Margie Kieper is giving up her blog “to more thoroughly immerse [her]self in the tropical meteorological community.” I’m totally bummed — with the demise of Charles Fenwick’s blog (and, before him, Steve Gregory), Margie had become one of my top two go-to hurricane bloggers, along with Dr. Jeff Masters. She was a great source of information and analysis, and her rhetorical flair made her blog consistently fun to read. But I certainly understand how life and blogging can sometimes conflict. Anyway, you’ll be missed, Margie.

Casey, describing his 4th of July party: “Maybe 30-40 people showed up. The best thing is that everyone brought beer, but very few people drank beer (I always serve copious wine at parties). As a result, I estimate that I presently control 26% of the world’s beer supply.”

It’s 7/7/07, which means some superstitious folk are gambling or getting married — or better yet, doing both (in Vegas). Meanwhile, in Connecticut, one man is turning 77.

On a far more somber note, it’s the second anniversary of the 7/7 bombings in London.

Margie Kieper says National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza is likely to resign soon.

Heh. (Hat tip: Sully.)

Pink-pistol-toting, heterosexual-hating lesbian gangs terrorizing America? Bill O’Reilly is on the case — and by “case,” of course I mean “nonexistent bunch of baloney made up by a Fox News ‘expert’ who doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.” (Hat tip: Becky, via Fark.)

UPDATE: Here are some photos of the lesbian evildoers! And here’s their anthem!

P.S. As long as I’m blogging about ridiculous nonsense on Fox News… remember my firmly tongue-in-cheek post about how “if we adopt nationalized health care, the terrorists will win” because the U.K.’s National Health Service “breeds terrorists”? Well, Fox’s Neil Cavuto had a guest on his show yesterday who actually argued that! With a straight face!

In case you’re looking for new things to worry about, here’s a list of eight ways life on Earth could end in the 21st century.

Decepticons are not specifically mentioned, but “Robots Take Over The World” is #5 on the list. Such an event would, on top of everything else, exacerbate the health-care crisis, since robots eat old people’s medicine for fuel.

P.S. The “list,” which I found on Fark, is actually based on a four-year-old book. You can read some previous articles about it here and here.

What’s better than killing a high-ranking terrorist in Iraq? Killing him twice!

We just got back from Transformers and, dude, all I have to say is, Megan Fox is HOT.

More photos after the jump.

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UCLA student has Paris Hilton’s old number. (Hat tip: Andrew.)

A new poll says Americans are evenly split on impeaching Bush, and a majority favors impeaching Cheney. (Hat tip: Sully.)

The numbers are interesting, but I take them with a grain of salt, since most Americans who favor impeaching Bush and Cheney probably just want them gone because they don’t like them, not because they’ve come to the conclusion, upon considered and reasoned judgment, that the two have committed high crimes and misdemeanors. I continue to believe that the Bush Administration’s “crimes” are political, and not the sort of thing that impeachment is designed to correct. For instance, stretching the limits of executive power through aggressive lawyering and political strong-arming is not a “high crime”; it’s unwise political overreaching, subject to legislative/judicial counterbalancing and/or correction by the voters. We had a chance to “correct” it back in November 2004, and chose not to; we issued a partial “correction” last year by voting the president’s party out of the congressional majority; and we’ll have a chance to wipe the slate clean in about 16 months. That’s how our system works — not through votes of no confidence, either in Congress or in opinion polls. Ours is a presidential system, not a parliamentary one. Presidents (and vice presidents) aren’t supposed to be impeached just because they’re unpopular.

That said, Bush sucks. As does Cheney (though, if he were gone, Democrats would miss him more than Republicans would — he’s such an easy target!*).

*No pun intended. Cuz you know, he shot a guy in the face. Ha ha!

In exactly one week’s five days’ time, I’ll probably just be emerging from a theater after watching a midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix — Part 1 of the Great July Pottergasm of 2007.

Needless to say, I can’t wait. The first reviews of the film are up on Rotten Tomatoes. If you don’t want to read any reviews, don’t follow the link (obviously) and don’t continue reading after the jump. Otherwise, click below…

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Confederate Yankee looks at the AP’s odd double standards when it comes to reporting on violence in Iraq. (Hat tip: InstaPundit.)

Why is Joe Lieberman again making headlines for stating the obvious?

“I’m going to chose whichever candidate that I think will do the best job for our country, regardless of the party affiliation of that candidate,” the Connecticut senator told reporters in the state capital Hartford.

First of all, Lieberman already said this, back in January. Why is it “news” that he said it again? Can we expect the wire services to publish a new “Lieberman may back Republican” story every few months between now and the conventions?

Secondly, as I said back then, there’s nothing remotely objectionable about his statement, especially if “do the best job for our country” is defined broadly. Some would say that the party can trump the person in certain cases, but Lieberman’s statement doesn’t deny that possibility — he’s not saying the candidate’s party won’t be a factor in his decision, just that it won’t be the only factor. I’m confident that, as between two candidates whose stances on the war against terrorism are equally acceptable to him, Lieberman would choose the Democrat. But he’s not going to support someone with an unacceptable stance just because he (or she) has a “D” next to his (or her) name. In that regard, Lieberman is firmly ensconced in the majority, not to mention common sense. Whatever one’s ideology, party affiliation, or opinion about any particular issue, surely we can all agree that ultimately, country is more important than party.

The more intriguing bit is the second part of his statement:

“I’m not going to get involved until after both parties have their presumptive nominees and, frankly, to see if there is a strong independent candidate,” he said.

Hmm. Could Lieberman be angling for another vice presidential nod — on an independent ticket? Especially in light of his recent praise for John McCain, coupled with the Arizona senator’s growling struggles in the race for the Republican nomination, it’s enough to make one wonder if the concept of a John & Joe ticket could make a comeback. (Of course, in light of the current political climate vis a vis Iraq, a ticket of two pro-war mavericks almost certainly wouldn’t carry the day in ‘08, no matter how much I might like it to.* In all likelihood, such an independent candidacy would just split the dwindling conservative/hawkish vote and guarantee a Democratic landslide. In which case, shouldn’t all you Lieberman-haters be rooting for it to happen? :)

*I mean it when I say “might.” It’s not a foregone conclusion that I would vote for such a ticket. I have plenty of misgivings about McCain — and a few about Lieberman, even! Though I’d take him over most alternatives. But anyway, a Brendan Loy vote for McCain-Lieberman would not be pre-ordained. I’d love to have the option, though.

P.S. About that other potential third-party candidate, Nanny Bloomberg, Wonkette looks at the polls and concludes: “So if Bloomberg jumps in, we’ll have another tie decided by the Supreme Court, and then Scooter Libby becomes President of Earth.” Sounds right.

The plot thickens: at least half of the National Hurricane Center staff wants director Bill Proenza replaced, immediately if not sooner. Here is their statement (PDF):

An unfortunate public debate is now occurring over the ability of the National Hurricane Center to meet its mission. The undersigned staff of the National Hurricane Center has concluded that the center needs a new Director, and with the heart of the hurricane season fast approaching, urges the Department of Commerce to make this happen as quickly as possible. The effective functioning of the National Hurricane Center is at stake. The staff of the National Hurricane Center would like nothing more than to return its focus to its primary mission of protecting life and property from hazardous tropical weather, and leave the political arena it now finds itself in.

Among those signing the statement is senior hurricane specialist Lixion Avila, who had previously refrained from explicitly calling for Proenza’s ouster. Now the four senior hurricane specialists who have weighed in on the matter — Avila, Franklin, Knabb and Pasch — are unanimous in their anti-Proenza stance. (The fifth specialist, Jack Beven, is on vacation and has not commented on the controversy.)

And the eggheads aren’t alone: as Margie Kieper notes, “It was very interesting that Proenza’s own administrative staff signed the petition. Many people at the center have had difficulties working with Proenza, and this factored heavily into some of the decisions. This is unfortunate because this past six months should have been the time to establish a rapport and good working relationship with the staff, and it is telling that not only the Senior Hurricane Specialists and other senior staff, but the administrative staff as well, are willing to go on record as stating that they would prefer a new NHC Director. It does appear that the concerns about whether Proenza can be an effective manager are valid ones, as it is hard to imagine how so many people could take this extreme position without there being quite a bit of substance to their concerns.”

CNN reports that the staff’s “dissatisfaction” with Proenza “stems not only from [his controversial] comments, but also from the environment at the center — one of closed doors and the public airing of dirty laundry.” This dispute looks more and more like a toxic mixture of science, ideology and petty office politics played out in an embarrassingly public arena.

Interestingly, Kieper says the Hurricane Research Division “discussed the matter at an all-hands meeting [Thursday morning], and unanimously supports Proenza. Of course, none of the HRD employees work for Proenza, so I am not sure how this vote of confidence would factor into any decision on Proenza’s tenure, and it seems that NOAA has already set in motion the actions that will lead to resignation or termination.”

I miss Max Mayfield.

(Hat tip: Mike Tichon.)

P.S. SciGuy asks a question that I, too, was wondering about: “Is some of the criticism among the senior forecasters a reflection of anger because none of them were selected for the director position?”

UPDATE: Margie Kieper says the answer to that last question is a definitive no:

This week Senior Hurricane Specialist James Franklin has taken the lead in speaking for the NHC employees. James is reserved and scholarly and a remarkably skilled meteorologist, with a wonderful sense of humor and exceptional writing skills. It took a lot of courage for him to step into the public spotlight. I can tell you that the step to share their side of the situation with the public was a last resort, and only taken after coming to the conclusion that it was completely necessary, and the right thing to do. Being in the media spotlight in this manner is not a comfortable thing for any of them, and not something they would have chosen if they had felt that they had any other option.

I have read many of the comments made to many of the news articles online. I have seen some terrible things said in these comments, which are mostly, but not all, anonymous. There is one thing in particular that I would like to emphasize — not a one of the senior forecasters has any kind of investment in trying to remove Bill Proenza in order to have the job himself. This speculation is patently untrue. I can also tell you that every single person at NHC is a consumate professional, and they will turn out the very best forecasts that they can regardless of any situation at NHC, and regardless of their personal views on this or any other situation.

Anyway, this morning’s update is that Proenza says he won’t resign — and in the process, according to forecaster Franklin, misrepresents the views of his staff. More after the jump.

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