Thursday, August 31, 2006

Might Have To Watch The Movie This Weekend

Find another very fun one here! The PIG Personality Test.

Burning Man Starts Monday

I am no where near artsy enough to understand Burning Man, but it would be a hellava good time I suspect. Debauchery squared. The government will simply have to shut this event down eventually. Too much fun is being had by all. The Official Line here.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Boycott CITGO - Pass It On!



Enough is enough!

"Chavez: Venezuela, Syria United vs. U.S." See article here.

From CITGO's own website, here:

"Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.(PDVSA) is a world energy corporation, owned by the Venezuelan State. Its operations cover the exploration, production, refining, transport and marketing of hydrocarbons, as well as the Orimulsión®, chemical, petrochemical and coal businesses."

Fly The Flag September 11, 2006


From an email I received today:

On Monday, September 11th, 2006, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this fifth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms. In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds. Action Plan: So, here's what we need you to do...

(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day,

That's Our Man


An interesting interview of President Bush yesterday by NBC's smarmy Brian Williams. Bush doesn't disappoint though.

"The key for me is to keep expectations low."
George W. Bush

He said that. He really did.

Sounds very Reaganesque or Teddy Rooseveltian of him doesn't it? Inspiring don't you think?

It's awesome how he admired us for all our sacrifices too!


Watch the entire interview here.

Hit-And-Run Driver Unstable, Family Says



"These are the things, these are so senseless. They're utterly inexplicable. They're impossible to rationalize," Newsom said afterward. "The fact that this individual felt compelled for whatever reason to be determined to do what he did is beyond imagination." San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom

Beyond whose imagination? Let my imagination run wild: Maybe all the victims were infidels in Omeed A. Popal's mind.

Facts here.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Katrina Hits New Orleans 1 Year Anniversary - For the Record



"A state of emergency had been declared by Louisiana's low-key governor, Kathleen Babinaux Blanco, on Friday, August 26, at 11:00 p.m., and the mayor was nervous. Reports from the National Hurricane Center insisted that Katrina was growing in menace by the minute. "Although the track could change, forecasters believe Hurricane Katrina will affect New Orleans," Mayor Ray Nagin said tepidly, scratching his trimmed goatee. "We may call for a voluntary evacuation later this afternoon (August 27) or tomorrow afternoon (August 28)." In emergency preparation, the three levels of evacuation are voluntary, recommended, and mandatory. Only the third carries real weight - and places the responsibility for evacuation on state and local government officials. A halting, soft-spoken Nagin, said that he needed to talk with his lawyers about what his options were. By stopping short of making a city-wide exodus mandatory, he was squandering precious time. Even as Nagin dwadled, the first Louisiana SPCA pets were en route to Houston."

From: The Great Deluge, By Douglas Brinkley, pg 20.
A must read.

If Your Computer Displays a Message Like This...


....it means you caught a really crappy virus! Click on it!

Don't Vote Republican, Democrat, nor Libertarian

Why you shouldn't vote Republican

They have absolutely no fiscal discipline whatsoever. No congress has ever blown money on vote-buying programs quite like the current Republican congress has.
There are far too many Republicans who want to take their personal religious blueprints for behavior and make them law.
The seem unwilling to press the advantage when it is theirs to press.
They're prudes.
Stem cell research.
Donald Wildmon
The McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act.
Democrats think that it's odd that the jails are so full while our crime rate is going down.
The Medicare Prescription Drug benefit for the Gimme Generation
If they had their way, Terri Schiavo's soul would still not be at rest.
They pay more attention to K Street than they do to the American workers and businessmen carrying the load.
They can't even protect America's borders.
Do you want your kids to come home from a government school and tell you that the Earth is only 6000 years old?

Why you shouldn't vote Democrat

They clearly will not defend America from Islamic Fascism ... not now ... not until the price of that defense is catastrophic.
They think terrorism is a law enforcement problem.
Their war against individualism.
They think America is great because of its government.
They seem to think that income is distributed, not earned.
They promote class warfare.
They have almost single-handedly destroyed black culture in America.
Hillary Clinton.
They're joined at the hip with teacher's unions.
Taxes can never be too high for Democrats.
They fully intend to destroy talk radio.
Their love of mob rule.
The fully intend to turn illegal aliens into Democrat voters.
Like the Republicans; they refuse to protect America's borders

Why your shouldn't vote Libertarian

With over 50% of the American people harboring strong libertarian feelings, they can't manage to mount a viable third-party campaign. How would they manage to govern?
Not only will they not defend America's borders, they don't really think the borders need defending.
Though philosophically they're right, they fail to see that their "legalize drugs" agenda isn't exactly a winner with the American people.
They never jumped on eminent domain abuse as the party agenda. People will react when they think their property rights are being threatened .... and the Libertarians couldn't take advantage of this.
Have you seen the way some of the people at their convention dress?

Neal Boortz

What Words Come To Mind?


"Take him out!"

Monday, August 28, 2006

O Brother! Religion Gone Whacko.


They're not kidding.

10,000 Reasons Civilization is Doomed


Chime in here! They are at over 2700 already!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

What A Treat


I am enjoying immensely the Little League World Series, what little I watch. I played with the logo above on my uniform many years ago. The kids still do. But that updated logo is super-cool. All the kids are about my boy-wonder's age. So that makes it even more special.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Boys Will Be Boys


Charlotte Ross. She was married to the character of Andy Sipowitz on one of my all time favorite TV shows, NYPD Blue. He and she provided hope to overweight, middle-aged, bald guys that need reading glasses.

A Letter To The Editor

A local paper recently recommended that the US formally declare war on any group that believes itself at war with us and want to take us down, primarily Islamo-facist groups. MGF wrote the paper's editor. I wanted to share it.
________________________

"Bravo, on your August 11 editorial “Let’s declare war” ! Your suggestion that it’s about time we “call the battle against Islamic radicals what it really is” has been long overdue.

I have plenty of criticism of just how this ‘war’ is being prosecuted, but I do believe our president is right in taking the fight to the enemy. I also believe President Bush has framed the whole issue incorrectly from the very beginning – by terming this struggle a “war on terror”, rather than what it really is – a war on Islamic radicals; and, by his continuing to say we want to “bring them to justice”. No we don’t – we want to defeat them, destroy them, utterly and completely.

Terror is merely a tactic. I’ve wondered how this misidentification of the issue came to be. Was it the corrosive power of political correctness ? Was it simply a rhetorical misstep ? In any event, I believe it has allowed GW’s political enemies to mislead a significant portion of the public into believing that we are not really at war, at all. These folks want to see it as simply a legal matter – allowing them to pursue their political ends by sniping at the administration over legal vagaries. Remember John Kerry ? In his view, we were never dealing with enemies – merely with some criminals.

Most recently, the lefties have sniffed-out a federal judge willing to rule that the administration has overstepped its authority on the matter of eavesdropping (it’s dead certain to be overturned, but it’s welcome fodder for the “anti-war left” and its co-conspirator, the so-called ‘mainstream media’). NPR is all giddy and a-twitter about it. With persistence, one can always find a politically sympathetic judge somewhere within the federal judiciary.

I believe there can be no doubt that the polarizing effect of this political posturing has both emboldened our radical Islamic enemies and weakened the resolve of our allies. The unfortunate observation that ‘our military is at war, the rest of us are at the mall’ is true. Upwards of half of us still don’t get it.

So, here’s what we should do: Declare war on any organization that has declared itself at war with us - a formal, Congressional declaration of war. The absence of a formal declaration of war means we are not actually at war – use of the term is merely rhetoric, not unlike the “war on poverty”, the “war on illiteracy”, the “war on drugs”, etc. - merely political hyperbole. Yep, we should press Congress to declare war on any and all identifiable groups that have been so bold as to declare war on us. A formal state of war would basically sweep aside the shrill bleating of those on the left who are so concerned about the legal ‘rights’ of our enemies (and who so want the current administration to fail). There would be no need for legal arguments and proceedings on behalf of detainees – because the detainees would become prisoners of war. As such, prisoners of war are simply detained for the duration of the war. For the duration - no charges, no indictments, no hearings, no trials, interned for the duration of the war


Sadly, I do not believe our Congress, with its pervasive, paralyzing, partisan political polarization, would declare that a state of war exists between the United States and, say, al-Qaida. There is simply too much political hay to be made. It sure would be an interesting test, though: “Congressman, do you believe that we are at war with radical Islam ? Will you vote to declare war on radical Islamic groups that have declared war on us ?” Tally and report the responses from all members of Congress, including any cowards who choose to ‘abstain’ – and publish them before the next election." Sincerely, MGF

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Michael Moore Documentary Rattles Health-Care Giants

He's revving up the publicity machine early isn't he? Standby. Michael Moore is a man who told Bill O'Rielly (I saw it!) that he thinks Americans' income should be taxed at a 75-80% + rate. But his film will probably focus on many things the industry would rather the public not know. Our health care system is a total goat rope. I know from the inside. Moore will advocate that the government take over health care because it is so screwed up. Government can do it better right? The government would be even more broke than it already is. Full story here.

I sent MGF the article and he had this to say:


"The problem with this fraud starts with people continuing to refer to his productions as "documentaries"......NOT. You can be sure it'll be yet another hatchet job - nothing more."

I think "this fraud" is Mr. Moore himself. But I'll check that with MGF.

Note that I posted his pix to the left of center. Way left.


Thursday, August 10, 2006

Finally...

He tells it like it is.

President Bush said Thursday that a foiled plot to blow up multiple flights from Britain to the United States shows "this nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

August 10, 2006

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Consider the Lowly Geoduck

A colleague of mine saw an interesting segment on The Discovery Channel last evening. She thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with me. We looked it up on Wikepedia and it also had a sketch of the geoduck. Thought worth sharing with my growing audience. One fasinating thing about it is how long it lasts, oops, I mean how long it lives... oops, I mean how long it is, never mind. They're very fertile also. If I could I would, but for some reason Blogger is not allowing me to upload a photo of the creature, but you can find a shot here.

From Wikipedia: The geoduck (pronounced /'guː.iː.dʌk/),[1] Panopea abrupta or Panope generosa, is a species of large saltwater clam, also known as the king clam or elephant trunk clam. The name is derived from a Nisqualli Indian word meaning "dig deep", and its phonemically counterintuitive spelling is likely the result of poor transcription. Alternate spellings include gweduc, gweduck and goiduck. Native to the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada (primarily Washington, British Columbia, and Southeast Alaska), it is the largest burrowing clam in the world, weighing in at an average of one to three pounds (0.5 - 1.5 kg) at maturity, but specimens weighing over 10 pounds (5 kg) and as much as a meter (3 feet) in length are not unheard of. It has a life expectancy of about 146 years, with the oldest recorded at over 160 years. This makes the Geoduck one of the longest living organisms in the Animal Kingdom. Scientists speculate that the geoduck's longevity is the result of low wear and tear. A geoduck sucks plankton down through its long siphon, filters them for food and ejects its refuse out through a separate hole in the siphon. Geoducks have few natural predators which may also contribute to their longevity. In Alaska, sea otters and dogfish have proved capable of dislodging adult geoducks. Starfish also attack and feed on the exposed geoduck siphon. Geoducks are broadcast spawners. A female geoduck produces about 5 billion eggs in her century-long lifespan—in comparison, a human female produces about 500 viable ova during the course of her life. It is possible that this fact, in conjunction with the phallic shape of the siphon, has led to the belief that the shellfish has aphrodisiac properties.

We Should Be Able To Find These Guys


Because they will Walk Like Egyptians. MGF came up with this one.

Story here.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Cleavage Banned in High School









I heard recently from a training Webinar that the productivity of men at work drops to almost nothing if a woman co-worker's cleavage is visible, therefore justifying a company's right to have an anti-cleavage clause in its dress code policy.

Just think what it must do to teenage boys. Believe it. I wonder who will do the checking and judging and all that other good stuff at the high school? Some lucky vice-principal? Female of course. Story from Texas here.

Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan has every right to do whatever she wants to protest the war in Iraq. She can say whatever she wants too. That's her right also. She can get as close to G.W. Bush's Crawford ranch as is legally possible.

She lost her son in the war and that gives her even more credibility and moral authority to rally anyone else, even the entire country to her cause. She is a grieving mother. And angry too. She's no where near the "nutcase" that the Bushies and his apologists would like to portray. But where I part ways with her, is her over-the-top rhetoric:

She said this recently demanding to see Bush, telling his secret service agents: "My name is Cindy and Bush killed my son."

Well, it's a more complicated than that Ms. Sheehan. First, your son freely volunteered and joined the military. He signed away almost all his personal freedom in agreeing to serve and go where his country felt it needed him.

Any death in war is tragic. Young life lost in battle. American deaths in this fiasco, doubly so, in my opinion.

Sheehan's son was not forced to join the service, but he was ordered to war once he freely did. He went as a loyal American.

His mom has every right to protest about the war that took her son. But she should watch her language. It doesn't sway people like me.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Original Caption To A Photo Found

Free Will Or Fate

"The capriciousness of destny was a favorite subject with the old-fashioned novelists. In their three-volumed world, peoples lives were at the mercy of trifling accidents from day to day. A person's whole life was spoiled because one letter was stolen or went astray. The hero rose from obscurity to wealth and fame through meeting a casual stranger in a railroad car, or through saving someone from drowning at the seashore. One false step ruined an otherwise promising career.

"All this is nonsense. We are not at the mercy of accidents for there are no accidents, and trifles have only trifling effects. In the long run your own character makes or breaks you. This is true of the individual, of a nation, of a party, or of any institution."

...thou upholdest me in mine integrity... (Psalm 41:12)

Emmet Fox,
from: Around the Year With Emmet Fox

Friday, August 04, 2006

Jewel is Beautiful


This from Amazon.com's Bill Maher's show. In in a little interview between her songs Maher's last point to Jewel was how happy he was that she did not thank God in her liner notes. He claimed that God doesn't give a rat's ass about popular music. Is he an atheist ax-grinder? It's sort of bizzare to witness things like that. Ever heard of live and let live? Jewel didn't seem to bite at the God-baiting. She appeared very indifferent to his comment.

Home Boys


I will probably get this album when it comes out, if only for the cover art. It's very BeachBoy-esque. These boys hail from San Jose, California, as do I. I love their song "Waste" from the Astro Lounge album.

"I'm moppin' up the floor
From messy recipes of romance
I'm packin' up the pots
Too many cooks in the kitchen"

Increase the Minimum Wage: It's Simple Math


I've decribed myself at times, on the downside as dumb, but on the upside, I'm slow. So I will throw my one dollar and 40 cents worth of opinion on the minimum wage. I think those against it can find all kind of reasons to say that increasing it "doesn't work" for the poor. In fact, the poor will lose jobs, or not get them in the first place, if the minimum wage is increased, they say. Hurts small businesses, yada, yada, yada.

For me it is simple math. It's about keeping up with the cost of bread and butter. Not some high economic metric like the aggregate unemployment rate of the country. The current $5.15 minimum wage was established in 1997. The cumulative percentage increase of the consumer price index from the years 1998-2005 was 27.22%.

Hello, $5.15 has way less purchasing power than it did in 1997. Increasing the minimum wage to $6.55 immediately is the just thing to do.

Those that would deny it are just plain mean.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

It's A Religious Thing


This man says he has right to have sex with children. Details here.

Phillip Distasio. Imprison and throw away the key. In South Carolina these day, he could be executed.

See what Bane has to say about it. Bane Rants is one of my favorites to the right.

And You Wonder Why I Feel So Special?



Never before, and never since 1957, have more human units been born in a year in the United States. I can never find a good selection of anything my size. We are legion.

I heard Boomers called "Vintage" today on NPR while driving in to work, and I was semi-incredulous.

Denial is a powerful thing.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

"No I'm Never Gonna Do It Without The Fez On"


"The Guest House"

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

by Jelaluddin Rumi,
From: The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks

$30 Hotel Rooms in Japan

All comfy and cozy. Would you sleep like a baby in one of these?

Three Cheers for Edisto




Edisto Island Beach, South Carolina.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Me And The Doping Bike Rider

"During a news conference in Madrid on Friday, Landis said, “We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case, but a natural occurrence.” He explained that the testosterone levels throughout his career were “natural and produced by my own organism.”

New York Times, August 1, 2006

Mine is natural and produced by my own orgasm too.

So there!