St. Lawrence Invitational

A forest of vaulting poles.



Cooling down.



After meet team meeting.



A very young climber.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Draw your stick figure and then see him/her dance here.

My Bunny

Ice Palace II

It's looking good for an ice palace. The night time temps have been well below zero and daytime temps in the single digits or teens. More cold weather to come. The ice has got to be getting thicker. Today the village workers cleared the building site and once again cleard Pontiac Bay of snow. I'm guessing the cutting of ice might start on Sunday.

Vaccination and Herd Immunity

Herd (population?) immunity occurs when a large number of individuals within a population are immunized against a particular disease. This results in a lower probablility of un-immunized individuals becoming infected. For example, susceptible elderly individuals are less likely to become infected with the flu if the people that care and visit them are vaccinated against flu. Have you heard of a case of smallpox, polio or diptheria lately? No, because those diseases are either non-existent or extremely rare today due to vaccination and herd immunity.

There is a good discussion of this concept in todays NYT by Arthur Allen, author of Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver.

The theoretical basis of the phenomenon of "herd immunity" can be expressed mathmatically thusly:

Ct+1 = St Ct r

Where C is the number of infected cases
S is the number of susceptible individuals
t is a given time period
t+1 is the next time period
r is a transmission parameter

The Basic Reproductive Rate (R₀) is the mean number of secondary cases a typical infected indivdual will cause in an unimmunized population.

Still don't get it? Don't worry, go here to the NHS UK website and view the animation on herd immunity.

So if you love your elderly mom, dad, granny or gramps.....get vaccinated against flu.

Want to read the wingnut, scientifically illiterate views on vaccination go here or here.

Remember the Seneca White Deer?

I've posted about them before. It would be a shame if the herd was not preserved.

State of the Union Address

Remember

Ice Palace - I

The first evidence of hopes for an Ice Palace. The picture above is of Pontiac Bay on Lake Flower. The snow has been plowed off the surface of the ice so that thicker ice can form more rapidly. Some 1000-1500 blocks of ice will be cut out of this area.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Liz Cheney writes an editorial in todays Washington Post. Here are her points:

We are at war. Ok, we are at war. So how do we determine when the war is won? With whom do we negotiate a possible peace settlement? If this so-called 'war' is so important, why aren't the American people called upon to fund it with taxes? Is this like the war on drugs, poverty and cancer?

Quitting helps the terrorists. Possibly. I might concede that point if you will concede that the Iraq War itself has helped the terrorists. How many young men an women hate the USA now because of the Iraq War? Not only in Iraq but in all middle east countries.

Beware the polls. You claim the American people do not want to lose this war. But the polls clearly show the American people no longer support the war. How can you win the war (and please define how we will know we won it) without the support of the people?

Retreat from Iraq hurts us from the broader war. I guess your Dad should have thought of that before lying us into the Iraq War. BTW, do you actually believe that Pervez Musharraf is an ally of the USA? You must be as ignorant as your father.

Our soldiers will win if we let them. "American troops will win if we show even one-tenth the courage here at home that they show every day on the battlefield." You mean the courage of war supporters to join the military and help out? Or do you mean the courage to make financial sacrifices to fund the war? Prove to me that "global terrorism" can be defeated by military force.

I have a couple of questions for you Ms. Cheney. Has your father been right on one single thing concerning the Iraq War? Why should we continue to take his advice?

Oh yeah, one more. Do you ever go bird hunting with your dad?

Winter Carnival Saranac Lake

Looks like it will be seasonably cold at least for the next week in the Tri-Lakes area. That means thicker ice and the hope of an ice palace being built for Winter Carnival. The ice in Pontiac Bay was only 6 inches thick about a week ago. We need at least 12 inches of ice to obtain blocks of ice sufficient for building a decent ice palace. It normally takes two weeks to build an ice palace and Winter Carnival starts on Feb 2. But ice palaces have a way of getting built so stay tuned because I am going to present how an ice palace is built in detail complete with photos and maybe even movies.

Liberal Professors

The vast majority of college and university professors are unabashed liberals that present only the liberal point of view...right? We know that due to several published studies. Conservatives love to use the results of these studies to bash professors in the press. But a new recently published study says not so fast. They examine the results of 8 studies that "prove" professors are liberal and show that they all come up short in adhering to research standards. The research standards that should be adhered to include:

1. Replicable results
2. Establishing clear definitions
3. Accounting for alternative explanations
4. Drawing logical conclusions
5. Eliminating bias

The most serious theme being questioned is that students are prevented from expressing conservative ideas in the classroom.

For example, “How Many Ward Churchills?” was based on a review of online materials at various colleges. Lee notes that the researchers for the study appeared to focus on syllabuses or courses that had certain key words: activism, discrimination, gay issues, Marxism, oppression, pornography, radical, women’s studies, among others. Lee writes that selecting 65 courses at 48 colleges “does not allow for the sweeping generalizations the authors make.”

[My emphasis] None of the classes were actually observed. Also, none of the studies appear to demonstrate causal relationships.

While Lee finds flaws in all of the studies, he says that they have had influence, and notes that the studies have been widely cited by conservative pundits. Looking at the studies together, he says that it is clear that the authors “have a clear agenda” of charging professors with unprofessional conduct, and yet lack the evidence to make their case. Not a single study, he says, shows political bias in the classroom or hiring decisions.

Unfortunately, the study was funded by the American Federation of Teachers which for all purposes makes the conclusions of the study wrong in the eyes of conservatives. Just read the comments in the linked article.

In my opinion it is likely that a majority of college professors are liberal. Especially in the social science and humanities fields of study. It is also claimed that more open-minded individuals and people that do not tend to see things in black and white tend to be more liberal. But I don't think it has been proved that this means the academic freedom of students in the classroom has been impaired.

Talking to Each Other

Here is a link to a scholarly essay entitled "Why Can't Liberals Talk to Conservatives"? If you like it, go to the home page and read many, many other thoughtful essays.

Note: the essay makes reference to this study summary.

There is, a relatively stable ideological core of conservatism comprised of resistance to change and acceptance of inequality (e.g., Giddens, 1998; Huntington, 1957; Mannheim, 1927/1986; Rossiter, 1968)

[My emphasis]

A Wolf is a Wolf and God Owns My Stuff

Want to really be amused? Go visit Shelley The Republican. Learn why the wolf and the Tasmanian wolf should be considered the same species. They both are called wolves, they both have fur, they sorta look like each other...so why aren't they considered the same?

Next, learn about godless liberal judges and how they convicted poor Kent Hovind (Dr. Dino) for tax evasion. Kent explained that all his stuff belongs to God so he shouldn't have to pay taxes.

Then for a really good laugh, read about how Dr. Martin Luther King would have loved the job G.W. Bush is doing.

I like to think of the Republican party as a big old church with wide open doors, and a friendly sign outside inviting anybody who truly loves our Lord and Savour, Jesus Christ to come on in and share his goodness and love. We are the party of moderation and inclusion and we’re the people calling for a re-United States of America where Christians of every color can come together to defeat our common enemies the islamofascists, atheists, illegal immigrants and homosexuals.

You see, Dr. King was really a conservative. And, Jesus would be a member of the NRA. Learn about Barrack Obama. You are aware that:
it’s well known that black men are the most likely segment of the US population to go to jail. They are the most likely to take crack. The most likely to sell crack. The most likely to get involved in ‘drive by’ shootings. They are the most likely to pimp out women of easy virtue. They are the most likely to listen to disgusting hip-hop music and turn decent American children away from God.

Oh yeah, and that Obama is black.

NOTE: There seems to be some question whether STR is a satirical blog or not. Sort of in the vein of Landover Baptist. If it is then it sure is funny....if it's not...it's downright scary.

Stereotypes

Just what are stereotypes? One definition is "undesirable beliefs imposed to justify the acts of discrimination and oppression." Walter Lipman had this to say about stereotypes; "picture in our heads" saying "Whether right or wrong, ...imagination is shaped by the pictures seen... Consequently, they lead to stereotypes that are hard to shake."

The author of the blog post I link to below admits he stereotypes conservatives. He then goes on to explain:

Which is to say, I think conservatives all suck, and they seem to feel much the same towards us.

He immediately goes on to say:

But here's the thing: I have never in my life met or even heard of a single conservative who doesn't believe that it's okay to deny equal protection under the law

... He then proceeds to use the gay marriage debate to prove his quite valid (in my opinion) point.

But let's forget about gay marriage for a minute. How about AG Alberto Gonzales attempting to defend denying the Constitutionally guaranteed right to habeas corpus to certain individuals? The "equal protection" clause of the Constitution has never been a big favorite of conservatives because they don't want people "different" from them being treated equally under the law. I think you can provide many historical precedents that support this viewpoint. So is that stereotyping? In the 50's and 60's it was the blacks. Now it's the followers of Islam (and still the blacks).

Can you not argue that in recent years it has been conservatives that want to deny US citizens their rights and freedoms. Hey, if you haven't done anything wrong, then you have nothing to hide....right? The terrorists hate us for our freedoms. So to save us the conservatives want to take our freedoms away? No habeas corpus...the most basic freedom given to man since the Magna Carta?

Ok yeah, liberal want to use government to redistribute money...social security, medicare, medicaid, welfare and many other government sponsored programs. But conservatives want to use government to tell you how to live specifically. Who can marry who, how to use your body, how to act to best insure that you get to heaven, what constitutes valid anti-government protest, how not to be gay (unless you are a closeted republican). If you don't listen to them...you either aren't patriotic or worse, you are a traitor. At best you are anti-family values...because only conservatives know what is best for the family. A working father, a house wife mother, 2 kids in a nice home with 2 cars. You know, kinda like in the 50's.

One thing both liberals and conservatives can agree upon....since Google took it over, blogger really sucks!

Attorney General Gonzales Interprets the Constitution

I wonder if Alberto took an oath to uphold and defend the US Constitution. Here is his interpretation of Article I, section 9 of the Constitution.

“The Constitution doesn’t say every individual in the United States or citizen is hereby granted or assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn’t say that. It simply says the right shall not be suspended” except in cases of rebellion or invasion.”

So I guess we just let AG Gonzales decide who has the right of habeas corpus and who doesn't.

Conservatives - Right On

Excellent post about conservative beliefs and philosophy here. I especially like the part about the glorious 50's, about halfway down the post.

Conservatives don't care. They hate the present, they fear the future. The past is their only refuge, and for all its uglinesses, at least one thing about it is inarguable: white men were in charge. White men could do anything they wanted. White men ran the world. They could grab the secretary's ass and beat up any faggot they came across with impunity. Niggers and spics kept to their places, by God. And everybody wished everybody else a Merry Christmas and they damned well liked it, too.

Who's in Favor - Who's Opposed to the Surge

Find out here.

While you are surfing, go here to read why Methodist ministers are opposed to the Bush Library being built at Southern Methodist University. Bush will probably end up building his library at his ranch. There is still the question of what exactly he will place in his library.

Have You Sacrificed Your Peace of Mind for the Iraq War?

LEHRER: Let me ask you a bottom-line question, Mr. President. If it is as important as you’ve just said - and you’ve said it many times - as all of this is, particularly the struggle in Iraq, if it’s that important to all of us and to the future of our country, if not the world, why have you not, as president of the United States, asked more Americans and more American interests to sacrifice something? The people who are now sacrificing are, you know, the volunteer military - the Army and the U.S. Marines and their families. They’re the only people who are actually sacrificing anything at this point.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, you know, I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night.

Having never had to make a sacrifice in his whole life....this is all our President thinks US citizens need to sacrifice for his Iraq War.

Et Tu Rep. John McHugh?

One of our illustrious area House Reps John McHugh (NY-23), a strong GW Bush supporter, is voicing doubts about Bush's new Iraq War strategy. Even worse. He's doing it in the presence of the most evil person on Earth - Sen. Hillary Clinton.

McHugh has not been as critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war as the two Democrats, but like many Republicans in Congress he sounds increasingly exasperated with conditions in Iraq.

McHugh said he wanted to warn Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of the dwindling patience in Washington.

"It's folly to think that you can stabilize 80 percent of a country while one of the most important sites in the Middle East, Baghdad, is in total chaos. You can't just shove that under the rug," he said.

Like more and more republican reps and sens, Rep. John McHugh was for the war before he was against it. Listen to NCPR audio report here.