“Sully” Sullenberger Is Too Good To Be True

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

First, he makes an incredible landing in the icy waters of the Hudson, saving over 150 lives.

As the passengers escape, he walks up and down the aisles of the watersoaked 747, making sure everyone got out.  He is the last one to leave the plane.

Hero?  You bet.

But now, he's just becoming a little too saintly.

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the hero pilot, contacted the library at California State University in Fresno to inform them that he wouldn't be able to return a book he had checked out because it was still in the plane's hold.  He asked for an extension and waiver of overdue fees.

It gets better:

Fresno State library officials said they were struck by Sullenberger's sense of responsibility and did him one better: they're waiving all fees, even lost book fees, and placing a template in the replacement book dedicating it to him.

The book's subject? Professional ethics.

One subject I dare say the man does not need to read.

PreCalculus For Christians

Ken AshfordEducation, GodstuffLeave a Comment

A series of math books published by the Bob Jones University Press is virtually guaranteed to make students stupider.  Exhibit A is Precalculus For Christian Schools:

Precalc "A line can be described either by its slope (a ratio) or by its inclination (an angle). These terms describe the deviation from the horizontal, but the word inclination also has a non-mathematical meaning. Without Christ, man is inclined to sin. The Word of God should shape our attitudes (inclinations)."

"If you are given the length of two sides and the angle measure opposite one of those sides, you can use the law of sines to solve the triangle. However, this does not always determine a unique triangle. As a result, it is called the ambiguous case. Ambiguous means open to multiple interpretations. Some people say that you can interpret the Bible in any way that you want. However, there is no ambiguity in the Bible."

"The concept of limit can be used to illustrate an important truth. Suppose you lived eighty years and there was no life after death; your life on the earth would be 80/80 = 1 = 100% of your existence. Now, let's assume that your life after death was eighty years long: your earthly life would be 80/160 = 1/2 = 50% of your entire existence. If life after death were 720 years, your life here would be only 80/(80+720) = 0.1 = 10%. Now extend it to eternity: (the limit as x approaches infinity) 80/(80+x) = O. In other words, this life is very insignificant in light of eternity. It is no wonder James said that life is "vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

Homeschoolers away! 

Via J-Walk

RNC Leader Follies

Ken AshfordBreaking News, RepublicansLeave a Comment

I love the little news scrolls coming across my desk today, as the Republican National Committee seeks to elect a new chairman — the guy who will lead the Republican Party.

The first ballot had Mike Duncan in the lead.  Mike Duncan has been the head of the RNC, which mounted massive losses in Congress in the 2006 and 2008 election (not to mention, of course, the loss of the White House in 2008).  Duncan was Bush's appointed guy, and a strong supporter of Bush policies.  So electing him would signal that the Republican Party is going to stay with the Bush doctrines, foreign and domestic.

Naturally, though, there was competition.

And by the third ballot, Mike Duncan has dropped to second place.  He then, in a surprise to many, withdrew his name.

So who became the frontrunners?  Michael Steele, noted because he is an African-American.  And Katon Dawson of South Carolina, who recently had to abandon his membership in a "whites only" country club.

Where are they now?  Given (primarily) those two choices, what is the temperature of the new "rebranded" Republican party?

After the surprise drop out of former Chairman Mike Duncan, South Carolina party chairman Katon Dawson has taken a two-vote lead over Michael Steele, 62-60.

This comes despite Duncan encouraging his voters to go with Steele, a source close to Duncan told First Read.

Anuzis moved to 31, and Blackwell remained at 15, rounding out fourth-round voting.

The winning candidate needs 85 votes to clinch. That means Dawson now needs 23 more votes, and Steele needs 25.

Duncan met with Steele privately prior to dropping out to tell him of his plans, a source said. The source added that "he likes Steele," but he's not sure that the members will all move to Steele. Many of them aren't warm to Steele, because he's not a committee member.

The source also said that Duncan pulled out because he's a "party guy" and didn't want a long, drawn-out fight.

This now is shaping up to be a fight between, fundamentally, an "insider" (Dawson) and an "outsider" (Steele). It also ironically sets up the first African American to lead the Republican Party against a party chairman from the South, who was a member of a country club that was formerly was all-white.

It would be a political embarassment to have the black guy lose; it only solidifies (perhaps unfairly) the perception that the GOP is not exactly minority-friendly.  On the other hand, if Steele (who is not only black, but more moderate) wins, what will be the response of the Republican rank-and-file?

Then again, this whole "RNC leader" selection process might just be like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

UPDATE – 3:08 pm:  Blackwell (another African-American), who was running last in the fourth round of balloting (see above), bows out and throws his support to Steele.

UPDATE - 3:30 pm: Michael Steele has re-gained the lead in the fifth round of voting for RNC chair.

Michael Steele: 79
Katon Dawson: 69
Saul Anuzis: 20

Aaaand… Anuzis dropped out without endorsing anybody. 

So the next round should be the last.  Which is good because, in his liveblog, NRO's Jim Geraghty notes that in addition to the other weighty questions hanging over this balloting for the chairman of the RNC who will lead the party out of the political wilderness …

the RNC has to be out of the ballroom by 5 p.m. because a wedding is slated to use the room starting at 5:30.

Steele only needs to get 6 of Anuzi's forfeited 20 to win 85 votes and take the throne.

UPDATE – 4:05 pm:  It's Steele, with 91 votes.

Steele is the most moderate candidate, and (unlike Dawson) not from the South (NOTE: But he is pro-life).  And he's black.  Signs of a major shift in the Republican party.

Conservatives are becoming dust in the wind…..

UPDATE:  On Twitter, Ana Marie Cox observed, “Strong showing for Steele –widely considered a ‘moderate’ — in #rncchair suggests that Rs at least considering abandoning Palinism,” which she defined as, “[a]ggressive know-nothingism, pride in ignorance.” “It’s a diverse party. We’re tired of being labeled as white supremacists,” said a committee member from Rhode Island.

And it looks like social conservatives will be very unhappy…..

Overlooked

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

While there is much brouhaha and attention being paid to the stimulus bill (and Blago, who I am glad to see go), what many are missing is this:

The Democratic-controlled Congress moved a step closer to handing President Barack Obama an early health care victory Thursday as the Senate passed a bill extending government-sponsored health insurance coverage to about 4 million uninsured children.

The bill, which was approved 66-32, authorizes an additional $32.8 billion over the next 4 1/2 years for the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The House plans to take up the same measure next week.

Even with the added spending, an estimated 5 million children still would be without health insurance. During his election campaign, Obama called for requiring all children to have health coverage.

That's the SCHIP program that was controversially denied by Republicans and George Bush last year….

Harsh Realities

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

Ouch:

The number of jobless American workers receiving unemployment checks rose to the highest level since the government began keeping records in 1967.

A Labor Department spokesman said the number of Americans drawing jobless benefits for a week or longer rose to 4,776,000 in the week ended Jan. 17, the latest data available.

The number eclipses the prior mark set in November 1982, when 4,713,000 million Americans drew benefits.

Americans who moved to collect their first unemployment checks rose for the third consecutive week, to 588,000, according to a government report released Thursday.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment claims has surged by 61% from this time a year ago.

In graph form:

1233337983729_map

UPDATE:  More ouch with the GDP.  The fourth quarter of last year:

The U.S. economy shriveled at the end of 2008, shrinking by the most in 26 years….Gross domestic product fell at a seasonally adjusted 3.8% annual rate October through December, the Commerce Department said Friday in the first estimate of fourth-quarter GDP.

….Federal government spending helped the economy….Also preventing the economy from sinking further were inventories, which rose at the end of 2008. On a down note, the inventory increase was likely unintended — the result of companies getting stuck with unwanted merchandise because demand has tailed off in the recession….Inventories increased by $6.2 billion, after going down $29.6 billion in the third quarter and $50.6 billion in the second quarter. Inventories added 1.32 percentage points to GDP in the fourth quarter.

Wanna see that in graph form?

You sure???

Ooooo-kay….

GR2009013001353 

I say again… "Ouch"

Obama May Pick Republican for Commerce Secretary

Ken AshfordNorth KoreaLeave a Comment

I think Obama's gesture to the right is noble, but ultimately self-defeating.  As the House vote on the stimulus package shows, Republicans simply aren't in a mood to compromise or be post-partisan.  So why bother?

That's why I am troubled by this:

The Obama administration has been floating the idea of naming Republican Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.) to be Commerce Secretary, several Senate sources said Thursday.

Really?  Is he the best person for the job.

Of course, there is a silver lining.  With Gregg out of the Senate, his replacement would be appointed by New Hampshire's governor — a Democrat.  If she appoints a Democrat (and assuming Al Franken gets seated), that will result in a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Pepsi Varieties

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

Because it's Friday…..

  • Pepsi: PepsiCo's signature cola flavor and its namesake cola.
  • Diet Pepsi: The sugarfree equivalent.
  • Pepsi Free: Introduced in 1982 by PepsiCo as the first major-brand caffeine-free cola and is today sold as Caffeine-Free Pepsi and Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi.
  • Crystal Pepsi: Discontinued; clear version of cola; introduced in 1992 and sold until 1993.
    • Crystal by Pepsi: Discontinued (non-cola) citrus flavored reformulation of Crystal Pepsi.
    • Pepsi Clear: Clear soda released in Mexico as a limited edition during Christmas 2005, the Mexican equivalent of Crystal Pepsi
  • Pepsi AM: Contains more caffeine than a regular Pepsi and marketed as a morning drink. Introduced in 1989 and discontinued in 1990.
  • Pepsi Boom: A caffeine, sugar and artificial sweetener-free Pepsi only sold in Germany, Italy and Spain
    • Pepsi Fresh: More fresh Pepsi. Designed for summer 2007.
    • Pepsi Natural "a new cola made with only natural ingredients", due in 2007
    • Pepsi NEX: A zero calorie Pepsi developed by Suntory and sold only in Japan[1]
  • Pepsi Blue: A blue colored fruity soda (non-cola). Given a huge marketing push, often considered a major flop on the order of New Coke. No longer produced. In Iceland, Pepsi Blue was sold for a brief period of time during the winter of 2003/2004, and in India during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. It was sold for a longer period in Austria, and is still available in some parts of Mexico. It was also sold in the Philippines for a limited time only, usually it appears during Christmas season. Likewise, it was sold for a limited time in Australia and Finland. In 2009 Pepsi Blue will be brought back for a limited time.
  • Pepsi Blue Hawaii: A Limited Edition Pepsi released in Japan. A pineapple and lemon flavored soda, blue in color.
  • Pepsi Carnival: A tropical fruit flavored Pepsi available in Japan for a limited time that debuted in summer 2006. Later Released as Pepsi Summer Mix in 2007 in the US, However the formula was most likely different.
  • Pepsi Fire: a limited edition, cinnamon flavored variety that is sold in Guam, Saipan, Thailand, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
  • Pepsi Gold: Limited edition gold colored variant as part of a 2006 FIFA World Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 promotion.It had a hint of ginger, but nowhere near the spice level of Pepsi Red, and was sold in Southeast Asia, Central Europe and Russia.
  • Pepsi Green: a bright-green variety introduced in Thailand on January 15, 2009.[2]
  • Pepsi Holiday Spice: a limited edition variety which the company began selling November 1, 2004 in the U.S.A. and Canada for an eight-week period, and again in the 2006 Christmas season. It is flavored with a seasonal finish of cinnamon, somewhat similar to the Swedish Julmust.
    • Christmas Pepsi: Almost identical to Pepsi Holiday Spice, with nutmeg and cocoa added to the ingredients list, and was marketed over the 2007 and 2008 Christmas seasons.
  • Pepsi Ice: Pepsi with an icy mint flavor. Sold in Guam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. In summer 2007 Pepsi used the name Pepsi Ice in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for a limited edition cola with apple flavor.
  • Pepsi_cucumber Pepsi Ice Cucumber: Limited edition Pepsi released in Japan. Cucumber flavors are added to this. Pepsi Ice Cucumber is a clear drink.
  • Pepsi Kona, a coffee-flavored cola which was test-marketed on the East Coast of the USA.
  • Lemon Pepsi: Limited Edition to promote NFL kickoff 2008, same taste as Pepsi Twist
  • Pepsi Lime: with lime flavor added, introduced onto the market in the spring of 2005.
    • Pepsi Limón: Pepsi with lime flavor released in Mexico in 2002, later returns as Pepsi Twist in 2004, no longer produced.
    • Pepsi A-ha: Lemon flavored Pepsi sold in India.
  • Pepsi Raging Razzberry:This soft drink was available in 1991 and it has been said that it didn't really taste like raspberry, but was considered a raspberry twist
  • Pepsi Raw: Fruity cola tested and available in the United Kingdom.
  • Pepsi Red: Released in Japan sometime in 2006, it has a general ginger flavor and is somewhat spicy.
  • Pepsi Retro (rendered in written advertisement as PEPSI retro): Released in Mexico in February 2008. Pepsi made with natural ingredients, sugar cane and cola nut extract.
  • Pepsi Samba: A "Tropical Flavoured Cola" containing the flavors Mango & Tamarind, distributed in Australia. It was released in Australia in the 3rd Quarter of 2005 and was expected to be in production for a limited time only. Many people did not like the taste. Recently many Australian supermarkets were clearing out their remaining stock at prices as low as 15 cents (2 litres).
  • Pepsi Si: The word sí used in its Spanish context ("yes") and printed on cans. Used as a marketing gimmick in predominantly Hispanic areas.
  • Pepsi Strawberry Burst
  • Pepsi Summer Chill: "Chilled Apple Cola". Sold in Poland during summer 2007. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia the same product was sold as Pepsi Ice.
  • Pepsi Summer Mix: Pepsi with tropical fruit flavors. Released in early Spring of 2007, and was discontinued Fall to Winter of 2007. Was available in limited areas only; was a big hit for the northeastern United States.
  • Pepsi Tropical Chill
  • Pepsi Tropical: Short lived drink that was Available both in the US, UK & Japan in late 1994.
  • Pepsi Kickoff: Pepsi with a "kick" of lemon. To be released to promote the 2008 NFL season. A diet version is to be made, also.
  • Pepsi Twist: a lemon flavored variety.
  • Pepsi Twist Mojito: A Pepsi with a mix of lemon and mojito taste. Has no alcohol. Sold in Italy.
    • Pepsi Twistão Sold during summertime in Brazil, it's a Pepsi with a lemon flavor stronger than regular Pepsi Twist. "Twistão", in Portuguese, is the augmentative of "Twist".
  • Pepsi Vanilla: Released in Canada and the U.S. in 2003 as Pepsi's answer to Vanilla Coke. Contains vanilla extract as well as both natural and artificial flavors.
  • Pepsi White: Pepsi with yogurt flavor, available in Japan
  • Pepsi Wild Cherry: a cherry flavored variety, introduced in 1988. Available for a brief period in th UK in the late 1980s. Originally called "Wild Cherry Pepsi", its name was changed along with the formula in 2005.
  • Pepsi X Energy Cola: contains more caffeine than regular Pepsi, and also contains guaranine. Pepsi is the first major cola brand to have an energy drink line extension. The cola-based product has a unique flavor and a reddish tint. It is sold in several countries worldwide.
  • Pepsi 100: Only available for a limited time to celebrate 100 years of the drink in 1998 and came back on 2003 to celebrate the name..
  • Pepsi Gold: Unlike Pepsi, it is calorie-free, caffeine-free & sugar-free Pepsi.

(Source)

O’Reilly Dumber Than Supermodel Jessica Alba

Ken AshfordRight Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Heh:

Jessica Alba is setting the record straight: Sweden was neutral during World War II.

Alba and Fox TV show host Bill O’Reilly traded punches last week after the presidential inauguration. After Alba told a Fox reporter that O’Reilly was “kind of an a-hole;” he retaliated by calling her a “pinhead” for telling a reporter to “be Sweden about it,” assuming she meant Switzerland.

“I want to clear some things up that have been bothering me lately,” Alba blogged on MySpace Celebrity. “Last week, Mr. Bill O'Reilly and some really classy sites (i.e.TMZ) insinuated I was dumb by claiming Sweden was a neutral country. I appreciate the fact that he is a news anchor and that gossip sites are inundated with intelligent reporting, but seriously people… it's so sad to me that you think the only neutral country during WWII was Switzerland.”

Although Switzerland is more frequently cited as an example of neutrality, Sweden did indeed follow a policy of neutrality during World War II. History point to Alba.

And Sweden (like Switzerland) has refused to join NATO, too.  Neutral.

“Slumdog Millionaire” Kids Still Live In Poverty

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Loved the movie.  So I found this disconcerting:

Slumdog5 Their roles in Slumdog Millionaire have won them international acclaim and seen them rub shoulders with the film’s glamorous stars and its British director.

***

But the reality of life for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail is far closer to that of the characters they play in the story of love, violent crime and extreme poverty in India.

Yup.  Ali earned 500 British pounds ($710) for one year’s work and Ismail earned 1700 pounds ($2414), “less than many Indian domestic servants“:

Both children were found places in a local school and receive £20 a month for books and food. However, they continue to live in grinding poverty and their families say they have received no details of the trust funds set up in their names. Their parents said that they had hoped the film would be their ticket out of the slums, and that its success had made them realise how little their children had been paid.

The children received considerably less than the poor Afghan child stars of The Kite Runner, who embarrassed their Hollywood producers when they disclosed that they had been paid £9,000.

Rubina and Azharuddin live a few hundreds yards from each other in a tangle of makeshift shacks alongside Mumbai’s railway tracks at Bandra. Azharuddin is in fact worse off than he was during filming: his family’s illegal hut was demolished by the local authorities and he now sleeps under a sheet of plastic tarpaulin with his father, who suffers from tuberculosis.

A Fox Searchlight spokesperson said he is “proud” of their treatment and boasted, “For 30 days work, the children were paid three times the average local annual adult salary.”

How To Deal With Rush Limbaugh

Ken AshfordRight Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

The wrong way:

In a bid to capitalize on Rush Limbaugh's recent comment that he hopes President Obama "fails," national Democrats launched a petition drive Wednesday taking direct aim at the conservative radio host.

"Jobs, health care, our place in the world — the stakes for our nation are high and every American needs President Obama to succeed," says the petition, sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Stand strong against Rush Limbaugh's Attacks — sign our petition, telling Rush what you think of his attacks on President Obama."

The right way:

Ignore him.

Nathan Tabor On Evolution and Gays

Ken AshfordEducation, Godstuff, Right Wing Punditry/Idiocy, Sex/Morality/Family Values2 Comments

Our locally-living nationally-syndicated columnist, Nathan Tabor, is a howl today. 

After trying to make the argument that Obama's policies will effectively result in genocide of African-Americans (yes, he really makes that argument), Tabor writes:

But blacks are not the only minority group which could suffer under the Democratic regime in Washington. Democratic leaders believe that children must be taught evolution, and they cringe at the common-sense notion of intelligent design. The evolutionary theory promoted by Charles Darwin teaches survival of the fittest. That would place homosexuals at the bottom of the chain, since they cannot procreate. Under evolution, they are destined to die out, forced out of existence by the heterosexuals who can procreate.

Ummmm…. boy.  Stuck on stupid. 

Nathan apparently believes that homosexuals are the offspring of homosexuals and therefore, that demographic is genetically destined to die out under an evolutionary theory.

And, as a corollary, apparently this can be twarted by teaching intelligent design to children.

This of course leads Nathan to his ultimate conclusion:

The idea that our nation's Democratic leaders are anti-black, anti-minority, and anti-homosexual is an inconvenient truth. It is uncomfortable to read because it is uncomfortable to write. But, as an old adage goes, the truth will make you free. Only when Democrats confront their own bigoted demons can true progress begin, can we finally heal as a nation.

I see.  By electing Obama, Democrats have revealed themselves to be bigots.  Thanks for the insight, Nathan.

One wonders if Nathan really believes anyone — including conservatives — would actually swallow his crap.

They’re Out To Get You

Ken AshfordTheatreLeave a Comment

Spare me.  They're making a Broadway musical out of Michael Jackson's Thriller:

According to the press release, the musical take its plot from the actual music video, a “horror film spoof in which a young couple are out on a date on a beautiful full moon evening, when suddenly the young man, played by Jackson, turns into a werewolf.” This sounds like it could be Cats, but with zombies instead of kitties.

On a positive note, the musical will reportedly also feature songs from both Jackson’s Off the Wall and Thriller, so you can pretty much expect to see “Billie Jean” and its sidewalk that lights up when you step on it at some point during the production. Michael Jackson will also reportedly be a part of the creation of the musical in some capacity. The creative team and estimated theater dates of the show have not yet been revealed.

Thrillerdance