Political Cartoon is by David Horsey. Found on the blog What Would Jack Do?
3 days ago
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Train Mooning
The California town of Laguna Niguel has a rather strange annual ritual. The annual event has been going on for 30 years now. It all started in 1979 as a bet in a local bar.
It seems that some of the local inhabitants (and some out-of-towners) get together each July to pull their pants down and "moon" the passing commuter trains. They call the annual event "Moon Over Amtrak".
Last year, about 8,000 people showed up for the event. Things got kind of ugly according to local police, with drunkeness, traffic jams and public nudity. They had to shut the event down.
This year, things were a bit quieter. About 400 people showed up, and the "mooning" went off without a hitch. No one was arrested.
Americans can find some pretty strange things to do, but I guess this one is pretty harmless. At least no one gets hurt, and everybody seems to have a good time.
Is There Dissension On Astana Team ?
Astana has shown itself to be clearly the best team in the Tour de France this year. They have not only won the team time trial, but they have a significant lead in the team standings. They also have four riders in the top ten of the overall standings. Most race followers, including myself, believe the tours winner this year will be either Lance Armstrong or Alberto Contador -- both of Astana.
But in stage seven, Contador did a rather silly thing. After the team had worked their hearts out to keep him and Armstrong in contention for the lead, he took off near the finish line and picked up a few seconds on the leaders -- putting himself in second place two seconds in front of Armstrong, instead of being 19 seconds behind him. Those few seconds are pretty meaningless in the larger scheme of the race (there's still two weeks to go), but it has created some tension on the team.
Contador's action is viewed as being selfish, and his actions were discussed in the team meeting before stage eight. Contador needs to be careful. I don't think the team really cared whether it was him or Armstrong who wins the Tour, but whoever wins it will need the help of a strong team. Astana is trying to set the both of them up as the race's leaders and then let them duke it out in the Alps in the race's last week. But if Contador doesn't want to be a team player, he could find the team either split or backing Armstrong. He can't afford either option.
Fortunately, it looks like he understands the situation. He followed instructions and stayed with the team in stage eight. Astana stretched out the field on the last climb, but then decided the breakaway didn't contain anyone they need to worry about and let up. The peloton came back together before the finish and Italian rider Nocentini gets to keep the yellow jersey for another day. He won't have it at the end of the race though.
Today's winner was Spaniard Luis Danchez (pictured) of Caisse D'Epargne, but he was not able to pick up enough time to put him among the leaders. Stage eight is the last mountain stage in the Pyrenees, and the race won't get to the Alps for another week. Stage nine has a catagorey 1 climb and a very difficult unrated climb, and we can expect the climbers to use these to move up in the standings as far as possible. Meanwhile, Astana will probably use a vicious pace to put Armstrong and Contador further in the lead.
Here are the current standings:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R)
2. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.06
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.08
4. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.39
5. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.46
6. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.54
7. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........1.00
8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin)..........1.24
9. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank)..........1.49
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas)..........1.54
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........117 pts
2. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........106 pts
3. Gerald Ciolek (Milram)..........66 pts
4. Jose Rojas (Caisse)..........65 pts
5. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)..........55 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Christophe Kern (Cofidis)..........59 pts
2. Egoi Martinez (Euskadi)..........54 pts
3. Brice Feillu (Agritubel)..........49 pts
4. Christophe Riblon (AG2R)..........46 pts
5. Sandy Casar (Francaise)..........43 pts
TEAM STANDINGS
1. AG2R
2. Astana..........0.03
3. Columbia..........4.45
4. Milram..........5.20
5. Saxo Bank..........5.24
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Incompetent Or Insane ?
I must admit I am flabbergasted by the hutzpah of the giant financial and insurance corporation known as AIG. Their financial division screws up so bad that the company nearly goes belly-up. The only thing that saves the company is a bailout of billions of dollars from the federal government.
It can be argued whether the bailout should have happened, but the fact is that it did. I would have thought the company would have learned something from its close call, but evidently they didn't. They are now wanting to pay out $2.4 million in executive bonuses next week.
That would be bad enough, but they are also seeking permission to pay out an additional $235 million in bonuses to the very financial division that nearly ruined the whole company! They are calling these "retention bonuses", saying they need to pay the bonuses to retain these employees.
Now I don't know about you readers, but if I had screwed up so bad it nearly put my employer out of business, I would have been fired. I certainly wouldn't have received a bonus to encourage me to stay on the job. How on earth can AIG even consider paying these guys any kind of bonus? Is AIG leadership just incompetent or totally insane?
Personally, I don't think any company that has received any government bailout money should be allowed to give even a penny in bonus to any employee, until every nickel of the government has been repaid.
It sounds to me like AIG has $237.4 million that they don't need. That money should be used to repay the taxpayers of the United States. We didn't bailout that company so incompetent executives could get rich while we pay higher taxes!
Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
This story proves that the old adage about beauty being in the eye of the beholder is certainly true. What one person likes, another might not like. In other words, there is no universal idea of beauty that is true all over the world.At the same time the Miss World competition was being held in China, another beauty contest was being held in the African country of Burkino Faso. It was held because many African men do not like the Western idea of beauty.
Their contest was called Miss Pog-Bedre (large lady). The contestants "appeared before the audience in both traditional dress and a swimsuit. They were then asked to talk for five minutes on a topic of current interest. The winner (pictured) was Carine Riragendenwa -- a 27 year-old who weighs 117 kg. (about 245 lbs.). She won gold jewelry, a motor bike and a selection of African dresses. She will also get free hair-dos and clothing for a year.
The event was organized by Fatou Djiguiemde, and co-sponsored by Burkina Faso's Ministry for the Promotion of Women. They believe the contest proved that slender figures are not better.
Many African men like bigger women. In Nigeria, many brides-to-be are sent to "fattening houses", so they can put on some pounds to be beautiful for their wedding.
I'm certainly not going to argue with these men. I learned long ago that the only thing that makes a woman (or man) ugly is a rotten personality.
Stage 7 Mountains Shake Up Tour Standings
I love the mountain stages of the Tour de France. It's in the mountains that you find out who the strong riders and the strong tems really are, and you cannot win the Tour without being a strong rider backed by a strong team. Stage seven was one of those stages, and it really shook up the standings.There was a breakaway that was able to survive to the finish line, giving Frenchman Brice Feillu of Agritubel his first ever Tour stage win. But Feillu started the day well back in the standings, so he only moved up to 29th overall and is still 4.26 behind the leader of the race.
One of his fellow breakaway riders, Italian Rinaldo Nocentini of AG2R, started the day close enough to the front that he was able to eke out his first yellow jersey by a few seconds. However, no one expects him to keep that jersey for very long. I believe he'll give it up tomorrow to either Alberto Contador or Lance Armstrong.
That's because Astana proved itself to be a very strong team. The peloton stayed together until the final unrated climb, but then Astana went to work. They pounded out such a fast pace that it strung riders out all over the mountain. Very few riders were able to stay with them. The race leader, Fabian Cancellara, was one of the riders that Astana's pace broke, and he went from first to 39th place in the standings -- 5.37 behind now.
Stage eight is another mountain stage. It has a catagorey 2 climb and two catagorey 1 climbs, and I expect Astana will produce another punishing pace in an effort to put an Astana rider in the yellow jersey. Here are the current standings:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R)
2. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.06
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.08
4. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.39
5. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.46
6. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.54
7. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........1.00
8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin)..........1.24
9. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank)..........1.49
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas)..........1.54
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........106 pts
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........105 pts
3. Gerald Ciolek (Milram)..........66 pts
4. Tyler Farrar (Garmin)..........54 pts
5. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)..........53 pts
6. Jose Rojas (Caisse)..........53 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Brice Feillu (Agritubel)..........49 pts
2. Christophe Riblon (AG2R)..........46 pts
3. Christophe Kern (Cofidis)..........46 pts
4. Egoi Martinez (Euskadi)..........43 pts
5. Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R)..........34 pts
TEAM LEADERS
1. Astana
2. AG2R..........1.48
3. Columbia..........4.42
4. Milram..........5.17
5. Saxo Bank..........5.21
Friday, July 10, 2009
Total Waste Of Money
Do we really need to spend a dime to know the answer to that question? Picture found at the blog of What Would Jack Do?
Peace Is Not Anti-American
This is a picture of President Obama's lovely daughter Malia. She happens to be wearing a T-shirt with a peace sign on it. But it has gotten the right-wing in an uproar. One of them even said it was proof of Obama's radical agenda. Personally, I think it's just a T-shirt. But even if it means more, when did the idea of peace become a radical concept? Isn't this what decent people all over the world are striving for?
New Taxes For Health Insurance ?
According to House Ways and Means Committee chairman, Charles Rangel (D-New York), says his committee must come up with $600 billion in new money to make sweeping changes to our health care system and cover everyone with health insurance. It looks like the Democrats are about to agree on some new taxes to fill that deficit.
I say Democrats, because the Republicans don't want change and will vote "no" on any bill introduced that changes the current system. Repubs have been bought and paid for by the insurance industry.
The Democrats are seriously considering a 3% to 3.5% income surtax on indivuals with an adjusted gross income of more than $200,000 a year ($250,000 for couples). I know the right-wingers will bitch and moan about this new tax, but I like the idea. For one thing, if you have $200,000 left after all the income tax adjustments to income, then you can afford this small new tax.
The conservatives will whine about the high taxes, but that's a lying load of crap. Taxes on the upper income groups are lower than they were when Ronald Reagan (their hero) was president, or any time before that all the way back to World War II. The fact is that wealthy Americans pay less in taxes than the wealthy of any other industrialized nation, and it's time to fix that.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also promised that the House bill will not tax health benefits and WILL include a public health insurance option. She said, "We will not be taxing benefits, health care benefits in any legislation that comes from the House. And it will have, coming out of the House, a public option. The only debate on that is what it will be called: a patient option, public option. Write in your suggestions."
I think the House will probably come through with a decent plan and the money to pay for it. It's the Senate that I'm worried about. The Democrats in the Senate have a very weak Majority Leader (Reid) and too many thoroughly spineless "Blue Dogs". I think it's entirely possible that the only thing that comes out of the Senate is a massive payday for private insurance companies, and the problems with our health care system will still be there.
We must keep the pressure on the Senate to do the right thing. And the right thing is public health insurance.
Judge Clears The Way For GM
It looks like the darkest days may be over for auto giant General Motors (GM). The company is now in bankruptcy court, but a judge has just cleared the way for a quick exit. Some personal injury claimants (pursuing a product liability claim against Chevy's Malibu) were trying to delay the sale of the most profitable parts of GM. The judge has refused to do that.Now GM can go ahead and sell those "profitable" parts of itself to a "new" smaller version of GM. This smaller GM will be 60% owned by the U.S. government, 12% owned by the Canadian government and 17.5% owned by the United Auto Workers union. The rest (about 10.5%) will be owned by GM bondholders.
With about 72% of the company being owned by the governments of the United States and Canada, it would be pretty accurate to call the new company Government Motors. At least they won't have to change their acronym -- GM.
I'm not crazy about the government owning a majority of GM. It was very expensive ($60 billion), and we have no assurance the government will do any better job than the greedy bastards who used to run the company. My only consolation is that executives probably won't be receiving huge bonuses while laying off workers.
In addition to being government-owned, the new GM is supposed to be smaller and more profitable, with a smaller workforce and smaller debt. As much as I don't like this, it was probably better than the alternative -- GM going belly-up. Our economy has already lost too many jobs, and GM going out-of-business would have been devestating.
I just hope the new GM will be profitable, and that someday soon the government can sell its part and get all our money back -- including a nice profit for taxpayers.
Tour's Stage 6 Finishes In The Rain
Stage six of the Tour de France started in Gerone and ran through several Spanish vacation spots and finished in Barcelona -- locations that are usually sunny and hot this time of year. But today was an exception, and the last half of the race was run in the rain and a cool 75 degree temperature.For a while it looked like a stage might be won by a breakaway rider two days in a row (which would be a real rarity). Scotsman David Millar led the race for slightly over 110 miles. The only problem for him was that it was a 111 mile course. Millar was caught by the peloton with about one-half mile to go, and then the sprinters took over.
The final sprint was won by Norweigan Thor Hushovd of the Cervelo team (pictured). It's kind of fitting that Hushovd would win the sprint held in the rain, since his nickname is "God of Thunder". Second place was claimed by Oscar Freire who cycles for Rabobank.
There were a couple of crashes near the finish on the slippery road, and this caused some gaps in the peloton. Because of this, some of the leaders lost some time, although the first five overall places remained the same.
There should be a big shake-up in the standings after stage seven though, as the race enters a stretch of the mountains that should favor only the best climbers. The course has a catagorey 4 climb, two catagorey 3 climbs, a catagorey 1 climb, and finishes at the top of a climb that is so difficult it is not even rated. This stage will separate the men from the boys. Here are the current leaders:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.002
3. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.19
4. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.23
5. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.31
6. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.38
7. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........0.52
8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin)..........1.16
9. Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank)..........1.22
10. Maxime Monfort (Columbia)..........1.29
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........106 pts
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........105 pts
3. Gerald Ciolek (Milram)..........66 pts
4. Tyler Farrar (Garmin)..........54 pts
5. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)..........53 pts
6. Jose Rojas (Caisse)..........53 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Stephane Auge (Cofidis)..........14 pts
2. Jussi Veikkanen (Francaise)..........9 pts
3. David Millar (Garmin)..........8 pts
4. Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step)..........8 pts
5. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........6 pts
6. Anthony Geslin (Francaise)..........6 pts
7. Koen De Kort (Skil-Shimano)..........6 pts
TEAM LEADERS
1. Astana
2. Saxo Bank..........2.33
3. Columbia..........2.45
4. Garmin..........3.05
5. Liquigas..........4.26
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Free Speech
The billboard above has caused a lot of negative reaction in Florida. Many people want it taken down. I guess for them, "free speech" is only for speech they agree with. I think it's sad these people don't agree with our Constitution.
Sheila Jackson Lee - The Democratic Nut
If you've read this blog very much, then you know I consider most Republicans and right-wingers to be nuts who believe some strange things. But not all nuts are in the Republican Party. The Democrats have a few of their own, and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) proved that with her "performance" at the Michael Jackson memorial and extravaganza.
Many conservatives are upset with Rep. Lee because of what she said at the memorial. It pains me to agree with conservatives, but I happen to think many of them are right about this. Let me explain.
Rep. Lee starts off by telling Americans that they have to believe Michael Jackson is innocent of perversion and pedophilia, because he has not been found guilty in a court. She says this is demanded of us by our Constitution. That's a load of crap.
The U.S. Constitution only demands that 12-15 people believe he is innocent until proven guilty -- the jurors and alternates in a trial. The Constitution allows the other 300 million of us to believe anything we want about Mr. Jackson, because we live in a free country.
Personally, I believe he was a pedophile who was protected by his wealth and fame, and being a free American, I have the right to believe that. I think it's very sad that a member of Congress actually believes our Constitution would force any American to believe something he knows is wrong (unless that American will be sitting on a jury).
Then she tops that by saying she's introducing a resolution in Congress to honor Michael Jackson. She goes on to say, "Many people don't understand the hearts of entertainers. They don't know how big their hearts are. They don't know how they heal the world on behalf of America."
She sounds a little starstruck to me. Some entertainers do some good work for the benefit of others. So do a lot of ordinary Americans, and they don't do it for rewards or recognition. They do it because they love their country and their fellow humans.
I hope Congress does not pass her silly resolution. I don't think his few good deeds make up for the evil he perpetrated against children. If you think he was a good entertainer, then buy some of his CDs. But Congress has no business passing resolutions honoring this pathetic man.
Sheila Jackson Lee is an embarrassment to her party.
U.S. Government Is Victim Of Cyber Attack
The United States in general, and it's government in particular, are heavily dependent on computers. Even our military and most of our weapons are computerized. If you want to attack or damage the United States, the smartest and safest way to do it would be with a cyber attack. And that's just what happened on July 4th.The BBC is reporting that several government agencies and other entities in the United States were the victim of a computer attack starting on July 4th. The known victims of this attack are the White House, the Defense Department, New York Stock Exchange, the National Security Agency, Nasdaq Stock market and the Washington Post.
The government is not talking, but Ben Rushlo of Keynote Systems describes the attack as a "massive outage". Some systems were just slowed, while others were knocked out for several hours.
Who did it? Perhaps a clue can be gleaned from the only other country that was targeted in this cyber attack -- South Korea. In South Korea, the presidential Blue House, the Defense Ministry and the National Assembly were all victimized by the attack. The South Korean National Intelligence Service believes North Korea is responsible for the attacks on both countries.
For several years now, North Korea has been acting like they are bullet-proof. In defiance of world opinion, they have developed nuclear weapons. They are also testing missle delivery systems in spite of being warned not to do it. A cyber attack is just as serious as these other violations of international peace. In fact, it could be considered an act of war.
If it is verified that North Korea is the origin of the cyber attacks, perhaps it is time to take some action against them -- something more serious than begging them to be good. They have shown they are a dangerous outlaw nation.
Breakaway Survives In Tour's 5th Stage
A breakaway is when one or several riders take off and try to outrun the peloton to the finish line of a bicycle race. If the riders in a breakaway are not among the race leaders, the peloton usually lets them go for at least a while. The riders all know that breakaways are rarely successful. The peloton can ride faster due to many riders taking the lead and breaking wind for the others.
But every now and then, a breakaway is successful. Stage five of the Tour turned out to be one of those times. Six riders took off early in the race and got a lead of several minutes. The peloton was able to gobble up four of those riders, but the other two survived and finished the stage in first and second place.
Winning the stage was a frenchman, Thomas Voeckler (pictured), who rides for Bouygues Telecom. Finishing second was Mikhail Ignatiev of team Katusha. Mark Cavendish of team Columbia finished third, leading the peloton across the finish line. Voeckler and Ignatiev were not anywhere close to the race leaders, so the overall standings remained virtually unchanged.
Stage six will take the Tour to Spain, from Gerone to Barcelona. This stage will be a little harder, since it has three catagorey 4 climbs and two catagorey 3 climbs (the lower the number, the harder the climb). While the pelonton could finish together, it is likely that some riders will use the catagorey 3 climbs to attack.
It should be an exciting next few days as the Tour enters the mountains. The mountains are where the Tour's contenders are separated from the pretenders. Here are the current race leaders:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.002
3. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.19
4. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.23
5. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.31
6. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.38
7. Haimar Zubeldia (Astana)..........0.51
8. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........0.52
9. David Zabriskie (Garmin)..........1.06
10. David Millar (Garmin)..........1.07
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........96 pts
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........70 pts
3. Tyler Farrar (Garmin)..........54 pts
4. Gerald Ciolek (Milram)..........42 pts
5. Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues)..........41 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Jussi Veikkanen (Francaise)..........9 pts
2. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........6 pts
3. Anthony Geslin (Francaise)..........6 pts
4. Koen De Kort (Skil-Shimano)..........6 pts
5. Cyril Dessel (AG2R)..........5 pts
TEAM LEADERS
1. Astana
2. Saxo Bank..........2.33
3. Columbia..........2.45
4. Garmin..........3.05
5. Liquigas..........4.26
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
It's Official Now - Senator Al Franken
Well, it is official now. On Tuesday, comedian and radio host Al Franken was sworn in as the United States Senator from Minnesota. From now on, I'll be referring to him as Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota). I love the sound of that, and I think he'll make a great senator -- certainly much better than anyone Texas has sent to the Senate in at least a couple of decades.
He has been assigned to several Senate committees, including the Judiciary Committee (which meets tomorrow to begin consideration of Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court). Franken's chair on the committee certainly won't hurt Ms. Sotomayor's chances. Other committees that Franken is on include Health, Education, Labor & Pensions and Indian Affairs and Aging.
Republicans can do all the whining they want, but Senator Franken is going to be on Capitol Hill for at least another five and one half years. And he's no spineless blue-dog Democrat. He's a real liberal, and he's not the least bit ashamed of that.
Goodnight's Panhandle Home To Be Restored
Charles Goodnight was an Old West and Texas legend. Although born in Illinois in 1836, he moved to Texas at the age of 10. He served as a Texas Ranger, an Indian Scout, and a Civil War Scout.After the war, he and his partner Oliver Loving put together a cattle drive to New Mexico that created what came to be known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. After the death of Loving, Goodnight later extended the famous trail to Colorado and then Wyoming. In preparation for that first cattle drive, Goodnight reconstructed an old Army wagon and made changes to it. The result has come to be known as a chuckwagon, and it became a necessity for any cattle drive.
He later partnered with John Adair to creat the JA Ranch in what is now known as the Palo Duro Canyon. The ranch ran over 100,000 head of cattle and covered a million acres. The ranch homes of Goodnight and Adair have been preserved by the Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
In 1889, he left the partnership and started in own ranch in Armstrong County (about 40 miles east of Amarillo). It was on this ranch that he became the first rancher in the Panhandle to use barbed wire, He lived in the frame house on that ranch until his death in 1929.
It is that house on the south side of U.S. Highway 287 that is currently being restored. The Armstrong County Museum has raised about $1.8 million dollars and has already started on the restoration. The property belongs to the museum and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The museum is going to restore the house to the way it was when the Goodnights lived there. They have been donated some of the Goodnight's furniture, and are looking for other period pieces to finish furnishing the house.
The house will serve as the centerpiece to the Charles Goodnight Historical Center. A Visitor's Center and a caretaker's home will also be built, and an endowment will be created to pay for day-to-day operations. To complete all of this, the museum will need another $600,000.
I think this whole thing is a wonderful idea. Too often, we Americans let our history decay and disappear, and that is a shame, because we have a rich and varied history that we should be proud to pass on to future generations. Charles Goodnight was an important part of that history here in the Panhandle.
I hope the museum can find the funds to complete their project, and to do it right.
Armstrong Misses Yellow By A Hair
Stage four was a change of pace for the Tour de France. It was a team trial. Each team raced together against the clock, and they all added to their individual times the time scored by the top five members of the team. The course was a hilly and narrow 39 kilometer course that started and ended in Montpellier. Several teams suffered crashes, and in the end, it was a very exciting stage.Astana was expected to win the stage and they did. Garmin finished second, Saxo Bank third, Liquigas fourth and Columbia fifth. Astana needed to beat Saxo Bank by more than 40 seconds to give Lance Armstrong the yellow jersey of the race leader, but they won by 40 seconds and Armstrong is now in second place. He is 0.002 seconds behind the leader, Fabian Cancellara. It couldn't have been any closer.
Stage five is a fairly flat course, with only two small catagorey 4 climbs. It should be the last stage for the sprinters to shine, because stage six and seven start a series of fairly mountainous stages. Here are the current standings:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.002
3. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.19
4. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.23
5. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.31
6. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.38
7. Haimar Zubeldia (Astana)..........0.51
8. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........0.52
9. David Zabriskie (Garmin)..........1.06
10. David Millar (Garmin)..........1.07
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........70 pts
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........54 pts
3. Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis)..........36 pts
4. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)..........35 pts
5. Maxime Bouet (Agritubel)..........31 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Jussi Veikkanen (Francaise)..........9 pts
2. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........6 pts
3. Koen De Kort (Skil-Shimano)..........6 pts
4. Cyril Dessel (AG2R)..........5 pts
5. Maxime Bouet (Agritubel)..........4 pts
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Astana
2. Saxo Bank..........2.33
3. Columbia..........2.45
4. Garmin..........3.05
5. Liquigas..........4.26
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Recruiters And Ethical Behavior
I ask you to consider the following story from the Los Angeles Times:"A few days after he arrived at boot camp here, Joshua Fry no longer wanted to be a Marine.
He was confused by the orders drill instructors shouted at him. He was caught stealing peanut butter from the chow hall. He urinated in his canteen. He talked back to the drill instructors. He refused to shave.
Finally, he set out toward the main gate as if to head home. He was blocked, but now he had the chance to tell his superiors a secret: He was autistic. Fry figured this admission would persuade the Marines to let him return to the group home in Irvine for disturbed young adults where he was living when he enlisted.
Instead, he was sent back to Platoon 1021, Company B. The drill instructors became more helpful, and in April 2008 he finished the grueling 11-week regimen and was sent to Camp Pendleton for infantry training.
Within weeks he was under arrest for desertion and possession of child pornography.
Documents in Fry's court-martial case detail a troubled upbringing and a Marine career that was both improbable and misbegotten.
But far from being a routine instance of a young man unable to adjust to military life, the Fry case has exposed an awkward issue for the Marines and other military services: Recruiters sometimes take ethical shortcuts to make their quotas at a time when Americans have tired of the nation's wars and finding recruits is difficult.
According to court documents, Fry's recruiter knew he was autistic. "
The truth is that Joshua Fry should never have been recruited for any branch of the military. His recruiter knew that but signed him up anyway. And this is not an isolated incident. Some 265 Marine recruiters have been relieved of duty for misconduct -- most of the time for hiding something in a recruit's background.
In 2007, there were 2426 claims of recruiter misconduct. Of those, 593 were verified. In the Marines alone that year, there were 211 claims with 118 verified. What is happening here? Are these just bad people? I don't think so.
These recruiters have been put in a very difficult position. They are given a quota to fill because the military needs soldiers to fight two unpopular wars -- one of which was totally unnecessary. If they consistently fail to meet their quota, they could possibly ruin their military career or any chance of advancement.
Most didn't want the job to begin with, and now they're under pressure to fulfill an almost impossible task. So some of them cut corners. It's not right or ethical, but it is kind of understandable. The real culprits are the people who started these wars, especially the Iraq War, and the people who refuse to end it and bring our soldiers home.
Isn't it time? Now matter how much the politicians in Washington or the military generals would like to solve the problems we have created in Iraq, they cannot do it. We may have opened Pandora's Box in that country, but it is the Iraqis (and only the Iraqis) who must put the lid back on that box.
We cannot solve their problems. They must do it themselves. All we can do is stand in the way and delay their solution. And by doing so, we lose more American lives and destroy the readiness and effectiveness of our military.
It is time to pull ALL of our troops out of Iraq. No -- it is well past time to do that!
Minimum Wage Rises This Month
On July 24th, the federal minimum wage will rise from $6.55 an hour to a "lofty" $7.25 an hour. This will only affect 29 states, since 14 states already have a minimum wage higher than that (see chart at left) and another seven states are already at the $7.25 level.The new level is still sadly inadequate for anyone trying to pay their own way, and totally inadequate for anyone with a family. In fact it is below the federally-designated poverty level. But I'm sure that won't stop the wailing, crying, whining and gnashing of teeth of Republicans and their business masters.
I'm sure we'll hear all the old and already discredited lies about how this will cause employers to lay-off employees and maybe even go out-of-business. Frankly, any business that cannot afford to pay their employees $7.25 an hour is already in dire financial straights and I doubt anything could save them.
Of course the Republicans will also try to use our ailing economy as a reason to delay or do away with the new minimum wage. Some of them have already started mouthing this new excuse to abuse workers.
John Lonski, chief apologist for Moody's Investors Service, says, "You wonder if this might be a little too much for certain employers to shoulder, especially in a time that's been marked by a decline in business sales. This might actually delay the return of job growth."
They want us to believe that outrageously high executive salaries and bonuses are good for the economy and business growth, but paying an employee a poverty-level wage will hurt the economy. That makes no sense, but they're not in the business of making sense. They're in the business of reporting ever larger profits, even if they have to abuse their workers to do it.
The fact is that every bit of the extra $28 a week that these minimum wage employees will make will be spent. These people aren't making enough to live on as it is, so the money will not be saved or tucked away (like it would be to give more to the rich). And since it must be spent, the chances are good that it will actually help the economy.
I really think $7.25 an hour is too small a minimum wage (and 14 states already agree).
Columbia Has Surprise For Tour's Stage 3
For awhile, it looked like stage 3 of the Tour de France would go according to expectations. As the race started, four riders broke away from the peloton. They were able to put as much as 12 minutes between themselves and the peloton, but it was not to last. With about 20 miles to go in the race, they were swallowed up by the peloton and it looked like the race would finish like stage 2 -- with the sprinters going for the win out of the peloton, and everyone receiving the same time.
But America's team Columbia had a different idea. As they headed into a strong crosswind about 18 miles out, nine riders from Columbia took off. Only 18 other riders were paying enough attention to see what was happening and took off with them -- race leader Fabian Cancellara and Lance Armstrong among them.
These 27 riders were able to open a gap of over 30 seconds over the peloton, and they maintained that gap all the way to the finish line. This allowed these riders to actually pick up nearly 40 seconds of time over the field and shook up the overall standings. Columbia's Mark Cavendish was able to win his second stage in a row, while Norweigan Thor Hushovd finished second.
While Cancellara retained the yellow jersey, Lance Armstrong worked his way up to third in the overall standings. Armstrong's team, Astana, is regarded as the favorite in tomorrowa's team trial, and if they win as expected, it could put Armstrong in the yellow jersey as race leader. Here are the standings after stage 3's surprise finish:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........0.33
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.40
4. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.59
5. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........1.00
6. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........1.03
7. Linus Gerdemann (Milram)..........1.03
8. Cadel Evans (Lotto)..........1.04
9. Maxime Monfort (Columbia)..........1.10
10. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........1.11
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........70 pts
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........54 pts
3. Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis)..........36 pts
4. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)..........35 pts
5. Maxim Bouet (Agritubel)..........31 pts
6. Tyler Farrar (Garmin)..........30 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Jussi Veikkanen (Francaise)..........9 pts
2. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........6 pts
3. Koen De Kort (Skil-Shimano)..........6 pts
4. Cyril Dessel (AG2R)..........5 pts
5. Maxime Bouet (Agritubel)..........4 pts
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Astana
2. Columbia..........1.46
3. Saxo Bank..........1.53
4. Garmin..........2.47
5. Cofidis..........3.14
Monday, July 06, 2009
A Simple Cure For Alzheimer's ?
According to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), "Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes." They go on to say, "Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, or loss of intellectual function, among people aged 65 and older."It is believed that the disease is caused by "two types of abnormal lesions clog the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease: Beta-amyloid plaques—sticky clumps of protein fragments and cellular material that form outside and around neurons; and neurofibrillary tangles—insoluble twisted fibers composed largely of the protein tau that build up inside nerve cells."
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's. AFA estimates that between 2.4 and 4.5 million Americans now have the disease. With the large number of "Baby Boomers" now starting to reach retirement age, it is expected the disease will mushroom. As many as 16 million Americans could have the disease by the middle of this century.
That is a terrifying vision, especially since there is no cure. But there may be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Researchers at the University of Florida believe there may be an incredibly simple solution to the Alzheimer's problem -- coffee (caffeine).
The Florida researchers have been doing tests on mice bred to have Alzheimer's. According to the BBC, "First the researchers used behavioural tests to confirm the mice were exhibiting signs of memory impairment when they were aged 18 to 19 months, the equivalent to humans being about 70. Then they gave half the mice caffeine in their drinking water. The rest were given plain water. The mice were given the equivalent of five 8 oz (227 grams) cups of coffee a day - about 500 milligrams of caffeine."
"When the mice were tested again after two months, those who were given the caffeine performed much better on tests measuring their memory and thinking skills and performed as well as mice of the same age without dementia. Those drinking plain water continued to do poorly on the tests."
The mice that had received the caffeine also showed a 50% reduction in beta-amyloid plaques. The researchers believe the caffeine actually inhibits the production of the two enzymes needed to produce beta-amyloid.
And there was even better news. It seems the caffeine may actually act as sort of a vaccine against Alzheimer's. Other tests done by these researchers showed that "younger mice, who had also been bred to develop Alzheimer's but who were given caffeine in their early adulthood, were protected against the onset of memory problems."
Could the solution to Alzheimer's really be that simple? Could five cups of coffee a day (or 14 cups of tea or 20 carbonated soft drinks) really prevent Alzheimer's, or improve performance in those who already have the disease?
Dr. Gary Arendash, who led the research, says it is exciting and important "because caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process."
But we must be careful about making too much of this research. So far, the study has only been done on mice. It might or might not work with humans. We'll just have to wait and see what the caffeine does for humans when studied.
As Rebecca Wood of the Alzheimer's Research Trust says, "In this study on mice with symptoms of Alzheimer's, researchers found that caffeine boosted their memory. We need to do more research to find out whether this effect will be seen in people. It is too early to say whether drinking coffee or taking caffeine supplements will help people with Alzheimer's."
Even so, for us "Baby Boomers", this is a welcome ray of hope.
Violent Unrest In China
Most people are well-aware that China has had problems in pacifying Tibet since they occupied it and claimed it as a part of China. The Tibetans still have dreams of being an independent country, as they once were. But people generally think that the rest of China is peaceful and fairly happy with the national government of China. That is just not true.
For instance, consider the case of Xinjiang province in the northwestern province of China. The Han Chinese share that province with 8 million people of a different ethnicity -- the Uighurs. The Uighurs are Muslims, For decades, they have wanted to be independent of China.
In fact, Xinjiang province has experienced violence as recently as last week. China's state media is reporting that three people have been killed and at least twenty injured in this latest outbreak of violence. One eyewitness told Reuters, "It started as a few hundred, and then there were easily over 1,000 involved."
An American studying in the region said he saw protesters smashing bus windows and overturning police barriers. He said the police responded with batons, fire hoses and tear gas. Then after nightfall, more police and soldiers flooded into the city of Urumqi. Uighurs in Japan and Germany said they had received reports of many arrests.
This isn't anything new. The Uighurs have maintained a fairly low-level campaign against the Chinese government, and it sporadically breaks out into violence. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department released a report saying "severe cultural and religious repression" had increased in Xinjiang province.
In an effort to get more oil for their rapid industrial growth, the Chinese have been trying to convince Muslims in the Middle East that they are an ally. The continuing unrest in Xinjiang shows that is just a lie. The Chinese repression of the Muslim religion is far worse than in any Western country.
UPDATE-- It seems the riots in Xinjiang were much worse than originally reported. State media is now reporting that 156 have been killed and 800 wounded. The World Uyghur Congress disputes those figures, and says as many as 600 people were killed.
Stage 2 Of Tour Has No Surprises
The Tour's second stage produced no real surprises. There were a couple of wrecks, but no one was seriously hurt and all the riders made it back into the peloton. There was a breakaway of four riders, but the peloton reeled them back in with a few kilometers to go and the finish was the province of the race's sprinters.
Englishman Mark Cavendish (pictured) of USA's team Columbia won the sprint by about 4 yards (that's a lot in a sprint finish). Unless he gets ill or hurt, Cavendish has to be the favorite to win the sprinter's green jersey this year. American Tyler Farrar of USA's team Garmin-Slipstream finished second. Since the peloton finished as a group right behind the sprinters, everyone got the same time and there was no change in the overall standings.
Stage 3 on Monday will probably be much the same as stage 2. There will be at least one breakaway, but the peloton is unlikely to let them stay away. It will probably be another day for the sprinters to shine. The course from Marseille to la Grande-Motte is about 122 miles and has only a couple of catagorey 4 hills.
The first real shake-up in the standings will probably come with the team time trial on Tuesday. Those on strong teams like Astana, Columbia, Garmin, Saxo Bank and Liquigas will have a chance to really move up in the standings, while those on weaker teams could lose a significant amount of time. Here are the current standings:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL STANDINGS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.18
3. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.19
4. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.22
5. Cadel Evans (Lotto)..........0.23
6. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.30
7. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas)...........0.32
8. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........0.33
9. Vincenzo Nabili (Liquigas)..........0.37
10. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.40
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia)..........35 pts
2. Tyler Farrar (Garmin)..........30 pts
3. Romain Felliu (Agritubel)...........26 pts
4. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo)..........24 pts
5. Yukiya Arashiro (Bouyges)..........22 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Jussi Veikkanen (Francaise)..........9 pts
2. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........6 pts
3. Cyril Dessel (AG2R)..........5 pts
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Astana
2. Saxo Bank..........0.31
3. Garmin..........0.44
4. Liquigas..........1.25
5. Columbia..........1.46
Sunday, July 05, 2009
U.S. To Change HIV Visa Policy
There are a handful of rather backward thinking countries that discriminate against people with the HIV virus -- countries like China, Yemen, Iraq and Sudan. But among the civilized and industrialized Western nations, there is only one -- the United States. Most of its citizens probably don't know it, but the U.S. still refuses to grant an entrance Visa to anyone known to have the HIV virus.The reason is that the government still lists having the HIV virus as a "communicable disease of public health significance". That rating means an automatic denial to anyone applying for a Visa. The law was designed to protect the American population from truly communicable diseases that are spread by contact or through the air. But haven't we known for years now that HIV does not have that kind of communicability?
The U.S. policy was highlighted last month, when HIV and TB activist Paul Thorn was refused admission to the United States. Thorn was supposed to speak at a health summit in Seattle. He had entered the U.S. several times before by lying on the Visa application, but said he was tired of lying.
According to Thorn, "The US government gives people who have HIV one of two choices. The first is to actually be dishonest on the visa application or visa-waiver form, commit a felony by lying to US immigration, and become a criminal. The second choice is to be honest, and have a visa rejected because you are considered an undesirable person, and unfit to enter the US. To my mind either being a criminal or an undesirable isn't much of a choice. I don't want to be either."
After being denied entrance to the U.S., Thorn sent a statement which was read to the summit. The statement blasted the United States policy. Evidently, the government was embarrassed by the statement, because Thorn has been notified that the policy will be changed.
I'm glad the U.S. is finally changing this law. But I have to wonder why it was still in effect. Must the United States always be embarrassed before getting rid of ridiculous and outdated laws?
2009 Tour de France Starts
The 2009 Tour de France started on Saturday. The opening leg of the race was held in Monaco this year, and was a time trial. Most time trials are held on a flat course, but this one was a little different. It was a 10 mile course and the first five miles was going uphill. The second half of the race was downhill and contained several very tight turns.The time trial was won by Fabian Cancellara (pictured) of Saxo Bank. He has an 18 second lead. It looks like the strongest team this year will be Astana. They placed 4 riders in the top ten for the time trial -- Alberto Contador, Andreas Kloden, Levi Leipheimer (USA) and Lance Armstrong (USA). All four of these Astana riders are capable of winning the Tour, but the favorite has to be Contador (who won in 2007).
Other favorites include Cancellara, Cadel Evans of Lotto and Carlos Sastre of Cervelo (last year's winner). Right now, I'd put my money on Contador. Here are the standings after the first day:
YELLOW JERSEY (OVERALL LEADERS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........0.18
3. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........0.19
4. Andreas Kloden (Astana)..........0.22
5. Cadel Evans (Lotto)..........0.23
6. Levi Leipheimer (Astana)..........0.30
7. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas)...........0.32
8. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........0.33
9. Vincenzo Nabili (Liquigas)..........0.37
10. Lance Armstrong (Astana)..........0.40
GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)..........15 pts.
2. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........12 pts.
3. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........10 pts.
POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Alberto Contador (Astana)..........3 pts.
2. Tony Martin (Columbia)..........2 pts.
3. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)..........1 pt.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Astana
2. Saxo Bank..........0.31
3. Garmin..........0.44
4. Liquigas..........1.25
5. Columbia..........1.46
Sunday's stage will be a 160 race from Monaco to Brignoles in France. It is neither flat nor mountainous. It has several catagorey 4 and 5 hills that will encourage some breakaways, but I figure the peloton will probably control any breakaways and it'll be a day for the sprinters to shine at the finish.
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