Saturday - May 09, 2015
Ebola Burnt Out In Africa?
Liberia Ebola Free For 42 Days
Liberia has been declared free of the deadly Ebola virus, which killed 11,000 people in the west African [area], after six weeks without a new case of the disease,
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said Liberia was free from Ebola after 42 days without a new case but urged vigilance until the worst-ever recorded outbreak of the virus was extinguished in neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone.
A total of 11,005 people have died from Ebola in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone since the outbreak began in December 2013, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Nearly half of those deaths have been in Liberia, where the outbreak peaked between August and October, with hundreds of cases a week, sparking international alarm.
The size of the catastrophe prompted the United States to send in hundreds of troops to help build treatment clinics in the country.
Helped by the visible U.S. military presence, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government launched a national awareness campaign to stem the infectious disease, which is spread by physical contact with sick people.
‘We can’t take our foot off the gas until all three countries record 42 days with no cases,’ said Mariateresa Cacciapuoti, MSF’s head of mission in Liberia.
[ UN Special Envoy on Ebola David ] Nabarro suggested that, even though fewer than 20 new cases were reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone last week, it could take months to get to zero.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/09/2015 at 12:26 PM
Filed Under: • Health-Medicine •
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Permalink • Another MSM Unexpected Result
95 times out of 100 I see news items which make me want to write the UK off as dead and buried. Then something like this comes along and delivers two grains of hope.
Seats won in Parliament House of Commons - 636 out of 650:
Conservative: 322
Labour Party: 227
Scottish National: 56
Assorted commies, fascists, crazies, and nanny-staters: 31
But, but, but gosh, the exit polls said things were too close to call, and that Labour maybe could pull off a win??
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Tory party scored a decisive victory over the opposing Labour Party, left far-left and far-right parties in the dust and defied pre-election polls with a resounding election triumph he called “the sweetest victory of all.”
Aided by the Scottish National Party’s rout of Labour in Scotland, Cameron and the Tories left opponents on the right and left in tatters. The Labour Party lost 24 seats in Parliament according to early returns, and party leader Ed Miliband resigned from his role. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg resigned after acknowledging a “cruel and punishing defeat,” in which his left-of-center part suffered its worst-ever defeat - dropping from 57 seats to just 8. On the right, UK Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage, a thorn in Cameron’s side, failed to win a seat and resigned as party leader.
What what? Crivens, no seats for UKIP? Or just new ones, as it appears that 14 seats either weren’t up for grabs or aren’t accounted for yet. I don’t know what that means, but I think it just might kill the “UK out of EU” movement? Or not - half the Torys want out as well I hear. This is all too confusing for a mere Yank, but seeing Labour get a well deserved beating looks pretty sweet.
The resounding victory left Cameron and his party with a slim majority in the 650-seat House of Commons, meaning he won’t need to form a coalition government and now has a mandate to implement the party’s full agenda of cutting government, entitlements and taxes. With 643 constituencies counted, the Conservatives had 326 seats to Labour’s 230.
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Cameron went to Buckingham Palace Friday to inform Queen Elizabeth II that he had enough support to form a government. It would be the first time the Conservatives had won a parliamentary majority since 1992. Cameron is the first Conservative Prime Minister to win re-election since Margaret Thatcher..
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“I think this is the sweetest victory of all,” Cameron said.
More election fun from across the pond:
- Lefty singer Charlotte Church is having a meltdown; the “bogey men” are taking over!! Gee, too bad those #sorry selfies are so passe. link
- Change the voting system, our guys didn’t win! UK’s version of Electoral College winning method annoys lots. But at least UKIP got 1 seat! link
- “Rather" sad - BBC has dark night of disbelief covering vote results; “an air of incoherence and listlessness”. Maybe they should have hired a math major to help present the results. link
- Margot Robbie looks awesome in tight shorts while shopping. Are you kidding me? Margot Robbie would look awesome covered in duck shit and a moldy burlap bag. link
Posted by Drew458
on 05/09/2015 at 11:41 AM
Filed Under: • UK •
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Permalink • A different kind of landslide
I always like this one. It’s groovy in a modern way. It’s not quite the bouncy dark fun as Puddle of Mudd’s She Hates Me, or the lyrically trippy art of Train’s Drops of Jupiter, but it will do.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/09/2015 at 11:25 AM
Filed Under: • Music •
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Permalink • hanging in there, help wanted
I’m getting a lot more work lately, which is fine by me. And it’s time to get the garden going. And the wifey has had quite a bit of time off from her job lately too. All of this adds up to me not having the time to devote to this blog that I usually have. Sorry. Life has to come first.
Pieper also has some pretty strong demands on his time these days too, getting the house fixed up and so forth.
Doc leads a busy life, and I’m grateful that he can post when he gets the chance.
We’re doing what we can, and none of us is getting any younger.
What I’m saying is, I’m amenable to taking on another guest blogger or two. I know quite a few of my regular BMEWS readers really stay on top of the news and frequently have comments to make. So here’s your chance if you want it. Send me an email. I am actually checking the email almost every day, and responding to nearly everyone. We’ve got several new members I haven’t had time to introduce, so a big welcome to them, and I’m sure you’ll get to know them better as they make comments about this or that.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/09/2015 at 11:13 AM
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Permalink • sank like a rock
8th Place finish, Fun League is over. Summer league starts the week after next.
Crivens, we got hammered these past 5 weeks. By the same team, over and over again. Grrr. Sand baggers. Ok, not really, but come on already. There’s a guy on Team X who has been a superb bowler for years. About a year and a half ago, he got very sick and was in the hospital for a very long time. When he got out, he’d lost a whole lot of weight and muscle strength. It’s been a long road back for him, and we’re all very glad at his recovery. However. Grump grump. Before his illness he had been a 240-250 average bowler. Like I said, real good. When he came back this season he had to relearn from the ground up, and threw from the 130s. Over the course of the year he got better, and is now back up to where he was before. And that’s really great. Except that his running average in the league is cumulative, so he hit the last weeks of the season with a 197 average and 30 weeks of low scoring inertia behind him. So he was his own ringer, casually bowling 40 over nearly every game, with just about no weekly change to his average. With everyone else also bowling their best, there was just no way we could overcome that. Especially when we had to give them handicap points!!
Early in the season we played Team X in the first rotation, and beat them 7-0. I think we may have faced them in the first position round, but I don’t recall how that came out. And we played Team X at the end of the last rotation. And they kicked our butts 0-7. And then we got smeared by another team in the position round, 0-7. And then the next rotation - which is a randomly generated pairings schedule - put us up against Team X again two weeks after that. And they slammed us 0-7. And then it was time for the finals, and of course we were up against Team X. We bowled our hands off, and went 2-5 in the semis. And then we got Team X again last night, and finally, FINALLY, the guy was off a little in the last game, which not only allowed us a win, but a big win, so we took overall wood, and split the points 3-4. But all in all, we dropped from 5th place to 8th. And they floated up to 7th. So for a 35 week season, in a league of 13 teams, we played this one team 6 times. This is what position rounds frequently do. I don’t like them.
I think a better way would be to have several scheduled rotations and no position rounds at all. Just play all the other teams in one order, then play all the other teams in another order, then play as many of the other teams as time remains in the third order. And then do the finals. No semi finals. The worst that can happen that way is that you play the same team 4 times.
I’m also a fan of the “mini league” idea of a split season, one that follows the school/college schedules. It’s a tough sell, because the prize money is cut into two chunks, but you get some cash back much sooner. But what I like most about it is the schedule. Day after Memorial Day to December 23rd, Fall season. January 2nd to mid-May, Spring season. June to the 3rd week in August, a shorter summer season for summer leagues. And that gives everybody time off for the holidays, time off when the kids get home from college, and another week off at the end of Summer. So those of us who can afford vacations can take them without feeling like we’re letting our teams down. And it’s nice to get a few weeks off from league, as much as we love it.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/09/2015 at 09:31 AM
Filed Under: • Bowling Blogging •
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Permalink • Thursday - May 07, 2015
dammit missy
Posted by Drew458
on 05/07/2015 at 11:29 PM
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Permalink • Iran: Good Sense, A Pay Off, Or JFWY?
Maersk Tigris Released By Iran
Iran has released a Marshall-Islands flagged container ship and its crew which were seized last week in one of the world’s major oil shipping lanes, the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.
The agency reported an informed source as saying the Iranian Ports and Shipping Organization would issue a statement in a few hours on the details of the release of the Maersk Tigris.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told CNN on Thursday that the cargo ship had been released but declined to provide further details.
A representative for Maersk in Copenhagen, Denmark, was unable to immediately confirm whether the ship had been released.
JFWY: Just fucking with you.
They held it just long enough to prove their point, which was on a stick they poked Obama in the eye with.
If nothing else, they sure made the US look weak. They hijacked a ship in an open act of piracy right out from under the US Navy’s nose, and held it for long enough to show that not only nothing would happen, but that this act barely got any attention in the US media. This was a flagrant act of war, and the Great Satan didn’t even make a speech. Worse, about the only statement they did make was the one released by the military lawyers, saying how they weren’t responsible here or required to do anything about it. Ships registered to an ally, a former commonwealth to whom we have an absolute treaty stated responsibility to defend. So here it is world: when push comes to shove, the US will drop you in a heartbeat. Under the bus. And all they did was provide a little coverage for their own ships, not anyone else’s. Strong horse, weak horse? USA under Obama: dead horse.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/07/2015 at 09:39 AM
Filed Under: • News-Briefs • planes, trains, tanks, ships, machines, automobiles •
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Permalink • Prediction: Cool Summer, Long Cold Winter
The sun started “taking a nap” with many less sunspots than typical towards the end of the last solar cycle. It’s still asleep in this solar cycle, and that nap could continue into the next cycle as well. When the heat engine of our solar system is on Idle, does this mean cooler weather for all the planets, including ours?
The sun is almost completely blank. The main driver of all weather and climate, the entity which occupies 99.86% of all of the mass in our solar system, the great ball of fire in the sky has gone quiet again during what is likely to be the weakest sunspot cycle in more than a century. The sun’s X-ray output has flatlined in recent days and NOAA forecasters estimate a scant 1% chance of strong flares in the next 24 hours. Not since cycle 14 peaked in February 1906 has there been a solar cycle with fewer sunspots. We are currently more than six years into Solar Cycle 24 and the current nearly blank sun may signal the end of the solar maximum phase. Solar cycle 24 began after an unusually deep solar minimum that lasted from 2007 to 2009 which included more spotless days on the sun compared to any minimum in almost a century.
So, this cycle is quite a No-Show, and the end of the last cycle was a putz as well. Worse, this cycle’s Maximum was by all counts a Minimum. Ruh-roh Shaggy, we may be in for it.
Going back to 1755, there have been only a few solar cycles in the previous 23 that have had a lower number of sunspots during its maximum phase.
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... if history is a guide, it is safe to say that weak solar activity for a prolonged period of time can have a cooling impact on global temperatures in the troposphere which is the bottom-most layer of Earth’s atmosphere - and where we all live. There have been two notable historical periods with decades-long episodes of low solar activity. The first period is known as the “Maunder Minimum”, named after the solar astronomer Edward Maunder, and it lasted from around 1645 to 1715. The second one is referred to as the “Dalton Minimum”, named for the English meteorologist John Dalton, and it lasted from about 1790 to 1830 (below). Both of these historical periods coincided with colder-than-normal global temperatures in an era now referred to by many scientists as the “Little Ice Age”.
I know that last winter was pretty brutal here. This winter seemed nearly as cold, and felt like it came early and stayed late. I know it’s the end of the first week in May, and I had to get up last night to turn the heat on.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/07/2015 at 08:50 AM
Filed Under: • Climate-Weather •
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Permalink • Wednesday - May 06, 2015
First Prize
The best drawing in Garland was outside the Draw, Mohammed art show itself.
link.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/06/2015 at 03:34 PM
Filed Under: • Humor • RoPMA • War On Terror •
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Permalink • Finding The Will To Fight
Goodluck Jonathan Gaining In Fight Against Boko Haram
Outgoing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan isn’t acting like a lame duck when it comes to going after Boko Haram, the murderous Islamist army that has terrorized the northern part of Africa’s most populous country.
In recent weeks, government forces have taken the fight to the terrorist army, rescuing hundreds of women and girls held captive in Boko Haram’s forest stronghold in Borno state. Amid the cheers for Jonathan, who lost his bid for re-election to Muhammadu Buhari on March 31, some critics are wondering what took so long. As welcome as the new offensive is, some say it reeks of last-minute legacy gilding.
“Boko Haram is the big blemish on Jonathan’s legacy, so it’s understandable that he’d want to crack down and score some successes on his way out to improve his record,” Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst with the Clarion Project, told FoxNews.com.
In the last year, Boko Haram has abducted an estimated 2,000 mostly Christian women and young girls, selling some into sexual slavery and killing others. In the past week alone, the Nigerian military, along with coalition forces from neighboring countries Chad and Cameroon, has advanced on Boko Haram strongholds and rescued nearly 700 of the captives. According to reports, more than 200 of the rescued women were pregnant.
What the government forces have found as they fought their way deep into the Sambisa forest where Boko Haram is based, is a force that could have been reckoned with long ago. Some captured militants even said they lacked guns and ammunition, and were often reduced to fighting with sticks.
The recent offensive, as well as the tragic plight of women held in horrendous conditions for months, has left some in the international community wondering why these actions couldn’t have been taken sooner.
Gee, I dunno. Maybe because Obama put the nix on it? You know, denying them weapons shipments, supplies, threatening them with war crimes at the UN over using barrel bombs. That kind of thing. And now, perhaps with sanctions lifted since O’s pet won the election, old Goodluck is making hay while the sun shines. There is a lot more to this story than this little news article is aware of.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/06/2015 at 08:43 AM
Filed Under: • Africa • Obama, The One • War On Terror •
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Permalink • Tuesday - May 05, 2015
Cinco De Mayo? Not Here It Ain’t
The only thing I celebrate on the 5th of May is my anniversary.
And I get double bonus points out of buying her flowers ... I take her to the garden center and we buy plants, and they go in the garden.
Arrggh, the garden. Oh no, it’s fine. It’s just that I wanted to water today, so I had to dig around under the kitchen sink to find the valve to turn the outside faucet on. So after moving about a thousand little boxes and bottles, I got to the valve, and found it frozen. Rotten piece of crap ancient gate valve. It got used twice, maybe three times probably in it’s life time. At least it’s a double ended bolt on. So now I have to replace it. With a good ball valve. Which means not only a trip to the hardware store, but I also have to dig my way to the back of the garage to find the house shut off valve back behind the hot water heater, and cross my fingers hoping that it still works too.
It figures ... I have to order this valve? Phooey. Maybe one of the plumbing supply stores has them in stock. I figured they’d be as common as dirt. I’ll even take the kind with the big lever. Or in raw brass.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/05/2015 at 02:45 PM
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •
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Permalink • Monday - May 04, 2015
faerie flight
There was some toy for kids on the market 20 or 30 years ago. Flappy Fairy, Wing-ed Wanda, Aero Girl, Sky Spirits, or Cloud Dancers or something like that ... pink and chartreuse plastic skinny little ballerina dollies that had hinged fairy wings for arms. Pull the string on their launcher and they’d spin around and helicopter up and across the room. Kind of like maple seedlings but in reverse. This put me in mind of them. Of course, these days, it’s probably all Denise The Drone, with 3 engines and a HD spycam for taking high altitude selfies. Kid’s toys have lost the magic.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/04/2015 at 11:14 PM
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •
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Permalink • Another Senior Moment
Oh Bad Drew. Bad Bad Drew.
He forgot that it was Peiper’s birthday today.
Egad.
You know what’s even worse?
Peiper forgot too!!
Happy Birthday chumleigh.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/04/2015 at 02:58 PM
Filed Under: • BIRTHDAY •
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Permalink • Hep Hep Hurrah Again
London 1:15pm (CNN) And the princess has a name!
The newest UK royal, a girl born on Saturday, has been named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
The middle names, of course, hark to her great-grandmother, the current queen, and her paternal grandmother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997.
Charlotte, a feminine form of Charles, is likely a nod to her grandfather, Prince Charles.
Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is fourth in line to the throne—after Prince Charles; her father, Prince William; and her brother, Prince George.
She will be called Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. Her mother is Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Now, is that name pronounced “Car Lot te”, or “Shar Let”?
Posted by Drew458
on 05/04/2015 at 02:14 PM
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Permalink • Five Most Recent Trackbacks:
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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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