Isn't it ironic

How convenient. With nationalized healthcare just around the corner a new study comes out advising that women begin mammogram testing much later in life, and less frequent testing.

http://us.mobile.reuters.com/m/FullArticle/p.rdt/CHLT/nhealthNews_uUSTRE5AF5OS20091116

Undoubtedly this study will be used to ration healthcare. I suspect a rash of similar studies to support cutting corners and treatments. While some may actually have merit it will be difficult to tell - simply because I don't trust the government with healthcare decisions. Leave those choices to doctors and their patients.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod Touch. -

Nothing to see here

Facebook has sapped all my strength, and I barely use it. Blogging is hard work. I have nothing in the bag anymore. What is lefty that hasn't been said?

Occams Razor or What I Learned From The Simpsons

... or subtitled What I Learned While Watching the Simpsons.


Occam's Razor: from Wikipedia

To straightforwardly summarize the principle as it is most commonly understood, “The simplest explanation for a phenomenon is most likely the correct explanation."

Until I saw this episode of the Simpsons, I had no idea of what Occam's Razor is.

A New Push To Play God From Washington

Beautiful article by Thomas Sowell ...

A New Push To Play God From Washington

Shared via AddThis

I have also begun reading Mark Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny". Need to make quick work of it tho, since its from the library and there's another HOLD on it.

Obviously Presbyterians

And they thought my idea of an Uncle Sam theme (groomsmen in red, white, and blue tuxes, and groom in US suit) for my wedding was over top. I don't think this would've played well 26 years ago in a Baptist church in Sulphur LA.

Don't Call Them Dummies

Ventriloquists take offense at the word "dummies."

The performers brought their dummies along for the trip too."[They're] wooden Americans. They don't call them dummies," Ferrese said.

Probably from Native American Pine trees.

That had to sting

Ouch! Anthony Kim's drive on 18 gets a bad bounce. I saw this live and it made me laugh then as it does now.

Tea Party July 3, 2009 Austin, TX

Another Tea Party here in Austin this morning and I managed to get out and attend again. This time out among the oaks in Zilker Park. The shade provided some relief from the heat, but not much. Still quite a few Austinites showed for the event. I went with my friend Philo who posts his pictures here, and here.

Another friendly crowd - pleasant, enthusiastic, and cordial. Several speakers, most with genuine passion about the political dilemmas we find ourselves in today. Joe The Plumber was the keynote speaker.

As a Conservative, I think I feel like the Generals who play the Harlem Globetrotters night after night, and get beat routinely. We play sound ball, by the rules, and compete fairly. All for naught as the 'trotters have the razzle dazzle, get all the calls, go behind the official's backs, make lots of noise, have the press is behind them, and don't forget the bucket of confetti thrown on the crowd - a good show, but nothing of real substance.

Shelbyville

In Shelbyville, they fight with Cheetos. Maybe its because they married their cousins?? Perhaps they should throw Turnipos at each other.

Froot Loops

I watched my son Tory fill a stainless steel quart size mixing bowl with Froot Loops, pour in about a pint of milk just to float those things around, and then wolf them down - all at 10:30PM last night. Why? B/C he's hungry. And he wonders how he can't sleep at night.

Defensive Driving

There's 6 hours of my life I won't get back. A major part of last Saturday was spent in a stupor watching VHS tapes, and listening to a memorized presentation of defensive driving info. I kept thinking of Homer Simpson laughing, "Its funny because its not me."

Two memorable impressions from the day:

I won't feel the urge to eat at a buffet style restaurant any time soon - maybe a Souper Salad, but not a Golden Corral type. The class was in a separate room in a buffet eatery. Its not the food that failed, altho the food wasn't memorable either. Unfortunately it was the other people eating there. How to say this?? Most of the other folks were over what you would call recommended weight. And by a wide margin. I myself could lose 15 pounds or so and I could use some major conditioning, but I looked positively skinny in comparison. My appetite vanished before eating (except for a piece of apple pie) and when I did eat, it was not much. I really have sympathy for people in an obese condition - however it appears resignation and apathy has set it in for them.

I sat in the back row next to the wall on the left side of the room. To my right was a taxi driver from Austin who didn't speak English very well, it appeared a mid-eastern language was probably his native language. This was fortuitous since I didn't have to talk to anyone as a result! At the end of the class everyone has to take a test and get at least 70% of the answers correct. All day the instructor pointed out exactly what was on the test. Right before the test was handed out, the instructor read aloud every question and the multiple choice answers and then the correct answer. Every question. The tests were then handed out. I blasted through mine and sat around for a few minutes before we graded the test. We were asked to exchange with the person next to us so I exchanged with the taxi driver. At a glance I could tell he'd only answered about 5 questions of the 20. I waved to the instructor to wait - my guy's test had a "few" unanswered questions. He waved me off and told me to grade my own paper (I made a 100!) and to give the taxi driver his paper back. As we are checking answers the taxi driver is answering the unanswered questions. He managed to pass with an 80. Somehow he missed 4 while the answers are being given.

Class over and I walk out into the parking lot to be picked up by my wife to go home. The taxi driver offers me a free ride home in his cab. Think, think, think. Ah, no thanks.



Homer in Defensive Driving - if it were only this funny.

Unusual Chess Game

From Susan Polgar's blog, Chess Daily News and Information comes this link to an unusual chess game.

When Grackles Attack

They came by close enough for me to notice the noise of flapping wings the first time. I heard a bunch of grackles making a racket up on some nearby powerlines. The second pass I saw them coming and ducked out of the way. There were about 6 grackles sitting on the powerlines looking at me and squawking. I stopped walking and stared up at them, when about 4 of the 6 launched and dove at me a third time. About halfway, I started flailing my arms at them in frantic waves which caused the birds to pull up and fly off before reaching me. I quickly jogged away before another attack. All this on my lunch time walk of about two miles. Unfortunately there were no telephone booths for me to jump into for relative safety.

This reminds me of an Eastern Kingbird that nested out behind the 18th green of Mallard Cove Golf Course (my hometown course) back in the day. The bird would fly at golfers who had happened to get beneath its tree. We watched from the clubhouse as group after group came in and did battle with the Kingbird. Comedy.

Stanley Cup on TV

The finals for the Stanley Cup is on, and has been on TV the past two nights by NBC. The first two games were in Detroit as the Red Wings are playing the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Detroit is one of the USA cities hit hardest by the recession. Motor City - home of most American car makers. Yet - the automaker sponsoring the Cup TV coverage is HONDA. I guess the bailout, and now bankruptcy for GM doesn't allow for product promotion. And the Honda cars look good too - except those eco-friendly cars, yuck.

As I watched the crowd in Detroit I couldn't help thinking that greater than 1 of 10 of those fans is out of work, except that tickets prices are so high that I doubt anyone there doesn't have a job. At least they aren't watching the Detroit NFL Lions (0 - 16 ) last season.

BTW The Red Wings look awesome. Its impossible not to notice how they control the puck, control the opposition physically, and control shots that reach their goalie Osgood so that he can make sound saves.

Song of the Week

I heard Ray Davies perform a rousing solo acoustic version of "Sunny Afternoon" over internet radio early this week and the tune has lodged itself in my brain. The song takes on an "Atlas Shrugged" attitude (like I have read that monster) - lazing on a sunny afternoon.

And how did Davies know ....

" Save Me! Save Me! Save me from this squeeeeeeze,
Big Bad Obama is trying to break me .... "

and ...

Help me, help me, help me sail away
Or give me two good reasons why I oughta stay
'Cause I love to live so pleasantly
Live this life of luxury
Lazin' on a sunny afternoon
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime

Two corpulent gin-soaked trollops

Mark Steyn blasts a visual analysis of the financial state of New York and California.

Not to be too gloomy, but the country feels like it's seizing up. It's as if California and New York have burst their bodices like two corpulent gin-soaked trollops and rolled over the fruited plain to rub bellies at the Mississippi. If you're underneath, it's not going to be fun.

Ouch. That's a visual I could do without.

Handwritten letters fading

Written a letter lately? Me neither. I wasn't much of a letter writer in the past. Fewer and fewer are opting to communicate with pen and paper apparently. Writing a letter is hard work. Emails are easy and fast. Letters have a much greater probability of lasting a long time, emails not so much and even less for text messages.

I admire the Permanence of letters. Due to some remodeling around the house, I had to move some stuff out of closets, and found an old letter written to my wife and I from my spouse's grandmother. Her hand was far from smooth, but was legible. The letter did not contain news of daily life around her house but applauded our recent marriage and offered her advice to us for life. Its likely the only thing we have from her.

On an episode of TV show MASH, Hawkeye is writing a long letter to his father. There were a lot of letters written and received in that series. There is a huge thick book of letters written by CS Lewis - but somebody valued and kept all those letters, and then rounded them up. As the above article cites, Napoleon's letters to Josephine are still around and still pretty steamy. Much is made of John Adams' letters to Abigail, and hers to him. There is great value in these items.

Letters are meant to communicate very important thoughts and feelings. There is a lasting connection between sender and the receiver. Here is a blog post by someone celebrating the receipt of a handwritten letter, altho he somehow can't return the favor and write back, but instead settles for a phone call - he admits he is no longer in the habit and considers himself a victim of email ease. Greeting card companies now exist to relieve the tension of writing or saying just the right thing I suppose.

Go create some hand written memories - somewhere, either as letters or grocery lists. It will give someone warm memories when they remodel the house.

PS Another lamenting the loss of the habit of writing. (from the year 2000, so this erosion has be ongoing for some time.)

Flee, fly, and The Flu

The Houston Chronicle put up a map regarding the Swine Flu. Following the Dept Of Homeland Security's recommendations, I am going to wash my hands.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates at Aggie Muster

Defense Secretary Dr. Robert Gates at Aggie Muster on 4/21/9. Its the Spirit of Aggieland. Awesome.

http://bit.ly/UAjXO

Nice use of the local daily

I knew the Austin paper could be used for something.

http://www.austinkleon.com/2009/04/21/offing/

Happy Birthday Tory!

How did I forget this? 18 years today. Born with a smile on his face and didn't cry until some mean nurse provoked him. Celebrations will have to be late tonight as I have two meetings to go to after work tonight.

Austin Tax Day Tea Party

Some photos from yesterday's event here in Austin. My first protest ever. I didn't know how to chant, or sing protest songs, or march. But it was fun. Lots of pleasant people concerned about the future of the United States. Philo was kind enough to give me a ride to and from the Capitol.

The Texas State Capitol Building radiates history and tradition.

My NPR Name

If I were an NPR reporter, what would be my name? Lianablog asks this question and comes up with a formula for the answer.

In fact, we’ve often wondered what it would be like to be one of them. A Nina Totenberg or a Renita Jablonski. A David Kestenbaum or a Lakshmi Singh. Even (on our most ambitious days) a Cherry Glaser or a Sylvia Poggioli. So finally, after years of Fresh Air sign-off ambitions, we came up with a system for creating our own NPR Names. Here’s how it works: You take your middle initial and insert it somewhere into your first name. Then you add on the smallest foreign town you’ve ever visited.

So I guess that makes me Martt Matamoras, or Martt Montreal. I have not travelled much abroad. Since some people aren't aware that New Mexico is a US state, maybe one of their small towns would pass. Martt Hobbs, NPR news.

Mmm ...

Mmmm ... Reese's PB cup,bite size. If only they weren't wrapped up in the pastel foil. The price you pay for Easter candy.

Crossword clues on Jeopardy!

Crossword fun on Jeopardy! Theme composed by Brendan Emmit Quigley. I scored 3 of 5, but missed on Groucho Marx as well. And I hit the pause button to give myself a moment to think - lots more than those folks in the game had. Pretty impressive stuff for sure.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater

Watching an old Twilight Zone episode, I heard some background music which jarred loose a memory. The memory being that of driving from Bryan TX to Lake Charles LA in the evening, somewhere between Conroe and Orange TX and hearing the CBS Radio Mystery Theater on the AM radio.

At night, over that stretch of state highway 105 and IH35, it is radio no man's land. Except on one trip I tuned in the show on some distant station not knowing what it was. The signal faded in for about 3 or 4 minutes, and then static and noise would creep in for a minute or so (hopefully during the commercials) and then the cycle repeated. Everyone else in the car was a bit irritated at the coming and going of the reception but I stuck with it. Blame for my affection of radio can now be laid at the feet of this radio show.

I don't remember that show, or much of the others I might have heard on other nights later. The draw to them must be the sci-fi, Twilight Zone -light nature of the stories, the sound effects, dialogue, and E.G. Marshall putting in his two bits introducing the acts and pointing out the chilling irony of the proceedings. It was fun for an hour or so.

Recently I located a website that has mp3 files of some of the shows - not nearly all 1399 episodes but a decent collection. The first few sound like they were taped right off the air. News casts from the top of the hour are included - news of Nixon and Watergate, sports reports with ABA basketball scores. Budweiser "when you say Bud, you've said it all" ads, Special K cereal, and PSAs from the broadcast are left in. Its a mini time capsule. They also had that late night sound of AM radio - the station is tuned in, but there is another station or a whistle or light static bleeding over the reception, threatening to wash out the dialogue so you have to listen closely.

Another I listened to had Kim Hunter voicing one of the main characters. She portrayed one of my favorite movie characters - Zira, the chimpanzee scientist who helped Charlton Heston in Planet Of The Apes - one of my favorite all time movies.

Not all the episodes are radio gold. Probably most are just average fare, maybe laughable. I don't mind too much. Its fun - a good memory.

Four Years of blog

First post published this month four years ago. One of my first posts was about my mazda biting the dirt on 3/7/5. I almost did too. Gas price on that day was $1.89 per the big gas sign on the interstate. I now work across the street from that station and see that gas price sign everyday. It rang the bell at $3.99 - I don't think it crossed over the $4.

I still remember that wreck clearly. I felt like I escaped two crashes that morning. I have lost the photos an insurance sales agent took for me. He worked for the company that insured my house and took the pictures for me.

Converter box coupon!

Yahoo! Got my coupon in the mail today for my analog to digital converter box. Government bailing me out - finally.

DVD Diplomacy

Nothing has made me laugh out loud lately as much as Obama's gaffe in giving dvd's to England's Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The kicker of course to the whole story is that the dvd's won't play in England because they are the wrong format for their players. HAR HAR!

The coinage of the phrase "DVD Diplomacy" is spot on. Well done to the first to say it and I will echo as often as possible. It will be difficult to outdo this bit of incompetent bungling, but I am sure Obama and his sidekick Biden have something up their sleeves.

Michelle Obama does her part (from the same link):

Not to be out done in tastelessness by her husband, Michelle got into the act, too. Mrs. Brown came bearing two outfits for the Obama girls from Topshop, one of Britain’s trendiest and expensive women’s wear retail outlets.

In return, Michelle apparently had a staffer run down to the White House gift shop and grab two toy Marine One helicopter models for the Brown’s boys.

Class all the way, huh?

All Texas Ranger on steroids team

Bob Sturm has this quoted for the All Texas Ranger team on steroids:

The disturbing list of Rangers who have been caught in the web of PED according to Sherrington …

CF Gary Matthews Jr. Mitchell Report
C Pudge Rodriguez Teammate allegation
SS Alex Rodriguez Media report
RF Juan Gonzalez Teammate allegation
1B Rafael Palmeiro Tested positive
3B Ken Caminiti Acknowledged
DH David Segui Acknowledged
2B Randy Velarde Mitchell Report
LF Chad Allen Mitchell Report

I put Jose Canseco in LF, I think, over Chad Allen…

Pretty disappointing to see Pudge on that list.

Reality check

Razor takes us on a reality check. I wasn't that shocked about A-Rod. He was a Texas Ranger afterall, and was one when known steroid users Juan Gonzalez and Raphael Palmeiro were on the bench with him.

I'll throw computer animated TV shows on the pile Razor has started. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy them any less tho.

Simpsons Season 4

I have been making my way through my Simpsons dvd's. I started at Season 1 Disk 1 Episode 1 and have progressed episode by episode, sometimes rather slowly, to Season 4 Disk 4. I have got to say it doesn't get much better than Disk 3 of Season 4.

Here are the episodes:

Homer's Triple Bypass

Marge vs. the Monorail

Selma's Choice

Brother From the Same Planet

I Love Lisa

Duffless

The weaker one in the bunch is "Brother From The Same Planet", but Homer redeems himself by naming constellations for his little brother Pepe ("Well, that one's Jerry, the cowboy. And that big dipper-looking thing is Alan, the cowboy")

And Principal Skinner has a toupee?? From the blackboard of "Brother ..." "The Principal's toupee is not a frisbee"

So - In the picture above, any characters you cannot name?

Year Of The Ox

Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year and it will be the Year Of The Ox. Nearby, Austin has a shopping center - The Chinatown Center - which has scheduled its big party for next weekend January 31, 2009 and February 1, 2009.

You would have thought they would check to make sure the Super Bowl wasn't a conflict.

Annually there are huge crowds, parades, food, and music at this soiree. Sunday night will have some grand fireworks. Since its close to the house we see the display at night from a distance but this year we'll head on over to see what's going on both during the day and at night. Unless I forget.

Year of the Ox. Likenesses of John Entwistle or Paul Bunyon's Babe are encouraged.

Meant to be

As I learned from this past Sunday's NY Times crossword ...

OBAMA is in

GODBLESSAMERICA

Like it was meant to be.

Happy Birthday, Kasey

She turns 9 years old today. Getting a bit grizzled, a bit salt and peppery. A good dog though.

Further than you think

How far might you push someone else's grocery cart before you discovered it wasn't yours?

The "Wizard Of Id" gets it right