wallpaper Sarah Palin®

wallpaper According to Salon, Sarah Palin has applied to trademark her name, along with Bristol's.

The former Alaska governer and influential conservative leader has filed for a trademark on her name. So has her daughter Bristol. How come? Because they're worried someone might highjack the Palin brand.

No word on Todd, Trip, Track, Trig, Kumquat, Bratwurst, or the rest of the oddly-named family.

Sadly, Reuters follows up with this:

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's bid to trademark both her name and that of her daughter Bristol ran into trouble at the Patent and Trademark Office because the application forms were not signed, government records show.

Yeah, they probably forgot... their names, that is.

Aw nuts. Forgot I'm supposed to be ignoring Palin this week. That didn't last long. However, I can feel good about putting that "R in a circle" after Palin®'s name henceforth.

wallpaper Frostnarok

wallpaper Yes, it looks like a promo poster for some post-apocalyptic disaster/action movie. But, no, it's not; it's Chicago this morning.

E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune, February 2, 2011: Abandoned vehicles litter northbound Lake Shore Drive on Wednesday morning.

CJSD yesterday offered the top ten nicknames for this storm. The title of this post was lifted from number four.

wallpaper No Biggie

There have been a few reports today, in OregonLive, KGW and KATU, about a series of small quakes at Mt. St Helens over the weekend.

There were 15 quakes, mostly in the magnitude 1 range, with a couple around magnitude 2.5 recorded by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. They were about two miles deep just northwest of the volcano.

Small swarms like this are not uncommon under any of the major Cascade peaks and the surrounding area. All three reports appear to be based on the same AP source, and all agree that this shouldn't be taken as a warning of any incipient St Helens activity. On the other hand, if you're in the vicinity of Yellowstone, you might want to hightail it out of there. In fact, I'd like to recommend that any geological activity, anywhere on the planet, should be taken to indicate that the terror threat at Yellowstone has risen from red to at least crimson, and very likely ultraviolet.

wallpaper I Slept Through the Big One

311 years ago today, a so-called "great earthquake" struck the coastal region of the United States Pacific Northwest. Here's my post from last year explaining some of the details of why we think we know this; I'm not going to rewrite it here. However, this year's anniversary is somewhat special for another reason: Oregon conducted its first "shakeout" to encourage preparedness for the inevitable next great quake at 10:15 this morning.

I slept through it.

Unfortunately, metaphorically speaking, so did public awareness. @GlacialTill pointed out earlier that many members of his geology department weren't even aware of it. I was aware of it, and its coincidence with the anniversary, but it was sort of a peripheral awareness, something to which I wasn't paying attention. As I mentioned to him, this is our first such event, so expectations shouldn't be too high. On the other hand, I see my own complacent attitude toward the exercise as cautionary and a little shaming: if a person who is pretty well informed and concerned about this issue is essentially ignoring the shakeout, how can he expect that the general public will catch on? As it turns out, slightly more than 1% of Oregonians are reporting their participation.

So in the spirit of trying to do better next time, here are some links, resources and commentary. The official homepage is here, and the graphic at the bottom claims "Over 37,000 participants." Of particular interest to me are the instructions for how to react at the onset and for the duration of a quake (and the page upon which these instructions are apparently based, with more detail and explanation).

Unfortunately, I think the biggest failure during this first attempt was the lack of media coverage. As I commented to GlacialTill, I remember quite a few cursory articles last fall when the drill was announced. I thought about writing up a post then, but decided to wait until it was closer with the assumption I would be reminded by news releases. I know I've seen at least one article on the event during the last week, but I can't find it now. An article from KVAL (which I do skim over) shows up in Google- though not my RSS- but the link goes to a generic search page with no results. There have been a few articles and press releases, but not in places where I might have seen them without an intentional search. For example, despite my general contempt for press releases, this one at Newswire is very well done, in my opinion. (Oregon State University source is apparently here, with some links I haven't followed yet.) This one, from Portland's Fox affiliate, is shallow and cursory, but at least it's something. A brief at Medford's News Tribune notes the event... in this morning's edition. This seems like a day late to me, at least, but again, it's something.

I don't want to point fingers here- I think it would be wrong-headed and counterproductive. Further, as I implied above, I do not hold myself unaccountable. Between one route and another, I estimate I get somewhat fewer than a thousand readers a day. This is certainly a situation where a trivial amount of effort on my own part could have- likely would have- made a significant and substantive difference. The Medford article claims that 24,000 participants were anticpated, so the actual number tallied thus far- which may increase- is better than 50% higher than expected.

Still.

I don't think Oregonians, Washingtonians and British Columbians have fully grasped the disruption we're talking about here. Roads, water, power, airports, hospitals, food distribution and all sorts of other physical and social infrastructure that we take for granted are likely to be knocked out for weeks, or, at the very best, functioning at very low levels of efficiency. Are you ready for that? Have you really thought about what that means?

It could strike in the next few minutes. It might not strike within the lifetimes of children born today. We don't know. To say it becomes more likely as time goes on, I think, would be misleading: seismologists and structural geologists are constantly reassessing their understandings of how stress and strain are relieved and distributed at any given moment and through time. For example, the recently discovered "slow quakes" of the PNW (that article is also a pretty good back-grounder) are still mostly mysterious. Do they concentrate strain and make a great quake more likely, or relieve strain and make one less likely? We don't know.

Given the unknowns, the potential consequences, and relatively low hassle and cost of being prepared, it seems obvious to me that being prepared is clearly preferable. As I said in last year's post, there is some good news here. I don't feel bleak about the situation. But I do feel we could be doing better.

As I looked back over the above to proofread for obvious errors, one sentence jumped out at me: "This is certainly a situation where a trivial amount of effort on my own part could have- likely would have- made a significant and substantive difference." I earnestly hope and pray you don't recall that sentence as you huddle in the rubble with your family, wondering when help will arrive.

Followup: Glacial Till, a geology student in Portland, and About.com Geology (Andrew Alden) have posted on The Shakeout as well. Both mention, as I forgot to, that British Columbia also conducted a shakeout. Glacial Till notes that the reported participation in BC is 460,000. Wikipedia says the population of that province is about 4.5 million, so that's a 10% participation rate, even though this is their first such event as well. C'mon, Oregon. We can do better. And Washington? You might want to come along next year.

Followup 2: I was half expecting this would get some after-the-fact coverage, despite there being effectively no coverage ahead of time. The Portland Tribune chimes in with the first such article I've seen, and I'll post any similar reports here as I come across them.

wallpaper Just What We Need

A bunch of "celibate," decrepit old white guys in dresses giving us relationship and marriage advice. Just remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.

By the way, I've been having exasperating connectivity problems the last week few weeks, and I see no indication it's likely to get better soon. Forgive the spotty posting, but my compulsion is to get through my reading first, then and only then going back and communicating what I've found interesting. Instead of having six to eight hours to get my reading done, I've been having three or four hours for that, and three or four hours to hop around to different wifi systems, while my stupid computer demands that I dial a connection- despite the fact I have never dialed a connection. Like I say, frustrating.

wallpaper Lotsa Water

I think Anne at Highly Allochthonous was the first to post this, along with some great discussion and explanatory hydrographs, but because RSS gives you the most recent articles first, I first saw it at KATU and OregonLive. The OL article has a more standard news perspective, if you're not into Anne's hydrogeological approach. KATU also has a story surveying tentative plans to restoring the wiped-out road, which no longer exists: the Sandy River is currently flowing where the road used to be. (Followup, 6:28- OregonLive also has a piece about reconstruction of the road, and an excellent aerial photo of the damage.)

Anne also mentions the February '96 floods, which I recall vividly. I was not out and about during those, though I did go downtown one afternoon to look at the water encroaching toward 2nd street, and it was not until mid-May when I found a field trip completely disrupted by washed out, debris-covered or severely damaged roads that I understood at a gut level how bad that set of floods had been. There are several areas in the Quartzville Creek drainage that I've been keeping a curious eye on for the last fifteen years, watching the recovery as plants have recolonized and various processes conspire to slowly hide the geological evidence of that mess.

As Anne correctly points out, last weekend's flood was not such a big deal- yes, it caused some local problems, and a number of people have lost possessions and homes, but no one was killed, and as far as I've seen no one was even hurt, though there may have been some discomfort when the power failed. As scary as the above footage is, in my mind, this was a good disaster: no casualties and awesome documentation. Another example of a good disaster was last year's volcanic eruption in Iceland. (No, I'm not going to look up, copy and paste its spelling.)

Other, much more seriously attention-deserving floods have occurred already in this young year, namely in Brazil and Australia. Today's Big Picture (The editor is moving on to another position, but says Boston.com's photo staff will continue the blog) showcases the Brazilian flooding and associated landslides/debris flows. And January 3rd, the same feature shared photos of the Australian floods. These two and other flood events (for example, "Sri Lanka, which suffered a 1-in-100 year flood this month.") are discussed in meteorological detail by Dr. Jeff Masters at his Wunderblog, who says

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center currently puts the La Niña event in the "strong" category, and whenever a La Niña or El Niño event reaches the strong category, major perturbations to global weather patterns occur. This typically results in record or near-record flooding in one or more regions of the globe.

Still, keep in mind some aren't sharing in this hydrologic wealth. An article that I would have read but probably not mentioned here, if not for the fortuitous context in which to place it, notes Prineville's water woes. Prineville is in the center part of Oregon, on the other side of the Cascades, and thus in their rain shadow. Trying to infer between the lines of this article, it sounds as if the problem is more about the groundwater geology and conserving scarce surface water resources rather than simply the dry climate, but the community is bumping up hard against the water limit, whatever the cause. "The reason the city is so interested in developing better wells is because, as it stands now, the city does not have the capacity to serve its existing residents, Klann said."

So yes, it has been a wet and mucky winter here in western Oregon, as was predicted when a La Nina developed in the second half of 2010. But overall, it could be a lot worse.

Followup: Heehee... just found this. Is it related enough? Sure, why not.

wallpaper

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

wallpaper Sometimes I Wish My Mind Would Shut Up

wallpaper Source photo from a story at OregonLive.

wallpaper Jaw Dropping

I am stunned to read that "There were 32 reported incidents at Portland International Airport last year in which the safety of planes was put at risk by people pointing at them with lasers." How do you explain that? I mean, I can see a few accidents, where someone inadvertently beams a plane, and the occasional crank/lunatic/sociopath, but seriously? Once every eleven days or so? There are dozens, even hundreds of passengers and crew on those things, and every one of them is put at risk. How, exactly, is it that there are people doing this, apparently for shits and giggles? And according to the article, PDX isn't even near the top of the list:

There 108 incidents at the Los Angeles airport last year, more than any other airport, FAA said. O'Hare was next, with 98, followed by airports in Phoenix and San Jose, Calif., both with 80; Las Vegas, 72; Philadelphia, 66; Oakland, Calif., 55; Honolulu, 47; San Francisco, 39; Denver and Newark, N.J., both 38; Tucson, Ariz., 37; Miami and Salt Lake City, both 36; Portland, Ore., and Ontario, Calif., both 32; Burbank, Calif., Orange County, Calif., and Baltimore, each 31, and Seattle, 26.

I swear, my species makes me sick sometimes. Next time you feel inclined to flash a laser at a plane, do us all a favor and go play with some nitroglycerin in a remote open field instead.

wallpaper PC Versus AG

wallpaper One of these guys is John Hodgman, the PC guy. The other is Oregon's new Attorney General, John Kroger. Can you tell which is which? (Hint: I can't, either.)

wallpaper Noted in Passing

Skimming through Google Reader a moment ago, this item caught my eye... wallpaper Wow. Things are pretty desperate out in the real world, folks.

wallpaper The Answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything

is not 42. It's all a mistake. wallpaper Someecards

wallpaper Pessimism

I have been hoping that Palin's comments regarding "blood libel" (not to mention the Washington Times "pogrom against conservative thinkers") would finally tip the balance in favor of "stupid." She's even getting flack from those on the right. David Frum, for example, said, "She should stop talking now, really." And:

Newt Gingrich, another likely contender for the 2012 presidential nomination, had barbed advice for Palin on ABC's Good Morning America breakfast show. "I think that she's got to slow down and be more careful and think through what she's saying and how's she's saying it," he said.

Granted, Palin's favorability ratings are at their lowest since she entered the national consciousness, but how dumb does one have to be to be unacceptable as a presidential candidate?

Pretty goddamned dumb, I guess. I was reminded of this quote from Gingritch- reported 16 years ago today:

While teaching his history course at Reinhardt College in Georgia a couple of weeks ago, Ms. Schroeder noted, Mr. Gingrich had expressed some thoughts on the subject.

If combat means being in a ditch, he told his class, "females have biological problems staying in a ditch for 30 days because they get infections, and they don't have upper body strength."

Men, he said, "are basically little piglets; you drop them in the ditch, they roll around in it."

And yet, he went on, if being in combat "means being on an Aegis class cruiser managing the computer controls for 12 ships and their rockets, a female again may be dramatically better than a male who gets very, very frustrated sitting in a chair all the time because males are biologically driven to go out and hunt giraffes."

Oh yeah, Newtie is considered a potential 2012 Republican contender too.
wallpaper (Savage Chickens) So 'scuse me; I gotta go kill a giraffe.

Followup: I meant to include a link to Tomasky's comments on Hannity's interview of Palin. Now I have.

...the interview was a predictable exercise in self-justification. She still doesn't know what "blood libel" actually means historically, saying that "blood libel obviously means being falsely accused of having blood on your hands." Maybe Randy Scheunemann can work on that with her one of these days, after she sorts out the difference between South and North Korea.

wallpaper I Have a Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream...

wallpaper

see more Comixed. For a serious piece of the profundity of King's words and deeds in a much-too-short life, you could do worse than Leonard Pitts' column. I appreciate learning more about the breadth of his concerns... it wasn't just about African Americans, but all the downtrodden.

wallpaper Stealing This Line

"I've been a Libra my entire life. Now all of the sudden I've been downgraded to a Virgo? Why didn't my previous horoscope warn me about this change?"

Indeed. (Bits and Pieces) Also, "I feel for those who tattooed their sign on their ass. (Not really)"

wallpaper Ummm... Irony Alert?

Don't know how else to describe it: via TPM, A Washington Times editorial claims

Mrs. Palin is well within her rights to feel persecuted. Since the Saturday bloodbath, members of the liberal commentariat have spoken in a unified voice, charging her and other conservatives with being indirectly or somehow directly responsible for the lunatic actions of accused gunman Jared Loughner. Typical of blood libel, the attack against Mrs. Palin is a false charge intended to generate anger made by people with a political agenda. They have made these claims boldly without evidence and without censure or consequence.

This is simply the latest round of an ongoing pogrom against conservative thinkers.

Within her rights or not, Palin and the rest of conservatopia are going to feel persecuted. We get it guys. That's what you do.

wallpaper Silvio, Silvio

Why does this not surprise me?

The chief prosecutor in his home city of Milan said the Italian prime minister had been formally placed under investigation on suspicion of having sex with an underage prostitute. He was also accused of abusing his position to pressure the police.

Say what you will about US officials from, yes, across the political spectrum. I can't think of anyone whose "wandering genital syndrome" has gone this far out of hand. So to speak. I can't tell if he's trying to look contrite and ashamed, or if he's smirking.
wallpaper Followup: I just mentioned this tidbit to fellow smokers/coffee drinkers outside with the comment that there had been many, many stories about politicians and sex scandals over the last couple of decades, but that Berlusconi was the undisputed champion. I was asked "What else has he done?" To which I responded, "As best as I can tell, the entire female population of Europe." And much of northern Africa, I might add.

wallpaper A Little Knowledge Might Be a Dangerous Thing

But it often seems that a little bit more- or at least thinking a bit about the small amount you do already have- could go along way toward making the situation much safer. For example, from Not Always Right:

Customer: “Where are the pregnancy test kits?”

Me: “Over there, by the condoms.”

Customer: “If I knew where the condoms were, I wouldn’t need the pregnancy test!”

Or how about this, from The Daily What:

Somewhat Apropos Of The Previous Post of the Day: Palmetto State Armory’s limited edition AR-15 lower receiver engraved with Rep. Joe Wilson infamous anti-Obama outburst “you lie” is an awesome, timely idea that couldn’t possibly backfire.

The editor notes that either the offer has been removed, or given the limited edition, has already sold out. And the "Previous Post" referenced? Why, Sarah Palin's "blood libel" comment, of course. (Here's the NYT report.) Okay, I'll admit it: I had to go look this one up myself. Turns out, I was aware of the myth, folklore... hey, "libel" is actually a pretty good word for it. But I guess I wasn't aware that that particular phrase was so firmly linked to those particular nasty rumors. The Wikipedia article is not for the faint-hearted or weak stomached. Not for the descriptions of acts, which, awful as they are, are fictional, but for the fact that a human being would accuse other human beings of doing such things.

This novel reaction on Palin's part has prompted a number of (deservedly) snarky comments. For example, @tbogg: "Sarah Palin proved today that it is possible to shoot yourself in the foot even when the foot is already in your mouth." @MickeySqueeks: "actually I don't think Palin said "Blood Libel" anyway. she said "Bible" but belched loudly in the middle of the word. try it." @BadAstronomer: "I thought it was a wind rising outside, but it was actually the sigh of Dan Quayle as Sarah Palin passed him on the way down. #Potatoe" @SarrahPalinU5A: "Sorry for using the phrase "blood libel". I was shooting from the hip. I tell ya, I need all this drama like a hole in the head."

A clue, Sarah: as I've said many times, Wikipedia isn't the most authoritative source, but it's not a bad place to start at all.

Followup: Somewhat more serious and sober commentary on Palin's faux pas here.

wallpaper Golly. More Casualties Than I Realized.

The right has managed to pass itself off, at least in it's own eyes, as an enormous group of helpless victims ground under the heel of Liberal Oppression for nearly two decades now. Limbaugh really rose to prominence in the wake of Clinton's election, and he is certainly the first-ranked victim over the last five presidential terms. Until now. Imagine my shock to read that there weren't just 19 20 dead and injured in Saturday's massacre: the entire Tea Party is also in critical condition:

A nine-year-old girl lies in the morgue. A member of Congress faces a lifetime of struggle to recover from a bullet in the brain. A city is bracing itself for a string of funerals as it tries to fathom the carnage. But Trent Humphries says there is another innocent victim left by Jared Lee Loughner's killing of six people and wounding of 14 others in his assassination attempt against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. It is his Tea Party movement and, more particularly, his family. The killings, he says, are evolving into a conspiracy to destroy his organisation and silence criticism of the government.

And here's an example of the life-threatening vitriol that has sent a whack-a-loon political fiasco into the ICU:

"It's time to change your message of hate. If not, get out of politics because the American people are not going to take it any longer. We want our country back."

Brain damage is such a sad thing. But the subsequent delusions can be breathtaking in their grandeur.

wallpaper Spoiled Meat?

Feed it to prisoners! (Something about killing two birds with one stone here)

wallpaper An Outstanding Example

...of measured, moderate and completely non-violent right-wing rhetoric: wallpaper From our fine friends at The Patriot Shop, via Facebook friend Jon. From whom, I just received a response to my comment (essentially, the title and opening line of this post): "Yep. Besides, liberals do it, too. I saw a liberal quoted somewhere as saying that a conservative should be voted out of office. Same thing."