"You Can't Fight Evil With A Macaroni Duck!"

Toes ...eh, tomatoes

2008-07-22T10:09:00.005-04:00

Our family was once in a silly mood and we were joking about how much we loved eating toes. We spent a while trying to think of all the different kinds of toes we liked to eat.

Dorry toes

Burry toes

Tomi toes

...I think we came up with more, but this post is about the last one; tomatoes.

Right now I can eat tomatoes.
I love tomatoes.
But I do NOT like the taste of tomatoes most of the time. Why? Because normally they have no taste whatsoever! I can not stand eating tomatoes unless they are fresh and cannot understand how others can.

Luckily now farmers markets are bursting with some great locally grown produce. Go give yourself a treat and buy some tomatoes.

mmmmmm good!

Paddling with the sharks

2008-07-22T10:09:00.002-04:00

The next time you go to the beach and keep an eye out for a jellyfish or two while you're boogie-boarding or body surfing near the shore, think of the adventure of Justin DeBree.

Justin got on his paddleboard and paddled 430 miles up the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to help raise awareness about skin cancer. Click the link above to read an article about it.

'..the coolest thing was definitely the tiger shark'

Ah yes. As an 18 foot tiger shark was gnawing through the 4 foot shell of a turtle only about 30 feet away. Way cool Justin. lol You are much calmer around sharks than I would've been! I would have been laying out some brown chum in the water I think. lol

Good job Justin!! Can't wait to hear about your next trip!!

Truckers Slow Down To Protest Fuel Prices

2008-04-10T12:54:00.002-04:00

Truck Drivers Block Freeway Traffic Across the U.S. to Protest Soaring Fuel Prices | AlterNet

Nice article about how truckers banded together to show their anger with regards to rising prices of fuel by slowing down to 20 mph on the interstates.

In this article it mentions that they (the truckers who organized the protests) want a reduction in the price of diesel fuel, an investigation into oil companies, and the release of government fuel reserves.

Yes an investigation, I feel, is in order. I disagree with the request of releasing the reserves though.

Read more yourself...follow the link.

Have I really been away from blogging this long?

2008-04-10T12:19:00.002-04:00

I guess I've been distracted. Hard to believe I've let this website sit inactive for so long. I hope to make more frequent posts again soon. Only thing I've done here today, apart from this post of course, is to add a link to Fallen Sword.

I like the summer.

2007-07-24T13:16:00.000-04:00

Checklist For The Open Road

2007-05-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

Last night I was watching an interesting show on The History Channel. The show discussed various oracles and prophecies of the past. They also talked about the end of the world and how many different cultures shared a similar date.

Mark your calendar.
Winter solstice (December 21st-ish) 2012.

The Mayan calendar ends on this date and experts interpret this as being the end of the world. According to the Mayans the world has gone through this four times before and we will becoming the Fifth world at this time. At this time apparently the sun and the earth will line up perfectly with the center of our galaxy, where apparently a black hole resides, and perhaps we will be crossing some meridian or galactic midline.

The thoughts are that this could/will generate a change in our planet, possibly tilting our poles and causing global devastation.

But we already knew this was probably going to happen one day, didn't we? Yes it's something that all of us have read about in books. No I'm not talking about any religious book of revelations or prophecy...I'm talking about scientfic books, even tourist brochures. Yes this land was once under water. You've heard it. Many if not all of the big deserts of the world were once under water. Landmasses shift. The Earth washes itself off and begins again.

This show also pointed out that other cultures, like the Hopi, as well as some sages of yore (yes I just said "sages of yore". don't pick on me. just go with it) also predicted the same date as being one when the world will end.

Will it? Who knows. If it does I doubt I'll have to worry about my mortgage anymore. Though I do hope I get my sweater before then. (Sorry, inside joke)

This is not new. Back years ago I recall reading a book called We Are The Earthquake Generation, where it was predicted that massive earthquakes would rock our world and change the landscape of the world. Didn't happen. I'm still expecting it though. Any day now. Booom! But will that happen before the poles shift and the winds and waves pick up considerably.

And I haven't EVEN started to worry about that big asteroid that's heading towards us!

Sort of makes Canine Halitosis or your cats urinary tract health not seem like that big of a problem doesn't it?

But what the hell is this post about? You said something about a Checklist for the open road?

ah....
the truly entertaining part of last night was watching the commercials. Yes. It seems that demographics plays a large part in the commercials aired during this show because they all seemed to care about my penis.

I do believe penis is the word of the day.

Every commercial was for a Peter Pickerupper drug, with few exceptions. One of those exceptions was for a product I'm about to talk about.

The weather is fine. It's a nice day to get on you motorcycle and go out on a road trip with the guys.

Checklist before you mount your cruiser and take to the road.

sunglasses ...check
leather chaps ...check
bandanna or helmet ...check
chained wallet ...check
heavy boots ...check
kevlar-enforced leather riding jacket ...check
panty shields ...ch WHAT?!!!

Yes the commercial was an add for male panty shields.
They did not call them that. I am. That's what they were.
It featured a lot of older men dressed up in typical Bad Biker Attire, riding motorcyles and going off to do stuff together (like visit their grandchildren... I kid you not)

They called it a man cup, or some such thing.

Can you imagine the look on the face of the advertising guy when he was handed the job of coming up with an ad for a product for male incontinence and was asked to put a 'manly spin' on this panty shield product?

"Jim, If you can swing this one, there's a good chance we'll move you upstairs!"

Jim, I hope you got a promotion out of this one. This is a classic commercial. It's on par with the famous Quick Cook Grill. [Remember the Quick Cook Grill, it burned newspaper and 'gave you that wood smell since newspapers are made out of wood!' lol]

I'm eagerly awaiting the commercial showing...>edited< My stupid tasteless joke that wasn't funny was removed. Apologies to all.

Have a nice day. :-)

Dissappearing Bees

2007-04-09T22:26:00.000-04:00

Honeybees in North America have not been having it very good since probably sometime in the 1980s. The bee population has since that time been affected by several negative factors to the point that many if not most of the wild honeybees have dissappeared from the US. The biggest threats up until recently were the intrusion of the Africanized bees and a couple of species of mites. Now there's something new.

Since last fall honeybees have been dissappearing. No, they're not being found dead, they're just not being found! Scientists are baffled and are hard at work trying to figure out exactly what is happening. Hives are being found emptied of bees or rather practically emptied of bees. Often it is just the queen and a few babies that are left in the hive, the tens of thousands of others have just apparently dissappeared. This is happening in many states, just over half of our nation, and the fear of it spreading is a serious concern.

This dissappearance has a name now. It is being called the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Hives that have been emptied show no sign of battle or illness that would explain the missing bees. There are no dead bees in the area. Often times the remaining bees do show signs of illness, but these are such that they are being considered perhaps normal under the circumstances since they are stress-induced illnesses, and I would imagine any remaining "baby bees" and the queen would be more than a bit stressed if every other bee left. Don't ya think?

Those researching this problem are trying to look at everything that they can in order to stop this problem as soon as possible. Factors such as global warming, genetically engineered crops, pesticides, herbicides, cell phone propagation, unknown pathogens, Martian bee vacuum are all being considered. Well... not the Martian bee vacuum, I added that in myself.

The big worry is really for the bees themselves. Dollars lost to agricultural interests could be severe because bees are vitally important for many of the crops that we (and our livestock) eat. Besides our own crops I would imagine that this problem with the bees going away could have a big impact on wildlife as well (in other words species in the wild...the food chain, not just some links of that chain we buy in the grocery store) and may endanger some other species if the cause is not found and the problem remedied soon.

Here's a map of the states that have reported CCD.

Here are a couple of news articles for you to read on the subject if you'd like. One from Alabama and one from Indiana.

More data can also be obtained from Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (MAAREC) and the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA)

Sony PSP price cut

2007-04-04T09:47:00.000-04:00

Sony is reducing the cost of its handheld, the PSP, to $169.99. This is a reduction of $30. Good news for anybody who's been toying with the idea of getting one.

England - Surveillance Society

2007-04-04T09:27:00.000-04:00

This news article looks like it was ripped-off from some cheap science fiction movie from the 70s. [The Monitors comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others]. Apparently surveillance cameras are being installed in public places in England now that will speak to people when they commit little antisocial behaviors. Yes a voice will boom out and ask you to not litter, not jay-walk, etc. Do the people of the UK really want a society like this?

I pick up litter when I see it usually. I figure if I do, someone else will too. Eventually the number of literbugs will drop. Of course I think these cameras will monitor more than litter rudeness. A very Big Brother oddness that I certainly hope never comes across the pond to us.

Click on this link to read more.

'Talking' CCTV Scolds Offenders

Strange Online Game

2007-04-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

Stumbled across a strange online game this morning. It looks interesting. You survive in the game by getting others to join the game. Be a pal and try it out so I won't be in last place. lol

click here!

Gotta Love Vermont

2007-04-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

Nice little article over at Alternet on Vermont's spirit of independence and sense of democracy.

Why I haven't moved there yet is beyond me.

Vermont did not join the Union to become part of an empire.

Some of us therefore seek permission to leave.

Who Killed Bambi?

2007-03-22T13:34:00.000-04:00

Okay. Probably everyone's already read about the guy in Wisconsin that was found guilty for stuffing a deer in an inappropriate manner. Yes, he shot a deer then had sex with it. (My guess is while it was still warm too. Unless he was even sicker than I can imagine, and I can imagine pretty sick.). Yes this sick puppy is in trouble and hopefully he will get the help that he needs.

And now he got that Sex Pistols song stuck in my head.

dang.

Victory Is Not An Option

2007-03-22T13:22:00.000-04:00

Follow the link above to listen to a Cato Institute podcast where former DIRNSA Lt. Gen William Odom (Ret.) comments on the current situation in Iraq and draws parallels to the VietNam conflict. His words are insightful I feel. Podcast is just under 8 minutes in length. Worth checking out.

Southern Ocean Woes

2007-03-22T13:04:00.000-04:00

Apparently global warming trends are negatively impacting on the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, according to a report in Scientific American. Increased fresh water melting may lead to changes in global currents.

"Melting ice-sheets and glaciers in Antarctica are releasing fresh water, interfering with the formation of dense "bottom water," which sinks 4-5 kilometers to the ocean floor and helps drive the world's ocean circulation system"

Read more here.

Blackwater

2007-03-22T12:49:00.000-04:00

Man! It's been a long time since I've updated this site. Sorry.

Heard an interesting interview on the radio on NPR the other day. The interview was with Jeremy Scahill about his recent book about Blackwater. You can also read a good article about the book over at Alternet. In this book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, Scahill talks about the origins and how it has grown over the last few years. I hope my local library gets a copy of this soon.

Cube World

2006-12-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

Very cool looking toy that even some grown-ups would like. (Especially grown-ups like me, who never grew up) Radica has done it again. These are stick figures that live in little cubes. You buy a package of two cubes ($25 now though a few months from now I bet the price will come down) and when you place them together they interact. You can stack them and build ...well you can sort of build an apartment house looking thing...a world where they interact and visit and such. neat distraction for your desk or wherever. Check it out here.

Ding Fries Are Done

2006-12-11T14:04:00.000-05:00

Just in case you are not waking up each morning with this song in your head...

http://www.americanangst.com/dingfries.html

...I am here to infest you.

;-)

Is Your Cellphone Listening?

2006-12-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

ZDnet has an interesting article of how the FBI was able to monitor some targeted organized crime figures by eavesdropping on their conversations by listening to nearby conversations of a cellphone. That is they were able to 'turn on the microphone' of the cellphone and listen to what was being spoken in the room. This is not the same as monitoring a call, no call was in process. A whole new privacy concern that people need to be aware of. Go read the article if you'd like to learn more.

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool | Tech News on ZDNet

Black Friday

2006-11-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

Ah the traditions of the season are almost upon us. Soon perhaps we shall reunite with relatives that we are starting to forget exactly what they looked like. That cousin that was just potty-trained is now graduating high school; yes perhaps we should invite them over before we keel over dead. And Thanksgiving morning, yes that day when you have to get up super early to prepare a meal that takes 5 hours to cook, so long that by the time it's done you've smelled it for so long you don't want any.

But hey...teaching your squeemish kids how to clean out a turkey can be a fun experience in and of itself. "Yeah, use your fingernails to dig in there and pry out the blood pockets". If that doesn't work then you'll have to teach them about giblets and gravy. I'm surprised my kids aren't vegans already.

Ah but this post isn't about the feast of thanks and gluttony (and naps), it is about the day AFTER Thanksgiving. The day when many folks rise early and go stand in line for hours and hours in the cold in order to be there when the door opens, and then run and fight their way to a bargain. I've done this a couple of times, and I won't be doing it this year. Frankly the waiting in line was more fun than the actual in-store experience.

Anyways... I wanted to give you some links to some sites that are giving some data on the sales.

If you're going to participate in this years Race To The Bargains (or as some might describe it...The Running Of The Turkeys) good luck to you, I hope you get the golden ring you seek. There truly are some deals to be had.

Here are the links.

http://bfads.net/
http://www.blackfridayads.com/
http://www.blackfriday.info/

Have fun.

Dragonflys give clues about human obesity

2006-11-21T00:18:00.000-05:00

Some research on dragonflies and their metabolic disorders have sparked interest in investigating whether a similar connection exists in humans. Dragonflies that were infested with a certain parasite suffered a type of problem with their metabolic rate that is similar to that observed in obese humans and those with type-2 Diabetes.

Researchers feel that closer examination of the micro-organisms that live in our intestines may give important clues as to whether there is a correlation between them (the microbes) and the weight problem of the human.

An interesting read.

Dragonfly's metabolic disease provides clues about human obesity

As I Look Out Over All Your Smiling Faces...

2006-11-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

...trying to think of a different phrase other than "Stay The Course".

I was driving in my car and listening to what's left of NPR on the radio, when they started talking about President Bush's current visit to Vietnam.

Apparently in Hanoi he was asked if he felt he could make any comparisons between the United States situation in Iraq with that of the the Vietnam war. Apparently he answered with something like this:

'If we learned one thing in Vietnam, it's not to quit'.

My loud "Whaaaat?!!!" I believe caused other drivers near me to temporarily lose control of their steering.

I mean come on, that sort of gung-ho patriotic stuff may go over well dribbling down your chin when you're speaking at an American Legion Post in the midwest, but this was Vietnam! Did you mean to say 'Yeah if we'd have stayed longer we would've kicked your ass good and many of you here today may not have been born." but just thought you'd phrase it a bit differently for a good soundbite? I don't think anyone else on the planet feels that the lesson learned in Vietnam was 'not to quit', but that just may be my perception. Actually I figured that most folks in the US thought that the lesson you learned from Vietnam was more of a 'Duck and Cover' type of ploy.

Anyways I'd love to have seen the faces of the audience that accompanied what was probably dead silence after he made that statement. Let's hear it for wise diplomacy .

Is there no cure for Foot In Mouth disease?

Blogger and Google

2006-11-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

Well I finally got around today to reading all the FAQs at Google and Blogger about the new Blogger Beta and how that will affect my website here.

I don't care for it at all.

I understand that all Blogger accounts will be forced to switch over to become Google Account Blogger blogs ultimately. I'm not sure I will like this transition or the new format.

Don't know how bad this will be but if I don't like it, I'll delete all my Blogger sites and go somwhere else. Too bad there's nothing out there even remotely close to Blogger for me to migrate to. Oh well. No biggie.

I think Google should have left Blogger alone.

Catfood vs Dogfood

2006-11-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

Yes this guy actually did a taste comparison. His site looks worth exploring some more too. A bit on the crude side but amusing.

Thought I should post something about food what with Thanksgiving being just around the corner. BoneAp'teet!

jimmeruk.com - Catfood vs Dogfood

Search Links

2006-11-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

Did a bit of updating on some links. I don't usually comment on this when I do, just normally put "new" up next to the link and let you figure it out. Today is different. I want to comment on a couple of them.

I've removed the link to Vivisimo search engine (okay yeah so it's a META-search engine and not a search engine and I don't care if this upsets you...I'm going to call them all search engines.)...removed it because they're in the process of changing the name of their web search to Clusty. Vivisimo is awesome, so if you haven't tried it...Clusty's the same thing. Clusty also has something they're calling "Clusty Clouds" which are little search snaps with tags you can click on that update dynamically when a page loads. Confused? It's some code you can put on your site with a search parameter and your visitors can click on the metatags the search yielded. Still confused? Oh go visit the site and read their explanation.

Now Vivisimo...that's a name that you want to say with a booming voice, poised like Captain Morgan. It's got an Old World ring to it. Bravisimo!
But Clusty? Okay, I know you want to emphasize that your searching design yields results in clusters, but Clusty?? Sounds like a drunk clown. Or no...sounds like something the doctor mentions at the clinic. "Sir, you've come down with a bad case of Clusty. Take this cream and pills and see me again in a month."

All joking aside. I have always chosen Vivisimo as my first stop when doing a search and I'm sure I'll eventually get used to the name Clusty.

Other links I added today are Kartoo and Ojiko. Kartoo is a visual search engine, that is the results are displayed visually in flash. Neat and pretty good results too. Ojiko is newer and is made by the same company, though the engine doesn't search through as many resources as Kartoo. But Ojiko is very interesting. It's got a graphic interface that evolves the more you use it so that you can customize your usage of it. Worth playing with for a while.(Yes it's almost like a game....getting your search engine up to level 10!) Mine now has very groovy colors.

Look in the sidebar on the left for the links if you want to go explore these links.

Enjoy.

Democrats Control Congress

2006-11-09T07:03:00.000-05:00

From what I understand at the moment, it's pretty much determined that the Democratic party has won both the House and the Senate and now have the majority. They have much to do if they want to continue this trend in the next election as well. I surely hope that they are able to accomplish this and continue a progressive movement away from the far right because our nation desperately needs it.

(6 paragraphs of internal rantings supressed)

Congrats to the Democrats.

Great Cellphone Application

2006-10-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

For those out there with cellphones with internet access you may want to check this link out. You can download a free application from Google that displays maps on your phone. It's a great application. It can display satellite images, traffic conditions, map a route, businesses and more.

Point your phone's browser to www.google.com/gmm and download it. You'll like it.

It does NOT yet have GPS support and I don't know if they plan on it, but it's still very, very nice.

It's The End Of The World as we know it...

2006-10-28T21:45:00.000-04:00

AlterNet: The End of the World As We Know It?

Very interesting thoughts and commentaries on the mess that's been made. Worth a read for sure.

But now I've got that song stuck in my head.

dang.

Photoshop Tutorial - Lichentenstein Popart

2006-10-25T09:48:00.000-04:00

This is very good tutorial on some intense photo manipulation to turn your photos into popart cartoons in the style of Roy Lichtenstein. It truly amazes me what some people can accomplish with Photoshop. I may try this out myself if I can with my lame-oh free version of Photoshop essentials...that is if all the functions I need are there. Worth a look at if you're into photography and photo editing, even if you haven't put out the big bucks for Photoshop.

Pop Art Inspired by Lichtenstein - Online Tutorial at Melissa Clifton page 1

HT to Red Ferret

Rhode Islanders Are So Smart

2006-10-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

Rhode Islanders give Bush the lowest approval rating: 23%.

Yeah RI!!

HT to Konagod

North Korea Nuclear Bomb - A Little History Lesson

2006-10-18T10:59:00.000-04:00

James Prather has written a very illuminating article on the North Korean nuclear issue. You can read it over at Asia Times Online. Click here.

Dr. Prather states that it was through the current administrations actions that caused the North Korea to withdraw from the Non Proliferation Treaty and the Agreed Framework that President Clinton had worked out so that N. Korea's plutonium could be under international controls. Basically...Bush wanted his axis of evil and scurried about looking for data that would lead credence to North Korea working on an Uranium enrichment program. When said "intelligence" was found we stopped providing them with the agreed upon oil to help pull them through until their energy-making facilities could be fully online....and sort of forced their hand...so they put their plutonium program back online.

Piss-poor diplomacy does not make for a safer world.

Opera Browser For Your Phone

2006-10-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

Okay I'm late getting on the ball with this one. I'm probably the last person in the U.S. that put this on their phone.

But just in case I'm not...

Do you have a cellphone capable of "surfing" the internet? Well if you do and are not happy with the browser that came loaded in your phone, try Opera. There are many different versions. I use the least powerful "mini" version and it's still much better than the browser that came with my phone. It will NOT replace your current browser but will be downloaded as a seperate application. You can still use your old one if you want. It is free. Look here for your phone. If it's not listed there go for the mini browser like I did.

very nice

No more fresh veggies till next year

2006-10-18T09:57:00.000-04:00

I picked up my last bunch of fresh vegetables from the CSA farm that I belong to yesterday. I *was* thinking of bicycling there to make the final pickup, since I live fairly close to where I pick them up, but it was pouring rain and I never have devised a good method of securing my big box of veggies on my mountain bike.

Yesterday's haul included lettuces, spinach, carrots, radishes, turnips, peppers, potatoes, bok choi, fresh herbs, freshly cut wildflowers and some other greens I can't think of. It's been 22 weeks of great food. I can hardly wait for next year. And next year I'm planning on working on the farm for all or part of my share if possible.

I'm putting up a link in my side bar here for Local Harvest, which is a good site for locating farms that have Community Supported Agriculture plans. You can click here if you want to go look for one near you now.

Handy Tool for YouTube video

2006-10-17T23:03:00.000-04:00

Right now I'm downloading a video from YouTube. I rarely do this as I have a dial-up internet connection and it's basically a waste of time usually to click play on a YouTube video and watch and listen to it splutter tiny bits over a long period of time. But tonight there's a video I want to see because it's of The Ramones and they're one of my all-time favorite bands so I'm downloading it. No, I didn't click on it. I'm using a program called ITube. You enter the url of the YouTube video into ITube, then it downloads the file and saves it as an mp4 file that you can play on your video Ipod, or if you don't have one of those you can watch it with Quicktime. Easy breasy. Let the program download the file and you can watch it later. Here are the links for some more info.

The page that had the YouTube video of The Ramones (thanks C&L)

ITube info at Snapfiles

Updated link

2006-10-17T07:15:00.000-04:00

American Agenda, a link I had on the side bar American Agenda has been updated. Please now visit Declarations instead. Sorry it took me so long to catch this Gary!

I'll try to go through more of my links over the next couple of days and make corrections if needed.

I haven't been updating my blog here as much as I should be. I'll try to be more bloggy in the future.

Cool Opera Widget

2006-10-02T09:27:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you use the Opera browser. I like it and switch off between it and Firefox.

With Opera you can download widgets (yeah...similar to Yahoo widgets) to run alongside the browser. One I've recently downloaded and is lots of fun is the Aquarium widget which can be found here.

Others I like are Touch The Sky, Simple Clock, and National Geographic Picture of the Day, which you can find off the main widget area if you decide to explore it.

Got a new kayak today.

2006-09-27T23:35:00.000-04:00

Bought a new kayak today. It's a Liquid Logic Manta Ray 14'. Very nice boat. Fun fun fun.

AlterNet: Bush Is Trashing Our National Parks

2006-09-26T13:38:00.000-04:00

Jim Hightower has written a nice little piece on how our National Parks are suffering under the current administration.

AlterNet: Bush Is Trashing Our National Parks

Red Rubber Ball

2006-09-19T07:02:00.000-04:00

I often get some pretty obscure songs stuck in my head. Over the past couple of weeks some of the songs or tunes I've had stuck in my head include the theme from Underdog, the theme from The Banana Splits and Red Rubber Ball. Yes these are very, very old pieces. I decided to hunt on the internet for a free mp3 of Red Rubber Ball.

As things are now on the internet, free mp3s are no longer easy to find (if at all). I gave up. But I did find a very funny analysis of the song written by Colin Grant. Colin 's piece on Red Rubber Ball is worth a read if you've ever heard the song. Nice job Colin! Read it here.

Here are the lyrics to the song.

Red Rubber Ball
( The Cyrkle )

I should have known you'd bid me farewell
There's a lesson to be learned from this and I learned it very well
Now I know you're not the only starfish in the sea
If I never hear your name again, it's all the same to me

And I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball

You never cared for secrets I'd confide
For you I'm just an ornament, somethin' for your pride
Always runnin', never carin', that's the life you live
Stolen minutes of your time were all you had to give

And I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball

The story's in the past with nothin' to recall
I've got my life to live and I don't need you at all
The roller coaster ride we took is nearly at an end
I bought my ticket with my tears, that's all I'm gonna spend

And I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball

Oh, oh, oh
I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball

And here's the Amazon link if you want to listen to a bit of it.

Don't think I could really sit through listening the entire album/CD by The Crykle that has Red Rubber Ball on it. I'm betting the CIA plays it for "detainees" in various undisclosed locations around the globe though. Actually it's not all that terrible, but I'm betting the other songs are worse.

Struggling To Be Civilized

2006-09-12T09:23:00.000-04:00

Bush apparently says we are in a "Struggle for Civilization" when it comes to our future; specifically dealing with terrorism. I find this an interesting phrase, it is a phrase that I'm sure whichever speech writer wrote it is very proud of. I'd be proud of the phrase if I wrote it, but then again I'd never be a speech writer for Bush. It's very catchy and I'm sure many will be using it.

Let's think a bit about warfare. Often times when one side is fighting what seems a losing battle against a force that has superior weapons and technology they must rely on alternative methods at their disposal in order to achieve their goals. Their goal may be to actually destroy the enemy unit, or perhaps just keep being annoying by whittling away little by little at the unit (and its morale) so that eventually they will win. These methods, whether they be ones created out of ingenuity or desperation, are usually found 'on the home grounds' when people are fighting an occupying or invading force.

Back in the history of the United States, when we were fighting the British it was considered "uncivilized" to conduct war the way we did. Normally units would square off and face each other on the battlefield and shoot. Those with the most soldiers remaining won. (Yes I'm highly generalizing on that). But those bright red highly trained phalanx of British soldiers would be a deadly force against farmers and untrained militia. So we early Americans took up policies of ambush, hit and run and sniping the British from concealed areas in order to achieve our goals. I'd be willing to bet that Imperial soldiers riding in the Landwalkers considered being tripped by Ewoks as being uncivilized, but hey...I'm drifting here a bit. You understand where I'm going with this...sometimes the only option available is something unorthodox like a car bomb or a person bomb. I don't like it and yes it's not civilized. As long as we are in Iraq I am certain that we will continue to be 'whittle away' by sniping and explosions and whatever else they can think of.

Now with regards to the terrorist attack on the United States. It was horrible. It should not have happened. I'm sorry all those people died. I'm sorry New York had a new huge pile of garbage they couldn't immediately dump in New Jersey. (sorry NJ, couldn't resist that one). Were those that died in the twin towers heroes? No, they were not. Were the firemen and police? Perhaps, but they were doing their jobs; and they do heroic stuff daily before this...though I'm sure there were many instances of altruism and heroism during this catastrophe. You want to really honor the dead and the heroes? If you do you'll demand the truth behind the attacks and the truth behind our going into Iraq. Remember the closed meeting where defense and policy was being discussed and the attendees present would not be identified? Do you really think that the invasion of Iraq was NOT the main topic of conversation in that matter?! I personally feel that the goals of the administration, in line with a vision set forth by the Project for New American Century, was to go into Iraq one way or another. In order to galvanize the American people for a massive ground war they needed a Pearl Harbor type of event to rally support. I do not think that they thought that the towers would actually come down but I do feel that it is quite possible that the terrorist attacks on the United States were allowed to happen in order to make it easier to go to war in Iraq. It gave us a War Boner.

Afghanistan? I don't have a problem with us having gone into Afghanistan to try to find Bin Laden. We didn't though did we. Curious. If we had, perhaps the "War On terror" wouldn't be quite so scary...or needed. I think Bin Laden's very alive and well and perhaps in Pakistan. I don't really think that his terrorist network would crumble if he went away (was captured/killed) though.

I mentioned how the firefighters and police actually may have been heroic while doing their jobs. Lots of folks have jobs, some of which I'd not want to do, that demand them to do things...well "demanding" on a daily basis. Sometimes courage and bravery enter into that. Librarians may need to be brave and do their jobs perhaps keeping certain books on the shelves or not releasing lists of what borrowers borrow. Congressmen need to be brave and do their jobs and not relinquish their authority to declare war. (By the way...as an aside you can't have a war on terror you can only declare war on a country. You can't declare a war on a method or a concept. Having a war on terror is like having a war on combing, or frying or even humor ... it's ridiculous) The Pentagon and the Joint Chief of Staff need to be brave and do their jobs and not follow illegal orders. Citizens need to be brave and do their jobs as voters and make rational informed choices. The press need to be brave and do their jobs and find the truth and report it. We all must be brave and do our jobs to make sure that we are not continually "dumbed down" as a citizenry whether through misinformation (or lack of information) in the news media or through the dismantling of our public education system.

Rather than a "Struggle For Civilization" I think we face a "Struggle To Be Civilized". Having secret prisons, conducting torture, raping and murdering and granting no rights to prisoners are not civilized traits. Spying on the publics phone calls or emails is not a civilized trait. Invading a nation under the guise of fighting terrorism and to set up a Democratic government is not a civilized trait. Censorship of news is not a civilized trait. Lying to your people is also quite uncivilized.

Perhaps if we all try hard, we as Americans and as a nation can win our own Struggle To Be Civilized.

Casting Your Vote For World War III

2006-09-07T14:42:00.000-04:00

Robert Parry has an excellent article over at Consortium News where he discusses a recent speech made by President Bush to a group of military officers. In the article he describes a prolonged war, which many have described as a "World War III" scenario.

So I guess if you're in favor of war and all that entails...vote Republican.

Definitely worth a read.

.
.
.

How anyone that listens to anything that comes out of Bush's mouth can honestly and rationally believe even a fraction of it is beyond my comprehension. Anyone who feels that the US should follow any form of neo-con policy of expansion in the middle east is to me un-American.

Consortiumnews.com

AlterNet: The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right

2006-09-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

This book looks like a pretty funny one. One to check out if you get a chance.

Here's a brief exerpt:
Key Verses Bible-Believin' Evangelicals Pick and Choose to Ignore:

On slavery: "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh." (1 Peter 2:18, NIV)

On rape: "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver." (Deuteronomy 22:28, NIV)

On women wearing veils: "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head." (Corinthians 11:5, NIV)

On illegitimate children being barred from church: "A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 23:2, KJV)

On Falwell's apparent love of McNuggets: "...put a knife to thy throat, if thou [be] a man given to appetite." (Proverbs 23:2, 3, KJV)

AlterNet: The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right

Tesla Motors Making Cool Looking Cars!

2006-07-25T22:28:00.000-04:00

Well actually at the present time they're only making one car, and it's a 2 person roadster that's selling for $80,000...so when I say they're 'making cool cars' I'm a bit off.

They do plan on trying to make a sedan on a larger basis, therefore bringing the cost down to something hopefully more affordable...by 2008.

This is a great looking car and some awesome sounding technology. I want one. If anyone wants to buy me one, let me know. :-)

Go click on the link and check it out.
The car is 100% electric.
It goes fast; 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds.
You recharge it at home.

Did I mention it looked cool? Yes I did.

Tesla Motors

Americans Won't Be Rescued Unless They Agree To Repay Government For Rescue!

2006-07-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

I would love to be able to comment "Unbelievable" but I'm way beyond having any notion that our present administration cares about its citizens.

Americans have been told to wait for a telephone call that could come in hours or days. They've also been told they can't board a ship unless they've signed a contract agreeing to repay the U.S. government for the price of their evacuation.

The rules have angered Americans who are already fatigued and nervous after days of explosions. "I'm freaked out that our government is treating us this way," snapped a Rutgers University student who had been studying Arabic at the American University of Beirut. She declined to give her name for fear she would be taken off the passenger list in retribution for criticizing the evacuation effort.

"Are we a Third World country or what?" she said.

Female students from the American University of Beirut, who had been huddled on the ground floor of their dormitory in case of missile strikes, said they were instructed to take a blanket and a three-day supply of food to Cyprus. They were panicked at the notion of sleeping on the street in a strange country.

U.S. Rescue Bogs Down in Lebanon

They Used To Call Me "Mr. Magic Fingers" heh heh

2006-07-19T10:43:00.000-04:00

Bush apparently still hasn't picked up on the finer points of presidential decorum. Melissa has a nice piece on the unwelcomed massage he tried to give German Chancellor Merkel. There are links to more pictures and a video of the event.

Nothing like a neck massage from the antichrist...wake ya up faster than a double expresso. "Chills up, Chills down.." lol Makes me want to go buy him one of those t-shirts that has a sheep on the front with the caption "Baaaaaa means Nooooo!" Don't know why I thought of that but am sure there's a good reason.

Anyways go check out Melissa's article over at Alternet. And visit her at her Shakespeare's Sister site (see sidebar link).

Bush gropes Chancellor

Domestic Call Monitoring Started Before 9/11

2006-07-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Bloomberg News released a piece late last week reporting that the program to monitor domestic phone calls was being set up months before the United States suffered the terrible terrorist attack on September 11th. Thanks to Evan at Alternet for posting this one check it out here.

"The U.S. National Security Agency asked AT&T Inc. to help it set up a domestic call monitoring site seven months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, lawyers claimed June 23 in court papers filed in New York federal court."

So many lies.
Impeach!

(Full Bloomberg article here.)

Fox News May Be Launching News Satire Show

2006-06-26T12:32:00.000-04:00

Apparently Fox News is a bit jealous towards the success that Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" has been receiving. Rumor has it that they are considering a show that will be a right-wing version of The Daily Show and will star Laura Ingraham.

It won't work. One of the reasons that The Daily Show is a hit is not just the humor; it's also the fact that it reports the news without the spin that mainstream media uses. Truth delivered with humor. I don't think that Fox News is capable of delivering either humor or truth.

It may be funny to watch her attempts. Though my impulse to through a brick through my TV may become too strong. LOL

Thanks to MoxieGrrl for the tip on this one.

Read more here!

Mainstream Media

2006-06-18T07:36:00.000-04:00

Jerry Lanson has written a piece on the mainstream media and how it reports the news. Nice article. Here's a brief exerpt:

Facts have never gotten in the way of the Bush Administration. Too often, it lives and dies by the big lie, repeated over and over again. Reporters call this “spin,” because the word "lie" makes them uncomfortable. But whatever name they give it, they should always provide evidence (call it verifiable fact or context) that measures the spin against what is known. Providing this contrast, after all, is the news media's job.

Perhaps if our country has lots of Journalism professors like Jerry Lanson and they can instill in their students enough vision and courage to be real journalists...then maybe one day America can regain its press.

NSA might be reading your Myspace

2006-06-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

This is interesting.

Sad.
Sad for America.

New Scientist has discovered that Pentagon's National Security Agency, which specialises in eavesdropping and code-breaking, is funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves on social networks. And it could harness advances in internet technology - specifically the forthcoming "semantic web" championed by the web standards organisation W3C - to combine data from social networking websites with details such as banking, retail and property records, allowing the NSA to build extensive, all-embracing personal profiles of individuals.

Data mining update

Morgue Tells the Updated Story

2006-06-07T08:11:00.000-04:00

This article relates the story of a doctor that works in the central morgue of Baghdad. He reports that every month this year the morgue has received over one thousand bodies. This amount is 700-800 more bodies a month than before the war.

"Most of those brought dead here have been tortured by beating, electricity, acid, drills, and by other horrible ways," said an Iraqi who refused to give his name. "When any Iraqi is arrested by police now it means we will find his dead body in Baghdad's streets after some days. Because of all this killing, this morgue is not enough."

Go read the full story.

IRAQ: Morgue Tells the Updated Story

National Call-In Day: June 7 Iraq Debate Needed - Operators Are Standing By

2006-06-06T08:37:00.000-04:00

Wednesday June 7th. Call your representative in Congress at

1-888-355-3588!

Let them know how you feel. Urge them to sign H.Res 543 calling for an open debate on Iraq!

Has your representative already signed? Check here!

It is way past time for your representatives to do what they should have in the first place. It is now time for us to let them know how we feel. Act!

Thanks to AnnaMarie for bringing this to my attention!

Empty? No, Don't Say Empty!

2006-06-03T07:05:00.000-04:00

Last night a rapidly moving thunderstorm came through my area. My attempt to get offline and log off my computer however where not quick enough. The power went out right after I had just closed my browser and was about to go offline. The result was when the storm had passed and I fired up the computer to go back online I discovered that ... my Firefox browswer's bookmarks are empty. Every bookmark and bookmark folder I had is gone. I had thousands. All my browswer's customizations also gone.

All is not lost though. My history is still intact, so I can revisit many sites and start rebuilding my bookmarks. I also had exported my bookmarks to a text file a while ago, unfortunately it was a long time ago...march of 2005. But it's a start.

From now on I'll always periodically save my bookmarks somewhere.

Looks like a good time perhaps to finally upgrade my Firefox to the most recent version.

Empty! This is not fun.

Hand Over Your Bill Of Rights

2006-05-31T08:39:00.000-04:00

Just ran across this a few moments ago. Some of you might really like this one. At Security Edition you can buy little metal cards with the Bill Of Rights printed on them. So when you have to go through metal detectors you have to hand over your Bill Of Rights. Makes a statement.

Haditha Massacre Editorial

2006-05-30T19:34:00.000-04:00

The Dark Wraith has posted a very nice editorial on the massacre that apparently took place in Haditha, Iraq. I was planning on including a small exerpt here, a quote from his article, but in doing so I feel I would somewhat diminish it. It needs to be read from the beginning.

Invisibility Cloak

2006-05-26T09:21:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting article about the possibility of a real Invisibility Cloak!

"...like a river streaming around a smooth boulder, light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation would strike the cloak and simply flow around it, continuing on as if it never bumped up against an obstacle."

Of course the next logical step after they make this would be to develop an instrument to detect and locate people that are wearing invisibility cloaks.

Okay, tell me this won't be used first and formost as a tool for black ops and assassinations.

And if we earthlings are indeed a mere 18 months away from figuring out how to make one...then what indeed might be the probability that advanced extraterrestrial visitors might be wearing them and walking among us now?

cbs4.com - Early 'Invisibility Cloak' Could Be 18 Months Away

Which Mutant Would You...

2006-05-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, a fan of the X-Men movies, then you're anxiously awaiting friday's release of the new film X-Men: The Last Stand. I'm sure it will be just as good or better than the previous two flicks. Predictable perhaps in some aspects but fun in most areas.

Often times on the internet at different sites you'll see little polls like "If you had superpowers, what would they be?" or "If you were an X-man, what would your mutant powers be?" So this morning I was thinking of the upcoming movie and figured I'd pose a question, with an option of answering either or both of two questions?

Which Mutant Would You "Be"?

or

Which Mutant Would you "Do"?

your pick. Respond in the comments if you want.

Lots of superpowers out there. As to me if I were to go for a mutant superpower I'd probably go for the ability to move through solid objects and couple that with ability to be invisible. Yeah I know that's probably cheating because it's two traits but I can wish.

As to which mutant I'd "do"/have sex with...hmmmm.. That one's gonna take some thought.

Let's see...

Storm?
Storm's very pretty but she always seemed a bit frosty to me.

Rogue?
Very cute. Don't think I'm up to the body-condom I'd have to wear for that one.

Jeanne?
Sexy but she can read my mind and that might get me in trouble.

Mystique?
Mystique! Yeah okay. I'm good with that. She's a mutant with built in Role Playing superpowers!

"Okay so now be a naughty nurse"
mmmmmmmmmm

"Alright, now how about morphing into Jennifer Aniston?"
cool

"One of the Olsen twins?"
eeeeeeeeeeuw Mystique that's not funny! Not from Full House, I meant the grown up ones! stop laughing!
okay...better

"Angelina Jolie"
very nice, that's what I'm talking about...

Of course....can't piss Mystique off and got to make sure she's happy too otherwise she might just morph into the late Chris Farley.

Okay enough of this.
And ladies, I'm curious...will you be more apt to go for the unbreakable Wolverine type or the Laser-light show type with Cyclops..

So...
you're turn. ;-)

Surf's Up Later Today!

2006-05-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

Man I really wish I'd bought some kayaks already, because the huge tidal wave that's slated for later today will be very inconvenient.

Macbeth Video Highly Suspect

2006-05-25T07:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, so "highly suspect" may not be as accurate as "total bullshit" but it did sound much nicer for a title. Don't you think?

Some visitors to the site have brought to my attention that the Jessie Macbeth mentioned in my post is quite possibly a fraud. Anyone interested in following some links on this can check out http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/ or http://www.ivaw.net/ and the site that I found it on as well, ich.

My thanks to those who commented on the article.

Sorry this happened but it won't be the last time, I'm sure.

When I surf the internet looking for something interesting, important, or entertaining to put on my blog here it is often not a fruitful search. A long time looking at news sites and blogs can yield many articles but often few stories. There's no need for me to always point at, quote, and comment on the same thing everyone else is...but of course sometimes I will jump on a specific bandwagon if it's important enough. I'd much rather find something that I have NOT found that many places. Because of this desire I guess I jumped on the Macbeth story too early. I'd do it again today probably.

My blog here is not specifically a political blog, it's a whatever-blog. Even though I'd estimate 80% of my posts are my liberal whining rantings about current events I do try to post other stuff. Many days I'd much rather post a link to oddball articles like "Lovely Mother's Day Gifts You Can Craft From Roadkill", "Chiuaua Lawn Darts", "Games You Can Play At Home With Cheese", "Let's Tie Up Grandpa!", "Trekkie Whores Exposed", "Reptoid Whistle-blower Reveals Compounds In Mindcontrol Contrails", and "Vote For Hilton-Richie 2006: The Simple Party". But unless I get very lucky or write them myself it isn't going to happen.

So anyways... what was I talking about? I think I drifted somewhat. Oh yeah, Macbeth. You turd. okay. I'll try to be careful and find factual articles, but read my blog and all blogs (and news sites) with a very analytical eye. Think.

Again, thanks for the comments.

Al and Tipper Fight Hot Air

2006-05-23T07:21:00.000-04:00

Al Gore, along with his wife Tipper, are at war with hot air. Okay, well in actuality they're waging a war against Global Warming. A book, a movie, an environmental action group...all from Gore to help convince the U.S. public how real the problem is.

I find it quite admirable that he is undertaking this. Some things bother me though. The rest of the world pretty much accepts the scientific data regarding degradation of the ozone layer, and pollutants in the air contributing to a rise in global temperatures...it has been the Bush administration that has ignored or sculputured scientific data to not go along with international efforts to stop it. So if Gore's plan is to convince the American people that it's real, this is for what ultimate goal? To sway the leaders of the U.S. government to act a certain way? Our leaders are elected in theory because they know what they are doing and can get others that know what they're doing to run things. That obviously isn't happening with regards to issues like global warming most probably because the interests of big business (for example loosening of polution requirements, continued reliance on fossil fuels, increases in logging/deforestation, etc)come first these days.

Why exactly does Gore think that educating the American people about global warming will make a difference? We are now educated about there not being any WMD in Iraq. We are now educated about no connection between Al Qaida and Iraq. We are now educated about government promotion of torture. There are lots of other things the American people are being educated about... matters like intelligence operations directed against the public citizenry, about suspicious election results, about inflated gas prices, about how we cannot even board an airplane with fingernail clippers because we might take over the plane with them because the government doesn't trust us not to be a terrorist...but then the government's own lack of security loses the private data of 26.5 million vets because some idiot took it home! I can go on and on and on. My point? My point is simply that it hasn't mattered at all in Washington what the people of the U.S. realize, they are going to do whatever is on their agenda. period.

So what's your goal Gore?

Ah! You may just respond with the little gem of the American people being able to make their voice heard come election day.

Okay. Got it. This is simply a political strategy. Gore for President, right?

I don't think so. I too well remember you and your wife's last little war, the one against Rock and Roll music. (see PMRC) Sorry charlie. I don't buy it. We need change in Washington, but we need BIG change in Washington and I don't feel that change can be you.

If I'm wrong and you truly are motivated by sincere altruistic desires to improve the environment then my apologies and thumbs up to you. We shall see.

Around The World With Lee and Sachi

2006-05-22T21:30:00.000-04:00

This interesting blog is about the year-long trip around the world that Lee and Sachi are taking. I've been following them on their travels for a while now, they're having a blast, as would be expected. Very fun site, as long as you don't mind keeping your Envy Beast heavily shackled while you read.

Lots of photos so dialuppers can expect slow loads. Nice site though with photos and commentaries.

Gee...take a year off and travel all over the world. Can't do it this year, too busy with things (like making sure I bought enough stinking Ramen noodles! grrrr! Back Beast! Back!)

Visit them. The World Is Not Flat

Whistle Blower Info On Wired

2006-05-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

"In 2003 AT&T built "secret rooms" hidden deep in the bowels of its central offices in various cities, housing computer gear for a government spy operation which taps into the company's popular WorldNet service and the entire internet. These installations enable the government to look at every individual message on the internet and analyze exactly what people are doing. Documents showing the hardwire installation in San Francisco suggest that there are similar locations being installed in numerous other cities."

Information on how "secret rooms" were set up to divert and analyze internet traffic. Interesting read.

Spying on U.S. citizens without a warrant is done under the guise of keeping America safe. Personally I would feel more 'safe' with a government that I can trust and one that upholds concepts like privacy and liberty.

H/T: Roxanne and C&L

Moon and Bush

2006-05-22T20:33:00.000-04:00

Over at American Politics Journal there's an article touching on a bit of the relationship between Bush and The Moonies. I've read some of this before but it's interesting how easily the relationship is discredited by some.

Visit Annamarie's Blog

2006-05-22T06:59:00.000-04:00

Verbena-19 is a great blog! Annamarie is located in Canada and she comments on current events and topics like human rights, social justice, civil liberties, freedom, peace, environmental issues. A great progressive blog with lots of good articles and links.

Jessie Macbeth - Iraq War Veteran Tells It Like It Is

2006-05-22T06:39:00.000-04:00

Jessie Macbeth, a former U.S. Army Ranger, speaks on what he witnessed in Iraq. This is a twenty minute video.

"She was begging me, begging me to save her and to save her kids, but, I didn't you know. I wanted to be , ah, I killed them. You know?"

File is available in .wmv or .mov format and this is a link you may want to forward to others.

[ This is bogus! I'm leaving it up here anyways. ]

Hayden and Warrantless Surveillance -- Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA)

2006-05-19T07:43:00.000-04:00

The Institute for Public Accuracy has a small article with some words from two current authors on the subject of Surveillance and their viewpoint on the current matter of warrantless surveillance.

Read here

Christian Nationalism - Beginings of a Civil War?

2006-05-13T02:21:00.000-04:00

Michelle Goldberg talks about her new book called "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism" In this book she describes the fanatacism of the fundamental christians in the United States and their plans for subverting our government...or perhaps 'overthrow' is a more apt description when you take into consideration the core principles of our nation and how they are planning on changing them.

Here's a brief excerpt from the article that sets the tone of the group she discusses:

"Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ -- to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness.
But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice.
It is dominion we are after. Not just influence.
It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time.
It is dominion we are after.
World conquest. That's what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish."

There are scary times ahead.

Well, no, actually the scary times are already here I think.

Talk To Action | What is Christian nationalism?

Sparkly Foil

2006-05-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

I would like to share with you a bit of a conversation I had a while ago.

One of my daughters is in elementary school. Well it seems like a very popular habit of many of the boys in her school is to wrap tin foil on their teeth to pretend that they are wearing "grills" like so many rap and hip hop artists are on MTV. "Sounds like Hillbilly Bling to me", I said. Well apparently that term has stuck and I wouldn't be surprised if the boys are now proudly wearing their Hillbilly Bling everywhere. Don't really think that my phrase will sweep the nation, but if it does you know where it came from. ;-)

My Belief Quiz Results

2006-05-12T09:04:00.000-04:00

I've seen others posting results of a religion quiz they've taken through Select Smart on various sites. I have often gone and taken the quiz, sometimes with differing results but have never bothered posting my results. So today I will do just that just in case anybody besides myself is curious.

I've added Select Smart to my links in the sidebar. Some of their quizes are good, some to me are a bit lame. The ones done by the site themselves are usually pretty good. A favorite there is also the ones dealing with politics and choosing the right party. An example is 2008 Presidential Candidates.

anyways...here we go...

My Results:

# 1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
# 2. Unitarian Universalism (96%)
# 3. New Age (93%)
# 4. Mahayana Buddhism (82%)
# 5. Liberal Quakers (80%)
# 6. New Thought (72%)
# 7. Hinduism (71%)
# 8. Sikhism (65%)
# 9. Theravada Buddhism (62%)
# 10. Reform Judaism (60%)
# 11. Jainism (58%)
# 12. Scientology (57%)
# 13. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (54%)
# 14. Secular Humanism (51%)
# 15. Bah�'� Faith (49%)
# 16. Taoism (48%)
# 17. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (42%)
# 18. Non-theist (42%)
# 19. Orthodox Judaism (42%)
# 20. Orthodox Quaker (29%)
# 21. Islam (29%)
# 22. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (15%)
# 23. Seventh Day Adventist (11%)
# 24. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (8%)
# 25. Eastern Orthodox (2%)
# 26. Jehovah's Witness (2%)
# 27. Roman Catholic (2%)

Of course how thorough can this quiz be when it doesn't even mention the Flying Spaghetti Monster! (noodlyness) Jeesh! ;-)

Memo to Caucus on NSA program

2006-05-12T08:34:00.000-04:00

MEMORANDUM

TO: Members of the House Democratic Caucus

FR: Democratic Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

RE: USA Today article on NSA Domestic Surveillance Program

All nine of us met this afternoon to discuss the serious issues raised by this morning’s USA Today article describing NSA’s collection of telephone records, as well as another report that the NSA has denied lawyers at the Department of Justice the necessary security clearances to investigate the President’s Domestic Surveillance program.

We take a backseat to nobody in demanding that the federal government have strong tools to detect terrorist plots. You entrust us to oversee our nation’s secret intelligence programs, and we owe it to you – and the American people – to ensure that these programs are not only effective, but also consistent with the Constitution, laws, and values of the United States.

This morning’s article reinforces our long-held view that any and all electronic surveillance of Americans – including all activities of the President’s surveillance program – must comply with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Fourth Amendment.

Any collection of personal telephone records requires a warrant approved by an independent magistrate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Warrantless collection violates the law.

We recognize that increased surveillance may be a necessary consequence of a post-9/11 world. However, this increased surveillance must be targeted, based on individualized suspicion, and limited to protect the privacy and civil liberties of innocent Americans.

Increased surveillance programs also necessitate stronger oversight by all three branches of government.

This Executive Branch cannot be trusted to police itself – particularly if investigators at the Department of Justice are denied the security clearances to review the legality of the NSA Program.

The Judicial Branch – the Article III judges of the FISA Court – cannot conduct effective checks on surveillance of U.S. persons if the Bush Administration conducts an end-run around the judges of the Court.

And the Legislative Branch cannot conduct effective oversight over our government’s intelligence activities if the President refuses to give us all of the facts about his authorization to conduct surveillance on Americans.

Five of us are now authorized to receive briefings on the activities of the President’s Domestic Surveillance Program – and that process is just beginning in earnest. But all nine of us remain unanimous in our view that the entire Intelligence Committee must be briefed. The failure to brief the full Committee constitutes a violation of the National Security Act of 1947 (as amended). None of us misses the irony that leaks about the program are coming from the Executive Branch, not us.

Those of us briefed into the program will continue to demand full information. We will demand answers from the White House, the NSA, DOJ, and relevant private sector officials. All of us will continue to insist that the President comply with the law, brief the entire Committee, and obtain FISA warrants whenever Americans are the target of surveillance.

The Constitution is our most cherished possession. Indeed, it is our most powerful weapon in the fight against those who would do us harm.

Respectfully,

Jane Harman

Alcee L. Hastings

Silvestre Reyes

Leonard Boswell

Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr.

Anna G. Eshoo

Rush D. Holt

C.A. (Dutch) Ruppersberger

John F. Tierney

Last American Titanic Survivor Dies

2006-05-08T22:50:00.000-04:00

Lillian Asplund of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts died this last Saturday at the age of 99. She was the last American survivor of the Titanic. She was 5 years old when she was on the ship.

There are only 2 remaining survivors now, and they both live in Great Britain.

Learn more about Ms. Asplund at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Destroying, In Order To Save

2006-05-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

Theres's a good article over at the Big News Network by Daniel Jordan and Neil Wollman. In this article they discuss the absurdity of the policies set forth by the current administration under the guise of keeping us safe and securing our freedoms.

Here is a brief exerpt:

Our government claims the right to infringe on any and all civil liberties; engage in warrant-less wiretaps; peek at our email messages, book purchases and library withdrawals; and enter our homes all without even the minimal oversight from FISA. Spying on citizens is deemed "Homeland Security."

It is chilling to ponder the road ahead for America.

The art of destroying, in order to save

Community Supported Agriculture

2006-05-07T10:35:00.000-04:00

Go save a farm today. Learn why Community Supported Agriculture is important. Support local farms and NOT big-agriculture businesses. Eat local, eat healthy. Think about doing this even if you indeed do grow much of your own food. See if there's a farm near you that you can 'subscribe' to.

Go here for more info

Bush Agenda book

2006-05-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

Joshua Holland interviews Antonia Juhasz, author of 'The Bush Agenda', over at Alternet.

In her new book, The Bush Agenda, Antonia Juhasz peels the veils away from Bush's agenda -- imperialism, militarism and corporate globalization -- and exposes who drives it: a group of hawkish ideologues with an unprecedented relationship to major defense and energy companies.

Nice interview. I'll look for this book in the stores and the library. Doesn't really seem to mention anything I didn't already know, but always good to see another book putting many of 'the pieces' together.

[And if by some odd chance you're not already familiar with the Alternet website go visit it and bookmark it now. Don't make me come over there and do it for you. ;-) ]

Fluffernutter Fans Rejoice

2006-05-07T08:01:00.000-04:00

A lunchbox treat for many of us growing up was the Fluffernutter. What's a fluffernutter you ask? Well it's a peanut butter sandwich with marshmallow fluff. It rocks. Gooey heaven for your tastebuds.

So what am I on about? Well the Brigham's Ice Cream company up in New England just released Fluffernutter as a new flavor.

I'd drive up and get some, but think it'd melt before I get home.

You can visit the Fluff site too if you want.

HT to Junk Food Blog

DaVinci Code? - Prior de Dogbone

2006-05-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

The folks over at The Door have done it again with a funny parody of the DaVinci code. This time the analysis isn't over the painting of The Last Supper though. Go check it out here.

The Door, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with it, is a religious satire magazine. I have found it quite difficult to locate on magazine stands, though not impossible. Look for it, it's usually pretty funny.

GOP gay stance similar to Nazi propaganda

2006-05-02T08:16:00.000-04:00

Don't be stupid, be a smartie! Come and join the ~~Nazi~~ Republican party! (Thank-you Mel!)

Hatecrime.org has a good article comparing present day right-wing anti-gay hate-mongering with anti-Jewish propaganda of the Nazis. Here is a very brief exerpt:

"...Jews, only 1 per cent of the world's population, accounted for ... 47 per cent of crooked games of chance - 82 percent of international crime organizations - 98 percent of prostitution."

"Although homosexuals account for less than two percent of the population, they constitute about a third of child molesters."

It's an interesting article. Go read the entire thing here.

Bush Challenges Hundreds Of Laws

2006-05-02T07:17:00.000-04:00

"President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution."

Go read this great article by Charlie Savage of The Boston Globe. This article discusses how the President has been choosing which laws are conveinent for him and which aren't and how he has been stretching his executive power to the extent where it is excercising power in the legislative and judicial realms.

"Without court involvement, only Congress can check a president who goes too far. But Bush's fellow Republicans control both chambers, and they have shown limited interest in launching the kind of oversight that could damage their party."

A good read.

Hat Tip to Pam. Thanks Pam!

Intergalactic Geeks Blogrolling Weird Tick Guy's Website

2006-04-29T12:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's official. I'm a blog geek. So much of a blog geek that I'm attempting to get extraterrestrials to add me to their blogroll. :-)

[Perhaps I will turn this Suitable For Framing post into an Awards and Certificates post down the road. Of course I would need to actually receive some to do this. Making them up myself won't count.]

A Man With Three Buttocks

2006-04-29T01:39:00.000-04:00

"Now for something completely different: A Man With Three Buttocks!"... (Does this mean someone could be a 'Buttandahalfhead'?)

"Nukulear bombs is bad. Nobody should use them.
Iran says they want'em fer power plants fer 'lectricity but we know better.
They want to make bombs.
Hey United Nations! Make 'em stop! Hey IAEA! Look what they're up to! Sanctions!
I say...I'm gone make a decision. (It's what I do...being the Decider and all. heh heh!)
...
I might just go over there and nuke them so they don't make a nuke 'cause nobody should use a nuke 'cause they're bad.

..."

Does anyone else out there feel like we're living in a Monty Python show??

.
.
.

Sanctions being requested of the United Nations against Iran for their uranium enrichment program sounds moronic for them to consider when there exists more prolific examples of international hostility. Experts state that Iran would not be able to make a nuke for years. I think that countries should not be barred from obtaining nuclear power technology for energy production, especially in these times. If there really was a true international organization of the nations of Earth then I think they would have already taken issue with a nation that has invaded two other sovereign nations under its current leadership and has recently threatened attacking a third; even hinting at using nuclear weapons. I think they would have taken issue with this nation that is going against the accepted policy of the humane and civilized treatment of prisoners and has been discovered using torture on a large scale.

School is out and a spectacle in back of the school begins. The biggest school bully has a kid on the ground. The kid is being held down by a couple of the bully's friends as the bully kicks him in the face and shouts threats and abusive taunts. Around the perimeter of the fight are the shocked eyes of other students...students curious to see the gore, students afraid of shouting "Stop!", students afraid that they'll be pulled to the ground next. Too bad the students standing by watching in horror can't act together to put an end to the beating and the atmosphere of terror in their school and maybe get the bully and his gang sent to juvenile detention.

Hideous Kinky: Terror Makes Me Tingle

2006-04-29T01:09:00.000-04:00

"Imagine growing up in a family where every day, father raped daughter, mother tortured son, brother abused brother, sister stole from sister, and the whole family murdered neighbors, friends and passing strangers. Imagine the underlying assumptions about life that you would adopt without question in such an atmosphere, how normal the most hideous depravity would seem. If some outsider chanced to ask you about your family's latest activities, you would spew out perversions as calmly and unthinkingly as a man giving directions to the post office."

Chris Floyd has written a good article over on his website Empire Burlesque about the policy of utilizing terrorism and secret armies in our war on terror. Visit his site.

How do you feel about being a terrorist? You as a citizen of the United States, that is. The U.S. military is the military of the people of the United States, they are not specifically the military of only Bush, Cheney & Rumsfeld. The policies of the U.S. reflect on you as an American. Talk about it. Shout about it. Get mad about it. Don't get distracted.

Silent Hill review: B-

2006-04-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

I saw Silent Hill today. I give it a B-. I almost would give it a C due to some lame dialoges early on but the visual and atmosphere of the movie tilted my score up to the B level.

Basically...if you've played the video games and liked them, then go see it you'll like it.

If you're in the mood for a scary flick and aren't really picky, go see it.

If you're picky about your films or unsure ...wait for it to come out on video.

I wasn't expecting greatness with this film but I was very hopeful. Video games have not got a good track record being moved over into movies, specifically horror-genre video games. This horror video game indeed seems to have been the best migration yet though. The movie quickly moves into scary places with surreal atmospheres. Rose, the main character, is escaping from one close call after another as she attempts to locate her missing daughter in the town of Silent Hill. She doesn't seem to do stupid stuff or stumble and fall in the film or the usual things you'd expect. Considering the circumstances that she finds herself in, she does remarkably well.

Acting: In the begining of the film I felt that the acting of the police officers was not all that good...but later it either improved or I no longer noticed it. The actor who played the female head of the church was great. The little girl who played Sharon/Alessa shined. The choice of actors who portrayed several of the characters actually looked like some familiar game characters.

Atmosphere: Fading in and out of reality into some other plane. Nightmarish world recreated quite well.

Monsters: Creepy, horrific. Most come right out of the games. The nurses only in one scene but done well. Pyramid Head monster was done nicely. Man that sword! Tell HIM that size doesn't matter! Only thing I was a bit disappointed in not seeing in the movie was any dogs. Silent Hill doesn't quite seem like Silent Hill without trying to pull my leg out of the mouth of a gnawing mutant dog. But I can forgive them excluding the dogs actually.

Ending stuff: Ain't gonna tell you squat. But I will say that you may find yourself cheering internally at some quite horrific deeds near the end.

I think they left themselves an adequate opportunity to pursue a sequel in the future if indeed this film does good in the box office. I don't think it will happen, but they could if they wanted to.

I liked it. Maybe you will too.

Go to my previous post to learn more about Silent Hill.

Cute Break

2006-04-21T08:45:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we all need to take a bit of a break from all of the news of lies, war, inequality, dishonesty and hatred. Sometimes we need to simply take a break and find a place that will make us smile for a while.

If you've never visited Cute Overload you should give it a try.

"Maozilla" Soon To Adorn Tibetan Public Square

2006-04-20T19:01:00.000-04:00

The hugest statue of Mao in China will soon be erected in a newly constructed public square near the capitol Lhasa in Tibet. This statue will be about 40 feet (12 meters)tall and weighs over 30 tons.

A very big statement indeed. We are here. We are in control. This area is Chinese. And of course...Mao loves ya. Tibetans remembering the past will not like this; but I think that's the point.

Read more about this at the Angry Chinese Blogger

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2006-04-20T07:44:00.000-04:00

Paul the Spud has posted a recent article about people getting upset about The Flying Spaghetti Monster in (where else???) Kansas. It's a good article, go check it out.

I've been a fan of the Church of the FSM for quite a while, lots of fun to visit. Very creative, very funny, and hard not to want to be a member of its "congregation". If you haven't already heard about FSM, then you're really missing out. It came about with the arrival of those that advocate the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools. There is much more information available from the Church of the FSM. Great stuff. A site to bookmark.

Germany to Allow Opening of Huge Holocaust Archive

2006-04-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

It has been recently announced that Germany has agreed to open up the access to 30 million records from World War II. Historians worldwide are anxious for the final word on this which will be on May 17th. Read more of this at Deutsche Welle here: Holocaust Archive

The Llama Song

2006-04-19T08:14:00.000-04:00

Good morning everyone.

This morning I was doing a bit of quick surfing around the web and stumbled upon a cute picture of a llama. It was very cute. I won't share it with you because this post isn't about cute llamas despite the fact that it's the only thing I've been talking about. This post is about the song that zoomed into my head after seeing the picture. And if I have to suffer you ALL have to suffer! hahaha

Actually viewing this is a life-changing experience and can be compared to the spiritual cleansing that occurs when you take a lung full of mountain air on a spring day or bathe naked under a tropical waterfall. It's just that special.

So go ahead and click on this. I bet you'll bookmark it. ;-)

The Llama Song

Lock Him Away To Stop The Next War

2006-04-19T00:56:00.000-04:00

Phillip Adams states what he feels is a logical solution to our problems here in the United States with regards to Iraq. Identify the insane leaders and provide them with safe and secure medical treatment; ie put them in the loony bin.

"WE cannot wait any longer for the impeachment of George W. Bush. Far more efficient to have Bush certified. There is no need for further debate on his mental state. The US President is bonkers."

Read the entire editorial at The Australian

Silent Hill - More information on the film.

2006-04-18T10:17:00.000-04:00

Apparently the screenwriter for the upcoming Silent Hill film got some inspiration for the setting of the film from a real life town. Well actually, "real life town" isn't the best choice of words.

It seems the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania had an underground coal fire that started back in 1961 or so. Funny thing about underground coal fires...they burn a looong time.

Anyways...you can check out the link below to find out more about it and see some photos of Centralia. The fires are still going, from what I can tell. Creepy.

If you lived here you'd be home by now!
Although Pyramid Head might live next door.

and yes I am indeed going through the rest of this week in a countdown till the movie opens...with my mind chanting the fabled horror movie mantra of "ohpleasedontsuckohpleasedontsuck!"
(the only times I'd ever chant this! lol)

Yummy Yummy Yummy - I've Got Love In My Tummy

2006-04-18T09:25:00.000-04:00

Tom Cruise has decided on what he'll have to eat after his child is born. Yup. You guessed it. Or maybe you didn't!

"“I'm gonna eat the placenta. I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I'm gonna eat the cord and the placenta right there,” he said."

How far will this guy go to dispell all those gay rumors? lol
Maybe try snacking on some acting lessons instead.

But if you just *have* to eat a placenta, Katie's is probably a good choice. Add a few cloves of garlic, some lemon grass and some good hotsauce. Who knows.

>insert toothbrushing here<

Look here for more on this.

Funniest Blonde Joke

2006-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Okay I know that jokes that are based on stereotypes aren't the most politically correct ones, but this blonde joke is really worth checking out. Blonde Joke

Enjoy!

Looking Better

2006-04-15T12:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks to The Dark Wraith for pointing out to me that my site here was not appearing correctly on Internet Explorer! Since I usually only use either Firefox or Opera I hadn't noticed the problems. I corrected the code problems and things seem fine now. I'll try to make a habit of checking the site in IE in the future when I make changes.

Concerned eyes watch Fairford Air Base

2006-04-13T12:48:00.000-04:00

An apparent increase in activity at the RAF Fairford air base in the UK is hinting at a possible build-up in preparation for a possible strike into Iran. B-2 and B-1b have recently been noted and locals are watching to see if B-52s start showing up and if the base increases its local security measures.

The base last saw action in 2003 when b-52 bombers flew out of it to bomb Iraq.

Read more on this at Global Echo and Open Democracy

Stolen computers in Afghanistan yielding US secrets on blackmarket

2006-04-13T01:54:00.000-04:00

Secrets are being discovered in the marketplaces in Afghanistan. If the US can't safeguard it's computers and intelligence in Afghanistan perhaps they should think of doing something novel...like encrypting their files! Frankly they should be doing both. Ridiculous.

Check it out here.

Rumor Of The Moment: Attack Imminent - doubtful origin

2006-04-12T23:17:00.000-04:00

A rumor is spreading across the web that an attack on Iran is imminent and that this information has been 'leaked' by somebody that works for the State Department somewhere in Europe. This is probably just junk. But it might be interesting to keep ones eyes open to see if this is picked up by any of the news services or larger blogs.

Of course all of the rumors and "leaks" may indeed be part of psy-ops plan to worry Iran into compliance with any sanctions that the United Nations may come up with in regards to their nuclear program. If that is the case, I don't think it will be successful. [Plus that would make me part of their evil plan, and that would make me feel used and cheap. lol] If, on the other hand, the talk of stopping a possible imminent attack or invasion actually does stem from some valid point of truth (ie, isn't US disinformation/psy-ops but really does come from a war plan) then perhaps it can be stopped.

Quite frankly I think that anyone that works for the State Department overseas that is in a position to come in contact with information like this would send their message to major news centers, post their message to big blogs and get the word out with more credibility than whoever started this message. Like I said, I think it's junk...but I'm curious to see if anybody's going to start reporting it as the truth in big bold letters on blogs and news sites. Let's see.

Here's a couple of places I've found it:

Gold is Money forum
AboveTopSecret post

Rocky Horror Picture Show humor

2006-04-12T12:01:00.000-04:00

I was searching for something funny and entertaining to post up here on the blog and ran across this I had bookmarked in my browser. Don't know how many of you have already ran across it but I figured I'd post it anyways. It is quite silly.

It's probably only entertaining if you're familiar with RHPS.

Go ahead and visit http://www.angryalien.com/0705/rhpsbuns.asp

"I see you shiver with antici...."

I double-dog dare ya!

2006-04-11T00:57:00.000-04:00

You can't pre-empt me 'cause I might just pre-empt you first, 'cause that's just how sneaky I am so you'd better just watch out!

"The whole army is replete with the spirit of devotedly defending the leader and all the servicepersons are reliably defending the country and socialism in the spirit of readily becoming human bombs, the spirit of suicide bombing."

Okay. North Korea's barking again. A threat to be concerned of or just posturing - normal scary growl?

(But then again...if you're riding a bus in a dangerous part of town in a crowded city you'll notice that nobody messes with the apparently insane homeless guy that's rocking in his seat wide-eyed and arguing with invisible friends. A dangerous visage is sometimes a good protection device)

North Korean Defense Chief Warns Of Pre-Emptive Attack On US

SkinBag

2006-04-10T23:35:00.000-04:00

handbag, jacket, skirt...hmmm

what else would you like to have that's made out of synthetic skin. yes it's odd, what do you expect?

Something to wear to the Silent Hill movie. haha. go check it out.

SkinBag

The Washington Post Pole - Spin becomes Pole Dance

2006-04-10T10:43:00.000-04:00

"Presidents are authorized to declassify sensitive material, and the public benefits when they do. But the administration handled the release clumsily, exposing Mr. Bush to the hyperbolic charges of misconduct and hypocrisy that Democrats are leveling."

Has the Washington Post suddenly been also purchased by the Moonies and nobody mentioned it to me? Okay, granted they've pretty much always been slanting their editorials towards the White House in recent years but how they can actually come out and buy into the "declassification" spin on the leak of this classified material is beyond my comprehension. It just solidifies in the minds of the public just how dead journalism is in this country.

I don't believe the spin. The American people no longer believe the explanations. The credibility of the paper isn't likely to improve any with editorials like this.

Thanks to Justin at The Evil Petting Zoo for bringing this to my attention. Nice blog there

Read the article here.

LinuxElectrons - AT&T Forwards ALL Internet Traffic Into NSA Says EFF

2006-04-08T00:32:00.000-04:00

"The evidence that we are filing supports our claim that AT&T is diverting Internet traffic into the hands of the NSA wholesale, in violation of federal wiretapping laws and the Fourth Amendment," said Electronic Frontier Foundation Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston.

LinuxElectrons - AT&T Forwards ALL Internet Traffic Into NSA Says EFF

Personally I find this hard to believe.

Silent Hill

2006-04-05T09:46:00.000-04:00

On April 21st the movie Silent Hill opens in theaters nationwide. I'm a fan of the videogames, having played Silent Hill 2,3, and 4. If this movie is as good as the games are it will be a very scary movie indeed. Just hope the acting and plot are good enough so that this movie won't stink. Video games don't normally translate into movies well.

If you want to read more about the movie you can click on the links below to give you some further details:

Rotten Tomatoes

Really Scary

The official Silent Hill website

Horror Channel (updated 4-20-06)

If you go and see it, please comment on it. Thanks.

A special time.

2006-04-05T01:08:00.000-04:00

Did you let the special time go by without noticing? A time like this should've been more like a New Years Eve party count-down.

But I caught it.

What am I talking about?

This morning, just a bit ago, the time and date was 01:02:03 04/05/06!

Gotta wait another 100 years for this to happen.