[movie review] Mongol

Mongol was a good movie. I could easily imagine the director/screenwriter was trying to create a visual epic poem, rather like Der Niebelungenlied or Táin Bó Cúailng or Beowulf (the real one, not the movie). The film's images are often figurative ( "the clouds covered the land until it was as dark as night" = film at night) or archetypical (wife waits for hero to return = happens repeatedly with great stoicism from her). There isn't really character development in the modern sense. Of course, in these epic poems, the hero is either sprung fully formed as a hero, or simply goes from abandoned, enslaved boy to hero in a few lines of poetry/scenes in movie. Don't get me wrong, I like the old hero-poems. Just don't expect declamations of motivation and thoughtful consideration of behavior by the characters.

It was grand. Everything was grand. The scenery was grand; the characters' relationships were grand; the fighting was grand; blood spurting was definitely grandiose.

Someone figured out how to make blood spurting look impressive. Then she wanted to make sure you knew just how impressive and really cool it was, or perhaps just wanted to justify the amount of money spent on people like my brother, so she did it over and over and over and over again. And again. It got a little old by the culminating battle.

Speaking of Mr. STFU's profession: everyone in the industry has obviously been impressed with LotR, since we keep seeing more epic battle scenes in movies. The advancing lines of Mongolian hoards was very reminiscent of the Battle of Pelinor Fields in RotK. Better strategy (attack enemy with 10,000 of your buddies, rather than a couple dozen), but equally impressive looking.

Basically, as an action movie, this was pretty damned good. As an overall assessment, it was good. It was violent with lots of blood, though little gore. It was visually stunning. Parts of the dialogue were pretty funny to a modern audience, e.g. Temudjin's father describing to his 9-year old son how to pick a wife. Some parts of the story simply went from point B to C to D to H without mentioning how. After falling through the ice, how did the hero wind up on shore? Being eyed by a rather curious wolf, why is he still not eaten? It's back to the stylized epic, don't worry about it.

This definitely put Ghengis Kahn in a rather favorable light. Oh, yeah - this is the story of how some young boy turned into the Khan of all of Mongolia ruling the largest empire ever seen on the face of the earth. Hell, maybe he was a really nice guy driven by a sincere desire to bring order to the Mongols and the desire for the love of his life. However, anyone bloodthirsty enough to create an empire stretching from Korea to Kiev is probably not someone you'd want as your kid's godfather, even if he was great to sit around a campfire and drink beer with.

Nominated for the '07 Foreign Film Oscar from Kazakhstan, it's the first film I've seen in Mongolian. The Conterfeiters won the Oscar that year. I don't really see that being such a better film than Mongol. I even rather suspect that Jews in a concentration camp resisting the Nazi war machine elicited a more positive response from a predominantly American judging population than a blood-thirsty not-white guy who conquered most of Asia in the 13th Century. I don't know much (read: nothing) about Mongolia then, so there's no opinion about the quality and authenticity of the costumes, mannerisms, or culture. It sure looked grand, though. It was interesting enough to get me to at least glance over the entry on Wikipedia to see how historically accurate the basic story line was. Compliment, I suppose.


Elizabeth’s rating: 2

The cinematography just begs to be seen on the big screen

1 - Go see it on the big screen at full price.
2 - Go see it on the big screen, at matinee prices.
3 - Buy your own on video.
4 - Definitely see it on video.
5 - Well, if someone else it paying for it ...
6 - Go get your teeth cleaned.

Bumper Sticker of the Week

We've got to protect Freedom of Speech ~ how else will we know who the assholes are?



just got back from the total chaos of celebrating our anniversary. literally. I'm waiting for Mr. Gopher to get back from a short jog to the bank - part of the longer story. And, god knows, if you know me, that means a looooong damn story. Later. Good Night from Minnesota!

Phallus Fights & Other Strange Traditions

Title of a new series of articles from Der Spiegel. It's in English.

[running of the bulls in Pamplona] ... one of those festivals that make the saner among us scratch our heads in confusion and wonder, "How was that ever a good idea?" But just because it is Europe's most famous oddity certainly doesn't make it an isolated case.

The view from the other side

"It's the rhetoric of Sept. 11. … But this crisis actually has much larger dimensions than the attack against the twin towers and collapse seven years ago. Why? Because, this time, the attack on all-American doctrines is not the work of some foreign enemy. It comes from within, from the depths of the system. Largely unobstructed by its own state controls, American capitalism has created its own suicide bomber whose explosives -- derivatives -- have had an even greater effect than the flying bombs of the jihadists. The whole world -- and not just New York -- has a new ground zero now -- Wall Street." -- quoted from the Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung (a center-right paper)


As I sit, taking a lunch break at our local left-wing, progressive, so-totally-not-republican cafe, the constant theme of conversation seems to be "are you going to watch the debates tonight?" Now, if only they'll listen to the debates for reasons other than self-justification.

Miscellaneous

Mr. Healthy Gopher looked stunned the other day when it dawned upon him he's been living in the US for longer than he was in Sweden. (his last place of residence before coming here. I don't think the good ol' US of A will ever supplant it in his fond memories.) We had been discussing what to do on Saturday to celebrate our anniversary. #5. Or 10, depending on how we count. :)

Movie & dinner is on the schedule. Although, with the advent of Autumn, it is likely our plans to eat on top of Stella's Fish Cafe (i.e., outdoors) will come to naught. I find it annoying, if not down right aggravating, that movie theaters don't publish weekend schedules until Thursday. I want to make reservations for dinner. Can't do that unless I know when the movies are showing. We have the flexibility to go to a later show this time. We've got our older babysitter coming and don't need to worry about getting home late (well, sort 0f - she still needs to be able to drive home without worrying about the county-wide curfew). Aaargh.

This morning, while getting Michael dressed, he raised his arm and said "look at this". Wondering what prompted such a request, of course I looked. 4 year old armpit. He points at his armpit and tells me "I'm getting hair there. Almost!"

A couple weeks ago we were making our Sunday post-lunch walkabout in the cemetery up the street. It's from the turn of the last century, and in mild decay, being unused now. Michael kept running from headstone to headstone demanding to know, "who's this?" "why did they die"? An unfortunately apropos activity, since Peter's uncle Josef died that weekend. Michael never met him (neither have I), so we didn't mention it to him. While wandering around the graveyard, it was painfully obvious how many graves were for children. So many children under 2 years old. So very, very many tiny headstones.

My first exam is Friday. Epidemiology is soooo much fun! Go back to school! You too can take a course on how to define populations and calculate mortality rates!

Well, the only mortality going on in our family right now is our financial security. We could put our 4 year old son in charge of the Treasury and have greater confidence of our long-term financial stability.

Gotta go study for my exam. I want to be able to watch the Red Wings play tonight without guilt. Actually, I just want to be able to watch it. They're not playing the We-Sold-Our-Team-to-Texas-and-Are-Stuck-With-a-Dorky-Team-Name-Now, so it's not going to be on local TV. Not that our TV is working anyway.

Best autumnal wishes from all of us here in Minnesota!

Just so much fun ...

As Mr. Healthy Gopher observed, the longer Palin is in the race, the funnier she becomes. Funny like bizarre.

Palin: "community organizer? what's that? who cares? I am a governor"

Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.


The following observations are from one of the news blogs here during McSame/Palin's shindig up in Blaine yesterday:

• This woman scares me, I don't see how any foreign leader can take her seriously. I'd buy Avon from her, but not vote for her for serious office. It's like the Ketchup couple woman on A Prairie Home Companion running for office. Maybe I need some ketchup with its mellowing agents to calm down.
• When this over so I can turn my radio back on? I really find it annoying to listen to someone this stupid. It's like listening to Bush speak.
• Gov Palin says "We'll never forget we're there to work for you. It's about you. I've never forgotten who I'm accountable to." ... As long as 'you' and 'the rule of law' aren't the same things.

Placard/protest signs from Alaska Women Reject Palin protest in Ancorage, AK last Sunday. Which, if the head-count of 1,500 is correct, means that 1/4 of a percent of the entire state population was there.

Bush in a skirt
McCain/Palin - Unstable & Unable
Real Leaders don't have to Cram for the Interview
Pittbulls make poor Diplomats
Wrong Woman, Wrong Message
Hocky Mom for Obama
Sarah Palin: Fundamentally Wrong
Bristol Got to Choose: Why Don't We?
I Support My Choice (very pregnant woman holding sign)
Another Bush We Can't Trust (now, I'm not 100% sure how to take this, but I'll assume the artist was willing to be subtle, and consider this awfully, awfully damned funny)
I'll Need Reproductive Rights One Day (8-yr old girl holding sign)
I Don't Like Hockey! Figure skating Moms 4 Obama



Potential amendment to my Election Rules:

A multi-partisan commission will be established.
It will review advertisements and speeches.
The accuracy of claims will be established, regarding what the candidate claims to have done or what the opponents have done.

The commission will awards points for false statements. It will aware more points for each time the statement/ad is repeated after the first issuance of points.

For every 10,000 points you get, your side loses one electoral vote.

The above amendment is from bigalmn at MPR's blog, who added: "If we did this today both sides would likely be in the negative electoral votes overall and the Independence Party would win by default since they have no money to spend on advertising and get no press attention."

Pearly whites

this is like watching gangrene spreading; missiles descending upon your position; that slo-mo transition as the pick-up fails to stop at the rail-road crossing. It's so god-awful you just can't take your eyes off it. Our own lunatic in Washington. Well, not directly my lunatic. I've got the rabid Muslim-devil-Bush-hater as a representative.

The “Bachmann Smile” is a like a scary secret weapon. For folks accustomed to following MN politics this is not news. In fact, it is very old news. But for others like CP, who keep headphones on their ears all day listening to MC/VL and The Hold Steady, this could be new. Though we doubt it. The Bachmann Smile is like The Eye, searching for something like a ring to give it ultimate power. And if we want to go deeper into this meta-nalogy, her DFL [i.e., Democrat] opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg sounds like a name poached straight from the Shire. Let’s just hope Tinklenberg has a forthright buddy helping him along the campaign trail, as it seems like Bachmann could sum up the power of a million Orcs at any moment.

Or, as she puts it herself, while being shot down on L.King, “She’s proven herself to be a strong leader in Alaska, taking on pork barrel spending and making fiscal responsibility a top priority”. I'm not sure if Bachmann realizes the "taking on ... spending" does not mean "accepting it".

"Bachmann has yet [8/28/08] to hold an open public meeting for constituents in her district since being elected in 2006." Now that truly blows me away. oh, no! was I misled by the evil "independent" media? She has a permanent, standing "town hall" meeting! It's at: michellebachmann.townhall.com

Her "secret" RNC soiree / schmooze cruise / pow-wow to kowtow was on the river. I suppose it might be considered part of her district, since the boat dock is.

Gotta Re-name my Dog

Allegedly, someone with a group called "anonymous" posted the password to Palin's Yahoo account (gov.palin@yahoo.com) on a bulletin board last night, "and a field day ensued," the blog said. Another member of the group said he changed the password to "avoid further damage."

a comment was made about the pathetic lack of awareness of technology security. For example, not choosing one's zip code as a password.

CrackBerry

Study Finds That 35 Percent Of BlackBerry And PDA Users Would Choose Their Device Over Their Spouse

87 percent said they bring their devices into the bedroom.

"It can actually ruin relationships," said Dr. Susan Bartell, a psychologist and relationship expert. Bartell said couples should be interfacing more, but with each other. "People are so focused on their PDAs, they're not focusing on what might be going wrong in their relationships," Bartell said.

hmmm

I know a fellow who has a BlackBerry and who uses it compulsively. Of course, watching his relationship with his wife, I'm left wondering if it's simply "I gotta have it" or whether it's "If I'm focused on this, she won't bother me or at least I can pretend not to notice her ragging on me".

Die Industrie wächst überdurchschnittlich, die Milliardeninvestitionen zahlen sich endlich aus.

Industry is growing , the investment of billions is finally paying off.

Investment in industry = money. Wow, now is that a concept someone ought to consider here. What has American economy been investing in? Mortgages. Credit.

Nothing has amused me so much as Lehman and AIG screaming as their credit rating goes flushing down the toilet. Hee hee hee hee hee. They spent years buying things (mortgages and other investments) without adequate consideration of the long-term consequences. Just like the American idiot-Citizens (houses, credit cards). They spent decades without considering the consequences to their credit rating. Just like the American idiot-Citizens (buy more more more). Basically, they spent years underwriting the stupidity of American financial choices. People's credit goes down the tubes .... and now theirs does.

Welcome to the junk-bond neighborhood of modern America, Mr. investment bank owner. Oh, but that includes the Savings & Loan business, as well.

Perhaps more people ought to realize that the best choice for their kids' foreign-language immersion schools (really popular here) ought to be Chinese. Since they're going to wind up owning most of America, if they don't simply drown us in cheap plastic junk.

New Photos

Kitchen last night. We had chocolate sauce with desert.

























I missed this. I was asleep too.




















Tea party in the garden.




















Josie, Michael & Gregor having a tea party.



















Michael writing his name.
















Breakfast this morning.



















We just came home from dinner out. Sitter put the boys to bed. Almost.

Gravity: weaker than weak

hee hee hee
Science Geek Rap
the new whiz-bang nuclear gizmo in Switzerland all over the news.

News Cut Quiz of the Week

Question 5:

What happens if you actually try to put lipstick on a pig?

* They break out. Pigs are allergic to lipstick.
* You can't. Pigs don't have lips.
* They look kinda sexy, in a political kind of way, of course.
* They have a sudden urge to drive their piglets to hockey practice.

Bloated pustulant bodies

August 8, 2000 Republican National Convention, Philadelphia, theretofore known as the city of brotherly love.

Pics

More from Minnesota

Gregor & Josie (our neighbors' daughter, who is also MIchael's best friend)

















If you've been in a Catholic church, or seen much older European art, all of the saints have a standard symbol that goes with their images/icons, for all of those folks who pre-date photography. E.g Catherine has a wheel, George has a staff/spear. St. Albert the Great, appparently, has a frog. Really.



















Sunday afternoon lunch @ Falafel King: Michael & Mr. Giraffe

















Michael (blue hat) & the kids & Frau Anna from German pre-school at the GAI Family Day
















Gregor @ GAI Family Day























Gregor's daycare group. He's in the foreground. The photo was taken on the day the kids had gotten a pair of guinea pigs ("Heavy Duty" & "Duke"), and were enthralled with them. Gregor, apparently, was more interested in disassembling the outdoor fence for the little critters. If you come visit (hint, hint), you'll notice this is our front yard. Gregor's daycare is in the other half of our duplex.

[movie review] Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

I, as it happens, have time to waste and cannot do better than to quote from my review of "The Mummy" (1999): "There is hardly a thing I can say in its favor, except that I was cheered by nearly every minute of it. I cannot argue for the script, the direction, the acting or even the mummy, but I can say that I was not bored and sometimes I was unreasonably pleased. There is a little immaturity stuck away in the crannies of even the most judicious of us, and we should treasure it."

[def.] Lapel Pin Patriots

Now this is the lapel pin I recognize as patriotic.

of course, roasting the idiots

specifically 4:33 to 5:55.



okay, so I realized what would truly, truly be funny would be the All Inclusive Political Satire: include Obama in this as a 3-way comparison. Because I am positive all of this (other than the offer of admiration at the end) could be found with his speeches, too. Now that would have been funny.

Exercise does a body good?

Mpls school district discussions on making more kids walk to school ...

The report also highlights small changes. The number of bike-riding students at South High School quintupled with one action: The school installed new bike racks.

Whatcha readin' ?

Some miscellaneous thing on the web solicited an answer to "What are you reading this month?"

I paused to consider ...

Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health
Risk Assessment in Environmental Health
miscellaneous scientific articles on ethics and epidemiology
Essentials of Air Contamination
Mountains beyond Mountains (non-fiction, about public health)
Stalin's Ghost: M.C.Smith (fiction) - as soon as it's done, it will be the end of reading for my own pleasure

Put on hold, due to the beginning of school:
Chronicles of the Black Company
vol 12 of the J.Evanovich books


Last Fall semester, I was in the public health's student lounge, with my feet up taking a break from studying. Another student walks by, stops, does a double take, and walks back to stand in front of me. She tilts her head to look at the cover of the book I'm holding, and asks in a tone of wonder and chastisement: "Are you reading for pleasure?" Several of us noticed that we hadn't read anything 'for fun' since school started. Last week, a friend in my program told me she was tired because she'd stayed up too late, in order to finish the book she was reading. "I was almost done! If I hadn't finished it last night, I wouldn't have been able to read it until Christmas!" Same reason I'm "still" reading Stalin's Ghost - I'll finish it tonight if I finish my epidemiology homework - otherwise it will probably wait until Thanksgiving.

Graduation celebration might consist of
a) sleeping for a week +
b) big party +
c) spending a weekend retreat alone to read myself silly

Protest signs

Favorite sign reported at the protests:
If we hadn't protested Vietnam, McCain would still be a POW.

Farben

Vor allem Schwarz und Weiß und Grau
vergesse ich manchmal
die bunten Farben in meinem Leben
Du bist für mich
weder Schwarz nor Weiß
sondern Rot und Blau und
meine Lust und Freude


http://wordle.net

My Eight Rules

From a reporter @ MinnPost.com, re: riots this week in StPl

Some of [the faux johnny-come-lately-I-wanna-be-a-reporter-and-say-I-was-at-something-cool] them are pretty interesting. Covering the protests in St. Paul this week, I saw a woman with a media card around her neck who was dressed neck-to-toe in army surplus, had a motorcycle helmet on her head and wore a mask like the Lone Ranger's. I saw a big silver-haired guy in a huge photo-vest with the pockets packed full, shooting a cell phone camera. I saw a two-person video crew, a small attractive young woman and a tall rangy young man, and when something was going on during a march, the woman would sit on the man's shoulders, and run the camera, while the man maneuvered through the crowd to give her best shot. The CBS crews could learn from those two.

But the problem is, a lot of these new guys don't know what to do in a riot.

My eight rules

So here's a list from a long-time riot aficionado, who would prefer not to see anybody get hurt. Especially media people. However off you are.

1. Always — ALWAYS! — know where the cops are and what they're doing.
St. Paul cops busted an AP reporter by accident a couple of days ago; he was pretty experienced, but he apparently lost track of where he was, exactly, and he wound up on his back. That happens if you don't take great care. They'll usually let you out of jail pretty quickly, though.

2. Don't mess with riot cops during a riot.
A San Francisco radio talk-show host did that, and she got busted. One of her associates described the arrest as brutal. I saw the tape and I'd call it "gentle." She got lucky. Cops don't have time to listen to windy explanations during a riot, and if you deliberately push into them, as she did, you're toast. Don't do that. Be polite. Smile. If you need to talk to them, look for a guy with stripes, or a silver bar or two. You gotta remember, the cops get scared and angry, too.

3. Always — ALWAYS! — know where the Little Assholes are.
Most people in protest mobs are pretty sincere, and don't want to fight cops or break things. But there's a subset of most any anti-war mob, the LAs, who are similar to the football hooligans in Britain. They are there to break things for their own entertainment. They don't have much real interest in politics — they're just LAs. You can pick them out because they wear fashionable bad-ass street dress — black or olive drab, boots or heavy running shoes, bandanas, hoodies. They tend to pierce themselves a lot. The dress is usually pretty worn, and they tend to cluster; so look around the crowd and when you see a sudden darkening of dress, you've found the LAs. You need to know where they are, because when they start breaking things, that's your film-at-six.

4. Very important. Learn to walk backwards.
You'll notice that in the best riots, the real pros spend a lot of time walking backwards, but rarely run into anything. That's because they're pros. If you don't know what you're doing, you can walk backwards into a parking meter and damn near kill yourself.

5. All riots have their own geography, or shape.
When you find the LAs, watch their relationship with the cops, and find an angle where you can see both. When the trouble starts, you want to be close enough to see and hear, but not so close that you suddenly get cut off and find yourself with no place to run. You need the room to wheel. You don't want to be the first guy to arrive at trouble, before it has a chance to shape up — you don't want the cops to unexpectedly come in behind you. Be the fifth or sixth guy to arrive, after you know how things are shaping up. If a real fight gets going, people tend to run in the channels — the streets. If you're absolutely caught, get your back against a wall, your hands in the air, and looked scared. There's a good chance everybody will ignore you.

6. Listen carefully.
Breaking glass or sudden gusts of screaming means good photography. If you hear loud pops, that's probably flashbangs meant to frighten people, but it could be gas. Gas can mess you up, if you get too close. If you get gas, try to run out of it. It's usually pretty local, so if you can run 50 yards, holding your breath, you can often get out of it. It'll still burn your skin a little, but at least it's not in your lungs. Bandanas are useful for dipping in water and washing your skin, and for concealing your identity, but I can tell you, they're no damn good for breathing through in a gas attack. Of course, loud pops could mean shooting. If there's been shooting, then the photography could bring a Pulitzer, but it could also get you killed. That's decision time. If you're a true media, run toward the loud pops. Just don't be the first to arrive. (See rule 5.)

7. Dress right.
If you're really going to get your ass whipped, it'll more likely be by the cops than by the protesters, because the cops are better at it. Therefore, dress for the cops. I recommend khaki slacks and a golf shirt; something that sends a fairly respectable middle-class message. Neat jeans and a golf shirt or a collared shirt will work. You don't want to push it too far — if you wear really nice grey slacks, an oxford cloth shirt and a sport coat, some LA might throw a bottle of urine on you. You want to look exactly like a semi-intellectual media. Or would it be a medium? Also, listen — if you're going to be a media, you've got to get something better than a photographer's vest and a $59.95 digicam.

8. Given a choice, at a riot, it's better to be a reporter than a photographer.
A reporter can put his notebook in his pocket and impersonate an innocent bystander. A photographer is stuck with a lot of equipment, and if the mob turns ugly, that can get you in trouble. If you're a reporter, keep track of the photographers with flash units; they tend to attract attention to themselves, as do TV cameramen with their lights. Keep a little distance. If you're a reporter with a cameraman, and things get ugly, and he asks you where you're going, tell him you have to check something out. I'm not saying that photographers are dumber than other people, but they are the folks who walk around with brilliant white lights in nighttime riots.

Follow these simple media rules, and you probably won't get hurt, and you'll probably get the story. Best of all, you'll also look like a pro.

no big surprise

okay, anyone who knows me will quickly realize that this is simply another method of expressing deeply held sociopolitical opinions. You are likely a member of the raving angry left (except for mom, who's so far left, she's right). You will likely find this simply amusing, if you bother to watch it at all.

I love democracy. I love the 1st Amendment even more. But, god, I love Comedy Central. Um... the one on TV, not the one at 1600 Penn. Ave.


p.s.
a little plug for Polinaut
We explore the universe of campaigns and politics. Join us in the search for intelligent life.

Live-blogging the RNC

Tuesday's RNC Love-Fest

Generally, I like these guys @ City Pages (local weekly paper definitely not aimed at republicans). Not sure if you'd care about this, but if you didn't see/hear the RNC culture-war-love-fest last night, you might find this amusing. Did you hear that John McSame was a POW?


ah, well, gotta go buy textbooks and learn about epidemiology. or ethics. or risk analysis. or find my new lab.

No, really, come visit!

"Inviting as many as 20,000 guests to Minneapolis and St. Paul for the convention will have an incredible economic impact. People will stay in hotels. Go out to dinner. Spend money. Shop. And return home with wonderful stories to tell about Minneapolis-St. Paul."

Jeremy Hansen, spokesman for Mayor R.T. Rybak
September 28, 2006
After the Twin Cities were awarded the convention


hey, not the normal image of Minnesota, eh?
Yes, that would be tear gas outside of the Xcel Center, where the convention hoopla is going on.
















and, yes, this sniper & his buddies & their tear gas are @ Mickey's Diner, which is a block or 2 away from the Xcel Center. At least they'll be able to get good food afterwards.

The little slaughterhouse who couldn't

Evil Incarnate.

Incarnate

in carnate

in carne

(carne means meat)


The U.S. Appeals Court ruled 2 to 1 that under a 1913 law, test kits that are used only after an animal is killed still constitute "diagnosis" and "treatment" — this for a disease that has no treatment and is 100% fatal — and therefore fall under the USDA's authority to regulate.

So,

The little slaughterhouse who couldn't. They are prohibited by the USDA from testing 100% of their cows for mad cow disease.

Too bad.

Why?
Because then the folks up the road @ Hormel would need to do it, too.

Got mad cow?
Don't ask, don't tell.

This appears to be the government's approach to everything under the sun.

Beef processing
gay soldiers
pregnant teenage fundamentalist Christians
hurricane landfall
moral compass

Police State

Wonderful Police State of St. Paul

http://blog.indecision2008.com/2008/09/01/a-lovely-afternoon-stroll-through-the-police-state-of-st-paul-minnesota/

What a retard, part 1

Woods, who held up a sign that read "Tropic Thunder is insulting and hurtful to me and others," was eventually moved to tears by the whole experience. "I won't be quiet and let movies make fun of people," he told the manager of the movie theater and the arresting officers. "People who make money making fun of being retarded should be ashamed of themselves," he added.

So, where do we go from here? Are all of the good offensive words going to be gone?

If he won't let movies make fun of people, we'll just have to stop making comedies. Next time they have someone be the butt of a joke over having big ears, I guess the "I have big ears, and you're being mean to me" crowd will march on the Lagoon in Uptown. How about you just accept the fact that you're going to be offended occasionally.

Grow up. Be offended. Get over it.

What's with all of this happy "respect others' opinions" hypocrisy? doesn't that mean they get to respect my opinion that the use of the word 'retard' can be appropriate? Or is this a case of "I can call myself [insert offensive word here], but you can't"?

Why can't a word be used with two different meanings? Peter told me that some organization advocating the rights of the disabled was calling for a boycott of the movie. Of course, I asked why. "For using the R-word." I stared blankly at him, waiting.... Upon hearing the explanation, my immediate response was "what retard came up with that idea?" Did I mean to be offensive? Well, I suppose so.

Am I oppressive to the rights of the physically or mentally disabled? No. Are they mentally retarded? Yes. Is that a PC term anymore? Apparently not. Is it an accurate use of the English language? Yes. I remember the majority of the kids in high school calling Ronnie & Donnie retards. It was never meant "accurately"; it was meant as a derogatory term. Not necessarily of those two boys personally, but a derogatory opinion of those who are mentally limited below the norm (how's that for a 'retard' replacement?)

Maybe we can lobby to have "normal" removed from vernacular English. I'm offended, because I'm not normal, and everyone uses the word like it's a good thing to be normal. This is emotionally oppressing me into a false sense of self-worthlessness due to my inability to maintain some sort of arbitrary status quo implied by your use of 'normal'.



So I wrote this a week or so ago. Subsequent:
Action film parody "Tropic Thunder" held onto the top spot at the North American box office for a third straight week ...
I guess the rest of America is totally insensitive or perhaps oblivious to the cultural bomb of one word.

Creepy

Now, is he creepy or what?

Document = done

The Golden Rule for OSHA & FDA audits: If the inspector takes a picture of something, you do too.


Apparently the St. paul police have figured this out, in the obviously media feeding frenzy available. In video posted by MPR from another media outlet, at the end of the "police are oppressing us" images, there's a StPl policeman with what appears to be a video camera.

None of that Rodney King here in Minnesota.

Don't visit

I realized that I invited everyone to come visit for this display of civic freedom and oppression. Don't. Apparently there's a "no fly" zone from now until the 5th over this entire corner of Minnesota. How the hell are the delegates getting in? Carpooling from Madison and Duluth?

Was Denver this good?

I gotta admit, I really like our new home.

Jumbotron:
"The Jumbotron will be a huge embarrassment for Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as it will be located just a few hundred yards from convention delegates, VIPs and the international media." (from True Blue Minnesota).

They just won a judicial injuction ... "... ruled from the bench this afternoon that the Capitol Area Architecture and Planning Board can't enforce its decision [to prevent] True Blue Minnesota [from putting] up a big digital billboard flashing anti-war and other political messages."

"We were going to plug the thing in anyway," said Mannillo, when the hearing was over. "We'll be up and running by the time the convention opens."

I went to their website
True Blue Minnesota videos
Holy cow! check out the "Iraqi Speed Bump" 11 seconds. Holy Cow. Tell me your stuff is that good, Kevin.

The St. Paul & Minneapolis Police got the convention off to a good start early this morning, making at least 4 raids on "anarchists" 2 days before the party begins.

The flashing digital billboard folks wanted to be in front of international media? The only serious media covering the raid (linked above) were: Minnesota Public Radio and ...... Al Jazeera.

So it begins

For all practical purposes, the Republican National Convention is underway with the first police raid of the convention.

Images of our language

How utterly bizarre ...

http://wordle.net I gave the url of this blog

3-in-1

Yup, 3 posts in 1 day. This doesn't even qualify (much) as procrastination. Well, maybe it does.

I have a big presentation tomorrow morning at Honeywell. My internship ends on Friday. I get Labor Day, and then school resumes on Tuesday. I've got classes on epidemiology (infestion disease statistics), ethics, something about 'risk based decision making', and my thesis research. Oh, an apparently the course which equals my internship, which I forgot to register for. At least this way it's being paid for NIOSH, rather than my husband.

Our power just went out. Apparently Mother Nature is trying to catch up with our drought and dump it all tonight. One of those gung-ho Midwest storms, complete with tons of lightning. Thank goodness for the battery in my laptop.

My term paper about the methods of analysis of radioactive fallout from the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl is what I'm procrastinating about. And the final exam for the class.

Gregor's vocabulary is pretty small still. However, his newest word is Mull [trash]. He now has a stuffed weasel (ferret?); it was an inadvertant, spontaneous purchase at Ikea. I was pushing him around in the shopping car, and had to go through the Ikea-Kids department. He grabbed the ferret out of its bin. Soft, cute, he grabbed it and held it in his arms with a big smile. Great. Sure, he can hang onto it while I go compare prices for bedframes. About 15 minutes later, I realize the error of my decision: one ought never let a teething child have a soft cuddly toy which doesn't belong to him. The animal's tail was thoroughly wet from being chewed upon. Ah, well, at least it was only $7.95. And he still likes it.

Power back on.

Michael's German is getting rapidly better. He's still obsessed with Cars. Temper tantrums are becoming a bit tiresome.

Well, I suppose I ought to stop the not-quite-procrastinating and review the material for my presentation tomorrow. And find some nice clothes to wear for it.

If you're reading this, it's at least 8 a.m. CST. Cross your fingers that my presentation goes well.

Shades of Trainspotting

Peter & I were discussing lord knows what the other day, and got onto the topic of acting in films. We tend to have rather ... um... divergent tastes. I really liked Iron Man. Peter wouldn't watch it if it was on the TV here. We both particularly like the scene "the dirtiest toilet in Scotland" with Ewan McGregor.

McGregor

Gregor

Our darling son #2 is soooo helpful. There had been a minor little accident of biological proportions from son #1. I put the consequent dirty underwear in the toilet bowl to let them soak the ... um... off. We had dinner. Gregor finished early & got down from the table. He went downstairs to play. Right? Flush ..........

Adios underwear.

Of course, the toilet stopped working.

Hola toilet plunger. plunger? yooo hoooo... no idea where it is. Great shades of Trainspotting, I tried to get them out. Thankfully, not head first.

Zoom out to Target. Buy new plunger. Go home. Plunge.

Shut the door to the bathroom.

Ferraro

Totally loving MPR's coverage of the DNC. One of the political bloggers on their staff - the chief news editor or somesuch - posted a question about whether the Clinton delegates ought to cast their votes for Obama. His point was that reading her speech was much more moving and clearly better written than listening to her deliver it. (it was a blanket statement, not just pointed at her.) It was something we had been discussing in passing a day or so ago. I posted the following on his blog.


"How can you not cast that vote?"

Couldn't.

If I was delegated to vote for her, I would. Period. For the primary reason critical to our democracy, I pledged to do so. I keep my word, as I would hope the politicians I elect would also do so. (ha!)

Second, and perhaps the vicious little voice in my head: Obama doesn't *have* to get the nomination. If more of the delegates vote for Clinton, she would get it. After all, if I *really* wanted her to get it, why not give it the last try? The convention is the true and final doorway to November 6, not the primaries.

Today the conventions have become an idol worshiping festival. Her delegates ought to vote for her, if they are committed to do so. It might bring the conventions back to having a real function. (might or might not be good, but it would be more than a love-fest in Denver).

My grandmother was 13 when women were granted the right to vote. I was born 42 years ago, long enough that I remember Geraldine Ferraro being selected to run as VP. I was 18 in 1984, when she was on the ticket. I didn't have to imagine: I cast my first presidential vote for a ticket with a woman.

And why have I never heard Ferraro mentioned in this race? Not to be too cynical, but is it because it might detract from H.Clinton's "first woman ever" mantra? Clinton's supporters are offended that Obama didn't "respect her enough"? I am offended that I never heard her mention Geraldine Ferraro's accomplishments, even if it was only mentioning that her laying one more brick on the path that Clinton could follow to the Big Ticket. Somewhere amidst the idolatrous "18 million cracks" hooey. Hey, Ferraro was even from NY. She served as an ambassador to B.Clinton. It's not like H.Clinton wouldn't know who she was.

If I had been in Clinton's position yesterday, I would not have let go of my delegates until after the first vote. Partially, simply because I didn't have to. Partially to make my final stamp: see what I have done. And, partially, so that my delegates could concretely see what *they*, as delegates, had accomplished (to make them less divisive after the convention).

If you're reading speeches, try the Montana governor (whose name eludes me). *He* was a great speaker last night.

Def: Patriotic

The word patriotic should be struck from the (American) English language.

I'm so completely sick & tired of this word being bandied about as some sort of touchstone to demand immediate and abject acceptance of whatever harebrained dumb-fuck opinion is being offered.

"Some authors ... argue that patriotism is distinguished from nationalism by its lack of aggression or hatred for others..." obviously these are authors who've never visited the USA recently.

The Correlates of War project found some correlation between War propensity and patriotism. Yup, the 'my country, right or wrong' - which in reality means "my country, but only if I get it my way, and if everyone else likes my way".

I guess I totally fail to be a patriot. As long as my kids get a good education, the roads are maintained in good working order, the level of crime is manageable, and the politicians aren't totally gutting my financial input to the country, ... oh, I guess none of that's happening anyway. I really don't give a damn what we call it.

"I'm proud to be an American" ... yeah?

So what have you done about it recently that would make me want to be American?

Please, mommy ...... but I waaaaaaant it!

Despite what I might or might not thing of Pawlenty, or the DNC, I completely fail to believe - as stated in this DNC press release - that the governor has any obligation, where he "failed to take adequate action to help Americans in jeopardy of losing their homes".

I thought I was supposed to be a responsible adult? I didn't take out a debt I couldn't pay. Do you want to fix the housing crisis...? Let the housing crisis fix itself. Sit back and watch the homes foreclose.

What else is going to convince people to be better stewards of their own money? This Interventionist attitude treats us like we're 6 years old and can just rely on Mommy to bail us out, after choosing a toy we can't really afford.

Like the Governor is supposed to be responsible for holding my hand to make sure my mortgage is paid?

VP T-Paw?

Will Governor Tim Pawlenty become our nation's next vice president? It's hard to keep track of all the many factors at play. Each week, the VP Pawlenty Meter (TM) provides an odds sheet to ensure you make your best bet.

OK, first a confession: We have no inside dope, so we don't really know for sure that Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty will be chosen by McCain this week. Which means we may very well look just as foolish as the rest of the media when they were prematurely forecasting Obama's pick. But the stars are certainly seeming to line up in his favor. - City Pages

Minnesotans are struggling between paying attention to the Fried Food on a Stick at the State Fair this week, or wondering if the Gov will be the Veep. (BTW - the paper has a horrid photo of him, he really doesn't look that dorky.) I think the Fair's winning. After all, we won't really be able to avoid the whole thing by Monday, when the Axis of Evil invades our fair cities.

bumper stick of the week

Are you drunk?
Or talking on your cell phone?

Shock & Awe

Millionaire vs. Meth
Wow. Airing on prime time in the Big Sky country. The video clip appearing when you click on the link is the most .... um, just the most.

Tie vote for Most Creepy - and probably most likely to effect teenaged girls just developing their sexuality. Top of page: "Sisters"

The Montana Meth Project today [sic] unveiled its new advertising campaign, including a series of television ads directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, the Oscar-nominated director and producer whose works include “Babel,” “21 Grams,” and “Amores Perros.”

Want good ads? Don't hire the schoolhouse rock crew.

This is not your parents' "Just Say No".

[def.] Point Source

Point source, a natural or anthropogenic discharge location producing unwanted materials into the environment

my first personal contribution to Wikipedia. Cool, eh? Maybe if I thoroughly contribute to the page for this, I'll get bonus points from my Public Health Pollution professor?

Hey, this isn't even really procrastination. I noticed it was absent when looking for it for an assignment.

[def.] GOP

near Hiawatha Avenue footbridge

Great Minnesota Get-Together

1,500,000 people at the State Fair **
7,000 applications for
3,000 workers
2,714 4-H animal exhibitors, of which are:
580 beef
283 rabbits
280 poultry
267 goats
471 dairy animals
381 sheep
453 swine
450 different foods for sale
63 of which are sold on a stick
4 sold by the bucket
50 games on the midway
5,000 entries in the Creative Activities, of which there are
19 categories for cookies
6 categories for scrapbooking
11 categories for competitive stamp collecting
4 sheep which will eat radio microphone if opportunity presents
10 times per day ask 4-H ers to sweep cattle barn
14 4-H ers seen texting and sweeping
200 animals will be born at the fair
Misidentification of animals by parents to their children:
3 identified lambs as "goats"
5 identified turkeys as "geese"
1 identified a duck as a "pelican"

only 12 days to get all of this in!



**This year, I guess it will be 1,499,996 people in attendance, since the 4 of us won't be going.

Sparklers, Bullets, Roller Coasters, Falafel & Kinderstube

At the GAI German Festival















4th July had sparklers with some of the neighborhood kids.


















Gregor's godfather, Joachim, visited us earlier this month. If you were there, you might remember him as the organist for our wedding in Gladbeck. We had fun at the park. Entirely missed the drive-by shooting that happened less than 100 yards from where we were.





































We repeated last Summer's visit to Valley Fair. This time, Gregor was large enough to ride in some of the kiddie rides. Peter also took him on one of the big-people rides.
















In the front row of the roller coaster. I think this was Michael's favorite ride. The ride (The Mild Thing) gave the kids 3 round trips. After each time around, the cars came to a complete stop, and each kid had to give a thumbs-up to indicate that they still wanted to ride. Occasionally a kid went around once, realized they didn't want it, and could easily get off. Michael, as seen in the photo, wasn't even waiting for the trip to stop or be asked if he wanted to keep going. As soon as it hit the turn into the station, his thumb was sticking right up. As he repeatedly cried throughout the day "more! more! more!"















Our little adrenalin junkie. Right most with blue hat.















playing mechanic



















Sunday afternoon: Falafel & Mr. Giraffe













At GAI Familientag / Family Day. It was a celebration held by the Germanic American Institute, which runs the German immersion schools (2 preschools & K-8). Michael is going to the Kinderstube (preschool). His German has been getting markedly better in the past 3 months. It is more often complete sentences. And it's separating from English a bit more. This evening, he was speaking with Peter on the phone, and when Peter didn't understand the German, Michael repeated himself in English. Papa, ich will dich nicht da bleiben. I don't want you to stay there.

It's been great for Michael making new friends. He is sad that a couple of his new friends are leaving in a couple weeks to go to kindergarden. He wants to go with them. Since they're going to the German kindergarden, we're hoping that he can, indeed, go. We are struggling with getting him to understand that he can't go right now with them. "you need to wait until next September" just isn't really temporally comprehensible to a 4 year old.

In the clip, this is a group of children from Michael's class & his favorite teacher, Frau Anna. The audio is poor. Poor to mediocre video.




Gregor

Ready to be Morally Offended?

While looking for something else on the archdiocese's website, I noticed they have movie reviews. No doubt for Good Catholics who don't want to be morally offended. Because Roger Ebert is probably too much of a heretic. So, their ratings are:

A-I General audience

A-II Adults & Adolescents

so far, so good. better than some random -13 age.

A-III Adults

actually, I'm finding this pretty good (as a system, not nescessarily how they are applying it)

L Limited audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling

fair enough, just because it's 'adult' doesn't mean I want to watch slasher films

O Morally offensive

So, how is this system applied?

L -
a strong caution must be raised about the underlying "anything-goes-for-love" message and several other problematic elements. Overall freewheeling morality, light sexual references and innuendo, casual treatment of marriage, divorce and nonmarital relations, some vulgar gestures, brief rear-nudity sight gag, an anti-Catholic remark and a few crass words. [Mama Mia!]

and yet,

A-III
Brief, nongraphic adulterous sexual activity, much rough and crude language and sexual references [Days & Clouds - another 'if it's got subtitles we don't apply the rules equally]

O -
Tropic Thunder
Pineapple Express
Step Brothers
The Wackiness
Wanted
The Love Guru
Sex and the City


I think I'm ready to be morally offended

Homeless in a Desert of Wealth

This is identical to the banner hanging across the front of the Dorothy Day Center. The Monument to Poverty across the street from the soon-to-be-consecrated Temple of Evil in St. Paul.

i.e., the central homeless shelter is directly across the street from the Xcel Energy Center.





Apparently it caused quite a little stir when the Powers That Be realized that their Only Secret Service Pre-Approval Security Zone includes the homeless shelter. And we all know what sort of rock-throwing suicide-bombing terrorists those homeless folks are.

And, yes, it was strongly suggested to shut down the shelter for the duration of the convention. A fact greeted by shocked silence, swiftly followed by a hue and cry. Did the idiots actually think the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of one of the most liberal metropolitan areas would go quietly into the night at such stupid suggestion as this?

Not only are they staying open, they are expanding services and bed space.

People v. ?

Really, come on out to visit in 2 weeks! Minnesota Nice will even assure you that you have legal representation after getting arrested!

War

Sometimes I wonder if still photography doesn't have more impact than film. Moving pictures certainly have the power of making it seem more 'real' (although my brother assures me that nothing you see on the screen is actually real). Only photographs give the opportunity to simply gaze up on an unchanging image.

















Old enough to have seen this over and over. and again. and again. ...





Mechanized warfare


















Is he even old enough to buy beer?


















Leaves me thinking of the Gaming Guys. And spending a weekend up in Cadillac w/ the Michigan National Guard wargaming with Charlie Company. I see these photos and can only see the faces of the men I knew there.

Time of Mourning

I need to sit and cry.

My hard drive suffered, died, and was buried. Unfortunately, there will be no 3rd day resurrection.

I'm not sure if I'm more devastated about losing 9 months of academic work or 9 months of family photos
or 9 months of
financial records;
writing that long story;
poetry I copied;
a few novels I bought electronically;
several downloaded music albums

Great - so Apple fixed the cracked cover on my keyboard, cleaned my screen, generally cleaned the dust bunnies out, and I've got the new wiz-bang ops. sys. Great, whoppitity-do. Where's my shopping list? Where's that list of legislators I was going to write? That stupendous photo from Earth Day 1970? The 2 months worth of work for my term paper? Countless hours of organizing things for class and home?

If there was anything I was going to send you ... I won't. That great photo of the boys? Not that either.

Might as well cry.

Benefits of Infidelity.

How many different times in one article can someone espouse the idea that 'what goes on within a marriage is no one's business', swiftly followed by '... then we have a right to know'?

Who the hell cares who he was sleeping with? Is his dick on GPS (Global Positioning system)? Or maybe a VPS (vaginal positioning system)?

Why is staying married after an affair/marital infidelity/screwing around so utterly incomprehensible? Just because divorce is easy to do, does it need to be easy to choose? Who are we to judge her decisions? Maybe she just doesn't care that much if he is playing hide the wiener with someone else? Maybe he sucks in bed, and she's glad to have a break. Maybe she's got a boy-toy on the side and is gleefully laughing at the media attention being drawn away from her own vices?

Who cares?

I really don't care if the president is screwing around on his/her spouse. Does this display grave moral defect? Sure. So does eliminating social security. So does invading Iraq on inadequate grounds. So does tax breaks for the rich...

And you know what?

All of those other things screw the poor, screw the many, screw the powerless. These screw me, without my consent.

Let him go screw anyone he wants, individually. It will be a welcome break from the entire government trying to rape my sanity and pocketbook.

Why attribute her actions as a "lioness defending her cubs"? Why not simply assume that she made an adult decision to stay married to him?

People don't want to believe this. The masses would rather believe that there is an absolutist right/wrong, black/white. They don't want to take the time to attribute deeper motives than some biological pre-programed instinct. They want to believe that She Couldn't Help Herself. You women want to be treated like you've got brains, and not just ovaries? Assume that she made a choice of her own free will, whether or not you understand or approve of it. That's women's lib.

The Worst

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night ...

Minnesota's on-going contribution to our nation's high standards of education and culture. "Russ Winter, of Janesville, Minn., was runner-up last week in the detective division of San Jose State University's 26th annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for writing an opening sentence to a nonexistent novel." -Mpls Strib

While his was amusing, the Grand Prize winner was truly momentous.

Theirs was a New York love, a checkered taxi ride burning rubber, and like the city their passion was open 24/7, steam rising from their bodies like slick streets exhaling warm, moist, white breath through manhole covers stamped 'Forged by DeLaney Bros., Piscataway, N.J.'



and who thought north Jersey couldn't be romantic?

best ACT scores = Blue?

4th year in a row, Minnesota has the highest average ACT in the country. Of course, no one in the local media mentioned where (geographically within Minn.) those test scores were the highest. The western 'burbs, where the highest $ is? I'd be more interested in how the scores were distributed across various factors: local average income, local per capita spending on schools, in the Twin Cities or out, &c.

I expect the Republican Idiots in St. Paul to abruptly use this as justification for cutting or eliminating early childhood education (which is stunningly huge here). Ignoring the fact that these past 4 years of results are the result of having the ECFE in place.

Professional Rant

Research scientist commits suicide and is now being tried in popular media obviously this might hold no interest to you, and you're free to ignore it.

I was eagerly anticipating what the media was going to report about this ... I was perfectly willing to believe they had the wrong person. After all, other innocent people have gone to jail. Is this the epitome of "trial by the media" or what? After reading this, I find it even more ludicrous that the gov't claimed "there was no evidence that anyone else was involved." That is simply, patently false. What do they call the other two people who were splashed across the media, as being under serious suspicion? How about Steven Hathill, whom the gov't is paying $6 million for damages after John the Fuckhead Ashcroft blabbed his name as a suspect? Or the other fellow who wasn't an American citizen?

I dealt with people from USAMRIID. I've even visited it, and seen their gung-ho biological containment labs. [pretty cool, considering they're retrofitted into a 1950s building]. I dealt with anthrax at my job.

Okay, to put this all in perspective: at my last (unspecified) place of employment, where we had lots and lots of anthrax, I was the person responsible for all transfers of the material to any other agency. I got questioned by the FBI about this, in the aftermath of the anthrax letters. I had to cope with a consultant (of an unspecified agency) who showed up at work, and informed me that he had taken a couple of vials of viable anthrax bacteria with him, on a plane, from our labs to his employer in another state. This happened *after* the bioterrorism attacks. I don't think anything in my entire professional career has struck me so totally dumb. I spent the rest of the week straightening out this farce with the relevant federal authorities, who are supposed to be notified prior to a shipment, which is supposed to only happen with other licensed labs. Which he wasn't. All through this, and the total wrath of God never fell on him. I called and strongly suggested to the relevant federal authorities that they ought to do so. Nope. On a plane!! And he was so "I'm macho, look what I did" about it. The look on his face after I suggested he accompany me to the company president's office was no quite so macho. A rare point of walking up to the Big Man's door, and simply announcing to his secretary 'I needed to see him right now and I'll wait'.

So, you can bank on it: any total idiot could get away with stealing the stuff. It wouldn't require a highly educated scientist.

Just in case you are fond of reading conspiracy theory websites/blogs, feel free to go there, rather than my professional irritation. In the AP & Reuters' articles, the following statements were made. Unfortunately, my personal opinions weren't. :)

a) vaccinated for anthrax & yellow fever
He was required to get this simply because of his job requirements. I'm not guessing here; the gov't has the same requirements my employer did. I got vaccinated for it (anthrax), too, for the same reasons as Ivins.

vaccinations were "several weeks before the first anthrax-laced envelope"
Annual booster shots are required for this; and for someone who's never gotten vaccinated, it would take a lot longer for the immunization to fully take effect (18 months, actually). Not to mention, Ivins would have had to been growing the stuff for much longer than "early September". Ivins would also have been getting vaccinated for anthrax for years. As no one has accused him of stupidity, it's safe to conclude that he knew this. This is one point which is completely, 100% total fear-mongering. Anyone working with virulent B. anthracis who has the opportunity would get vaccinated against it.

If this vaccination is so suspicious, why aren't they looking for yellow fever organisms, as well?

b) "adequate explanation for his late laboratory work hours around the time of the attacks"
Can you seriously provide "adequate" information about what you were doing 7 years ago at work?

c) "sought to frame unnamed co-workers" -
does this mean he simply stated who else had access to the material, and could have been guilty?
FBI: Who else might have done this?
Answer: Jane Doe

... sounds quite a bit different than

FBI: "Good Morning"
Answer: "pssst, hey, you should go look at her, she's here late all the time and hates Bush".


d) "the genetic parent to the powder involved" - to me, this does not mean "same as" or "identical to"

e) "sole custodian of" doesn't sound like "only person who could had access to"

f) "taking 22 swabs of vacuum filters and radiators and seizing dozens of items" - no where do the words which tested positive for B. anthracis appear in this sentence.

g) Items seized: "among them were video cassettes, family photos, information about guns and a copy of The Plague by Albert Camus"
Yeah, cause sure as shit, owning a gun makes you a bioterrorist (like all those lunatics in Idaho, where anthrax is easily found in ordinary soil, while they're out shooting shit). And the Ivins family photos are certainly critical to establishing whether or not he was growing this crap in his basement.

h) The Plague?
Some 1940s novel set in Africa?
How about Preston's The Hot Zone, a non-fiction book, set in his own place of work?
How about Miller's The Coming Plauge, about epidemic possibilities across the globe today?
But most particuarly, I'm curious to know if he had a copy of Alibek's Biohazard, yet another non-fiction description about the development of Soviet anthrax warfare projects in the 1990s? Especially since I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Ivins knew Alibek personally.
[ ... all 3 are, by the way, great books ... maybe I'd better get rid of all of the books on bioterrorism in the house. And, yes, I have several, but not Camus ...]

i) "affidavit filed by Charles B. Wickersham, a postal inspector, the scientist told an unnamed co-worker" - and just how does a postal inspector come into any knowledge about what some other dude at USAMRIID thinks about the deceased? If it is such credible information, why don't they have an affidavit from the co-worker?

j) "The FBI's investigation had dragged on for years, tarnishing the reputation of the agency in the process." Well, no shit, Sherlock.

k) "tracing back to Ivins' lab the type of envelopes used"
tracking back to his lab
= Government purchase order for the office supplies
= no one else at Ft. Detrick with access to the laboratories could possibly have had the same envelopes
= it was the cheapest thing the gov't could buy
= I could probably buy it at some dime store.


as an editorial note, having just cleaned up the grammar/spelling & applied my Professional Appropriateness Language Function (apologies to all, if you read this earlier and were put off). I don't mind using crass language for effect, but I do avoid it at work or in professional endeavors. This blog isn't my professional work, and the "turn off coarse language" option didn't get selected.