202 Chemicals Linked To ADHD, Autism

Researchers have identified 202 industrial chemicals and compounds that may be linked to the rise in autism and ADHD. What do you think?

Geraldine Simmons,
Bricklayer
"And here all this time I thought it was all the blow I did during my third trimester."

Hector Dayton,
Office Supply Salesperson
"The evidence is weak. We should pour many more chemicals on children to see if they develop autism and ADHD before making any conclusions"

Pete Alpert,
Systems Analyst
"If just one of those chemicals is responsible for making my Doritos nacho cheesier, I say we keep it in."

A jewel from The Onion

Conan's WTR lever

MUD RUN 07!!!

I was awakened this morning by the sound of my wife's office ringtone, and on the other end: Cpt. Strode, U.S. Army. His team was short one member for the MUD RUN 07!!!, and he wanted to know if I liked to run (in general). I don't. But I saw it as a challenge, both personal, and interservice. If I said no, I'd be proving that the Air Force couldn't hang with the Army, And I couldn't do that. So, I jumped out of bed at 0800 and drove up to the race. this thing was 6 miles, 3 on road, and 3 on dirt path, with obstacles spaced inbetween. I was just happy that I finished, and I didnt stop to walk or rest. next stop, NYC!

The nice USMC DIs provided pre-race motivation for the runners...



...in the form of many, many pushups


Old Man and the Mud


Pretty Paige


The final mud gauntlet


Dan and I after the gauntlet


Finishing as a team


Posing at the finish


The (at least I'm not last) victor

It just keeps me hangin on II

What an awesome day. Our teachers are really happy with us because we did so well on our last exam. I think that we really surprised them; I know that I was surprised with my results. It was a pretty difficult exam, but our class average was a B- I think. Although I did well, my scores dropped in Reading, but at this level, it means I missed as little as one question. They don’t make it easy on us.
Now we get to the awesome part. Every Friday, our class presents a brief lecture on a current event that we research in the target language, such as an article or excerpt from a radio broadcast / podcast, and present it to our class and teachers, and sometimes, to the chairman. Today I presented mine in front of everyone, including the chair, and a distinguished panel from MIT, who is in town doing research on translation and upgrading existing translation software to obtain better accuracy in translation, with the ultimate goal of such software assisting a person with little or no target language experience to translate professional materials with minimal to no errors. As you would expect, this is an intensive labor.
After my presentation, I was asked by the chair to escort members of the panel to another classroom to view other students’ presentations and provide direct translation from AD to Engrish. It was amazing that I was able to perform this duty, and it was an honor to get selected for the task. I know that the chair thinks highly of me, and I enjoy meeting and exceeding those expectations. I hope that, in this way, I am providing good leadership via example, and that I am encouraging my teammates to do their very best in class. I fear that I come across as a know-it-all, so I make sure that, even though I know the answer 95% of the time, I give the other students a chance and try to never blurt out the answer. It goes against my instincts, though, because in my line of work, waiting for an answer is unacceptable.
I had a couple of conversations today with 2 men at different times of the day, about career paths. I respect both men, and I think that they have both made wise decisions with their lives. I don’t think, however, that any of us is settled in our careers. I think that we are in good places presently, but that there are many more wonderful and exciting opportunities for us. I guess that’s one of the many advantages of living in the States: opportunities abound.
I enjoy what I do now. I enjoy the challenges, and the benefits. It can be really frustrating at times, but what job isn’t? The best part of it is that my education is paid for, bills are paid for, food’s always on the table. Our basic needs are met, and I get to look at the ocean everyday.

Msg from the Veep

I've seen a few protests in the area. People are pissed. Most don't understand, and some just wanna speak out against the administration. More power to them, as long as they don't act rediculous, i.e. protest military funerals. Then there are the Iraqis, themselves; their desires, etc...
I'm all for a timetable. We need to establish one, and end this open-ended commitment. Not so much for our forces, but to motivate the Iraqi security forces to take up the fight themselves. Some may argue theologically that placing a timetable on something as grand as this limits the Will of God, and that the situation will normalize itself, and whenever it normalizes, we can withdraw. I think that a timetable will act as a catalyst to this process, and will ultimately save American lives. I also believe that either action will lead to Iraq civil war. Unfortunately, I see civil war as inevitable in the early stages of a democracy, and in a sick way, I see it as healthy. It is basic team-building, and there will be clashes. After these intense situations normalize, the organization realizes that it will have to depend on each faction in order to survive and, eventually, thrive.

Finally, research I can get behind

Check this Mess out... Its funny, because for each student we lose, I view it as extra deskspace for my books. Pretty soon, I'll have that Statesman I've always wanted.

240-year sentence for NYC hate crime

I'll save you some time. The best line is:
Johnson invaded Bar Veloce, in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood, while nine men and six women were inside it June 16, 2002. He was carrying three pistols, a samurai sword and a container of kerosene.

For Josh

Thanks Stampy

For a while....For a while.

The dream is always the same: I’m late for school and I don’t have my homework I’ve missed so many classes that, barring a 180 degree change in my behavior, I won’t be allowed to graduate. I’m failing math, and my parents are at their wits’ end. I have no idea where I am going or what I’m going to do when I get there, but I want to get there as fast as I can.

Except, I graduated 7 years ago… I did okay, but I could have done better. I’ve done excellent at the collegiate level, and I’m married to a hottie. So, wtf do I still have nightmares of homeroom?! Does it have to do with the overwhelming stresses that compounded and erupted in that short period of time during my last semester of senior year? Are they feelings of regret?

I miss my friends, but I try to refrain from contacting them. They have their liberties, their own concerns, choices that they need to make. We all have our own capabilities and limitations that have been borne of the consequences of our previous actions and subsequent choices. I keep setting goals for myself within seemingly unrealistic time limits, but still, more often than not, I succeed. Is it because I fuddled around during my high school years? I lacked direction or ambition then, and now, perhaps, I’m trying to overcompensate for those unproductive days. Or perhaps, I didn’t have enough unproductive days, and these feelings are the longings for more screwing-aroundedness.

Dr. Oatman? Pick up, I know you’re there…

So tomorrow marks the 4th annaversiary of the Iq invasion, and 5+ of Afghanistan. We are still over there. We are still suffering losses to keep these 2 nations afloat. It seems like we've lost all support. yet if we did nothing, that would have truly been unacceptable. I dunno. I still feel like I'm part of the solution; that hasnt been stripped from me yet. I see on the news, these soldiers being killed by the dozens by one, two carbombs daily. Seeing families being torn apart by an unforgiving opstempo. How long can this go on? How much more can we, as a nation, stomach? Ask the Afghan woman, who, until we arrived, had to keep her whole body covered or face a beating, or worse, by those cowards.
Then theres Iraq. the Admin has lost its credibility, and its up to the guys over there to make things right. They've done great work, and I'm proud of them. I just wish that there were easy answers and obvious solutions. Our military was never set up for nation building, and the opposition knows how to exploit us. It would just be alot easier if we were reading about this in a history book, 20 years later, than living and experiencing it right now. We'll see what happens next.

no noose

So I have'nt posted in 6 months. big woop, wanna fight about it? Been busy. Christmas came and went, another year older, and i'm midway through my course out here. Passed my RU DLPT5 with 2/2, and I'm (supposed to be) studying for my promotion test on Tuesday. We're redo-ing the bathroom in a Sean Connery James Bond style, with black and white photos from his films on the walls. I know it sounds lame, but its gonna turn out great. George says hi.