I may have overlooked it, but I didn't see you Badger Blog Alliancytes playing up the fact that Danica Patrick's first breath was of Dairy Air, Rock County atmo, in Beloit. She was raised in Roscoe, Illinois, but that still means that she was nurtured by the Rock River's Badger molecules that flow through Roscoe.

I'd like to ask her if she considers her fourth place finish a settling tactic. If she had chosen not to lean her fuel mixture, perhaps she could have staved off Wheldon and the others at the risk of running out of fuel altogether. But, even so, she did a great job and made a big splash.

She is fortunate to be racing IRL instead of NASCAR. IRL is much more genteel, NASCAR more cutthroat. The Sunday night 600 mile race had 22 yellow flags and one red. Teammates were wiping one another out. Perhaps, though, her fortunate choice of IRL lead to much hullabaloo 'cause she is so good looking. Most IRL racers are 'don't stare at him, son' homely. In NASCAR, she might have only been the 5th or 6th best looking in the field of pretty boys.

I was doing some link updates next door this morning, and happened to find this: Graphic: How Class Works - New York Times.

It's a sorta interactive thing that rates you on four criteria: occupation, income, education, and wealth, and then rates your social standing.

I ranked in the 74th percentile. Dunno. Couldn't really find an exact match for my occupation, so I went with news guy. I could have chosen public relations, instead, which would have put me lower on the scale.

Wow, what a week this has been. No fewer than three new posts over at Mr. Pterodactyl's, and now a Grandpa John sighting!

I read part of that column Grandpa John linked to, and if that is the AARP position (I'm not sure it's their official position), then they're not as whacked out as I thought. I'll read the rest and comment on it later.

New rule: if the guy is 7'1, don't sell him dope.

Undercover Officer Shaq Is on Patrol:

The 7-foot-1, 325-pound Miami Heat center, who has a fascination with law enforcement, was recently sworn in as a U.S. deputy marshal. He spent six hours on a Saturday afternoon with Miami Beach police investigators helping with cases.

O'Neal has joined a Department of Justice task force that tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet.

He is becoming familiar with the techniques and software that officers use to track down the predators, said Miami Beach Police Chief Don De Lucca. And he spends countless hours on his home computer, logging into the police network and learning the ropes.

Here's the best part:

'I put a lot into it, and when I am done playing, I plan on going undercover and then being the sheriff or chief of police somewhere, either Miami or Orlando, I don't know yet,' O'Neal said recently.

Lileks is being a wuss today.

But at least in Arizona, you’re warmer, and CRIMINEY JUDAS I’m tired of being cold all the time. You oughtn't be cold in May. I walk outside to the gazebo – can’t sit down, the seats are wet – and I can see my breath. Which is nice, because it means I’m alive. But still.

Bookies are taking odds on which character will die in the new Harry Potter book.

Found this editorial regarding Social Security and seniors' reactions to reform:

...these seniors had convinced themselves that there was no 'crisis' in Social Security because the best estimates are that benefits will continue to be paid out for the foreseeable future. They didn't seem to care a whit about the financial strain that future taxpayers will be put under to make that happen. This is the real crisis.

You know what else was disappointing? That many of the seniors were so openly contemptuous of the idea of letting poor and working people invest their own money in private retirement accounts. To listen to these seniors, the less well-off aren't smart enough to know what to invest where, and so need the government to provide them with a guaranteed benefit. "

I know AARP is dead set against any sort of reform, and the audience this writer spoke to obviously was, but I'm not quite convinced that all, or most, or even many senior citizens are taking the same stance.

I have a little bit of evidence for this: I linked to this story in the Sheboygan Press last month - several seniors told the paper they favor reform for the younger generations.

And this editorial that appeared in the MJS, by a Virginian senior who wonders why seniors are being treated as though they worry only about their own needs, and nothing else.

Oh, man, is this cool. Han Solo frozen in carbonite, in legos.

Via new-to-me Wisconsin blogger Leann, at Indigoblog.

Okay, it's been long enough. Nerd Week is officially over. Time for me to respond to Old Whig tagging me with "the dreaded book meme."

You're stuck in Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?

The collected works of Dr. Seuss. Somebody has to do it.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Hell, yes. I grew up reading comic books and fantasy. One that sticks out in my mind: Dragon Magazine once had a picture of a female sorcerer on its cover - I had a crush on that picture for quite a while.

Yes, I am a nerd. I've made my peace with it.

The last book you bought is:

"The Heart of Christianity" by Marcus Borg. Yes, Borg. He presents some quite radical (I think - I'm not exactly an expert) interpretations of Christian history and theology. Alternately thought-provoking and infuriating.

I only bought it because we're having a book discussion about it at church. Before that, I can't even remember the last book I bought. I did get a couple of books about Bob LaFollette from the library recently. Does that count?

What was the last book you read, and what are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading "The Heart of Christianity," which I described above. The last two books I finished reading were "LaFollette's Autobiography," by Fighting Bob himself, and "A Knight in Shining Armor," by Jude Devereaux, which is a romance novel, but also an excellent piece of historical fiction. I'm a real sucker for good historical fiction.

What five books would you take with you on a desert island?

Liberty Bob and Mr. Pterry have both wondered out loud how come nobody ever wants a book that helps you get off the island? Well, what if you don't have enough materials to build a boat, or whatever?

I'm going with books that will help me survive while I'm there. This guy Hamstermotor had a good answer. Also, "The Worst Case Scenario."

Who are you going to inflict with this meme?

Well, I'll re-inflict Steve and Todd, since they haven't answered Old Whig yet, either.

Anybody from the Badger Blog Alliance who reads this is hereby so inflicted. Also, let's see if we can drag Grandpa John out of hiding by hitting him with it.

I took down those last two posts - the one with all the Star Wars posters, and the one about Frank Gorshin (aka "the Riddler") passing away, because the pictures weren't loading. I think I was using too much bandwidth from my geocities site.

I'll either have to remember not to post so many pictures at once, or find another way to do it.

Military flag football at crunch time...

The Air Force had the ball on our 7 yard line with the game clock pressing the gun. The proverbial 'time for one more play'. We M.P.s really hated losing since it would have just added to the normal crap that we daily enjoyed. The Fly Boys came up with a special play for just such a situation. They misdirected to the right and surprised us with a reverse to the left. So there we were... two pulling blockers leading the running back toward the corner against just two defenders-- just Big George and I remained to maintain the face of a whole company of Pigs. (Pride, Integrity, and Guts!) Big George, like many of this league's players, had played college football. He was 6'6", 240 lbs-- a former tight end for North Dakota State. (Little George was only 6'2', 210 lbs.)

It's funny how the mind works at times like these. I knew that Big George would occupy one blocker and that if I could hand fight the other blocker, I might get a shot at the runner's flag before he got into the end zone. As the crunchiest time of crunch time quickly approached, George forewent his drift toward the sideline and charged the offensive formation. His attack strategy not only took one blocker out of commission, but the whole play. I watched in awe as all three Air Force players lay sprawled on the field. Big George had used his 'nuclear option'.

During our post game celebration no one even noticed my wet britches!

As I begin to get older, incidents from ancient days often pop into my fertile mind. (Fertilizer, if you will.) For no particular reason, I will relate these occurrences from time to time.

One out, runner on third...

Shortly after another trip to the E.R. to reduce my oft dislocating right shoulder (13 to this date), I was playing catcher on our city league softball team. I usually played an infield position, but since my arm would not allow hard throws to first base, I spent rehab time as catcher. I would like to claim that my bat was a necessary ingredient for our success, but, in truth, we just needed a body in order to have enough to legally play.

The batter lifted a fairly deep fly to left field-- a sure sac fly. The runner on third was fast, so a put out for a double play was a long shot. Our left fielder had an extremely strong arm, but regularly had control problems. (His throws to the cut-off man had been known to end up in the stands.) Surprisingly, the throw looked pretty promising. Indeed, it was. It could best be describes as a single hop laser beam about three feet on the infield side of the plate. The ball was caught, the body pivoted toward the plate, and a sweep tag caught the runner's sliding shoes within the cloud of dust. No muss, no fuss-- double play. Crap, what a great throw!

The left fielder with the Star Wars light saber arm-- Grandpa John! He should have been arrested for concealed carry!

Jerks.

Final 'Star Wars' film leaked to the Internet

LONDON (Reuters) - The final chapter of the Star Wars saga has gone over to the Internet's dark side.

'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith' has been leaked onto a major file-sharing network just hours after opening in theaters, at a time when Hollywood is increasingly concerned about online piracy.

At least two copies of the film, which was first shown in theaters in the early hours of Thursday, have been posted to the BitTorrent file-sharing network -- a new and increasingly popular technology that allows users to download large video files much more quickly than in the past.

Oooooo.

Non-Star Wars, non-Star Trek Nerd Alert!

Mr. Pterodactyl has put in an appearance, and this one is far less obscure than the last one.

Death Star, here we come!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force is seeking President Bush's approval of a national security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing White House and Air Force officials.

A senior administration official said a new presidential directive would replace a 1996 Clinton administration policy that emphasized a less aggressive use of space, involving spy satellites' support for military operations, arms control and nonproliferation pacts, the report said.

Owen (over at Boots and Sabers, not 3-year-old Owen) posted a link to The Ultimate Star Wars Personality Test.

Whole thing is in flash, so I hope you have it.

And by the way, KNEEL BEFORE ME! I'M


UPDATE - Huh. Took it again, and this time I'm

The Wisconsin State Journal has this dorky but fun Star Wars quiz in today's paper.

My favorite question is #5: Which of these "Cheers" actors appeared in "The Empire Strikes Back"?

a) George Wendt

b) Rhea Perlman

c) Bebe Neuwirth

d) John Ratzenberger

I'm not sure whether to take this seriously or not: there's a sculpture of Darth Vader on the Washington National Cathedral?

Hat tip to NRO.

Following that link (in the first paragraph, above), I found a tour of the cathedral's gargoyles, which includes this link to a description of the Darth Vader gargoyle (file is in pdf).

Planets with Two Suns Likely Common

In the Star Wars saga, the Skywalker clan has its roots on the Tatooine - a desert-covered planet revolving around two suns. A theoretical investigation has explored the likelihood for worlds like this to exist."

And it looks like the nearest Tatooine may be closer than a galaxy far, far away.


That's because more than half of the stars in our galaxy have a stellar companion.

...

The research group also ran simulations that mimicked Alpha Centauri - the nearest binary system to Earth, where the closest the two stars come is about 11 AU. The secondary star apparently acts like Jupiter does in our solar system - limiting how far out planets can form. The results showed several terrestrial planets were possible around either of the stars.

Do you know what that means? Tatooine might only be 4 light years away!

Click the Alpha Centauri link. Cool.

I must've missed the nerd boat... What's the name of the new Star Wars movie? 'The Revenge of the Syph'? I hear it is Obi Wan Penicillin resistant and that is what actually turned Anikin into Darth. Did I hit the nerd on the head?

You can't stop the Nerd-dom!

Lileks ruminates on the Star Trek finale today. An excerpt:

(Interesting how they didn’t show the 1701-E, perhaps because the design wasn’t really beloved; it owes too much to the Voyager-class shoehorn look, and the notch on the nacelles looks distinctly unFederation-like. And yes, I just crossed over into the land of unredeemable dorkheadedness, but I’m past caring.) I’ve always liked the design of the “Enterprise” Enterprise. The 1701-D looks computer generated. But the original ship, the Constitution class – that’s the one that still has a hook in your heart. Maybe because it was actually real.

Click the links, people, they're not just there for show.

In honor of the week between the Star Trek - Enterprise finale (which I haven't watched yet) and the opening of Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith, I hereby declare Grandpa John's to be Nerd Central.

Regular visitors will notice very little change.

It is commonly stated that our modern Democratic leadership has no ideas or agenda, but only reflexive reactions to obstruct any measure put forth by anyone with even the remotest relationship to President Bush.

I disagree. The Democratic leadership has a determined agenda with many ideas. However, since these have lost a great deal of credibility with the unwashed masses who still inexplicably have retained the right to vote, the Big Libs are constrained from openly and truthfully advertising them.

One regularly hears news reporting of conclusions determined by scientific research. There was a time in my life that these determinations deserved consideration. These days, however, their results meet with my utter skepticism. They usually receive the level of respect similar to that of a good push poll.

Perhaps in my old age (53 today) I have just become jaded. But, I suggest that is only a part of the answer. I suspect that these conclusions are selectively chosen by the reporter, that these conclusions are a rush to judgment by researchers striving to publish before perishing, that the conclusions are meant to curry favor with a certain segment that will elevate the researcher’s personal status within a desired milieu and provide future expectations of grant money, or that they are derived from research tainted by ideology rather than the scientific method in order to promote an agenda.

And yet, somewhere among these there is some research that can actually be called ‘scientific’– meticulous in trial after trial, precise, little tainted by presupposition, and reproducible.

At any rate, I have a hard time believing that oat bran will cure global warming.

For Heaven's sake, I must act to break the cycle of nerdness!

An ironic observation that displays to me the irrationality of relative/post-modern and/or neo-liberal anti-thought processes: Many of my military contemporaries returned from Viet Nam back to the U.S. only to be confronted in airports and spat upon by anti-war protesters calling them 'baby killers'. These protesters are likely those who now most ardently support the pro-choice/pro-abortion position.

People naturally rebel against authority and any imposition of responsibilities placed upon them. However, their own authority and self-proclaimed rights are sacrosanct.

Too many more posts like these, and Grandpa John will have to change this site's theme from "fairness" to "nerd-ness."

Al's not the only one who can link to quizzes:

The Force-o-meter: Are you drawn to the light or dark side of the force?

Worth checking out, if only for some of the cool flash effects. I'd love to have that little Death Star graphic.

I got a 4, by the way - Han Solo level. I didn't take the whole thing too seriously, though, so that's probably not an accurate score.

Via Vodkapundit:

Darth Vader Has a Blog.

It must be for real. The white text on black background alone is enough to drive you to the Dark Side.

More nerd-dom.

So long, 'Star Trek'

This week, 'Star Trek' will boldly go where it hasn't gone in 36 years: cancellation.

Wanna feel old?

The original series, with William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, was axed by NBC in 1969 after three seasons. But, a cult favorite, "Star Trek" was revived as a film in 1979 with the original cast, and a new television series - "Star Trek: The Next Generation" - made its debut in the fall of 1987.

Since then, 18 years in all, there has been a "Star Trek" series - and sometimes two - on television every season. With nine more theatrical films, numerous novels and comic books, and a vast merchandizing empire, "Star Trek" has permeated American popular culture to the point where it stands with "Star Wars."

And, from the top rope...

Using as its basis a memorable episode titled "The Pegasus" from the final season of "Next Generation," the "Enterprise" finale puts as much emphasis on guest appearances by two "Next Gen" characters - Cmdr. Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) - as it does on the "Enterprise" crew.

That miffed the current cast, with the sharpest criticism coming from Jolene Blalock, who has played the Vulcan T'Pol and carries particular weight with fans because she was a devoted follower of "Star Trek" before being cast. In an interview with TV Guide, she called the finale "appalling" and "a reminder of why we're being canceled."

Ouch. I'm still going to watch it.

The next three posts (or is it previous three posts?) are real nerd territory; also known as nerditory - not to be confused with purgatory, although I guess for a solid non-nerd, that's what it is.

Of course, if you're a solid non-nerd, you're not reading this blog anyway. So. On with the nerdathon.

Nerd Alert!

Howstuffworks "How Lightsabers Work"

Chances are that you have seen a lightsaber at one time or another, whether on the evening news or down at the local cantina. Therefore you know that a lightsaber is an amazing and versatile device that is able to cut through nearly anything in a matter of milliseconds.

Have you ever wondered how these remarkable weapons work? Where does the energy come from, and how are they able to contain that energy in a rod-like column of glowing power?

In this edition of HowStuffWorks, you will have a chance to look inside a lightsaber and discover the source of its incredible characteristics. Let's get started!

You've gotta click over, just to see some of the pictures.

Lucas Glad to Leave Star Wars Behind

That's what the title said, but the story itself never makes that point. In fact, it looks like he means to keep the franchise going:

The adventure will live on in an animated TV show and a live-action series Lucas has planned, set among minor characters from the films in the 20 years or so between the action of 'Revenge of the Sith' and the original 'Star Wars.'

Lucas also hopes to release three-dimensional versions of all six movies in theaters starting a couple of years down the road. The 3-D editions would be created using new digital technology that adds depth perspective to two-dimensional film images.

There was a brief thread on NRO today, about whether this will be the last Star Wars movie. Besides this extra stuff Lucas is talking about, I don't believe it. Too much money.

The guys at The Corner recently had a brief discussion about the new Star Wars movie, which began with John Podhoretz' post, titled The Last Star Wars.

He wasn't actually talking about it being the last one, but later, Warren Bell put this in:

What I fear about Revenge of the Sith is that Lucas is lying, or at least will soon change his mind: This is not the last Star Wars.

To which I can only respond: well, duh. George Lucas isn't giving the franchise up: he's talking about Star Wars TV shows next, for crying out loud.

Podhoretz made the only necessary point in his original post: "...it's a foregone conclusion that the final Star Wars is going to make a jillion dollars..."

Right. And so will Star Wars VII, VIII, and IX, when they hit the big screen. The money alone means there will be more.

The only real question in my mind: will somebody do a remake of IV before then?

Wow.

Chinese center Sun Ming Ming might be the biggest human on the planet, standing 7-foot-8 and weighing 360 pound a potential NBA prospect he will be working out with the Lakers in El Segundo to see if he can cash in on his enormous assets.

He'd be the tallest NBA player ever, and the story says his growth plates haven't closed yet.

Al Ringling. Paging Al Ringling.

This is the lead paragraph in today's Best of the Web.

Thought Al and Todd would like it.

Ayn Rand claimed that selfishness was a virtue, while Francois de La Rochefoucauld observed that 'hypocrisy is an homage that vice renders to virtue.' That would mean that someone who claims insincerely to be acting in his own self-interest is a Randian Rochefoucauldian.

The Census Bureau has a page of Mother's Day statistics.

A couple favorites of mine:

August
The most popular month in which to have a baby [PDF], with 359,000 births taking place that month in 2002. July, with 358,000, was just a shade behind.

Tuesday
The most popular day of the week in which to have a baby [PDF], with an average of almost 13,000 births taking place on Tuesdays during 2002.

August is the top month for births, followed closely by July, then September. That means women are more likely to get pregnant in the early Winter months/holiday season.

Cabin fever? Holiday cheer? And what does it mean that none of my four kids were born in any of those months?

Faux pas of the week...

Senator Chuck Schumer debating Senator George Allen on Fox News Sunday in reference to Pat Robertson's comments on the judiciary, "...worse than terrorists flying buildings into airplanes."

Potatoe?

The Time Traveler Convention - May 7, 2005

The history of mankind will be forever changed tonight, when the first (and, one hopes, only) Time Traveler Convention is held at 42:21:36.025°N, 71:05:16.332°W (42.360007, -071.087870 in decimal degrees).

That's the MIT campus. They're using longitudes and latitudes, just in case MIT has vanished by the time time travel is invented.

The organizers are asking for help advertising the event:

Technically, you would only need one time traveler convention. Time travelers from all eras could meet at a specific place at a specific time, and they could make as many repeat visits as they wanted. We are hosting the first and only Time Traveler Convention at MIT on Saturday, and WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Write the details down on a piece of acid-free paper, and slip them into obscure books in academic libraries! Carve them into a clay tablet! If you write for a newspaper, insert a few details about the convention! Tell your friends, so that word of the convention will be preserved in our oral history!

I know, the event is today, too late for any of us to arrange to attend. No matter: tonight, time travelers will converge at MIT, and the mere knowledge that time travel is possible will enable us to use it within our own lifetimes.

Just watch whatever newscasts of the event you can - if you see me there, you know that's how it turned out.

Don't know if he usually does this, but in this post on NRO, John Derbyshire keeps using the phrase "feddle gummint."

So I'm going to start calling it that, too. Maybe it will catch on.

Victor Davis Hanson. He's good.

What happened to history?

Our society suffers from the tyranny of the present. Presentism is the strange affliction of assuming we ourselves created all our good things -- as if those without our technology who came before us lacked our superior knowledge and morality.

We naturally speak of our own offspring in reverential tones. Do this or that 'for the children' -- youth who are the most affluent and leisured in the history of civilization. A new Medicare prescription drug benefit will add a mountain of national debt. Yet contemporary 'seniors' as a group, even apart from the largess of Social Security and Medicare, are already the most insured cohort in our society.

He concludes (almost):

Reverence for those who came before us ensures humility about our own limitations. It restores confidence that far worse crises than our own -- slavery, the great flu epidemic, or World War II -- were endured with far less resources.

Anybody want to take an english test?

Go ahead, I dare you. I got three correct.

From Odd Wisconsin:

Cheeseheads:

Because of Wisconsin's reputation for cheese, the term 'cheesehead' was coined to refer to Wisconsin residents, and it often was used in a derogatory manner. In 1987 Ralph Bruno of Milwaukee transformed the term into a symbol of pride when he crafted a wedge-shaped cheese hat from his mother's sofa cushion and wore it to a Brewers game at County Stadium. Fans flocked to Bruno inquiring about the strange hat and a business was born.

Manufactured cheese hats soon appeared on Wisconsinites' heads, especially at Green Bay Packers games. National television coverage of Packer fans helped the cheesehead hat become an instantly recognizable icon of the state.

Prepare to be lobbied.

The Web: Reforming Social Security online:

White House adviser Karl Rove said in a recent conference call that Internet lobbying by young grassroots Republicans will make or break the Bush administration's proposals to revamp the pension program, just as the technology helped get out the vote last fall during the presidential campaign.

Think I'll cross post this over at BBA.

Sharper levels some sharp criticism at Favre

Not that Green Bay's rivalry with Minnesota needs any more fuel, but it got a little more on Wednesday when Vikings safety Darren Sharper strongly criticized Packers quarterback Brett Favre for sticking his nose into wide receiver Javon Walker's contract dispute.

Sharper was asked what weight Favre's words can carry with another player on the Packers.

"No weight," Sharper said. "They don't carry any weight right now because Javon Walker is a Pro Bowl player and he's going to do what he wants to do. He is not in Javon's shoes right now. Javon should not pay attention to his comments at all."

Uh huh. That's Viqueens safety Darren Sharper, who, I think, just doesn't want to face the Favre-Walker combination this season.

There was an excellent column in Sunday's MJS by a guy named Michael Lipsky, a 65-year-old Virginian.

Excerpts:

I'm concerned about Social Security not because I'm worried about my benefits. I'm worried that a safety net for older people in need won't be there when my children, now in their 30s, and my grandchildren, can no longer work.

When the president focuses on how seniors don't have to worry about their own benefits, it feels insulting. When did we become the generation only worried about our own needs?

We and those coming of age right behind us were the ones who, in many different ways, fought for civil rights. Later, we worked to secure women's rights and an end to male privilege. We certainly didn't do those things only for ourselves.

To be sure, these struggles were joined by people of every age, and they continue. But surely they were not fought by people who would grow old only to worry that their benefits remain intact.

...

We lived through difficult times. Like many before us, we have a deep appreciation of the promise of this country.

Don't infantilize us with promises that our narrow interests are secure! Talk to us instead about how the country will be a blessing among nations and, at home, how broadly its advantages will be shared.

Not sure what his position on reform is, but I've wondered about these sentiments, myself.

Stanley Kurtz explains how the Secularists finally have my number.

"What is the real agenda of the religious far Right? I’ll tell you what it is. These nuts want to take over the federal government and suppress other religions through genocide and mass murder, rather than through proselytizing. They want to reestablish slavery. They want to reduce women to near-slavery by making them property, first of their fathers, and then of their husbands. They want to execute anyone found guilty of pre-martial, extramaritial, or homosexual sex. They want to bring back the death penalty for witchcraft."

"The most disturbing part of the Harper’s cover story (the one by Chris Hedges) was the attempt to link Christian conservatives with Hitler and fascism. Once we acknowledge the similarity between conservative Christians and fascists, Hedges appears to suggest, we can confront Christian evil by setting aside “the old polite rules of democracy.” So wild conspiracy theories and visions of genocide are really excuses for the Left to disregard the rules of democracy and defeat conservative Christians — by any means necessary."

"I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL." (From 'Alice's Restaurant' by Arlo Guthrie)

Rats! I was hoping to stay in the morgue's closet a little longer.

Those pesky camera phones.

Those baseball players are certainly a sensitive lot. Consider the actions of Milwaukee pitcher Chris Capuano, who recently used his cell phone as a camera to snap a shot of the gaping wound on the left side of teammate Lyle Overbay's jaw, according to the CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

Overbay needed 17 stitches to repair the damage he suffered slamming his face into a Plexiglas shield atop a wall at Busch Stadium.

"I thought he might want a photo of it," said Capuano, who sent e-mails of the photo to Overbay and several other teammates.

"His mom is a nurse. All the guys were getting on me [for taking the photo], then they all wanted a copy. It looked like a steak that had been butterflied open."

Here's the picture. Click for a bigger image:

Cool.

A newly discovered fragment of the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament indicates that, as far as the Antichrist goes, theologians, scholars, heavy metal groups, and television evangelists have got the wrong number. Instead of 666, it's actually the far less ominous 616.

The new fragment from the Book of Revelation, written in ancient Greek and dating from the late third century, is part of a hoard of previously unintelligible manuscripts discovered in historic dumps outside Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. Now a team of expert classicists, using new photographic techniques, are finally deciphering the original writing.

Can't wait to hear more about this.

And in the story's final paragraph:

They and satanists responded coolly to the new "Revelation". Peter Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan, based in New York, said: "By using 666 we're using something that the Christians fear. Mind you, if they do switch to 616 being the number of the beast then we'll start using that."

OpinionJournal editorial on Social Security

I'm not ready to give up on personal accounts just yet, but this is still a good idea:

If a grand compromise (on creating personal accounts) is impossible, how about protecting payroll tax money for the next 12 years from the politicians who would spend it? This wouldn't require the large borrowing for a 75-year fix that Democrats say they oppose. And this would at least get the idea of private accounts off the ground, as well as put that $2.2 trillion to better use in the private economy.

Just about everybody agrees (or says they do) that the feds shouldn't be spending that money. Remember Al Gore and his "lock box?"

Then we try for the personal accounts again in a few years.