UConn James

Update -- GIs Who Refused Job Had Unarmored Trucks Says Gen. James E. Chambers. They'll still probably be charged, tho. Thurman, no matter the facts, can such a precedent be set where military members can't be sure their commanders won't send them out in unequipped vehicles? No matter the facts, what does this incident say to kids who are thinking about enlisting? How much money is spent on each Humvee, each Deuce-and-a-half, each fuel transport truck, etc. and they DON'T have armor coming out of the factory? It's not the Boy Scouts we're talking about.... In this day and age, with our so-called technological superiority, there's an expectation that we don't send our troops into battle with equipment that will get them killed (Rosen Hawks in Mogadishu, don't get me started...). The equivalent of this would be docking a mile off Omaha Beach, ordering the troops to swim to shore and when they get there, jump up and down yelling "I'm your target; shoot me, please!" Or when surrounded in the Ardennes and requesting support, the OIC telling them, Now we've got them where we want them! Did ANY of you ever read "All My Sons"?

From everything I've heard, read and personally experienced about this, improper or unecessary prescribing is probably one of the bigger problems in mental health care. Don't get me wrong, some people need the meds, but for others, alternative therapies can work. I've seen examples of both. Goes into our whole line of thought that a solution comes in the form of a little capsule. This same line of thought has teachers and parents going to doctors with claims of ADHD b/c a kid has behavior control problems. Put 'em on Ritalin, that's the cure! Is this b/c of pressure from drug companies on doctors to drum up sales? I'm not absolutely cynical about this, but sometimes it's hard not to be. Especially when their ads are running on TV 24/7.

Oh, Mr. WILLLLLSSSOONNNNN!!! Happy Birthday to a truly decent man! And here's wishing he has MANY more.

Well, the episode tonight is the one where her bathtowel falls off.... She looks great for 40, and to answer MadBuff, yeah, they do use make-up for the under-eye puffiness. Kind of plays up the distressed single-mom stereotype they're working with....

A pretty good blog write-up:

Well, Stewart says that unless something major comes to light, he's voting for Kerry. And you apparently can't hate America any more than to cast your vote for the senator. Wham won't be satisfied until we all chant, 'All hail President-for-life Bush.'

Just caught "Desperate Housewives" for the first time tonight. The years have aged her like a fine wine. Longer hair seems to suit her better. Sorry, this was the most gratuitous recent picture I could find....

I now can't find evidence that Bulger's shoulder was separated(?). Thought it was him... But the Rams got a couple good OL, like Turley from the 'Aints for a 2nd rounder. There was probably a reason that Warner got his clock cleaned last year. Maybe I'm wrong and Pace is a great player but he's still paid way too much and his Poston Bros. antics aren't exactly good for team chemistry. I don't disagree with your comparison; JJ doesn't want to be in Buffalo. Oh, come on! Moderation, Bill. Moderation. It's good stuff, and if you need a quirky reason, just mention that it's distilled from 100% maple sap. That piques people's interest.

That's not what was said. Just that Why is this just coming to your attention now? Because it's now got a chance of having an effect? I put the blame squarely on the Big Two Parties for not doing anything about / paying closer attention to this stuff b/c neither wants prying eyes looking into voting irregularities.

You mean Orlando Pace, the headcase who was demanding a $27M signing bonus? And whose play, most would say, has slipped quite a bit? Ogden is a great OL, I'll give you that, but for every one like him, there's ten Darrel Russells, Ryan Leafs, Rick Mirers.... Yeah, but what did TD do last time he got that kinda pick? He used it rather than trade down to stockpile picks/other compensation. I can't say as I fault you there. We all cope in different ways.... I'm recently trying Vermont Spirits Gold Vodka.

Cut and paste w/ additions from my post on the college board.... Why would anyone want a Top 10 pick? It's a great way to %$&* your salary cap, whether the player is any good or not, which many times the player's production isn't near what you expected. Take MW, for example. We have a large tub of lard playing matador to DLs league-wide, and for this, we paid out a huge contract. Okay, a Top 5 pick would be great if you could be assured of getting a Jim Kelly-type player, but that's not what you get now; it's about 1/3 that you get a player in the first round who's still on your roster four years later. And the signing bonus kills your cap; better to spend that money on a FA who can help your team right away or for two slightly-less rated rookies who'll be motivated in camp rather than know the job is de facto theirs and tank it. Get out of the top 10 and the salaries go down exponentially. That's the reason why so many teams want to trade down for more picks every year, except for the perennial losers who think a high pick will magically make them better. If Dallas gets that high a draft pick next year, I'm not going to lambaste the move. They can pay some guy a $12M bonus. We paid a lot less of a contract for a player who's got just as good a chance to be an effective starter, a year earlier (too bad he broke his leg tho...).

In a country where we convict cops of murder and for discharging their weapons when their lives were in danger or assault when delivering "street justice," I'm sure that would go over really well with the American public.... Instead of "Support Our Troops" the calls would probably turn to "Stop the War, These Cats Is Killing Themselves."

Mickey, What are you thinking? A court-martial where the facts can be explained and the soldiers can get due process? Posh! Hang 'em HIGH! </sarcasm>

How about letting the Super Bowl winners wear diamond-studded brass knuckles in their games the next year? That'd be sweet!

I think you're mind-effing this a little too much (one of my favorite words for overanalysis. Don't worry, I do that all the time ). In the common usage/treatment: Umbilical cord SC do have the genetic make-up of two parents, but it's the exact genetic makeup of the child whose uc it was. Therefore, there's no chance of rejection of the cells if you use it to treat that person. That's what I meant. Adult SC also come from one person's own exact cells to treat their disease for certain differentiated cell types they can get them from. No chance of rejection, but there are cell types where ASC cannot be gotten, which include some of the major ones like brain/nerve cells, heart cells, etc. In the theoretical: Embryonic SC are each seperate embryos that are cultured to replicate itself, and theoretically can turn into any kind of cell type (researchers have been able to differentiate ESCs into many cell types, like skin, heart cells, etc.). There would be a problem of rejection b/c in this case, it would not be the patient's own cells being used, it's the ones created from couples doing in-vitro fertilization. That's a problem researchers will be working on which I think they can solve.

Watching the the UM-Illinois game today was the first time I've seen their system in action. Big(11)Ten Replay Rules Only the Technical Adviser (kind of like an ref, but not connected with the field crew) in the booth can request a replay, and they review the play with two other technicians. Coaches cannot call for a replay tho, which I think would have to be amended. The coaches both took time-outs after questionable plays so that person would have extra time to review. Don't like that, but the organizational system is what I do like. I think it'd probably reduce the time spent on NFL replays for the ref to put his already-biased two cents in. IMO, it would be good to take the decision out of the hands of the people who may have made a bad call and don't want to admit it. And we've all seen that happen. Thoughts?

My understanding is that it's pretty similar, only that umbilical cord SC wouldn't create problems in accepting the cells, b/c it's someone's own genetic cells. Unfortunately, there's 250 million people walking around whose umbilical cord SC weren't saved, and it's not very common to save it currently either.... Theortically it's exciting for the future. But with the relative newness of this science, I think it's important to do testing with ALL of the types. We need to cover the bases b/c it will invariably come to pass that one or two types won't be useful for X disease, and then what do you say, "Oops"?

Besides saying "Praise God" and "Hallelujah," anything Mr. Kerry talks about would be considered political by someone. Religion ~= Politics, deified.

I hope that's not my uncle's definition of "high winds," which is called out after one hears a loud FWERRRT noise. Anywho, if Clements is any kind of OC, we'll be seeing a lot from Willis tomorrow if Henry doesn't play or even if he does. Reliance on running game gives us a big advantage.

Whatever my beliefs about Bush, I don't hold him specifically responsible for this. He doesn't say, 'Send 3,000 gallons of contaminated fuel thru the ST w/o backup.' His was a from-the-top decision that will be proportionally judged on 2 Nov. I wouldn't hold a president responsible for the minutia. Sometimes, making your voice heard when those in command refuse to hear it is necessary. As the LAST resort. They probably will be razzed; but if it were your butt on the line and you felt the conditions were a suicide mission, would you go along? Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6 (my brother did colorguard for a guy in his unit a few months ago, contributing factor was inadequate armor).

Thanks, tho at this point all we get is the Official Word, which is to be believed about as much as that Iraqi Information Minister.... Wouldn't be surprised to learn that the op conditions were stevestojanny, but the soldiers will still be charged.... Since they've otherwise been described as serving most honorably, one might hold judgment before you call them "cowards" until the specific details come out. That's just for level-headed persons tho. And, the "supplies" was contaminated fuel, not exactly something that was Do or Die.

Where did you read another article about it? Link? I haven't seen anything else in my rounds.... Are you suggesting collusion? I don't know, with that many people, I think it'd be hard to have EVERYone willing to commit that "mortal sin" and risk the penalties w/o a very good reason. If another convoy made the run successfully, you'd have to question whether the brass made operational changes. Wouldn't be the first time commanders were shown to be issuing an unlawful order, then changed what was wrong and went ahead to cover their 6. Let's hope the truth DOES come out, but all too often it doesn't. In that case, usually a way to arrive at truth is to read what both extremes are saying and believing something toward the middle point. [On Edit:] Had to go to the New London Day to actually find an AP article on it. General has the unit on "stand down" while condition of the trucks are checked. Another unit, with 120 troops completed the mission. Read above.....

Revolt in the Ranks in Iraq From a lead-in: "The extreme behavior of the soldiers in the 343rd, a supply unit whose general mission is to deliver fuel and water, reflects a serious disconnect between the administration's mantra of progress in Iraq, and the perspective of at least some of the U.S. soldiers fighting for it. "'I got a call from an officer in another unit early [Thursday] morning who told me that my husband and his platoon had been arrested on a bogus charge because they refused to go on a suicide mission,' said Jackie Butler of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Michael Butler, a 24-year reservist. 'When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something major.'" ------- Just to ask, but how many of you would want to drive 200 miles through the Sunni Triangle with no gunner trucks and no air support, in fuel trucks with little or no armor? This combined with the fact that the mission was to deliver fuel contaminated with diesel that had been refused at another location just prior. My brothers have gotten some dip-stevestojan orders in their time, but said that this takes the cake when they asked if I saw this, this morning. Is there such a thing as Army Intelligence?

I don't think very much crosses the line if it's the truth, the family has thrust themselves into the public figure status, and the issue its brought up about is affected by public policy. Yup, DC's daughter's a lesbian. Yup, Edwards' wife is overweight (is she really 'obese' by definition?). And, maybe you're onto something. Providing medical care for obesity early on can save a lot of money in the future, when the people in their 60s+ and on MediCare develop the diseases that are associated with it. Just like pre-natal screening saves $6 for every dollar spent. You guys talk about reducing the federal budget, these are baby steps to the day when we can say, okay we don't need these programs anymore b/c people are in better health. $2.5T - $.5T = $2T. Baby steps, and we'll get to a time when we can have the same standard of living w/o having to make so many transfer payments.

Voter registrations must've Just crumpled up and thrown themselves in the wastebasket.... For sign-in, enter: mercurynewsloginssuck@nowhere.com 123456 ---------- Highlight: "I personally witnessed my supervisor at VOA, together with her personal assistant, destroy completed registration forms that VOA employees had collected," said Russell. "All of the destroyed registration forms were for registrants who indicated their party preference as 'Democrat.'" Russell said he registered both Democrats and Republicans and, as a result, his pay was docked. According to the lawsuit against the Clark County Registrar of Voters, he provided copies of destroyed registration forms he retrieved from his supervisor's garbage can. ----------- Sorry, but this crap goes on from both sides of the aisle. Voter fraud doesn't have a strict enough penalty and is all too often not enforced. One person, one vote. Allow voters to register, check them in w/ valid ID, show them how the machine works if they need to be shown, and then let them vote. Count them up to determine who got the most votes. It's not hard. Why can't people respect that? Maybe if that happened, whatever way the election went, we can be sure of and accept the outcome?