes, the Vols sucked so bad last night, a permanent low pressure zone has formed over Neyland Stadium. Casey, the one-armed-mouth showed that maybe he couldn't have beaten Georgia with one arm after all. Kelley Washington demonstrated yet again that he doesn't have the heart to play Division 1 college ball. Randy Sanders put on a clinic on how not to run an offense. And, as we have come to expect, the officials showed a complete lack of knowledge and vision on the field.

And that was the toned down version....

Chechen rebels took a Moscow theater hostage. Russian troops freed the hostages by gassing the theater, resulting in death to many of the hostages and all of the terrorists.

A sniuper terrorized DC, and the surrounding states, until being captured by police at a rest area. It turned out there were two men involved, and that they had links to Islamic extremists. Authorities declared that terrorism was not involved.

I moved to Hosting matters and Movable Type, leaving the bug plagued Blogger behind.

In November, Republicans stunned Democrats and most of the press by winning control of the Senate, and retaining control of the House. Michael Moore was left speechless, which should be all that is needed to give Pres. Bush a place in history.

The Pentagon announced plans to track every purchase made by every person in America.

November's nugget:

The dew had evaporated off the grass, and the sun had climbed a little higher in the sky. The crisp air gave way to a warm breeze that did little to cool me off as I began the next hole. The pleasant morning passed into an unpleasant afternoon, hot and muggy, more typical of July than April. The next three trees became a back-breaking, mind-numbing routine: Cut the sod away, dig through 3 inches of loam, then swing the pick at the red clay, and scoop the pitiful handful of dirt out of the hole. Put the tree in the hole to see if the root ball is covered yet. Pull the tree out of the hole and begin to dig again. Repeat. Chase dog away from freshly planted tree, re-mulch. Continue on new hole. Check depth of hole. Curse the day you ever thought of planting a tree. Stop dog from digging up newly planted tree. Replant newly planted tree. Go back to new hole and dig. No, the dog won't dig here, only where you've already dug. Trust me on this one. Chase dog away from newly replanted tree again. Trip over guy wire, cutting shin and uprooting newly replanted tree. Lie on the ground and curse Johnny Appleseed, and everybody remotely connected with Arbor Day. Get up, replant newly uprooted, freshly replanted tree. Continue work on new hole. Decide that the root ball doesn't absolutely have to be covered completely and plant new tree. Cover with topsoil and chunks of clay, then mulch. Dig up tree to stop child from crying because he didn't get to plant it. Re-plant freshly dug up tree, with said child's assistance. Proceed to next hole. Repeat three more times. Rig lighting to continue digging in the dark.

A CIA drone fired a missile that vaporized several Al Qaida members, including Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, a top aide to Osama bin Laden.

In December, Trent Lott wedged his foot in his mouth for the last time, and it Cost him the Senate Majority Leardership, which went to Bill Frist.

I went on a date!

December's nugget:

That’s when I noticed that the front fork was on backwards. A ha! We have found the problem. I called my dad out (he was very happy to leave that warm house and come out into the frigid December morning) and showed him how Santa had messed up on my bike. Dad said he’d show me how to fix it, and walked over to the bike. I expected him to go to the garage for his tools, but instead, he clamped the wheel between his legs, and with a grunt of effort, twisted the handle bars all the way around, until the fork was facing forward. I thought that was just too cool. Tools were for weaklings! When my daughter asked me to fix her handlebars, I knew exactly what to do. I clamped the front wheel between my legs, grabbed the handlebars, and with a mighty tug, snapped the little retaining bolt that holds the handlebars on right off.

After I got her to stop crying, we went to WalMart for a new bike, which I assembled using the proper tools.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this littel trip through 2002. I'd do my predictions for 2003, but it's 3:30 AM now, and I'm going to sleep for a bit.

Y'all take care, and may the new year bring you challenges, and the strength to overcome them; opportunities, and the courage to take them; friends, and the wisdom to recognize them.