WOBBLE ON THIS

The Daily Mail makes Thursday ever so much gloomier with this little ray of sunshine. Doomsayers, rejoice:

Scientists have found that on average mammal species enjoy only 2.5 million years of life before being wiped out because of the Earth's "wobble."

They say when the tilt and orbit reach key points it can spark dramatic global cooling - and the last time this happened was 2.6 million years ago.

This suggests we are overdue a wave of extinction.

However, before you panic, scientists say our planet has changed beyond all recognition in the last 3 million years.

The new research published in the journal Nature (must keep) however sheds new light on just why individual mammal species seem to come and go with mysterious regularity.

The study, conducted by researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, involved looking at 22 million years of data on rodent species to see which ones appeared and died out at key points.

They then studied the pattern of the Earth's wobble, which is caused by two factors, our orbit around the sun and the tilt of the planet.

Both of these can be slightly altered by the gravitational pull of other planets, in the case of the tilt it can adjust by as much as two degrees, and the orbit can vary from a circle to an ellipse.

Lead researcher Dr Jan van Dam said when the tilt reaches a certain point and the orbit is almost a perfect circle it can trigger ice sheet expansion.

This could then lead to colder summers, changes in humidity and significant climate cooling.

He found a clear pattern between the Earth's wobble and mammal species dying out.

There were two distinct cycles of species turnover, one with peaks every 2. 5 million years and the other every million years.

Dr van Dam said the last peak was 2. 6 million years ago.

Van Dam him.

GREETINGS FROM THE UPPER SOUTH

This whole idea of Missouri being in the Midwest? Apparently bogus. Monday's Washington Post includes a curious political story about Springfield. The hed -- A Balancing Act in the Upper South -- is topped only by this yawner of a lede:

They call this city the buckle of the Bible Belt.

Tucked in southwest Missouri, near Arkansas and Oklahoma, Springfield is home to 200 churches and five Christian colleges, including Jerry Falwell's alma mater, Baptist Bible. The Assemblies of God, a fast-growing force in the Pentecostal movement, is headquartered here. Local businesses include Divinely Inspired Cleaning, Integrity Imports and Grace Health Services.

So many buckles on that Bible belt.

COPS: MOM USES INFANT AS WEAPON

She is definitely out of the running for Mom of the Year award. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports:

A woman used her 4-week-old baby as a weapon during a domestic dispute, swinging the infant through the air and striking her boyfriend with the child, authorities said.

Chytoria Graham, 27, of Erie, remained in the Erie County Jail today, unable to post $75,000 bond on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and simple assault.

"The baby was swung at the individual that she was arguing with," Erie District Judge Thomas Robie told the Erie Times-News for today's editions.

District Attorney Bradley Foulk said the child was critically injured in the incident about 3:30 a.m. yesterday. The infant, whose gender was not released, was flown by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital.

"Never, never, never -- I can never remember anything like this," Mr. Foulk said.

Authorities removed four other children from Graham's home and they were in the custody of the Erie County Office of Children and Youth.

Cops said they didn't know the baby's gender, or whether the man with whom Graham was arguing is the baby's father.

NORTH KOREA CONDUCTS NUKE TEST

Breaking Sunday night. South Korean leaders say via the Yonhap news agency that the test is reality; North Korea has just confirmed. Big news.

Updated 1:46 a.m. Monday: The USGS earthquake center reports a 4.2 magnitude earthquake, located:

70 km (45 miles) N of Kimchaek, North Korea
90 km (55 miles) SW of Chongjin, North Korea
180 km (110 miles) S of Yanji, Jilin, China
385 km (240 miles) NE of PYONGYANG, North Korea

Preliminary reports say the blast was equivalent to 550 tons of TNT -- not a big nuke bang, but that's a relative term.

THE LATEST FROM DOUG TV

DougTV is back with another Internet-exclusive message from Missouri Senate candidate Doug Harpool. KY3 political reporter David Catanese offers his review. Watch it yourself:

ANSWER: TO MAKE SURE HE'S DEAD

The headline of the Sun-Sentinel story: Kin of man who killed deputy want probe into why he was shot 68 times

The deputy was from Polk County, Fla. The family of the dead cop killer wants the governor, Jeb Bush, to rustle up an independent investigation into the shooting of their loved one. The Sun-Sentinel reports:

Nine SWAT officers fired a total of 110 bullets at 27-year-old Angilo Freeland last week after he fatally shot a Polk County deputy and his dog and wounded another fleeing from a traffic stop. "This is not about a lawsuit. Nobody is suing anybody," the family's attorney, Grady Irvin, said at a Thursday afternoon new conference. "What this is all about is this death is uncommon in the means and manner by which Mr. Freeland died -- 68 bullet holes. His family just wants to put this issue to rest and they want a search for the truth, that's all." An Orlando-based civil rights group also on Thursday called on U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales to look into the circumstances surrounding Freeland's death.

An uncommon death caps an uncommon life.

TOO GOOD FOR THE REST OF US

Fat Jack has the right idea when it comes to politics. Got a question? Ask the politician. In Jack's case it was Nancy Hagan, candidate for a state representative's seat in south Springfield. He wanted to know where she stands on The Issues -- you know, those pesky things that some citizens actually care about.

Many people think we wouldn't cross the street to spit on a Republican in flames (and please, no bad Mark Foley jokes). Many people would be wrong. We've voted for Democrats and Republicans. We've donated to candidates from both parties. It may sound mighty queer, but we're old-fashioned enough to believe that it's all about voting for the best candidate.

But how do you find out if someone is a good candidate for public office -- for public service? Some pull a Fat Jack and ask the candidate. Many others -- most others -- rely on the media to inform them, and by that we don't mean campaign commercials.

Sometimes, however, a politician decides that he or she is too good to answer your questions. The latest case in point is Norma Champion, the state senator running for reelection.

She refuses to talk with reporters about where she stands on the issues. Her excuse? The KY3 political reporter, Dave Catanese, has a Doug Harpool bumper sticker on his desk. Harpool is challenging Champion for Springfield's seat in the Missouri Senate.

Catanese explains the insanity:

I approached Champion's campaign aide Mike Barnett about setting up an interview with the Senator about her re-election race. We've been trying to set an interview up for some time. Barnett said Champion's schedule had been jam-packed and that he was meaning to get back to me. But as we got further into the conversation, he told me the flat out truth.

"A lot of people are telling us not to talk to you because of the Harpool sticker you have on your desk that's on TV about the blog, and about some of the comments that have been made on your blog," Barnett said. "Quite a bit of Republicans are telling us that."

At least now I know.

They do have a point. I did have a Harpool sticker on my desk that was in the background of a shot used to promote the KY3 political blog. Never thought anything of it. On the other side of my desk, I had stickers for Jim Talent, Claire McCaskill, Jo Ann Emerson and Jay Nixon (but they weren't in the shot). I've said before it is the way I decorate my desk. I'm open to taking stickers from any candidate of any party. But I understand how seeing one sticker could cause a perception problem. Lesson learned.

I can't do much more than say I'm a political junkie who loves politics and the buttons, stickers, signs and flags that come with it. And yes, I love covering these legislative races. But they become pretty tough to cover fairly and objectively when one side won't talk to you.

I explained to Barnett that I was just trying to do my job and he pledged to work with me in setting up an interview with Sen. Champion over the next few weeks. I hope we can work it out.

Barnett also informed me that the Champion campaign would not be accepting our invitation to hold a District 30 Senate debate at KY3. "She's going around talking to lots of forums. We feel like the people know her and know what she has done. We think a debate would just be a chance for the other side to be negative," Barnett said.

We've decided to help with Harpool's campaign for Missouri Senate. We knew him when he was a state representative in the 1980s and 1990s, and we believe he is the better candidate for office. Much of this is based on the fact that Harpool talks about The Issues. He's not afraid to meet people who disagree with him. He listens.

And unlike Norma Champion, he doesn't duck debates.

The biggest yuck of all? Champion uses the nickname "Aunt Norma" in her political campaigns. It's even the way she's listed on the ballot. Where did she get it? From her time on KY3. She'll take their fluffy nickname. She won't take their tough questions.

R.W. APPLE, 71

Johnny Apple is dead, and in fitting fashion, The New York Times has a great obit:

With his Dickensian byline, Churchillian brio and Falstaffian appetites, Mr. Apple, who was known as Johnny, was a singular presence at The Times almost from the moment he joined the metropolitan staff in 1963. He remained a colorful figure as new generations of journalists around him grew more pallid, and his encyclopedic knowledge, grace of expression — and above all his expense account — were the envy of his competitors, imitators and peers.

Mr. Apple enjoyed a career like no other in the modern era of The Times. He was the paper’s bureau chief in Albany, Lagos, Nairobi, Saigon, Moscow, London and Washington. He covered 10 presidential elections and more than 20 national nominating conventions. He led The Times’s coverage of the Vietnam war for two and a half years in the 1960’s and of the Persian Gulf war a generation later and he chronicled the Iranian revolution in between.

We should all be so lucky to be remembered so vividly. RIP, Johnny Apple.

GANG BANG

Only a handful of weeks until the general election, and that, of course, means the streets of Springfield are teeming with hoodlums. Who knew that gangs were so attuned to the rhythms of politics?

The Springfield Public Schools' board of education got an earful of gang news on Tuesday; to hear some tell it, the halls of Central High School are full of danger, masquerading in long T-shirts.

Long shirt? You must be in a gang.

That sort of constipated mindset is often on local display, especially when alleged gangs are involved and their kids might be in danger. Otherwise-smart people become fearmongers. They believe everything The Man tells them, and never think to question authority: The police chief and prosecutor said gangs are a problem? OK. Nevermind that the prosecutor is up for reelection.

Sometimes, even reporters believe the hype. Today's News-Leader account of the school board meeting includes this telling slip:

Local law enforcement officials have been making efforts to stop gang activity in Springfield. Since August, Springfield police have made more than 80 felony arrests related to gang activity; a grand jury has indicted at least 26 gang members or associates.

Absolutely no question about it -- cops are "making efforts to stop gang activity." Every one of those 80 felony arrests involves "gang activity." The 26 who've been indicted? Every single person is a "gang member or associate."

These are facts? How does the newspaper know?

NOT ALLOWED TO RACE

The Guardian offers up a curious story of a racer who happens to be a woman from Iran. Easy to sense trouble ahead from the set-up:

She was the speed queen of the racetrack who became a feminist icon after triumphing over an all-male field to become Iran's national car rally champion. But now the high-octane driving career of Laleh Seddigh has juddered to a halt, with a ban from participating at a race by the country's motor racing authorities. Seddigh, 29, was walking towards her 1600cc Peugeot 206 at Tehran's Azadi stadium when stewards blocked her way, citing "security problems".

The snub followed days of wrangling with Iran's racing federation over her right to take part in an event she won two years ago on her way to becoming national champion. In the lead-up to the race, she was told her participation was not guaranteed but was advised to register her name. Her registration was passed after technicians gave her car the all-clear. "I thought I had been given the go-ahead," she said. "I was walking towards the grid thinking, thank God this has been resolved, when they shut the door on me. They said they didn't know why, but the head of the federation said I wasn't allowed to participate."

It was the first time Seddigh, whose exploits earned her the soubriquet "the little Schumacher", had been excluded from a contest. Senior federation officials said they had been unable to obtain permission for her participation.

Repugnant. Not a reason to bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran, but still so backwards that it boggles the brain.

DRUNK? YOU BET

So drunk she decided to show up drunk in court for an appearance on a drunken-driving charge. The Associated Press reports:

A Little Rock woman facing her fifth drunken-driving charge in the span of a year -- and third in less than a month -- showed up to a court appearance drunk Tuesday morning, a court official said.

Susan Marshall, 55, was arrested for contempt of court after a brief appearance in Little Rock District Court, said chief probation officer Sheila Farley. Marshall later had a blood-alcohol level of 0.147 percent, Farley said. The legal limit for adult drivers in Arkansas is 0.08 percent.

Marshall said she did not drive to her court appearance and had no keys when arrested, Farley said.

Marshall, who had three drunken-driving arrests in September, was taken to Pulaski County Jail. She was scheduled for another court appearance Wednesday, Farley said.

Well, thank God she didn't drive to court.

STIM

As in "stimulate." Springfield's newest magazine has been published in print and digital format, and it's worth your time.

Not because CHATTER's chief typist contributed to the first issue (though the story on bloggers isn't a bad read). STIM is worth the time because, as editor Colin Wright notes, "It's time. Seriously." Time to shake off old conventions. Time to try some new things.

Congrats to Wright and his people for making something out of nothing. Tip of the pinhead to Fat Jack for putting the mag link on his page.

Read the first issue by clicking here. The story on bloggers: And Then The Listeners Started Talking. Nice hed. Wish we'd have thought of it.

KY3 PRODUCER TO KSPR

Brad Belote, executive producer at KYTV, is headed to KSPR to become the station's news director, a source tells CHATTER.

KY3 and Perkin Media recently announced their shared acquisition of KSPR, the local ABC affiliate. Belote becomes the first known name to make the transition. There could be more station staff swapping in coming weeks. It's clearly good news for KSPR, a station that has had its share of wretched news directors (and equally bad ratings) over the years. What's it mean for KY3?

FRIDAY FREE RIDE

A bunch of bullets to take you into the weekend:

•Regarding our earlier post on George Brett's missing head: Said head has been located, according to the News-Leader, in a ditch near Camdenton. The news just makes its own jokes, doesn't it?

•We've been busy doing work for the Doug Harpool campaign. A 100-second video biography of the candidate can be found here at YouTube. A higher resolution version of the vid resides here.

•There's hope for the future. New Scientist reports that solar activity will srcew the GPS pooch in 2011:

A study reveals Global Positioning System receivers to be unexpectedly vulnerable to bursts of radio noise produced by solar flares, created by explosions in the Sun's atmosphere.

When solar activity peaks in 2011 and 2012, it could cause widespread disruption to aircraft navigation and emergency location systems that rely heavily on satellite navigation data.

Once it's disrupted, ditch the OnStar and head for the hills. They won't be able to track you.

GEORGE BRETT'S HEAD

Who stole George Brett's head?

The former Kansas City Royals player was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. A bust of the player is at the hall in Springfield. Or was.

Someone reportedly stole the head from the hall. Nothing else taken. Just the Brett head. What the hell?

HEAD HANDED TO HIM

Thursday morning found a certain radio host giving grudging admiration to the "mind control" powers of former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, who spoke Wednesday night at a public forum about the Iraq War.

The radio host was a member of the same panel. He'd attempted to pack the audience with his sycophants, casting the event as some sort of Patriots vs. Peaceniks clash. But a News-Leader account of the meeting makes it clear -- the Peaceniks are winning this war:

The crowd was less favorable toward panel member Vincent David Jericho, a conservative talk-radio host on local station KSGF.

Although Jericho garnered thunderous applause when describing America as "the greatest country in the world," he drew fire after suggesting the U.S. is also "morally superior."

Moderator Bob Ranney had to ask the audience to refrain from catcalling after several other comments from Jericho, including his contention that "Jesus wasn't some velveteen wuss, he was a man ..."

Jericho characterized the current war on terror as a religious war and defended past statements by the president that American soldiers are "Christian crusaders."

"The Bible isn't a book of peace," Jericho said. "Never has been, never will be."

And the walls came tumbling down.

MAN LEAVES HIS MARK

This sick little story from Foley, Ala., is sure to disgust. WPMI reports:

In the middle of a local WalMart, police say a man relieved himself sexually, on a young girl and then runs off. It happened at the WalMart Supercenter off Highway 59 in Foley. Police are now searching for the suspect they believe may have acted out before.

Taken in a crowded WalMart store in Foley, a surveillance video depicts a man in a green shirt, lingering on the right side of the screen. He's not shopping, he's stalking. Police say he's fondling himself as he watches a 13-year-old girl across the isle and out of the camera's view. After a while, investigators say he crosses the isle to violate the unsuspecting teen in an unimaginable way. Sergeant Tony Fuqua with the Foley Police Department describes what happened: “Then he went over to her and relieved himself sexually on the outer clothing of the 13-year-old.”

Across the isle? Obviously a fan of "Lost."

HENRY HYDE STILL DANGEROUS

The 82-year-old congressman from Illinois is retiring. You may remember him as one of the GOP gang that pressed the impeachment of Bill Clinton.

Speaking with Robert Novak, the columnist, Hyde spilled this little gem:

"I'd like to go back and do the impeachment again ... I was soft on the treatment we received from the Senate. We couldn't produce a witness without their permission. I should have had the president come in and testify. And if the Senate wouldn't let me, I should have gone before the body and Chief Justice Rehnquist and made a motion. That would have dramatized that the Senate was not letting us try our case. A lot of things could have been done differently."

Heh-heh. He said he was "soft."

THUMBTACK = ASSAULT CHARGE

Zero tolerance gone awry, and a great payoff quote in this story from Layton, Utah. The Associated Press reports:

A 15-year-old high school football player faces simple assault charges for putting a thumbtack in his glove before shaking hands and high-fiving players from a rival school, authorities said.

The student was kicked off the team following the incident, which happened Thursday after a game against Davis High School. The student's name has not been released.

"This was a young man who made a very immature decision," said Layton High School Assistant Principal Dee Burton.

Several members of the Davis team were jabbed with the tack, said Layton Police Sgt. James Petre. One chose to press charges.

Davis School District spokesman Christopher Williams said he was told salt had been poured on the Layton football field earlier this week, but "that does not justify what the student did."

He said he did not know if the field was damaged.

"There's been a rivalry between the two for years, but it doesn't justify one student to hurt another student," Williams said.

Along with criminal charges, the student could face further sanctions from the school if an administrator decides the tack was a weapon and that the incident wasn't merely a prank, school officials said.

When tacks are outlawed, only outlaws will have tacks.

VOICE OF KSMU RETIRES

Mike Smith, the director of news for public radio station KSMU, retires next week after 25 years of work.

A reception will be held at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Plaster Student Union on the Missouri State University campus. It'll be in the Union Club, Room 400.

Smith doesn't like to think of himself as "the voice of KSMU." But longtime listeners of the station know it's a fact.

We have several war stories to tell on the man. Do you?

WANT A LAUGH? READ BRIAN LEWIS

The assistant editorial page editor of the News-Leader shows off his lack of style with a Saturday column that reeks.

He claims to be a Christian, but his first sentence is anything but:

I hate news conferences when television personalities start hunting for sound bites.

Yeah, that Jesus was such a hatemonger.

Lewis apparently has problems with "television personalities" who want quotes:

Here are some of the questions one television personality asked: How do you define cloning? Is it a sin to vote for this amendment? Is it a sin to vote for this amendment? Is it a sin to vote for this amendment? Why then don't you just say it is a sin to vote for this amendment?

Sigh. Theological illiteracy meets gotcha journalism.

What are the brainstorming sessions like at these television stations? Religious folks oppose this. They must be shouting some irrational hoodoo. Let's catch them.

Yeah, "gotcha journalism." That explains why Lewis belittles the questions — and then prints the answers given by Alan Keyes and Rick Scarborough.

Lewis also shows his disregard for basic newspaper-writing style.

He notes a conversation with "Greene County Medical Society president John Mihalevich." Mihalevich is a physician. AP style calls for him to be referred to as "Dr. John Mihalevich" on first reference.

Lewis identifies Scarborough as "Rev. Scarborough" on second reference. A definite AP style no-no.

But hey, we shouldn't expect anything better from a guy who begins his column with the words, "I hate." We'd call him a "newspaper personality," but that gives him too much credit. Call him a "newspaper typist."

A NEW WAY TO MEET GUYS

Pretend to be a woman, place a post on Craigslist promising a hot little time, and wait for the suckers to roll in. Cops say 35-year old Ernest Ray Lamey pulled the peculiar scam on a 23-year-old man with loving on his mind. The Austin American-Statesman, that kicking read, reports:

The man who answered the door promised that his female roommate, who he said had left, would soon return, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. That's when Lamey offered the 23-year-old a drink laced with Ambien, a sleeping pill, and waited until it kicked in before sexually attacking him, the affidavit said.

Lamey was charged Wednesday with sexual assault, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He was being held in the Travis County Jail on Thursday in lieu of $20,000 bail. ...

The online advertisement the man responded to was for "partying and hanging out with other men and women," according to affidavit. The man e-mailed the address provided in the ad and arranged a meeting, the affidavit said.

Lamey showed the man a picture of a woman he said was his roommate before offering the drink, the affidavit said.

He "took a few drinks and started feeling very sleepy," the document said.

Another tragic case of thinking with the wrong head.

KY3 GRABS KSPR

KYTV, the NBC affiliate in Springfield, is taking over operations at KSPR, the ABC affiliate, two sources tell CHATTER.

Announcements were made in the stations' newsrooms on Thursday afternoon, the sources say. Some KSPR management positions have already fallen to the axe, the sources add.

KYTV is the area's top-rated television station. KSPR traditionally holds last place among the three network affiliates.

Discuss, discuss.

VIDEO NEWS-LEADER

Quite the interesting thread on Missouri Radio this week, as broadcasters discuss the latest News-Leader innovation. Former KTTS news director Morris James posts:

They have purchased digital camcorders, digital voice recorders, and laptop computers with mobile web capability and are entering the breaking news arena. They are also hiring a small separate staff of people, versed in breaking news and the web, to take on radio and yes, t-v. The concept is simple, film the scene and beam the info right back to the paper. While radio is using antiquated equipment because of no investment, and television is restricted by time constraints (running stuff during regular news times), the paper is out to win. Reporters and photogs have been going to classes in Des Moines, getting training. The paper is being refocused on the future...the web. Many sites featuring video are not top-notch broadcast facilities, they look amatuer. But folks are glued to them like crazy. The train has left the station for the paper...who is going to play catch up?

Good idea? Bad idea?

MINI-BAR KEYS OPEN DIEBOLD MACHINES

Finally, one thing Republicans and Democrats ought to agree on: Electronic voting machines can be bad news for democracy.

A recent study from Princeton University shows the machines -- rolled out in the aftermath of the botched 2000 national election -- can be hacked with uneasy ease:

In a paper posted on the university's Web site, Edward Felten and two graduate students described how they had tested a Diebold AccuVote-TS machine they obtained, found ways to quickly upload malicious programs and even developed a computer virus able to spread such programs between machines.

The marketing director for the machine's maker — Diebold Inc.'s Diebold Election Systems of Allen, Texas — blasted the report, saying Felten ignored newer software and security measures that prevent such hacking.

"I'm concerned by the fact we weren't contacted to educate these people on where our current technology stands," Mark Radke said.

Felten and graduate students Ariel Feldman and Alex Halderman found that malicious programs could be placed on the Diebold by accessing the memory card slot and power button, both behind a locked door on the side of the machine. One member of the group was able to pick the lock in 10 seconds, and software could be installed in less than a minute, according to the report.

This week it becomes clearer how easy it would be to bust into a Diebold machine and make mischief. This report notes that Diebold machines have locks that can be opened with a generic key:

[T]he exact same key is used widely in office furniture, electronic equipment, jukeboxes, and hotel minibars. It’s a standard part, and like most standard parts it’s easily purchased on the Internet. We bought several keys from an office furniture key shop — they open the voting machine too. We ordered another key on eBay from a jukebox supply shop. The keys can be purchased from many online merchants.

And no, the Diebold machines won't keep your tiny tequila bottles cold. But they can put a chill on voter confidence.