Funmurphys: the Blog

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I've been busy during this Holiday Season, and I'm not afraid to say the C word (no, not cancer, but Christmas). Somehow we've gotten nervous about using the word Christmas; when we went to buy a Christmas tree, at a church run Christmas tree lot, the extra-helpful young ladies wished us a happy holiday instead of a Merry Christmas. If you can't mention Christmas in that situation, when can you?

One quick word of advice - be prepared for crowds if you go grocery shopping the day before Christmas Eve. Normally it takes the threat of snow to bring out crowds like I experienced yesterday, but at least the store was ready with plenty of checkers and baggers.

I hope you find the true meaning of Christmas, and not that sappy Hollywood stuff about generalized giving - but the bedrock underneath. Christmas is a celebration that God loves us enough to send the very best -- his Son, not to condemn us, but to save us. Jesus did not come in glory, but as a baby wrapped in rags asleep in a horse trough. So yes, Christmas is about giving, but it's about a particular gift, a great big gift for every one of us.

Merry Christmas!

The Absent Minded Professor

Cronaca tells us that New Zealander Bruce Simpson has had his garage based cruise missile project shut down by the New Zealand government. Well, if you read the BBC article Mr. Simpson says they chose to bankrupt him over a tax debt. Does this mean the IRS just didn't like the way Leona Helmsley ran her hotels? Or the music Willie Nelson played?

My Next House

My next house won't have any wallpaper. We are redecorating our downstairs bathroom, and so step one is to strip the wallpaper, then paint the walls, then put up wainscotting, then put up crown molding, and then do a final spiff. The room is not even five feet square, so how long can it take? I took yesterday off to work on it, and I'm still on step one - yep, once again I'm stripping wallpaper and hating every minute of it. There is a new wrinkle this time; when they put the wallpaper up, they put up an underlayer of what resembles superthick dryer sheets. It doesn't come off in one pull - no, it come off in a minimum of two layers - sometimes more. In a couple of spots I've been reduced to scraping off a thick layer of paste with some fiber still embedded.

Given how busy this time of year is, it may not have been the best time to tackle this sort of project. However, we have a neighboorhood tradition of a progressive Christmas party (between Christmas and New Years so people are somewhat relaxed) and what with our new annex and updated master bathroom, we'll be a stop along the way. So we wanted to put the icing on the cake by redoing the downstairs bath. Ambition goeth before the late night cursing.

Science Round Up

Mercury levels in Tuna caught off the coast of Hawaii haven't changed in the last 27 years, reports Science Blog. Accordingly, the mercury in these fish is more likely to be coming from a source other than pollution, which has increased airborne mercury over the same time period.

Eat your beans, they are good for you. I'm not touting them just because I'm selling candles for the cub scout pack fundraiser, but because they contain significant quantities of flavinoids, nature's own anti-oxidants. The darker the bean, the better, although no word if that also influences musical production as well.

The long delayed Gravity Probe B satellite is getting close to launch. It was conceived before me; it was kicking around the halls of Stanford back when I went to school there; and it will be launched on a Delta II from Vandenburg AFB - the kind of mission I worked on in my youth. Enough about me, though. It hopes to answer the question, does space twist as well as bend? Or to put in scientific terms, does the earth drag space time with it as it spins -- what's known as frame dragging, and a still unproven prediction of General Relativity. If your eyes haven't glazed over yet, be sure to hit the links to learn more.

Tilting at Windmills

The St. Louis Post Dispatch (home of the worst newspaper internet site - it doesn't have one) ran an op-ed by Michael Bellesiles yesterday. I responded with a letter to the editor:

I was amazed to see an oped in the Post by Michael Bellesiles that failed to identify him as serial liar and disgraced historian. Perhaps the Post has forgotten how he fabricated or distorted reams of data to support the theme of his book Arming America, how after the deception was discovered he was forced to resign from Emory University, the NEH took its name off the Newberry Fellowship he was awarded, and the Bancroft Prize for Arming America was revoked. What was Mr. Bellesiles response? Why he continued to lie and constantly change his story -- admitting no wrong doing but maligning his critics.

I was stunned that it ran the same day an editorial taking other organizations to task for their ethical lapses ran. Perhaps the editorial staff does have a fine sense of irony after all.

What's next for the Post? Will it hire Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, or Jayson Blair? I hear they too are available.

OK, a touch harsh perhaps, but I wrote before I was declared a studmuffin. On second thought, perhaps it's not harsh enough. If Bellesiles had come clean and apologized, then I would have been harsh. As it is, why is this guy taking up valuable real estate in the paper? This is a question I ask about most pundits, though for different reasons.

Anyway, I haven't gotten a call yet, so I don't think they'll run the letter.

UPDATE 1/6/04:

The post ran a letter on 1/3/04 from historian Kevin Hurst taking Mr. Bellesiles to task for the inaccuracy of his history and shallowness of his argument in the his op ed and amonst other things cites:

"His claim that the "Gatling gun and its successors did not prove decisive in any war," is contradicted by the devastating effectiveness of the Maxim gun in the colonial wars of the late 19th century."

That was my mistake - rather than attack the substance of the letter, I attacked the man himself.

Ugly and Proud!

I am a studmuffin of conservatism. Not just any, but the shirtless studmuffin. No, that's not a sweater I'm wearing. J Bowen led me there, as he as led me so many other wonderful places. Not only I, but the whole internet community thanks you J. You can throw out your syrup of Ipecac, it's no longer needed.

Bombs Away!

Unlike Max at Rotten Miracles, I can remember the Carter administration, so I'm joining in the counter Google Bomb (AKA CGB):

Miserable Failure

Government Contracting

If you haven't seen federal government contracting in operation, it's hard to appreciate how slow and cumbersome it is. It suffers from the pressing need for politicians "to do something" coupled with the mentality that says that the solution to any problem is more rules and regulations. We saw that mentality in operation when the response to a couple of kids breaking a bunch of laws and shooting up Columbine H.S. was the call for a whole bunch more laws.

Thus there are rules on top of rules, multiple forms to be filled out, and above all, the presumption that everyone involved, on both the government and contractor side, is out to screw the government in some way, shape or form. This is why the U.S. government spends more money auditing its employee's travel than it does on the actual travel itself. This is why certain companies specialize in government procurement and/or services while most won't touch it with a ten foot pole.

I think this is why it is proving hard for the CPA to spend money in Iraq, and why most of it goes to American companies. Who else can comply with our blizzard of contracting requirements? And this is why the captured money spent by the Army at a unit commander's discretion was so valuable - they spent it like you or I would -- to get the job done for the best value. The Army set up its own checks and balances, and the most important thing is that the program is new enough not to build up too many rules and regulations.

That's Some Mom

After women could be Marines, the joke was that the recruiting slogan would be changed to "Looking for a few good men -- and a couple of tough broads."

Well, this lady could have qualified. Frances Meeker promised her daughter Holly that no matter where the military sent her, she would be able to come visit. And she has kept her promise, even visited her in Baghdad. Great story via Instapundit.

When I'm 75, I want to be in the shape she is. You've got to watch out for those religion reporters.

Cream of the Crop, Tip of the Top

Now that I've had a chance to catch up on my blog reading, I can see why my traffic numbers go up when I don't post. So here is what you should be reading instead of me.

Scott at Scrappleface has insightful reporting about Turkeygate.

And while we're on the subject of Turkeygate, why does Dana Milbank still have a job as a reporter? He distorts, he misquotes, he's smug, he's arrogant, and he elevates the trivial and buries the important; all in all, he's the best example of what's wrong with reporters today. Harsh? Read this snarkfest about nothing and then decide. OK, I snuck some of my own stuff in, hoping you woudn't notice.

And back to Scott, who nails reporters with this gem:

"When informed that he had won the award today, Mr. Rumsfeld said, "I want to thank all the news organizations that ran the story about this award. Because we know there are real news stories; important things folks should know. We also know there are unreal news stories; that is to say we know that an unnamed source planted a made-up story with an unwitting reporter. But there are also unreal non-news stories -- which is what professional journalists write while they're waiting to be hand-fed another insignificant leaked memo by an unnamed know-nothing nobody."

Kind of like Mr. Millbank's story above.

Geitner Simmons is blogging about a nation of regions -- it isn't fair, he get's to go to really neat conferences -- and the pictures alone are worth the price of admission (if he charged any). As always, great, thought provoking stuff at Regions of Mind.

OK, back to the press: Cori at Ranting Profs could ask "are they really this stupid?", but being polite, doesn't. I, ill mannered lout that I am, ask it.

Perhaps it was my lack of manners that cost me victory, but here is a caption contest I lost. Apparently the Sophorist went with quality over quantity.

Check out what Michael Chrichton has to say about enviromentalistism as the new urban religion. If anything, I think he's a little harsh on religion. (Found at the Sophorist)

If you aren't reading Rich Galen's dispatches from Iraq, you ought to be. I laugh, I cry, and then I have to blow my nose loudly. I suppose I just enjoy reading somebody on the web who is both older and fatter than I - no mean feat.

We reverse the normal order, and go from the sublime to the ridiculous: more than 13 million viewers tuned into the debut of The Simple Life and thus got to see Paris Hilton wear her jeans so low that her crack had to be fuzzed out, along with Nicole's mouth when she said naughty words. All I can say is, I feel sorry for the people who they are staying with and I hope they got a lot of money to put up with the two gals. The number of viewers went up with the second show, which illustrates some pithy saying about how you won't go broke underestimating the intellengence of the American TV watcher.

Cast A Giant Eared Shadow

Robert Musil takes up the rumor that Michael Eisner is going to bring Steve Jobs on board at Disney and decides that while it would be a great move by Eisner, it wouldn't make business sense for Steve Jobs. He thinks it makes more business sense for Jobs to take over Disney, and Bill Palmer describes the top ten changes Jobs would make at Disney.

I'd just like to throw in that I don't think it makes emotional sense for Jobs to take Eisner's side against Roy Disney in the ongoing saga. Consider that Jobs is a founder of a company where he has consistantly fostered (dictated?) creativity and innovation. Jobs was forced out of that company by his handpicked business guy, John "Sugar Water" Scully; afterwards he bought Pixar because "The thought of participating in the production of a classic film such as Snow White, which our grandkids may watch in 30 years, is what's exciting for me." He was able to take his baby, Apple, back over after pursuading everybody's favorite bumbling uncle, Gil Amelio, to buy his other company (NeXt) and take him on as an advisor. Next thing you know, Gil is still sitting in the corner office, but everybody is taking orders from Steve. So I don't think Eisner is going to ask Jobs to sit on the board: he might not be the best visionairy, but he still knows the ins and outs of corporate infighting. And Jobs has to sympathise with Roy Disney, because even though he isn't the founder, he shares not just the name but the founder's vision for what Disney should be. The way Roy Disney was forced out by his handpicked business guy will remind Jobs of how he himself was forced out. Nope, it makes far more emotional sense for Jobs to join Roy's Raiders and try to topple Eisner -- if he get's involved at all.

UPDATE: Brian Tiemann at Peevefarm has his own thoughts about a Jobs take over at Disney

Hillary, Hillary, Hillary

What has happened to Hillary Clinton? She went from lousy wife of Bill Clinton to a Senator who has, dare I say it, done a good job. The old wisdom was that she was the cool mastermind behind all the money scandals, and he was the randy chump behind all the sex scandals. Could it be that now that she is free of him (yes, I know they aren't divorced, but still) she's put her past behind her and is on the high road? I don't know. It could all be an act, it could all be maneuvering for 2008. But while I can't know her motivations, I can know her acts, and frankly, I'm impressed. She's been consistant on Iraq, she's toured Afganistan and Iraq. If doing the right thing also is smart politically, do I applaud doing the right thing or snark about politics? I applaud doing the right thing, which I think she has done (sound of me clapping). I think it was the right thing for President Bush to spend Thanksgiving with soldiers in Iraq; I think the same thing for Hillary to spend even more time at Thanksgiving.

And yes, she's criticized President Bush about his handling of Iraq and Afganistan. I'm not one of those who think any criticism in war time is a bad thing. For me, it's all about achieving the goal, and if the criticism is contructive, then right or wrong, it's a good thing. Like a lot of others, she thinks we don't have enough troops in both countries. I think that's hard for either one of us to judge, but in my opinion she's probably wrong about Iraq, and possibly correct about Afganistan. Like a lot of others, she thinks the UN should be more involved - and I couldn't disagree more. Some people are upset that she actually told the troops that while Americans wholeheartedly support them, there are many questions at home about the administration's policies. I think that is a pretty accurate statement, and the truth is always a defense in my book. Other remarks indicated that we need to do more in both countries and that the outcome isn't assured. Well, again, true statements. We need to be committed to getting the job done, and not cutting and running. If her criticisms are politically motivated - so what? Let's judge them on their own merits, and not try to guess motivations. They are at least serious and proscriptive, not just a repetition of Bush Bad.

Do I trust Hillary Clinton? No, I have too good a memory. Would I ever vote for her? Um, probably not. I like to vote for my felons after they've been convicted (which I did in the last election), not before. But it depends on who she's running against.

A Different Take on Plame/Wilson

A couple of bloggers I admire, Tom McGuire and Jon Henke, have a similar take on the latest Plame/Wilson development - a spread in Vanity Fair (OK, also Tim Noah, who I don't admire). And by and large, I think they are right. But I think there is something else to notice, beyond the foibles of human nature. Joe Wilson served our country ably and courageously during the Gulf War as acting ambassador to Iraq for which he got zero public notice; Valerie Plame served our country ably and courageously for years for which she got (understandably) zero public notice. What they are recognized for now has been on his part a willingness to criticize President Bush beyond any factual basis (the more strident the criticism, the greater the recognition); and on her part simple victimization. This is crazy. Talk about your perverse incentives. There is something wrong with the press when real, well, heroism, is ignored and this kind of crap is rewarded.

I Have Returned

Yes, I had a lovely Thanksgiving, and I hope you did too. Yes, I've enjoyed my brief time away from blogging, and I hope you did too. My traffic figures think you did - this is the second time my traffic has gone up when I've taken a mini-vacation. Thanks for the encouragement. Maybe I'll put up a tip jar and promise to retire if enough money is donated.