jeffreymark

WHAT A CRAPPY DEAL

Salmonella is still alive and kicking in the old Lone Star State.

The Texas Department of State Health Services says that the number of salmonella cases linked to tomatoes in Texas since mid-April has increased to 330.

Health Department spokeswoman Emily Palmer said Wednesday that investigators interview those who have fallen ill and then look for commonalities in an effort to find out who supplied the tomatoes.

The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to limit their tomato consumption to those not likely to be part of the outbreak: cherry tomatoes; grape tomatoes; tomatoes with the vine still attached.

Consumers are being told to avoid raw red plum, red Roma or red round tomatoes unless they were grown in specific states or countries that the FDA has cleared of suspicion.

GEORGE CARLIN DEAD

Comedian George Carlin, known for pushing the obscenities envelop and, whose Hippie-Dippie weatherman touted the pothead culture of the 70s, died yesterday. His long hair, scraggly beard, and punch-drunk demeanor became his trademark, along with his eternal first words, "What's happenin' man." The hippie culture discovered an iconic hero in Carlin. His counterculture style, not always beneficial to our society, set a precedent for future entertainers. Carlin's cynicism, even though he denied the brand, revealed a man who struggled with faith and religion. Like many cynics his theology reflected a skewed image of the Biblical God often portrayed through dysfunctional Churches and Christians. The Associated Press addressed Carlin's rebellion explaining:

Carlin's jokes constantly breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" — all of which are taboo on broadcast TV and radio to this day.
When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying it was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.
When the words were later played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," he told The Associated Press earlier this year.

For more on Carlin go here.

TEXAS GOVERNOR'S MANSION BURNS

Authorities suspect arson.

Arson is suspected in a fire that swept through the historic Texas Governor's Mansion early Sunday and left much of the 152-year-old home charred and severely damaged, the state fire marshal said.

"We have some evidence that indicates that we do have an intentionally set fire," said state Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado. "So we believe that we may be looking at a criminal act here."

Calling it a "devastating loss to the state of Texas," Maldonado did not provide details on how the fire may have been set or whether authorities had identified a suspect.

Security cameras are set up around the mansion, which sits downtown on a lot the size of a city block, and investigators were interviewing people who were nearby and might have noticed suspicious activity.

The mansion was a sight to behold before the fire. Let's hope experts can restore it to its original state.

JIM MCKAY DEAD

We baby boomers grew up listening to outstanding sportscaster Jim McKay. His voice represents a pillar in society; something you always knew to be there; a constant you could rely on. Perhaps his coverage of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany remain his bright and shining moment. During those Olympics Palestinian terrorists kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes and eventually killed all 11. ABC called on McKay to report the tragedy. He never bargained for this kind of reporting. He traveled to Munich to cover a sporting event, not a bloody massacre. Once McKay received the news concerning the ultimate tragic fate of the hostages he uttered one of the now most famous phrases in all of sports, "They're all gone." Listen to McKay discuss this event with Bob Costas.

THE WILD WILD WEST

Gotta love Texas, where they continue to sport a bottle of whiskey in one hand a six-gun in the other.

Guns and nightclubs. In Amarillo, it's becoming more commonplace to see them together, police say. Nightclubs have played the backdrop of three fatal shootings in as many months, which police say were sparked by fights and likely fueled with alcohol.

Police don't think Amarillo is experiencing a spike in violence at bars. But they acknowledge gunplay in some bar brawls is becoming more commonplace.

"People carry guns in the cars and on their person when they go to bars," said Lt. Gary Trupe, who coordinates the Potter-Randall Special Crimes Unit. "It's seems like they're more prevalent in these kinds of incidents."

Yesireee... Bonnie and Clyde are still alive. And, Ms. Clinton (see previous post) would fit right in with her whiskey drinkin' and bimbo bustin' brawn. Oh, by the way, looks like old wild Bill beat her here.

BOB DOLE'S LETTER TO SCOTT MCCLELLAN

Yeah, I know, I know! You've probably already seen this letter. But, just in case, I'm posting it too.

Scott,

There are miserable creatures like you in every administration who don't have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues. No, your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits, and spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique.

In my nearly 36 years of public service I've known of a few like you. No doubt you will "clean up" as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, "Biting The Hand That Fed Me." Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years.

I have no intention of reading your "exposé" because if all these awful things were happening, and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high profile job. That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively. You're a hot ticket now but don't you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate?

BOB DOLE

McClellan reminds me of another weasel named John Dean. The Nixon counsel went down with Watergate and now moved over to the Dem's side. Funny how Chuck Colson has remained faithful to the conservative movement even in the face of a few evil individuals. Scott McClellan may make his millions, but hopefully, if he possesses any conscience at all, he will know how he nefariously received his handout, and moral people will too.

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE NYT'S SUN

So the the Treasonous Times intentionally got another one wrong concerning Bush. Seems like they're so desperate they have nothing better to do than beat a dead horse.

It's Memorial Day, and the good folks at the New York Times thought it appropriate to not only attack the President's position on a new G.I. Bill, but also to despicably lambaste him for "[h]aving saddled the military with a botched, unwinnable war," and "having squandered soldiers’ lives and failed them in so many ways."

On Memorial Day!

Thankfully, White House press secretary Dana Perino has already issued a written statement concerning this deplorable act by the Times on a sacred day when our nation commemorates its fallen heroes.

So are we so stupid and naive as to believe the NYT saw the light and now desires the best for the troops? If my sons served in the military the Time's latest opportunistic faux patriotism would be the ultimate slap in the face. They inherited no right whatsoever to comment on military affairs. They need to stick with their areas of expertise-book reviews and Clintonista butt kissing.

OLDER ADULTS POSSESS MORE WISDOM?

As we age we realize that we develop a little adult ADD. Folks at the NY Times explain why, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out:

When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. Instead, the research finds, the aging brain is simply taking in more data and trying to sift through a clutter of information, often to its long-term benefit. The studies are analyzed in a new edition of a neurology book, “Progress in Brain Research.” Some brains do deteriorate with age. Alzheimer’s disease, for example, strikes 13 percent of Americans 65 and older. But for most aging adults, the authors say, much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to latch onto just one fact, like a name or a telephone number. Although that can be frustrating, it is often useful.

“A broad attention span may enable older adults to ultimately know more about a situation and the indirect message of what’s going on than their younger peers,” Dr. Hasher said. “We believe that this characteristic may play a significant role in why we think of older people as wiser.”

BAD BEHAVIOR RUNS IN PACKS

As a minister I learned that even adults engage in bad behavior usually with what E.S. Jones called the "herd."
And according to a recent report smoking seems to fit this scenario as well:

The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too.

A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did.

What’s more, smokers tend to quit in groups and those who don’t stop puffing increasingly find themselves pushed to the edge of their social circles, the researchers found.

Such confirmation of my assumptions tends to make me believe the world would be better off it were not for people.

1850 HERE WE COME

Tractors are out and Mules are in as the new wave of the future:

High gas prices have driven a Warren County farmer and his sons to hitch a tractor rake to a pair of mules to gather hay from their fields. T.R. Raymond bought Dolly and Molly at the Dixon mule sale last year. Son Danny Raymond trained them and also modified the tractor rake so the mules could pull it. T.R. Raymond says the mules are slower than a petroleum-powered tractor, but there are benefits.

"This fuel's so high, you can't afford it," he said. "We can feed these mules cheaper than we can buy fuel. That's the truth."

And Danny Raymond says he just likes using the mules around the farm.

"We've been using them quite a bit," he said.

Brother Robert Raymond added, "It's the way of the future."

Meanwhile oil execs who seem to be riding high on the profit wave say don't blame us.

Top executives of the five largest oil companies tried to shift anger over high prices to a debate over supplies Wednesday, leading a senator to accuse them of acting like "hapless victims" while racking up record profits. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told the executives there's "a disconnect" between normal supply and demand and the skyrocketing price of oil—surpassing $130 a barrel even as the oil leaders testified—that the industry has yet to explain.

J. Stephen Simon, executive vice president of Exxon Mobil Corp., said profits have been huge "in absolute terms" but must be viewed in the context of the massive scale of the industry." He also said high earnings are needed "in the current up cycle" to pay for investments in the long term when profits will be down.