Who let the cows out?

I could not let T9's great buffet post go without a little photoshop magic, featuring my favorite buckeye.

I strongly encourage you to go here and vote in the "Are you afraid of another cow attack?" poll. The current results show 51% (302 of 595) say YES. We need to swing the vote more in favor of "yes" to make the public more aware of the danger presented by these animals.

The REAL story not reported by the Buckeye news:
Last Wednesday two cows being transported to Ohio State’s Veterinary Hospital escaped and caused a chaotic two-hour round-up on the campus athletic fields next to Lincoln Tower.

OSU Police and university officials used at least seven police cars, a university tractor, a cattle prod and tranquilizers to corral the cattle. Head football coach Jim Tressel was called on the scene, but was unable to make a difference. The cows were being brought to the veterinary school to have their hooves trimmed, a regular procedure among some breeds of cows.

OSU veterinary staff didn’t have a long-range tranquilizer gun on hand, so they called officials at the Columbus Zoo, who sent an employee to tranquilize the second cow. Once the cow was tranquilized, police lassoed it and led it into a trailer.

After he was subdued, the cow was heard mumbling "Barwis" over and over.

You need to VOTE now !!!

On this day...

In 1429 Joan of Arc arrives on the scene to relieve the Siege of Orleans. In 1861 Maryland decides to not join the misguided southern rebels and secede from the Union. A year later, in 1862 the city of New Orleans falls to Union forces led by Admiral David Farragut. In 1863 publisher William Randolph Hearst was born. In 1899 jazz musician Duke Ellington was born followed two years later (1901) by Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

The Irish Easter Rebellion of 1916 ended. In 1934, Chicago White Sox Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio was born. In 1945 the Germans in Italy surrender to the Allied Forces. In 1951 NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was born. In 1953 the first experimental 3D TV broadcast takes place in Los Angeles. In 1954 Jerry Seinfeld was born. In 1958 Michelle Pfeiffer was born. In 1963 Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was born. In 1967 Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing titles for refusing to enter the Army. In 1970 tennis star Andre Agassi and Uma Thurman were born. In 1975 US involvement in Viet Nam ended with the evacuation of Saigon. In 1980 Alfred Hitchcock died. In 1986 a non-juiced Roger Clemens (then of the Red Sox) strikes out 20 Seattle Mariners. In 1992 the Los Angeles riots start, sparked by the acquittal of the police officers that beat Rodney King. And in 2004 Oldsmobile build its final car, ending 107 years of production. Oh yeah... I was born on this day too.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Barry Larkin

On Saturday the Michigan Baseball program will retire Barry Larkin's number 16 jersey in a ceremony before the game against Ohio State.

During his time in Ann Arbor, Barry played with future Reds teammates Chris Sabo ('83) and Hal Morris ('85). These three Wolverines formed the core of the Cincinnati Reds team that won the 1990 World Series.

MGoBlog has a nice Barry Larkin diary entry here.

Edit: Today is Barry Larkin's birthday. Happy Birthday big fella.

Columbus Contaminant: C-bus spreading crap around??

Date: April 26, 2010
WASHTENAW COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH CONTINUES
E.COLI OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION
Possible Link to Similar Outbreak in Ohio

YPSILANTI, Mich., April 26, 2010 — In cooperation with multiple agencies, Washtenaw County Public Health continues investigating an outbreak of food-related illness. Preliminary results from the Michigan Department of Community Health indicate that this is a toxin-producing E. coli non-0157 strain. Seven of the local cases have been confirmed as E. coli non-0157 and are related to one another. Fourteen cases are awaiting laboratory confirmation of E. coli. Persons reporting illness consistent with the outbreak were likely exposed between April 7th and April 15th and became ill between April 9th and April 16th. Persons typically experience symptoms three to four days after eating foods contaminated with E. coli.
The process of identifying common food sources is complex. Initial findings indicated ill persons were exposed at one or more local eateries. Additional evidence now indicates there may have been a problem related to the distribution of certain foods received locally. The Michigan Department of Agriculture is conducting a traceback to determine whether a common food distributor or supplier may be involved. Similar cases are also under investigation in Ohio. Columbus Public Health in Columbus, OH is reporting five confirmed cases of E.coli non-0157, with several more pending confirmation.
“Our investigation is progressing,” says Dr. Diana Torres-Burgos, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Washtenaw County Public Health. “Outbreaks like these are incredibly time-consuming and difficult, and we continue to share the information we can confirm.”
Symptoms of E. coli infection include abdominal cramping followed by diarrhea that progressively worsens and is often bloody. Typically, there is no fever. Anyone with similar symptoms should seek medical attention. Individuals are also asked to report suspected E. coli illness to Washtenaw County Public Health at 734-544-6700.
Most persons sickened with E. coli recover within a week; however, some infections can be serious. The non-0157 strain of E. coli identified in the outbreak is less common, but it is still capable of producing severe illness.
Proper hand washing, food handling and cooking are critical to preventing the spread of foodborne illness. The Washtenaw County Public Health Fact Sheet on E. coli is available at: http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/public_health/phcontent/cd_fact_sheets/ecoli.pdf

NFL Draft Open Thread

The first round is history, but there is still plenty of NFL draft fun out there.

Congrats to Brandon Graham on being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round. Just when I was getting ready to stop watching McNabb-less Eagles games they do this to me. BG jersey's are already being sold, but number 55 is already taken by Eagles LB Stewart Bradley, so we don't know what BG's new number will be.

It was also a great first day for the Detroit Lions. Both Suh and Best should help make them a better team.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Tate II

Slowly getting back into the swing of things. This one just came together for me late on Tuesday night when I was playing around with photoshop textures and layer blending options.

Go Blue.

CW bobble head

From the spring game. Somewhere David Boston is trembling...



HT: 616goblue

Blogjack: Cuz you just gotta see this

Spring Game 2010

Football. Finally.

I am really looking forward to watching the Spring Game tonight, even if it is on BTN tape delay. Based on what I have read, Denard Robinson has made significant improvements to become more than a wildcat runner. I would love to watch him become the star of the Michigan offense for the next 3 years.

Today should give us a good idea on if that can happen.

Edit: Loyal Spawner SiC sent this image from the stadium. It is 42 degrees.

Breaking the silence open thread

Spawn of MZone Rule #1: If you don't have time or energy to create any meaningful content, semi-naked women will always do.

By now, it is obvious to anyone that has been around here for any length of time, something is different. Both T9 and I are overwhelmingly busy with life. I am posting this while I am sitting on a work conference call from a hotel at my kids college orientation. At some point, I hope to be able to focus and get back into a routine.

In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves. If anyone has any ideas on how to keep the faint pulse of this community alive, I'd love to hear it.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Mailing it in

Sorry for the delayed and uninspired wallpaper entry this week. A new job, increased business travel, and hectic teenager mania have taken priority over photoshop time this week.

Dusty, are you still out there? If there are any volunteers to pick up the slack for a couple of weeks -- Now is your opportunity to reach at least a dozen or so loyal readers with your artistic vision. email me (spawnofmzone at gmail dot com) if you are interested.

iPhone camera caption contest

I went to Chicago for the holiday weekend to visit the family. I took this pic at niketown on Michigan Avenue. 20 bonus spawn points to the winning caption entry.



FYI, this post was made entirely with my iPhone: I took the picture, uploaded it with a photo hosting app, created and made the post without ever turning on a computer or touching a keyboard. I love technology.

New Final Four logo

This evening, in celebration of both West Virginia and Michigan State getting to the Final Four, the NCAA released a new logo for the event.