I need the laugh (grading….14 December 09)

Stupid people cause much of the misery in this world (though not all of it).

So I’ll have a laugh at their expense:

1. PZ Myers on Fox News and Huffington Post:

Fox News brought on a naturopath to peddle a random bit of nonsense, that coffee makes you fat. Any drug that tinkers with your metabolism can have some unexpected effects, but to claim that a cup of black coffee is “worse than five hot fudge sundaes” is irresponsible insanity. [...]

Meanwhile, the HuffPo continues its adoration of homeopathy. No, not homeopathy: the quacks have come up with a new, impressive, pseudoscientific term for it now. It’s Nanopharmacology. It’s all wrapped up in a primer on quackery.

2. Paul Krugman: reports that some people compare some mainstream economic theories to mass murder (and no, I am not talking about things like the old Soviet Union agricultural program which lead to starvation for millions)

Hoisted from comments on my eulogy for Paul Samuelson:

Samuelson was just another Eichmann. He is responsible for propagating a destructive economic dogma.

The scary thing is that there probably are a number of people in this country who believe that advocating Keynesian economics is a crime comparable to being complicit in mass murder.

14 December 2009 (AM)

Workout notes When I got to the pool I found that I didn’t have my goggles (not a surprise; I sometimes lose them) but I didn’t have my back-up pair? Fortunately, the back up pair were at the lost and found.

So, 300 off strokes, 1000 in 17:4x, 500 of paddle/free drill for 1800 total (1 mile); I ran out of time.

I’ve been distracted lately; I was looking for a book for 2 days…it was on the shelf in my office, out in plain view.

Personal: I’ve got a stack of grading (two more classes to finish); one of the hardest things to convey to the students is that all of this mathematics has meaning beyond the abstract manipulation of symbols. Some get it; many do not.

Politics
Health Care Reform: many of us are wondering if we shouldn’t use a “nuclear option” of some type to get it past a filibuster. Evidently, Senator Tom Harkin is considering a move of this type. (whether he is serious or is just throwing a bone to us, I do not know).

The public polling on this issue is complicated. It is true that the majority of the public opposes the current Congressional bill though much of the opposition comes from the left in that the current proposal doesn’t go far enough. Hence the Senate might not have enough political cover to make such a filibuster breaking move, though it might do that on, say, financial regulation reform.

Ironically, we are roughly in the same place we were just a bit ago; Senator Lieberman and Senator Nelson are in that position where their influence is way overvalued (this comes straight from mathematical political theory; the “swing” vote is always more coveted than the base vote of either side).

Frankly, I don’t know what to think: they cynic in me thinks that the Democrats are actually grateful for this opposition; they want to be able to tell “their base” that they are with them all while giving big business (pharmaceuticals and insurance) what they want. I could be wrong.

Science: ok, what do we think here? For example, I am not well versed in evolutionary science, and yet I side with them because mainstream science has yielded real results (medicines, vaccines, etc.) whereas the ID/creationist crowd has only delivered comedy.

So, I go with the scientific consensus on climate change though I have no credentials here. Also, big oil has much more to lose than the scientists; hence they are much more likely to be agenda driven.

Football Weekend 13 December 09

Saturday: Army-Navy
Of course, for me, this is the game of the year. In a defensive struggle, Navy took advantage of a couple of missed field goals and a turnover to beat Army 17-3; The Black Knights actually lead 3-0 at the half.

This is the March On; I did this three times (and had “the duty” once). West Point always looks better than we do in this area.

The Brigade of Midshipmen at the game:

We cheered long and hard.

For the curious: these are not the normal uniforms (blue jerseys and gold pants); the red trip is supposed to mimic the red trim on the dress pants of a Marine Corps officer’s uniform (the Naval Academy graduates both Navy and Marine Corps officers).

Army fought hard; this game was much closer than the recent ones. Though Navy currently has a lead, the overall series record never deviates much from .500 either way.

(photos from yahoo; here is the write up of the game with a link to more photos)

Personal note: I had to proctor a final exam during the game but watched on live feed on my lap-top (with the sound turned off).

Sunday

Game One: The Bears lose to the Packers 21-14.
In a nutshell, the Bear defense played well (save an early breakdown which yielded a 62 touchdown run)

But the offense stunk: they threw two interceptions and only gained 59 yards on the ground.

The defense did enough to hold the initial Packer lead to 13-0; a nice 80 yard scoring drive cut it to 13-7 at the half.
Then the defense came up with a bizarre “double fumble” from the Packer quarterback; that set up the go-ahead touchdown and the Bears actually lead 14-13!

But the Bears threw yet another interception to set up a Green Bay touchdown and 2-point conversion; the Bears offense was too inept to rally from 21-14 down.

Personal Note The Rams play in St. Louis against the Texans next weekend; lots of good seats are to be had very cheaply. Note that the Rams are currently losing 47-7 to the Titans.

Cowboys-Chargers
Right now the Chargers are up 17-10 with 2:42 left and are driving; the big change happened in the first half.

The Chargers were up 10-3 and the Cowboys drove the ball to the San Diego 2 yard line and had second and goal. The Cowboys tried three straight runs and got no further than the 1.

Still, the Cowboy defense got an interception and got the ball back at about the 22. Then…they got stuffed again and had to try a field goal…and missed.

In the second half, the Cowboys actually finished an impressive 98 yard touchdown drive to tie it at 10, but the Chargers responded with a drive of their own to take a 17-10 lead in the 4′th quarter.

Right now: the Chargers are about to attempt a field goal that would put them up 20-10 with just over 2 minutes to go:

The kick is good; in this quarter they’ve outgained the Cowboys 154-2x yards.

They now enjoy a 342-256 yard advantage adn the Cowboys are now at their own 14 with 1:48 and down 20-10. Ok, with the last drive it is 342-338 yards.

Ok, 57 seconds to go.

Ok, they are at the 18 of San Diego and there are 26 seconds left….stopped at the 4 with 7 seconds left. Even a score and an onside will not leave enough time. Now the Cowboys jump offside and it is now at the 9. Touchdown, Cowboys; total yards are now tied up but the score is 20-17 but only 2 seconds. That is how it will end, regardless of who covers the onside kick.

Dallas now goes to New Orleans (loss), Washington (3-9, but the Redskins will be up) and end with the Eagles (probably another loss).

(NFL photos from yahoo)