Human Mad Cow & Cosmetic Procedures

Here's a very interesting article from the Times of London regarding a possible connection between collagen and botox injections and the development of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human form of Mad Cow. Here's one little quote that should get some attention:

The expert group’s study of a range of aesthetic fillers, which are often made from human or bovine tissue, had already found samples containing material from dead bodies and birds, Sir Liam added.

With all the regulations already on animal feed to stop the transmission of the disease, it will be interesting to see what happens with this bit of info.

Sir Sterling Moss

As I wrote earlier in the week, I had learned Sir Sterling was appearing for a presentation for the Madison Sportscar Club for what was last night and I scrambled for a ticket. I was still exhausted yesterday, both emotionally and physically, from dealing with my convention, which ended Friday afternoon. If the Sir Sterling event had been virtually anything else, I would have skipped and headed back to bed. I am glad I didn't.

The event was held at the beautiful Monona Terrace in downtown Madison. Even though, the event was held in the basement with no view of the lake (frozen though it is and at night) the venue was still great. That is until the very end when the wedding reception (or so I thought) on the floor above us apparently began some sort of Bunny Hop which produced a pounding of the floor. (On my exit from the building, I discovered it was some sort of African-American fraternity or sorority party. The place was jumping.)

Anyway, back to Sir Sterling. I double-checked my event time on the web at noon and learned of a two-hour pre-event autograph session, so I rearranged my schedule and got down to the event (after stopping at Staples for extra camera batteries and a Sharpie-brand ultra fine point pen) about 15 minutes after the signing had started. I had taken my DB5 owner's manual and a vintage Esso service schedule poster for him to sign. As for my camera, something is on the fritz and I couldn't get it to work. Upon signing in (Thank you Jesus, they got my registration fax) I received a seat card that I was to place at any seat, except one of the reserved tables, to hold my seat. I found a seat that was directly in front of the podium, right behind the reserved tables. I don't understand why someone didn't grab that seat. Other than at a reserved table, I had the best seat in the house. After putting my seat card down, I headed to the autograph line, at which there were 50 or so in front of me. Oh, a quick comment on attire. This was not a cheap event, so I worn a suit and tie. The few women at the event were all in evening gowns, mostly backless showing off their Wisconsin winter white skin. Men's attire, however, ranged from mostly suits to sport coats with a polo shirt underneath to sweaters and; yes, welcome to Madison, t-shirts and jeans. I did not see any shorts, perhaps only due to the outside temperature being a brisk 29.

In the autograph line, handlers kept announcing "One item only. If you have more than one item, please go through the line again for each item." I realized this was gone when, as the line snaked through the cordons and I was one bend away from Sir Sterling, I saw a gentleman place about eight to 10 books on the table and have Sir Sterling sign each one with a different personalization. My two little items would whiz by. It took at 45 minutes to get through the line to my destination. When I was two or three people away from him, I realized why it had taken so relatively long. He was chatting with each and every person. I'm not complaining, it was very nice compared to what I have seen at other's autograph sessions. People were putting books, racing helmets, photographs, just about everything in front of him and I did see a Nomex racing suit. When I arrived in front of him, he seemed perplexed at my owner's manual, but I flipped the cover open and asked him to sign the title page. He used a regular ink pen and ... his signature is tiny. I mean really, really small. No more than an inch long and 3/8 inch tall. Then I asked him to use the Sharpie for the service poster. Thank God, if I hadn't you wouldn't even notice it. I joked with some table mates later that when people look at my owner's manual years from now, I'm sure I'll be told how unfortunate that the title page has a smudge on it. One more item about the line: the club was hawking limited edition prints for $50 each, which you could buy just before you got to Sir Sterling and then have him sign. The print was a somewhat Photoshopped version of Moss in DBR1 in 1958 when he won the Constructor's Championship for Aston Martin. (More about this later.) I passed. One of my table mates later stated if he had known the signature was going to be that small on a 24 by 36 inch print, he would have passed too.

As for the speech, he was introduced and welcomed by a local whose name I didn't recognize and Augie Pabst (of Blue Ribbon fame). They greeted him with a cheese head and I'll bet that is a sight that will not ever be repeated. He spoke for about an hour and a half and it was fascinating for me. The best point of my seating location was I could see Lady Susan, Moss' wife, coaching and prompting him throughout the presentation with hand signals regarding with which story to tell or elaborate on.

Three tidbits, out of many, that were interesting to me:

* He is making more money annually today just from the sale of limited edition prints in adjusted terms that he ever made at the height of his racing career.

* During the 1955 Mille Miglia, which is raced on 1,000 miles of regular roads of Italy with fans lining the road much like is done for the Tour de France bicycle race, he would intentionally slightly weave the Mercedes he was driving back and forth. This was done to give the primarily Italian fans crowding the roads the impression he was about to go out of control. This caused them to step back off the road and give him room to pass. This was done while he was doing 170! PS; check the link for the Mille Miglia above, it's got a picture of Moss in action from that year. And his record for completing the race from that year still stands today.

* His greatest regret: Not running in the Indy 500. Why didn't he? It would have taken four weeks to solely prepare for and complete the time trials and qualifying, which meant four other races in which he wouldn't have been able to compete. It was all dollars and cents to him.

That was it. Except I noted he came back to his dinner seat and people were chatting him up. One of my table mates had a digital camera. I asked if he took my picture, could he email it to me? Yes, and I immediately gave him my address. I sneaked up to Sir Sterling. A female handler was pushing me back, telling me that she had to get him to the other side of the room. She turned away for a second and, just then, he stood up. I seized the chance. I stepped in and asked if I could have a picture taken. He asked where the camera was. I pointed and said there. I took his hand in a handshake, turned, smiled and click. Got it!

A great end to wonderful evening.

Update: I just received the pic of my brush with greatness.

And another thing: Here's one of the limited edition, signed prints that were sold at the event that is up on eBay right now. Starting bid $99.00, double the cost at the event. NB, the signiture just above the printed date re: my earlier comments on the size of his sig.

Whew!

I just woke up after sleeping for 14 hours and I could have done more and we had probably around 1,100 attendees at the convention.

That should tell you everything.

Saturday Night Fun

I just found out that Sir Sterling Moss will be in Mad-town this coming Saturday evening speaking to the Madison Sportscar Club. I'm going! And taking some items to be autographed!

I met (if that what you could call it) Sir Sterling before his O.B.E. in the early 90's at Lime Rock in Connecticut. I was at a table having the first (!) lobster of my life seated next to Alan Archer of the Brit Aston Martin Owners Club, who also was having his first lobster. Sir Sterling was next to Alan and had a few chuckles at Alan and my absolute clueless approach on how to get at our lobsters.

So much for my brush with greatness.

My Convention

This is my busy time. Dealing with putting on a convention for several hundred and trying to anticipate and make it go smoothly. Well, add to the mix this year, that it is being done in conjunction with two other groups with my three-month on the job staffer and myself. And add to the mix that we are exceeding all pre-event estimates of attendance. We made a meal guarantee yesterday for 875. I think its low. But I'm covered for my piece of the pie.

We'll be over 900, the question to me is how close to 1,000 will we end up.

In Keeping With the Healthcare Theme

"So he said he was taking Viagra because he had an enlarged ______. Not that he wanted one."

You fill in the blank. Answer is here.

Health Care Costs in TN

The current issue of The Economist has an article regarding TennCare, the Tennessee administration of Medicaid, the federal-state healthcare system for the poor. The Espousa is a policy wonk on Medicare (the version for the elderly) and I can't ever remember which is which.

The two important points of the article are :

In 2004 it chewed up nearly one-third of the state's total budget. Facing an $8 billion programme with the potential to swell to $12 billion in 2008, Phil Bredesen, Tennessee's Democratic governor (but one with a reputation as a fiscal conservative to protect), now wants to take 323,000 people off TennCare's 1.3m roll, saving $575m.

and

Most of TennCare's financial problems, however, stemmed from rising costs and over-generosity. TennCare pays for nearly every drug prescribed. It imposes no limits on days in hospital or the number of prescriptions allowed each month. Unsurprisingly, each TennCare enrolee gets, on average, 30 prescriptions per year. Yet Tennesseans are an unhealthy lot. The 2004 annual survey by United Health Foundation, a health-care consortium, ranked Tennessee 48th out of the 50 states. Obesity has doubled since 1990.

The scandal does not help the Democrats. Both the national health-care proposals endorsed by the Clintons in 1993 and John Kerry's plans to renegotiate drug prices at the federal level had echoes of TennCare. But Republicans, too, have their hands full with Medicaid. George Pataki, New York's governor, has just announced a plan to cap the state's soaring Medicaid payouts, and Jeb Bush, the governor of Florida, is attempting to shift the costs to private insurers. TennCare may be a model again—albeit an unwelcome one.

My standard line regarding government healthcare is: If you want to see the government at work in healthcare, you don't have to wait until a program is passed. Instead, simply go to your nearest Veteran's Administration Hospital. Walk the halls for 15 minutes and you will come out not wanting the government in any part of providing your healthcare. And you'll be ashamed of what we provide our veterans.

Health Care Costs

As part of getting everything ready for our convention, I was writing the intros for our speakers today. During a break, I picked up the current copy of The Economist and was thumbing through it. I found an article regarding the American car industry and the following interesting little item.

Meanwhile, GM must contend with the crushing burden of health-care costs for current and retired workers: $4 billion a year, roughly $2,000 for each vehicle it makes in America.

Yikes! And you wonder why GM recently announced layoffs planned for this year of 8,000 people. Still, numbers released earlier this year showed that GM made more money from their lending arm, GMAC, than they did from car sales. So, does this now mean that GM is now just a bank that also happens to make cars. But with numbers like those listed above, how long can the status quo go on?

Whew!

I drove in to my office yesterday through the mess of a snowstorm and stayed there until about 9 PM getting about 900 attendee name badges prepared (and done!). When I came back onto the streets it was almost as if the storm hadn't happened as all the streets were clear and mostly dry. The only real difference was all these bigger piles of snow that appeared since the morning drive. :)

It's back to the office to get all the speaker intros done. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch at least one of the football games today.

Just Goes To Show...

you can find anything on the Internet. I was reading a story this morning about Harvard University's little problem that university student and staff pharmacy records had been open to anyone via university website. Apparently to access the info, one simply needed a student or employee ID number (which was available) and the person's birthdate. The point of this little comment is not the pharmacy records access, it was a another tidbit in the story which revealed the existence of a website for doing birthday searches named Anybirthday.com.

I ran several relatives names through the engine and bingo! didn't miss a one. My name became a little more of a problem because; a) it is a relatively common name in general terms (relative's names I typed came up with single hits) and b) it listed a zip code from a residence that is eight years old. Still, even after thinking I pretty much knew the power and scope of what's out there, it amazes me this little item exists. And no, I'm not paranoid about someone knowing my birthday or my age, it's the possibility of what that information, when used in conjunction with other information as was the case at Harvard, and the resulting possibilities of which I am not even aware that gives me pause.

In the Home Stretch

My association's annual convention is the end of next week and really starting yesterday, we began the final countdown. The double-edged sword with which I am dealing is that with a week to go we are above my high-end estimate for attendance. It's wonderful that we have put together such a great program, but my staff is overwhelmed.

I may be staring at a couple 16+ hour days over the weekend working on name badges and speaker introductions. It didn't help that we had a snow storm last night and that just adds a couple hours of shoveling to my to-do list. Oh well, it will all be over soon.

Gambling & Senior Citizens

I couldn't help but think of an acquaintance's comment who referred to casinos here in the Midwest as "adult day care" when I read about the following gambling study. Here's the meat:

Seniors may be particularly vulnerable to the lure of casinos, says study author David Oslin of the University of Pennsylvania. Seniors who do not get out much may enjoy taking a day trip to a casino with other retirees. In fact, 70 percent of the 843 people age 65 and older in this study said they had gambled at least once in the past year, and going to a casino was one of the most popular ways to gamble.

Oslin and his colleagues interviewed seniors by phone, asking them about their gambling habits. They found that 92 of the 843 seniors were at-risk gamblers: They said they recently had laid down more than $100 in a single bet or said they often bet more than they could afford to lose. None was considered a pathological gambler, a person who spends huge sums of money and develops a compulsion to gamble. Still, problem gambling can lead to financial disaster for seniors who are living on a fixed income, Oslin says.

At-risk seniors also had health issues that often accompany a gambling problem. The study found they were more likely to drink four or five alcoholic drinks a day, which could lead to dangerous falls for seniors.

I'll do the math for you, that's 11% who admitted to betting more than they could afford to lose.

And I'm still remembering the first time I set foot in a casino here in Cheese Country. It was at a hotel cum casino complex outside of Green Bay. I finished my breakfast at about 7:30 AM, walked out of the hotel restaurant which opened into a shared space with the casino and there were senior citizen min-buses (10 to 15 passengers each) lined up one after another waiting to unload their passengers. The only scene I can compare it to is what you see outside an elementary school when the morning buses arrive. One unloads and there is another right behind it, filled to capacity, just waiting to pull up to the entrance and unload. The only differences were the color of the buses and the age of the passengers.

An iPod Misstep?

In the last few days, Apple and Audible.com announced a new service in conjunction with the National Football League. Recordings in MP3 format of the audio portion of NFL games will be available for download and purchase the morning after a game has been played. Let me repeat, an audio recording of NFL will be available for purchase.

I can not imagine anyone but the most rapid fan paying for and storing the audio portion of a game. We're not talking a TV feed, you can do that already with your TiVo or simply tape it via VHS. The audio portion only. I'll be interested to see sales figures during the playoffs and the sales rank compared to some of the audiobooks available on Audible's site.

And you thought I was going to talk about the recently introduced mini Shuffle iPod. That's another post.

A Little Snow

The Espousa chuckled last night during a fairly intense snow shower that it was too bad for me that my soon to be 20-year-old snow shovel was delivered back to school just a couple days too early to save me from having to shovel myself this morning. The Espousa made up for her little joke at my expense by having hot coffee and a bowl of cream of wheat awaiting my return from the outside.

The Joys of Bootlegs

I particularly enjoy the humor of P.G. Wodehouse (see my earlier posts) and have all the Granada TV adaptations on VHS. (Come on HP Movie Writer!) The music in the series is just wonderful and there was a limited edition UK-only CD release of some of the music. The CD is long ago out of print and impossible to source. Enter the Wodehouse fan sites and one enterprising fan has converted the soundtrack, as well as other incidental music to MP3, and has made it available. Some of the download sites are down now, but luckily I got them all a couple years ago and found my long lost CD-R of those files. The Espousa has already asked me twice to turn the music down. Guess that tells you what I've been doing.

Awaiting the Report

The Progeny's eyes lit up yesterday morning, while I perused the Minneapolis Sunday paper and noted to him that a film he was wishing to see over Christmas break had just opened in the Cities. He asked what locations and when I read the locations, he was even happier to find one relatively near the U, so just a short, direct bus ride over. Oh, the movie is House of Flying Daggers. I await the progeny's comments, as the movie is being released in staggered fashion across the country and is not yet screening in the People's Republic.

My Afternoon Haircuts

One of my little foibles (or annoyances, depending on which family member or ex-girlfriend you ask) is that after getting a haircut, I rush home to take a shower. The purpose is to get the cut hair off of my neck and face. The little ends seem to just send me into scratchy-ness. It is the main reason that I schedule my haircuts in the afternoon, after work, when I have nothing to do that evening, so the run home is unimpeded. It has been that way since I can remember and I always wanted that shower even as a kid on a Saturday morning. Needless to say, this afternoon was one of those opportunities.

As a note, the only barber shop I have experienced that didn't get the clippings down my shirt collar or left on my face; i.e., no shower needed, was in Chicago at the nicest tonsorial emporium I have ever had the pleasure to shine a seat in, Trufitt & Hill. At T&H, your chair can be curtained off from all the hub-bub, music is playing softly and your barber whispers their questions to you. Quiet, sweet quiet. I believe they are selling that as much as the haircuts.

Meth and a Small Town

Today's Minneapolis Star Tribune has a painful article detailing one small town and it's rural county dealing with meth addiction in its population. (Site registration may be required to access the article.) I have been involved in the meth fight here in Wisconsin for probably five plus years attempting to stem the tide. Given my knowledge base, I was still stunned by a county official's following comment:

"Financially, meth already inhales more than 10 percent of Kanabec County's annual levy of $6.7 million, the total raised for law enforcement, schools, roads and other expenses.

If you are unaware of "redneck cocaine" and it's devastation heaped on primarily rural America, you need to read this article.

As an aside, when speaking with a agribusiness owner in rural Wisconsin a few years ago and my response to his inquiry regarding what I was currently working on was answered with one word, "meth." He later told me it wasn't an issue that he thought had anything to do with rural Wisconsin, it must be, in his mind, a Minneapolis or Milwaukee problem. His attitude was shifted when over a subsequent dinner conversation with his family, who reside in a three digit population town, he related his discussion with me to them. His middle school aged child immediately chimed in, "Oh, yeah, redneck cocaine. I know a couple kids at school that do it." He later told me if his kid knows about it in Gnawbone, Wisconsin, it must be everywhere. "Yeah, pretty close."

Snug As a Bug Again

I'm safe and warm in Downtown Minneapolis after delivering the Progeny for spring semester. I'm back at the same hotel I was at prior to Christmas when I collected him at that time. Thanks to Hotwire I am back where I had the most restful night's sleep I had had in a long time. However, I have put the DND sign out so as to not repeat the last incident of the housekeeping staff awakening me before 8 AM.

I did do some shopping while here and noted that both Saks and Neiman's had BIG sales on, but nothing even pulled me. I was thumbing through the Brioni ties at Neiman's and inquired of a salesperson if the "additional 25% off" signs were already reflected on the tags or was it additionally off the lowest price on the tag. It was the latter, he responded and added, "we might even pay you to take some of this stuff." It'll be interesting how long Neiman's will keep a presence in the Cities.

My Fake Christmas Present, Continued

After a week of not hearing from the seller where I should return my counterfeit Barbour coat (and having gloriously received a refund via PayPal), I emailed the seller to inquire as to what's up? The response was that I could either ship the coat back or keep it for $35. (This is a list $328 item.)

I am now wearing a fake Barbour coat. The Progeny also decided to take my old, genuine coat; once it's shipped to the repair department and has FOUR inches added to the sleeves.

Living in Wisconsin

The downside of having only five or fewer days with a temp above 90 each year are days like today. It's 1 above with a wind chill forecast of 25 BELOW. Tomorrow when the Progeny is taken back to the Cities, it's forecast to be 25 Below and wind chills on top of that. Thank goodness for the Minneapolis Skyway system, as the Espousa and I will be staying the night downtown.

In honesty, if you're only running from your car in a parking lot to your office door, it's not that difficult. My problem this morning is I have been invited to attend as a guest a UW faculty retreat in which the parking pass I have been given is THREE blocks from the Meeting. This WILL be difficult.

Update: I've received a couple emails from folks who are from areas with a more continental weather pattern, i.e., hotter summers and colder winters than Wisconsin experiences. I'm sorry I may have come off as whining or whimpering, that wasn't my intent. It was more that it is such a change from the wonderful summers. But my standard line during the many 70 degree days of beautiful summer is "This is why God made Wisconsin."

They Call Me Mr. F.I.B.

Here's is a story from today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel without comment, as it says it all and more.

On New Year's Day, in the space of 3 hours and 6 minutes, a 2004 Nissan Altima with Illinois plates was pulled over for speeding four times in four Wisconsin counties, all on I-90.

On the first three stops, the driver was Piotr Pac, 21, of the Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol.

But the top speed was reached by Pac's girlfriend, 18-year-old Emilia A. Goralczyk of neighboring Mount Prospect. She was the one ticketed the fourth time, as Pac had been taking a nap.

But, if you're about to squeal with glee, hold on.

Pac isn't happy about his $902 share of the $1,393 speeding tickets. But he wasn't embarrassed, either, when told Wednesday that he would be in the newspaper.

His first words were, "I'm famous!"

Pac just hopes his parents don't find out. They know he got caught going 60 in a 40 mph zone near home a few days before the Wisconsin rampage.

But they don't know about the Wisconsin tickets, nor the one he got a few days later near home for driving 72 in a 35-mph zone.

"My father kicked my ass" after the first ticket, "so I can't tell him about this stuff in Wisconsin," Pac said.

Pac has good reason to worry. His father put Pac's 175-horsepower Altima in his name so that Pac could afford the insurance. Before that, Pac's premium was $3,000 every six months.

Still, Pac doesn't completely regret his Badgerland spree. Goralczyk had called him at 4 a.m., crying over a fight she had with a friend at a party, so he drove 180 miles to Wisconsin Dells to pick her up.

"I would do everything for her," Pac said.

The trouble was, Pac had to be home by 10 a.m. to start his $9.25-an-hour clerk's job at Nordstrom Rack. Hence, he blazed his trail through Wisconsin, on half an hour's sleep, after some partying on New Year's Eve.

State Trooper Thomas Licari had the honor of pulling over the Altima for the fourth and final time. He said that after hearing about the first three stops on his radio, he had joked that he would be making the next stop. But he didn't expect the sedan to go screaming by at 108 mph.

"I don't even go that fast with the (emergency) lights on, unless it's a real bad emergency," Licari said.

The trooper said he tried to explain to Pac and Goralczyk the danger of traveling 43 mph over the speed limit - particularly without wearing seat belts, which earned the couple $10 tickets along the way.

But Pac scoffs at such concern. He said he has been driving since he was 9 in his native Poland and that he has been safe at high speeds during his five years in the U.S. - even though he has had to hire a lawyer numerous times over various tickets and license suspensions.

"You have to have an exciting life," he said of his NASCAR tendencies, "because (otherwise) life is boring."

The visits with state troopers made Pac 21/2 hours late for work on New Year's Day. But he said he had called ahead and his boss wasn't mad.

As for the tickets, Pac has court dates in four different counties next month.

He said he hasn't decided whether he'll simply pay the tickets beforehand - or, as his lawyer has suggested, ask the judges for leniency.

And an apology to all for Illinoisan friends for the joke in the title. If you don't get the joke, let me 'buy a vowel' and tell you that the "I" stands for Illinois. You figure out the rest.

Update: Let me be a little more clear. F.I.B. is an acronym for a vulgar and disparaging phrase used by Wisconsinites to identify Illinois residents.

$50 a Year

That's how much the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided individual Wisconsin Bar members should pay for each of the next three years to fund an indigent legal services program. The interesting bit is buried in the news article near the bottom.

State Bar president Michelle Behnke, who argued against the assessment, said later that the court seemed very concerned that there be a long-term solution to the issue.

"The court reiterated that this is not purely, or solely a lawyers' issue and that all citizens had an interest in finding a long-term solution," she said.

She said the question for the Wisconsin State Bar is not whether the poor should have access to legal assistance in civil matters. Instead, she said, the petition raises "serious questions about whether this is a tax and appropriate or legally permissible."

She also believes it raises constitutional questions. By having the court grant its petition, the foundation has become "the preferred charity," she said. And the foundation doesn't provide funds to every agency that assists the indigent, she said. That could hurt legal service programs that aren't funded by the foundation, she said.

We'll see how long this program lasts, but again the bottom line is we're talking about $50 a year in a profession that averages an annual income in Madison $78,000 for someone with up to three years experience out of law school. And it obviously goes up from there. (Source: Monster.com Salary Center)

But Who's Paying?

An interesting response by the provincial government and the Canadian cattlemen's association to the third case of Mad Cow in that country.

Alberta's premier and the cattle industry believe it's time to look at a cull of older animals to restore international confidence in Canadian beef after two cows tested positive for mad cow disease in the last 10 days.

"Is a cull necessary? Yes," Klein said Wednesday in Toronto following a luncheon speech in the heart of the country's business district. "I think the ranching industry will come to that conclusion and will devise a way to achieve that cull."

The enormity of the situation is found a little later in the article.

Brian Evans, Canada's chief veterinarian, has estimated that six per cent of the Canadian herd was born after feed restrictions were put in place in 1997. That's about 840,000 animals. The herd has swollen to 14 million since international markets for live cattle closed in May 2003.

Like the title says, the big question to me is who will pay for it? If there is no indemnity to the cattlemen, I sincerely doubt they'd be so gung-ho.

Sweet Home Alabama

Interesting call and response editorials in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel between Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold following a trip in L.A.(lower Alabama, to the non-natives) and a resident of Greenville, Alabama.

I believe the response goes a little over the top in insinuating that Feingold is a "pinko," but the indignation at Feingold's "bunch of dumb rubes" stereotyping is right on target.

(Access to the Journal Sentinel website may require completing a quick, free registration.)

My (Almost) Twin

The Progeny found an ad in a magazine ( the particular one I can't determine) with an ad for La-Z-Boy featuring designer Todd Oldham. Here is an image from their website.


While this pic bears a passing resemblance; the print ad, for which I am still searching, bears an uncanny resemblance to yours truly.

More From Wodehouse

A note, again, from the Wodehouse bio I'm reading gives some examples of Old English spellings and pronunciations, such as "Wodehouse" which is pronounced wood-house. The two examples given are "Cholmondeley" and "Featherstonehaugh."

Test yourself by giving each a shot at pronunciation. The answers are here. (Hint: the second one is NOT pronounced feather-stone-haw.)

You Learn Something Everyday

In reading the new P.G. Wodehouse biography, I noted several instances in which the author quotes Wodehouse and the word "'Varsity" is used. (Note the apostrophe before the "V.") I was curious if the word "varsity" was indeed, a contraction. In my copy of Webster's Collegiate (I know, I know, there are better ones than that.), I found the following origin of the word.

by shortening and alter. fr. university

And the #1 definition; Brit.: University!

I think I always kinda assumed that was the case, but it never hit me until I saw that apostrophe.

My Fake Christmas Present

I emailed the seller and he agreed to refund my purchase price,but... this morning I received another email from him that he was "having problems with his paypal account." Looks like the coat my be a presnt for someone else. I'll wait, having emailed him that Barbour USA would really like to speak with him. We'll see if that moves anything faster.

Update: Voila! I returned from church and there it was in my PayPal account, a smiling, shiny full refund! And the seller still hasn't told me where to return the coat!

Flu Vaccine Surplus!?

Here's a comment from today's Wisconsin State Journal front page.

A doctor at the Madison Department of Public Heath, Dr. Kathryn Vedder says, "We had just about right amount, I would say, in Wisconsin, by the time we got it redistributed, shared and helped each other." Vedder does not expect the kind of surplus found in other states. "Unfortunately almost every year we do have some extra vaccine and that's sort of universal. It's almost impossible to guess how much we're going to need."

Did you notice the comment "we had just about the right amount..."?

So where are the apologies for charges made during the campaign?

Sen. John Edwards, North Carolina Democrat and one of nine candidates seeking his party's presidential nomination, said the government should have done more to ensure a larger supply of vaccine.
He has asked for companies to explain the shortage and for the General Accounting Office to investigate the Bush administration's response, particularly that of Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It's frustrating to hear a Bush health adviser make excuses for drug companies by giving inflated numbers on how much stockholders might lose on vaccine production," Mr. Edwards said. "I wish we could think more about solutions and worry less about profits."

Where was the Madison Department of Public Health during the "shortage?" Were they telling folks "we had just about right amount"? Here's a quote from October '04.

Dane County and Madison Public Health are providing local health care organizations with a screening tool to help determine who'’s in the high risk category and requires a flu shot. "“This is very serious, we need to stay vigilant and only allow those with high-risk factors to receive a flu shot at this point,"” said Dr. Kathryn Vedder, Madison Public Health Department Director.

Oops.

Watch this whole situation boomerang on public health officials during the next public health crisis. I've got five dollars that I'm willing to put on how quickly there will be a breakout topic at a public health convention on "Managing Public Perceptions of Public Health." And if I could just have a nickel for how many times public health officials and media reporters will use the word "overblown" to describe the "shortage."

Hillary's Fundraising Chief Indicted

Let's see how this is spun that it's all Bush's (or Karl Rove's) fault. My reading of it is that it more than a technical error, but instead deliberate misstatements. Gee, have we ever had that happen before with Hillary? Ya' think?! Let's see now... cattle futures, billing records, White House travel office..

But will it affect 2008? For the 20% that would vote for her even if they found her with her "fist in the till," nothing she could do would affect their opinion. Remember the female member of the Washington press corps who made the statement at the height of the maritus Clinton's scandal with Monica, that she would get the knee pads on and do Monica's job for Clinton, just to thank him for keeping abortion legal. There are some people who only have an issue and as long as the elected official works for that issue, everything else is ignored. Mark Hatfield is another that comes to mind. A former Republican senator who supported abortion, the libs sat silent until they could no longer ignore the reports and whispers of longtime sexual harassment by him directed toward his office staff.

As long as you tow the correct political line, all manner of sin will be forgiven by some on the Left.

One of the Busiest Times of My Life

I have just finished an unbelievable week and got everything done. I have sent out 300+ ballots for the association director's election; figured out how to print 400+ directory listing update forms, folded and mailed all of them; attended a day long corn board policy resolutions meeting; dealt with 10 inches of snow and the resulting mess; drove to the Dells to visit hotel staff for a correction of the banquet and setup orders for our convention coming up in three weeks; and finally got over 400 driver's participation program cards printed and sorted into 100+ envelopes for our drug testing program. Whew!

The office is now caught up and we start the week clean. This coming week will be busy again, but not like this past week. And here's hoping the Packers win at least one game into the playoffs, which will set up our convention speaker, former Packer Leroy Butler, with a little more excitement for the crowd.

My Potentially Fake Christmas Present

As I reported earlier, I had a sneaky suspicion about whether the Barbour coat I had ordered over the Internet was a real or fake. I just got off the phone with the folks at Barbour USA and, while they are unaware of any pirated items per se, they want me to send my coat in to inspect it because the finish on the buttons and the zipper aren't what their coats (and my other Barbour coats) have.

If it is fake, I wonder if Barbour will exchange the coat so they can have a pirated example. We'll see. And this is the first potentially bad transaction I have ever had with an online purchase.

I'll See You And I'll Up It

Fun little item at littlegreenfootaballs on the Kerry folks who still have not removed bumper sticks from their cars two before the Bush inauguration.

Here in the People's Republic of Madison, I saw a car with both Kerry/Edwards and Gore/Lieberman stickers still on the bumper. And to further illustrate the madness, I simply can't count the number of Kucinich bumper stickers that remain.

FYI, while on my Southern Sojourn last month, I did notice a large number of "W - The President" bumper and window stickers.

The UN and Relief Monies

The Financial Times as a news article about the President Bush's "core relief" group being dissolved and replaced by the UN, who will now handle all relief efforts and, importantly, monies.

From someone who saw first hand in Atlanta how the elite staff of the Olympic organizations used that platform for a very, very plush lifestyle, I'll bet any UN senior official that travels to the affected areas will be in five star accommodations paid for by donations. I'm just waiting on the details of this sure to be, next UN embezzlement scandal.

The Next Big Thing

Here 'tis.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. on Wednesday said it is moving ahead with plans to add a video offering to its premium radio service next year, landing a deal to use Microsoft Corp.'s media software to power its mobile video platform.

Sirius also reached an agreement with the software giant to co-develop future video offerings in its latest assault on rival and industry leader XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. The service is expected to launch in the second half of 2006.

With its automotive partners indicating strong demand for entertainment products in new cars, Sirius said it anticipates providing two or three channels of premium content specifically for children.

Given all the flat screen DVD players one sees in the back seats of minivans and SUV's, is this any surprise? And so simple, just a line out of the satellite receiver and a cable to the existing flat screen and voila!

Fascinating

In another effort to show, we're not as smart as we think we are, the following story is offered from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled "What Did the Animals Know And When Did They Know It?" and it is really interesting regarding animal behavior just prior to the impact of the tsunami. Here's a bit to whet your interest.

Just minutes before the tsunami crashed into a southern Indian wildlife sanctuary, a lighthouse lookout reported an unusual sight: a herd of antelope stampeding from the shoreline toward the safety of a nearby hilltop.

"The man said he saw the animals on the seafront running away from the coast towards the forests," said A. D. Baruah, a wildlife warden in the state of Tamil Nadu, recounting the story of the desperate flight of the animals as told to him by the startled lookout. "Ten minutes later the waves hit. The animals had run to safety." Added Mr. Baruah: "I'm sure animals have a sense of foreboding -- a sixth sense."
In Sri Lanka, the island nation off India's southern tip, more than 30,000 people were killed. Yet at Yala National Park, just up the coast from where the destruction was most severe, all the elephants, leopards, deer and other wild animals managed to survive the mighty waves, said H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the country's wildlife department.

"I haven't seen any effects on the animals," he said. "They all escaped." Asked to explain the survival of the animals, he said: "They had a feeling. Maybe it was the sound waves."

Read the article, it's really something to get you thinking about what we don't know. (Sounds like Rumsfeld-speak.)

So That's Where It Comes From!

Police in France have seized nearly 10,000 meters of fake Louis Vuitton monogrammed canvas.

Three people were detained over the incidents.

Police found the canvas rolls at a disused factory in the northern Paris suburbs after weeks of investigation.

The 300 rolls of canvas are enough to make some 28,000 fake Louis Vuitton wallets or 18,000 handbags.

Police say the corresponding authentic Louis Vuitton items have a total value of 14 million euros.

Please, please don't let the police find rolls of fake Barbour cloth in Turkey. My coat has not yet arrived from there and the seller is starting to get some negatives regarding coats sold BNWT and showing up sans tags.

Building for the Future -Texas Style

Here's a story about the state of Texas looking at putting in a privately funded superhighway system that would be "4,000 miles of mostly toll lanes perhaps a quarter-mile wide, capable of carrying cars, trucks, and high-speed freight and commuter trains. There would be room underground for oil, water, electric and gas pipelines..."

Holy moley! I can't even imagine such a plan for Wisconsin even being proposed. You might even see some of Wisconsin's road builders moving to Texas for the job (year round, incidentally) and forgetting about biz here.

Artie Shaw

Mr. Shaw died last week at age 94. He is most famous for the big band hit, Begin the Beguine, that made him famous. The Wall Street Journal has a delightful article of remembrance of him which ends with the following statement of Mr. Shaw's:

As deservedly high as was his own opinion of what he'd achieved musically, Mr. Shaw made no claims for having been a paragon of wisdom. "I must have been a bewildered guy," he said earlier in 2004, looking back on a variety of missteps in his life: eight marriages that ended in divorce (or, in the first case, annulment), capricious career moves, songs he thought would be hits that weren't. "I make big mistakes. Like I've said, I was wrong 80 percent of the time.

"But there was that 20 percent..."

It's that sense of perspective and optimism that is, I believe, so important, to have in spite of your mistakes and personal failings, that will keep you pointed in the right direction and mentally healthy.

And, as I've always been a fan, I have wished that Shaw's version of Begin the Beguine would be played at my funeral, some day in the distant future.

And (Hopefully) Even Better News

Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, whom the US occupation authorities declared to be the "target number one" in Iraq, has been arrested in the city of Baakuba, the Emirate newspaper al-Bayane reported on Tuesday referring to Kurdish sources.

Al-Zarqawi, leader of the terrorist group Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad, was recently appointed the director of the Al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq.

The newspaper's correspondent in Baghdad points out that a report on the seizure of the terrorist, on whom the US put a bounty of US$10 million, was also reported by Iraqi Kurdistan radio, which at one time had been the first to announce the arrest of Saddam Hussein.

There have been reports before by Arab Gulf news organizations of various items that have turned out false, but this, if it's true, will be an enormous step forward for the good guys.

Really, Really Good News

It's really amazing to realize how much the stock market has come back and how close it is to the previous all-time high.

To make history, the Dow, which ended 2004 at 10,783, must climb an additional 940 points, or 8.7%.

If the Dow recoups the rest of its 37.8% bear market loss sometime in 2005 - an accomplishment most pundits would have viewed as a long shot a few years back - it would be a huge psychological boost for investors scarred by the worst decline since the 1929 stock market crash ushered in the Great Depression.

"A new high for the Dow would have huge significance," says Neil Hennessy, president of the Hennessy Funds. Indeed, scaling a new peak in the face of war, terrorism, record-high oil prices, rising interest rates, a weakening dollar and the most scandalous period in memory for U.S. companies would serve as the latest proof of the market's remarkable resiliency and uncanny ability to overcome stubborn headwinds.

And the NASDAQ and S&P have more to make up to retake their old highs, if the Dow does it, this should be a very big confidence boost for the economy.

Attempting to Get Back in the Saddle

I have been gone for almost two weeks,counting picking the Progeny up from the Cities. In that time, I have had access to the internet but generally on a dial-up and on someone else's schedule. Throw in being completely off my routine and I ended up with being information deficient. My cell phone finally registered a call on the 29th that had been made on the 24th, just to give an example of how far gone I was. So I'm back and will get back into the saddle, as the title says.

A quick comment on the South's version of a "gluttonous" sin, Sonic Drive-ins. Family members salivated verytime we passed by one of them. There were groans regarding hamburgers and lime (or lemon, I can't remember)/cherry slushes. We finally stopped at one on New Year's Eve and had some of their delights. Verdict: Ok but the cheese coneys were not on par with any on Cincy's finest nor did the slush come close to a Culver's lemon ice. To each his own.

Bad Driving Coming & Going

I had the worst driving of my life driving south for Christmas and yesterday, from Terre Haute north, had the second worst experience. Fog and rain and then from the Wisconsin line north, ice. Not as many cars in the ditches as we saw a week earlier but bad enough. Luckily we followed a salt truck (at a safe distance) for the last six miles off the interstate.

The real eye-opener came at not being able to make the hump of the sidewalk to get into the driveway. I had to back up and make a running go at it. Then upon getting out of the car to unload it, we discovered the reason. The driveway had about an inch of solid clear ice on it. The car was unloaded via a bucket brigade with me in the freezing rain and the Progeny on the steps. Everything was completed with minimal trouble. And a roaring fire was immediately started.


And it won't be complete without a hearty 'thank you' to all who gave so much hospitality during our trip. Thank you again.