North Coast Online

And They Said It Couldn't Be Done

Jane Galt challenges Tyler Cowen to "write a blog post of decent length without the letter e".  And he does.

Is It Really Spelled With One "D"?

Well, I'm sure this will come as a great surprise to most of you.

Which God or Goddess are you like? Your Result: Budha   You are Budha. You are a very peaceful person, you love all who love you. You are a cheerful personality, and you have a great sense of humor. Congratulations!! You are Budha!!
Jesus
The Christian God
Goddess Bast
You are your own God or Goddess
God Zeus
Goddess Sekhemet
Satan

But Who Wore The Pants?

Robert Reich once dated Hillary Clinton.  Who knew?

In Other News, Forest Fires Absolutely Mangle Trees

From Science Daily, Study Details Catastrophic Impact Of Nuclear Attack On US Cities.  It turns out that a highly-trained and educated team at the University of Georgia has been researching the heretofore unknown effects of atomic bombs for three years.  Here's just one of their blockbuster findings.

A 20-kiloton detonation would leave debris tens of feet thick in downtown areas with buildings 10-stories or higher. Roughly half of the population in downtown areas would be killed, mainly from collapsing buildings. Most of those surviving the initial blast in downtown areas would be exposed to a fatal dose of radiation.

Who knew?   Can you take another shocker?

While the main effects from a 20-kiloton explosion would be from the blast and the radiation it releases, a 550-kiloton explosion would create additional and substantial casualties from burns. Such an explosion would superheat the blast zone, causing buildings to spontaneously combust. Mass fires would consume cities, reaching out nearly four miles (6.3 km) in all directions from the detonation site.

Using top secret U.S. Census Data, the research has even been able to estimate casualties and provide a caution that hospitals may be overwhelmed with burn victims. And all this time I thought those pictures from Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just hyperbolic, emotional crap.  Thanks for the heads-up, guys.

What I really wonder is if Bush knew this and if so, when did he know it?

Please Get Into Your Boxes

OK, it's silly test time.  How conservative or liberal are you?  The higher your score, the more conservative you allegedly are -- 0 is a Jesse Jackson liberal (seems fitting) and 40 points is a perfect Ronald Reagan.

I heard about it from Ann Althouse (21) who in turn got it from Andrew Sullivan (26).

Yours truly scored 32 which places me somewhere between Jack Kemp to my left and Bob Dole on my right.  I'll accept that.

[UPDATE:] Look at this.  The blogger-for-whom-additional-links-are-nothing-but-bandwidth-noise is a 21.

Does That Include The Luxury Boxes, Too?

I love silly statistical analogies, you know, like if all the dollars that make up the national debt were laid end to end they'd extend from the earth to the moon and back -- 7 1/2 times!  Here's one with a local angle.

Buffalo's 2.6 million cubic yards of debris is enough to fill every square inch of Ralph Wilson Stadium to a height of 28 stories, the height of City Hall, Public Works Commissioner Joseph N. Giambra estimated.

Given the Bills' record so far this year, it doesn't seem like a such a bad use for the place. 

Dogs Or Cats?

Let me take a moment to enter a small opinion (and by no means the determining one) in the eternal debate over whether 'tis better to own dogs or to own live with cats.   Cats do eat their own vomit, while dogs (or at least mine) tend not to.

Now, I don't hold that against the dogs by any means, but (and maybe you can guess what I just got done cleaning up) it is a definite "win" in the cat column for me tonight.

As soon as my stomach stops churning, I'll return to weightier posts.

At Your Service, Captain Solo

Wouldn't it figure that after taking a quiz that's about as long as the GMAT, the Sci-Fi crew I'd best fit in with is from a 30 year old movie? 

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Hat tip to Bill's Comments

And I Always Thought Of Myself As A Ford Guy

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive.  You're all about winning the race and getting the job done.  While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal.  You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Baring One's Soul

Saw this on Bill's blog tonight -- looks like fun.  I won't "tag" anyone, but It'd be fun to read your answers.

Four Jobs You've Had In Your Life
Grocery stockboy
Software developer
Truck dispatcher
Computer installer

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
Glory
It's A Wonderful Life
The Natural
Planes, Train, and Automobiles

Four Books You Could Read Again and Again
Chesapeake
Now and Then
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Fate Is The Hunter

Four Cities/Places You've Lived In
South Dayton
Montreal
London
Buffalo

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch
The Simpsons
Brit Hume
South Park
I Love Lucy

Four Places You've Been On Vacation
Fort Lauderdale
Clearwater Beach
Ocracoke Island
Charleston, SC

Four Websites You Visit Daily
OpinionJournal.com
Lucianne.com
FreeRepublic.com
Econopundit.com

Four of Your Favorite Foods
Cheeseburgers
Crab Cakes
Chicken Wings
Shrimp

Four Places You'd Rather Be Right Now
Florida
England
The Outer Banks
Charleston