The Ultimate Goalie?

Finally, a scientific answer to every hockey fan's question, could a you get a big enough goalie to completely fill the net? Enjoy reading it! LINK

Even More Global Warming

Maybe I should have put all this stuff in the same post, but oh well.

Here is a study that shows models may be inaccurate. Well go figure. We can not predict what is going to happen next week in the weather. We can not even predict what is going to happen tomorrow. So why would we think we could possibly predict what is going to happen years from now? And, sure enough, we can't.

Her is another study. Apparently Global Warming is NOT responsible for all of the changes in the Arctic and it is only natural cycles. Could it possibly be the same thing that made the arctic warm during the Viking era?

And here is yet another story. In this one we find out what we (non-envirowackos) already knew, that natural forces have a bigger impact on hurricanes then Global Warming. More evidence that the environmentalists are running a propaganda machine.

More Global Warming!

Does the title of this story: "Norway's Arctic islands at their hottest since Viking era: scientists", mean anything to you? Because it should. Think about it. If it is the hottest it has been since the Viking era, that means it must have been this hot during the Vikings time on earth! Long before industrialized nations supposedly began destroying the environment. It is really simple, the earth periodically warms and cools. And we (humans) aren't doing it!

Global Warming

Here is a story on Global Warming from the Daily Mail. In the story, the Pope has some good things to say about it. And he is right. Global Warming is becoming a religion of its own. It is a massive amount of propaganda. One of the last lines in the article sums it up very well. The Australian Cardinal George Pell said, "The industrial-military complex up on Mars can't be blamed for that," when he commented on how the temperature on Mars had risen .5 of a degree Celsius.

Global Warming (Or Cooling?)

Here is a story from the Telegraph. Global Warming (or, as they like to call it now, Global Climate Change) is a lie. This story just help illustrate the stupidity of Global Warming. It is interesting that the media and most of the attention is placed on pro-Global Warming propaganda. But also predictable considering how liberal the media is. Al Gore is a propagandist and lier. If the facts are looked at, Global Warming fails miserably. For instance, temperatures are supposedly rising, but really, most of of the temperature sensors in US are located next to artificial heat which skews the temperature figures.

USA = Police State

We are in a police state. Here is a story from New Jersey. The police have live, streaming video of what is going on in the school. This is another step towards a complete police state. We already have video surveillance of our streets, schools, and workplaces. This is something everyone should be concerned about.

Sioux vs Tigers

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux play the Colorado College Tigers this weekend in Grand Forks. Both games are sold out. If you want stats like crazy, go here. I won't duplicate them on this post. CC has swept the Gophers of the University of Minnesota and have been swept by the University of New Hampshire. North Dakota is coming off of a split with Michigan Tech. The Sioux's T.J. Oshie was this past week's WCHA Offensive Player of the Week. He had a hat trick in the second game against Tech. I will refrain from doing much analyzing, because it means nothing. I will just say that whoever can put the puck in the net and keep it out of there own, should theoretically win the games. It should be a good series.

Other WCHA games

Michigan Tech at Wisconsin
MSU-Mankato at Alabama-Huntsville
Alaska-Anchorage at State Cloud State
Denver at Minnesota

Success!

There was success in today's missile defense test.

The test appears to have gone off with out a hitch. It is nice to see it progressing along and having success. It will be interesting to see if the Russians respond to this considering how strongly they are opposed to missile defense bases in Europe.

Wackos of the Year

The guys definitely are in the running for Wackos of the Year. LINK

The Association Against Animal Factories in Austria is trying to get a chimpanzee declared a person. They were thrown out of court but are determined to take it to the Supreme Court if they have to. They are trying to do this because the shelter where the chimp is may close. And if they can succeed in getting the chimp declared a person, then a guardian can be found to take care of it.

This is absolutely crazy!!! A chimp is NOT a person. Plain and simple. There are no exceptions. If this goes through, does that mean the chimp can vote? And if a chimp can be declared a person, can a dog? A Cat? An alligator? I hope logic and commonsense prevail.

WCHA Hockey Poll

The WCHA men's hockey coaches poll is out. The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux top the list with the Minnesota Gophers in second place. Then come the two Colorado schools and Wisconsin with nearly the same amount of points. St. Cloud St., Michigan Tech, Minn.-Duluth, MSU-Mankato, and Alaska-Anchorage round out the list.

Rank-School-Points

1. UND (7) 79
2. Minnesota (3) 74
3. Colorado Coll. 55
4. Denver 53
5. Wisconsin 52
6. St. Cloud St. 43
7. Michigan Tech 41
8. Minn.-Duluth 23
9. MSU-Mankato 19
10. Anchorage 11

Max Mosley's Comments on F1

Mas Mosley has made some comments on Formula One that need to be addressed.

Thanks to Autosport.com for the quotes.

In a letter sent to team principals last week, Mosley said it made 'no sense' for so much of the sport's finances to be spent on improving cars when it added nothing to the sport's spectacle.

Well, is F1 a spectacle, or a race? If it is a race, then it makes sense to spend whatever it takes to win. F1 traditionally has been about racing and winning the race. If you want a spectacle, look to NASCAR or GP2.

His frustrations have been fuelled by the fact that cost-cutting measures introduced by the FIA - including parc ferme restrictions and long-life engines - have done little to dissuade teams from spending money.

It was easily apparent that the long-life engines were not going to save any money. Teams just took the money that used to go to replacing engines and spent it on making them reliable. There used to be engine failures all the time, now it is rare for a team to lose a motor.

"Formula One's vast profits are currently being wasted on pointless exercises for the private entertainment of the teams' engineers," said Mosley in a document that was attached to the letter.

No, I believe they are spending all that money to win races. Races won equals more cars sold for manufactures, and more constructors dollars and sponsorship dollars for everyone.

"It makes absolutely no sense to spend large sums on items which do not add to the entertainment, indeed often detract from it.

The only reason the the "entertainment" is lacking is because of the rules. If wings were mad illegal, cars would have no problem passing. And as for spending large amounts of money, well, is it a race or a show?

"Therefore all items on the cars which are not known, visible and understood by the public should be standardised and manufactured at minimal cost.
"The technical contest should be limited to items which are visible, understood and potentially useful - eg KERS. (emphasis in the original)

KERS stand for Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems. How many people understand that? And of those who do, I am pretty sure they would understand most of the current technology that they are not "supposed" to. There are already spec formulas out there, e.g. NASCAR (for the most part), GP2.

All is Fine and Dandy

OK, Kite's North Wind will get some serious attention now. As can be seen, it has not been updated for a while. But having said that, the blog has not died. There will be plenty of posts to come. Thanks everyone.

Bush Responds to Russia

Bush Responds to Russia

President Bush has responded to the criticism from Russian leader Putin. LINK and LINK He has also made it clear he does not like the rolling back of democracy in certain countries.

It is interesting that Putin is so angry with the US over the missile defence system yet at the same time has stated that Russia has successfully tested a missile that can get through it. If they will soon have a missile that is not effected by the shield, then why be so concerned over the shield? And would not the US be able to build a shield (to be aimed at Russia) more then adequate to handle anything the Russians have? I would think so. This is not making sense. Either the Russians are wrong and what the US says is true (that the shield is intended for Iran and the likes, and not Russia), or the shield will be capable of defending against all kinds of threats, Russia included. But if the later is the case, then it is doubtful that the Russians have a missile that will penetrate the shield.

Russian News

Russian News

Well, Russia is at it again. Here are a bunch of stories. LINK, LINK, and LINK. Russia, keeps saying that they are only responding to a US threat. And hence, they are just trying to keep the playing field level. But the US clams there is no threat to begin with. They claim the supposed threat is really a defence against Iran. But Russia thinks not. And they do not like it. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Formula One and Race Locations

Formula One and Race Locations

Formula One's traditional home is in Europe and that is where it has the most fan support. Not only that, all of the teams, for the most part, are based there. As are the great, historic race tracks, that are so awe inspiring. Despite this, the higher ups in F1 are and have been keen to take the racing out and away from Europe. There are less European circuits on the calendar. And there are more, new races in Asia. And more are proposed all the time. But now it appears it is beginning to backfire. Bernie Ecclestone has stated that Australia's race in Melbourne may be chopped. Why, you may ask? Because the time zone differences between Australia and Europe are so drastic, the TV ratings are suffering. The US Grand Prix has terrific ratings because its time slot lines up with prime time TV in Europe. So Ecclestone wants the Melbourne race to become a night race. This would make it so that the race would be on in Europe during a more attractive part of the day.

Instead of trying to force the Melbourne race to become a night race, F1 should ditch the new, Asian races. The new tracks in Asia are among the worst on the schedule. It is fine for F1 to expand to new locations but they need to be smart and reasonable about it. They should not be cutting so many traditional races. Just because some country has a pile of oil money and is willing to spend it on F1, should not mean that they get a race. F1 needs look at the facts and plan the races accordingly.

America's Cup!

America's Cup!

It will only be a short time before the Louis Vuitton Cup will have been won and the challenger will have been decided for the 32 America's Cup in Valencia, Spain. In the meantime, the defender, Alinghi (Switzerland), are busy practicing and working the kinks out in preparation for their defense of the Cup.

The Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals have held some surprizes. To begin with, the American team (BMW Oracle) was eliminated in 6 races by the Italians. They were utterly annihilated, never leading around a mark. The only reason they won one race is because they managed to take the lead on a down wind leg in race two. The Spanish team has also faired fairly well against Emirates Team New Zealand, with that serious headed for a seventh match. Eventually, I expect the Kiwis to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and challenge the Swiss for the America's Cup. But provided they get past the hometown favorites, the Italians could yet give them a run for their money.

It will be interesting to see what the sailing conditions are like for the America's Cup. The wind conditions are expected to be stronger then they have been during the Louis Vuitton Cup. But it will be something new for both the challenger and the defender.

Enjoy the rest of the Louis Vuitton Cup and 32 America's Cup.

Free Speech Banned

Free Speech Banned

The Turtle Mountain Reservation, in North Dakota, has banned a man from coming on Tribal lands. The reason? The man's political opinion. Here is a Minot Daily News story. Here is the man's blog. The whole, weird (perhaps it is more common than we think?) incident is well covered in his blog. Any way you cut it, what the Turtle Mountain Reservation did was political censorship. There is no way around it. A person of differing opinion has been banned from coming into the Tribal community for writing his opinion on his website.

On to his blog post that got him banned (original post). His views are very accurate. Indian Reservations are terrible places. Any one who has even just driven through one, knows this. And why are they this way? For the exact reasons he outlined. There is way too much government support. Basically, Indian Reservations need to be done away with and Indians need to live like regular Americans, under the same laws.

"Petition of the Candlemakers"

Here is a link to excellent write up on economics policy. The "Petition of the Candlemakers," was written by French economist Frederic Bastiat. LINK It explains very clearly why the government should stay out of private industry. Enjoy.

The Other Russia

The Other Russia

Here is an interesting story from Russia. The story talks about the the group, The Other Russia. It will be interesting to see what happens in the near future in Russia. Will Russia move towards more freedom? Or less?

Skate for #8 in 08

Skate for #8 in 08

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team may have missed out on their eighth Div. 1 national championship this year, but they will be back looking for revenge next year. Underclassmen T.J. Oshie, Taylor Chorney, and Hobey Baker award winner, Ryan Duncan have all announced they will be back to play hockey for their Junior year. It was widely speculated that Oshie was going to sign with the St. Louis Blues. Chorney, as well, was a possible early departure for the NHL. But they both have decided in favor of coming back. It is starting to look like next year's team will be something to be reconed with. The Fighting Sioux only lost three players to graduation and it is beginning to look like few, if any, of their underclassmen will leave. It not only looks like North Dakota will have a talented team next year, but they also have extensive experience. The Fighting Sioux have been to three strait Frozen Fours. That national tournament experience will pay off. This past season's Fighting Sioux team also had to battle back from a horrible first half of the season. They also had some injuries to deal with. Those kind of experiences will help down the stretch next year. The North Dakota Fighting Sioux should be right in the championship hunt next year.

Russian Revolution?

Russian Revolution?

Well, Russia is in the news yet again. In another story from the UK's Guardian, an exciled Russian tycoon, named Boris Berezovsky has made comments saying that he would like to overthrow Putin and reform the Russian government. Very interesting to say the least. Berezovsky has far to much money (something like £850m or 1.7 billion dollars) and influence to just be kidding around. Plus he is risking losing refugee status in the UK. We will have to wait and see how this develops.

Cold War II?

Cold War II?

In an earlier post I talked about the United States' plan to put some Star Wars bases on European soil. Well, it has not gone over well with Russia. Here is an interesting Guardian story.

If there is a new cold war, I doubt Russia will be the primary "enemy." They do not have enough capital to go through another cold war. China would be a much bigger concern. But I do not see that all that likely either because China's economy depends on the US. Think of it this way, the US can survive with out Chinese goods but can China survive with out US business? Or would their economy collapse? I would bet a cut off of trade would be worse for China then the US.

So why even implement Star Wars? Well for one, to protect the US against rogue missiles from countries like Iran (that is the official reason for the bases in Europe). And two, to protect against missiles from countries such as China and Russia. Even though they are not saying this, I think it has the capability for that. That would explain why Russia is so angry over it.

College Hockey

College Hockey

Another college hockey national tournament has come to a close. Michigan State has won the national championship for only the third time ever while Boston College lost another championship game. This is the first time in five years that a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) team has not won the title but in a stretch, you could still say Michigan State is a western team. The Hobey Baker award was won by North Dakota player Ryan Duncan, only the second Fighting Sioux player ever to win it. This was also the year of upsets, as not a single number one seed made it to the Frozen Four. Alabama-Huntsville nearly pulled off a huge upset against Notre Dame but the Fighting Irish won the game in double overtime. And Saint Cloud State continued its streak of national tournament losses with a first round loss to Maine. The Michigan vs. North Dakota game tied the record for the most goals in a national tournament game with thirteen; North Dakota won the wild game eight to five.

China Continues Web Censorship

China Continues Web Censorship

China continues its censorship of the web. China is now dictating how much internet its citizens can have. This is yet another move proving China's disregard for freedom.

Link

Seatbelt Laws and Motorcycle Helmet Laws

Like seatbelt laws, motorcycle helmet laws are intended to protect us from ourselves. This issue is really very simple. Do we allow the government to dictate what we can and can not do? Or do we stand up for personal freedom?

Yes, I use a seatbelt and I also always use a helmet when I ride motorcycle. But is the government forcing me to do this? No. I am acting responsible and choosing to use a seatbelt and a helmet. If another person chooses to take a risk and not use a seatbelt and helmet, that should be their own choice. No law should prevent a person from making their own decision regarding their, personal safety. The government should not be intruding on a person's freedom by telling them they have to do something (use a seatbelt and/or use a helmet). Supporters of seatbelt and helmet laws point out how many lives they will save. But it is not the government's job to save us from ourselves.

That is the core reason why there should not be any seatbelt or helmet laws. But there are also other reasons as well. For instance, seatbelt and helmet laws take up law enforcement's time that should be spent protecting us from dangers on the road. If a person chooses not to use a seatbelt or helmet, that person is the only person who can get hurt and/or killed. But if there is a drunk person driving on the road, that person is a danger to every other person on the road. Law enforcement's time should be spent protecting us from hazards, such as drunk drivers, instead of spent protecting us from ourselves.

Seatbelt and helmet laws are another step on the slippery slope.

Forget about NASCAR

Put NASCAR on the back burner. Or just forget about it all together. This weekend, Formula One kicks off in Australia. And Formula One, or, F1, is way better than NASCAR. F1 cars actually turn both right and left in a race, unlike NASCAR where, with the exception of something like two races, they always turn left. F1 battles are way, way more exciting then NASCAR battles. NASCAR may have a lot of passes but it looks like they are driving on a LA freeway. A pass in F1 is worth way more and it is way neater then a NASCAR pass. Also, NASCAR makes the races close by throwing out lots of full course yellow flags; F1 only has full course cautions when it is absolutely necessary. F1 cars have modern and cutting edge technology where as NASCAR has old, dated technology. For instance, F1 cars have engines that spin nearly 20,000 RPMs with hi tech engine management. NASCAR uses old, push rod, carburetter fed engines. F1 also has sophisticated chassis and the cars are light weight; NASCARs are big, clunky and heavy. F1 has consistency with its rules. NASCAR just denied a driver of a prestiges race win because they did not follow their own rule. That does not happen in F1.

Watch Formula One.

Why Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Will NOT Win the Presidency

Neither Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will win the presidency of the United States come 2008. What does Clinton support? What is her political position? We do not really know. She is so popular right now because she is being supported by the biased news media. Clinton is also popular because she appeals to everyone by not voicing an opinion on issues. Go to her website. There is no place to click on the main page that will tell you her opinions and stances on issues. At least on Obama's website there is a place to click to view his political stance. But it is so vague that it is almost just as bad; "Improving Our Schools." Well, every one wants to do that. They are only popular because they are likable (one is a woman and the other is black, both are Democrats) by the news media and because they have not taken any political stances. Clinton and Obama will eventually have to make known their political view points. Otherwise, the exact same thing that happened to John Kerry will happen to them, they will lose. "I voted for the war before I voted against it." Remember that? That was Kerry trying to not take a stance on a major issue. And when they do take a stance, they are going to lose anyways. Because their stance will be liberal. How do we know it will be liberal? Because they can not win without taking a stance. And their stance can not become conservative, because then they will not get the Democrat's nomination. Sure, once they have taken the liberal stance, they will appear to get tons of support. But it will all be coming from the extreme wackos in the Democratic Party. The regular American is not going to vote for them. So, as can be seen, Clinton and Obama are not going to win the Presidency.

School

Recently, there has been a push by several states, including North Dakota, New York, and New Mexico, to extend how long kids are in school. By extending the school day, supporters claim the day can then be less structured and more electives can be offered. But this is really not necessary. New courses, such as cooking and a class for making a magazine are all things that can and should be done at home. Putting kids in school longer is going to cost tax payers a lot of money. Plus, it further limits how much time kids have to do their own things. This is a bad idea and should not be implemented.

At the same time, several other schools are reducing the amount of homework kids have to do. A study done be the University of Missouri showed that home work for elementary kids doesn't benefit them. I believe the amount of homework kids have to do even hurts them. It has a similar effect to lengthening the school day. It takes away time kids have to be kids. It also takes away family time, just like a lengthen school day does.

The school day does not need to be lengthened, nor does there need to be so much homework. Schools need to be reformed so that while kids are there, they will learn more. Currently, way to much time is wasted on things that do not need to be taught in school.

MotoGP news

For fans of MotoGP racing this is good news. The best website for racing news is now going to cover MotoGP. Autosport will have news and coverage of MotoGP, here is their site: http://www.autosport.com/bikes/

Star Wars

If you have been following the news lately you will have noticed that all of a sudden there are mainstream news stories on the United States wanting to put part of their Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as "Star Wars," on European soil. It is interesting because there is no real opposition to the plan from Poland, the Czech Republic, or the United Kingdom. In fact, it appears the United Kingdom is pushing the United States to put a base in that country.

Former Soviet Bloc countries Poland and the Czech Republic seem to be very open to the idea despite the fact that Russia is condemning it. For some reason Russia is very strongly opposed to the idea. This, coupled with the United Kingdom wanting a base too, makes me think that the Star Wars program is much closer to being ready to go then may be thought. And the United States may be offering some defense via the system to whichever countries allow them to set up a base on their ground.

It will be interesting to see what transpires.

Minimum Wage Increase

With Democrats now in control of Congress, they are busy trying to get the minimum wage increased. While this may seem like a good idea, in reality it is not.

Increasing the minimum wage, as well as having a minimum wage in the first place, decreases the amount of low paying, low skilled jobs there are. This is because with no minimum wage, an employer can higher someone to do the easy chores such as sweeping the floor and etc. in addition to their normal workers. But with a minimum wage, the business will not be able to support this extra worker and will have to lay him off. This will in turn mean the regular workers will have to do the grunt work in addition to their regular, skilled jobs therefore decreasing productivity. It also means that people such as students and teenagers will lose these low skilled jobs and not have a source of spending cash.

The minimum wage also raises the cost of business. In Iowa, the state increased its minimum wage. This means that in Waterloo, there will likely be a rise in the cost of city-run sports programs such as baseball and basketball. This happens because they are forced to pay their workers more. And hence they have to pass the cost on to the consumer. Therefore, it will cost more to play sports. If the cost of business goes up, then so does the cost of living.

Real ID

The Real ID Act, which has to be complied with by May of 2008, is a major privacy, freedom, civil liberties concern. Because of this act, states are forced to issue federally approved identification cards, or, federal drivers licenses. While citizens are not forced into obtaining these new identification cards, in reality they will have to. The new IDs will be required for everything from driving to collecting social security payments. They will also be required to use services from such businesses as banks.

This is a real privacy, freedom, and civil liberties concern. The id's will require a digital photograph, this way, they can be included in a multi-state database. They also can be checked with federal databases. This means that the federal government has really created and forced upon us national identification cards. The government should stay out of our lives! It has no business knowing where we go and what we do. Our personnel privacy, freedom, and civil liberties are being taken away from us. America is not the, "land of the free (but may I see your papers?)," it is the "land of the FREE! And it should stay that way and become more that way. In Germany, a person has to notify the government when he moves to a new house. This is a slippery slope the US is on in introducing these new IDs. Soon we may be required to always keep our approved ID on us. And if we get caught with out it, we will get arrested. We are becoming guilty of everything until proven innocent.

Everyone who has not read "1984" by George Orwell should get a copy of it and read it.

Bill would ban Ipods

Well there is now yet another Bill that is designed to protect us from ourselves in the works. This time it is in New York. The proposed Bill would ban the use of Ipods, cell phones, and BlackBerrys from being used while a person is crossing a street. Violators would have to pay a $100 fine. State Senator Carl Kruger says that we should not be endangering ourselves while crossing the street.

This is completely ridicules. If a person crosses the street and gets hurt because of a distraction, such as an Ipod or cell phone, it is completely his own fault. If they ban Ipods are they also going to ban the carrying of bags across the street? Ipods are not the only thing that can distract us. We can get hurt crossing the street from almost any distraction. What if an unusual plane flies over? Or a person's hat blows off? Again, if a person gets injured through their own fault because they were distracted, it is entirely their own fault. There is no need to pass legislation banning distractions. If people get hurt, then they need to be more careful. They do not need to be told what they can and can not do be the government.

North Dakota Legislature

The North Dakota Legislature is in the midst of deciding whether or not youths younger than 18 years old needs to have parental consent to get a tattoo. This is absurd! Parents already decide what their kids can and can not do. If a kid comes into a tattoo shop and wants a tattoo, obviously his parents have allowed him to get a tattoo. Otherwise, he would not be getting a tattoo.

Some of the stuff the North Dakota Legislator is spending their time on is crazy. In addition to the Bill written on above they have also decided upon a state fruit! That is ridicules and a waste of time. They are spending tax payer dollars to determine something trivial like a state fruit. Not only that, it is really just a matter of opinion as to which fruit it should be. There is nothing to support, say the chokecherry over the juneberry, it is all a matter of opinion. The Legislator should spend their time, and tax dollars, on stuff that has merit for the state. By the way, the chokecherry was made the state fruit.

Athlete's Behavior

No, I am not talking about Pro Athletes, but maybe that is part of the problem. What I am talking about is youth athletes.

This past weekend there was a Bantam B hockey tournament in Minot, ND. The championship game was between Rugby, ND and Carnduff, SK, Canada. With Carnduff leading 5-3 in the third period, there was a scrum in the crease and the Carnduff goalie thought he had the puck covered. But he does not and Rugby shoots it in to bring them within one point of tying the game. The Carnduff goalie then flips out, dropping multiple F-bombs. At this point the referee assesses him a Misconduct penalty. This requires that a substitute for the goalie go to the penalty box to serve his penalty. But the goalie continues to swear and is consequently ejected from the game. As it turns out, this was the team's only goalkeeper. So the team is forced to play with six skaters and no goalie for about three minutes of playing time, until they got another player dressed in the goalie gear. They did manage to not allow a goal while this was going on but eventually Rugby scored on the inexperienced fill-in goalie. This sent the game into overtime where Rugby ended up scoring to win the game and the tournament.

The point is that this irresponsible Bantam youth player likely cost his team the game and the championship. Swearing should not be put up with by coaches and parents. This should really never happen because parents should teach there kids to have better character. But if parents do not address it, then coaches need to take a stand and do something about it. Perhaps bench the athlete until he plays with character, or something else along these lines. Youth athletes should be molded to have higher standards of respect and morality. It is ridicules that youth athletes act in this way.

Burr...It's Cold Out!

Here is a list of the Hi and Low temperatures for tomorrow (Sunday):

Hi Low

Minot, ND 1F -15F
Bismarck, ND 3F -15F
Grand Forks, ND -6F -19F
Fargo, ND -5F -20F
St. Paul, MN 1F -13F
Duluth, MN -7F -20F
International Falls, MN -10F -20F
Sioux Falls, SD 4F -12F
Madison, WI 1F -12F
Green Bay, WI 2F -8F
Des Moines, IA 11F -9F
Cedar Rapids, IA 7F -13F

That is COLD!

Most people living in these areas are probably looking forward to Global Warming!

Yet Another Hypocritical School

The University of Wisconsin has announced that they will not play the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux in any sports with the exception of hockey where the two schools are in the same conference. This comes not to long after the University of Minnesota had announced a similar decision. They will not play North Dakota because of their use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. This is highly hypocritical of Wisconsin. They will not play North Dakota because their athletic teams are named for a group of people, the Dakota (or Sioux) Indians. At the same time, Wisconsin's athletic teams are also named for a group of people. Their nickname comes from the people who mined lead in Wisconsin in the 1820s. When winter came, the minors sought shelter in under ground tunnels. Thus, they were like Badgers living in the ground. So why is it that the Wisconsin's athletic teams can be named after a group of people but North Dakota's can not? Also, Wisconsin will play the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are named after the group of people who arrived into the Oklahoma Territory "sooner" than they were allowed to. Again, why is it that Wisconsin's athletic teams, along with a school they play, have the right to name their teams for a group of people but not North Dakota? It is hypocritical.

Formula One and Customer Chassis

Recently, there has been a push from some Formula One teams for customer chassis. A customer chassis is a chassis made by one team and used by that team and another team. Customer chassis will dilute Formula One. If customer chassis are allowed, soon Formula One will become like other racing formulas that allow customer chassis. These formulas (Champ Car World Series comes to mind) use only a few chassis among all the teams. Formula One teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and Renault that have the recourses and money will become the sole chassis manufactures. Soon we might have four car teams. This could lead to fewer teams, since there is a car limit, and it could lead to three cars supporting one car in an attempt to win the championship. Also, there is the issue of limited testing. With two teams using the same chassis, that chassis gets twice as many miles of testing and hence, the chassis will develop faster. People already do not like it when Ferrari has a "Red Wash" season. Imagine what it would be like if Ferrari Team 1 took first and second place and Ferrari Team 2 took third and fourth place. When a fan is watching a race he knows that a Ferrari uses a Ferrari chassis. He also knows that a Williams uses a Williams chassis. If customer chassis are allowed, the fan will no longer be able to easily know what chassis the team is actually running. Is that Williams running a Ferrari chassis or a Honda chassis? Or possibly even their own "Williams" chassis? Customer chassis would also bring Formula One even closer to a spec series because eventually every team might be running one of two chassis. And then before you know it, every team would have the same chassis. Formula One should stick to each team having to design and make their own car. Perhaps at a later time I will explore what Formula One can do to make the racing exciting again, but allowing customer chassis is not it.

The Earth in the Lurch or Al Gore's movie

I finally (not that I wanted to see it that bad) saw Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" yesterday. It was playing for free at the local university. As you probably know, "An Inconvenient Truth" is about Global Climate Change or more specifically, Global Warming. It seems to me though, that Al Gore had more of an agenda than just promoting environmentally safe practices. The fact that he focused so much on the United States indicates this. While China and other third world countries contribute significantly to Global Warming, he hardly even touched on them. The Kyoto Protocol was brought up in the movie and Gore pointed out that the only industrialized nations that have not ratified it are the USA and Australia. But this treaty is bogus because some countries, including India and China, do not have to actually reduce carbon emissions. Yet China is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases and is predicted to soon become the number one producer. In another instance, he pointed out how the rise in the world's population corresponds to the rise in a greenhouse gas. What is he trying to say? Is Gore in support of population control? Although he says it is a moral and ethical obligation to save the planet, he also seems to support the immoral and unethical practice of population control. Gore says that much of the scientific community is behind Global Climate Change. Well, just over thirty years ago the scientific community was saying there was going to be Global Cooling and an Ice Age*. How did this group reverse position so fast? It appears that they have no Idea what the climate is going to do. Hence, the term "Global Warming" has now been pushed aside in favor of "Global Climate Change." What this really is all about is control. The liberals are pushing an agenda of control. And the more parts of your life they control, the better they like it. If there are tons of regulations on all the means of producing power, than the liberals have some control over it. By forcing regular citizens to comply with these standards, citizens lose some of their freedom. "An Inconvenient Truth" is just another piece of the liberal's propaganda.


*This is the link to the Time story about Global Cooling from 1974:
http://www.junkscience.com/mar06/Time_AnotherIceAge_June241974.pdf

Yet Another new Blog

I know, I know. There is a possibility that absolutely zero people will read this (well, not really because my brother surely will). But never the less, I am going to venture into the the Blogging world. Hopefully something in this blog will interest you, the reader. The topic list should be large enough. For instance, this blog will have political commentary as well as having coverage of Motorsports. The list could get quite extensive. I am aiming for this blog to stand out in the crowd because of its large and diversified list of topics.

Any how, welcome to Kite's North Wind.

P.S. And enjoy the Wind.