11 March Notes from around the internet

Geraldine Ferraro, best known as Walter Mondale's running mate when he won a state in the 1984 presidential election, got in trouble today for stating the obvious.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

Ben Smith of Politico.com did a simple NEXIS search and found a previous Ferraro quote that sounds familiar (H/T Instapundit):

"If Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race," she said.
Really. The cite is an April 15, 1988 Washington Post story (byline: Howard Kurtz), available only on Nexis.

Not sure how this will affect the ongoing Mary Ann or Ginger debate, but:

Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after being caught with marijuana in her car.

Are you doing your push-ups? Here is a link to an article that finds that people who do a few push ups on a regular basis are more likely to survive a fall without sustaining major injury. This obviously is important info for older people, but don't wait until then to start.

Push-ups are important for older people, too. The ability to do them more than once and with proper form is an important indicator of the capacity to withstand the rigors of aging.

Researchers who study the biomechanics of aging, for instance, note that push-ups can provide the strength and muscle memory to reach out and break a fall. When people fall forward, they typically reach out to catch themselves, ending in a move that mimics the push-up. The hands hit the ground, the wrists and arms absorb much of the impact, and the elbows bend slightly to reduce the force.

Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran. I don't know anymore than what is in the story, but it appears to me that Fallon let his mouth get the better of him. He seems to have forgotten that while the press may not exactly be the enemy they definitely aren't friendlies either.