Sexiest guy on the Internets....

If smart is sexy, then Billmon is the shit! Go check him out, now!

More video

Well, in the spirit of the parrot video, here is another one that I found very amusing.

Skelly

I have no idea where this is - L.A. - Mexico City? For some reason this video just makes me very happy. Especially the way Skelly reacts to the girls walking by.

What Harry said.

In today's paper of record:

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, cited Mr. Bush's statements about firing anyone involved in the leak and said, "I trust they will follow through on this pledge."

With a great photo of Scottie looking rather bilious.

And do check out Billmon for his comments on the issue, as well as Juan Cole and Holden's Obsession with the gaggle at First Draft.

I agree with Dr. Cole that nobody involved in this should be holding any sort of position in the administration - not even Presidential fluffer. So far, only relatively low-level scum have been forced out (Kevin Coonley from the climate office, W. David Hager from the FDA) due to scandal. The implication that Rove was involved (if there aren't more, like Scooter Libby) in committing treason to intimidate a whistleblower just adds to the suspicion that the rotting stench goes to the very top. And Boosh has the nerve to lecture career government employees about ethics. Indeed.

Frog march!

Boo-fucking-hoo!

Sorry, but I have a hard time believing the sense of entitlement that some of these kiddies seem to have:

Experienced adults, who've worked full time for several years and lived to tell about it, often say that 9-to-5 jobs are rare in today's professional world. But to current and former college students, 40-hour workweeks are just about as bearable as dorm food. After years of dashing from class to lunch to library to gym, sitting in a matchbox cubicle for hours on end can feel more than a little confining.

Sheesh - what the hell did they expect? That they wouldn't have to actually work for a living? I'm a "former college student" too, and I really don't get this particular attitude. Of course, I get to work in a pretty creative environment (scientific research). But exactly what kind of job were they expecting with a degree in business, or "speech communication" or whatever? Didn't they think about what kinds of jobs they would be qualified for after they graduate? Maybe some of them might have contemplated degrees in fisheries or marine biology, if they had really thought about it. Sorry, but there are just very, very few jobs or internships available in "slacking."

Oh, and if they think they have it bad, I recommend they watch "Swimming With Sharks." No, this is not what it is like to be employed as a marine biologist, but instead as a Hollywood production assistant. Talk about your Job From Hell!

Horrible

Sad news from London this morning, as coordinated attacks on the transit system kill dozens and injure many more.

Know that our thoughts are with you as you struggle with this horrible attack.

Shame on those who did this.

Smart bird!

If you have not seen this, go watch the video right now.

My Congo is this smart, and she says and does many similar things - just not on cue, like the amazing bird in this very amusing video. I guess she just has no ambition.

I cannot get Blogger to upload pictures! Where the heck do I report a bug?

So much to do....

I have received my copy of the climate change assessment report; haven't had a chance to do more than page through it. It isn't as nicely produced as the AMAP reports (no color illustrations, for example, and the quality of the paper isn't as good). I will have more to say when I get a chance to acutally look at the content.

I have not had a chance to play with Automator yet. I think more actions are probably needed, the libraries are going to have to be fleshed out for third party programs, epsecially, to make it really accessible to most of us.

At work, I have all of these half-completed things just dangling, most important of which is probably the Arctic fox paper. Paul Hoekstra has published two or three papers on contaminants and stable isotopes in Arctic foxes while I'm still waiting for data. [sigh]. At least ours are from a different location. I sure would feel dumb if they were from Barrow or NWT.

Open Source

It looks like Juan Cole is going to be on Open Source, Christopher Leyden's current NPR talk show (I still miss The Connection).

If you don't know about Informed Comment, Cole's blog on Iraq, check it out.

scandals breaking

PlameGate (Boosh Admin leaks name of covert CIA operative to press);
CunninghamGate (Republican Congresscritter deals real estate for favors);
CoinGate (Ohio Repub admin invests in some questionable assets for pensions, assets disappear).


Frog-march!

Oh yeah...

Happy BlowShitUp Day! Please be considerate of your neighbors and local fireworks restrictions.

Gutting the ESA

According to today's NYT, the latest effort to trash environmental regulation will be a proposal to limit the Endangered Species Act. The limits it will apparently put on listing subpecies, stocks, or ESUs (evolutionarily significant units - a segment of the population, which, if lost, would lead to a significant decline in the genetic diversity of the remaining population) is bad enough. But this proposal also would limit what could be done to preserve habitat. As habitat loss is a leading cause of species decline in the first place, this is an extraordinarily bad thing.

Only thirty years ago, we were passing some of the most progressive environmental legislation in the world. Now, in less than a generation, we are going back to the age of the Robber Barons. When will people wake up? Will it take a Seveso or Mimimata? I would have hoped not.