The naked priest

The Rev. Robert Whipkey was arrested June 22 in Frederick, about 25 miles north of Denver, after an officer saw him walking on a street naked at 4:35 a.m. Whipkey told police he jogged naked because he sweats profusely if he wears clothing, according an arrest report.

- azcentral (read full story here)

The wheels of justice grind slow, but they surely do grind.

Sour tone, or lack thereof

"Democrat Barack Obama on Thursday lamented the sour tone of the presidential campaign...."

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

I would like to see a lot more eye-gouging and ear-biting on the Democratic/Socialist side of the campaign.

World class genius

Former President Clinton says his wife is a "world-class genius" when it comes to improving the lives of others.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Translation = She has a world class genius for raising taxes and exerting more government control over peoples' lives.

Mitt happens

Mitt Romney, who earlier this year had to backpedal on his hunting exploits, is explaining himself again after claiming an endorsement he did not receive and saying he witnessed his father in civil rights marches he could not have seen.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Each one of these is very minor, but the accumulation starts to give the wrong impression.

An inordinate fondness for beetles

(Thanks to Elizabeth for this link)

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/1220/2?rss=1&eaf

Interesting new development on the evolution of beetles.

Disappointing that the "inordinate fondness" quote was not included.

One of my pet peeves is the "must have" nonsense from the Harvard guy.

The Harvard guy knows all too well that "must have" is not science.

Maybe he was mis-quoted.

Tancredo

Rep. Tom Tancredo plans to withdraw from the GOP presidential field today, ending a campaign in which he failed to gain much attention or traction as rivals largely adopted his long-held immigration positions.

- Denver Post (read full story here)

What a bitter disappointment. He was good on the issues.

The Breck Girl

Edwards has said that, if elected, he would attack poverty by making it easier for unions to organize, creating temporary jobs for people who can't find work, expanding the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, adding 1 million new federally subsidized housing vouchers and creating universal kindergarten and pre-school.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Translation = By raising taxes and exerting more government control over peoples' lives, the cause of liberalism can be advanced.

Manchurian candidate for Muslims

"It's probably not something that appeals to him, but I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim," said Kerrey, a former governor and the current president of the New School in New York City. "There's a billion people on the planet that are Muslims, and I think that experience is a big deal."

Kerrey's mention of Obama's middle name and his Muslim roots raised eyebrows because they are also used as part of a smear campaign on the Internet that falsely suggests Obama is a Muslim who wants to bring jihad to the United States.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Smear campaign? What smear campaign?

Hucklebee

As far as I can tell, it's mostly secular liberals swooning over Huckabee. Liberals adore Huckabee because he fits their image of what an evangelical should be: stupid and easily led.

I guess Huckabee is one of those pro-sodomy, pro-gay marriage, pro-evolution evangelical Christians.

- Ann Coulter (read her full comments here)

And to think that I once liked Hucklebee.

Looking for a Christmas tree

Frederick Dominguez and the children, who vanished while looking for a Christmas tree, were rescued Wednesday by a helicopter from a snowy ravine, just as another storm was bearing down in the foothill region about 100 miles north of Sacramento.

- AP/ajc (read full story here)

Ms. Irrelevant

Former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who was ousted from office last year after a headline-grabbing scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer, has decided to seek the presidency - as a Green Party candidate.

"The Democrats do not speak for us," she said. "The Democrats are no different than their Republican counterparts."

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

How can anyone take someone like this seriously?

Hot Rod

.... Sean Dubowik, who .... bears the tattooed slogan, "Hot Rod."

Dubowik .... said he'd gotten the tattoo on a $1,000 bet.

"It was the most horrible thing I ever went though in my life," Dubowik said.

- azcentral (read full story here)

Hucklebee

"Mike Huckabee is the Republican Jimmy Carter."

- Ann Coulter, quoted on Newsmax.com (read full story here)

Ouch.

Harridan for President

Mrs. Clinton has embarked this week on a warm-and-fuzzy tour, blitzing full throttle by helicopter across Iowa to present herself as likable and heartwarming, a complement to her “strength and experience” message that the campaign felt a female candidate needed first.

- NY Times (read full story here)

Amazing that anyone could take this seriously.

Ken Burns

Barack Obama picked up an endorsement Tuesday from filmmaker Ken Burns, who said he was disappointed in what he called the negative tone of Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

This is the kind of endorsement that would make me less likely to vote for someone.

I heard Burns speak at Yale, and the experience confirmed my opinion that he is a loser.

Romney & Planned Parenthood

Mitt Romney dismissed a picture on the Internet on Tuesday that apparently showed him attending a fundraising reception for Planned Parenthood in 1994 during his Senate campaign.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

That was a long time ago.

The Infamous Clinton Double Standard

Bill Clinton says Sen. Barack Obama is a highly ambitious, political prodigy who is asking voters to "roll the dice" and elect him president.

He should know - that's a fair description of Clinton when he sought the presidency in 1992.

It also illustrates Clinton's penchant for rewriting history.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Business as usual from the Clinton campaign.

Dealing with ice dams

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=697660

This story documents how it is already one of the worst winters for ice dams, and winter is just starting.

Anyone who thinks there should be gutters on the new mansion in Indian River needs to read this article so they know exactly what we are up against.

The Beer Ambassador

Saturday, we attended the beer tasting at Discount Liquor on Oklahoma Ave. in Milwaukee.

The Beer Ambassador was pouring several fine beers from Tyranena.

She was a lot more interested in talking beer than last time I saw her.

Nutcracker

Impeccable dancing, fanciful costumes and sets, and the incomparable music of Tchaikovsky hold equal footing in the Milwaukee Ballet's magical production "The Nutcracker."

- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (read full review here)

Friday night, we attended the opening performance of the 2007 Nutcracker.

Thanks to Elizabeth for the tickets.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, but still prefer the old one-eyed Drosselmeyer from years ago.

McCain & Lieberman

Republican John McCain is having quite a moment. He's rising in the polls. He's got major newspaper endorsements in Iowa and New Hampshire. And now he's getting help with this state's legions of independent voters from Joe Lieberman, the contrarian who was Democrat Al Gore's running mate in 2000.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Just when I thought McCain had completely fallen off the radar screen.

Curses

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/us/18witchcraft.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1197990758-v3zvDhAhIse1bOZBeB/NyQ

Interesting article on the battle of African immigrants versus demons, devils, witchcraft, and curses.

Giant rat

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

- AP/azcentral (read full story here)

For another version of the story, including many references to literature, see:

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/the-giant-rat-of-sumatra-alive-and-well/?ex=1198645200&en=cce476f02b8aac0c&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Manchurian candidate for Muslims

Obama staffers and volunteers say they periodically encounter voters who say they cannot support Obama because he is Muslim, a claim that has been making its way through Internet sites and blogs since he announced his candidacy for president.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Obama's father was Muslim, which means to a great many Muslims that Obama is also Muslim.

In some parts of the Muslim world, Obama could get the death penalty for converting to Christianity.

Billick & the Ravens

Nevertheless, the Ravens are the worst team playing right now.

- David Steele, Baltimore Sun (read his full comments here)

Pathetic. Lost 8 in a row, lost to the hapless Dolphins, and their head coach is brain-dead.

Mr. Savage

Then, a few weeks ago, Mr. Savage uncorked a cascade of invective about Islam. Among his on-air comments: the Koran is “a book of hate”; some Muslims, at least, “need deportation”; and adherents of Islam would do well to “take your religion and shove it up your behind” because “I’m sick of you.”

- NY Times (read full story here)

He does not pull any punches.

Rodriguez & Michigan

But the hiring of Rodriguez away from West Virginia will not be cheap. Michigan will pay West Virginia $4 million just to release him from his contract, the largest known buyout to hire a college football coach. Rodriguez is expected to make well over $2 million a season in salary, which would put him among the top dozen of the nation’s highest-paid coaches.

- NY Times (read full story here)

So much for rumors that Michigan was penny-pinching.

The software spiral crashes and burns

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/technology/17chip.html?th&emc=th

Interesting article on faster manycore chips and the lagging attempts to fully utilize them via software.

Global warming

More than two miles above the Pacific surf, at the summit of the world's largest volcano, the evidence of human influence on global warming is in the air.

- Wall Street Journal/Denver Post (read full story here)

Odd that the sensor is mounted atop a volcano, but the article does not in any way address the relative contribution of active volcanoes.

Boston Globe

The Boston Globe's editorial board has endorsed Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain ahead of the New Hampshire presidential primary and the Iowa caucus, the newspaper reported Saturday.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Are these valuable endorsements or the kiss of death?

Underachiever

Huckabee, a fireman's son from tiny Hope, Ark., is hoping to follow the footsteps of his hometown's most famous overachiever, former President Clinton.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Pathetic. Bill Clinton was a chronic underachiever as president.

Eat more bison

Buffalo meat is lower in fat and calories than beef, pork or chicken, with a flavor similar to beef, only richer and sweeter.

- jsonline.com (read full story here)

Eating at the bar

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=696310

Very interesting article on the trend (in Milwaukee) towards eating at the bar instead of at a table.

Very gushy piece that makes it sound like a lot of fun.

To do list

(thanks to gurneys.com for this list)

Spring will be here before you know it! Here are
10 early season chores that will get you all psyched
up for the pleasures of spring…

1. Clean, sharpen, and oil your gardening tools.
2. Prune back perennials that may need it.
3. Prune summer flowering shrubs.
4. Rake your lawn.
5. When soil permits, till the garden.
6. Start propagating houseplants.
7. Turn your compost pile and sift decomposed material.
8. Amend your flower bed soil with compost and organic matter.
9. Start a garden journal for 2008.
10. Stock up on supplies for indoor seed starting.

More taxes

Democratic presidential rivals called for higher taxes on the highest-paid Americans and on big corporations Thursday and said any thought of balancing the federal budget would have to wait.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Liberal plans for more taxes on the wealthy always transmogrify into higher taxes for everyone.

Boy vs. moose

This 12 year-old Norwegian boy saved his sister and himself from a moose attack using skills he picked up in the online role playing game 'World of Warcraft.'

- www.switched.com (read full story here)

Top predators

An unknown predator mauled a pit bull and killed two puppies in Brunswick County [NC], and residents fear it's the same animal that killed three dogs in September.

Some residents and experts said the predator may be a bear, a wayward panther or cougar, or even a wolf because 3-inch paw tracks were found at the scene.

- AP/ajc (read full story here)

Based on tracks, it should be possible to identify which animal it was.

Democrats vs. Democrats

Now, as Congress struggles to adjourn for Christmas, relations between House Democrats and their colleagues in the Senate have devolved into finger-pointing.

Democrats in each chamber are now blaming their colleagues in the other for the mess in which they find themselves.

- Washington Post (read full story here)

They are both right.

Hucklebee

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/is_huckabee_the_new_jimmy_cart.html

Interesting article on Huckabee as the new Jimmy Carter.

Broncos vs. Rockets

Afterward, Mike Shanahan repeatedly blamed himself for not having his team prepared.

"Maybe I worked the guys too hard," Shanahan said. "I don't really know what it was, but we didn't have the energy we had a week ago."

- Denver Post (read full story here)

For two days in a row, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel listed the games as "Broncos vs. Rockets."

I guess it is difficult for northern liberals to keep all those Houston teams straight.

Then, the Texans crushed the Broncos. What has happened to the Broncos?

The Clantons vs. Manchurian candidate for Muslims

Presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday accepted the resignation of a top adviser who a day earlier suggested voters should ask rival Barack Obama if he were a drug dealer.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Interesting to note that the Clantons never had any problems with Bill's drug use.

What was Bill's comment? He never exhaled?

Urban chickens

Cities including Madison, Wis., and Kent, Wash., have passed ordinances allowing people to keep chickens. In Ann Arbor, Mich., a councilman says he plans to introduce a resolution to allow hens to be kept for eggs, and the Board of Zoning Appeals in the upscale Indianapolis suburb of Carmel recently approved an exception to city rules to allow a family to keep three hens in their backyard.

- AP/azcentral (read full story here)

Hales Corners does not allow chickens.

Emmitt Thomas

Emmitt Thomas, the Falcons secondary coach, will serve as interim head coach of the team for the final three games of the season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

- Atlanta Journal Constitution (read full story here)

I liked Emmitt when he was defensive coordinator for the Packers in 1999.

Larry Craig Christmas

More House page scandals

The political fallout over the expulsions of four (possibly more) teenagers from the House page program is getting nastier. And now it's unclear whether the tradition of having teens in matching navy suits running errands for the powerful on Capitol Hill will even continue.

- Mary Ann Akers, Washington Post (read her full column here)

If the Republicans were in control, this story would be front-page news for weeks on end, and there would be charges of a cover-up, but since the Democrats are running things now, it is business as usual.

iPod caused crash

A car rollover that killed two Minnetonka High School seniors happened because the driver was distracted by her iPod, according to the final State Patrol report released Monday.

- Star Tribune (read full story here)

Global warming strikes Midwest

Snow and ice storms battering the Midwest since the weekend have caused at least 23 deaths, snarled air travel, closed schools, left thousands without electricity and temporarily halted presidential campaigning in Iowa.

- Washington Post (read full story here)

This deep and deadly freeze was caused by global warming?

Armed guards, part 3

"Why are there security guards at a church?"

"The reality of the situation is -- it's a sad reality, but it's a reality -- there are no sanctuaries anymore. We've seen this happen in schools, in malls, playgrounds, parks, churches. No place is safe anymore."

"It is important to have technology as well as trained security personnel who are prepared and trained in all scenarios. In addition, it is important to have uniformed police officers on site to avoid situations like what happened in Colorado."

- Washington Post (read full story here)

If more law-abiding citizens were armed, we would all be safer.

Huckabee, the 1992 version

"I believe to try to legitimize that which is inherently illegitimate would be a disgraceful act of government. I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

That was a long time ago.

Jesus and the devil

Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, asks in an upcoming article, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

The article, to be published in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, says Huckabee asked the question after saying he believes Mormonism is a religion but doesn't know much about it.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

If he does not know much about it, then he should refrain from asking questions like that.

Ice fishing in Wisconsin

This is how they ice fish in Wisconsin. Compare the previous picture for icefishing in Colorado.

Ice fishing in Colorado

This is how they ice fish in Colorado. Obviously a lot different than they do it in Wisconsin.

Colorado's Fishing Headquarters

http://www.coloradofisherman.com/

Huckabee & the Minuteman

"For months now, I've been searching for a candidate to support for president of the United States," said Gilchrist. He said he settled on Huckabee as the candidate whose plans were most likely to halt "this illegal immigrant invasion problem."

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

It is a problem.

Petrino

The SEC is becoming a rehab facility for NFL coaches gone bad. Roll call: South Carolina's Steve Spurrier (12-20 with the Redskins), Alabama's Nick Saban (15-17 with the Dolphins), Kentucky's Rich Brooks (13-19 with the Rams) and now Petrino (3-10 with the Falcons).

- Atlanta Journal Constitution (read full story here)

Maybe Petrino should have gone to Michigan instead, but then again, maybe Michigan wants someone with a little more character.

Armed guards, part 2

The security guard credited with bravery for shooting a gunman at a Colorado church was fired from her job as a Minneapolis police officer in the 1990s for lying, Minneapolis police officials said Tuesday.

- Star Tribune (read full story here)

Why do the Minneapolis police feel the need to tell us this when they are not willing to tell us about any commendations she received?

Cris Carter & Son

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/341535.html

Very gushy article on former NFL receiver Cris Carter and his son.

Deer on a bicycle

Thanks to my brother for this one.

Privacy, or lack thereof

The fourth-largest search engine company will begin a service today called AskEraser, which allows users to make their searches more private.

But underscoring how difficult it is to completely erase one’s digital footprints, the information typed by users of AskEraser into Ask.com will not disappear completely.

- NY Times (read full story here)

More private, but not actually private.

Top predators

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/science/11obprey.html?th&emc=th

Interesting article on top predator/midlevel predator/prey relationships.

Blackwater

For the better part of the last year, Blackwater has maintained a conspicuous presence in Potrero. Company officials have attended planning group meetings, established a shelter and relief center after wildfires burned down 17 Potrero homes in October — and have attracted some supporters.

Sitting at the 94 Cafe, the town’s only diner, Andrew Lindsay, 82, and his wife Inez, 74, counted themselves among those supporters. Mr. Lindsay wore a pin with the firm’s bear paw logo on his cap.

- NY Times (read full story here)

I support Blackwater. Where do I get one of those pins?

Addendum: There are some available on e-bay.

Bachelor President?

The country has not elected a bachelor president since 1884, when Grover Cleveland won the White House despite newspapers huffing that "a man who will not marry a woman and take care of her has no right to be a president."

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Bloomberg is not going to be president, but he might help The Clantons get elected.

Deterence

"I favor whatever provides us more police," Graham said. "For us, more police is simply better. It makes a difference. It assures the neighborhood and prevents crime."

- DC Council Member, quoted by The Washington Post (read full story here)

I agree.

Armed guards

A heavily armed man who killed four young people at a missionary training center and a church Sunday apparently intended to gun down many more victims before he was shot by a church security guard, authorities said Monday.

- Washington Post (read full story here)

This is why we need armed guards at churches.

On relative difficulty

It ought to be at least as difficult to get across an international border as it is to get on an airplane in our own home town.

- Huckabee ad, quoted by The Washington Post (read full story here)

I agree.

Waterboarding

A former CIA officer who participated in the capture and questioning of the first al-Qaeda terrorist suspect to be waterboarded said yesterday that the harsh technique provided an intelligence breakthrough that "probably saved lives," but that he now regards the tactic as torture.

- Washington Post (read full story here)

And the alternative is what? Squander American lives that could have been saved?

World's first supermodel

One of the world's first supermodels (she even claims to have coined the word), Dickinson, 52, .... claimed to have had sex with over 1,000 men.

- Miami Herald (read full story here)

Odd claim to fame.

Grand Valley deserved home field

Was it an NCAA conspiracy that forced the Lakers to be the visitors simply to make the challenge greater for a program that has been viewed as the undesired New York Yankees of Division II football?

Or was it a plan by the NCAA to get rid of the evil empire from West Michigan before the national championship in northern Alabama?

- The Grand Rapids Press (read full story here)

Good questions.

Jumping without a parachute

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/sports/othersports/10flying.html?th&emc=th

Fascinating article about jumping without a parachute.

I am not ready to try this myself.

Carolin' Carolynne

Yesterday, we attended the Milwaukee Rep performance of "Carolin' Carolynne's Comin' to Town" at the Stackner Cabaret.

Thanks to Elizabeth for the tickets.

Easily the most bizarre Christmas show I've ever seen.

Excellent Sprecher Black Bavarian on tap.

My favorite sketches were the Siren and the Irish.

Pet benefits

Dogs and cats are often another beloved family member -- the replacement children for empty nesters, the substitute kids for young couples and singles. Now you just might be able to add Spot onto your health insurance plan.

- Miami Herald (read full story here)

Excellent.

Huckabee

Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee says he'd seal the Mexican border, hire more agents to patrol it and make illegal immigrants go home before they could apply to return to this country.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Good goals, but hard to accomplish.

Huckabee

GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday he won't run from his statement 15 years ago that AIDS patients should have been isolated.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Quarantine has been used to control the spread of infectious diseases for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years.

Atrazine

Atrazine, the second most widely used weedkiller in the country, is showing up in some streams and rivers at levels high enough to potentially harm amphibians, fish and aquatic ecosystems, according to the findings of an extensive Environmental Protection Agency database that has not been made public.

- Washington Post (read full story here)

Farmers either use weedkiller or have greatly reduced crop yields.

Manchurian candidate for Muslims

The Washington Post has been criticized for a story examining reports of Barack Obama’s “Muslim ties” — but the article’s editor says he is “a little puzzled” that readers didn’t recognize that the intent was to discredit those reports.

In the wake of the Post story, “there have been angry e-mails… and allegations that the Post is swift-boating the Illinois senator by discussing rumors at length, without mentioning whether they’ve been thoroughly discredited by other media,” The Politico reports.

- NewsMax.com (read full story here)

Swift-boating = revealing the truth.

Ice fishing, sort of

This guy likes a lot of water with his ice fishing.

Antero rainbow

This is a nice fish.

Crisis at the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/opinion/07fri1.html?th&emc=th

Another biased and dishonest editorial by the NY Times.

They always find a way to reach a new low.

As black as Barack

Civil rights icon Andrew Young says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is too young and lacks the support network to ascend to the White House.

In a media interview posted online, Young also quipped that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has her husband behind her, and that "Bill is every bit as black as Barack."

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Pathetic.

The O & O Show

Talk-show diva Oprah Winfrey said worry about the direction of her country and a personal belief in Barack Obama pushed her to make her first endorsement in a presidential campaign, invaluable support in a tight race for the Democratic nomination.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

Maybe she has a thing for the sons of goatherders.

NBC

NBC reversed course Saturday and decided to air a conservative group's television ad thanking U.S. troops.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

If it had been a liberal ad disrespecting the troops, NBC would have run it with no question.

Baseball Hall of Fame

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/opinion/08vincent.html?th&emc=th

Interesting op-ed piece by an embittered ignoramus.

Clean energy

"Wave farms, harvested with high-tech buoys that are being tested here on the Oregon coast, would strain clean, renewable power from the surging sea."

"But some environmentalists and fishermen worry that the recent rush for renewable energy is more about politics, big business and the next big thing than it is about clean energy. They warn that too little is known about what effect wave farms might have on migrating fish and whales."

- NY Times (read full story here)

There is always some opposition to energy, regardless of the source.

Ice fishing

These guys know how to ice fish in comfort.

Antero trophy trout

Here is a proud fisherman with a big 15-incher.

Unforgettable gift

The International Rhino Foundation, headquartered in Yulee, is peddling the dung of endangered rhinos on eBay -- with starting bids ranging from $100 to $500. The auction ends Sunday at 3 p.m.

- Miami Herald (read full story here)

The perfect gift = endangered feces.

Culpa Innata

I never expected that in 2007 I would be playing an adventure game that will shoot right into my personal top 5 of all time and that I will have already played it 3 times - and will certainly not stop there! Yes it is that good – certainly the best adventure game released this side of the millennium.

- justadventure.com (read the full review here)

The return of the son of the goatherder, part II

A volunteer Iowa county coordinator for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign has resigned after forwarding a chain e-mail that suggests Barack Obama is a Muslim who wants to destroy the United States by being elected to its highest office.

A hoax e-mail that has been widely circulated suggests Obama is some sort of Manchurian candidate for Muslims.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

"Manchurian candidate for Muslims" is a nice phrase. I might have to start using that one.

Do they sell "Manchurian candidate for Muslims" t-shirts?

JFK Speech on Religion

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/12/05/ap4409121.html?partner=alerts

Text of the Kennedy 1960 speech. I particularly liked his Alamo reference.

Dishonest liberals

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton's support from South Carolina's black religious leaders may not be quite as extensive as her campaign suggests.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

It would be unreasonable to expect honesty from liberals.

SEO for Firefox

http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/seo-for-firefox.html

Looks like an easy way for novices to get into a lot of trouble.

The Anti-War General

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/12/05/ap4409648.html?partner=alerts

Interesting analysis of a political ad where a long-time Clinton crony supports Clinton.

Someone would have to be brain-dead to be actually swayed by an ad like this.

Nauvoo

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/12/06/ap4411067.html?partner=alerts

Interesting snapshot of Nauvoo, IL.

Judas

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/01deconink.html?th&emc=th

Interesting op-ed piece on the National Geographic Society's mis-translation of the Gospel of Judas.

Page ranking

http://www.linux.com/feature/119748

Interesting article on increasing page ranking using free open source software tools for search engine optimization.

Absinthe

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

Interesting article on the return of Absinthe.

The $75 St. George sounds good, but seems a bit pricey.

Savage vs. CAIR

A conservative radio talk show host has sued an Islamic civil rights group for copyright infringement over the organization's use of a portion of his show in which he called the Quran a "book of hate."

- AP/Miami Herald (read full story here)

Excellent. I hope he wins.

Kaleidoscope Butterfly Bush

The Kaleidoscope Butterfly Bush is a gorgeous breakthrough—the first Buddleia to offer two colors on one panicle! Lavender and butterscotch yellow blooms blend together on fluffy, fragrant panicles up to 10" long. Butterflies can not resist the hundreds of bright florets. The eye-popping display lasts from midsummer to fall. Grows 6-8' tall in full sun to partial shade.

- http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=74166&sid=411557&EID=120307SH&eicioi=

Yet another Butterfly Bush to add to my wish list.

Mormons

Disagreement over the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at the core of conservative Christian worry about a possible Mitt Romney presidency.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

And some of us still hold a grudge over the massacre at Mountain Meadows.

A lot of ham

Thieves stole 17.6 tons of ham and bacon from a warehouse and left behind a message busting the owners' chops, police said Monday.

- AP/azcentral (read full story here)

I like ham.

Glorifying the drug trade

New mint packets being sold by The Hershey Co. look nearly identical to the tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell illegal powdered drugs like crack, heroin and cocaine and glorify the drug trade, a Philadelphia police official said.

- AP/azcentral (read full story here)

They would make great stocking-stuffers.

The most racist city in America

Spike Moss, a member of the Community Relations Council, said the group should call for the department to be placed in receivership, meaning another agency would be in charge. He called Minneapolis the most racist city in America.

- Star Tribune (read full story here)

They should stop drinking the water.

Muslim intolerance

A British teacher jailed for insulting Islam after allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad flew home Monday following a pardon by the president of Sudan, a British Embassy spokesman said.

- AP/Star Tribune (read full story here)

Some Muslims are almost as intolerant as liberals.

Liberals vs. The Clantons

Liberal activists plan to begin airing a television ad against Hillary Rodham Clinton in Iowa this week, the first negative ad aimed at a Democratic presidential candidate.

- AP/Forbes (read full story here)

We hope to see many more like this.

Texas

Is Texas about to become the next state to undermine the teaching of evolution? That is the scary implication of the abrupt ousting of Christine Comer, the state’s top expert on science education. Her transgression: forwarding an e-mail message about a talk by a distinguished professor who debunks “intelligent design” and creationism as legitimate alternatives to evolution in the science curriculum.

We can only hope that adherents of a sound science education can save Texas from a retreat into the darker ages.

- NY Times (read full editorial here)

More bias and scare-mongering from the NY Times.

Anti-Christian bias

A federal appeals panel ruled yesterday that a state-financed evangelical Christian program to help prisoners re-enter civilian life fostered religious indoctrination and violated the constitutional separation of church and state.

- NY Times (read full story here)

Divorce is bad for the environment

"Hopefully this will inform people about the environmental impact of divorce," Liu said in an interview yesterday. "For a long time we've blamed industries for environmental problems. One thing we've ignored is the household."

- Washington Post (read full story here)

I am glad that Michigan State University is keeping track of things like this.

Too many grizzlies

"We've got grizzly bears eating people who come here to hunt," said Vic Workman, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioner, who fended off a grizzly during a Nov. 25 hunting trip near Whitefish. "It's getting out of whack. We've got too many bears."

- AP/ajc (read full story here)

Yes, but according to liberals, bears are more important than people.

Kudzu

Researchers believe kudzu is releasing ground-level ozone, contributing to smog, breathing difficulties and global climate change.

The native of Japan and China was introduced in the United States in 1876 as an ornamental plant at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. It was widely touted as a way to control soil erosion, and during the 1930s and 1940s the Civilian Conservation Corps planted vast amounts of the vine.

- AP/ajc (read full story here)

Yet another cause of global warming?

Danger at The Nutcracker

A 17-year-old girl dancing the new role of the baby Panda in the Atlanta Ballet's "The Nutcracker" was injured when she fell off the Fox Theatre stage into the orchestra pit during the Sunday afternoon matinee, a ballet spokesman said.

- Atlanta Journal Constitution (read full story here)

CIDP

The condition afflicting five of the workers at Quality Pork Processors Inc. has been identified as a rare disease called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or CIDP, which normally strikes fewer than two people per 100,000. In this instance, it may have struck 11 out of about 100 people in a particular part of the plant, state officials said. It is most often a chronic disease that results in nerve damage and can lead to disability.

- Star Tribune (read full story here)

Another dread illness I never heard of.