BP Closure of Gas Pipeline = More $$$ Paid At The Pump

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

Alaskan Pipeline Closure May Fuel Motorists’ Ire

Ugh.  What a terrible pun.  But the story itself is actually worse.

The Bay Area will not face an oil shortage, but gas prices may jump in the weeks to come following a shutdown of Alaska oil supplies, experts said Monday.

London-based BP Amoco PLC, the world’s second-largest oil supplier, is shutting down half of its production on Alaska’s North Slope to repair rusted, leaking pipes. As a result, BP said, output will be reduced by 400,000 barrels a day, close to 8 percent of U.S. production.

The disruption should not immediately reduce the supply of gasoline from California refineries, state energy officials said. California gets about one-fifth of its oil from Alaska.

But oil prices already have risen, jumping more than $2 a barrel to almost $77 a barrel, on Monday.

For the record, on September 11, 2001, oil prices were $19 a barrel.

Massage Therapist Banned From Having Sex With Her Husband

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Sex/Morality/Family Values5 Comments

Minnesota has a law which forbids massage therapists from having sex with their clients for two years.  A therapist who violates the law can have his/her license revoked, and be fined.

The problem with the law (aside from the fact that it is a victimless crime) is that it makes no exception for marriage. 

That can cause a problem.  Just ask this lady:

LaRae Lundeen Fjellman likes to think her massage and alternative health business in Lindstrom has a small-town touch. She knows most of her clients personally and often gives them presents, such as flowers or banana bread, on special occasions.

But when she got too close to one of them and fell for former client Kirk Fjellman, who was divorcing his wife, she was surprised to learn that Minnesota bans massage therapists from having sexual relations with former clients for two years.

Kirk says his ex-wife reported LaRae to state officials in 2004. Now, the state is seeking to fine and possibly prohibit LaRae Fjellman from practicing in Minnesota for having sex with someone who has become her husband.

"There’s no harm, no victim," Kirk Fjellman said. "What’s this about?"

Obviously, the law is unconstitutional as applied to Ms. Fjellman.  There is no way that a state can penalize an individual for having sex with their own spouse.

UPDATE:  Yup, North Carolina has similar laws, although not as strict:

.0508 SEXUAL ACTIVITY DEFINED

For the purposes of this Chapter, "sexual activity" shall mean any direct or indirect physical contact, or verbal communication, by any person or between persons which is intended to erotically stimulate either person, or which is likely to cause such stimulation and includes sexual intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus, masturbation or anal intercourse. As used herein, masturbation means the manipulation of any body tissue with the intent to cause sexual arousal. Sexual activity can involve the use of any device or object and is not dependent on whether penetration, orgasm or ejaculation has occurred.

.0509 SEXUAL ACTIVITY PROHIBITED

To preserve the safety and integrity of the therapeutic relationship, the following requirements shall apply during the period from the beginning of the client/therapist relationship, and continue for six months after the termination of such relationship. Licensees shall:

(1)    not engage in sexual activity, as defined in Rule .0508, between the licensee and the client, whether such activity is consensual or otherwise;

(2)    not engage in or permit any person or persons to engage in sexual activity with a client in a location where the practice of massage and bodywork therapy is conducted;

(3)    not use such location to make arrangements to engage in sexual activity with a client in any other place; and

(4)    define the boundaries of the professional relationship in the event that the client initiates or asks the licensee to engage in sexual activity.

July Was The Second Hottest Recorded July In U.S. History

Ken AshfordElection 2008Leave a Comment

From the NOAA:

August 7, 2006 — The continental United States suffered through its second-hottest July on record because of a blistering heat wave from California to Washington, D.C. The heat wave broke more than 2,300 daily temperature records for the month and eclipsed more than 50 records for the highest temperatures in any July, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The hottest July on record occurred in 1936, and the third hottest was 1934.

Although it was pretty "normal" here in NC:

July2006statetemps

AOL Users: Your Searches May Have Been Made Public

Ken AshfordScience & TechnologyLeave a Comment

For some reason, AOL publicly released the search inquiries of 650,000 of its users. 

While the AOL username has been changed to a random ID number, the abilitiy to analyze all searches by a single user will often lead people to easily determine who the user is, and what they are up to. The data includes personal names, addresses, social security numbers and everything else someone might type into a search box.

***

Marketers are going nuts over the possibilities, users are calling for a boycott of AOL, and others are just enraged:

User 491577 searches for “florida cna pca lakeland tampa”, “emt school training florida”, “low calorie meals”, “infant seat”, and “fisher price roller blades”. Among user 39509’s hundreds of searches are: “ford 352″, “oklahoma disciplined pastors”, “oklahoma disciplined doctors”, “home loans”, and some other personally identifying and illegal stuff I’m going to leave out of here. Among user 545605’s searches are “shore hills park mays landing nj”, “frank william sindoni md”, “ceramic ashtrays”, “transfer money to china”, and “capital gains on sale of house”. Compared to some of the data, these examples are on the safe side. I’m leaving out the worst of it – searches for names of specific people, addresses, telephone numbers, illegal drugs, and more. There is no question that law enforcement, employers, or friends could figure out who some of these people are.

This is the type of data that Google has won a lawsuit to keep from the government, and here AOL goes off and releases it publicly.

What is going on here?

Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

They’re making a comeback:

Absent from the U.S. for so long that some thought they were a myth, bedbugs are back.

Include me as one of those who thought they were fictional.

Entomologists and pest control professionals are reporting a dramatic increase in infestations throughout the country, and no one knows exactly why.

***

Bedbugs are tiny brownish, flattened insects that feed exclusively on the blood of animals and humans. Their bites may cause itchy red welts or swelling.

Unlike mosquitoes, though, they are not known to transmit blood-borne diseases from one victim to another. They are extremely resilient and very difficult to exterminate. Experts say bedbugs are not necessarily an indicator of unsanitary conditions.

In the past four years, reports of bedbugs have significantly increased in U.S. cities, from New York to Honolulu, especially in hotels, hospitals and college dormitories – all places with high resident turnover.

The National Pest Management Association, which represents many of the country’s pest control companies, says the number of bedbug reports have increased fivefold in four years.

Reconciling Evangelicalism And Science

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Science & TechnologyLeave a Comment

You have to click through Salon’s annoying "ad", but this article is very worthwhile.  It’s an interview with Francis Collins, the former head of the Human Genome Project (which attempts to map the DNA of humans).

A man of science and a former atheist, Collins discusses his religious views.  He seems to sit comfortably within both realms, although to do so he cannot accept literal interpretation of the Bible:

Collins:  If you look at the history of the intelligent design movement, which is now only 15 or 16 years old, you will see that it was a direct response to claims coming from people like [biologist Richard] Dawkins [who argued that the theory of evolution leads to atheism]. They could not leave this claim unchallenged — that evolution alone can explain all of life’s complexity. It sounded like a godless outcome.

Salon: So, one response then is simply to dismiss evolution — to say it doesn’t hold up as science.

Collins: I think that’s what many well-intentioned, sincere believers have done. The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost imply that there’s a conspiracy here to avoid the fact that evolution is actually flawed. All of those books, unfortunately, are based upon conclusions that no reasonable biologist would now accept. Evolution is about as solid a theory as one will ever see.

Salon: Obviously, you’re saying you should not read the Bible literally, especially the story of Genesis.

Collins: That also seems very threatening to many believers who have been led to believe that if you start watering down any part of the Bible, including a literal interpretation of Genesis One, then pretty soon you’ll lose your faith and you won’t believe that Christ died and was resurrected. But you cannot claim that the earth is less than 10,000 years old unless you’re ready to reject all of the fundamental findings of geology, cosmology, physics, chemistry and biology. You really have to throw out all of the sciences in order to draw that conclusion.

I think Collins hits this square on the head.  If you take the position that the Bible is the literal scientific truth and hang all your religious beliefs on that single thread, then your entire belief system collapses when faced with cold hard verifiable and replicatable truth. 

Science and God are not incompatable; in fact, they go hand-in-hand — science is merely the language we use to understand, and then explain, God’s creation.  I don’t understand why so many people of faith are so frightened of that.

Bush Needs A Civics Lesson

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

Today he said:

"Which gives me confidence about the future in Iraq, by the way. You know, I hear people say, Well, civil war this, civil war that. The Iraqi people decided against civil war when they went to the ballot box."

What does "going to the ballat box" have to do with whether or not there is a civil war? 

Democratic elections do not negate the possibility or existence of a civil war, do they?

Site1052_t

Yup.  We had an election, and that eventually led to a civil war:

Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860, the South Carolina legislature calls a state convention that convenes on December 17, and on December 20 approves a proclamation to remove the state of South Carolina from the union. The secession of South Carolina is followed by the secession of six more states — Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Four additional states–Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina–delay acting on secession, but eventually join the others to make up the eleven states forming the Confederate States of America.

By the way, when Bush notes that "people" are talking about civil war, he’s intentionally overlooking the fact that those "people" are his commanders in Iraq.

All Eyes On Connecticut

Ken AshfordElection 2006Leave a Comment

I’ve been following the CT primaries closely, and despite an apparent surge from the incumbent this weekend, it looks like progressive newcomer Ned Lamont is going to the Dem primary over former VP candidate and Bush appeaser Joe Lieberman.

The punditry on this issue is overwhelming, so I can add little to the mix.  Clearly, Joe Lieberman is the first to pay for his support of the Iraq War, and this bodes badly for Republicans in the upcoming congressional elections.

But it is even more than Lieberman’s support for the Iraq War.  He, like his Republicans buddies across the aisle, suggested that to go against Bush during a time of war is, yup, unpatriotic:

"It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be Commander-in-Chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine Presidential credibility at our nation’s peril." – Lieberman, 12/06/05

Now that he’s running, however, Lieberman’s singing a new tune — he welcomes criticism of the President and the President’s war policy:

"I understand that many Democrats in Connecticut disagree with me and are very angry about the war… What I will say is this: I not only respect your right to disagree or question the President, I value it."

Connecticut voters are not fooled by this hypocrisy.

But is Lieberman’s loss a "watershed moment", as this WaPo article suggests?  Probably not.  Conventional wisdom says that whenever Democrats move too far to the left, they lose — which is why Clinton (a moderate) succeeded, and McGovern didn’t.

On the other hand, conventional wisdom in politics changes over spans of decades.  Conservatism was all but dead until Ronald Reagan took office.  Perhaps it has reached its high water mark, and the pendulum is swinging back. 

But it will take a while.  Politics, like geology, is pressure over time.  Just as a generation grew up hearing Rush Limbaugh and the "virtues" of conservatism, a newer generation is becoming politically aware under the follies of the Iraq War, and they don’t like this whole conservative thing.  This shows up in polls: while Bush has an approval rating of 40% nationwide, it is only 20% among Americans aged 18 to 24.  In another poll of Harvard students:

In the 2003 poll, 31 percent identified themselves as Republicans and 27 percent as Democrats. By 2006, 32 percent of college students said they were Democrats and 24 percent Republicans.

So I see the Lamont victory not as a catalyst for change, but a by-product of change.  The country, to put it bluntly, is moving left.

Anyway, there’s a good discussion of the Lamont-Lieberman fallout here.

Video Proof That Britney Spears Is As Thick As A Door

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

This private moment of Britney (filmed by hubby Kevin Federline) shows what a class act she is.  She whines about how ugly she is, then she burps, all the while acting — I don’t know — stoned, I guess.  She’s swatting at imaginary fairies or something.

But the best part comes at the end:

Britney: Have you ever seen "Back To The Future"?

Kevin:  Hm-mmm.

Britney: Is that possible?  To time travel speed?

Kevin:  No.

Britney:  Yes it is, Kevin.

Kevin:  Okay, but not that we know of.

Britney:  I think people can do that, and I think some people are ahead of us.

Very true.  I think everybody is ahead of you, Britney, evolutionarily speaking.

Grumble, Grumble

Ken AshfordRed Sox & Other SportsLeave a Comment

Team W L PCT GB
NY Yankees 66 42 .611 –
Boston 65 45 .591 2.0
Toronto 58 53 .523 9.5
Baltimore 50 62 .446 18.0
Tampa Bay 47 65 .420

21.0

It’s the injuries; it’s the bullpen.

It sucks.

I Have A Question

Ken AshfordWeb RecommendationsLeave a Comment

AmazonmilkIt’s actually a two-parter:

(1)  Why do they sell milk on Amazon.com?

(2)  Why are people reviewing it?

Avoid using this product, August 5, 2006

Reviewer: Andrew Rickert (Denver, CO) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Unfortunately, after a terrible night’s sleep, I have concluded that this product is not suitable for use a a pillow.

Al Gore Approved, August 5, 2006
A Kid’s Review
I ran out of gas the other day while driving my wife to the dentist to get her teeth fixed. Luckily, I had a gallon of Tuscan Whole Milk in the back. I opened up the bottle and let er’ flow into the tank. Sure as my wife is toothless, the car got me to the dentist and back. I now use it as my primary fuel source. This milk can also be used to lube your car in a pinch; it’s thick, creamy greatness lubes my cylinders very nicely.

Land Of Milk And Honey, August 5, 2006

Reviewer: Van Biesbroeck Trialogue (Lesser Sunda, Malay Archipelago) – See all my reviews

Questions about the particular significance of Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 fl oz and honey involve literary archaeology, and such pursuit reveals the different layers of meaning these ancient fertility symbols gained as they were adopted and assimilated by different early cultures of the Middle East. What ultimately emerges is a startling image whose core is pantheistic and sexual, as well as both sacred and profane.

Way better than juiced cow, August 5, 2006

Reviewer: Jay C. Austad (Minneapolis, MN) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I highly recommend this product. After years of failure putting cows through my Juiceman, Tuscan Whole Milk has come out with a product that not only looks like milk, but actually is milk. I have no idea how they’ve done it, but surely there is a patent on their brilliant process. The best I could ever hope to get was a pulpy red mess with chips of bone and some fur.

Interestingly enough, the cow milk I made tasted very similar to squirrel milk. Is there a market for that?

Anyone wanna buy a Juiceman Juicer? I don’t think I need it anymore.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

Combine with other foods!, August 5, 2006

Reviewer: J. Fitzsimmons (Milwaukee, Wi) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Has anyone else tried pouring this stuff over dry cereal? A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

See the hilarity here.

The Wilhelm Scream

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

In 1951, a Gary Cooper film called "Distant Drums" was being filmed.  The scene called for a man to get eaten by an alligator.

As is usual in filmmaking, the actual scream was dubbed in later and edited into the film.  That recorded scream later went into the sound recording vaults of Warner Brothers studios.

It became known as the "Wilhelm Scream", and has been used in hundreds of movies since then.  Including the recent re-make of "King Kong", "Cars", all the Indiana Jones movies, and so on.

Yes, the same scream.  It’s kind of a cult thing among sound editors.

Wilhelm.wav

Read more about it.