Posts from — March 2008

Lance Mackey was back on the trail at 4:53PM AKDT [7:53PM CDT] with under 70 miles and one check point to go.  Jeff King can’t leave until 5:50PM AKDT, giving Mackey a 57 minute lead.  One or the other should be in Nome in 10 to 12 hours depending on the strength of their team and the conditions on the trail.

CNN reports that Fallon resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.

Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

In a written statement, he said the article’s “disrespect for the president” and “resulting embarrassment” have become a distraction.

“Although I don’t believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America’s interests there,” Fallon said.

[Read more →]

A little bit ago someone wrote about the word “bellwether” and it stuck in my mind, and was pushed to the front by someone using it this weekend, and misspelling it “bellweather”.

If you didn’t know, a “wether” is a neutered ram. A “bellwether” is a neutered ram with a bell around its neck that is used to lead a flock of sheep, a “Judas goat” without a clear purpose, if you will.

I just finished reading The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, and have been paying more attention to words, especially the willful misdefining of words in the political battles that have severely restricted the number of sites I read.

[Read more →]

The Anchorage Daily News reports that a Snowmachine kills team dog on Yukon

A dog in the team of Iditarod musher Jennifer Freking from Finland, Minn., died Sunday evening after being hit by a snowmachine near the village of Nulato, according to the Iditarod Trail Committee and Freking’s Web site.

Freking and her husband, Blake, a fellow Iditarod musher, arrived in Nulato on Monday about 4:25 a.m. and left at 5 p.m. They were in 56th and 57th places.
…

According to a press release from the Iditarod, “at approximately 10 p.m. (Sunday) evening, a snowmachiner ran into Jennifer Freking’s team on the Yukon River near Koyukuk (upriver from Nulato). Unfortunately, the incident caused the death of a 3-year-old female named ‘Lorne.’ “

The Freking’s raise and race purebred Siberian huskies, which are beautiful dogs if not quite as fast as the purpose-bred racing dogs of others.

Losing a dog is always hard, and a second dog was injured in the “accident”, but to get hit in the middle of a wilderness is mind-boggling. What was anyone doing racing at night along the Iditarod trail at 40 mph during the middle of the race?

At Noon CDT the GPS tracking has Lance Mackey pulling into White Mountain with Jeff King 7 miles behind him.  That should give Mackey about an hour lead on the sprint to the end.  It’s it’s a matter of what the dogs feel like at this point.

1&2 are out of Elim, 3 to 14 are out of Koyuk, and the rest are in Koyuk.
Current Standings:

1 Lance Mackey (6)+50 min
2 Jeff King (11)
3 Martin Buser (13)
4 Hans Gatt (38)
5 Ken Anderson (9)
6 Ramey Smyth (48)
7 Paul Gebhardt (69)
8 Mitch Seavey (33)
9 Kjetil Backen (42)
10 Rick Swenson (61)
11 Sebastian Schnuelle (68)
12 Jessie Royer (3)
13 Ed Iten (32)
14 DeeDee Jonrowe (39)
15 Zack Steer (26)
16 Gerry Willomitzer (7)
17 Cim Smyth (2)
18 Ray Redington Jr. (49)
19 Aaron Burmeister (14)
20 Jim Lanier (4)

Melissa Owens (59) got up a little earlier in Shaktoolik and leads the rookies at 24^th place, but in 29^th place, William Kleedehn (66) isn’t that far behind.

Rachael Scdoris (55) is on the trail out of Nulato in 64^th place and the back of the race is 83^rd place with Steven Madsen (57) in Galena.

There is the mandatory 8-hour rest stop coming up in White Mountain, so the first in is the first allowed to leave. Lance Mackey has a 50 minute lead, but only 11 dogs still racing, while Jeff King has 16 dogs still running. There will be a sprint race from White Mountain to Nome.

March 11^th, 2004, Madrid

Nuestros profundos condolencias en vuestra perdida.

Todos somos Madrileños.

M-11

BBC In Depth

1&2 have left Koyuk, the rest are on the ice of Norton Bay.
Current Standings:

1 Lance Mackey (6) +16 min
2 Jeff King (11)
3 Ken Anderson (9)
4 Martin Buser (13)
5 Ramey Smyth (48)
6 Hans Gatt (38)
7 John Baker (67)
8 Paul Gebhardt (69)
9 Kjetil Backen (42)
10 Mitch Seavey (33)
11 Rick Swenson (61)
12 Ed Iten (32)
13 Sebastian Schnuelle (68)
14 Jessie Royer (3)
15 DeeDee Jonrowe (39)
16 Zack Steer (26)
17 Gerry Willomitzer (7)
18 Jim Lanier (4)
19 Aaron Burmeister (14)
20 Ray Redington Jr. (49)

Melissa Owens (59) stayed in Unalakleet longer, so she dropped to 29^th place, and William Kleedehn (66) is the leading rookie at 26^th place.

Rachael Scdoris (55) is at Nulato in 64^th place.

Still in 83^rd place, Steven Madsen (57) is beyond Ruby.

Given the ongoing violence spawned by conditions in Gaza after the incredibly stupid plan by the Hedgemony to eliminate Hamas by arming Fatah resulted in another Hamas victory and the sealing of the borders of Gaza, the BBC reports on the latest really stupid idea: Israel approves settlement growth

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved a plan to build up to 750 new homes in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

The project was first signed off in 1999, but stopped two years later after Palestinian labourers refused to go on.

Israel’s housing minister said the construction at Givat Zeev would address “the demographic needs of Jerusalem”.

But the decision provoked an angry reaction from Palestinian leaders.

[Read more →]

The Associated Press says Florida mail-in primary plan gains traction, which apparently means that politicians, pundits, and VSP are talking about it on TV. What isn’t clear is if this is legal in Florida and Michigan.

In general a private group can make and enforce whatever rules it wants to as long as it stays out of the public. Once it becomes part of the public arena, or it starts applying for privileges from the government, it must obey applicable law.

There are major laws, both state and federal, when it comes to elections, and I don’t hear any legal analysis of what is being proposed. I do know that anyone can challenge a Democrat being on the ballot for President in Florida if the Florida delegates aren’t seated at the nominating convention, I’m not saying the challenge would win, but the basis for the challenge exists in the law. What hasn’t been tested or discussed is the status of the individual nominated if the Florida delegation at the convention is not selected based on the state’s primary election. Running around gathering cash for a mail-in primary is going to be a major waste of time if the vote isn’t “legal”.

Maybe someone, like the Florida Democratic party, should look into this before things go any further.

1&2 in Koyuk, 3 on the Sound, 4-9 in Shaktoolik, and the others on their way.
Current Standings:

1 Lance Mackey (6)
2 Jeff King (11)
3 Ken Anderson (9)
4 Hans Gatt (38)
5 Martin Buser (13)
6 Paul Gebhardt (69)
7 Mitch Seavey (33)
8 Kjetil Backen (42)
9 Rick Swenson (61)
10 Ed Iten (32)
11 Jim Lanier (4)
12 Jessie Royer (3)
13 Aaron Burmeister (14)
14 Sebastian Schnuelle (68)
15 Zack Steer (26)
16 John Baker (67)
17 DeeDee Jonrowe (39)
18 Ramey Smyth (48)
19 Gerry Willomitzer (7)
20 Hugh Neff (16)

New rookie leader with 26^th place occupied by Melissa Owens (59) who arrived in Unalakleet 20 minutes before William Kleedehn (66).

Rachael Scdoris (55) is on the trail out of Galena in 64^th place.

Steven Madsen (57) is in the back at Ruby, but it is 83^rd place after Art Church Jr. (18) scratched in Ruby and Peter Bartlett (93) scratched in Nulato.

One beyond and one in Shaktoolik with 3-14 beyond Unalakleet.
Current Standings:
1 Lance Mackey (6)
2 Jeff King (11)
3 Hans Gatt (38)
4 Paul Gebhardt (69)
5 Kjetil Backen (42)
6 Mitch Seavey (33)
7 Martin Buser (13)
8 Rick Swenson (61)
9 Ken Anderson (9)
10 Ed Iten (32)
11 Jim Lanier (4)
12 Jessie Royer (3)
13 Aaron Burmeister (14)
14 Sebastian Schnuelle (68)
15 Zack Steer (26)
16 DeeDee Jonrowe (39)
17 Ramey Smyth (48)
18 John Baker (67)
19 Gerry Willomitzer (7)
20 Ray Redington Jr. (49)

The leading rookie is still William Kleedehn (66) on the trail passed Kaltag in 28^th place.

Rachael Scdoris (55) is at Galena in 65^th place.

The back of the race is 85^th place Steven Madsen (57) on the trail beyond Cripple.

Darin Nelson (81) scratched at Galena with 9 dogs.

There was electrical maintenance at my host’s server farm, but no one told my host it was going to happen, so I wasn’t informed. The site was down almost all day Sunday, and only now seems to truly be back up. It was back for a short time just after midnight, but they apparently hadn’t finished work on the database server, because what I posted at that time was gone this morning.  The Yellow Doggerel Democrat was down for the same reason as we use the same host.

Hopefully we can get back manic Iditarod coverage.

The two leaders have left Unalakleet, and the others have left Kaltag.

The Current Leader Board:

1 Lance Mackey (6) 12 dogs
2 Jeff King (11) 16 dogs
3 Paul Gebhardt (69) 12 dogs
4 Ramey Smyth (48) 12 dogs
5 Zack Steer (26) 12 dogs
6 Sebastian Schnuelle (68) 15 dogs
7 Kjetil Backen (42) 13 dogs
8 Hans Gatt (38) 12 dogs
9 Gerry Willomitzer (7) 13 dogs
10 Jessie Royer (3)12 dogs
11 Martin Buser (13) 14 dogs
12 Rick Swenson (61) 13 dogs
13 Jim Lanier (4) 12 dogs
14 DeeDee Jonrowe (39) 12 dogs
15 Ed Iten (32) 15 dogs
16 Ken Anderson (9) 15 dogs
17 Aaron Burmeister (14) 12 dogs
18 Silvia Willis (40) 13 dogs
19 John Baker (67) 12 dogs
20 Sigrid Ekran (24) 11 dogs

In 28^th place at Kaltag is the leading rookie, William Kleedehn (66), with 12 dogs.

Rachael Scdoris (55) had 13 dogs when she left Ruby, and is in 68^th place.

Currently at the back in 86^th place is Steven Madsen (57) with 11 dogs beyond Cripple.

The former 87^th place team of Rodney Whaley (78) had 13 dogs when arrived at Cripple, where he decided to scratch.

[Cross-posted from Why Now annex]