Some scientists have proposed a theory that hiccups are produced by “brain circuitry” left over from that used by air breathers that also have gills.

In the latest issue of BioEssays (vol 25, p 182), a team led by Straus proposes that the brain circuitry controlling gill ventilation in these early ancestors has persisted into modern mammals.

There are many similarities between hiccuping and gill ventilation in animals like tadpoles, the researchers argue. Both are inhibited when the lungs are inflated, for example, and by high carbon dioxide levels in air or water.

Of course this is just a theory and it will be difficult to prove.  But it’s intriguing, nonetheless.

As a confirmed carnivore, I am not at all surprised by this.

Hat tip: Juan Gato.

“The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”
   —Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Acidman delivers again, with this post:

…  I AM a liberal in the classic sense of the word.

I believe in individual liberty. I believe that EVERYBODY should be free to live his/her life as a free citizen of a free country and do pretty much whatever he/she wants to do, as long as it harms no one else. (And I’m NOT talking about harming someone’s delicate sensibilities) I believe that government should build roads and bridges and provide a robust standing army. Outside of those functions, I believe that government should butt OUT of my life.

I’ve been following this story with some interest since I first heard about it.  I think that what struck me was the senseless loss of life caused by these selfish little bastards and just how cold the suspect has been. 

For those who haven’t heard of this case, here’s what happened:  Early this month four people (Sarah Foust, Kortnie Henson, David W. Thornton, and Michael John Prewitt) went into a Bennigan’s restaurant in Irving with the intent to order food and drinks and then run out without paying.  Three of the four were underage and the fourth was 26 (Prewitt).  They had meals as well as 9 alcoholic drinks, running up a total bill of $131.  The three younger ones left the resturant and went to their car while the older one stayed behind.  As soon as he saw that everyone was at the car he dashed out a side exit.  The waitress saw this and ran outside to get the license plate number of the car.  The driver backed into the waitress, knocking her onto the car.  The driver then repeatedly accelerated and stopped the car in an attempt to knock the waitress off.  She eventually fell off and was killed when her head struck the pavement.  The three in the car were arrested and the driver has been charged with murder and drunk driving.  The other two have been charged with theft of service, which is a Class B misdemeanor.  The fourth one is still at large.  When he saw what happened he kept running, rather than getting into the car.  He’s wanted for theft of service and providing alcohol to a minor (of interest is that the fine upstanding citizen Prewitt already has a record for domestic violence).

Those are the basic facts of the case.  However, when I compare the people involved it really gets me steamed.

The victim, Jennifer Sanchez, was a 20-year old waitress who was working to support herself so that she could go to school (she was enrolled at Northlake College) and pay for her own apartment.  By all accounts she was well on her way to becoming a productive member of society.

This is in stark contrast to the four losers who are responsible for her death (three of whom are shown above).  Let’s consider some of this information about Sarah Foust, the 19-year old driver of the car, who has been charged with murder:

According to testimony, Ms. Foust yelled, “Bitch, get off the car!” as she tried to skip out on the $131 bill that included nine alcoholic drinks for the four diners, three of whom were underage.

-and-

With Ms. Sanchez still holding onto the trunk, Ms. Foust made a hard turn out of the parking lot, the detective said. Ms. Sanchez was thrown to the pavement and died later at the hospital of head injuries sustained in the fall.

-and-

Detective Johnson cited reports by patrol officers who pulled over the 1978 Chevrolet Nova less than two miles from the restaurant. Officers said Ms. Foust was “laughing with Kortnie Henson and very talkative,” not the emotional wreck described by defense attorney David Scoggins.

-and-

During an interview hours after her arrest, Ms. Henson told Detective Johnson that she asked Ms. Foust why she kept driving after hitting the waitress.

According to the detective, Ms. Foust answered, “What the … [expletive] was I supposed to do, stop the car?”

The sheer pettiness of their crime and the callous nature of the defendent really bother me.  These were four pathetic wastes of skin who wanted a free meal and it ended up costing this poor young woman her life.  Foust was trying to act broken-up and was really playing up the “poor me, I’ve had a rough life” bullcrap act in the courtroom.  I don’t give a rat’s ass what kind of life she’s had or how she feels.  All she had to do was stop the car to let Ms. Sanchez off and that would have been the end of it (or better yet, she could have decided to not order a meal that she couldn’t pay for).  I don’t want to hear any crap about how she was scared or about her feelings.  Sanchez’s death is her fault and she must take responsibility for her actions.  I hope her punishment is severe.  I’ll be very upset if she gets off by pleading to a reduced charge.

More info:
Student struck, killed by car of customers who skipped tab
Judge Denies Request For Teen’s Bond Reduction

As a followup to this article about a Haltom City judge, WFAA-Channel 8 announced that he resigned this morning.  This was after the city had “cleared” him of any wrongdoing.  I think we all know how much that “clearance” was worth.

WFAA also mentioned that Dallas Police are starting a traffic crackdown on speeders and dangerous drivers.  They will be using marked and unmarked units and they will be driving side-by-side at the posted speed limit to try to slow people down.  Having driven in Dallas on numerous occasions I can tell you that most of the problems don’t really have to do with “excessive” speed (although I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen).  During rush hour speed limits don’t matter, because no one is able to go anywhere near that fast.  Outside of rush hour the problem is that the speed limit has been set arbitrarily low (supposedly for the purpose of cleaner air, but I’m skeptical that it has any impact).  When the speed limits were reduced I did not see many people slow down.  From my observations I think that the near universal reaction has been contempt for the speed limit (this ties in with my long-held belief that laws must be reasonable or they risk corroding respect for all laws).  If you drive I635 outside of rush hour you will come to the conclusion that the real problem is slow drivers who don’t keep right and the occasional raging maniac.  I think these “rolling roadblocks” that the police are planning will do little other than inconvenience everyone.  Further, I have seen instances where police radar traps have nearly caused accidents because some drivers have the bad habit of slowing WAY under the posted limit when they see a cop.

If the police want to go after truly dangerous drivers (i.e. the ones driving 80 or 90 and weaving in and out of traffic or the raging manics), that’s fine.  In fact, some unmarked units seeded in the flow of traffic could help with that.  But what I think this will become is an excuse to stop anyone going five over the limit and give them tickets to generate revenue (it’s no secret that the City of Dallas is in financial trouble due to a budget shortfall).

I started this little endeavor one year ago today.  As Acidman notes, it’s surprising that so many people have kept blogs for so long.  I know that I’m a little surprised myself.  There was a lull in June and July where I didn’t post anything, and during that time I almost gave up.  I think this site has been helpful because it occasionally allows me to vent on the stuff that gets under my skin.  It also provides a place to share things that I think are interesting.

And I have to admit that it’s a great thing when you find that others notice what you have to say.  I’d like to say thanks to those who have taken time to read my weblog.  I appreciate it.

Finally, I think this blog has helped me to improve my writing skills.  Before this blog all of my writing was confined to creating technical documents for work.  Now that I’ve gotten back into the game I’m also considering getting back into fiction and poetry, which I used to write a long time ago.  Of course, it’ll be quite a while before I’m ready to share any of that here (sharing a new piece of writing can be an intensely uncomfortable experience, so I’ll practice on unsuspecting friends first ).  I know, everyone thinks that they’ve got a book in them.  I don’t hold any illusions that I’m any kind of great writer.  It’s just a demon that needs to be exorcised.

The system that hosts this site has been experiencing intermittent problems over the past two days.  I’ve reported the problem and I hope that steps are taken to keep this from happening again.  Unfortunately, the last time I reported it the problem had been corrected by the time they got around to my support request and I just got a note saying that the site loaded fine.  This time I did my own problem determination (and some research) and sent them more info.  Let’s hope that something comes of it.  This would mark the fifth time it has happened and my patience is beginning to wear thin.

Dodge has created a monster by putting the 500-hp, 8.3 liter V-10 from the Viper in a motorcycle:

(Click for news story)

I’ve seen motorcycles built around 350 V-8’s before, but this is over the top.  It weighs 1500 lbs and has four wheels.  I’m not sure that qualifies as a motorcycle and I would imagine that it will handle like a pregnant elephant.  However, it does 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and has a (theoretical) top speed of 300mph.  So, provided that you don’t have to make any turns, you’ll blow away just about everything out there.

Dodge will be glad to build one for you, provided that you can cough up the cool quarter-million dollar price tag.

I think that the Denton Police department must have some kind of deal with Heritage Car Wash because I usually see one or more police cruisers being washed when I go there.  What I noticed today was that the officer was carrying a full size 1911-style pistol in what I assumed to be condition one (for the uninitiated that means that there is a round in the chamber and the hammer is cocked; this is often referred to as “cocked and locked”).  I say “assumed” because I didn’t ask him about it, I just noticed that the hammer was back.  It makes sense to me that he would carry this way because it allows for the fastest first shot.  However, I’ve been reading lately that some police administrators and some GFWs in the public are squeamish about the practice (which has spurred a number of police departments to move to double action pistols).  I guess it’s good to know that the Denton police haven’t given in to political considerations when it comes to arming their officers.

On a completely different topic…  This afternoon on I35N I saw a truck towing a trailer with a Willys Jeep on it.  What struck me was the fact that it was painted pink.  Yes, PINK!  It was almost that disgusting Pepto-Bismol shade of pink.  Even the wheels had been painted pink.  The truck and trailer were from Texas, but the Jeep had Oklahoma tags.  Hmm….