And further unpleasant news, Bird Flu seems to be spreading in Turkey.

For the panicked, the CDC website has a lot of good and useful information.

As I’ve mentioned before, this has been in the radar since 1997. The time for panic is long past. At this point the only P word we should be is Prepared.

It was brought to my attention Friday, but I wasn’t going to mention it, however S, at Hillbilly Sophisticate has brought it up, so I started thinking about it more.

What’s been bothereing me?

The fact that the group that pickets soldiers funerals is planning on picketing the funerals of the Sago miners who died.

Why? Because they believe that West Virginia is a hotbed of homosexual activity and so the mine disaster is God’s punishment.

Most of the time I don’t believe in Hell. But things like this make me hope that there is a Hell, because members of hate groups like that most surely belong there.

Merry Christmas to all the Eastern Orthodox!

I’m pretty sure that my dad and aunt will be surprised to learn that they come from the “fittest” city in the US.

When an annual survey named Baltimore the fittest city in America, many Charm City residents had the same response: You gotta be kidding.

FITTEST CITIES
1. Baltimore, Maryland
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Virginia Beach, Virginia
4. Tucson, Arizona
5. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
6. Colorado Springs, Colorado
7. San Francisco, California
8. Seattle, Washington
9. Louisville-Jefferson, Kentucky
10. Boston, Massachusetts
–Source: Men’s Fitness Magazine

FATTEST CITIES
1. Chicago, Illinois
2. Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Los Angeles, California
4. Dallas, Texas
5. Houston, Texas
6. Memphis, Tennessee
7. Long Beach, California
8. El Paso, Texas
9. Kansas City, Missouri
10. Mesa, Arizona
–Source: Men’s Fitness Magazine

I have to wonder about their sources, since despite the fact that West Virginia has the highest obesity rates in the nation, not a single WV city made the “fattest” list.

Cute Overload

They got the name right.

Okay, I love the weather. So I can’t help but love this site:
NOAA’s Precipitation Analysis Page.

Unfortunately, I can’t get it to work in Firefox, but Internet Explorer is a small price to pay for such weather geekiness.

via the little green house on the corner.

CNN has a nice piece on the miners. Just a little bit about each miner, but it’s still a nice effort.

Those of you who are on speaking terms with your deities, please send good thoughts and wishes towards Tallmansville, WV.

I’d also like to note that last year, violations were three times more higher, from 68 citations to 205 citations, and the injury rate was three times higher as well.

This accident may be just that–an accident. But it may also be related to the job that MSHA is and is not allowed to do. Is a $250 fine sufficient for violations that place the lives of miners at risk?

This place has changed for good
Your economic theory said it would
It’s hard for us to understand
We can’t give up our jobs the way we should
Our blood has stained the coal
We tunneled deep inside the nation’s soul
We matter more than pounds and pence
Your economic theory makes no sense
–Sting

(10:00)
Holy Cow!

Additionally, the delay between the radio and the tv is a lot shorter this year.

ADDENDUM the First: (10:36)
AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!

ADDENDUM the Second: (12:20)
Man oh MAN…. I can’t even watch.

ADDENDUM the Third: (12:44)

THUD

38 to 35 WVU!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!