Funmurphys: the Blog

USS Alabama

I read on One Hand Clapping that the USS Alabama in Mobile Bay was damaged. Amid all the death and destruction, I suppose that's really no big deal. But I remember the happy time and amazement when I visited it as a kid, and I remember the happy time and amazement when I visited it again with my kids. Here is a picture of my wife and son during our visit:

A Slow Nightmare Scenario

A disaster of heroic proportions is unfolding before our very eyes. The damage caused by Katrina is huge, the deaths untold (and likely to be hearbreakingly high, as in thousands) and yet the misery and suffering are not over, and will continue a while longer. A major US city and the region near it has been destroyed and rendered uninhabitable. The "chaos and looting" are only a small part of the story, and will end as the entire area is completely evacuated of residents.

It will take a long time and a lot of money to restore the area. But the immediate task of just rescuing as many people as possible and getting the survivors out and in shelters is daunting enough. What will they do, how will they live while the rebuilding goes on? How many people will return, and what kind of changes in building codes and land use will we see as a result? Should New Orleans even be rebuilt, given it's location, geography, and weather?

Soon enough, the dramatic part of the disaster will be over, the rest of the country will go back to our own concerns, and the people in the area will be left with picking up the pieces -- although with plenty of outside help.

Claire Is In

The big political news here in Missouri is that Claire McCaskill is running for the Senate against Jim Talent. Needless to say, there are different viewpoints on the matter: pro and con. I have to admit that I like both Talent and McCaskill, but I expect I'll be voting for Jim come election time. Hopefully Claire won't try to connect with rural voters by blazing away with a shotgun like Jean Carnahan - forcing Jim to tout how he likes to fish which then led to fishing-licence-gate one of the stupider so called scandals in Missouri. And hopefully Claire will pick a better color scheme than the one she used against Blunt. I find McCaskill a much stronger candidate than Jean Carnahan, but I don't know if my fellow Missourians agree with me. We did elect Matt Blunt, afterall.

No Singing Yet

The good news is that New Orleans wasn't wiped off the face of the earth by Katrina. The bad news is that it isn't over yet, as a levee was damaged and it appears the flooding in the city is worsening. What a terrible time for the people caught in the storm and its aftermath.

Hearing Voices

The hottest trend right now, so I'm told, is podcasting. And the hottest trend podcasting is "Godcasting", or religious (mainly Christian) podcasts - sermons, daily devotionals, etc. At last a new internet technology not driven by the porn industry.

All Talleyrand All The Time

French President Jacques Chirac either doesn't mind Iranian nukes or is a fool (or both). He has warned the Iranians that unless they take European inducements and suspend their quest for nuclear bomb, the United Nations Security Council will have no choice but to take up the matter. More talk, that's the ticket. Boy, Wes Craven is kicking himself for not thinking up anything half as scary as that for his movies. Come on Jacques, that's the best you can do? A slap on the wrist with a wet noodle? If you really want compliance, just tell the mullahs that if they don't abandon the A-bomb, you'll have no choice but to tell George Bush "bombs away, cowboy!" Now that's a threat they'll take seriously.

With Jacques, the real message could be that for the right price, you'll put the UN in charge and then block any moves there. At least, that's what a student of history might conclude.

Apple = Headlines

Apple is making their own waves again, this time with a filing with the SEC detailing a deal with Freescale (which used to be a part of Motorola) to continue to supply PowerPC processors until 2008. This comes after Steve Jobs shocking announcement in June that Apple was switching to Intel chips and the move would be complete by the end of 2007. Analysts were unsure of the meaning of the announcement; here at funmurphys our crack team of Apple watchers concludes that the announcement means Mr. Jobs wanted publicity and nothing else, as the news about a revolutionary (for Apple) new mouse didn't garner enough buzz.

Storms of a Different Kind

Katrina isn't the only storm out there. In Australia, a high ranking opposition politician was forced to resign his party position because of a, and I quote "boozy night out". Apparently the lad had a few too many, made a racist remark about the Malaysian wife of another politician being a "mail order bride", and not content with that, started propositioning and manhandling female journalists. Sounds like he has all the political skills to be a politician in Illinois.

And in Russia, the foriegn ministry apologized because Senators Lugar and Obama were briefly detained (if you're not the one being detained, that is) after visiting a nuclear site. Senator Hagel was also briefly detained in a separate incident while trying to leave Russia. Just think what life is like for the average tourist (and citizen), and they're not even a totalitarian dictatorship anymore. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

Katrina and Her Waves

On the one hand, New Orleans is the ultimate, no worries, be happy kind of place (in the US anyway). It's party all the time down there. On the other hand, everytime a hurricane heads for the gulf coast, the worrying starts and the warnings that the end of New Orleans is, if not exactly at hand, at least within sight. Personally, I couldn't take the strain. On the third hand, maybe all that worry fuels the partying later.

I'm glad that the worst fears apparently haven't been realized, but that doesn't mean that it won't cause a lot of damage in addition to deaths and injuries. The relief effort is already underway, although the storm has to pass before aid can actually arrive. I'm sure the good people of New Orleans perfer Katrina the performer to Katrina the Hurricane, especially her waves.

Things of Beauty

John Keats once observed that a thing a beauty is a joy forever. Well, we here at funmurphys want to spread joy, so we like to run pretty pictures. Since we didn't have much of a vacation this summer, and I never did manage to post all the pictures from last year's trip to Colorado, I'll be putting up more pictures of beauty.

When we last left the photos, we were in Denver. We left Denver to go spend several days in Estes Park at a condo at Fawn Valley Inn. I can recommend the Inn to anyone as the people were very helpful and friendly, the accommodations themselves were great, and it's just outside the north entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. My favorite place was on the back deck, listening to the Fall River below and looking at the mountains above. Estes Park itself has quite a dramatic setting, next to a lake and surrounded by mountains. The day we arrived the weather was pretty dramatic, although the clouds quickly moved out while we ate lunch and we had clear skys for the afternoon.

Given how empty all the land around is the crowdedness of Estes Park itself was a bit of a shock. We spent some time rambling about Estes Park itself, riding the tramway to the top of Prospect Mountain, (OK, I didn't because of my issues with heights and falling), and shopping for my son's first pocket knife (and T-Shirts). We stopped and rested after our exertions one day, and after laving our feet in the fall river the family posed for a picture.

Of course these mere representations aren't like really being there, but they are all I have to share with you -- friends, family, and otherwise.

Random Acts of Linkagery

Today is Friday, and that means Links!

But before we get to any, I just have to mention a referrer log result (isn't that what bloggers write about when they don't have anything to say?). I'm used to getting the occasional weird or unpleasant one, and I've gotten used to the whole armpit thing (you'd be amazed at just how international that particular fetish is based on my referrer logs), but I got a hit the other day from a search for "Maureen Dowd Sexy Feet". Yes, I get the "Maureen Dowd Sexy" searches all the time, but one thing up with which I will not put is two fetishes in one. So to the next person who hits this site with that search and gets this post, you need help. MD isn't sexy, right down to her toes, so please consult a mental health professional before you google again.

OK, now that that's out of the way, on with the rest of the show!

Tom McMahon asks a good question: Why can't the bring back the Apple Newton?

Sexy, oops, I mean Busy Mom has some reading advice: Confessions of Super Mom". My wife never mentioned she was writing a book.

The Other Kevin Murphy warns us of a pretty sophisticated phishing (um, why isn't it spelled the normal way? And if you're going to do wierdly, why not ghoti-ing?) attack. Be careful out there!

Here's a study sure to piss off everyone - researchers in Britain have discovered that men are smarter than women (that's half the people upset) but men are lazy and don't make full use of their intellegence (there's the other half).

Here's an extended review of Apple's new Mighty Mouse. I think you could safely say he gives it two scroll wheels up.

The New York Times, the grey lady of American journalism, the head of the press pack, right? Sure, especially since they have a tendency to write what they want, and their own sources be damned.

Are all whistleblowers created equal? Umm, no, according to Craig Henry. Oddly enough, certain whistleblowers are more equal than others.

I may not have made the cut at Burning Bird, but I still love Shelley's pictures.

Another symphony from Wretchard, with Donald Sensing performing the solo.

The Listless Lawyer has some results from the Barna Group's latest religous survey in America. Missouri was number one in a couple of categories, but you'll have to go there to find out which ones.

The Plame Wilson Rove thing must be officially dead, since Tom Maguire is all Able Danger all the time now. Even with Tom's magnificent work, the Able Danger story is as murky as this morning's fog.

QandO has advice for bloggers. And when Jon Henke speaks, I listen. You should too.

The King of Fools has some observations on TV violence. No, not like Monty Pythons observation about Sex on the Telly.

That's All, Folks!

The Gates Of Delirium

Is this how combat will be covered in the future? I'm speaking of Michael Yon and his coverage of Deuce Four in Mosul -- a freelancer with a paypal button who knows the military. Yes, I've contributed, and if you want expert coverage of the War in Iraq, you should too. It simply amazes me that the best coverage has come from so called amateurs - Steve Mumford and Michael Yon. Sure, there has been some great professional coverage of the war, but it tended not to be sustained, and too much appears to have been lost somewhere between the reporter in the field and the delivery in your paper or TV.

Plan For The Worst

You've seen movies that start with happy scenes of innocent frivolity and then the camera pulls back to reveal a menace lurking in the shadows that only the audience can see. The people on screen go about their routines blissfully unaware, until KAPOW! the menace strikes. I sometimes wonder if we're the unmindful characters and the avian flu is the lurking menace. Oh, there are warnings, and all the right people seem to be noticing, but is a major pandemic really on your schedule for next flu season? I've checked and it's not on mine.

I guess it's good news then that pharmaceutical giant Roche donated 3 million doses of flu fighting anti-viral oseltamivir to the World Health Organization. That way the organization is ready to fight avian flu whever it shows up and hopefully nip any pandemic in the bud.

Prescription for What Ails (2)

What should have made headlines? It would've been nice to see more attention devoted to the complexity and importance of drafting a new constitution for Iraq. But my nomination for the "Greatest Story Never Told" is a quieter one: Locked in a difficult war, the U.S. Army is exceeding its re-enlistment and first-time enlistment goals. Has anybody mentioned that to you?
[...]
Now, as the fiscal year nears an end, the Army's numbers look great. Especially in combat units and Iraq, soldiers are re-enlisting at record levels. And you don't hear a whisper about it from the "mainstream media." Let's look at the numbers, which offer a different picture of patriotism than the editorial pages do.

• Every one of the Army's 10 divisions — its key combat organizations — has exceeded its re-enlistment goal for the year to date.
• What about first-time enlistment rates, since that was the issue last spring? The Army is running at 108 percent of its needs.
• The Army Reserve is a tougher sell, given that it takes men and women away from their families and careers on short notice. Well, Reserve recruitment stands at 102 percent of requirements.
• And then there's the Army National Guard. We've been told for two years that the Guard was in free-fall. Really? Guard recruitment and retention comes out to 106 percent of its requirements as of June 30.

What A Travesty

I guess I'm not the only one who thinks the Vioxx case in Texas shows some flaws in our system of jurisprudence. J Bowen notes the unfairness of the spoils going to the first victor; Jane Glat notes that juries aren't the best way to decide every legal case -- and she doesn't even throw in that lawyers race to the bottom on juries these days, using voir dire to pick the dumbest jury they can. It really was a terrible verdict and I don't see how companies can stay in business in the long run when juries are willing to hand out such enormous verdicts on such shaky evidence.

A Third Way?

The Evangelical Outpost linked to a interesting article on the proper interpretation of the beginning of Genesis. I offer it to stimulate your own thoughts and thus without comment.

A Perscription For What Ails

I think Donald Sensing makes an excellent suggestion: form a joint information office to distribute information from the executive branch withou the filter of the media.

On a similar note, I can't help but think that a lot of anti-americanism in the rest of the world is supported by overwhelming presentation of negative info in the American media. Yes, there is plenty of what I see as plain anti-americanism as well, but I'm talking about the inherent bias of what is news or what makes a good story. Scientists spending years in researching, developing, testing, and then selling a breakthrough drug -- seen any movies or TV shows about that? On the other hand, I've seen plenty of good movies about doctors and pharmacuetical companies conspiring to kill critics of flawed drugs -- The Fugitive is a prime example.

Ignore Him

Carl already took the position on this blog that we should have nothing more to do with Pat Roberston, so I'll only note in passing that his latest remarks about "taking out" Hugo Chavez should likewise be dismissed and ignored -- ignored in the sense of have nothing to do with them, not pretend they didn't occur.

A Good Cause

It's not too late to help out -- you can still donate to Charles Austin's Muscular Distrophy appeal. While I've contributed already, I had been planning on swooping down and being the one whose contribution put him over the top, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Charles has threatened to stop blogging (again), so don't blame me if he falls silent (again).

While you're there, don't forget the 70's lyric contest -- I think he made them harder this time. Now that I've finally gotten the lyrics to Lay Down by the Strawbs out of my head, I think I can get some.

What News Is

I'm not the only person unhappy with the coverage the Western press provides on the war on terror. As Army Capt. Sherman Powell told Today Show host Matt Lauer in in response to his question how troop morale could be so high, given the problems in Iraq:

"If I got my news from the newspapers also, I'd be pretty depressed as well. Those of us who've actually had a chance to get out and go on patrols and meet the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police and go on patrols with them, we are very satisfied with the way things are going here."

A large part of the problem is the divergent aims of terrorist groups in Iraq and the coalition forces - one is simply out to kill and terrorize and intimidate; the other is out to build a new civil society. The former is much easier to cover and so leads and dominates the coverage. The latter is much harder because it is so much more varied, much more widespread, and considered "normal" and thus not news. How can killing terorrists, finding and destroying arms caches, building infrastructure like power or sewage treatment plants, and holding elections all be a single aim? By and large for the press, if it can't be covered simply, it isn't covered at all.

So this morning my local paper's WOT terror coverage consisted of an article about how 4 US soldiers were killed in Afganistan and how the things are getting worse there. Where is the story about how US and Afgan forces killed 105 terrorists in the same area that the 4 US soldiers were killed -- I guess that somehow wasn't news.

Skin Embryonic Stem Cell Fusion

Good news on the stem cell front - a Harvard group claims that they can turn skin cells into embryonic stem cells without having to form an embryo first. Instead, they fuse a skin cell with an existing stem cell and the result is an embryonic stem cell with the DNA of the skin cell (and thus the person who provided the skin cell). But before you get your hopes up that Aunt Jenny is going to walk tomorrow, the cells aren't exactly usable in humans because they are hybrids and the embryonic stem cell nucleus has to be removed before it can be used. So this is step on in a multi-step process. But at least it's a journey I don't object to.

Keep Trucking

I read a thoughtful entry at Crooked Timber yesterday, and lo and behold Armed Liberal provides the answer I didn't have time to. Now that's the kind of discussion we should be having.

Back To School

The Fruit of the Murphy Loins moved up in school this year; one started high school and the other started middle school. I don't know if the change is more wrenching for them or me. OK, me. My father, shortly after my daughter first started school, mentioned that the drumbeat of time was at the loudest and steadiest when your kids were in school. And the drums are beating quite loudy and quickly these days. I was at my maudlin best when telling my daughter, after her first day of orientation, that she had taken a big step on the road to independence and leaving the nest (and me) behind.

I don't worry about the Fruit as much as my wife, but I do worry. I just try to take the occasional day off from worrying. I was nervous about my son, as he didn't have many friends on his "team". While he wouldn't comment beyond the standard "fine", he was full of spunk after his first day, so I'm worrying a lot less. I figure if things had gone poorly, he would have been hangdog. It seems the excitement of the new school with its expanded opportunities is beating the friends thing; I just hope he makes new ones before the novelty wears off.

My daughter went to "Spirit Night", and made it clear that she prefered that her parents not attend. So we didn't. The school held an orientation meeting for us parents earlier in the week, and the principle invited us to come up to school anytime. Why, it was fine with the administration and faculty if we came to freshman orientation the next day if we so desired, but he doubted our child would ever forgive us. I have come to terms with the fact that I'm a huge source of embarrassment to my daughter, if only because it's the best form of discipline I have, as in threatening to hug her if she doesn't behave in public or call up her friends and tell them how much I love her if she doesn't behave in private. She hasn't risked it yet, probably because she knows I would.

All's Not Well

The smoking ban for St. Louis county failed this week when a council member changed her mind apparently because she thought the ban wasn't strict enough (I had a hard time digesting her remarks as reported in the paper). I am somewhat unhappy about the defeat. I guess I'll just have to start visiting fine scarfing establishments in Ballwin, which does have a public smoking ban.

Lake Fun

Last weekend we made our annual pilgrimage to Lake of the Ozarks with our friends the Fischers. Once again they own a lake house so we stayed with them and always had a great time, despite the rain. The have a wonderful lake view from their house and a flat back yard:

We brought down a radio controlled boat I inherited from my uncle Sam and had fun Saturday morning sending it forth onto the lake while it was still calm. Mr. Fischer had more fun annoying his dog with it I think, but the rest of us preferred the lake cruises:

And after taking out the small pleasure craft, we set forth in the large pleasure craft to explore the lake. We trailed two inner tubes behind the boat that you could ride in while Mr. Fischer did his best to separate you from your ride. We also found a nice cove to just get out and splash about in. The currents in the cove were strong and erratic as measured by my position relative to the boat riding at anchor as one moment I would be well away from it and another I'd look over to see it looming over me. Having fun is tiring, as can be seen from this photo of two intrepid inner tube riders taking a quick break:

Our further adventures await below the fold:

We didn't spend all our time out on the lake; Saturday evening, after watching an intense storm from the dock, we had some fireworks of our own. I don't know how many bottle rockets were in the box, but there was enough to satisfy all of us. Not only is a tube conveniently set up lakeside to shoot them, Mr. Fischer showed off his bare handed technique, which he could use to shoot the rockets into the lake where they made a most satisfying glurg upon explosion. Their dog also likes bottle rockets so much they have to take care that he doesn't eat them.

And if that weren't enough, Sunday morning we ignored the weather and set forth to find Tunnel Dam and Lake Niagua. After you wind through Ha Ha Tonka Park on Hwy D you just keeping going, and going, until after passing the Dodge pickup minus bed for sale you find Tunnel Dam Road and a Dodge pickup bed spray painted "free". The road starts out as the best gravel road I've been on, but once the going got interesting it often became a red clay road. On several instances we passed heavy earth moving and grading equipment, but none were apparently used on the road we traveled.

Tunnel Dam is a feat of engineering and nature both: in the 20's somebody had the bright idea of using a cave through a large ridge between two sections of the Niagua river to generate hydro electric power. So after straightning the cave and installing a couple of generators, they built a spillway dam to provide 40 feet of water pressure to the turbines and completed the dam in 1929.

After passing the road down to the power generation plant (no public access) on side of the ridge away from the lake you come to a scenic overlook where you can look out over the dam and Lake Niagua from far above or cower in fear of heights. You then drop precipitously down the ridge and wind around in bottom land until you come to the Niagua river and associated gravel bars which based upon the amount and kind of trash is a popular local partying spot:

We pulled over, skipped rocks, looked for crawdads, and otherwise messed around. But we weren't done, so we pressed on towards our destination without really knowing how to get there. Fortunately there are not a lot of roads to choose from in this relatively underpopulated part of the world, so were able to make our way to the dam itself. Hint: follow the signs to lake bypass, not access. Here is a view of the dam from the base:

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There was a lone fisherman, whose Ford pickup had a bed, but who despite the weather was without a shirt, at the pool below the dam:

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We of course made our way to the top of the dam where you could look out over the lake and examine the logs at the top of the dam at your leisure. It was a beautiful view so naturally I'm not including any pictures in the hope that you take the initiative to go there and see for yourself. You drive through a grove of spectacular sycamore trees before arriving at the dam:

That wraps up the picture portion of our tale except for a final farewell:

Live And Learn

My wife isn't happy. Thankfully, it isn't with me, but some market research firm. We both are happy to do market research, in part because it pays so well when you do qualify. So she agreed to watch a half hour tape and answer questions the next day. We watched the tape which turned out to be a lousy TV sitcom I've never heard of. At first we thought the show was a pilot that we were giving feedback on, as they did ask a few questions about it in the material my wife was supposed to fill out afterwards, but when they started putting ads in during the commercial breaks, and she had to fill out pages of product info, ostensibly for the "prize drawing" she was eligible, I thought the ads were the real object of the research. And the next day the half hour interview with somebody with a strong Indian accent who claimed he was calling from Alberta, Canada focused almost entirely with a single Ore Ida ad which I didn't even remember (although my wife did). So she's unhappy she's out an hour of time over a stupid spud ad with nothing to show for it but a chance at a prize. I think we'll both be sticking to the research where there's an envelope full of cash at the end of the session, which helps one deal with such questions "if Ore Ida was a person, how would you describe him or her to your friends?"

Cindy Sheehan

I make it a policy to never speak ill of the recently deceased and to make allowances for those in mourning. So I'm not going to comment on Cindy Sheehan directly. But Ms. Sheehan, thanks for raising a fine young man who reenlisted for a second tour in Iraq and who volunteered for a dangerous mission to help his fellow soldiers and my condolences on his death. Casey Sheehan was a true American hero. I continue to support our war and mission in Iraq, and defer to Mohammed at Iraq the Model to explain one reason why I do and why your son didn't die in vain.

But there are other questions that affect us all. For instance the cry goes up Why doesn't Bush meet with her? Ezra Klein even pointed out the smart political way to handle such a meeting -- fly in grateful and photogenic Iraqis and have them talk to her. Both these gentlemen feel that the reason President Bush doesn't meet with her is a mixture of stupidity and arrogance. Maybe (I'm no mind reader), or it could be a simple matter of principle -- you can't demand an audience of the President -- not because he necessarily has better things to do in a particular instance, but because once you start down that road there is no end to it. Who exactly is President worthy, who gets to decide, and how do they? Egalitarianism is as American as apple pie, but there are limits to any President's time. And if President Bush meets with Ms. Sheehan, who can he refuse? He'd be at the beck and call of at least 3,600 people. And if she wants another meeting again, can he say two is enough (because one apparently wasn't)? A President is in charge of his own time. It's not like he doesn't already meet with the families of soldiers -- fallen or not -- and wounded soldiers themselves. I honestly don't think any more can be demanded of any President.

And is Ms. Sheehan's pain, as awful as it is, really an argument specifically against the war in Iraq? As a general indictment of war, yes, but who doesn't understand the costs of war - the death and destruction, the pain and anguish? But there are costs to both action and inaction, and the calculus of the two is terrible. Do we give veto power to a single grieving mother? Congress can vote to go to war, but if just one mom opposes, then we should end the war - and the consequences can sort themselves out? I don't think so. So much for representative government and sober judgement if we do.

Sadly, while Ms. Sheehan's pain and anguish is all too real, her media circus in Crawford is all sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Big Blow

We got home from the lake yesterday (more later on that, with pictures!) and discovered quite the storm had rumbled through St. Louis on Saturday. A lot of people are still without power, and our new neighbors had major tree limbs down - one had a big soft maple branch down in their driveway, and the other had half a bradford pear blown against their house. I had nothing but a few dead branches from a birch, but it drops dead branches all the time.

We've been having a drought in the area, so people were happy to get the rain, just not the wind. But the weather forcasters here have been saying that until the fall, we would't get rain from anything less than a tropical storm -- which was true right up until Thursday last week. Then all of a sudden we could get rain, and now we're getting it almost every day. Last time I checked, August isn't the fall. Of course, the weatherpeople are too busy reporting on all the rain to tell us why we don't need hurricane remnants to provide rain. That's the kind of never look back job I'd like to have.

No Smoking Please

Kurt Odenwald, who happens to be my rep on the St. Louis County Council, is pushing an ordanence to ban smoking in a lot of public places. Needless to say, not everybody's happy about it. I have somewhat mixed emotions about the ban, as I'm a limited government guy but a non-smoker who really can't stand tobacco smoke. So I keep asking myself would I be violating my principles by supporting such a ban.

My one bit of original reporting is that almost a year ago, while forced to sit in a smoking section to get a table in a restaurant, the owner apologized and said he wished the county would ban smoking in restaurants so that it would take the hassle out of it for him (he didn't seem too woried about people traveling outside the county to eat and smoke). So not all business owners are opposed.

On the one hand, I don't like the government telling the business owners what to do, although after all the hoops they already have to jump through, one more can't be that bad. Nor do I like government telling people when and where they can do things. On the other, smoke pretty much ruins my enjoyment of whatever I'm doing, whether that's eating, listening to a band outdoors, or watching fireworks. And as I'm confronted with less and less smoke as the years go by, the more sensative I become to it, so much so that someone smoking several blankets away from me on a no breeze July evening waiting for the fireworks to starts is quite noticable and causes me to breath shallowly. And smoke lingers - in clothes, in furnishings, in breath. I don't think I'm alone in this, so there is a clash between smokers and non-smokers with businesses and public events caught in the middle.

I know the ordinance is pitched at the claim that the workers need protection from all that second hand smoke, but if so why are there any exceptions? Am I morally lacking that I discount that claim and focus in on the public - smokers and non-smokers? Can I in good conscience ask the government to restrict people from doing what they enjoy to increase my enjoyment? If, as my libertarian friends assure me, the right to swing my fist around ends at the start of someone's nose, does someone's right to spread their smoke around end at the start of my nose as well?

I suppose in a more perfect world, we could all just get along and figure out how smokers and non-smokers could share the air without resorting to laws. Part of the problem is that while a non-smoking section next to a smoking section my be smoker free, it's not smoke free. I understand that government can't smooth out every bump, can't make my life nuisance (or worse) free, but I'm tired of tobacco smoke. Maybe I should put up with the occasional dose of tobacco smoke so that others can enjoy their smoke, but I'm tired of not being able to breath freely and enjoy a meal because somebody else has an addiction. So if you want to light up, go right ahead - on your own property. You can even leave the curtains open.

American Moral Recovery

I'm not the only one who thinks that American society and culture is getting morally better. Check out this editorial by David Brooks at the Salt Lake Tribune (originally at the New York Times News Service, August 9, 2005):

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2927633

By a lot of hard statistical measures, we are now better-behaved than we were 15 years ago.

I particularly liked this note:
"The second thing that has happened is that many Americans have become better parents. Time diary studies reveal that parents now spend more time actively engaged with kids, even though both parents are more likely to work outside the home."

This explains why: the top of my dresser is covered about 4 inches deep with unopened financial statements, the lawn needs mowing, the garage is full of junk that I have to sort through, and that I finally got around to filing my taxes in July. I'm concentrating on what matters - my wife and children!

Worse Than Ed Wood?

David Weinberger at Joho The Blog wrote a post entitled "Worst (Major) Director in History about Oliver Stone in a review of Alexander. James Wolcott took exception in his blog so Mr. Weinberger pretty much levels both Stone and Wolcott in his updated post. To use an unnecessary cliche, it's a tour de force. I guess I won't be renting Alexander.

All You Need Is Love

Mark at Kaedrin linked to a great post at Armed and Dangerous about (some of) the motivations in Harry Potter. Mr. Raymond there falls squarely in the Severus is still against Voldemort camp (which I am part of), and I think he does a find job supporting his claims and I have to agree with him. I think Snape is a great character in many, many ways, and one of them is breaking down the bad guy/good guy duality - he's far more complex than a simple good guy or bad guy. My own prediction for book 7 is that it ends with Snape as headmaster at Hogwarts and Harry as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

The Silly Season

Tom McMahon reports on the first birth control patch for men. By the looks of things, it should last a very long time.

Ah, Europe. My liberal friends tell me that it is the acme of civilization, and I can hardly argue after the latest news. The EU is banning the display of Bavarian bosoms outdoors -- namely barmaids wearing the traditional dirndl. Not because its too revealing and thus may arouse purient interest, but for the safety of the barmaid whose bosom is thus exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. Of course, this applies to all people showing excess skin while working, so Ty Pennington wouldn't be able to work outdoors either without keeping his shirt on.

Speaking of overexposure, J-Lo thinks she's overexposed and that's why she can't get good film parts anymore. Who says Hollywood is out of touch with reality? Oh, that's right, me. Anyway, somebody who runs caption contest ought to use the photo that accompanies the post.

Speaking of someone who clearly is overexposed, apparently it's big news that some photographer got shot by a BB while staking out Britney Spears. As always, I turn to Xinhua for my celebrity news where I discover that public pressure is forcing the LA county sheriffs department to actually pretend to investigate this farce.

And Eliot Spitzer, taking a break from investigating higher profile shenanigans has turned his attention turned his attention to a radio station that had a slapping contest. Now this isn't my cup of tea (unless, of course, women wearing traditional Bavarian costumes were involved), but I don't see how it's worth a $300,000 dollar fine, although apparently it violated the laws of combatent sports. Please somebody tell Eliot about Fear Factor or the WWF and maybe something can be done about these menaces too.

I know there is a lot of important stuff going on out there, but since this is August the media has taken the month off (how else to explain the top frontpage story in today's Post-Dispatch about how while running a marathon may seem healthy it might not actually be) and I figured I ought to join them in the silly season.

Oh yeah, the Jackson case may not quite be over ...

A Good Example

I'm not a big fan of celebrity causes, but it seems that Kylie Minogue's fight with cancer has led to a 100% rise in the number of Australian women booking mammograms. Now that's the power of example, something celebrities should remember before they take on a cause.

Ave Atque Vale

Peter Jennings, the elegant anchor of ABC news, is dead at 67 of lung cancer. A sad day for journalism, his passing marks the passing of an era in TV news.

Viva La Strawbs, Viva L'iTunes!

I'm a big fan of iTunes. I've been recreating my old music library song by song. Not everything is on iTunes (yet), but they keep adding to it. So there is a bit of a race between my failing memory and the additions, and this weekend the additions won a battle as a couple of Strawbs greatest hits albums are now available. Growing up my brother and I had Hero and Heroine in our collection (OK, I think it was in his part because I can't remember seeing it in a very long time). So once again I can hear Dave Cousins voice from yesteryear with such favorites as Lay Down or the un-Strawbs like but very fun Part of the Union til the day I die.

One of the great things is, especially as they add more of the old obscure music of my youth, I can buy exactly what I want. Some groups only had one or two good songs on an album, so now I can buy just those. The hard part is remembering the old obscure music of my youth.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Sean, and congratulations on your near half-century dedication to the pursuit of excellence.

The Stupidity of the Studios

Well, surprise surprise surprise, the new Dukes of Hazzard movie isn't getting good reviews. And the review is fairly typical - mindless action coupled with hot bodies. Who is the picture aimed at? Teenagers, of course. While the debate rages about the whys of Hollywoods decline -- Is it poor product quality or is it competition from other entertainment, let me agree with both of those positions and throw in the observation that Hollywood shouldn't be surprised that fewer people watch their movies because they go out of their way to make movies that fewer people want to see, since a large fraction seems to be aimed directly at teenagers. And frankly, not too many of us adults are going to plunk down 8 bucks and spend 90 minutes to look at Jessica Simpson's cleavage (delightful as it is) and other things blow up real good. This might make sense if teenage was an expanding demographic, but it isn't. It's not like if you get people hooked on movies as a teenager they'll keep watching the rest of their lives, either.

I'm not blaming teenagers -- I'm blaming an industry that keeps sawing away at its own jugular. Mel Gibson proved that people who don't ordinarily see movies will plunk down their 8 bucks and sit for a couple of hours to see a movie that is aimed at them. Did Hollywood notice and ask themselves what demographics (not just devout Christians) they are they leaving on the table? Are you kidding? Heck, they haven't even bothered with a follow up for Christians.

Don't Let A Good Man Down

Charles Austin needs your help. It seems he's been locked up and needs to make bail and he needs your money to do so. As Latigo Smith would say, you have to give til it hurts.

Backlash Across America

Maybe some good will come of the Kelo decision afterall. It seems that people are unhappy about it and making their voices heard - right here Maplewood turned 180 degrees on their land grab. When you push anything, including judicial decisions, to their logical conclusions like Kelo did, a lot of rethinking of the original occurs.

Papa's Home

I've been traveling recently. And as always, I'm fed up with certain of my fellow travellers -- the ones who are inconsiderate. You know the ones - the people stand in front of the trays you have to empty all your stuff into to go through the x-ray machines but don't pass them down to fellow passengers and who stand right where the stuff comes out of the machine and block access for everyone else when there is plenty of room to move further down. And to the person who peed all over seat 15D - you're lucky I thought to check before I sat in it.

I also con't care for certain hotels - the MGM Grand in Las Vegas comes to mind. Whoever set up your check in proceedures should be shot, and your maintainence people along with them. What takes so long to check into a flipping hotel. Why does it take five minutes and several hundred keystrokes to type in a 12 letter name, a 12 digit credit card number, and a 12 digit license number? And how is it you manage to remember to charge the credit card for the first night's stay while you happen to forget the same reservation? While a TV remote that doesn't turn the TV off when changing the channel or the volume would be nice, you ought to make darn sure that the closet door stays closed if you're going to have a light automattically come on when the closet door is open so that a weary traveller doesn't to find something to prop up against the door so they can sleep.

I will say airport security has gotten better. No more questions about who packed your bag and random investigations into the other side of your belt buckle, just a great deal of scrutiny of your drivers license. You still have to have your shoes x-rayed, although I'd prefer they just look for a fuse sticking out of the heel.