One Quick Question

Just answer the question, sir, are these, 

or are these not your underpants?

One [Becky] Quick question, get it?

(clickabiggen)

Clock Boy Moving to Qatar?

The Dallas Morning News:

The Mohameds announced today that they’ve accepted a foundation’s offer to pay for the 14-year-old’s high school and college in Doha, Qatar, which Ahmed visited a few weeks ago as he began a world tour.

Are they moving to Qatar? Maybe. But if they're "moving to Qatar" like little Ahmed "built a clock", this could just mean he's put up a Qatar travel poster in his bedroom.

Because the Science

David Siegel:

What is your position on the climate-change debate? What would it take to change your mind? 

If the answer is It would take a ton of evidence to change my mind, because my understanding is that the science is settled, and we need to get going on this important issue, that’s what I thought, too. This is my story...

Well, We Tired Them Out

I suspect Putin is looking to turn a profit from his adventure in the sand, but it looks like he may also be making friends:

The reactions [in the region] underscore that while the West may criticize Putin for supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, there is some relief in the region at the emergence of a player with a coherent - if controversial - strategy. 

"Putin does more than just speak," said Sohban Elewi of Damascus, summing up the views of Syrians on opposing camps who regard U.S. policy in Syria and Iraq as fumbled and confused.

Hey, Obama does more than just speak. Obama golfs.

Divider or Uniter?

Sure, you can make the case that Obama has divided the US as never before along racial and economic lines. But Obama isn't a small minded regional player; he thinks globally. And now he seems to have united Russia and China, at least in regards to the Middle East.

It's  strange, feeling that something good might come from those two intervening in Syria and/or Iraq. But if they don't fight the war on global terror, who will? Obama seemed to harass ISIS to just the extent necessary to be able to claim involvement.

Another thing I've been wondering about: If Obama was a timid man, so afraid of making mistakes that he, in essence, only voted "present" on the international stage -- how would that man be distinguishable from the Obama we've seen over these last 6 years? Yeah, he continued the hunt for Osama bin Laden, but that was a no-brainer.

Obama's boldest move was to completely withdraw from Iraq despite predictions from every side that it would bring about, well, the current situation. But he waited until he was able to blame the withdrawal on a breakdown in Status of Forces negotiations. It was riskier to push hard for a SOFA and be responsible for 5,000 troops than to just throw up his hands and blame the Iraqi government.

Now the initiative has been taken from Obama in Syria. I don't think Obama sees Russian involvement as a humiliation, I think he's secretly happy that the ball's not in his court. He may make some face saving gestures but no bold action is required of him now. He's off the hook.

You Heard Me

"I said I wanted some damn jalapeño bacon mac and cheese." 

Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary

I use real cream, love butter, and drink whole milk.

I long ago gave up trying to justify my Dairy Lust to other people. After all, the government said to avoid dairy fat, and the government is sometimes right. Right? Well, not this time:

One of the flaws of nutrition studies is that they rely on people to accurately recall what they’ve eaten over the course of a year. Those recollections are vulnerable to inaccuracy, especially for dairy fats which can be found in small amounts in many different foods. This inaccuracy may be one of the reasons studies have yielded contrary results on the link between milk and heart disease. 

To improve estimates, Otto and Mozaffarian used a blood sample for each of more than 2,800 U.S. adults. Using the blood sample, they could detect how much dairy fats each had consumed. And over the eight-year follow up period, those who had consumed the most dairy fat were far less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who had consumed the least.

Course, it will take years for the zeitgeist to change. People still avoid salt and think styrofoam cups harm the ozone layer. I won't try to change anyone's mind; I'm content to nibble on my salted stick of butter and watch the parade.

I Surrender

not mine (via)