Really cool "link-to" map

I like most of those "enter a _____ and we'll show you other _____ you might like" websites, but the literature map may be the coolest one ever. It's pretty self-explanatory; you enter the name of an author and it shows you "similar" authors you might like. I don't know the algorithm the site uses to link writers, but it seems to work pretty well. It does, though, appear to be user-driver which leads to some glitches. For instance, I checked to see who the site would rate as similar to Raymond Chandler. As expected, Dashiell Hammett was a close match. As I looked around, though, I saw 2 other spellings of his name. Hence, authors with "unusual" names may not be rated accurately as the site seems to treat each variation as a separate author. Still, it's pretty neat.

Speaking of books, I just finished a fabulous read -- Provinces of Night, by William Gay. Lit Map rates him as very similar to Tom Franklin. I think that's a fair comparison, but this book is MUCH better than Franklin's highly acclaimed Hell at the Breech. To me a more accurate comparison might be early Cormac McCarthy. I will say, though, Gay has one attribute McCarthy does not -- he's MUCH more readable.

While I would label Provinces of the night a literary novel, I never felt bogged down in those heavy, 3 page descriptions of a briar thicket. Still, this is classic Southern lit, with all the crazy family members, skeletons in the closet, and beautiful language and imagery. Probably because Gay is from Hohenwald, TN, he used many local colloquialisms not usually found in more "generic" Southern novels. For instance, Gay repeatedly used "They Lord" as an exclamation of surprise or resignation. I have no idea of the origin of the phrase, but it is used in southern middle TN and Gay captured it perfectly. Finally, I probably liked the book because of the familiar geography. Though the town of Ackerman's Field is fictional, it's obvious the true setting is the Hohenwald area. Much of the book takes place in Clifton and there's even a trip to Waynesboro -- an area with lots of Caffeine kin.

Even without the personal connections, this is a good book. Seriously, if you like Southern lit, check it out. I haven't read his other stuff, but I aim to correct that soon.

P.S. One minor complaint: The book needed a better (any?) proofreader and "continuity" checker. Still, I was able to overlook that -- a testament in itself to how much I liked the book. I'm usually not so forgiving.

A tragedy too common

In the wake of the recent Hudson decision (SCOTUS decision not to disallow evidence obtained by officers who violated the "knock and announce" rule when serving a search warrant), I expect situations like this to become much more common:

Officers allegedly shoot man at wrong address
CAPSHAW -- When 11-year-old Aaliyah McCoy heard crunching gravel Tuesday morning that indicated vehicles were driving toward her home, she peeked out a window and saw vans and "a bunch of cop cars coming."

She heard voices yell next door, "Open up! Police!" and then she heard "boom, boom."

"When they started shooting, I got scared and got down on the floor," Aaliyah said. "I was scared they would come in on me."
...
The noises she heard were federal and local officers serving a search warrant -- apparently at the wrong home, and without advance notice to the Limestone County Sheriff's Department -- on Honey Way.

A couple of caveats are in order:

First, it appears the task force did, in fact, knock and announce. As Robyn Blumner pointed out last week, the "problem" isn't the failure to announce as much as it is the prevalencence of paramilitary SWAT teams serving search warrants. In the highly charged atmosphere, people (both law enforcement and civilians) get itchy trigger fingers.

Second, it's not clear from the stories I've read on this raid whether Kenneth Jamar brandished a weapon. Many claim that pulling a weapon is a common-sense reaction to a bunch of black-clad, armed men bursting into your house, but it's understandable that law enforcement might respond with force if a weapon is drawn on them. In this case, though, the chain of events is not yet clear. Jamar's family claims he is "a man with gout who can't even get up to make himself a ham sandwich." Huntsville police (understandably) aren't saying much yet:

Reynolds [HSV Chief of Police] said officers "neutralized that threat" but would not comment further, saying the Limestone County Sheriff's Department was investigating.

Of course it's too early to tell what really happened in this case, but Radley Balko, a CATO analyst, has been beating this drum for a long time. While I don't agree with the full-blown libertarian view of law enforcement, some of his posts do frighten me. Balko blames the problem on the aforementioned proliferation of SWAT teams being used to do things like serve search warrants -- even when the threat of violence is minimal. Evidently most every little dot on the map now has a SWAT team and most of them don't have much SWAT-type business to keep them occupied. As a result, they branch out. Again according to Balko, the problem is exacerbated by the Pentagon's various "give away" programs in which old military gear is disbursed to local law enforcement. Balko notes one small town in Florida that has more than "twice as many M-16s (seven) as it does traffic stoplights (three)."

I'm generally a big law and order fan. For the most part I admire the work they do and I'd darn sure never want to do it myself. Still, as these reports get more and more common, one has to wonder how far is too far. Further, when these raids "go wrong" law enforcement officers almost never seem to be held accountable (there's an internal investigation, but no charges are filed), yet an "innocent" civilian is not treated with the same deference. See Balko's long and well-documented efforts on behalf of Cory Maye sentenced to death in MS for killing an officer in a middle of the night raid. There are different accounts of just what happened, but it's hard to believe everything is on the up-and-up. For a slightly more objective (compared to Balko) background, here's a Jackson Clarion Ledger story on the case.

All quiet ...

I got to looking over my recent blog posts and I realized it's been way too long since I reported on some crazy event from my dysfunctional life. I figured I should remedy that, but as I thought and thought, I realized nothing really zany has happened to me of late. Hmm, is my weirdo magnet in hibernation or have I simply lost the ability to recognize the arcane in the ordinary? I shiver to think what will happen once the dam bursts and the "weirdness" returns. In the meantime, ...

I saw this story on Kevin Federline (aka Mr. Britney Spears) joining the campaign to save the penny. I apologize for even mentioning him, but I talk about the looming disappearance of the penny in my macro classes, so this caught my eye. My favorite part? When Mr. Federline explained his affinity for the coin:

"You know I think, it has a monumental value to it, you know, it's gotta stick around," he told Access Hollywood yesterday in New York. "I remember when I was a kid we used to fill the jars up with pennies, you know. We'd save like $60 or $70. And when you're a child, you know, and you get that kind of money after saving for six months, seven months, throwing a bunch of pennies in a jar, you know, it pays off...

First off, how is this relevant to whether the penny should continue to be minted today? I mean just because he saved up pennies and bought things of value when he was a kid, how does that lead to the conclusion that we should keep producing pennies (at a cost of 1.4 cents per penny) in 2006? Second, what kind of childhood did he have where he routinely saved up $60 or $70 every few months? I don't recall childhood coin scrounging being that lucrative. Regardless, I'm glad to see K-Fed (as some evidently call him) is lending his "celebrity" profile to a noble cause. Oh, in a sure sign that America has too much free time on its hands -- there's a retire the penny and a save the penny organization. Sheesh.

While it's WAY to hot for me to hike out in the woods on a camping trip right now, I do like this sarcastic reminder that not everyone has the same thing in mind when "camping" is mentioned:

Bringing proper gear
Sure, as you're unpacking your gear, you might think: "Did I really need a massage chair? Was it a little over the top to bring the queen-size inflatable Eddie Bauer Raised Insta-Bed and the two-sink collapsible "gourmet kitchen" and all those backpacker's martini glasses that nest together so nicely and are made of incredibly durable Lexan? polycarbonate?" The answer is, you're going camping, not joining a monastery. The outdoors is the new indoors, which means you'll need all the gear you can possibly fit in the trailer you'll be pulling behind your car. But if you really insist on "going native," don't bring the champagne flutes.

Backcountry camping
This is when you go someplace that lacks a store, showers, volleyball court, swimming pool and amphitheater. Never advised.

If bitten by a snake
You'll probably die horribly, but there are fabulous social opportunities in the meantime as you search for someone to suck out the venom. [There just HAD to be a snake reference, didn't there?]

Finally, I'm going to brew up a new batch of beer in a couple of weeks. This time I've got some volunteer help coming down from TN. Problem is, I'm not 100% set on just which beer I want to make. Since it's summer, I'm not going to attempt a dark ale and, in fact, I'm leaning toward a light ale . Of course, I usually prefer ambers to light ales. Right now I think the front runner is a nut brown ale. I've always had pretty good luck with brown ales and this one sounds good. If you want to check out the possibilities above, feel free to chime in with your own suggestions.

P.S. I just realized that I shouldn't be freaking out about my weirdo magnet hibernation. This weekend is the 4th of July Family Reunion and Hog Roast -- weirdness will be rampant. If that weren't enough -- this year's event will be followed by the wedding of a Caffeine cousin! Problem will be solved anon.

What the @#$%?

As you may remember, I recently opined that all "intellectually serious" 2008 candidates need to take a realistic view of international trade/globalization. In that post I mentioned I was heartened by John McCain's speech on the subject and I even gave a nod to Hillary Clinton's somewhat supportive remarks. I didn't mention it at the time, but I was a bit leery of Hillary's remarks as she seemed to view globalization as a necessary evil/inescapable threat rather than as an opportunity, but I still gave her credit for a realistic view of the modern world. Now I see this regarding Hillary's support of a 108.3% tariff on Chinese candlemakers!?!?

A little background, ...

In 1845, French economist Frederic Bastiat penned a parodic petition (how 'bout that alliteration) to the French government seeking protection from unfair "foreign" competition for the candle/lamp industry in France. Who was beating up on French light makers? The sun! His appeal waparticularlyry eloquent:

You are on the right track. You reject abstract theories and little regard for abundance and low prices. You concern yourselves mainly with the fate of the producer. You wish to free him from foreign competition, that is, to reserve the domestic market for domestic industry ...

We are suffering from the ruinous competition of a rival who apparently works under conditions so far superior to our own for the production of light that he is flooding the domestic market with it at an incredibly low price; for the moment he appears, our sales cease, all the consumers turn to him, and a branch of French industry whose ramifications are innumerable is all at once reduced to complete stagnation. This rival, which is none other than the sun, is waging war on us ...

What was Bastiat's proposed remedy?

We ask you to be so good as to pass a law requiring the closing of all windows, dormers, skylights, inside and outside shutters, curtains, casements, bull's-eyes, deadlights, and blinds -- in short, all openings, holes, chinks, and fissures through which the light of the sun is wont to enter houses, to the detriment of the fair industries with which, we are proud to say, we have endowed the country, a country that cannot, without betraying ingratitude, abandon us today to so unequal a combat.

I (and a great many other econ instructors) use Bastiat's petition as a wonderful illustration of how ludicrous the "protection" arguments are if taken to their extremes. I never thought, though, that I'd have such a perfect real-world example to reinforce Bastiat's point. I guess I should thank Hillary for that, but I am becoming more disappointed in her daily. For the most part I've respected her "across the aisle" work as a Senator and I figured the odds were good I'd end up supporting her in '08 (please don't tell Caffeine Mom), but lately she's gone nutty. First there was her support for the flag burning amendment and now this (shortly after her speech about facing up to global competition)? I know she is (smartly) shifting to the center, but this is getting ridiculous. How are we supposed to know what she believes?

Oh, back to her support of the candle tariff, ... Here's her spin:

"This is a real victory for the Syracuse candle-making industry. Our manufacturers deserve a level playing field and we owe it to them to make sure that others do not unfairly circumvent our fair trade practices," Senator Clinton said. "Syracuse has a proud history of candle production but attempts by importers to undercut our producers have put that tradition at risk. I am pleased that the Department of Commerce heeded our call to take action against these unfair practices and recognized the importance of this decision to local producers, especially here in Syracuse. "

Yes, and we USED TO HAVE a proud history of:

• buggy whip production until the automobile came along
• ice house production until home freezers came along
• 8-track tape production until the cassette came along
• cassette tape production until the CD came along
• CD production until ...

All these changes destroyed someone's traditional industry, but if we had protected them we'd still be riding in our buggies, down to the ice house, listening to Foghat on the horse-powered 8-track player.

Seriously, if you have any interest, read the whole thing from Cato. It's pretty good.

How YOU doin'?

That title is supposed to be read in a Joey Tribbiani voice. He's the first person I thought of when I read about this startling headline in today's paper -- Men Assume Sexual Interest When There May Be None:

Even when they're seated across a table from each other in a first-time, five-minute conversation, a man tends to sexualize a woman and incorrectly assume sexual interest on her part, new research finds.

Okay, maybe men just react to "signals" while women are more cautious? Nah:

"It wasn't that men over-sexualized women only when there was chemistry," he explained. "Their ratings in terms of sexiness did not have a lot to do with whether she was extroverted, agreeable, or whether she behaved in particularly friendly ways."

Okay I'm thinking the good old "obvious theorem" might explain these results, but Prof. Levesque reaches a conclusion I think is a little creepy for a research scientist:

Levesque doesn't know why all the men in the study seemed to over-sexualize women, but he speculated that "it's got to be something about socialization, that men are being taught in some way to view women as sexual objects."

Now I don't doubt his conclusion might be true, but what bothers me is his claim that "it's got to be ... that men are being taught in some way to view women as sexual objects." Biology? Neurology? Chemistry? No! Prof. Levesque has ruled out all those in favor of a "socialization" explanation. It's funny that the very next paragraph in the story cites a chemistry professor who says, "two chemical routes to sexual arousal help explain the study findings." My off-the-cuff opinion is that there likely are multiple explanations (nature AND nurture) for the findings, but that "got to be socialization" explanation makes me think that good old Professor Levesque might have had this conclusion in mind all along.

Regardless, my favorite part is the advice Levesque offers:

For men, he said: "Don't think every women you meet is attracted to you." ... That may not be the case.

For women, Levesque said, the best advice "may be understanding that more often than not he is going to be thinking in sexual terms."

Safety first, last, and forever

Given my past adventures in the woods, I was drawn to this story in yesterday's Huntsville Times -- Wilderness adventures needn't be full of peril. I thought I might pick up some tips. What I picked up instead was a feeling that after reading this no sane person would ever want to go in the woods. I did, though appreciate this tip from Dr. John Ennis, an expert in wilderness first aid (don't know how one earns that title):

Never pick up a snake.

Gee, thanks Doc.

If the story itself doesn't scare you off the woods, there were a couple of sidebars where Dr. Ennis offered advice on stocking a first aid kit for wilderness treks. I agree this is a noble idea and I usually pack an above average amount of first aid stuff with me on my hikes. Ennis, though, goes a little too far. Seriously, here is his recommended checklist:

• Sunscreens: at least SPF 25 to 30 and waterproof.
• Insect repellents: Products containing DEET are best …
• Books:
  "Wilderness First Aide and Field Guide"
  "Field Guide for Wilderness Travelers, Outdoor Professionals and Rescue Specialists"
• Gloves. Two pair latex or vinyl to protect from blood or other body fluids.
• Mouth barrier: for CPR. These can be bought packaged with sterile gloves.
• Athletic or cloth tape: 1-to-11/2-inch tape (two rolls) for dressing or taping a sprained ankle.
• Elastic wrap: Ace bandage or equivalent (two rolls 4-inches wide) for pressure dressings and to hold splint in place.
• Gauze pads: 4-by-4-inch (10 pads) for wounds.
• Sanitary napkin or surgipad: Classic Kotex pad can be used for larger wounds.
• Roller gauze: (two 4-inch rolls). These hold dressings in place.
• Safety pins: Six large to drain blisters, make an arm sling, and hold bandages.
• Triangular bandages: (two 40 inches on a side) for sling and swath, and cravat bandages.
• Band-Aids or equivalent: (10 minimum) to cover small wounds.
• Moleskin, Molefoamor gel pads: at least three for hot-spots and blisters on feet.
• Tweezers: to remove splinters and foreign bodies.
• Small scissors: for cutting bandages and to shape moleskin.
• Alcohol and/or iodine wipes: (20) for wound cleaning.
• Germacidal cleanser: Hibiclens or Betadine skin cleanser (2 ounces)
• Antibiotic ointment: Polysporin, Neosporin, Betadine (povidone iodine), or equivalent.
• Scapel blade: (2) in individual sterile packets for blisters and splinters.
• Pencil and paper: for recording injuries and vital signs.
• SAM SPLINT: (36 inches) one for every four individuals for splinting musculoskeletal injuries or snakebites.
• Acetaminophen tablets, 500 mg. (Tylenol or equivalent)
• Ibuprofen tablets, 300 mg. (Motrin or equivalent)
• Naproxen tablets, 220 mg. (Aleve or equivalent)
• Antacid tablets (Tums or equivalent)
• Acid reducer tablets, (Pepcid AC, Zantac or equivalent)
• Milk of magnesia liquid, 8 ounces.
• Bismuth Liquid, 16 ounces, or tablets (Pepto-Bismol Liquid/Tablets or equivalent)
• Calamine or Sarna lotion
• 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, 30 gram tube
• Diphenhyradmine tablets, 25 mg. (Benadryl capsules or equivalent)
• Eugenol or oil of cloves (for toothache)
• Eye drops with tetrahydrozoline, 1 ounce (Murine or equivalent)
• Artificial tears eye drops
• VoSol Otic Solution or equivalent (for swimmer's ear)
• Anti-diarrheal tablets with loperamide, 2 mg. (Lomotil or equivalent)
• Cough syrup with dextromethorphan and guaifenesin, 8 ounces (Robitussin DM or equivalent)
• Oxymetazoline Nasal Spray, (Afrin or equivalent)
• Plastic magnifying lens for examination of eyes and wounds

C'mon, that's just ridiculous! No one is going to haul all that crap into the woods. I'm also pretty sure I'm not going to go buy a box of "Classic Kotex Pads" to treat larger wounds. I'm sure that'd go over real well with the woodsy crowd. Geesh, no wonder folks today don't go play in the woods. The "experts" make it out to be such a scary place. Wear sturdy shoes, take plenty of water and some snacks, and stay on trails if you don't know the area. It really can be that simple. Of course I'm not an expert in wilderness first aid, but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.

2008 talk already?

Sorry but I seem to be on a political bent of late. Plus, since I'm short of blogging time these days, I love to take opportunities to mooch off others. So, here's Greg Mankiw via Daniel Drezner on things he's looking for in a 2008 candidate of either party:

John McCain gave a speech to the Economic Club of New York yesterday....

The whole speech is worth reading. Here are my two favorite passages:

1. A tsunami of entitlement spending is threatening our economy, while providing no real security to retirees. We have made promises that we cannot keep. Under moderately optimistic scenarios Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will in the decades to come grow as large as the entire government is today. Someday the government will be forced to make drastic cuts in these programs, or crippling increases in taxes on workers – or both. The longer we
   wait to make the hard choices necessary to repair these programs, the harder the problem becomes. My children and their children will not receive the benefits we will enjoy. That is an inescapable fact, and any politician who tells you otherwise, Democrat or Republican, is lying....
   
2. A global rising tide of protectionism and a retreat from market-based economic policy is threatening the entrepreneurs of developed and developing countries alike. Free trade is the key to global economic growth, and a key to U.S. economic success. We need stand up for free trade with no ifs, ands or buts about it. We let trade and globalization be politicized at our own peril.
   

By my reckoning, any candidate who is not willing to put some version of
these two paragraphs into his or her speeches doesn't pass the test of
intellectual seriousness.

I couldn't agree more. Seriously, these are two issues on which we must move past populism and soundbites and get to the heart of the matter. Dan Drezner points out that Hillary recently gave a speech touching on similar issues to the Economic Club of Chicago.

So two of the early frontrunners seem to be talking about issues of concern to me. I should be pleased, right? Well I guess I am, but I'm also skeptical. Both McCain and Clinton were speaking to "economic clubs" so I suspect their messages may have been tailored to their audiences. I would be more pleased if I didn't think they'll both waffle when/if they get to Iowa -- where entitlements and anti-globalization both will be popular issues.

Monday's dose of hyperbole

Man, I just love a good "the sky is falling" moment. Today's comes from the always level-headed folks at The Independent and it involves a shakeup at the International Whaling Commission. Now from a little outside reading I've done, it seems that the pro-whaling countries have just flat out bribed their way to a majority on the IWC. The most blatant example seems to be the Japanese -- they sponsor teeny tiny states for membership, pay their dues, and then offer them generous "assistance/development packages" and oh, by the way, these countries always vote in Japan's favor. I know this stuff goes on, but this just seems a little too "out in the open" for me.

Anyway, back to The Independent's falling sky:

The environment movement suffered one of its greatest reverses late last night when pro-whaling countries, led by Japan, gained control of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and immediately began undermining the 20-year-old international whaling moratorium.

Sounds like pretty serious bad news for Willie and his buddies, huh? Er, not quite. A little later in the story:

The simple 51 per cent majority they have now secured will not allow them to scrap the moratorium directly - for that they need a majority of 75 per cent.

Oh, and then there's this admisstion:

The vote is largely symbolic and does not mean an imminent start to commercial whaling.

So one of the environment movement's GREATEST REVERSES in actuality is a symbolic act that in no way affects the current whaling ban?!?! Of course.

Now in all seriousness, I have no doubt Japan and its Scandanavian allies will try to get the maratorium lifted and this vote does show the bloc is gaining power. The wailing and gnashing of teeth, however, seems a mite overblown. Further, not all whales are endangered and while many of us may squirm at the notion of eating the majestic whale, I'm sure Hindus feel the same way about my enjoyment of a Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jonesing to start chomping whale, but I think it's a little ethnocentric to assume it's inherently wrong to do so.

Politically, I'm a fairly strong (by American standards) pro-envirnoment and conservation voter, but I'm not a reflexively evnvironomental voter. I don't immediately assume Sierra Club or Greenpeace has the right answer and I don't think the type of argument offered up by one of the coffee shop partrons this morning justifies the whaling moratorium. She read the story in the paper and said, "But whales are mammals, aren't they?" I replied with, "Yes, and so are cows."

I'm not familiar enough with whale numbers to issue an informed opinion on whether the moratorium should be modified, but I doubt the press (in the non-whaling nations) will perform this analysis. The "ick factor" is just too much.

A HA!

Finally (okay it is 3 years old, but it's new to me), a good (if somewhat sarcastic) defense of introverts:

Do you know someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk? Who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recuperate? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with pleasantries by people who are just trying to be nice?

If so, do you tell this person he is "too serious," or ask if he is okay? Regard him as aloof, arrogant, rude? Redouble your efforts to draw him out?

If you answered yes to these questions, chances are that you have an introvert on your hands — and that you aren't caring for him properly.

Okay I don't fit that description perfectly, but it's about damned time someone stood up for us introverts -- we're certainly not going to do it on our own because that would involve the interaction with extroverts that we try to avoid in the first place.

What really strikes me in that intro is the part about pleasantries from people just trying to be nice. I had one of these experiences just the other day.

I had stopped at Sam's Club for cat litter and I decided I'd have a big slice of their cheap pizza while I was there. I hadn't realized it, but I was wearing my WVU t-shirt that day. The cashier lady saw this and said something like, "I like your shirt, what part of West Virginia are you from?" Now in hindsight I realize the "proper" response would have been to tell her that I'm not from WV, that I just visit most every summer as part of my baseball trip, and I happened to pick up a t-shirt one year. Then she'd have told me that she was, in fact, from WV, asked what parts of the state I visit and why I spend the summer watching minor league baseball. We'd have had a nice little conversation about the Mountain State. Instead, I said, "I'm not," and walked away. I feel sure, in retrospect, that the cashier lady thought I was horribly rude, but I was just answering her question. It never occurred to me that I should banter back with a random stranger. Stuff like this happens to me quite a bit.

Now I find that I'm not the only one. Perhaps the best part of the essay is when the author attempts, albeit snarkily, to explain how introverts differ from extroverts:

Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially "on," we introverts need to turn off and recharge. ... This isn't antisocial. It isn't a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating. Our motto: "I'm okay, you're okay—in small doses."

Extroverts are easy for introverts to understand, because extroverts spend so much of their time working out who they are in voluble, and frequently inescapable, interaction with other people. ... But the street does not run both ways. Extroverts have little or no grasp of introversion. They assume that company, especially their own, is always welcome. They cannot imagine why someone would need to be alone; indeed, they often take umbrage at the suggestion.

So, if you know (or suspect you might know) an introvert, read the whole thing. Oh, the sarcasm I mentioned earlier -- here's my favorite bit:

Are introverts arrogant? Hardly. I suppose this common misconception has to do with our being more intelligent, more reflective, more independent, more level-headed, more refined, and more sensitive than extroverts.

Now I'm going to go be alone for a while. Have a nice weekend.

Freaky Friday

This has to be, by far, the all-time freakiest opening paragraph to a news story:

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A man transporting his wife's severed head in a pickup truck collided with an oncoming car, killing a woman and her 4-year-old daughter, police said. The impact sent the head flying onto the road.

I'm sorry, but I just can't add anything to that. I know it's really a sad story, but I have to smile when I think of the AP stringer writing that lead.

Blogging has been light of late, but I swear summer school will try the patience of Job. I have, though, survived another week AND I think I'm making progress on my flea problem. Fleas, GRRR! I'm thinking of moving to Alaska or Greenland or somewhere like that. On a brighter note, the coffee gang went to see The Odd Couple: Female Version last night. The name kind of tells you the story. I did not, though, realize that Neil Simon actually wrote this alternate version. I figured it was just a twist the Calhoun folks put in.

The play was pretty good, but I did wonder about one thing. In the play, Florence and Olive (female versions of Felix and Oscar) attempt to date the Costazuela brothers -- Manolo and Jesus. Much of the subsequent humor depends on "translation problems" as Manolo and Jesus do not have a real firm grasp of English language nuances. Yeah, it's an easy way to get laughs and it got old pretty quickly, but it was kind of funny for a while. I wondered, though, about the "social acceptability" of this bit.

First, the guys playing Manolo and Jesus were not Spanish. Second, the play essentially "poked fun" at their inability to speak English. Third, their Spanish accents and behaviors were way over the top. I don't think anyone would call me politically correct, but the whole thing (especially that third point above) did seem a little "minstrel show" to me. The skit wasn't what I would call offensive and it would have been right at home on Saturday Night Live, but what are the rules for theater today?

Nice kitty ...

I realize many of you probably saw this over the weekend, but I'm just now getting around to commenting on it. Even with the delay, I'm sure those of you who know my demon cat, Gumbo, will understand that I just HAD to blog about Jack -- the super cat who chased a bear up a tree in New Jersey. [I've read several versions of the story, but the link above seems to be the most complete.]

If you don't know the story, Jack (pictured at the bottom of the tree) evidentlly chased this black bear up a tree at the edge of his yard. Okay, you're saying, maybe the bear was just up the tree and Jack came along and is looking up with curiosity. That's what I thought, but nope:

"I thought, 'Aww, look at the little kitty looking at the bear,'" Giovanetti said. But as Giovanetti watched on, she saw the bear cast frequent, worried glances down at the cat, a 10-year-old orange-and- white tabby named Jack. The bear seemed scared.

The bear "hung out uncomfortably in the tree" for 10 to 15 minutes, eyeing the cat who was eyeing him, Giovanetti said. It then inched halfway down the tree, paused, quickly jumped off and ran "like a bolt," with Jack on his tail.

"I think the cat was hissing at the bear as it came down the tree," Giovanetti said.
...
"I panicked when I heard Suzanne yelling about Jack," Dickey said. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, the bear's gonna get him!'"

Not quite. Jack chased the bear into the brush and up another tree about 15 feet away. He then stood watch for a few minutes before Dickey, who had run to Giovanetti's porch, called him to her. The cat sauntered back toward the group, "rubbing up against everyone," Dickey said.

Now that's a cat, but I have no doubt Gumbo could have done the same thing. I have to give Jack his props though -- he's declawed!

Speaking of Gumbo, ... She has a new neurosis that is puzzling me. I've had Gumbo (or she's had me) for approximately 10 years now and in that time I've probably heard my alarm clock fewer than 10 times. Gumbo is a morning cat. She usually gets me up somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30, maybe 7:00 if I fight her. [No need for "smart" comments on how I could thwart her. If you're offering those comments, you don't really know Gumbo.]

Anyway, for unimportant reasons I've recently started leaving a bathroom door open that's been closed pretty much since I moved into my house. Gumbo has decided she LOVES that bathroom. More specifically, she's taken with the bottom shelf of a set of built in shelves in that bathroom. Seriously, I've only seen her about twice a day since I opened the bathroom. Every once in a while I'll go check on her and she's lying there in her shelf just as happy as can be. She comes out on occasion for food and litter box trips. I'm starting to worry about her, but on the other hand, she doesn't even leave her shelf to terrorize me in the morning. I've been awakened by my alarm clock for the past 3 days straight! Now I know most of you do not get excited by hearing your alarm clock, but I've been able to sleep until the alarm goes off for 3 days. That's a record!

Elections, once more

I've always considered myself a firm (small d) democrat, but some voting outcomes really make me wonder if "one man, one vote" is the best way to run a political state. I sometimes wonder if the cheerful Texan in Catch 22 -- who felt that "decent folk" should get more votes than others -- might have had a point. Here's what's gotten me worked up this time:

Larry Darby believes that Jews exaggerated the Holocaust, that the country should be all-white and that illegal immigrants should be shot on sight.

In Madison County, Darby received more votes Tuesday than his opponent for attorney general in the Democratic primary, Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr.

That just leaves me speechless -- almost. Since I voted in the Republican primary (for reasons discussed last week) this time, I wasn't that aware of this race, but I have to agree with the sub-headline, "Democrats call AG candidate's strong showing 'embarrassing'." Actually I take it back. I don't think it's embarrassing. I know there likely are some folks who really did vote for the guy because of his views, but there's no way a majority of Madison County Democrats agree with this guy's platform -- just not possible. Hence I don't think it's embarrassing as much as it's an indictment of the sacred "one man, one vote" principle.

Most of the experts seem to believe a combination of factors led to this clown's strong showing, but it basically boiled down to two factors: this was a low-profile race with not much advertising and Darby's name was listed first because the ballot was in alphabetical order. Those two factors almost led to this man being the AL Democratic Party's nominee for attorney general!!! I don't know what the remedy is, but this tells me there's a problem with voting in the U.S. In light of this story I can admit that I've always been a little leery of the "get out the vote" movements that pop up every election cycle. I mean if you basically have to bribe someone to show up to vote, what's the chance he/she is going to cast an informed vote? A healthy democracy involves more than just getting people to the polls.

So who do I blame for this particular mess? Two groups:

1. The AL Democratic Party. Did they not recognize the potential embarrassment their party faced if this guy won the nomination? They're a well-organized body and I just have to believe they could have publicized this race a little better. I assume they didn't want to be viewed as "favoring" one candidate over the other, but I think they should have in this case. Of course the AL Repubs are LOVING the whole thing. Tim Howe, exec director of the AL Repubs, thinks "it is noteworthy that the Democratic Party had an atheist candidate and avowed Holocaust denier get so many votes in their primary."
2. This being Alabama, race also has to creep into the picture. According to another story, the Alabama Democratic Caucus may have to share some of the blame as well:
   

   The Alabama Democratic Caucus, a statewide black political action group,
   endorsed in every race on the Democratic primary ballot except the attorney general race.
   
   ADC state field director Jerome Gray said most members of the caucus feel Tyson came down too hard on Mobile school board member David Thomas, whom Tyson impeached for charging $9,033 in Mardi Gras beads to the school system.
   
   The ADC broke with Tyson after he filed additional double-billing charges against Thomas over hotel room charges for a 2004 Las Vegas trip.
   

So the ADC was pissed that Tyson went after a corrupt school board member (the whole story was even more lurid as I'm pretty sure this is the same guy who ran over a little girl's foot at Mardi Gras and left the scene) for misuse of funds and as a result they wouldn't even speak out against a Holocaust denying white supremacist?!?! Darby blamed Jewish supremacists for the "browning" of AL and claimed, "They're trying to wipe out the white race in Alabama," yet the state's premiere black political group could not endorse his opponent?!?! That's just messed up.

Oh, according to the Decatur Daily story, " Voting patterns in Morgan County show that many local black residents indeed voted a protest vote for this avowed atheist after the Alabama Democratic Caucus failed to endorse a candidate in that race." Now I'm not sure how sophisticated the DD's analysis was, but I think the ADC needs to be taken to task for this -- as does the state party.

In the end I like the advice from a local political science professor, "If you don't know the candidates, don't vote in that race." Amen, Professor Brown.

You've got the wrong number!!!

Today I'm ranting about a relatively recent pet peeve of mine: WRONG NUMBERS!

Let me point out that I'm not annoyed by the mere fact that people sometimes dial the wrong number. I've dialed a few wrong numbers myself and I understand how it happens. What I don't get, though, is the apparent inability to recognize that one has dialed a wrong number! A few examples:

1. Every couple of weeks I get a phone call from (I think) the same woman. She usually opens with some small talk. Things like, "How's it going?" or "What are you up to?" and then she will ask, "Is Momma there?" Seriously, this woman is calling her mother and doesn't find it odd that a strange man is answering the phone. Maybe that's not an unusual event at Momma's, but I know I would be curious if I called the Caffeine Folks and any sort of stranger answered the phone. This woman though, believes she has called her mother's house, right up until I tell her she's got the wrong number. AND she keeps doing it! I just don't get it.
   
2. Ever since I moved to Decatur, about once a month I'll have a message on the answering machine from someone in Maine asking questions about rocks -- yes, rocks! According to the messages, these people think they have called some rock shop -- I'm assuming in Maine. First off, can you make a good living running a rock shop? Even if you can, you'd probably do better if your customers had the correct phone number. Anyway, ... The phone messages amaze me because if the callers would simply listen to my outgoing message, I think it'd be obvious that I'm not a Maine rock seller. Yet once a month or so I'll have a guy leave a detailed message about some burning rock issue.
   
3. Yesterday I had one of the strangest ones yet. Some guy called to tell me that he had water at his house if my family wanted to come over there to shower. Now best I could figure, his neighbors/friends/relatives probably lost their water and he was making a generous offer. What I can't figure, though, is that he called them by name in the message and neither name matched mine. Hence, I'd think when he heard my outgoing message saying, "This is xxx, I can't take your call ...," he'd have realize he had the wrong number. But he didn't and I'm assuming his neighbors/friends/relatives never did get their showers.

So what's my point? I understand that one sometimes dials a wrong number, but show a little common sense!

Baseball musings

Since it's in my blog name, I figure I should talk about baseball every once in a while. Today I will.

First, this season has taken a disastrous turn for my beloved St. Louis Cardinals. Pujols goes down and the team goes straight into a tailspin.

Second, MLB Commish and his pals thought they'd cleaned up baseball's black eye over steroids, then the Feds nabbed Jason Grimsley. Jason who? Jason Grimsley -- a 14-year veteran relief pitcher who's bounced around from team-to-team with moderate success. Why is he MLB's worst nightmare? Many reasons, but chief among them is that he was caught with HGH (human growth hormone) and apparently he was very open about the fact that he switched to HGH after MLB instituted it's "draconian" steroids policy because THERE IS NO RELIABLE TEST FOR HGH! This represents a candid admission that players are still doping and they're consciously choosing new substances that aren't/can't be tested for. Baseball is becoming track and field!

Oh, maybe even worse for MLB is that Grimsley apparently is singing like a canary. Yep, he's "naming names" and he's played with A LOT of players over the years. Over at ESPN, Jayson Stark does a nice job detailing just why this is such a blow to MLB:

No, he hasn't been a teammate of everybody. But ...

He connects the late 1980s, when steroid use was just getting trendy, to the post-testing age we now live in.
...
So Grimsley's All-Teammate Team would go on longer than his federal affidavit. It would be a roster hundreds of names long -- many of them really famous names, players who have never been associated with any kind of drug use.

In other words, if any player in baseball were to start naming names, Grimsley would be one guy who would scare the spikes off the many silent users who thought they would escape detection forever.

If there is any sunshine in my baseball world today it is that my alma mater, Ole Miss, is hosting a super regional in the NCAA baseball tournament. Though they're matched up against perennial power Miami, I feel good about their chances. I'm confident -- the Rebs will make it to Omaha this year! Now if I could convince them to stop using those damned aluminum bats I'd really be happy!

That time of year

Tomorrow is the day -- election day in Alabama! Most of the attention so far has been focused on two races: the Governor's race and the contested seats on the AL Supreme Court.

In the Governor's race, each primary offered what promised to be a spirited matchup. The Republicans had the incumbent Gov. Riley facing off against Judge Roy (10 Commandments) Moore. Riley seemed to have an advantage in that the economy is doing well, unemployment is low, lots of new industry has moved in during his term, and his administration has been scandal free. On the other hand, Judge Moore seemed well positioned among the far-right voters that dominate the primary AND Riley was "foolish" enough to attempt to raise taxes (sort of) as soon as he took office. Many Republicans swore they'd NEVER vote for him again after that. What looked like a battle, though, seems to have become very lopsided, with Riley holding a 69-26 edge in the most recent polls.

The same thing seems to be happening on the Democratic side. The Don (I want a lottery) Siegelman vs. Lucy (I'm not on trial for corruption) Baxley contest seems to be swinging to Baxley. I'm amazed that she couldn't put this one away much sooner, but her campaign pretty much has centered on her clever campaign slogan (I Love Lucy) and the fact that she's not being tried in federal court right now -- sort of a "vote for me because I'm not Siegelman" campaign. I finally did hear a Lucy ad the other day and it told me she's a big supporter of education. Seriously, that was it. Don, on the other hand, is still pushing his "I was framed campaign." Siegelman claims two things: 1) His federal corruption trial is all a ruse put in place by Riley, and 2) He's still pissed from having the last election STOLEN from him. [A late-reporting county sent in an erroneous early result that appeared to go for Siegelman, but the official return was clearly in favor of Riley.] Seriously, Don won't let that go. In his interview with the Huntsville Times he listed his biggest disappointment of his time in office as, "Having won two elections, but only getting to serve one term." Even if I were a Don fan, I'd find his whining a bit annoying. According to the aforementioned poll, however, Don won't get another shot at Riley. Lucy is leading 49-31.

Of course, polls can be wrong. What would I do if the state ended up with a Judge Roy vs. Lottery Don matchup?!?! Bad as I'd hate to, I know what I'd have to do -- but I wouldn't be happy about it. Kind of reminds me of the Louisiana election that year when the choices were Edwin "the convict" Edwards vs. David "klan man" Duke. I'm really hoping the AL polls are accurate.

As for the Supreme Court races, ... I've finally had to get over my distaste for electing Supreme Court justices because I think these races are just too important. It's a fact that in AL today the Republican primaries likely will decide the winners and there's a bloc there that frightens me. The previously mentioned Judge Roy lost his spot as Chief Justice after he took on the federal courts. One of his proteges, though, did win a seat in the last election. This guy has written almost no (seriously, I think 1) decisions, but he did find time to go public and write a scathing op-ed piece criticizing his colleagues for following a SCOTUS precedent in a death penalty case. To explain his lack of productivity, he argued that it took him a while to learn the ropes of being a judge. So what does the self-admitted inexperienced judge now want? He wants to be Chief Justice! He and 3 other candidates are sort of running as a "faith and morality" bloc hoping to unseat the "liberal" Republicans currently serving on the AL Court. I figure either they'll all win or they'll all lose and I'm kind of frightened by that.

On a lighter note, however, there's the 1st Judicial Circuit race in South Alabama. Here one candidate (Bailey) is using a deposition from a lawsuit his opponent (DuBose) once filed in which DuBose claimed, "I've lost my capacity to earn a living practicing law." Later, DuBose allegedly stated, "I don't want people around here knowing that I'm taking medicine for depression and for mental deficiencies or incapacities or limitations or infirmities or disabilities or whatever you want to call them like I'm doing."

Okay so that makes me have a little sympathy for DuBose, but his ads seem to take pains to point out that Bailey is "30-something" and has NEVER BEEN MARRIED! Hmm, wonder what point DuBose was trying to make there? DuBose defended that part of his ad campaign by saying he believes marriage is important, especially for a judge:

"If a person is going to be making decisions in court about families and children and about husbands and wives, if you ain't been there, you can't do it," he said. "That's not negative; that's not being critical. It just so happens that I'm married and have been for 23 years. He's not. That's his choice, and he has to live with that." [Emphasis added.]

Excuse me? He "has to live with that"? As if being unmarried is some ruinous stigma that disqualifies someone from public office? Further, what's the basis for claiming a judge can't rule on family issues unless he is married with children? Would DuBose have to recuse himself from cases involving unmarried parties? Grrr!

Oh, there's also the "no same-sex marriage" amendment on the ballot. Even if I weren't against the substance of the amendment, I'd still think this was a bad idea. The state already passed laws prohibiting this, but supporters say it'd prevent the state being "forced" to accept such unions. I'm no lawyer, but the only way I could see the state being forced to do so would be under a federal court order (see Judge Roy's earlier experiences) and federal courts would trump state law OR state constitutional amendments, wouldn't they? Unfortunately, there's only one possible outcome of this vote. I just hope it's closer than I anticipate -- that'll at least be something.

Okay those are my thoughts going into tomorrow's voting. We'll see how things turn out.

Strange lunch

Friday I had to run up to Athens (that's AL not Greece, Mel) for some lunchtime errands. Since I was already there, I decided I'd eat lunch while I was out. Now Athens is growing, but it's still not overflowing with eating choices. I settled on the Southern Buffet and I must say it is an interesting place to eat lunch.

The first thing I saw upon entering was a HUGE Craftsman riding lawn mower sitting right in the entryway. I thought that was a tad odd, but I've seen stranger things. It turns out that the folks at Southern Buffet are giving away the mower and every customer gets a ticket they can drop in the box and a winner will be drawn later this summer. I just know I'll win.

So after I got over the "mower shock" I checked out the food offerings. Hands down, this was the strangest buffet offering I'd ever seen. Imagine your typical Barnhill's or Ryan's type buffet, but this one was stocked with 3 distinct food groups -- well 4 if you count salad, but I don't. Anyway, they had one big section of Southern food -- fried chicken, fried okra, fried squash (you getting the picture?); a section of Mexican food -- burritos, taco fixings, rice & beans, etc.; and finally an area devoted to Chinese food! I can honestly say I've never had fried chicken, a burrito, and lo mein at one meal. I did on Friday though. I mean, how could I pass up the opportunity? Hmm, I wonder how many stars Michelin will give them?

Final verdict: strange, but the food wasn't bad. So if you ever find yourself stuck in Athens at mealtime, see what combinations you can come up with.

New old pix

Yes, the post title is a bit of an oxymoron, but it's apt -- really. Y'all remember the day I fell in the creek? Well, Cousin Kari just sent me some pictures from that day. I was able to salvage some of my own pictures from the beginning stages of that day, but Cousin Kari takes "real pictures". She still uses a film camera and she went to the trouble to haul a tripod around with her all day. Like most of us and film, though, she doesn't always develop her pictures immediately. Still, thanks to CK for sharing her shots and now I'll pass them along to you:

The Upper Caney Falls, from a distance.

Upper Caney Falls, close up.

How do you do that, CK?

P.S. You know anything about KT Tunstall (great name, by the way)? I keep hearing about this song, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", but I've never actually heard it. From what I've read about her, she seems like someone I might like, but at the same time I'm afraid she might be a little too "bubble gummy" for me. I did read that she sang on Ellen's show and her song popped up one night on American Idol. I'll admit that I can be a bit of a music snob, but I like some stuff that is commercially popular. I don't dismiss popular music out of hand, but I often am skeptical of it. So, any of you know anything about old KT?