Drink up, eh? or 15 a day for better health

Joe Walsh used to deadpan that the best hangover cure he knew of was to stay drunk. Proving that people can get grants to study anything, here's news out of Canada that shows how giving homeless alcoholics 1 drink an hour for every waking hour has made the study population "healthier".

15 a day for better health!

Unless you were one of the 3 of 17 participants that died, that is. From the Reuters article: "Three of the 17 participants died during the program, succumbing to alcohol-related illnesses that might have killed them anyway, the study said."

Also from the article:

The per capita cost of around C$771 ($660) a month was partially offset by monthly savings of C$96 a month in emergency services, C$150 in hospital care and C$201 in police services per person

It's all about the bucks when the government is in the healthcare business: all the caring warmth of an MVA teller.

I'll check in with Right Thinking People to see if there's more.

World's Worst Disease Identified

Tom Blumer found an interesting piece on the World's Worst Disease by Rich Karlgaard writing in the 1/9/2006 Forbes. Since registration is required, Bizzy Blog has an extensive excerpt. Here's the premise:

The sickest thinking–and the source of most of human misery throughout the ages–is based on the following beliefs:
• The Earth is running out of resources;
• People consume more than they contribute;
• Wealth is a zero-sum distribution game.

Go read the rest, especially the links under the Update. Certain economists got a little sniffy with Karlgaard's broad-stroke description of academia as dominated by zero-sum-game thinking.

Jokes My Father in Law Told Me

My Lovely Bride's father dropped this one on me while I was drinking a glass of juice one morning last week. I avoided the spit-take, but only just.

Man #1: Say, what's that ya got there?
Man #2: Load o' horse manure.
M#1: Oh yeah? What's it for?
M#2: Gonna put it on my raspberries.
M#1:
M#1: I've always been partial to cream and sugar myself.

My New Representative In the Blogging Ecosphere

The Capybara. A native of South America, it is the largest living rodent. I don't know about "Adorable" and it sure ain't "little", but it really is a rodent.

Sweet Home Chicago

Back in Chicagoland for Christmas Day and I got to see the Bears/Packers game yesterday. I was a little conflicted having grown up among all things Wisconsin all my life. (You know? I was a fan of the Badgers as a young child before it even dawned on me that Illinois had a similar school. It became abundantly clear with plenty of time for me to make my college choice back in high school. Funny thing, that.)

The Bears won the game yesterday afternoon, which I guess is for the best since they got the most out of it. With the win the Bears clinched the NFC North title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. With the Vikings eliminated last night after their loss to Bawlmer, the Bears' season finale in Minnesota will probably resemble the final pre-season game with the starters playing about 1 quarter and everyone else playing the rest of the game. Except, maybe for Rex Grossman: I expect he'll play the entire first half.

As for the Packers, Noah Herron the Ball-Carrier got his first NFL touchdown--he went to My Better Two-Thirds's alma mater, don'tcha know. Brett played okay, but he still gave up a handful of interceptions to a really good pass defense. It would be sad to see #4 go out after a season like this one. I expect he'll come back next year to play with the Real Packers rather than the conglomeration of NFL Europe players he has around him now.

Nothing Says Merry Christmas

Like a Wookiee.

A Wookiee singing Silent Night.

Nice!
For a brief while, anyway.

(found it at Ace's)

Patriot Act Extension Blocked in Senate

Sleeper Cells, Big Media Rejoice

From FoxNews.com:

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday blocked a vote to reauthorize 16 expiring provisions of the controversial USA Patriot Act.

So much for any kind dot connecting between agencies. So much for tearing down the wall between intel and law enforcement.

According to the FoxNews.com story, Senator Vegas wants the Senate to 'take their time now to make the law right.'

And while the rest of Big Media spins this as a defeat for Bush, I can't help wonder who they think would be most hurt by another terrorist attack on this country. Apparently the newsies think they'll get a pass.

From Reuters:

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, demanding increased protection of civil liberties, defied President George W. Bush on Friday and blocked legislation to renew the USA Patriot Act, a centerpiece of his war on terrorism.
(emphasis mine)

Apparently the rest of us aren't in a war. That's a relief because I was really sure the Islamists wanted us all dead.

VI Day!

(And no, I don't mean the text editor.)

Smash has a roundup of Big Media headlines contrasted with what it might have been had it been the newspapermen of 60 years ago writing them. The post also includes words attributed to Zarqawi in a letter to bin Laden. Read it here.

Should Zarqawi move to a new country to foment the violent overthrow of Western Civilization, we should follow him there. Give him no rest. Keep them on defense.

Failure in Iraq

Zarqawi's failure, that is.

Zarq's been called out in the town of Babil by one Jasim Hameed:

"I'm here at this early hour to challenge the terrorists who want to kill the democratic process in Iraq and I want to encourage the healthy people to vote”.

Pajamas Media has first hand accounts from all over Iraq. Take a look at the upperleft portion of the site for updates throughout the day.

The story didn't mention the nature of Mr. Hameed's disability. I haven't heard a word yet from international election watcher and miserable failure of a US President James Earl Carter. I suppose that if there is no chance for a dictatorial regime to win the day, he won't consider the election "fair".

UPDATE 1720 EST: Pajamas Media has a summary of coverage up now here. Sounds like it has been a good day.

UPDATE 2005-12-16 1533 EST: A photo of a couple of Iraqi hotties sportin' the purple finger look is up at MVRWC. Iraqi Hotties... there's a phrase I never thought I'd type. Yet there it is.

Memo to Dr. Dean

There were quite a few more American troops KIA in Viet Nam than the 25,000 he cited on a Texas radio show.

(Trying like mad to give him the benefit of the doubt)
Was he referring to a 'after some milestone' figure?

Or was it an attack of massive ignorance on his part?

Regarding his trotting out the "we support the troops" message after whining about his comments being taken "out of context", I have just one thing to say:

Nothing says "We support you!" like "You're doomed to fail."

Dean's going to complete the job of running the Democrat Party right off the rails.

Announcement

I will be posting from time to time over at The Potbelly Stove. The proprietor over there finds today's UN just as distasteful as I do... possibly even more!

Some of hbl's photography will begin to appear here as well.

More blogging next week... the moving truck is due to arrive at Stately Larson Manor shortly.

Merry Christmas, ACLU

This is the best thing ever! I missed Kevin McCollough when he left Chicago's WYLL, but can still read him at Crosswalk.

Here (via Michelle Malkin) is a great idea from Kevin:

We are excited to be launching the opportunity today...between now and Christmas we are asking you to send the ACLU direct "MerryChristmas" cards.

And we aren't talking about these generic "happy holiday" (meaning nothing) type of cards...

Go get as "Christmas" a Christmas card as you can find... something that says.. "Joy To The World", "For Unto Us A Child Is Born", but at least "Merry Christmas", put some of your own thoughts into it, sign it respectfully and zip it off in the mail...

Head on over to Kevin's blog to get the address for the card writing campaign.

And be nice! As it is written in the Bible, it will be like heaping ashes on their heads... far more than any snotty comment one could conceive.

UPDATE: Perhaps they will reciprocate with a "Blandly Inoffensive, Politically Correct, Generic Seasonal Greeting" card of their own. Or not. I won't hold my breath.
(Adapted from a comment I left at Myopic Zeal)

Hugh On Those Who Oppose a Fence

Hugh Hewitt:

It might be difficult to, say, build a border long fence and the roads to patrol it (not as difficult as the construction of the interstate highway system, though). And it might strain relations with Mexico.

As if the hoard of illegals marching into this country and sending cash back to Mexico doesn't strain the relationship already? What are the Mexicans going to do? Tell us we can't get Mexican vanilla anymore? Tell us we can't send our twentysomethings to Cancun to get puking sick anymore? A tequila embargo?

Okay. The tequila embargo would be very, very hard. I may start stocking up now.

To read what Hugh was reacting to, see his post here.

Soldiers' Question Blog

I found this in the comments over at Aubrey's place:
http://www.askthesoldiers.blogspot.com/

There were no questions yet as of this writing, so go ahead and ask them at askthesoldier@yahoo.com.

UPDATE: Here's my question answered. It is good to hear that our soldiers and Marines get what is sent.

Islamism in Denmark

Overheard on a playground at a school in Denmark:

I will kill my classmates, if Allah says so. I will also kill my dad, if Allah thinks, I have to do it. When she asked where such views stem from, the boys said that they had learnt it in koranic schools

The Viking Observer has the full report. I don't think the Danes are ready for this kind of thing.

A Shift in the Ecosystem

There was a movie entitled The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. I remember thinking "I guess I know what that one's about." (Same feeling I got when Saw came out, as I recall.) The movie was a testament to a Welsh town's determination to have a friggin' mountain and not just a hill.

The other night I went to bed a marsupial in TTLB's Ecosystem as I had for the last several nights. I had been thinking about adding a little picture of an oppossum--an American marsupial--above the TTLB script. Today I learn that I am now a Flappy Bird.

(GASP!)

What's weird is that N. Z. Bear's algorithm now counts more incoming links than before. Ah well. He's working on it, and as a lot of commenters here have pointed out, he does it for free.

Off to find a public domain pic of a quintessentially American bird. (But not a Bald Eagle, since I'm not bald, nor can I really say that I'm all that aquiline.)

SCO on the Hunter/Haworth Resolution

Only 3 Dems voted in favor of immediate withdrawal from Iraq--a la Murtha's statement.
Six voted the most cowardly way of all: Present.

Over at SCO, Doug has a very good wrap-up of the resolution.

Whoever Said It Had to Be One or the Other?

From Michelle Malkin, on the Padilla indictment:

I missed the press conference and would like to know more about the decision to indict. I thought this administration was supposed to be fighting the old Clinton/Kerry law enforcement approach to fighting terror.

Relax, Michelle. I think the Bush Administration really can walk and chew gum at the same time, despite the Big Media stereotype of the President.

Beth Takes Us All to the Internet Woodshed

Beth writes a tour de force on the use and misuse of the apostrophe. I think E. B. White would approve.

Highly Recommended.

Bill Frist: Worst. Leader. Ever.

Hugh Hewitt shows that the disgust of the base against the GOP Senate, er, "leadership" (for lack of a better word) is taking its toll on RNSC fundraising efforts. The Democrat equivalent (chaired by Chuck Schumer) has more than a 2:1 advantage in cash on hand.

Given that the Democrats haven't done well in fundraising across the board, it is as sure a sign as any that Bill Frist's tenure as "Majority Leader" is teh suck.