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Day By Day

Something Tells Me That There Is Some Grant Funding Involved Here.

Terrorists could use ‘insect-based’ biological weapon - Telegraph

Jeffrey Lockwood, professor of entomology at Wyoming University and author of Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War, said such Rift Valley Fever or other diseases could be transported into a country by a terrorist with a suitcase.

Loo. Osama and Co are terrorists and they are pretty determined. But, let’s face it. We’re not dealing with Lex Luthor here.

Welcome To The American Idol Cabinet

Obama Wants Journalist Gupta for Surgeon General

President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.Gupta has told administration officials that he wants the job, and the final vetting process is under way. He has asked for a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington but is expected to accept the offer.

When is he going to appoint Oprah to something?

Just A Start

Oregon could set standards for diet and exercise at day cares

With children joining the ranks of the overweight and obese before they’re old enough to recite the alphabet, public health and child advocates say it’s time working parents across Oregon wonder whether day cares should shoulder some of the responsibility.

Closer regulation could be on its way. A statewide obesity prevention task force has recommended that the upcoming Legislature require state agencies to study child care and develop minimum standards for physical activity, healthy foods and time in front of a screen.

New food and activity rules will undoubtedly raise some hackles. Is it necessary to mandate play for rambunctious toddlers? Reasonable to expect low-paid caregivers to persuade children to eat their vegetables when most parents can’t pull it off at home? And, really, aren’t toddlers supposed to be a little chubby?

“We’re not talking about chubby children,” says Katherine Bradley, administrator for the office of family health in the public health division of the Oregon Department of Human Services.

As hard as it is to take, they could be talking about your children

If you were wondering when the government was going to come out with mandatory exercise and diet rules, this is how it starts.

First they come for the children and it’s OK with the parents because it’s just easier to let them worry about it. Next it will be the teens because they’re getting too fat and lazy too. After that will come the regulation for employees, because good health means lower medical costs. Then it will be people getting government checks like SS or Medicare, medical costs, you know.

You’ll have to have some kind of enforcement because people will just lie about their eating and exercise habits.

Before long you have 90% of the population attending goverment provided (with a tax on your food) excersise classes and you might as well make it 100%.

But it’s always for their own good.

Bangkok New Years Fire

There was a terrible fire in a nightclub in Bangkok on New Years Eve. More than 60 people died and over a hundred injured.

Here is an unedited video taken during the fire.

WARNING!!!

This video is quite graphic. If you can’t take seeing injured and dying people, DON’T WATCH THIS!! That’s why I put the link instead of embedding it.

Additionally there is the problem that this is an amateur video and the camera swings wildly. You might get motion sickness watching this.

Bangkok is also different because the rescuers are not professionals. They are volunteers.
They’re called “bodysnatchers” and “make merit” for responding to accidents and rescuing people. There have actually be street fights between different groups over who is going to claim bodies.

Here is a video about them. It might give you more understanding about why things are so chaotic. Beside the fact that such things are always chaotic to some degree.

Isn’t That A Contradiction In Terms?

The 19 Somali pirates, armed and equipped with equipment to board the vessels, were captured and have been handed over to Somali authorities, the statement said.

If We Take These Steps And Still Have Double Digit Unemployment It Means…?

Obama Says U.S. Must Act Swiftly to Address Economy

Jan. 3 Bloomberg — President-elect Barack Obama said that Democrats and Republicans need to act with urgency to address the “great and growing” economic crisis, warning of double-digit unemployment if swift action isn’t taken.“These are America’s problems, and we must come together as Americans to meet them with the urgency this moment demands,” he said today in his weekly radio address. “If we don’t act swiftly and boldly, we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double-digit unemployment.”

If we do follow his prescription and unemployment rises to 10%, does that mean he will be judges a failure?

Not if the news media has anything to do with it.

The Media Making Things Worse?

Poll: 77% of Americans Blame Media for Making Economic Crisis Worse

Of course they are.

Oh, That Liberal Media

Patterico’s Los Angeles Dog Trainer Year in Review 2008

Patterico provides his annual listing of the twistings and turnins of the LA Times, a “mainstream” newspaper.

I think it would be interesting to see something like this on the Oregonian. They’re a farm team for the NYT.
I think the best blog to follow local politics in the Portland area is Jack Bog’s Blog. He’s a leftie but recognizes stupidity when he sees it. I haven’t quite figured him out. He complains about local government in Portland and Metro, which is all controlled by Democrats and then blames Republicans.

It’s A Drought…No, It’s A Flood….No Wait

Oregonians foresee future water shortages - Oregon Environmental News & Articles – OregonLive.com Portland Oregonian (Dec 30 2008)

Oregon snowstorms increase state’s water supply With most of winter left, the statewide snowpack is at 106 percent of average - OregonLive.com Portland Oregonian (Dec 31 2008)