The Inside Straight

Much High Definition Ado About Nothing

It has been a very ...uninspiring morning so far,and, out of sheer boredom, I decided to watch the much-touted High Definition channels on TV.

Wow ! Very clear images of Flipper !

Flipper ?

Tell me this isn't a “Flipper” re-run I'm watching !

But it is, and here's this critter: poking its head above water, and clicking and chirping away,in an effort to lure two pre-adolescent boys into investigating a boat somebody has concealed with branches.

There is obviously some sort of inter-species thing going on , and, much as I defend the right of others to make alternative lifestyle choices,this looks a bit “fishy”-if you get my drift. Time to change channels.

Here we go: “Charmed” in HD format. ( Attractive 20-something-posing-as-teen-age witch has relationship conflicts with assorted attractive males and females : some of whom also have “powers”.)

Commercials were much better than the plot – which is identical to the non-HD version !

European Sports (click),game show (click), art gallery (click) ......ah, movies !

“Return of the Living Dead” - something about zombies in Kentucky . I wonder why the young woman keeps walking downstairs and calling out “Who's there ?” after hearing suspicious noises downstairs ?? (Click).

Tail end of an Italian language film. English sub-titles – dialog incomprehensible anyway.

Aha ! Martial arts film...in Greek; English sub-titles – dialog even more incomprehensible than the action. ( Lots of cinema noir camera technique , which serves to make the film even more confusing...click !)

Then I remember: my computer screen is High Definition too ! What's shakin' on Yahoo ??

Ummm... Not much. How about celebrities.

Hey: here's something about Brad Pitt.

http://omg.yahoo.com/brangelina-in-chicago/photos/445;_ylt=ArMUBnCMCPK4pKe3yZo8g06Apxx.

He's depicted stepping off a private jet in Chicago with one of the “Brangelina” kiddies.

Wait a second ! Isn't that the same Brad Pitt described as being devoted to “Green” save-the-environment construction here ?

http://omg.yahoo.com/brad-pitt-stops-by-green-project-site/news/1892;_ylt=AlzTraaHl0ETNWB_HY4VnIyApxx.

Q. What is he doing on an environment-destroying private jet ??

A. Brad is a celebrity, silly ! He's allowed to destroy anything he wants !!

In HD , no less !

Traces of Marburg Discovered in Certain African Fruit Bats

Marburg, an Ebola-like filovirus appears and disappears in Africa - seemingly without rhyme or reason : each outbreak leaving a trail of dead and dying people.

Researchers have long believed the virus was endemic in some species of animal,which acted as  a "reservoir"  between human outbreaks ; and, in recent years, attention has been focused on the many species of cave bats - in part, because of a seeming correlation between small scale gold mining -carried out -often surreptitiously- in caves,and outbreaks of the dreaded disease.

Now, an international team,working in Gabon, has discovered tantalizing evidence that a very specific species of fruit bat might be the carrier.

Following the testing of 1100 bats, representing 10 different species, one species : Rousettus aegyptiacus , showed positive traces of Marburg in its RNA and/or traces of antibodies for the disease.

Research is continuing in an effort to determine whether this bat species is a "true reservoir" of the virus, or whether it-like Man-merely suffers from periodic outbreaks of Marburg.

The "miracles in health care" we have come to take for granted all have their roots in unexciting , often exasperating research like this: research being carried out by people who care : people we consider "unimportant" and take for granted.

Extra ! Extra !! Crimes by Non-Aliens Reported !!

For at least two years, I've been reading hair-raising reports about crimes committed by illegal aliens : murders, rapes, robberies, drunken driving,and more.

Some of those who posted these reports reminded readers these law-breakers were "doing things that Americans would not do" ; and I began to worry that our own legally-challenged citizenry was being displaced by these invaders : a circumstance that could have grave consequences for our Criminal Justice bureaucracy.

I am relieved to report there is good news from the heartland !

Our first case involves a tow truck driver-accused of drugging and sexually molesting other men.

Next, we have a western Pennsylvania teen ager accused of stabbing a cheerleader to death.

Then we have a Cherry Hill,NJ woman - accused of trying to poison her retired cop husband with anti-freeze. (Brrr !)

Not to be outdone in the poison department,two Colorado gents allegedly planned to murder a debtor by using rattlesnakes. (Ugh !)

As you can see, by this admittedly tiny sample, good old fashioned American enterprise and ingenuity are not dead yet - despite the efforts of Un-American Invaders !!

"Bangalore Torpedo" Torpedoed by Police

Police report they have foiled a bomb plot in Bangalore,and have arrested the members of a 4 man gang : seizing explosives, detonators, and a revolver.

There have been a number of explosive stories in the news of late: a man targeted in Georgia by a truck bomb-(It went off, but he is still alive.)-small explosive devices planted in a wide variety of US locations-(all, IMHO,the work of bored young people,and/or disturbed older ones.)

Overseas there have been a large number of rather serious terror bombings, which did not make it to the front page because there was no Iraqi War angle to be exploited.(One-a train bombing- occurred in Russia-and came very close to becoming a major catastrophe, as the train was crossing a bridge.)

There have also been a sizeable number of foiled bombings : prevented by observant people.

We in the United States have been privileged to have been spared much of the bombing that goes on around the world on a daily basis - BUT - having been lucky so far does not mean we are immune !

Alarming Anthrax Incident in Mississippi

A student-working in a fairly safe biolab (BSL-3) was transferring an Anthrax culture to a flask when the flask broke.

Cleanup was carried out without incident, and the student was given precautionary treatment and released. The public does not appear to have been endangered at any time; however, it is expected the "usual hue and cry" will arise from those who wish the US to avoid any experimentation with possible bio-agents, while turning a blind eye to outright weaponization by other governments.

As usual, there will be a germ of truth (pun intended) in the opposition outcry: labs are only as safe as the least safe worker assigned to them. In Britain, for example,careless handling led to the "release" of Foot and Mouth virus : an outbreak of which had near-disastrous effects on British livestock just a few years ago.

For heaven's sake, let's be more careful out there !!!

Goose Creek and Washington Refinery Fire : Any Linkage ?

On Saturday.August 4th, two "middle-eastern-looking" men were pulled over near Goose Creek, SC for an alleged motor vehicle infraction. A search of their vehicle is said to have produced a bag containing explosives hidden in the trunk.

Goose Creek is home to a Naval station where nuclear subs are serviced.(This servicing includes the loading and offloading of nuclear weapons and components - enough to make it a "highly sensitive" facility.)

It is also the home of a Navy brig, where terror suspects have been housed; so it is not surprising the FBI was called in, and is investigating the matter.

One of the media reports suggested the two detainees were already under investigation for "an incident in another jurisdiction".

I don't want to cause undue alarm, but can't help wondering if the "incident" so obliquely referred to might have been a major refinery fire in Washington State ?

Last week, there was a refinery fire in Whitley, Washington that caused considerable damage. Reports indicate surveillance cameras spotted two "suspicious males" at the scene immediately before the fire. A second refinery also spotted two suspicious men ,and launched an investigation .

The FBI is reportedly investigating both Washington State incidents , and, of course, Saturday's Goose Creek events. This does not mean there is a linkage ; but increased vigilance would seem well warranted !

The "Radioactive Boy Scout" and Other Summer Madness

The easiest way to introduce this topic is with a quote:

Radioactive Boy Scout" arrested
03 August 2007

David Hahn, 31, from Clinton Township, Michigan, has been accused of stealing smoke detectors containing americium. Hahn was previously described as "The Radioactive Boy Scout" after trying to make a thorium-based reactor in a shed at his mother's home when a 17-year old. Now 31, Hahn, was being held in the Macomb County Jail on charges of larceny from a building.

Full story here.

According to the story. Hahn had a number of (apparently stolen) smoke detectors, and it was speculated he was trying to extract the americium from them. Americium is a radioactive metal that is quite similar to polonium and could ( I believe) be used to make a "dirty bomb"-or-more threatening still- be alloyed with beryllium to create a neutron source that would be far more dangerous.

Hahn's motives (He says he was researching for a book) are - at best - murky.

Hahn's adventures are not unique: a Pataskala, Ohio (near Columbus) man was taken into custody on sexual assault charges,and a search of his home revealed a jar about half full of castor bean seeds-which can be used to make ricin : a deadly bio-poison  for which there is no antidote. Police say "rocket fuel" was also found. (I'm not sure I want to know what that was all about !)

All across the nation, there have been false bomb threats. These usually get phoned in right after lunch on Friday afternoons - presumably by employees looking to start their weekend early.

New Jersey had a staggering number of such incidents until it worked out a remedial strategy: The police respond in full force, and they make a thorough search ...but no employees are allowed to leave the building unless a real threat is found. (By strange coincidence the number of bomb threats has gone from several per week to one every few months...)

All of these incidents remind me of the old fishing hole I visited as a boy. The water would sometimes be so dappled with "fish strikes" it would look as if the pond was being hit with a rain shower; but, on closer examination, the "big fish" creating all that fuss would turn out to be minnows.

That didn't mean there were no big fish present. You would see them swirl up once in a while from the cool depths to grab a minnow, or to steal the bluegill you had just hooked.

The people we need to worry about are out there - and, just like the bass and pickerel of my youth,catching them is the tricky part - especially when there are so many minnows tying up the attention and resources of those whose job it is to keep us reasonably safe.