White People Are Mutants

I missed this when it first came out but thanks to the blogoshere, and The HuffPo in particular, I now have been informed.

Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a finding that helps solve one of biology's most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity's greatest sources of strife.

The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races.

[snip]

Although precise dating is impossible, several scientists speculated on the basis of its spread and variation that the mutation arose between 20,000 and 50,000 years ago. That would be consistent with research showing that a wave of ancestral humans migrated northward and eastward out of Africa about 50,000 years ago.

Unlike most mutations, this one quickly overwhelmed its ancestral version, at least in Europe, suggesting it had a real benefit. Many scientists suspect that benefit has to do with vitamin D, made in the body with the help of sunlight and critical to proper bone development.

Sun intensity is great enough in equatorial regions that the vitamin can still be made in dark-skinned people despite the ultraviolet shielding effects of melanin. In the north, where sunlight is less intense and cold weather demands that more clothing be worn, melanin's ultraviolet shielding became a liability, the thinking goes.

Today that solar requirement is largely irrelevant because many foods are supplemented with vitamin D.

This news will certainly infuriate racist anti-intellectuals on the right but fuck ‘em, they wouldn’t know, or even care about, a fact if it bit them in their belief system. In fact, its fun to think about taunting them with the “mutant” notion. Scientifically there is no negative connotation to the term but I’m sure those who feel racial superiority in their whiteness would not take kindly to being called a mutant.

Texas Hates God

Kos wonders…

Why is God punishing Texas with grass fires? Remember, with the American Taliban natural disasters are always someone’s fault.

I thought Kos was smarter than that. Isn’t the answer obvious? The Texas legal system is prosecuting –no, persecuting –the righteous Tom Delay. Delay, defender of all that is good in America and only slightly dishonest (not his fault), is being unfairly smeared in the Texas courts and God will not stand for it.

Friday Beer Blogging: You say Tomato, I Say Beer Edition

Oh, I could have had a Tomato Bibere! (Slapping my forehead)

Good news kids: the Japanese are now making a tomato beer. Hear that Brewhaus? I expect you to have one chilled for me on the occasion of my next field trip.

Sorry, I couldn't find a picture of tomato beer anywhere. This is the best I could do.

Anyway, I saw this breaking news on the most excellent beer site Realbeer.com:

Dec 12, 2005 - A Japanese brewery and determined pub owner teamed to produce a tomato-based low-malt beer.

Tomato Bibere combines the sweet flavor of a tomato with the bitter taste of hops. One tomato is used in the production of each 330ml bottle of reddish beer.

Isamu Waki, who runs an izakaya pub in Tokyo, has been asking other brewers to produce a tomato beer for years. Hirofumi Koda, president of Echigo Beer Co., was the first brewery operator to take him up on the idea.

Waki pinned his last hope on Echigo Beer, which has produced beer from rice, pears and even green tea. "I was overwhelmed by Waki's enthusiasm for the project, so I decided to go for it," said Koda, who himself does not care for tomatoes.

The master brewer aimed at making a healthy drink, so all of the ingredients are organic. Since tomatoes are fibrous and have a low-sugar content, filtration and fermentation were especially difficult. The first trial product, which took five months to make, was watery and barely tasted of tomatoes. Koda called it vile.

Koda and Waki tasted various trial versions of the beer by altering the amount of tomatoes and by increasing the sugar content to improve the beer they finally released.

Actually, on second thought, I think I’ll pass. I could use the lycopene, sure, but any tomato based drink is bound to kill my stomach. When you’ve got a spinach based beer drop me a line.

2005 Year in Review: The Short List

Let’s get this out of the way early. I think there were only three Springfield stories worthy of my “top” list.

In no particular order:

The 183rd Fighter Wing was stolen by Ft. Wayne, Indiana with the help of the Bush administration.

Springfield might already have a smoking ban if the City Council would just stop screwing around and get it done.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opens with Sen. Dick Durbin telling a dumb joke and George Bush comparing himself to Lincoln (another joke).

That’s it. Nothing else happened that anyone will remember.

Update: Jim Leach finds more to remember. Note that my top 3 are included in his top 4 (the other one was a state story by my strict, unyieding rules).

The Coming Iraqi Civil War

This story by the great reporter Tom Lasseter has been linked to extensively today in the blogoshpere but I think its of critical importance. I’ve long suspected the final outcome in Iraq will not be determined until U.S. troops leave, be that today or in 10 years, and only through civil war. The sides are already preparing:

KIRKUK, Iraq - Kurdish leaders have inserted more than 10,000 of their militia members into Iraqi army divisions in northern Iraq to lay the groundwork to swarm south, seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and possibly half of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, and secure the borders of an independent Kurdistan.

Five days of interviews with Kurdish leaders and troops in the region suggest that U.S. plans to bring unity to Iraq before withdrawing American troops by training and equipping a national army aren't gaining traction. Instead, some troops that are formally under U.S. and Iraqi national command are preparing to protect territory and ethnic and religious interests in the event of Iraq's fragmentation, which many of them think is inevitable.

Right now, a large deployment of U.S. troops is all that is keeping a lid on things. How long are we going to keep our fingers in the dike? It’s costing us the lives of two soldiers a day, even more wounded (some horribly) and gobs o’ billions of dollars. Can we wait it out at that price? Can we wait it out at all or are things going to fly apart no matter how long we stay? I think it unlikely that these ethnic and religious tensions are going to do anything but get worse over time.

All this leads me to believe we need to get out now with the exception of advisors, a rapid response force and air power to prevent wholesale slaughter. There’s nothing new to that idea, it’s essentially what people like Juan Cole and Congressman John Muthra have proposed. I see no indication the insurgency is going to quit anything close to soon so we are going to be paying the price of occupation as long as we are there. In return all we are doing is prolonging the inevitable struggle amongst Iraqis for the equilibrium of power.

Who knows, faced with the awfulness of civil strife all sides might be more willing to cooperate eventually. They certainly have no incentive to do so now.

New Rules

Be sure to get your Christmas lights down by the weekend. Or else.

Man, this is a slow week.

Empty Emails

In the last 24 hours I have received 3 emails with no content or attachments, no subject and no sender. Completely blank. I got one at work and two at my home account. Anyone else getting these?

Bad People With a History

Ha, ha. I get that this was just poorly worded (I hope) but it does sound like the government is failing to round up people who are known to have committed terrorist acts:

In Crawford, Texas, where Bush is spending the holidays, his spokesman, Trent Duffy, defended what he called a "limited program."

"This is not about monitoring phone calls designed to arrange Little League practice or what to bring to a potluck dinner," he told reporters. "These are designed to monitor calls from very bad people to very bad people who have a history of blowing up commuter trains, weddings, and churches."

Hey Trent, if they have a history of blowing things up maybe you should have them arrested instead of just listening to their phone calls.

Hat tip to Atrios.

A Theory of Relativity

I heard a story on WUIS this morning, attributed to the State Journal-Register, about Springfield mayor Tim Davlin’s daughter being in some legal trouble recently. As near as I can tell, the story is not in the online SJ-R* so no link to the story. A week or two ago we also had the story about Alderman Chuck Redpath’s brother getting in trouble with the law.

My question is, is this fair to the politician or the family member? It’s a long held tradition in the American media to trumpet the failings of the relatives of the powerful, but what’s the point? Are the people of fame diminished because of what a relative has done? The answer is mostly no but there are some exceptions.

I think there is a legitimate story when hypocrisy is exposed. For example, if I’m blasting parents for not raising their children properly (you know, “family values” and all that) and then my kid goes out and commits a crime, well a hypocrisy flag needs to be thrown. Obviously, there is also a story when the misdeeds of kin directly involve the person of note.

But beyond the above exceptions, why drag the relatives into it? It’s all so gossipy. And I think that’s what’s really behind these stories being treated as “news”. There is a market for dirty laundry. Those in the public spotlight become familiar and we want to know all the juicy details. It has nothing to do with the “public interest” and everything to do with what the public is interested in.

*Newspapers may contain opinions or language that may be considered inappropriate by some viewers. The newspapers linked to do not reflect the opinions of the11thhour.blogspot.com or Dave. The newspapers linked-to are not affiliated or associated with Dave and the11thhour.blogspot.com.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize(s)

Think there are more and more awards shows? Yup...

Since the nineteen-seventies, English says, there has been an explosion of new cultural prizes and awards. There are now more movie awards given out every year—about nine thousand—than there are new movies, and the number of literary prizes is climbing much faster than the number of books published.

Link here via Ezra.

What He Said...

Is that America's highest goal -- preventing another terrorist attack? Are there no principles of law and liberty more important than this? Who would have remembered Patrick Henry had he written, "What's wrong with giving up a littleliberty if it protects me from death?"

The Miami Herald's Robert Steinback via Kos.

Top Stories

The SJ-R wants to know what you think were the top stories in 2005. Multiple choice poll here.

Note: the explosive growth of the local blogosphere is not an option but there is a place for write-ins.!

Monday Night Farewell

Oh my god, stop with the Monday Night Football eulogies. Every newscast on every station this morning is wailing over MNF’s move from ABC to ESPN. Look at it this way (I am): Nightline, or what’s left of it, will now start on time on Monday all year long. I wish I had a dollar for every time over that last 25 years I've tuned into ABC at 10:30 (or 10:35) only to realize “The Game” was still on.

OK, MNF has been kind of a cultural touchstone but has anything good come from it? We got Howard Cosell, the Bears only loss in the 1985 season and Bocephus’ “Are You Ready for Some Football”. Well, I guess it has been a good excuse to extend the weekend, sitting around with the guys and drinking beer on Monday nights. On ESPN it still will be.

The Last Bullet in the War on Christmas

With Christmas 2005 in the past let’s hope the phony “War in Christmas” nonsense has seen its day and will not resurface next year. I’ll let Fontana Labs have the last word before I declare peace:

Has anyone else noticed that the O'Reilly Defense of Christmas has changed the phenomenology of the holidays? I used to hear "merry Christmas" as a jovialgreeting; now I hear it as a gauntlet-throwing. Thanks, you jerk.

Boom. The war is now closed.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and Santa is about to leave presents under the tree (i.e. I'll be hauling them up from the basement). I'll be doing the Christmas thing here and out of town for the next couple of days so posting will be light to none until things get back to normal on Tuesday. Until then, Happy Holidays!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Daddy, Where Do Christmas Trees Come From?

Click Image to enlarge

Little Red Hoax

Uh-huh, I thought so. The “Little Red Book” story was a hoax as I suspected:

NEW BEDFORD -- The UMass Dartmouth student who claimed to have been visited by Homeland Security agents over his request for "The Little Red Book" by Mao Zedong has admitted to making up the entire story.

The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. Brian Glyn Williams, and his parents, after being confronted with the inconsistencies in his account.

But it’s nice to know my LRB is safe. Now on to the Cultural Revolution, comrades!

Singing the Christmas Wars

As Ezra points out (taken from the New York Times):

The following Christmas carols were written by Jews: "O Holy Night" (Adolphe Adam), "Christmas Song" (Mel Torme), "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin), "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" (Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne), "Silver Bells" (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans) and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reinder" (Johnny Marks).

Jews for Christmas. Or something.

I'm not sure what this means for the War on Christmas. Wars, even ones made up by cable TV talking heads, can get so messy.

Supplemental Beer Blogging: CSI Edition

So, Springfield’s stabbing murder this week was over a can beer. Shitty beer at that. From today’s SJ-R*:

A can of beer led to the fight that resulted in the fatal stabbing of a Springfield man, prosecutors said Thursday.

Patricia A. Gibson, 44, who is accused of stabbing her longtime boyfriend at their apartment Tuesday night, was charged Thursday with two counts of first-degree
murder.

[snip]

Robert L. Porter, 54, died at Memorial Medical Center at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, about an hour after he allegedly was stabbed by Gibson in their apartment at 3203 S. Sixth St.

First assistant state's attorney Steve Weinhoeft, in asking that Gibson's $1 million bond be maintained, said Gibson stabbed Porter in the upper chest with a steak knife during an argument over a can of Natural Light beer.

First of all, I think it’s funny the paper identified the brand of the beer. The story doesn’t say if the argument that led to the stabbing was over who had to drink the crappy beer and who got the better one (say, a PBR). Because you’d have to stab me to get me to drink a Natural Light.

Either way, I hope Ms. Gibson, if found guilty, is put away in the big Department of Corrections beer fridge for a long time. What a senseless act over nothing.

*Newspapers may contain opinions or language that may be considered inappropriate by some viewers. The newspapers linked to do not reflect the opinions of the11thhour.blogspot.com or Dave. The newspapers linked-to are not affiliated or associated with Dave and the11thhour.blogspot.com.

Friday Beer Blogging: Christmas Tree Edition

Predictably, this week’s Friday Beer Blogging has a Christmas theme. I could have taken the high road and presented a fine layout of delicious Christmas/Winter beers. Something like this:

But no, I’m going for the real spirit of Christmas Beers. Of course, I’m talking about Beer Christmas Trees. These pictures were ripped-off from this site. And before that, the site printed on each picture. These are well-used pictures.


And this one is my favorite. I love the beer can star at the top of the "tree" and, man, look at the cool decorating on the walls.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Beer Tree.