I actually thought the Super Bowl was great in the rain, one more challenge for the teams to overcome. At least until Grossman forgot how to throw...

:-)

THE MOON ISN'T EVEN FULL! The cold snap must be driving everyone mad.

Diapers as a means of speeding along a road trip is a capital idea. Particularly in the presence of a full Playmate.

That astronaut love triangle story is just crying out for the Dave Barry treatment.

From the last boodle, where it was mistakenly addressedt to Raysmom.

Wheezy-I'll plead guilty to making a sweeping generalization, but I'm sorry to say I think your school system is the exception. While my personal experience is from teaching in schools in a half dozen states, I still wouldn't smear the entire nation based on just schools in which I've taught. I make my sweeping generalization based on research on teaching children living in poverty, including the Algebra Project. Your child's regular math taking peers are fortunate indeed to have a full choice of electives.

In the rural area where I am now living 2 of the closest 3 middle schools have no foreign language classes for any 8th graders. Taking Algebra I is possible, but doesn't often happen. Ironically, Algebra will be required for all 8th graders in MN by 2010. It will be interesting to see if it has the desired effect. Despite repeated disappointment at educational innovation, I live in hope.

Scotty, thanks for the 3 a.m. bulletin on the astronaut, by the way...

Yes, there is a maverick view that the rain made the game more interesting. I love snow games. I love games where you can't see the lines on the field. Grossman was terrible, so maybe Gators aren't perfect after all.

The moon was recently full, actually...

Astronaut Lisa Nowak is also an Annapolis grad, and is an F-18 fighter pilot, as is Astronaut Oefelein. Nowak attended the Navy's Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, graduating in 1994; Oefelein attended the very next class (which overlaps part of the year), so they would have been classmates there and one may reasonably conclude they've known each other since about 1995. Nowak worked at Pax in one of the test squadrons, as did Oefelein, who is also a "Top Gun" graduate and went on to become an instructor at the Test Pilot School. What the relevance of any of this is I can't say. Maybe nothing other than they've known each other for 12 years or so.

How many people believe that this astronaut chick "only wanted to scare" the other woman? I'd like a show of postings, please. Just your gut response....to channel Mr. Rummy, it's a known unknown, or something like that.

"They're like the Viet Cong, they can wait it out. We're not going to be here forever, and they know that. And then we're gone, and it's all theirs."'

deserves repeating

yes it does

"They're like the Viet Cong, they can wait it out. We're not going to be here forever, and they know that. And then we're gone, and it's all theirs."

A couple of comments on Ms. Nowak's trip:

Amercian Astronauts since Alan Shepard ("Permission to relieve bladder.") wear diapers on takeoff. They're standard equipment, IIRC.

It's not like they can relieve themselves into beer bottles and chuck them out the window or anything.

Also, I don't know of anything other than a good-sized diesel truck that can go 900+ miles (Houston to Orlando) without stopping for fuel, so chances are she had to stop *somewhere* along the line for fuel. And for diaper changes, I suppose.

Some off-road racers (Baja 1000, etc.) use a catheter running down their driver's suit leg to a hole in the floor of the vehicle for such things.

This reminds me of a story about off-road legend Ivan "Ironman" Stewart (which I have probably mentioned in here previously, so forgive me if you've heard this before). Just before the beginning of a big race, Stewart was walking around the paddock and had to go One Last Time before getting strapped into the car (if you want to meet drivers, go to a trackside bathroom 10 minutes before a race), and stepped into the nearest facilites. Mr. Stewart was already wearing the catheter, with the exit tube sticking out next to his driver's boot. Instead of undoing everything just before getting buckled up, Mr Stewart just walked up to a urinal, picked up his leg, and began his business.

Two guys walk in, see this going on, and one says to the other, "Wow. Now I know why the call him 'Ironman'."

bc

"Nowak had donned adult diapers to avoid the customary rest stops"- Houston Chronicle.
I'm very confused.
Are astronauts bedwetters? If resting is being used as a euphemism for tinkling I don't understand how culture trumps physiolgy.

Why doesn't Ryan O'Neal do a show like the Osbornes? Sounds like it would be exciting. And it would have the beneficial social purpose of satisfying the public's growing need for moral superiority. Flailing pokers? That beats Survivor to heck!

I'm happy to see that the cruel baby diaper harvest has been discontinued.

Frostbitten, you're probably right, our school district is pretty different. NB: I didn't use the term "sweeping generalization," which is pretty loaded, emotionally. I used "extrapolate," which leans in a different direction.

You're definitely much more knowledgeable about this issue than I am.

Repost from last boodle, re: middle school education.

Here in Howard County where every child is gifted and talented, part of my wife's job is to recommend or place the fifth graders into the appropriate tracks in middle school. The most important placement is math since you can always back off a level, but it is hard to accelerate once you are in a progression. Other than the Super Secret Math Program I boodled about before, the most advanced middle school track is 6th-Pre-Algebra, 7th-Algebra, 8th-Geometry. That puts you on track for Calculus in 11th grade, which is a year faster than most school systems that teach calculus.

My wife starts her elementary school pre-pre-algebra sequence in 4th grade and continues it through 5th grade. Parents are always asking how to help their kids do well once they get into her class. Her response is multiplication drills. Having to stop and recall a multiplication fact just wrecks all your problem solving momentum. Parents should make sure their kids know all the facts up to 12 x 12 instantly. Knowing squares up to 20 x 20 is also valuable.

At my son's school, there was a mandatory reading class in addition to language arts. A foreign language could substitute for the reading. He had both Spanish and band for the three years of middle school. In high school he has dumped Spanish after two more years of it, but has stuck with band.

It's great to have a wide exposure of subjects in middle school because the courses don't "count" and you can experiment a little more widely with interests.

Passion combined with spite are a lethal combination; and being smart and capable just makes one more capable of doing really stupid things. Just my two cents.

I wonder if the diaper wearing isn't just an astronaut thing. My dad has ferried fighter planes transoceanic a couple of times. His typical survival pack included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, and a long trashy novel.

I don't think I will ever ask him the diaper versus catheter question. There are things I just don't need to know.

Rubber tubing for touniquets, knives, and garbage bags. Sounds like the propman's list for an episode of The Sopranos or maybe she was planning to watch and follow along with the Food Channel's, The Tidy Butcher.

De nada, JA, it was too wacky to ignore even at that early hour...

:-)

Yello I may not be understanding the system correctly but isn't that system streaming the kids a little young? We complain up here when the kids must choose at the start of High School (Grade 9) the opportunity to close doors early is quite easy.

My oldest is rapidly approaching those important years so the info is very informative and helpful.

AND-where are this astronaut chick's kids and who is taking care of them? As a working mother, I can see the whole 12 day in space arrangement, but an arrangement for a mad dash across the southeast on recently acquired info? Not so much. AND-if the rubber catheter is coming out of the bottom of his pants, you mean he just goes when he's driving and....where does it go from there?

Re DMD, yes, we can push too soon. I see a number of bright but weary and beleagured kids....in college. Hard to see jadedness in their shinning faces....

Why is a subset of children OVERSTIMULATED, supported and stressed yet suceeding, when so many get crumbs from the table....(don't feel critiqued parents here.....but do help your child work in balance like dogs, flowers, blue music, sudoko, car racing, knitting, reading for pleasure.....)

But Yello's wife is right: drill on multiplication and I would add, be able to undo them in the division tables.

Sad story: When I try to tell families that buying the drill books or making cards is key to algebra, they kinda don't believe me. Add, when they buy the books, if they do, the high school sophmore is not pleased, particularly because the drill books says, "Four Grade Math" or has cutie-pie pictures in in. Boys at this stage tend to really quit, substituting the false and sometimes deadly cool of drop out and gang it.

I think that some think I am selling snake oil. Algebra must be more mysterious than that.

So, I really like these drill (consumable) booklets from Key Curriculum:
http://www.keycurriculum.com/x6469.xml

Slyness. If all of us supported Math is for Everyone efforts like The Algebra Project and each child received and completed these drill sets....stop me, I am dreaming.

Next time, we can discuss grammar and composition as a justice offering in the cafeteria of school....

....grading papers, really, truly, madly deeply.....

Good morning everyone.
The astronaut story is astonishing but not surprising - you never know when bam! you'll wake up a criminal. I expect that, whatever her intentions when she set out from Houston, by the time she reached Orlando she didn't really know what she was going to do. If she'd still wanted to injure the woman she would have done it as soon as they were alone. Ah, ain't the delusion of true love grand.

I did finally catch up on yesterday's Boodle. Thanks for the greetings to the Boy. I think he meant to write that this would be the last time I'd let HIM post, but I thought he did all right. RD, regarding the life insurance, the gleam in your wife's eye, and the metallic coffee, just remember Mithridates. Cassandra, your friend needs to use publicity to find a lawyer willing to take her case (ideally pro bono) and intervene on her behalf with the school system. She should be able to talk to the superintendent. If both girls were fighting, both girls should be punished. There should be a hearings system set up to appeal the discipline and transfer decisions.

Hey, Error Flynn, I'm glad to hear from you. Congratulations on receiving the first part of your treatment and finding a comely nurse. It may be part of their plan to dangle the promise of that nurse in another section, just out of reach - gives you something to think about.

Why was the super bowl bad? I did not watch, but heard that it rained, Prince was better than good, and Peyton Manning was the prince of the day, I think, so why was it the worse super bowl ever?

yellokt, the information about the multiplication tables is very good. A lot of the kids I work with have problems with that. So every kid in your county is smart? Is my understanding of that correct?

Can someone help me with the long question asked in the last boodle? I know it's loaded, but your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

And sorry, I was talking so much this morning, I forgot to say hello to the Boy. Welcome to the boodle, and we would love to hear your thoughts. Hello, Ivansmom.

Kim, I mentioned in my 9:56 that there is a hole in the vehicle's floor for the tube to exit under normal conditions.

bc

Although I'm finding it difficult to not laugh at the phrase "donned adult diapers," I must say I find this astronaut chick story rather sad. I honestly -- almost *literally* -- don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Whew...thanks, BC, for clearing that up. Gotta stop skimming! I think it's sad, also...but put in perspective alongside the story out of Baghdad, we may as well laugh about the astronaut chick. I have definitely been using up tears on the stories out of Iraq.

Ivansmom. According to the stories I've read the victim heard footsteps behind her, rushed into her car and locked the door. The perp then pretended to be a stranded passenger and tried to get the victim to open her door. When the victim refused but lowered her window she was peppersprayed. The perp was found in disguise in possession of rubber tubing, garbage bags, a NEW knife, and Maxwell's silver hammer. If the victim hadn't beat the perp to the car I submit that we wouldn't have heard from her again.

More space news: the amount of space junk has been deemed beyond a critical amount, such that a slow, destructuve, chain reaction is inevitable. The latter is sure to take out something big...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/science/space/06orbi.html?hp&ex=1170824400&en=ec2e59140da81fee&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Hiya, Tom Fan!

bc

Here's my favorite paragraph from the astronaut story:

"Chris Ferguson, a pilot on the mission, also attended the hearing. Asked afterward about Nowak's behavior, Ferguson said
'perplexed is the word I'm sticking with.'"

Chris, you're my role model. I hope I can remember this, if I'm ever in a situation where everybody wants a quote. Just take your time, choose a word carefully, and then, no matter what, stick with it. That's your word. In fact, I think that may work in other situations as well. I will consider it.

Imagine the boodle, if we could only use one word for a comment.

Ha. (That might be mine.)

Jack you beat me to that article I chose to look at this one first, Dick Cavett on the importance of words and pronunciation.

http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/

kbertocci, that one word idea is doubleplusgood.

Need to choose mine carefully, since you already took the good one...

bc

IDK: I Don't Know.

No dmd, you understand it perfectly. The tracking starts very early. Two things to remember. It's a gifted and talented program and applies to only maybe the top 10-20% of the students. Even the steps one or two paces slower are still very advanced.

There are two cut-in points at the elementary school level. Tests are given at the end of third and fourth grade. The kids that enter GT Math in fourth grade tend to do much better than the ones that join in fifth grade. Because of parental pressure and the need for class diversity, the program often relaxes entry standards rather than ratcheting them up because it is better to err on the inclusive side. Kids that find the pace too tough go back to the "regular advanced" math with no ill effect.

The parents of my wife's students frequently work at NSA, APL, NIH, and other TLA type places. Her school is "average" for Howard County. The more upscale elementary schools are downright cutthroat.

Cassandra,
It's not so much that EVERY kid is above average, but Lake Wobegon has nothing on Howard County. It is more that the entire county is decidedly middle class. I did some research for my latest blog post (which I will plug again)

http://livebythefoma.blogspot.com/2007/02/multi-culti-mix-ups.html

My son's school is 30% black. Some area high schools are over 40% African American, but none have more than 20% free/reduced lunch eligible. The area is culturally diverse, but housing prices keep the socio-economic status to the right of the curve. I said it before, but most tests only measure the income of the student's parents.

DCPersecutor999, I agree that Nowak certainly came prepared to do some damage, and I suspect that was her intention back in Houston. However, I conjecture that as her emotions cascaded (probably several times) during the long drive, and she donned her disguise, and then she actually got to the airport in a position to carry out her plan, she became a little less certain of how exactly to go about it, or perhaps even of what she wanted to do. For usually law-abiding citizens, even those caught in the grip of a strong emotion, actually accomplishing physical violence on another is more difficult than we think it will be. As I read the story, Nowak was on the same shuttle bus, got off at the same stop, and followed her victim. If she'd wanted to really hurt her, she would have tackled her after they got off the bus and were alone, before the woman reached her car. This hesitation suggests to me that Nowak no longer quite knew what she wanted to do. Of course, that has little or no effect on what she'll be charged with.

I like "perplexed". Also: confusticated, hornswoggled, discombobulated.

That is a scary and sad story about the astronaut. She thought this out, so it wasn't like she was in a passion or something, but then the thinking isn't good either. Sounds like she had a problem from the beginning, and she certainly has one now. I wonder if anyone noticed a change in her. Sometimes people give off signals that somthing is wrong, very wrong. But in the case of smart people it may be accepted as, can't think of the word.

Couldn't see the Cavett story, dmd. Rats!

Totally off topic: Note in this morning's paper that Zsa Zsa Gabor is 90 today.

Ninety. That makes me feel old, too.

You have to remember that most shuttle pilots come from the fighter pilot fraternity. I refer you to "The Right Stuff" and "The Great Santini" for further studies.

My very stable, family-oriented dad came home from a one-year tour in Korea with a dead tooth. He has never explained how it happened. We suspect alcohol on somebody's part was involved.

As one of the mathematically challenged I can track the beginning of my troubles to failing to memorize the multiplication table. I could usually ferret out the answers on tests but it took me so long the rest of the kids had gone home. Dylexia didn't help any either, but then she was always cruel.
Oh, oh. The order of operations. Know 'em, love 'em.

Discombobulated! My favorite! (although I admit to a sneaky fondness for "egregious")

Totally random recollection:

I was going through Dulles last week, and heard a Muzak version of "Spill the Wine." Almost enough to drive a classic rock fan to drink.

Sorry Slyness didn't realize that was a suscription required portion - too bad it was funny.

Future Darwin award winner here, close your eyes everyone, think about how cold it is, now picture yourself trying to cross the Niagara river in a rubber raft to pay your credit card bill. You can't make this stuff up.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070206/1004863.asp

The astronaut story is very sad. Just goes to show that astronauts are people in a job -- an ultra-cool job, but still people in a job. They aren't superheroes, they have defects and foibles and extreme foolishness, like other people.

Being smart and capable does not keep you from being crazy. It may make you better at it.

Unless there is some incredible Perry Mason-like revelation in the storyline, Lisa Nowak has just erased everything that she has ever tried to be or to become, thrown away everything she was and everything she had. She is a destroyed human being. She is a 43-year old woman with skills she can't use, starting from nothing. Maybe she can get a job as a crop-duster. There is no way that anyone will let her fly anything that has passengers.

I have my Word: "Challenging."

bc is correct: astronauts wear "diapers" during shuttle launches as well as during re-entries, because, as he said, there are long periods of time when you can't get up and walk around, and stroll down the cockpit to the loo. Also, astronauts are packed together next to each other in threesies and foursies during launch and re-entry, and it's a bit of a privacy issue: nobody wants to stop and do their business when there's somebody 18 inches away from you. Especially in mixed company. Of course, the "diapers" are not quite what many of you may be thinking; they are sort of like "Depends" (I guess; never seen a Depends), but a bit more sophisticated and better quality.

Yes, the story is very sad. What is interesting to me (having had several years' exposure to test pilots and flight engineers, and how they train and think) is the extremely bipolar state of Nowak's mind. On the one hand, she appears to be involved in this extremely emotional love triangle or quadrangle or trapazoid, or whatever geometric shape it turns out to be, and she pretty clearly just lost it and went a bit bonkers--not anything remotely like you expect a highly trained and disciplined fighter pilot/engineer/test pilot to behave. But in the midst of going bonkers, what does she do? She apparently realizes she has only X hours to drive 900 miles to get to Orlando by T hundred hours when Shipman's plane lands. She probably calculates she'll have to drive at an average of Z miles per hour to get there. Without even consciously thinking about it, she knows her car (whatever it is) gets Y miles per gallon, and she'll have to make D number of fuel stops (say two or three). She understands she's extremely pressed for time, but has just enough time (as well as a certain amount of first-degree premeditation) to assemble her traveling gear and the diaper rig --and HAS MENTALLY MADE THE TRADE-OFF THAT WEARING DIAPERS SAVES TIME OVER MAKING PIT STOPS. That's what's incredible to me. On the one hand she's nuts; on the other hand, she's figured out out to trim three minutes from a 900-mile drive. In a way, I'm in awe of her. She probably packed bottles of water (or, of course, Tang), as well as what Nasa calls "low-residue" (read: poop-minimizing) snack food and energy bars. Test pilots: gotta love 'em.

I think the fact that she packed a BB gun pretty much testifies to her state of mind, that even in her bonkers state she never intended to kill Shipman. Which doesn't mitigate the rest of it, though. She's probably got a halfway decent temporary insanity defense. And there's obviously a helluva lot of back story we'll never know about until the movie version comes out on the Faux network.

She'll obviously resign from NASA and the Navy as quietly (and as soon) as possible, and go into some sort of psychiatric counseling. Sooner or later, she'll write a book, and sell the movie rights, which will cover her legal fees and rehab costs.

I actually feel a great deal of sympathy for her.

Now, to casting the movie: David James Elliott ("JAG"), of course, has to play Oefelein. If it's a semi-sleezy Fox production (OK, that's redundant, I realize), they'll probably get Jennifer Love Hewitt for Nowak. If it's a halfway decent flick with honorable intentions, my money would be on Honeysuckle Weeks. Yeah, you'll have to look her up. But she's worth it.

We don't know anything about Shipman yet, so we can't cast her yet.

Movie title: Crash and Burn.

Unfortunately, I think this thing is going to be all over Access Hollywood and some of those sleeze networks. Which is too bad. I'll be VERY disappointed if she winds up on Dr. Phil or Oprah.

yellojkt: My second grader is doing well in math and I want that to continue. Flash cards--got it! Thanks for the pointers.

Yellojkt, I can't figure out the acronym "TLA"

Dick Cavett has a blog? And you have to pay for it? And this is a money-maker?

Do you suppose she was wearing regular adult diapers, or "NASA Adult Wearable Digestive Wastes Undergarment Containment System"-brand diapers?

I bags flummoxed.

My current word is uncaffeinated.

RD, I'm pretty well insured as well. Also, if you don't like your coffee, I'll ask my wife to send yours her recipe. It has this great almond-y flavour.

TLA: Three Letter Acronym
ETLA: Extended Three Letter Acronym

I'd be surprised if there aren't a few Goddard offspring floating around the HoCo GT program.

I did some more research and Deep Run may have once been Waterloo Middle. I need to find a definitive chronology.

dmd | What's the problem? A Canadian in a boat in the winter. I've gone water-skiing on New Years Day on Mississippi Lake. (Dry suit)
He wasn't even in trouble according to the linked article.
"The four advised the man to paddle toward the shore, and he complied."- The Buffalo News
Just another case of authourities over- reacting.

Well except for the part where he had a little trouble in the past with guns at the border, he was 4 hours is super cold and he made some irrational statements - typical canadian :-)

NASA Adult Wearable Digestive Wastes Undergarment Containment Systems costs $12,576.83 each.

In the spirit of yesterday's health discussion I interrupt this Boodle for a public service announcement. Go ye and get an abdominal aneurysm screening. Last week my 70-ish aunt went in for a full bone density test. Lo and behold there was a large abdominal aneurysm - no symptoms. Yesterday the family was on hospital watch during the almost 3-hour surgery. All went well; it was near a kidney and her intestines had to be paralyzed, but she is on the mend. The aneurysm was the size of a grapefruit, as opposed to the usual golf ball (I love doctors who speak real-world English). [Footnote: here's when the exorbitant post-retirement insurance was worth it.] The Boy asked "is it fatal?" and I told him yes, if they hadn't caught it, but they can fix this if they find it. In December my mother-in-law had surgery for a hernia which had let her colon float up by her heart. We just think we know what our internal organs are doing in there.

Please return to the regularly scheduled Boodle.

The ETLA for NASA Adult Wearable Digestive Wastes Undergarment Containment Systems is 'NAWDWUCS'. (Pronounced just like it looks, natch.)

Tying together boodle threads:

*Said astronaut learned her math facts. *She can recall them under stress.
*Perhaps she needed more relaxation. *Love is a madness always (insert any and all Shakespeare).
*Smartness has limits.
*We can all crash and burn. spectacularily. (I hope my such events are more private).
*Insanity happens.
*I hope she has access to COBRA and can pay for it.
*Young children are in the backstory.

C'mon, yello--if you're an astronaut you can get those NASA Adult Wearable Digestive Wastes Undergarment Containment Systems at the Navy Exchange ("PX" or to some of you) or commisary for the handsomely discounted price of $8,426.52, or the handy family pack of six for $45,000.

Cassandra, no one has answered your Super Bowl question. Those who say it was "the worst Super Bowl ever" say it because it was an extremely sloppy game, not just because of the rain. There were four fumbles in the first quarter alone, and six total. Grossman threw two interceptions, but they were really ugly interceptions. He just played badly.

But I think the "worst ever" idea is a bit exaggerated--over the past 40 years, there were some real embarrassing blowouts (you just have to be an old fart, like me, to remember them). What "worst ever" really means is "worst in my memory, which is only about 9 years' worth."

As to the school fight question: the kid needs a lawyer, and there need to be lots of good eyewitness testimony as to who said what and when. Without that, it just becomes a lot of "he said she said" and your kid will probably lose, being the newbie as well as the winner of the fight. For some reason, the winner is presumed to have been the agressor, which may or may not be true. In sports, it is very known that the refs miss the first punch, but they always see the seond punch, and penalize the second person accordingly.

Unfortunately, I don't think that helps you much.

Is this too far off topic?
Just in from CNN.
San Fransisco mayor to seek rehab at the Delancey Street Project.
When you backslide you're caught by the Invisible Woman, the booze is scooped up by Mr. Fantastic, and The Thing administers aversion therapy.
The Torch, being a teenager, sulks.
The facility is supervised by Dr. Strange.
Hey, it's Frisco.

Multiplication Tables - It's not a matter if a child gets the answer correct, it's a matter of how fast the child gets the answer correct.

So don't even bother them with the trick with the 9's. If he learns that way, it will forever slow him down.

I wrote a computer program for my son to learn his mathfacts. It was similar to a timed flashcard test. In 2 weeks (30 to 45 minutes a night) he could answer each problem and click on the answer in an average of 2 seconds. This launched him into the advanced math class for the rest of the year.

A computer is probably the best tool for teaching kids their multiplication tables, but if one is not available, the practice of presenting the problem (like 4 times 6), allowing for 1 guess, giving him the answer and repeating the problem over if he gets it wrong I have found to be the most effective way to teach children this very important memory excersise.

The same goes for reading. If you want to help a child read, have him read to you, if he doesn't know a word, or gets one wrong, just tell him the word and move on. If you have to tell him more than 10% of the words he is reading, dumb the reading material down to a level he can handle.

Never tell the child he is guessing when he gets a word or problem wrong. The fact that he is guessing goes without saying and will only serve to interrupt the learning process and add frustration to what may already be a difficult task. Making the child "sound out the word" also adds the interruption and frustration element to the process.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Why do I have this opinion?

Well, I tried to learn to read as an adult and failed. I wasn't very good at feeling little dots on a piece of paper and make words out of them, and all the help I got from my instructor was "you're guessing again". Of course I was guessing, If I could get it right the first time, why would I need an instructor? Braille quickly became the class I hated most.

re: Nowak. I think she knew what she was doing. On the bb gun issue, her "problem" was probably that she didn't own a gun. She either risked a paper trail in buying one, or a witness trail if she tried to buy one "on the street". So she decided she would bluff with the bb gun. That's just suspicious me, though. I never have bought I only wanted to scare him/I didn't know what I was going to do/I had a change of heart at the last minute.

So my word is "intent".

Nowak is not to be released on bond as originally reported. She's now been charged with attempted first degree murder.

Ivansmom, Mudge, and yellokt, thanks for getting back, and yes, the information does help. I've always thought there is a process concerning bad behavior, and this process was done fairly. I don't have all the details, but I'm pretty sure you are right, Mudge, when you say the winner is going to be seen as the aggressor. I don't think the child responded until she was hit. And then, all bets were off. That is what I taught my children. Doesn't matter what anyone says, walk on, but the minute it gets physical, try to leave whom-ever in next week. And I am not a violent person, but schools can be rough, and I don't believe in school violence, mediation is the ticket. My children had problems also, but not the violent kind, because I pretty much lived at the school house. And that is what parents have to do. Don't send your children where you don't go. You love your children, the world does not.

My word, "what"?

Got to go, I've missed the eleven o'clock, now have to run for the three o'clock, and the water is cold.

In contact with friend who works at NASA med in Houston. Counseling is imminent or has already started. My guess is that lots of people fantasize about harm to a competitor in romance (or other situations). The rub is her poor impulse control and the act of carrying out the thoughts. She is married with kids and neglected to think about how that would affect them, so she's not thinking clearly.

This really needs no additional comment...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Haggard-Sex-Allegations.html?hp&ex=1170824400&en=e85aa315c9092d7e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

I wonder: if they ever decided to market those NASA Adult Wearable Digestive Wastes Undergarment Containment Systems to the general public (like Hummers), what flavors would they make them in? (To be determined via online poll, most likely)

[bc waving hands]
Ok, ok, it's a joke, don't get your Depends in an uproar.

Still thinking about a word.

bc

SofC, Nowak was in Houston, Texas. She's military. You can buy a gun in daycare centers and 7-11s in Texas. In fact, I think it's a requirement. (Somebody better frisk Loomis next time she goes to a Helotes mulch fire meeting.)

Seriously, I don't think she gave any thought to covering her tracks--like Ivansmom said, whatever she may have originally intended, by the time she got there she didn't know what she was going to do. But I don't see anyway she could have planned to "get away with it," whatever "it" was. She just wasn't thinking rationally about some aspects (and super-rationally about others). But she could have killed Shipman any of a dozen ways, with or without a gun, if that had been her intent. To me the BB gun was clearly a "scare" weapon, but there was no intent from the beginning to commit murder. You just don't pack a BB gun to a shoot-out.

My son was involved in an altercation in middle school. It was reported as an "attack" instead of a "fight" because my son either couldn't or didn't strike back. As a result, his punishment for the event was negligible, but there was a triggering event for which he was punished.

We have always taught him to never hit anyone for any reason while on school grounds. This may be unrealistic in some situations, but it's our first line response.

Did she have a BB pistol or a Red Ryder Rifle? If she wore the trench coat (duster?)to cover the rifle she probably had a backup plan to snipe her rival and put her eye out.

My one word was going to be "completely heterosexual" until Scotty posted that link; now that's out the window.

Defenestration.

Front Page Alert! Please place your trays in an upright position and extinguish all smoking materials (including brush fires). No running or pushing. Use good, indoor language. Everyone smile!

Scottynuke--

I had pretty much the same reaction on hearing a Muzak version of Let's Get It On in the grocery store one day. Some songs should just be off-limits.

We did timed multiplication (and addition) table tests back in 3rd? 4th? grade. They were in the form of a 10x10 or maybe 12x12 table. The fast way to do it was to complete the pattern, rather than solve the individual problems -- using addition, not multiplication. After you've done that enough times, you have learned the multiplication table by rote. The kid who could beat me is now prof of physics at UCLA. Sigh.

Maybe. But even if you can buy a gun with your large fries you still have a witness, plus (this I don't know - do you have a problem crossing state lines with your Happy Meal and Mc38 special?).

Here's the inventory:

"trench coat, wig, pepper spray canister, a BB gun, a new steel mallet, a new folding knife, several feet of rubber tubing, and several large garbage bags"

One point of view on this collection is that without a gun, it's only a suspicious list until she actually made contact.

I still think the garbage bags were for more than diaper disposal.

I liked "Crash and Burn" for the movie, BTW. I'm still thinking of alternate titles.

S'nuke,

As a Kinsey 0.5 (I'm assessed half a point for knowing what the Kinsey Scale is) that had a gay roommate for three years, I can say that Haggard and his evaluators are the most deluded people I have ever heard of.

bc | Crapulous?

Ivins' bag of comedic tricks included the perfect metaphor: "Being Canadian" was "like living next door to the Simpsons" -Slate

Deep Run was Waterloo Middle. I know--I went to Waterloo Middle in '68-69, and I sent my then elementary school age girls to Deep Run when we returned from Berlin in 1993.

yellojkt;

Ya think??????

*shaking my pointy 'lil haid*

Here is one last test for whether Nowak's story is BS: if she used cash for all her fuel stops to FL, unless that was always her practice.

I'm wondering how they evaluated his "complete heterosexuality." I mean, without field trials, you have only speculation. So what did they do, hire a wide variety of prostitutes or volunteer "evaluators" (you know, volunteering because they care so much about the church) and each attempted to tempt (or more) a telemetrically wired Ted Haggard so they could gauge the significance of his involuntary reactions? Anything less than that, and they're just flapping their gums.

I just thought I'd mention that it is 60 degrees here, on our way to a high of 66. I have to gloat today because tomorrow a cold front comes in and it will be back to winter. My driveway still won't have time to melt. It is a lovely, blue, balmy day now, though.

How about "The Right Stuff II" for the title?

I was thinking "ineffable" would be a good word, but that may not be it, either. Maybe "effable"?

"idiotropic"? hmm. "nugatory"? "ephetic"? "hebetate"?

Still thinking...

bc

Well, yes, the knife, trash bags and rubber tubbing suggest either kidnapping and/or dismemberment, don't they?

Hmmm. Alternate titles.
"The Spurned Lover Cannonball Run"
"The Fluffitado 900" (bc, you just know that one was for you.)
"No Time to Pee"
"No, I'm Not Going to DisneyWorld, Officer"
"Augured In"
"Crossman .17" (very obscure reference to the BB gun and caliber--but I kinda like it)
"Highway to the Danger Zone"
"Sex, Lies, and Rubber Tubing"
"Flights of Fancy"
"Turn Right at Tallahassee"
"Houston, We Have a Problem."

Um, diapers are just a convenience thing. When I was a kid on long trips we used to wear diapers. Also one time i was driving cross country from Jacksonville to Los Angeles and I was in a hurry. I don't think the use of a diaper for unrination is all that uncommon. I wonder if truckers wear them? I heard somewhere that some of them do. Anyway, i think it is not very profesisonal of the news media to mention the diapers. That's her own business, weather she was on her way to commit a crime or not.

In my area, the news reporter held up an adult disposable diaper as a prop as she mentioned the part about her using it so she iddn't have to stop for a bathroom

I thought that was rather tacky.

I'd file a law suit if the media ever reported nation wide of me wearing a diaper ona long road trip to meet up with some chick that stole my man! LOL!

Anyway, that's my two cents.

Oh, joy. It's -4 and snowing. Light, billowy snow. Cars are sliding during lunch traffic. Pandamonium is ensuing.
My word today is: insouciant.

Both of Lisa Nowak's sisters are lawyers, we'll have to see what kind of defense they can put together. I feel sorry for her husband of almost 19 years, her teenage son and her twin daughters. Can you imagine what her son is going through at school today?

I've always contented that there was money to be made with a Depends concession outside of major sporting events. I'd suspect, however, that the levels of beer consumption might quickly overwhelm your run-of-the-mill Depends, and we'd have to go for something more NASA-like.

That will be $22 for your ticket and $12,800 for your astronaut-style adult diaper. Thank you. Move along.

And I need to gloat about our Denver weather today. After making deposits to the weather bank (in the form of 45 brutal days in a row) we finally get to "withdraw" a 65 degree day today.

I've heard that they're forecasting snow again for this weekend. If I ignore it, I'm hoping it will go away.

While installing drapes at Ottawa's Royal Hospital (a mental institution) and clambering over a female psychologist's bookshelf I noticed an article entitled "Male Tumescence." Her disapproving look after me explaining the reason for my laughter only hardened after I told her I had just finished Kingsley Amis' "Jakes Thing." She had heard of it and didn't appreciate Amis' take on sex therapists.
You'd think a sex therapist would have a sense of humour.

"Good morning. Incontinency Clinic. Can you hold?"

I'm just astounded Google Ads hasn't already picked up on this Boodle's content...

NurseBetty: Sue thyself.

CT, yer eeeeeeeevil...

*L*

Boko,
You said "hardened". ****Beavis laugh***

Already the local Republo-Trolls are declaring Global Warming to be over. That's it. It's gone! See? It's very cold and snowing outside. So, let's stop this silly nonsense about there being too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and gas up the snowblower.

If these things actually cost $12K, you would hope there would be some kind of inventory control on them. Sheesh. You'd think you could make one of those outfits from Dune for that.

"Houston, we have a problem" made me require recaffienation.

Teleogenic- I made it up but like it cause it's just so wrong.

Certainlty a different take on *yo mama wears combat boots*

Well, when you get to the point you're married, "respectable" and then, okay, think it's a great idea to be doing meth with a male prostitute...

I'd say sexual orientation is the last of your problems; more likely sex addiction issues.

Information on sex addiction: http://www.sexhelp.com/sa_q_and_a.cfm

That said, I'm sure Haggard scores much higher than Yello on the Kinsey scale.

Since I have no one-word responses, I submit: speechless.

Thanks for the link, dmd. Makes me think of Frank Zappa's "Blue Light": ..."your future...your language...you can't even speak your own ******* language...

Throughout our recent deep-freeze I reminded the Boy that we could thank Global Warming for our unusually cold weather. Global Warming: harbinger of Extreme Weather Events.

Harbinger. There's a good word.

I'm off to visit at the hospital. Y'all enjoy your day.

Remember when we talking about Doc Watson?
The copy of Memories I ordered way back when just appeared in my mailbox. Good thing Buddy999 is part husky or we never made it back to the house.
*Commences dancing*

I'm thinking the mallet was for forcing all the diapers into the plastic trashbags (hope they were Glad). The knife was for cutting the rubber tubing into lengths in order to tie the bags shut.

The BB gun was to be used to shoot herself in the leg -- to keep herself awake. She was probably snorting the pepper spray.

See? It all makes sense if you look at it illogically...

(That's my word.)

SCC stick 'wood' somewhere in there

Er would would

FINALLY!! Someone at last has a kind word to say about greenhouse gases. (And all you people were complaining; now don't you feel ashamed of yourselves? I think some of you may owe greenhouses gases a big apology. (Canucks, please note: you play a major role in this. Well, your rocks do, anyway. In fact, your rocks rock. So to speak.)

Here it is:

World's oldest rocks show how Earth may have dodged frozen fate of Mars

Doctoral student Nicole Cates and Assistant Professor Stephen Mojzsis survey a landscape of ancient rocks in Hudson Bay, Quebec, in Canada

Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that has become a bane of modern society, may have saved Earth from freezing over early in the planet's history, according to the first detailed laboratory analysis of the world's oldest sedimentary rocks.

Scientists have theorized for years that high concentrations of greenhouse gases could have helped Earth avoid global freezing in its youth by allowing the atmosphere to retain more heat than it lost. Now a team from the University of Chicago and the University of Colorado at Boulder that analyzed ancient rocks from the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, Canada, have discovered the first direct field evidence supporting this theory.

The study shows carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere could have sustained surface temperatures above freezing before 3.75 billion years ago according to the researchers, led by University of Chicago Assistant Professor Nicolas Dauphas. Co-authors on the study, which appeared online Jan. 16 in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, included Assistant Professor Stephen Mojzsis and doctoral student Nicole Cates of CU-Boulder's geological sciences department and Vincent Busigny, now of the Institut de Physique du Globe in Paris.

The new study helps explain how Earth may have avoided becoming frozen solid early in its history, when astrophysicists believe the sun was 25 percent fainter than today. Previous studies had shown liquid water existed at Earth's surface even though the weak sun should have been unable to warm the planet above freezing conditions. But high concentrations of CO2 or methane could have warmed the planet, according to the research team.

The ancient rocks from Quebec contain iron carbonates believed to have precipitated from ancient oceans, according to the study. Since the iron carbonates could only have formed in an atmosphere containing far higher CO2 levels than those found in Earth's atmosphere today, the researchers concluded the early Earth environment was extremely rich in CO2.

"We now have direct evidence that Earth's atmosphere was loaded with CO2 early in its history, which probably kept the planet from freezing and going the way of Mars," said Mojzsis.

The CO2 could even have played a role as a "planetary thermostat," since cold, icy conditions on Earth would have decreased the chemical weathering of rocks and increased the amount of CO2 moving into the atmosphere, ratcheting up Earth's surface temperatures, according to Dauphas.

In a companion article that appeared online Feb. 2 in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Mojzsis, Cates and CU-Boulder undergraduate Jon Adam used a technique known as uranium-lead dating to establish the ancient age of the Hudson Bay rocks. Discovered by Canadian scientists in 2001, the rocks were confirmed by Mojzsis and his team to be at least as old as an isolated outcropping of West Greenland rocks previously believed by researchers to be the oldest on Earth.

The CU-Boulder team analyzed the rocks by crushing them into powder and dating zircon crystals present in the rock, said Mojzsis. The technique allowed them to calculate the geologic age of the crystals based on the radioactive decay rate of the uranium and lead isotopes in relation to each other, a technique known to be accurate to 1 percent or less.

"Zircon is nature's best timekeeper," said Mojzsis. "The tests show that the rocks in Quebec are roughly 3.75 billion years old, about the same as the West Greenland rocks."

The landscape of the Hudson Bay region under study today, marked by hills of grassland and marsh peppered by lakes, streams and craggy outcroppings, is much different from the alien Earth of 3.8 billion years ago, said Mojzsis. In much earlier times, a dense atmosphere of CO2 would have given the sky a reddish cast, and a greenish-blue ocean of iron-rich water would have lapped onto beaches, he said.

While scientists have been concerned that the limited sample of Earth's oldest known rocks from West Greenland provided a biased view of early Earth, the Hudson Bay discovery essentially doubles the known amount of extremely ancient rocks, and there appear to be a number of similar, ancient outcrops in the vicinity. "We are now finding Earth's oldest rocks are not as rare as we once thought," Mojzsis said.

###

The ongoing research effort by Mojzsis and his group has been funded by the NASA Astrobiology Institute, the NASA Exobiology Program and the National Science Foundation. For more information online go to http://isotope.colorado.edu.

The two journal articles can be accessed at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0012821X.

CowTown: tee hee. Thanks.

My word: befuddle. Second choice: bemused.

To all who commented kindly on my remembrance of Dad--thanks. You made my day.

On multiplication: my fourth-grade teacher had us learn up through 12x12. She quizzed us privately on each table (1s, 2s, 3s). Each one we passed, we got to move a little airplane forward on the board. Don't suppose this type of competition is smiled upon these days...

since someone already claimed "defenestration", my word is going to be "anthropic".

The part in the rocks story that surprised me was the statement that the sun was 25% dimmer millions of years ago. Kind of reminded me of going through puberty.

CU-Boulder's geological sciences department. Kinda incestuous ain't it?
Oh, Colorado. Let me pray on it.

I bet NASA uses that hi-tech pepper spray.You know the one where it can take care of any alien they come across.

1 note on the budget,I was really relieved that it wasn't over 3 TRILLION!!!

2.9 trillion and fitty cents

The Lovely Mrs. byoolin was voted Miss Anthropic one year in college. The party looked like that scene in "Carrie."

There was some mention of zircon being used as an indicator of the presence of the earliest life. Something about the proportion of one isotope or the other. I can't find it but remember being impressed. The time frame 'Mudge mentioned is suggestive. OH OH

'Mudge said "The part in the rocks story that surprised me was the statement that the sun was 25% dimmer millions of years ago."

Is the sun still in the process of becoming brighter? Or has that stopped? (Particularly today.)

For what it's worth I added another graph to the kit about the love-crazed astronaut.

And we reached the 90,000-comment milestone.

And the next ten days the temperature is supposed to be below normal.
90,103

Only 90,000 comments? How about gross comment verbiage? That's gotta be a couple million, easy.

just ignore me, I'm not making any sense.
190206

ghost whisperer

Most impressive. Has that been confirmed by kbertucci

Now that is a milestone that counts for something boss.

I am verklempt.

I think I will go with phenumenuminal. did we ever give the boodle a song. Because in honour of the 90,000, I vote for 'that' song.

SCC ?

um, feb 19, 2006

Sheri Lewis and Lambchop. The song that never ends.

Thought you might find this interesting, of little value, but interesting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6332545.stm

I agree this Nowak charade is too sad for her family. A good possible reason for wearing diapers on such a trip is to maintain anonymity. Most service stations (where she would likely have to stop for fuel) have cameras that film your image if you go inside the facility or to the washrooms, or even if you step outside your car. However, with the diapers, you may be able to stay in your car, have gas pumped into your car at the "full-service" station, pay and then leave without being recorded. The effort to maintain anonymity is also a good reason for not flying, but rather driving all that way, despite the time constraints.
This should be a fascinating legal story, albeit an awful personal one.

There's not much relevance in the fact that CO2 levels were so much higher before the anthropic era. It's like stating that at one time mold was the dominant lifeform on earth; so I feel insouciant about leaving my clothes in the washer for three days before drying them. I feel like defenestrating the whole issue to tell you the truth.

At 100,000, does confetti come out of your screen, someone gives you a giant check? (Would be kinda cool, no?)

My word? Nonplused. And I'm sticking with it.

I liked this bit in the Orlando Sentinel article Joel linked:

"She found out Oefelein was involved with Shipman and planned a trip to Orlando to talk to Shipman about their relationships with Oefelein, reports show. She also told police the BB gun 'was going to be used to entice Ms. Shipman to talk with her.'"

If you like full service, steal a truck.

I have a theory for why Democrats hardly ever run for the Presidency twice, and are never taken seriously the second time around. I believe the assumption is that Democratic policies are so sound and good, only a complete and utter waste of skin could manage to lose on such a platform. There is some evidence to support the accuracy of this notion:

(1) As some boodler has previously noted, liberals (who currently are represented by the Democrats) have historically been on the right side of a wide array of social issues: civil rights, racial integration, abolition of slavery, welfare, the creation of social security, universal health care (which we are slowly coming to accept, although we're not there yet), women's suffrage, immigration, universal education, parental leave, the 40-hour work week, workers' rights, environmental protection, and on and on. Basically, if there is a principled liberal policy on an issue that differs from a conservative policy on that issue, the historical record suggests that the liberal policy ultimately will be accepted as the only morally and ethically right policy. Why wait?

(2) Kerry vs. Bush. Gore vs. Bush. Dukakis vs. Bush. McGovern vs. Nixon (a real war hero vs. a conniving villain, and the war hero is painted as a vacillating coward compared to a hard-nosed realist. Sound familiar?).

One is allowed some wiggle room at the primary level, but not much. John Edwards seems like the only Democrat of recent years who could run a serious primary campaign in more than one year (much less, in successive elections). But Kucinich? Biden? I don't think so. Maybe Biden could be a credible veep, but he has no real constituency that would be won over by his presence on the ticket.

There. Have I managed to draw us away from Shari Lewis and Lambchop?

This astronaut chic was clearly manic (in the psychiatric sense). Displaying classic signs of mania. It is cruel the focus on it leading the major newspapers when she is clearly having an episode of mental illness.

SciTim: Dukakis vs. Bush?

From: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2006/07/lisa_nowak_clim.html .....

Lisa Nowak is quoted as follows:

"She is mindful that her family will be concerned about her safety during the flight, especially on launch and landing. But Nowak says they understand her desire to leave Earth - which is just part of being human.
"We can sit in one place and never go anywhere or do anything, but that's not what people are about," she said. "We have a drive to go and do things...You can't go explore and do things without taking some risk'."

..... You think?

Cassandra, I love this quote from one of your comments above...

//My children had problems also, but not the violent kind, because I pretty much lived at the school house. And that is what parents have to do. Don't send your children where you don't go. You love your children, the world does not.//

I think this is a key component for a child's success in school: not just parent involvement at home but at the school itself.

And working full time is no excuse. Some of the most-involved parents at my kids' school have very demanding full-time jobs.

Umm, let's see, who was it who lost against Bush I... It was Dukakis, I'm sure of it. I remember the "card-carrying member of the ACLU" business, which is why I (and many others, I am told) ran out to join the ACLU.

Cruel? I don't think so. Astronauts are public figures by any traditional definition. She is charged with attempted murder. It's a big story and if I ran the paper (speaking of extreme hypotheticals) I'd front-page it tomorrow without a second thought. The fact that she was having a psychiatric episode (in all likelihood) does not make it something that we are supposed to ignore. Is mental illness so special a category of ailment that collectively we're obliged to look away? Yes, this is a sad and tragic story -- as noted in both the item and in many of the comments.

Oops. I didn't realize that Lambchop was a facsist.

Thank you Joel. Also, let's be a bit leery of guessed diagnoses.

I don't think it's right for a person of one country to try to influence the elections of another. That's why I only give money to Planned Parenthood and PBS in the States.

Will there be some sort of celebration to award you with your Gold Mouse at 100,000 comments, Joel?

90,000 comments is pretty friggin' impressive.

Love may be a many splendored thing, but it's also all you need. Love stinks (yeah, yeah). Can't buy me love. We are creatures of love. You can learn to live with love or without it, but there ain't no cure.

I don't know anyone who can rationally and objectively discuss love, it's such an amazing manifestion and condition of humanity. Love is wonderful and crazy and stupid and every other aspect of human behavior and psychology. At our cores, I guess love what we are all about; giving it, getting it, wanting it from others and from ourselves. We use a simple four letter word (in English) for love; you'd think we'd have many many words for it, like Inuit have words for snow, as someone reminded me recently. Similar to the word "God", one little word means so many things to people. We are willng to pay the ultimate prices for love; we live for it and die for it.

We define ourselves by it, in our relationships with each other, and curiously, our relationships with everything, including the Infinte.

There's nothing that would suprise me about what a human would do in the name of love. Love may be what we humans are best at. I choose to think so.

bc

PS. If you want a giggle after all that, cut and paste the above text into an editor, and replace the word "hate" for "love".

I wasn't trying to be snarky with the question of Dukakis v. Bush I; I was just wondering how they fit in "real war hero vs. a conniving villain". Bush I's service record was pretty exemplary, wasn't it?

Perhaps she should have just done what the girls in my high school used to do to their romantic rivals. Cover their homes with toilet paper.

So

is it ethical

to drive up the count?

Clearly this is a misunderstanding. This tragic incident also underscores the need for increases in mental health funding, and the outrageous assault upon the freedom of women under the Bush "neocon" administration.

Whether it is the outing of Plame, or this "labeling" of a female pioneer in Naval aviation, the Cheney-Rove-Bush conspiracy is clear.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has been dispatched to aid this woman in crisis, along with Bennett Esq.

Clearly, Ms. Nowak merely intended to "Let the Conversation Begin" with CPT Shipman, who by the way has a "history" you fine MSM folks need to check. As we noted, the gun replica was merely intended to "break the ice."

I recall distinctly in this blog how we pointed out the outrageous police misconduct in Florida in the unwarranted execution of a felon, who merely had killed a police officer, later wounded a second, and was holding a loaded gun.

Yet again, the jackbooted thugs of law enforcement have "over-reached" in dealing with women and minorities.

In this matter, CPT Nowak merely approached a fellow service member to engage in witty repartee and seek a consensus in this difficult time.

As we all know, due to the Bush policies, the number of married females in America is on the decline, and Ms. Nowak views marriage as an impediment upon her reproductive freedom.

In truth, Ms. Nowak had purchased the steel mallet to serve as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in the devastated New Orleans area. The lack of funds flowing to New Orleans, coupled with the "Heckuva Job, Brownie" attitude of the incompetent Bush Administration, has led to this unfortunate incident.

The rubber gloves, garbage bags, and rubber tubing were used by Ms. Nowak in nursing sick Katrina kittens and feeding the immigrants struggling to make it to the land of opportunity under the draconian measures allowed by the Republicans along our borders.

Finally, let me say that this is an opportunity to, finally, engage in constructive dialogue about a new America, one of hope and opportunity for all Americans.

Let the Conversation Begin.

Signed, H

Think its possible that extended space travel can cause psychiatric disorders that weren't present prior to NASA's space program acceptance?

ie, you get crazy only after extended trips?

While I agree that the Astro-Chick had factored in all of her X, Y, and Z (and triple-checked her results before getting into the soccer-mom SUV) -- shaving a few minutes off her ETA is irrelevant, considering that she also had the directions to The Other Woman's home!

Here's my little theory on the diapers -- props for her eventual temporary insanity plea.

McGovern was a bomber pilot, like Bush I, I think.

Extended trips of any kind, but I think that only happens if the kids are along for the trip. All that "are we there yet", and "she's on my side" are what does me in.

Yello-
I just read your Beavis laugh post from hours ago, and I've decided I must be your friend. Every time (and I do mean EVERY time) I pass a dam, I say to my wife, kid, strangers near me, "Is that a God dam? You know, Goddam... (Beavis laugh)"

Ah, SoC, now I understand. I meant for the war hero vs. villain thing to apply specifically to McGovern vs. Nixon, and to suggest its resonance with the way Bush II ran against Kerry (and the way whoever-it-was won against Max Cleland, and the way the neocons try to undermine Murtha -- not that Murtha doesn't have other problems that are more real, but they mainly try to make him look like a wuss). I respect Bush I, for the most part, even though I don't agree with him. I think he should have shown a little more guts and loudly decried Kerry's and Cleland's Swift-boating, just out of solidarity of one veteran with another. I know if one of my kids were part of wrongly attacking a person in public that way, I'd have no qualms about a public scolding. You have to stand up for what's right, or you stand for nothing.

crazyastronaut, OJ Simpson *did* fly on Capricorn One, didn't he?

bc

I like the word "supercritical." It sounds like it's really important, but it's just a little liquid CO2.

My students would probably go half and half with the words "cleavage" and "hardness." We just studied minerals.

Tim, your comment "You have to stand up for what's right, or you stand for nothing",

I could not agree more.

I used to have respect for Bush I, but I no longer do.

He can send all the buddies he wants to help his boy, but at some point he's just got to tell him, "Enough is enough. You're running our country into the ground. Now stop it."

Like Colin Powell, he gave up his chance to do the right thing.

Gomer, I recall a friend who taught seventh grade science. She asked one day "What do jellyfish dangle in the water to catch prey?"
Yep, Testicles. Hard to keep a straight face.

Then, Mrs. Dick arrived as Principal.

The student's questions upon hearing this?

Of course, is she hard?

You can't make this stuff up.

Surely, the Gods have blessed Letterman and Leno. I can't wait.

bc,
Thanks for the "Capricorn 1" call out. I think this story needs Telly Sevalas and Elliot Gould in a crop duster just to make it a little more looney.

Since diapers are involved, we could call this version "Crapicorn One".

Extended space travel leading to psychiatric disorders? Absolutely. Haven't you seen Alien? Rod Serling had a number of programs on that topic. Don't you remember Dr. Smith from Lost in Space? He was an MD for god's sake.

Quite agree. Listening to Band of Gypsies. Mad Quite Mad.

Why Seargent, is that you? Surprise, surprise, surprise!

My principal when I was in high school was named Ms. Bates, and yes, we all called her Master Bates.

On the Hillary/humor front:

It's way overreaching to say ambitious women have to rein in their sense of humor, don't you think? This case presents an exception and the columnist is trying to prove the rule with it. The facts are, Hillary has a hard time cracking wise when she's in a formal setting with a podium -- or at least she hasn't tried it much. And when she does, she happens to choose a joke that's very easily translatable to her own experience with Bill. I would suggest she lighten up more often and with different subject matter and people will warm up to her.

But what about Ann Richards, Molly Ivins...um, Amy Poehler, anyone? (Couldn't resist.) I just find it very hard to think of many men I know who are threatened by a woman with a good sense of humor. In fact, it's the opposite.

Anyone agree?

I don't know if Nowak spent an "extended" period of time in space, but the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo astronauts complained of seeing flashes in their visual fields, even with eyes closed. The eggheads figured out that it was most likely high-energy solar particles tearing through the astronauts' brains. There's more risk in space tarvel than the obvious ones of launch and reentry mishaps.

Of course I meant "space travel", not space tarvel. Space Tarvel was the ruler of the space Bulgars at the beginning of the 8th space century.

According to Wikipedia, anyway.

I, of course, don't think being an astronaut caused this woman's obvious mental problems. (I sure as heck wouldn't climb into one of them there rocket-thingies.) Yet I do wonder if being an astronaut may have led her to delay getting the help she needed.

And as far as covering this story being "cruel?" Oh for goodness sakes. This woman is being charged with attempted murder. Whether or not her name appears in the paper is the least of her worries. And if the media were to limit its coverage to people without a suspected mental disorder our Government would get no coverage at all.

Gotta go soon (I mean leave. Get your mind out of the toilet).

But first:

(1) Sen. Clinton was making a joke, and the idiot questions about it are, yes, idiotic. But she needs to work on her setup, timing, and delivery. It wasn't very smooth.

(2) McGovern was a bomber pilot. Bush I was a carrier-based fighter pilot. Both of them were multiply-decorated IIRC. There is no question that both men showed vast personal courage in combat. I have my doubts about Bush I's moral courage, which is a different matter.

Sorry your Grandma is dying.
Is she still a b1tch?

This is like a much more action-oriented remake of The Astronaut's Wife:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0138304/plotsummary

Bush flew the Devestator (sic) which was such a lousy torpedo platform it was relegated to dive-bombing. I may have that backwards. Anyway it was not a fighter.

Joel... I'm with you on your 4:07, particularly "The fact that she was having a psychiatric episode (in all likelihood) does not make it something that we are supposed to ignore."

Jeffrey Dahmer had a few psychiatric "issues", too.

In fact, I think almost every front page story can be boiled down (couldn't resist with the Dahmer mention) to psychiatric disorders of some sort or another.

We've got Bush and his Oedipus Complex.

We've got Cheney with Dementia.

And then there's the majority of the "MSM" who have exhibited the classic symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome for the past 6 years.

I think the common ailment here on the boodle would probably be ADHD (not that there's anything wrong with that).

McGovern's wartime experience is the subject of The Wild Blue, written by Stephen Ambrose (author of Band of Brothers). Interesting book.

SCC: meant to include the Democratic Party in the Stockholm Syndrome bit.

Being genuinely funny is not one of Hillary's few attributes. As a matter of fact genuineness is not her forte at all. Ambition for power is what she yearns for. She will do anything to acquire it.

Dear H: Please tell me you aren't really some sort of adviser to any prominent members of the Democratic Party, or the party itself as your boodle handle suggests?

"Clearly this is a misunderstanding." ?????

"Jackbooted thugs of law enforcement"??????

"In this matter, CPT Nowak merely approached a fellow service member to engage in witty repartee and seek a consensus in this difficult time."

"As we all know, due to the Bush policies, the number of married females in America is on the decline, and Ms. Nowak views marriage as an impediment upon her reproductive freedom."

Methinks we are being had here, folks.

martooni - To imply that anyone on this boodle suffers from attention deficit is to imply that we would get easily distr

RD... not implying anything, just an observa... I like warm pants. Warm pants fresh from the dryer on a cold day are like... um... So who won the Super Bowl, anyway?

IIRC Bush flew a Grumman TBM Avenger. There's quite a lot about him and the various planes in the book "Flyboys".

You know this story's completely out of control when Wilbon and Kornheiser spend time on it with their ESPN gig...

SCC: TBF

Today I taught a class for new officers. Some of the newbies were discussing the Nowak case and the need to honestly deal with mental problems among coworkers. I agreed. Except, of course, for ADHD. Which in the lab where I work, is practically a job requirement.

The rubber tubing could have been inspired by the graphic novel/movie "Sin City," wherein surgical tubing is used to make tourniquets; said tourniquets keeping the victim alive as his limbs are cut off. This plan would also explain the garbage bags. The only problem with this theory is that Nowak didn't bring a saw or any big knives.

RD... if it weren't for ADHD, I'd never be able to start so many projects.

Bush flew 58 missions in the Douglas Avenger, which was, yes, a pretty lousy torpedo bomber. He was the youngest pilot in the Navy at the time. His two crew were killed when he was shot down. (The Devastotor was also a lousy torpedo bomber; just not Bush's kind of torpedo bomber.)

McGovern was the pilot(and ship commander) of a B-24 Liberator bomber, one of the most difficult-to-fly planes of the war (but it was also the most widely produced bomber, about 18,000 of them, IIRC--more than the B-17). He flew 35 missions and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the last fifteen months, McGovern's group had flown 252 combat missions, lost 118 B-24s and suffered nearly 1,000 casualties-killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. (Critics like to claim McGovern himself flew "milk runs" late in the war and was never seriously threatened by German fighters. The alleged "relevance" of this escapes me. I guess he didn't try hard enough to get killed, unlike the 1,000 or so casualties who seemed to get shot down on these "milk runs.") Other B-24 pilots or crew: Jimmy Stewart (also failed to get killed), Jack Palance (pilot-in-training), Walter Matthau (radioman/gunner), Senators/Cabinet members Mo Udall and Lloyd Bentsen (gunner and pilot)(also failed to get killed); film director Robert Altman (copilot); Fuldullfya Iggles legendary Chuck Bednarik (gunner); Speaker of the House Jim Wright (bombardier), and Russell Johnson, the "Professor" on Gilligans Island (shot down, got the Purple Heart). The reason soooo many famous people flew in B-24s is that they built 18,000 of the damn things. And they were pretty rugged planes, so you had a fairly good chance of coming back.

(Actor Robert Cummings was a captain and B-24 flight instructor (as were George Gobel and Ray Milland); in the famous Twilight Episode "King Nine Will Not Return," Cummings played the pilot of a B-24 that crashed in the Libyan desert (based on a true story of a B-24 called the "Lady Be Godd," crashed and discovered many years after the war was over)(Rod Sirling script, natch).

Vaughn Bode. It's an old story.

Bacon pt. courtesy of Mudge:

My grandfather delivered Geo McG. long ago and far away....delivered as drove a Model T to the McGovern place and slapped dear Georgie into the world. McGov's grandfather helped my gr.father's father prove his claim on a quarter section of land near Mitchell, SD.

Amen. So, like Cassandra I am connected to greatness. I met G. McGov. at a party and he said, "Dr. F's grand daughter? Well I'll be. Your mother and her sisters were the prettiest girls in town."

That is so cool Parkian. George McGovern represented what the Democratic Party could be instead of Republican Lite which it became during the Clinton years.

Chuck Colson "On Faith"????

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/charles_w_chuck_colson/2007/02/does_god_answer_prayers.html

Is this "The Onion" day at WaPo?

Ivansmom, it was discovered that my mother had that about two months before she died. My father didn't tell my sister and I about it until my mother had passed. There was nothing to do about it because her heart was so weak, and she had kidney failure.

RD, I laughed at your comment about the government and mental health issues. I do believe I agree with you on that one.

yello, violence should never be condoned at school, and most schools have a strict policy concerning violence on school campuses. It does happen sometimes.

TBG, I've always believed that anywhere my children went, I, as their parent, most certainly could show up and visit. School personnel in some places tell parents that they cannot come or enquire about their children, and some parents believe that, I never have. They don't come out and out and say these things, but it is put another way, and parents are not encouraged to come.

I've talked with the young girl in question, and she is a bright student. A-B honor roll student, and has a job. Many more people are getting involved. This young girl has been at this school exactly two weeks, and does not have a record of school violence. It is said that the other young girl is related to the principal, I don't know how true that is. She is missing so much time from school, that's my worry.

Thanks for the advice, Ivansmom and Mudge.

Saw snippets of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's State of the State address on our local 6 p.m. TV newscast. Perry saying (I hope to read later tonight via computer his entire speech or address today) that he wants to protect Texas (female) citizens against cancer (an oblique reference to his executive order issued Friday to inoculate all sixth grade girls within Texas' borders against the human papilloma virus).

Helloooo. Anybody home? How about issuing an executive order to stop the sale of ALL tobacco products within Texas? Hmmm?

I also heard snippets of the same speech on the noon TV broadcast, our blow-dry gov saying that he wants to help cure cancer in Texas, which would help to bring more cancer research to the state. Perhaps Perry just doesn't pick up a newspaper? The San Antonio Express-News reported in the last month that the top tier of cancer researchers at San Antonio's Texas Research Park, just beyond the westernmost border of our city, are leaving en masse. I'll see if I can locate the article and provide the link.

Somebody said something?

On the other extreme, you have helicopter parents, which are being extremely stressful to teachers.

I think parents should straighten their kids out at home and keep abreast of academic and behavior problems and take necessary steps at home to remedy them.

But does that mean parents MUST be at the school? Or stepping in for every grade or little complaint the kid has about school?

Being from a large family, rather than a cosseted only or even second child, I can remember my parents coming to some school plays and missing others, and very rarely riding me about school unless I really was not doing fine.

And I can guarantee you that I got through 16 years of high school without being in a fight, except when I was jumped by 2 classmmates thanks to a teacher who was neglectful, defended myself.

The teacher basically b*** to cover herself-- (she was the one teacher I disliked the most ever, and it was returned.), so I wound up suspended. This in fact occured during 'class time', on a return trip from the school library.

She lagged behind and ducked off to chat with another person. I don't know that parental involvement at school can replace lack of effective supervision and discipline of harrassment of other students.
I was bullied quite often at that school, by that teacher included. The boy who grabbed me was the 'teacher's pet'.

Anyway, like I said, 16 years but no heavy combat experience overall. I had a girl challenge me to a fight once, but somehow my reaction of shock and disbelief was correct because she dropped the idea right away.
(Thank goodness, she had 1 foot on me.)

Kids should be too busy to fight in school, is my opinion.