All My Friends Know The Low Rider

War, 1975:

And Lee Oskar more recently. Lee is, from my personal knowledge, a very nice guy and one hell of a harp player.

Mystery Solved

The most contaminated reservoir in El Salvador is also hugely popular with migratory birds. So much so that scientists are extremely concerned - about the birds. The pollution itself, not so much - or they'd clean it up instead of wondering about why the birds find it attractive. 

Built in 1974 to drive El Salvador's biggest hydroelectric project, the 33,360-acre (13,500- hectare) Cerron Grande reservoir collects some 3,800 metric tons of excrement each year from the sewage pipes, as well as factory run-off and traces of heavy metals like chromium and lead, the government estimates.

So scientists are puzzling over the fact that some 150,000 seabirds from more than 130 species have chosen to make the reservoir their home. At least 90 of the species are migratory birds arriving from as far away as Alaska.

"It's one of the most contaminated lakes we have, which is why we should carry out a study on why the birds are here," said marine biologist Oscar Molina.

Waste from 54 industrial plants, 55 coffee processing plants, seven sugar mills and 29 sewerage systems flows into the reservoir, the environment ministry found in a 2004 study.

Yet the birds attracted to the lake even outnumber the roughly 100,000 people living in villages around it.

On one of 28 islands dotting the reservoir, biologists discovered 46 nests made by migrating American storks who produced some 100 chicks at the start of the year.

The scientists are, as usual, overlooking the obvious. The outflow from 55 coffee processing plants and seven sugar mills is in the water. So storks are obviously coffee fiends! If they added the output from some dairy processors, they also capture the swan market, swans being notoriously hooked on lattes.  

Yeah, Right

We pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history.

By Nancy Pelosi

…….The American people called for greater civility in how Congress conducts its work, and Democrats pledge to conduct our work with civility and bipartisanship, and to act in partnership - not partisanship - with the president and Republicans in Congress.

Nancy Pelosi in a letter published by the Christian Science Monitor on November 14, 2006. AP report on May 18, 2007: GOP target Murtha over spending exchange

WASHINGTON - Republicans will seek a House vote next week admonishing a senior Democrat who they say threatened a GOP member's spending projects in a noisy exchange in the House chamber, Minority Leader John Boehner said Friday. Their target is Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., a 35-year House veteran who chairs the appropriations subcommittee on military spending.

Murtha, 74, is known for his gruff manner and fondness for earmarks — carefully targeted spending items placed in appropriations bills to benefit a specific lawmaker or favorite constituent group.

During a series of House votes Thursday, Murtha walked to the chamber's Republican side to confront Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a 43-year-old former FBI agent. Earlier this month, Rogers had tried unsuccessfully to strike a Murtha earmark from an intelligence spending bill. The item would restore $23 million for the National Drug Intelligence Center, a facility in Murtha's Pennsylvania district that some Republicans say is unneeded.

According to Rogers' account, which Murtha did not dispute, the Democrat angrily told Rogers he should never seek earmarks of his own because "you're not going to get any, now or forever."

"This was clearly designed to try to intimidate me," Rogers said in an interview Friday. "He said it loud enough for other people to hear."

The unindicted ABSCAM co-conspirator (video of Murtha caught in the sting here) is Nancy Pelosi's right hand crook man, of course. So much so that she tried to elevate him to the number two position in the House. (Which, while strangely fitting when describing Murtha, didn't work out for either of them.) Well, it was certainly an open threat, so that part of Pelosi's pledge is correct. It's the honest and ethical that are more than a bit challenged. The civility and bi-partisanship - right out. Why am I not surprised?

THIS Is Scary

We report, you ask yourself if these two have ever been seen together:

Talk About Ambitious

A Minnesota man has been charged with stealing a wee bit of silver from his employer, a company that provides silver plating. How wee a bit, you ask?

$450,000 worth.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A plating company employee with a gambling habit stole some $450,000 worth of his employer's silver — bit by bit over several years, police said. Jadyn Earl John Sessing, 31, of Farmington, is charged with seven counts of felony theft in Ramsey County District Court.

Authorities say Sessing, an assistant day manager at Cooperative Plating, took small bits of nearly pure silver starting in 2004. Cooperative Plating noticed the missing material immediately but attributed it to equipment problems and, later, a painting crew. Later, his thefts became bigger, police said.

His lawyer says he has a gambling addiction and stole to feed his habit. Now at today's silver price of $12.89, $450,000 works out to just about 34,910 troy ounces. Converting that to regular pounds (this site is invaluable for conversions, incidentally) that comes to just under 2,400 pounds of silver. Not exactly a very good security program at that company, apparently.

Bear Left At Albuquerque

Yes indeed, the Bear Liberation Front of the Animal Uprising™ have decided to demand universal health care. They won't take no for an answer, either. In fact, they occupied a clinic in New Mexico today.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A young patient sauntered into a medical clinic Friday morning and got prompt treatment — a tranquilizer dart and a quick trip back to the wilds. But again, this patient was the four-legged kind: a young black bear who was probably hungry from a winter of hibernation.

"He did not have an appointment," said Todd Sandman, director of public relations for Presbyterian Health Care Services.

The 125-pound male bear, perhaps 2 to 3 years old, wandered into the Presbyterian Medical Group gastroenterology laboratory around 7:15 a.m., Sandman said.

The bear got in through an automatic door at the lab, a stand-alone building off one the main drags in Rio Rancho, north of Albuquerque.

"There were just a handful of people there, before the time when it was really open for appointments — I think a nurse, perhaps a receptionist and a patient and spouse," Sandman said.

"I think the person in the waiting room was pretty surprised."

(Who knew that wearing brown trousers was a good precaution when visiting a gastroenterology clinic?) We do have to applaud the way the authorities dealt with the illegal occupation of the place, though. That technique shows real promise. Especially since they tagged the protester by stapling an identification to an ear before they released the bear into a wild area 20 or so miles away. That way they'll know he has a record if they see him raising heck again in another clinic.

The Gorilla Your Dreams

Or rather of your nightmares. The proverbial 400-pound gorilla actually got loose in a zoo in Rotterdam. The angry primate then proceeded to run amok, biting one woman and injuring three other people as well. He also appears to have decided to act out King Kong in real life with the unfortunate woman he chewed on playing the part of Fay Wray.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A 400-pound gorilla escaped from his enclosure and ran amok in a Rotterdam zoo Friday, biting one woman, dragging her around, and causing panic among dozens of visitors before he was finally subdued, officials and a witness said.

The Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo was evacuated and the 11-year-old gorilla, named Bokito, was eventually contained in a restaurant within the park, police spokeswoman Yvette de Rave said.

Four people were injured, including the woman who was bitten, zoo director Ton Dorrestijn said.

Bokito was shot with a sedative dart and recaptured, said zoo spokeswoman Lilian Jonkers, but she couldn't say what his condition was. It was not immediately clear how he managed to climb the high stone walls surrounding his enclosure.

"He got over the moat, which in itself is remarkable, because gorillas can't swim," Dorrestijn said. "He got onto a path for visitors and started running and went at full speed through tables and diners at the Oranje restaurant."

A witness, Robert de Jonge, told NOS radio that he didn't see the gorilla escape but began following it and tried to help after he saw people running and screaming that the animal had grabbed a woman.

The Animal Uprising™ visits Rotterdam. As for the guy saying gorillas can't swim, our Dutch informant tells us that Bokito was actually in training for the 400-yard freestyle for the Gorillympics before he was captured and incarcerated at the zoo. Or we think that's what he said, his English is atrocious and we don't speak much Dutch. Chocolate, treat and border are the only words we know for sure.

False Compromise, Lousy Reporting

The Associate Press blames the administration for rejecting a "compromise" offered by the Democratic leadership. The "compromise", however, is the exact same language that got the first bill a veto. Reid and Pelosi wasted no time claiming they were disappointed that the administration didn't fall for their ploy.

In a closed-door meeting with Bush's top aides on Capitol Hill, Democrats said they'd strip billions of dollars in domestic spending out of a war spending that Bush opposed if the president would accept a timetable to pull combat troops out of Iraq. As part of the deal, Democrats said they would allow the president to waive compliance with a deadline for troop withdrawals.

But no agreement was struck.

"To say I was disappointed in the meeting is an understatement," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "I really did expect that the president would accept some accountability for what we're trying to accomplish here."

White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten, who rejected the deal, said any timetable on the war would undermine the nation's efforts in Iraq.

"Whether waivable or not, timelines send exactly the wrong signal to our adversaries, to our allies and, most importantly, to the troops in the field," said Bolten.

You have to wonder if Pelosi and Reid can even get enough votes without the pork festival. But they continue to play games with the troops lives, withholding funding not just for Iraq but for the troops in Afghanistan as well. The rank and file of the party will look back and revile the Pelosi-Reid regime.

Hydrogen On Demand?

This is interesting, but I'm not sure of the actual practicality of the system. Engineers at Purdue University have developed a system that can produce hydrogen on demand. The process uses aluminum and gallium pellets and regular water.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pellets made out of aluminum and gallium can produce pure hydrogen when water is poured on them, offering a possible alternative to gasoline-powered engines, U.S. scientists say.

Hydrogen is seen as the ultimate in clean fuels, especially for powering cars, because it emits only water when burned. U.S. President George W. Bush has proclaimed hydrogen to be the fuel of the future, but researchers have not decided what is the most efficient way to produce and store hydrogen.

In the experiment conducted at Purdue University in Indiana, "The hydrogen is generated on demand, so you only produce as much as you need when you need it," said Jerry Woodall, an engineering professor at Purdue who invented the system.

Woodall said in a statement the hydrogen would not have to be stored or transported, taking care of two stumbling blocks to generating hydrogen.

For now, the Purdue scientists think the system could be used for smaller engines like lawn mowers and chain saws. But they think it would work for cars and trucks as well, either as a replacement for gasoline or as a means of powering hydrogen fuel cells.

"It is one of the more feasible ideas out there," Jay Gore, an engineering professor and interim director of the Energy Center at Purdue's Discovery Park, said in a telephone interview on Thursday. "It's a very simple idea but had not been done before."

The gallium inhibits the formation of a protective oxide layer on the aluminum which normally forms on exposure to oxygen. The aluminum will then oxidize, freeing hydrogen in the process.

Here's why it may not be really a practical idea, I think. The aluminum has to be manufactured first - a very energy-intensive process. I'd have to see a pretty thorough cost-benefit analysis to convince me that it would be worthwhile for general use. What's the energy overhead to produce the "fuel" compared to what energy is released by the process? (I can think of some specialty applications where it could be very useful, though). That is not saying it isn't worth pursuing further, of course. But I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't pan out economically.

Thompson Hits Hard

Fred Thompson absolutely nails the Democrat's attempts to recycle the "fairness doctrine" and calls it exactly what it is: an overt attempt to silence opposition. (T)Hugo Chavez comes to Washington.

I had planned on talking a bit today about Venezuela. The president there doesn’t like the way his media is covering him, so he’s doing away with the free press. He’s established rules on what he thinks is fair, and he’s denying licenses to television and radio stations that don’t play by government rules.

I can’t criticize him now, though. After all, how would it seem for me to complain about another country, when our own congressional leadership is trying to put the same sort of rules in place here? To do so, they’re pulling the Fairness Doctrine out of the dustbin of history.

The Fairness Doctrine is an artifact from the days when there were only a handful of television channels and radio stations on our dials. Then, there might have been something to the fear that somebody might get control of all the media outlets in an area — so equal time rules were put in place.

As television and radio stations increased, it became clear that the rule was a bust. Instead of protecting free speech, it imposed costs on broadcasters that killed political discussion entirely.  Why run the risk of dealing with anything controversial and having the regulators and the lawyers come down on you? Instead of talking about issues, news directors used stopwatches to measure candidates’ airtime.

Finally, in 1987, the Federal Communications Commission ended the antiquated policy. Today, with more cable and local access channels than anybody can keep track of — the equal time rule makes even less sense. Throw in the Internet, and it’s absurd.

The Democrats, especially the left wing of the party, know they cannot compete in the marketplace of ideas that is talk radio. Thompson points to the demise of Air America as the trigger of all this renewed interest in government-sanctioned censorship. And that is exactly what the fairness doctrine is. (I fully expect this idea to get killed in the Senate even if it passes the House. If it somehow gets passed at some point, I'd expect a constitutional challenge to be made immediately.) Isn't it interesting how the left whines endlessly about being silenced - on network television and in national-circulation print media - but they are the only ones to ever really move to stifle dissent.

Hat tip Captain Ed for the link. He also points out what should be obvious to everyone by now in his post:

However, this column and the sudden flood of missives from Fred Thompson securely indicates that he's running for the Presidency. Fred has spent the last few years in Hollywood, far from the political fray, engaging only occasionally. Since the beginning of the year, though, Fred has treated us to a stream of well-written essays on a broad range of public policy, and has emerged as the rational voice of federalism among the Republican cognoscenti. He has issued video statements and ensured that he provides commentary on every major issue that arises. He's even engaging the blogosphere to a level that surpasses even some declared candidates.

At some point, though, Fred has to actually get in the race. He needs to build an organization and start raising funds. He needs to appear at debates and make his case explicitly. When will he do that? Hopefully soon, before people tire of his attempts to play coy.

He's quite right of course. As Peggy Noonan pointed out, for a non-candidate, Thompson is running a hell of a campaign already.

The Man Who Wasn’t There

Peggy Noonan writes about who wasn't at the Republican presidential candidate's debate, Fred Thompson, of course. She sees Thompson as already running a great campaign - and he isn't even in the race yet.

Having watched the second Republican debate the other night, it's clear to me the subject today is Fred Thompson, the man who wasn't there. While the other candidates bang away earnestly in a frozen format, Thompson continues to sneak up from the creek and steal their underwear–boxers, briefs and temple garments.

He is running a great campaign. It's just not a declared campaign. It's a guerrilla campaign whose informality is meant to obscure his intent. It has been going on for months and is aimed at the major pleasure zones of the Republican brain. In a series of pointed columns, commentaries and podcasts, Mr. Thompson has been talking about things conservatives actually talk about. Shouldn't homeowners have the right to own a gun? Isn't it bad that colleges don't teach military history? How about that Sarkozy–good news, isn't it? Did you see Tenet on Russert? His book sounds shallow, tell-all-y.

These comments and opinions are being read and forwarded in Internet Nation. They are revealing and interesting, but they're not heavy, not homework. They have an air of "This is the sound of a candidate thinking." That's an unusual sound.

Most illustrative was what started this week as a small trading of barbs with provocateur Michael Moore, whose general and iconic dishabille is meant to show identification with the workingman, though in America workingmen bathe. Mr. Moore was back from Cuba, where he made a documentary on the superiority of Castro's health care system. Mr. Thompson suggested Mr. Moore is just another lefty who loves dictators. Mr. Moore challenged Mr. Thompson to a health-care debate and accused him of smoking embargoed cigars. Within hours Mr. Thompson and his supposedly nonexistent staff had produced a spirited video response that flew through YouTube and the conservative blogosphere. Sitting at a desk and puffing on a fat cigar, Mr. Thompson announces to Mr. Moore he can't fit him into his schedule. Then: "The next time you're down in Cuba . . . you might ask them about another documentary maker. His name was Nicolás Guillén. He did something Castro didn't like, and they put him in a mental institution for several years, giving him devastating electroshock treatments. A mental institution, Michael. Might be something you ought to think about."

You couldn't quite tell if Mr. Thompson was telling Mr. Moore he ought to think more about Cuba, or might himself benefit from psychiatric treatment. It seemed almost . . . deliberately unclear.

As are Thompson's ultimate intentions. But he is certainly very, very adept at working media, both old and new, to his advantage. He has posted over at Redstate and at Pajamas Media today. He's the talk of the internet with that stinging slap at Moore. I think his biggest asset is that he comes across as genuine. He comes across as someone you would enjoy having over for dinner. That is something that really resonates with voters. Will he come into the race? Who knows? But he is, as Noonan points out, running one heck of a campaign.

(And once again, any candidate from either party who is not afraid of this man coming in needs new advisers.)

Big Haul

The only publicly traded treasure hunting company in the world, Odyssey Marine Exploration, has just announced that they have retrieved over 17 tons of silver and gold coins from a colonial era shipwreck. No details of what ship it was or exactly where the wreck is located is being released right now. The company is estimating that the treasure is likely worth around $500 million dollars. And they have their eyes on yet another treasure trove.

A jet chartered by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration landed in the United States recently with hundreds of plastic containers brimming with coins raised from the ocean floor, Odyssey co-chairman Greg Stemm said. The more than 500,000 pieces are expected to fetch an average of $1,000 each from collectors and investors.

"For this colonial era, I think (the find) is unprecedented," said rare coin expert Nick Bruyer, who examined a batch of coins from the wreck. "I don't know of anything equal or comparable to it."

Citing security concerns, the company declined to release any details about the ship or the wreck site Friday. Stemm said a formal announcement will come later, but court records indicate the coins might come from a 400-year-old ship found off England.

Because the shipwreck was found in a lane where many colonial-era vessels went down, there is still some uncertainty about its nationality, size and age, Stemm said, although evidence points to a specific known shipwreck. The site is beyond the territorial waters or legal jurisdiction of any country, he said.

"Rather than a shout of glee, it's more being able to exhale for the first time in a long time," Stemm said of the haul, by far the biggest in Odyssey's 13-year history…….

……In January, Odyssey won permission from the Spanish government to resume a suspended search for the wreck of the HMS Sussex, which was leading a British fleet into the Mediterranean Sea for a war against France in 1694 when it sank in a storm off Gibraltar.

Historians believe the 157-foot warship was carrying nine tons of gold coins to buy the loyalty of the Duke of Savoy, a potential ally in southeastern France. Odyssey believes those coins could also fetch more than $500 million.

But under the terms of a historic agreement Odyssey will have to share any finds with the British government. The company will get 80 percent of the first $45 million and about 50 percent of the proceeds thereafter.

Treasure hunting as big business. I'll bet there are some very, very happy shareholders right about now. Odyssey has posted losses since finding the wreck of the SS Republic in 2003 off the coast of Georgia. Here's an article from National Geographic about that find.