Down goes Skilling!!! Down goes Skilling!!!

Alright...I'm done channeling Howard Cosell. (Select the "Down Goes Frazier!!!)

The Enron boys have been found guilty and face the potential of some serious jail time in their respective futures.

Down goes Frenchy!!! Down goes Frenchy!!!

Read it and weep, Pierre. Your wines aren't the only good ones in town.

Will Your Vote Count in 2006?

Newsweek has a new Steven Levy article titled Will Your Vote Count in 2006? It's about the ongoing fiasco involving electronic voting machines in US elections. One quote from the article:

If Diebold had set out to build a system as insecure as they possibly could, this would be it," says Avi Rubin, a Johns Hopkins University computer-science professor and elections-security expert.

There is lots on-line about this (Google "electronic voting machine irregularities"). If ATM machines operated with this level of security, the banks would be broke in a matter of hours.

Not so honorable anymore

You're a researcher, Dr. Morphy-Godchaux. What's your opinion on this story that makes allegations of impropriety in Chinese academic research?

USA v France

Interesting story about French wines v California wines. This is a realm of expertise I think the Institute should get involved with. Might get some free trips out of it.

Pandemonium reigns supreme

While I'm sure this will come as a shock, the NOLA/La evacuation drill was shut down early due to confusion.

Dobbs: Bush, Congress tell working folk to go to hell

I've enjoyed the populist commentary of Lou Dobbs on CNN (any relation to Bob, I wonder?) . But this one was pretty vicious, though pretty much all true as far as I can tell.

Dobbs: Bush, Congress tell working folk to go to hell

William Jefferson

I think the honorable Congressman from Loozeeana is in deep merde. Please note this article on his allegedly hiding cash in his freezer and this one about an unprecedented raid on his Congressional office.

$1B Worth of Scams

Over 500 people were arrested in various 'marketing fraud' scams with nearly 3 million victims and one billion dollars. I'll save the commentary for the comments section.

Marketing fraud investigation yields 565 arrests, 2.8 million victims

Washington Post Article on Nagin

Posted here b/c I forgot the HTML language to put it in "comment" (the "posts" have a handy button for links!)

Washington Post article on New Orleans mayoral election.

I see the B-word (bankruptcy) for the first time in my limited readings.

Season's Greetings!

With predictions slightly more specific than Pat Robertson, the NOAA has released it's hurricane predictions for the new hurricane season. The Morning Line: 10 hurricanes, 4 to 6 major. In a related story, there is a push to add a new "Category 6" storm to the Saffir-Simpson scale. Reminds me of the ampilfier in Spinal Tap that 'goes to 11'.

Our local paper picked up a scathing story about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that everyone should read. It was originally in the Washington Post, but here is a link from the Salt Lake Tribune (I didn't see it picked up by too many other papers). Though a completely factual report, it is published under 'opinion':

Par for the Corps: A Flood of Bad Projects
by Michael Grunwald

Ray Nagin

Up for discussion:

Maybe because it was a weekend, but this election seemed to get very little play in the media. We'll see what Monday brings.

As for the result, I submit these talking points:

Did it really matter who won?

How many of those who voted don't/won't live in New Orleans ever again?

Discuss!!!

Katrina "Hero"

Remember that guy hailed as a hero for "commandeering" a bus to evacuate folks from the West Bank to Houston? Seems it wasn't the first thing he had ever commandeered.

Much Hilarity

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=386136&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770

News from the Law as Business World

Might interesting to the Morphites. ...... then again, might not.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/milbergpress05182006.pdf

Election Day

Predictions on election day, fellas?

I'm predicting Sugar Ray will win the right to finish off NOLA for good.

Baghdad's Lionel Richie Obsession

Perhaps the critics are right when they say that the US does not really understand the Iraqi people. The strongest proof I have seen yet:

Baghdad's Lionel Richie Obsession

Ethanol Education

It's use is widespread, but ethanol doesn't seem to be a cure-all.

Get a horse!

Why 85%

There is a ban on offshore drilling for 85% of the US coast. Congress just voted to keep it in place. Why 85%? Why not 100%? Let's guess where the 15% is. What is the 15% getting for being the place where the other 85% don't want to be? http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-05-18-20-32-34

Robertson says God told him that storms will lash U.S. coastline this year

According to the USA Today televangelist Pat Robertson says God told him that storms will lash U.S. coastline this year. Perhaps he could nail down some dates and storm intensities from God and help people evacuate. I think this could also dramatically increase the number of viewers of his '700 Club' show. Why watch the Weather Channel with this sort of information available?

Bush and Immigration

For your reading pleasure, a transcript of Dub's speech on immigration.

I must plead ignorance in that I did not hear/read yet so I'll withold all ridicule until I've properly studied the speach.

The Real Story on Pricey Oil

Fareed Zakaria doesn't mince words in his latest article titled "The Real Story on Pricey Oil". It mentions how oil consumption in Japan and Europe has been flat since the mid-1970s, while in the US it has doubled. All of this is directly tied to the rise of SUVs, with little of it having to do with the rise of India or China (who are only working for the US anyway). It also briefly dissects the politics of the countries currently being deluged with petrodollars.

The Treason of Images

I received this package today with this large sticker on it. I'm not exactly sure what it means or who it was intended for.

In a related story, the President tells us that the government isn't "mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans".

(Apologies to Rene Magritte).

Dead or Alive?

Isn't this the guy we were after when the war in Iraq started?

Electricity, e-lec-tricity.

A seemingly simple story - just the type that leads to debate with this crew.

Power Is Shut Off Over One Cent

Think meat-eatin' ain't natural, bip?

Sloth bears have long fuses, but when they blow - whoa nelly!

Katrina Flooding in New Orleans

The Times-Picayune has an interactive graphic on their web site detailing the flooding of New Orleans during and after Katrina. While this was a serious storm, the problems seem to be all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. In particular "Mr. Go" appears to be the abomination critics have long claimed. Big canals allowing lake water to flow deep into the city also look like a bad idea in retrospect.

Pest Engineering

Witnessing the devestation brought by both the South American fire ant and the Formosan termite, I wonder if these could somehow be combined. Could a genetically engineered (or just cross-bred) fire and and Formosan termite be feasible? This would have to be done in a very controlled environment. One has to hope that these two species aren't already cross-breeding in the wild, perhaps in the toxic aftermath of 9th ward Katrina. If nothing else, perhaps a sequel to the 1996 New Orleans classic "The Savege Bees" is in order, especially now that the Superdome is back in working order.

Tamagotchi Hacks

The 1980s Tamagotchi craze seems to be enjoying a comeback. But today's Tamagotchis communicate with each other, and can even breed. I wonder if they could be hacked to permit adoption and same-sex couples, just like in the real world. Here's a site that gives a head-start on the process. It's called This is what it sounds like...when Tamagotchi cry.

Damn those guys who actually keep track of this stuff

I can just hear "Dub" bitching right now: "Who's this son of a bitch tellin' me how much Kie-oh-toe woulda costed? Tap his phone. Read his email. Make him vanish and take him to Albania, PRONTO!"

Damnbusia

These guys ain't so sure Gambusias are so good after all.

Additional information for the curious.

State Secrets

Heard this on NPR this morning and had to look it up.

Here's the story about a German guy who had a really bad day thanks to the USA.

The Federal government is trying to have his lawsuit dismissed by invoking a "State Secret" precedent which says the legal proceedings of a trial would make public too many state secrets (like maybe, for example, the fact that the USA is kidnapping innocent people and doing nasty things to them to make them confess to crimes?).

For fun, listen to Sen. Leahy voice displeasure over non-warranted data mining.

Katrina Helps New Orleans Fight Fire Ants

An upisde to Katrina: the possible elimination of fire ants in New Orleans. But thousands of unattended swimming pools are breeding mosquitos. But enterprising pest-control workers have been putting fish in the pools to keep the mosquito population down! See:

Katrina Helps New Orleans Fight Fire Ants

Kinky turns in his petition!!!

Looks like Kinky's got enough signatures to get on the ballot.

Should we offer the Institute's endorsement?

Washington Sex Scandal?

A bunch of strange resignations and 'guilty' pleas in Washington D.C. lately. Some entertaining rumors of a sex scandal ("The Only Hookers Fox Won't Cover") seem to be surfacing. Seems to be Republicans involved this time. And just in time for the slow summer news season. I always thought Republicans had the financial scandals and Democrats had the sex scandals. Perhaps we are living in changing times.

Stretch your brain

Read this stuff about thought experiments into WARP DRIVES and see if you don't get a headache.

A Tale of Two Polls

Fox News has Bush's approval rating 'up' to 38%:

05/04/06 FOX News Poll: Bush Approval Rebounds Slightly, Staff Changes 'Window Dressing'

while AP-Ipsos has Bush 'down' to 33%:

Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down

Clearly the Liberal Media is behind this 5% gap.

International News

Anybody see that the new German Chancellor Merkel was in the US? Saw it on DW, but nothing on the US TV news or in the newspaper. Here's a Washington Post story with a picture that only mentions her presence in Paragraph 2.

Sooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

Interesting article on budgetary pork. Apparently it ain't a new invention.

China v Rome

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/04/news/bishop.php

Interesting little donneybrook shaping up here.....

Let's All Shed a Tear for Bill Gates

If you can stomach it, click to read how Bill Gates wishes he wasn't the richest man in the world.

"There is nothing good that comes out of that," says the billionaire of his billions. I'm thinking LOTS of money comes from that and that is better than NOT LOTS of money.

This kind of bellyaching makes me nuts. Here's an idea...give it ALL away. Then you won't be saddled with all the troubles all that cash brings with it.

Gates is a phenomenally generous man to charitable causes. I'll bet there are a few organizations that could usefully and charitably lighten Bill's burden.

Send a billion to M.I.R.T.H., Bill. Just trying to do our part to make you happy.

Nola Questions

1. Think this has anything to do with Hibernia Bank?

2. On this day in 1961 - A group of 13 "Freedom Riders" left Washington for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation in interstate buses and bus terminals.

Bush in New Orleans

Senate backs funds for Northrop hurricane losses

Northrop looking for $500M until it is able to settle with their insurance company. So that makes it a loan, right? This article points out that Northrop Guumman is the largest employer in both Louisiana and Mississippi.

Senate backs funds for Northrop hurricane losses

Also ran across this site that gives some sobering number on the destruction of Katrina: Katrina by the Numbers.

Bird Flu & Ratings

Bush is now trying to look presidential by hyping the Bird Flu and then sending out his lackeys to announce his government's plan of action. Two things wrong...The plan basically sucks and there really isn't a problem - at least not yet.

The Fed's plan basically tells the States to "be prepared" and not to count on the Feds to come in and provide leadership in any potential pandemic. No kidding. Based on their "leadership" during Katrina, we had a hunch that leadership would not be forthcoming. Now at least the Feds have put it into print. At least now they can say "Well see? We said we weren't gonna be there for you so it's not our fault."

And I've heard enough about the potential bird flu pandemic. There's ALWAYS a potential that a flu pandemic will break out if some little bug or other mutates sufficiently. The flu pandemic of 1918 produced an estimated worldwide death toll of 20-100 million people http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4946718.

So far, Bird Flu has killed 113. Not thousand or million. 113. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/
04/21/health/main1530052.shtml

Lighting kills 100 people a year just in the USA. Maybe there's a lightning pandemic? What's George's plan for the chaos that might be created if more people get struck by lightning?
http://www.ucar.edu/communications/infopack/lightning/faq.html

We should ALWAYS be ready for disaster. Bush et al. just shouldn't get the whole country in a lather over the bird flu in an attempt to make himself look good.

Let's revisit this "pandemic" when the death toll reaches 1,ooo,ooo which coincidentally is the annual death toll for malaria http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/africa/infographics/killer_malaria.asp

Go Kinky!

Got a new mailing from the Kinky Friedman for Governor folks. Gotta put in a plug for Kinky. If you live in Texas, give him a look. And check out his on-line video ads. They are a hoot.

Superhero Grudge Match

Read the part about "inter-hero dust ups". Very interesting use of grammar.

http://ask.yahoo.com/20050128.html

World Toilet Association

Here's a good one to start with...just for grins.

http://www.worldtoilet.org/hp/wto_hp.htm

Welcome Morphies

I see all but the German has signed up for the blog.

Phillip, glad you could finally find your way home.

Does anyone need the primer on creating a "post". I've made you all administrators so you should have the "authority" on the site to do so. Dr. Morphy-Godcheaux is probably the best person to email about that.

Tally-ho!!!