I see that the Armchair Subversive already has his Republican porno links upadated already.
Another case of do as I say, not as I do. Looks like the moral high ground is sinking.
Sigh. These guys never learn.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Friday Afternoon Levity
Fall Classes For Men
Registration must be completed by Monday, October 2, 2006
NOTE: Due to the complexity and difficulty level of their contents, class sizes will be limited to 8 participants maximum.
Classes begin Monday, October 2, 2006
Class 1
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays --- Step by Step, with Slide Presentation. Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.
Class 2
The Toilet Paper Roll --- Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion. Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.
Class 3
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub? --- Group Practice. Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor --- Pictures and Explanatory Graphics. Meets Saturday at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.
Class 5
After Dinner Dishes --- Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink? Examples on Video. Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.
Class 6
Loss Of Identity --- Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.
Help Line Support and Support Groups. Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM.
Class 7
Learning How To Find Things --- Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming. Open Forum . Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.
Class 8
Health Watch --- Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health. Graphics and Audio Tapes. Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 9
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost --- Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesday ! at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.
Class 10
Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?
Driving Simulations. 4 weeks, Saturday noon , 2 hours.
Class 11
Learning to Live --- Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife.
Online Classes and role-playing. Tuesday at 7:00 PM, location to be determined.
Class 12
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion. Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques. Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours Beginning at 7:00 PM ..
Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy --- Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late. Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered. Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 14
The Stove/Oven --- What It Is and How It Is Used. Live Demonstration. Tuesday at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.
You Call It Faith
I call it blind obedience with an inability to adapt to changing situations, sort of like the way we are conducting the debacle in Iraq.
A promising life was snuffed out in an instant, all of the time, money and effort for her training went for naught. Her death is no less tragic than the many thousands of people who have died, and will continue to die, to satisfy some unholy need of power hungry people who aren't troubled by the trivial concepts of honor, justice or equality
As the Irqa war struggles on, with victory nowhere on the horizon, more and more valuable people will die. As the decimation of qualified people continues, our ability to defend ourselves becomes less. It isn't just the time and money spent training the troops, it is also the loss of experience, and to young troops that is more valuable than a photo op with a President and his plastic turkey.
We are conducting the Iraq war as if it is on our terms when it obviously isn't. How many more valuable servicemen and women will die for this administration's mistakes?
Cross posted at the Big Brass Blog.
On one of my last days at West Point, I watched from the stands as the class of 9/11 took the art of parading to its farcical zenith. A high wind had blown a tall plumed hat off of one of the lead cadets, forcing the hundreds that followed in box formation to try to step over it without glancing down or altering their parade stride. As you can imagine, this did not work out so well. Cadet after cadet ended up stumbling over a hat that could have easily been picked up and tossed out of the way.
Even the West Point parents in attendance couldn't help but snicker at these proud ranks being decimated by a hat. But watching this, I finally was able to articulate something that I had only vaguely sensed before: This thing that West Pointers do — parading in unyielding formation, shining already gleaming boots, enlisting to sacrifice their lives on some unknown and unloved territory far from home — is not done out of ignorance, but out of faith. They have faith that the American values and resourcefulness do not lend themselves to meaningless death. They have faith that not only is freedom worth fighting for, but that we do not fight for any lesser end.Four years of indoctrination will do that for you. Or as they say in the Babylon 5 universe "The Corps is mother, the Corps is father".
A promising life was snuffed out in an instant, all of the time, money and effort for her training went for naught. Her death is no less tragic than the many thousands of people who have died, and will continue to die, to satisfy some unholy need of power hungry people who aren't troubled by the trivial concepts of honor, justice or equality
As the Irqa war struggles on, with victory nowhere on the horizon, more and more valuable people will die. As the decimation of qualified people continues, our ability to defend ourselves becomes less. It isn't just the time and money spent training the troops, it is also the loss of experience, and to young troops that is more valuable than a photo op with a President and his plastic turkey.
We are conducting the Iraq war as if it is on our terms when it obviously isn't. How many more valuable servicemen and women will die for this administration's mistakes?
Cross posted at the Big Brass Blog.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Rest in Peace USA 1776-2006
Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.
Welcome to the "new and improved" United States of America. The country where you are presumed guilty instead of innocent and aren't allowed to have the tools to prove your case. You can be disappeared at will and no one will ever know where to look for you.
I can't decide if I should brush up on my German or learn Russian, either way it won't matter because they will be coming to take us away. To "re-education" camps.
The nightmare never ends.
Welcome to the "new and improved" United States of America. The country where you are presumed guilty instead of innocent and aren't allowed to have the tools to prove your case. You can be disappeared at will and no one will ever know where to look for you.
I can't decide if I should brush up on my German or learn Russian, either way it won't matter because they will be coming to take us away. To "re-education" camps.
The nightmare never ends.
Hacking Blogger Beta II
When I first switched to the Beta version I was irritated because I lost my template and wanted some of hacks that made it easier to blog. Blog This! still isn't working but I have learned to live with that inconvenience.
The first thing I did was find a three column hack (courtesy of Ramani at the Hackosphere) and then I adapted it to fit the Minima Stretch template. It took a little doing but I finally figured out what numbers had to be changed. Why would anyone want a three column template and have unused space on both sides? Not me. Preview is a wonderful feature when it works.
I was still at Ramani's site so I used a couple more of his hacks since he gives great directions and is open to feedback. This resulted in the Peekaboo posts (expand and collapse a post) plus just showing the title of post on the Label and Archive pages (I call them categories, some people call them tags) with a plus/minus sign so that the reader has some control over the page.
That worked so well that I installed the hack for the recent posts in the sidebar. Well, reading the comments helped me find other hacks. One of which is the Label cloud which is courtesy of Phydeax3.
Courtesy of Hoctro, I installed the horizontal tabs of my most used Labels, which will change as I get all of my posts tagged. I also got the hack for the Label breadcrumb trail, so visitors have another way to find their way to my homepage.
There are a few others but I don't remember them all. Blogger Beta is much easier to deal with, easier for you to make your blog look different from everyone elses.
The first thing I did was find a three column hack (courtesy of Ramani at the Hackosphere) and then I adapted it to fit the Minima Stretch template. It took a little doing but I finally figured out what numbers had to be changed. Why would anyone want a three column template and have unused space on both sides? Not me. Preview is a wonderful feature when it works.
I was still at Ramani's site so I used a couple more of his hacks since he gives great directions and is open to feedback. This resulted in the Peekaboo posts (expand and collapse a post) plus just showing the title of post on the Label and Archive pages (I call them categories, some people call them tags) with a plus/minus sign so that the reader has some control over the page.
That worked so well that I installed the hack for the recent posts in the sidebar. Well, reading the comments helped me find other hacks. One of which is the Label cloud which is courtesy of Phydeax3.
Courtesy of Hoctro, I installed the horizontal tabs of my most used Labels, which will change as I get all of my posts tagged. I also got the hack for the Label breadcrumb trail, so visitors have another way to find their way to my homepage.
There are a few others but I don't remember them all. Blogger Beta is much easier to deal with, easier for you to make your blog look different from everyone elses.
Hard To Get Fired Up
Between the muscle relaxers for the spasms and the pain pills that dull the pain and nothing else, I am finding it hard to get excited by the way my country became a dictatorship in less than a week. Torture should not even be a debate topic, much less a bill that the do-nothing Congress can add to its repertoire of bills that do more harm than good.
Meanwhile, in the real world our troops are injured and dying in Iraq at a greater rate than is being reported.
Meanwhile, in the real world our troops are injured and dying in Iraq at a greater rate than is being reported.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
This n' That
No wonder kids aren't learning. Removing an award winning teacher for something so trivial and minor in the grand scheme of things is censorship at best and sets a dangerous precedent for teachers in the future. A fifth grader is around eleven years old and I'm pretty sure I knew about nudity and art before then. This means that these parents would object to their child seeing most of art history. What a shame to have to grow up feeling ashamed of the human body.
I have my very own replica (sort of) of a famous nude statue which I call Penis de Milo. He was found at a swap meet by a friend of mine and given to me as a joke, but I like it. People's reactions when they see it are quite revealing.
Education is a hot topic for me this morning.
The teachers who sparked my interest in science were all male and the ones who encouraged me to do better were female. What they had in common was that they were good teachers. If a teacher can explain a subject to a student and get them interested in it, it doesn't matter what their gender is, what matters is whether they can communicate successfully with their students. Period.
A combat death that couldn't be ignored and will probably have more of an impact than can be immediately considered. This will have psychological effects that ripple away from the center in an ever widening circle. Sometimes being first isn't always the best thing.
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
I have my very own replica (sort of) of a famous nude statue which I call Penis de Milo. He was found at a swap meet by a friend of mine and given to me as a joke, but I like it. People's reactions when they see it are quite revealing.
Education is a hot topic for me this morning.
The teachers who sparked my interest in science were all male and the ones who encouraged me to do better were female. What they had in common was that they were good teachers. If a teacher can explain a subject to a student and get them interested in it, it doesn't matter what their gender is, what matters is whether they can communicate successfully with their students. Period.
A combat death that couldn't be ignored and will probably have more of an impact than can be immediately considered. This will have psychological effects that ripple away from the center in an ever widening circle. Sometimes being first isn't always the best thing.
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Quick Medical Update
I hurt. On a scale of one to ten I would rate my pain level as an eight with flashes of nine just for fun. A pain level that was formerly a steady five is now the focus of my life.
So what did they do?
The joint where my big toe attaches to the foot was unsalvageable. They decompressed, scraped and ground the bone, then fused it forever into one solid piece.
Then they moved a nerve that was exposed, ground down a bone in the area and moved it into the groove.
So now instead of a constant dull ache that prevented me from putting weight on the ball of my foot I now have sharp burning pain all the time (since the numbing agent wore off at 10:03 pm yesterday) in addition to the aching throb. Since I am in a surgical cast with my foot in a certain position I am now having leg cramps.
My other leg is tired because it is having to do all the work. My space is too small for crutches to do anything but trip me up but I'm not supposed to put any weight on the ball of the foot for at least six weeks.
Now the best part of this is that I am allergic to most pain medications. No codeine, morphine, vicodin, tylenol, motrin and now the darvon they gave me is making me itch. Like I have fleas or something. The only meds left are ones that they usually administer thru an IV and even though it does come in pill form, due to the relentless pursuit of doctors who prescribe narcotics, they probably won't give any Demerol.
As much as I love my mom, I am not blind to the fact that she is a major passive-aggressive and is not doing well now that I'm virtually helpless and she has to wait on me. I hope she settles down or this is going to be a long six weeks.
Other than that, everything is peachy keen. I think I'll go check the news.
So what did they do?
The joint where my big toe attaches to the foot was unsalvageable. They decompressed, scraped and ground the bone, then fused it forever into one solid piece.
Then they moved a nerve that was exposed, ground down a bone in the area and moved it into the groove.
So now instead of a constant dull ache that prevented me from putting weight on the ball of my foot I now have sharp burning pain all the time (since the numbing agent wore off at 10:03 pm yesterday) in addition to the aching throb. Since I am in a surgical cast with my foot in a certain position I am now having leg cramps.
My other leg is tired because it is having to do all the work. My space is too small for crutches to do anything but trip me up but I'm not supposed to put any weight on the ball of the foot for at least six weeks.
Now the best part of this is that I am allergic to most pain medications. No codeine, morphine, vicodin, tylenol, motrin and now the darvon they gave me is making me itch. Like I have fleas or something. The only meds left are ones that they usually administer thru an IV and even though it does come in pill form, due to the relentless pursuit of doctors who prescribe narcotics, they probably won't give any Demerol.
As much as I love my mom, I am not blind to the fact that she is a major passive-aggressive and is not doing well now that I'm virtually helpless and she has to wait on me. I hope she settles down or this is going to be a long six weeks.
Other than that, everything is peachy keen. I think I'll go check the news.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Here We Go Again
Duck! Cheney reminds me of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, he drones on and on, repeating the same old tired refrain. For years on end.
As if that would make it true.
As if that would make it true.
Joke of the Day 9/26/06
I haven't done jokes in a while...
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint it goes like this:
What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the BULLSHIT and Ass Kissing that will put you over the top.
Have you ever thought of how much a Billion really is?
The next time you hear one of our politicians use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want those "politicians" spending your tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising
agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective
in one of its releases.
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint it goes like this:
What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the BULLSHIT and Ass Kissing that will put you over the top.
Have you ever thought of how much a Billion really is?
The next time you hear one of our politicians use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want those "politicians" spending your tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising
agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective
in one of its releases.
a.. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
b.. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
c.. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
d.. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
e.. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.
Failure To Accomplish
Anything but the destruction of the American way of life will be the legacy of George W. Bush. While America sits bemused and complacent, Bush and cronies have stripped this country of its natural resources and the citizens of their civil rights, ensured the employment of hundreds of thousands of Indians and Chinese, not Americans, overseen the destruction of a major city, caused more Reservists and National Guard troops to be killed since Vietnam while outsourcing traditional military roles to paid contractors (if they get their own tanks and jets all bets are off) and have not completed a single mission successfully while playing political peekaboo with Osama.
Iraq has devolved into civil war, there is nothing else to call it when people kill their fellow citizens en masse and Afghanistan is reverting to Taliban control as if the US and its crazy ideas were a bothersome gnat that is being brushed away.
Then the public relations team kicks in with a story about how Bush feels your pain. I prefer a simpler explanation.
Sociopath.
End of Rant
Iraq has devolved into civil war, there is nothing else to call it when people kill their fellow citizens en masse and Afghanistan is reverting to Taliban control as if the US and its crazy ideas were a bothersome gnat that is being brushed away.
Then the public relations team kicks in with a story about how Bush feels your pain. I prefer a simpler explanation.
Sociopath.
End of Rant
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Of A Personal Nature
I haven't been able to post lately because I have been running around like a madwoman trying to get ready for my foot surgery (from my fall last March), which is Monday morning. Then I will be a fulltime member of the pajamahadeen for about six weeks while I wait for it to heal.
It has taken all this time for worker's comp to get its act together and authorize some other treatment besides sit with your foot up. I kid you not. Two cortisone shots (frakkin hurt!), no therapy, no MRI's, nothing except elevate the foot. I have to admit that worked fine as long as I left it that way. Heaven forbid that I try to walk or drive. Whole other story. We won't even get into the knee.
Meanwhile, it seems that my thyroid is acting up, or so they say. I feel fine (except for when I think of the US political situation) but it seems that my thyroid is hyper for a few months and then it is hypo. Ooh, I'm so special. Right now the tests are showing both high and low, they figure it is going to crash and burn sometime in the next few months. I'm so lucky to have something to look forward to. I would love to lose weight without my eyes popping out.
Other than that, the patio isn't ready and I'm out of time. I also have no cable or satellite, thank goodness for Netflix and iTunes, though iTunes has been very slow lately, it took hours to download CSI and I can't figure out why.
I need to find some jokes.
It has taken all this time for worker's comp to get its act together and authorize some other treatment besides sit with your foot up. I kid you not. Two cortisone shots (frakkin hurt!), no therapy, no MRI's, nothing except elevate the foot. I have to admit that worked fine as long as I left it that way. Heaven forbid that I try to walk or drive. Whole other story. We won't even get into the knee.
Meanwhile, it seems that my thyroid is acting up, or so they say. I feel fine (except for when I think of the US political situation) but it seems that my thyroid is hyper for a few months and then it is hypo. Ooh, I'm so special. Right now the tests are showing both high and low, they figure it is going to crash and burn sometime in the next few months. I'm so lucky to have something to look forward to. I would love to lose weight without my eyes popping out.
Other than that, the patio isn't ready and I'm out of time. I also have no cable or satellite, thank goodness for Netflix and iTunes, though iTunes has been very slow lately, it took hours to download CSI and I can't figure out why.
I need to find some jokes.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Party Because Of The Small Screen
Are you reasonably well off? Can you take time off just because you want to? Are you a fan of Lost and just can't wait for the premiere on television? If so...
then this is your golden opportunity to see it before the rest of us.
Now if you are into Battlestar Galactica and want to share the season premiere with fellow Cylons then you might want to attend one of the Frak Parties that is being thrown in your area. Or, you might want to host one yourself. I'm hoping that there will be one a little closer to me since my tv is very small, it isn't HD capable and I don't have cable.
A situation I hope to rectify before 24 in January.
then this is your golden opportunity to see it before the rest of us.
Now if you are into Battlestar Galactica and want to share the season premiere with fellow Cylons then you might want to attend one of the Frak Parties that is being thrown in your area. Or, you might want to host one yourself. I'm hoping that there will be one a little closer to me since my tv is very small, it isn't HD capable and I don't have cable.
A situation I hope to rectify before 24 in January.
Curious Wednesday
When I was getting my Masters cheating was rampant. It drove me crazy. Some teachers used the same tests from year to year, or alternated and thought the students wouldn't catch on. The students used to hide papers when I walked past, I would rather have a B than an A that I didn't earn.
The funniest part of all this was our second year end exams. Big stuff and I hadn't studied because I was apprenticing at the same time and didn't have time to join study groups and practice rote memorization. It was a two day test and I was so sick I could barely hold my head up. Out of fifty four people I was one of seven who passed all sections, cheating didn't help the rest of the class. Why do people want to take shortcuts on the important things?
I smell an election, the price of gas needed to come down to take pressure off the GOP. These guys are so obvious but it doesn't matter because Americans are easy and they will fal for it.
Tabasco sauce is a staple in my house, as it was in my father's. I love hot sauce and have tried quite a few but Tabasco is my all around favorite. Other sauces have specific uses, Tabasco tastes good in more things overall. In my humble opinion.
The New World would certainly look different today if this had happened five hundred years ago. Henry Hudson and James Cook might be remembered as explorers and not lone quacks in the history books, instead of as an afterthought to Columbus.
Another case of penny wise and pound foolish. While our corrupt administration blathers on about security and protecting us from terrorists, mines are collapsing, food is unsafe to eat and the friendly skies are liable to become a little too up close and personal for me. Two years from now this country will be unrecognizable, with health care, quality food, transportation and housing only availiable to the well-to-do, the rest of us will have only the memory of a country that espoused equality for all.
Hell is freezing over and some aren't happy about it.
Speaking of the devil, Hugo Chavez weighs in on Bush's speech (rant) at the UN yesterday.
I love fish, when I had money I used to eat sushi frequently which was a good thing because raw and smoked are the only ways I really enjoy salmon. Nothing on earth is likely to make me like mackerel. I've tried it maybe ten times and that is more than enough. Now it seems as if I might have given myself some protection against kidney cancer and I was just trying to make my tastebuds happy.
The funniest part of all this was our second year end exams. Big stuff and I hadn't studied because I was apprenticing at the same time and didn't have time to join study groups and practice rote memorization. It was a two day test and I was so sick I could barely hold my head up. Out of fifty four people I was one of seven who passed all sections, cheating didn't help the rest of the class. Why do people want to take shortcuts on the important things?
I smell an election, the price of gas needed to come down to take pressure off the GOP. These guys are so obvious but it doesn't matter because Americans are easy and they will fal for it.
Tabasco sauce is a staple in my house, as it was in my father's. I love hot sauce and have tried quite a few but Tabasco is my all around favorite. Other sauces have specific uses, Tabasco tastes good in more things overall. In my humble opinion.
The New World would certainly look different today if this had happened five hundred years ago. Henry Hudson and James Cook might be remembered as explorers and not lone quacks in the history books, instead of as an afterthought to Columbus.
Another case of penny wise and pound foolish. While our corrupt administration blathers on about security and protecting us from terrorists, mines are collapsing, food is unsafe to eat and the friendly skies are liable to become a little too up close and personal for me. Two years from now this country will be unrecognizable, with health care, quality food, transportation and housing only availiable to the well-to-do, the rest of us will have only the memory of a country that espoused equality for all.
Hell is freezing over and some aren't happy about it.
Speaking of the devil, Hugo Chavez weighs in on Bush's speech (rant) at the UN yesterday.
I love fish, when I had money I used to eat sushi frequently which was a good thing because raw and smoked are the only ways I really enjoy salmon. Nothing on earth is likely to make me like mackerel. I've tried it maybe ten times and that is more than enough. Now it seems as if I might have given myself some protection against kidney cancer and I was just trying to make my tastebuds happy.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
What Do His Clothes Have To Do With It?
Seriously, what do his clothes have to do with anything? The first few sentences can also apply to our dear leader.
Eventually one of them is going to figure out a way to hurt us and we will never see it coming because we have been so busy chasing bogeymen and criminalizing Americans.
It was galling to be lectured on ethics, truth, justice, virtue and respect for the rights of human beings by a Holocaust-denying, Iraq-meddling, American-hating pipsqueak. A guy who showed up to address the United Nations without even bothering to wear a tie, so casual in a disco-looking cream suit and open-necked pink shirt he looked like he was going to kick back later in Chelsea.Was he supposed to show up in a black robe with a beard and Koran? You can chill, I don't think he's going to Disneyland.
If President Bush was bland, oblique and condescending in his U.N. remarks, bypassing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak directly to the people of Iran, the Iranian leader was more blunt — referring to America and Britain disdainfully as “the occupiers.” “Not a day goes by without hundreds of people getting killed in cold blood,” he said. “The occupiers are incapable of establishing security in Iraq.’’No kidding! People are abandoning Baghdad in droves and they certainly aren't emigrating here to this bastion of "democracy", where thinking is discouraged.
Mr. Bush played down Osama for five years, while he focused on Iraq. But his ill-fated detour into Baghdad just ended up magnifying another enemy and giving Mr. Ahmadinejad a huge strategic opportunity to stoke the growing fundamentalist and radical Shiite surge unleashed by the bungled occupation. Because W. blew off diplomacy with Iraq, he is now hostage to diplomacy with Iran.Of course things are going great, Mrs. Cheney said so, "hurt the towers", what a freakin understatement. Of course that is better than Duck! nattering on.
The Iranian president sounded more scornful of the U.N. than Dick Cheney. “If the governments of the United States or the United Kingdom, who are permanent members of the Security Council, commit aggression, occupation and violation of international law, which of the organs of the U.N. can take them to account?’’ he asked.
With their usual cultural tone-deafness, W. and Dick Cheney failed to appreciate the shrewdness of their nemesis, and continued to arrogantly act as though everything is going along great in their clash of civilizations.
He said this is “a test of our character,’’ and then went on to defend all the administration’s attempts to put itself above the law on the wiretapping, torture, and detention programs that have undermined America’s moral repute in the world.Ivory towers are wonderful, aren't they? Bush and cronies seem to have cornered the market, there aren't any left for the rest of us.
W. has now put so many bad actors in the terror stew — some of whom hate each other — and has justified so many sketchy programs under the war-on-terror rubric, that the word “terror” is losing all meaning and just becoming a marketing slogan. Even the Republican columnist Peggy Noonan says that W. can sound like “a historical drama queen.”Are you sure she didn't mean "hysterical"? Bush and company have cried wolf so many times since the henhouse was broken into, that nobody with any sense listens anymore. It isn't that I don't believe we won't be attacked again, I just don't see us doing anything constructive in the security area, I just see Americans and their rights being limited. Nothing is happening to the terrorists. Except the opportunites we are giving them to double and triple their numbers.
Eventually one of them is going to figure out a way to hurt us and we will never see it coming because we have been so busy chasing bogeymen and criminalizing Americans.
Hmm, Highly Interesting
Let me get this straight. Hypothetically, if you are busted for drug possesion and go to prison (a good percentage of the prison population falls into this category) then you are at risk of becoming an Islamic extremist. This study point out a host of factors involved in breeding home grown terrorists.
Outsourcing, budget cutbacks...
And lack of access to qualified religious personnel are helping to sow the seeds of discontent (other than being in prison) within America's prisons. This is probably not a good idea. Or in our best interests.
Umm, I don't know what to say, I can't even figure out whether or not this story is funny or sad. I'm sure the surgeon did a bang up job.
Who cares? Nobody outside of this country believes anything Bush says, knowing that the rationale will change with the next wind.
We don't have the troops, the equipment or the will to go to war with another country, not that will stop this arrogant fool.
Instituting the draft will only provide bodies, not skills. Our military has been used and abused for the last five years, they have very little left to give and Bush has no right to ask.
Who knew the Chinese had a sense of humor? Brave guy.
Got it up, can't get it down. We never learn. Sigh. A bad design is a bad design and it doesn't matter how you dress it up, it still won't fly.
Or land.
Outsourcing, budget cutbacks...
And lack of access to qualified religious personnel are helping to sow the seeds of discontent (other than being in prison) within America's prisons. This is probably not a good idea. Or in our best interests.
Umm, I don't know what to say, I can't even figure out whether or not this story is funny or sad. I'm sure the surgeon did a bang up job.
Who cares? Nobody outside of this country believes anything Bush says, knowing that the rationale will change with the next wind.
We don't have the troops, the equipment or the will to go to war with another country, not that will stop this arrogant fool.
Instituting the draft will only provide bodies, not skills. Our military has been used and abused for the last five years, they have very little left to give and Bush has no right to ask.
Who knew the Chinese had a sense of humor? Brave guy.
Got it up, can't get it down. We never learn. Sigh. A bad design is a bad design and it doesn't matter how you dress it up, it still won't fly.
Or land.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Why Clear Instructions Are So Important
"Aaron, it looks like a good idea to me" said Harry Balzac," but don't you think it would be more effective to say 'trim the leather'?"
Random Flickr Blogging explained here.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
I've Been Memed!
By Mixter and it didn't show up for a while. So here goes.
Things I would like to do before I die:
1. Travel in space. Duh!
2. Cruise the world
3. Fugu
Things I cannot do:
1. Lift both eyebrows like Spock. I can do the right one only.
2. Deal with passive aggressive people and keep my temper.
3. Stand idly by as this country loses everything that make it great.
Things I can do:
1. Cook from scratch and without a cookbook. Anything I want as long as I'm not baking.
2. Speak extemporaneously
3. Take tests. I take tests for fun. I'm sick.
Things that attracted me to my spouse:
I was nineteen, I don't remember and it obviously wasn't well thought out since I'm divorced.
Things I say most often:
1. F**K
2. Walkies?
3. What happened to my country?
Books I like to read:
Covered that in the last meme.
Movies I like to see:
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. The Princess Bride
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Hmm, should I tag The Truffle and Praxxus (miss him)?
Things I would like to do before I die:
1. Travel in space. Duh!
2. Cruise the world
3. Fugu
Things I cannot do:
1. Lift both eyebrows like Spock. I can do the right one only.
2. Deal with passive aggressive people and keep my temper.
3. Stand idly by as this country loses everything that make it great.
Things I can do:
1. Cook from scratch and without a cookbook. Anything I want as long as I'm not baking.
2. Speak extemporaneously
3. Take tests. I take tests for fun. I'm sick.
Things that attracted me to my spouse:
I was nineteen, I don't remember and it obviously wasn't well thought out since I'm divorced.
Things I say most often:
1. F**K
2. Walkies?
3. What happened to my country?
Books I like to read:
Covered that in the last meme.
Movies I like to see:
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. The Princess Bride
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Hmm, should I tag The Truffle and Praxxus (miss him)?
Hacking Blogger Beta
Yesterday was blog maintenance day. I installed a few hacks into Blogger Beta, some of which make my life easier and a few to enhance the browing experience. I can't code, but I can research and follow directions.
PeekABoo. Now you see the posts (+), now you don't (-). This hack and several others are courtesy of Ramani at The Hackosphere, he gives great instructions that are easy to follow.
I'm having foot surgery in a week and will be off my feet for six weeks. I'm going to Categorize all my posts and then I might install the Labels as Tabs hack. I'll need something to do since I won't be allowed to walk.
Then I headed over to Hoctor's Place to add a Breadcrumb trail to the item, search and tag pages so people can find their way Home. I like it.
I also added a quickie. That's a quick edit pencil for the top of the post , it makes it easy to edit. Yes, I know there is one on the bottom, but what's wrong with having two, each conveniently placed?
Once the comment feed is working I'm sure someone will come up with a hack to show the comments in Peekaboo style like the Dark Wraith, so meanwhile if you guys ever leave a comment the last five are supposed to show up in the sidebar, courtesy of some German site and a handly little Dapplication.
I'm sure I will find many more uses for their web scraping tool. The future is fascinating.
Have you ever tried Cooliris Previews? It takes mouseover to a whole new level. I only have to click on a link if it has the information I want and that is just the beginning. This is a Firefox extension but then you aren't using Exploder are you?
PeekABoo. Now you see the posts (+), now you don't (-). This hack and several others are courtesy of Ramani at The Hackosphere, he gives great instructions that are easy to follow.
I'm having foot surgery in a week and will be off my feet for six weeks. I'm going to Categorize all my posts and then I might install the Labels as Tabs hack. I'll need something to do since I won't be allowed to walk.
Then I headed over to Hoctor's Place to add a Breadcrumb trail to the item, search and tag pages so people can find their way Home. I like it.
I also added a quickie. That's a quick edit pencil for the top of the post , it makes it easy to edit. Yes, I know there is one on the bottom, but what's wrong with having two, each conveniently placed?
Once the comment feed is working I'm sure someone will come up with a hack to show the comments in Peekaboo style like the Dark Wraith, so meanwhile if you guys ever leave a comment the last five are supposed to show up in the sidebar, courtesy of some German site and a handly little Dapplication.
I'm sure I will find many more uses for their web scraping tool. The future is fascinating.
Have you ever tried Cooliris Previews? It takes mouseover to a whole new level. I only have to click on a link if it has the information I want and that is just the beginning. This is a Firefox extension but then you aren't using Exploder are you?
Friday, September 15, 2006
Babbling Bushit II
His cup runneth over and the nation is about to drown in it.
Nobody could have anticipated that one, now could they? Isn't that your excuse for everything else that has slipped past the presidential radar?
“It helps crystallize my thought to answer your questions,” he told conservative columnists called to the Oval Office this week. But he made it clear that his thoughts were contentedly calcified: “Let me just first tell you that I’ve never been more convinced that the decisions I made are the right decisions. I’m oftentimes asked about, well, you’re stubborn and all this. If you believe in a strategy, in Washington, D.C., you’ve got to stick to that strategy, see.”
Aside from Dick Cheney and Rummy, who don’t have all their buttons, we all long for W. to find better strategies on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, pretty much the rest of the world and national security.Strategy. Now that's a joke because they didn't have a plan other than to invade Iraq. Since there weren't any flowers, they were lost, didn't have a clue as to what to do next since they didn't plan for the afterwar. These guys are trying to play Risk with a Battleship mentality while the rest of the world has graduated to Sudoku.
Whenever W. does something legally sketchy and morally ambiguous — from pre-emptive war to spying to torturing — he claims he’s doing it to protect Americans from terrorists. But there’s a more visceral agenda: Vice and Rummy have persuaded W. he will not carry a big stick if bound by Lilliputian legalities, tiresome checks and balances and Kumbaya international conventions. Rather than being alarmed at their battiness, the president naïvely admires what he sees as bravado.Bravado. Is that what they're calling it these days. Blind, unreasoning arrogance is what springs to my mind.
“Ideological struggles take time,” he said, and the world expects “instant success.”Patience? We've been dutifully destroying another sovereign country with absolutely no benefit to American citizens and even less to American troops. We've been as patient with your inept bungling of Iraq for the last three years as any citizen who also watched one of their nation's own cities drown due to your indifference.
“Maybe it’s because there’s too many TV channels, I don’t know,” he told the columnists, noting that’s why a president must have patience.
“I got into politics initially because I wanted to help change a culture,” he said. He wanted to banish the old 60’s “if it feels good, do it” culture and “help usher in an era of personal responsibility.”Oh, you changed it all right and personal responsibility isn't your strong suit. While Harry S. Truman may have had the buck stop at his desk, Bush is only concerned with the ones that end up in his pal's pockets.
Nobody could have anticipated that one, now could they? Isn't that your excuse for everything else that has slipped past the presidential radar?
Babbling Bush Friday
Oh happy day!
Ooh, here's another gem.
Can we say ewww! Didn't anyone pay the piper?
"So, like drowning rats on a spongecake canoe" (love that), conservatives are determined to believe there is a link between Saddam and al-Qaeda. They just don't want to admit that they are wrong and that we have lost almost 2700 troops for nothing. Not even Osama, who used to be forgotten, but is now back in the news for speeches even though he is no longer considered a "top priority". Until he is needed for another speech or he makes his presence known. Loud and clear with death and destruction.
The iPod's mood today is:
1. Just The Way It Is by The Rembrandts
2. Albatross by Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra
3. Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago
4. Free Ride by Tavares
5. I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide by ZZ Top and Dwight Yoakam
6. Mystery by Anita Baker
7. Out of Town by Zero 7
8. Year of the Cat by Al Stewart
9. Crush by Jennifer Paige
10. A Time For Us (love theme from Romeo and Juliet) by George Benson
"It's unacceptable to think there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective," said Bush, growing animated as he spoke.As I wait for my blood pressure to go down, I'll let Desi handle this one.
Ooh, here's another gem.
"If not for this program, our intelligence community believes al Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland," he said.Yep, we must kill the patient in order to save the patient. Great logic. Trying, convicting and sentencing people without them ever having a chance to see the evidence against them is...just another step toward the all-knowing, all-seeing totalitarian big brother government.
"Unfortunately the recent Supreme Court decision put the future of this program in question. ... We need this legislation to save it."
Can we say ewww! Didn't anyone pay the piper?
"So, like drowning rats on a spongecake canoe" (love that), conservatives are determined to believe there is a link between Saddam and al-Qaeda. They just don't want to admit that they are wrong and that we have lost almost 2700 troops for nothing. Not even Osama, who used to be forgotten, but is now back in the news for speeches even though he is no longer considered a "top priority". Until he is needed for another speech or he makes his presence known. Loud and clear with death and destruction.
The iPod's mood today is:
1. Just The Way It Is by The Rembrandts
2. Albatross by Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra
3. Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago
4. Free Ride by Tavares
5. I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide by ZZ Top and Dwight Yoakam
6. Mystery by Anita Baker
7. Out of Town by Zero 7
8. Year of the Cat by Al Stewart
9. Crush by Jennifer Paige
10. A Time For Us (love theme from Romeo and Juliet) by George Benson
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Thirsty Thursday
Not winning the lottery. Of course, I can't pee into a bottle from two miles up either and they are about the same odds. Oh well, there's always the Mega Millions to go along with my snowball returning from its trip around the sun.
Oops, this one is fixed. This is a well written review of the Apple announcements this week and they discuss the gapless technology. It was the only thing I didn't like about my iPod.
What's up with the minvan drivers who think they are Mario Andretti? You had the kids, deal with it. Driving fast and reckless does not make you look cool, it makes you look stupid.
How to dissuade yourself from blogging. No kidding, should have read that last year. I feel better now.
Does this mean Kim will be back? It is the one thing 24 has been missing, the comic relief of the kimnappings. Her character was so disliked that someone wanted to push her off a pier, but that had already happened and she managed to survive. I like James Cromwell, one of your sexier older men. Star Trek specialized in that even though they didn't mean to.
Drink a little, make more money. This is not an excuse to become an alcoholic. On the other hand, if you have a high I.Q. hangovers don't bother you as much. I think it's because their brains use glucose differently, not because they might not binge drink.
There should be a special place for these people. Really hot and attended by a guy with horns and a pitchfork.
Oops, this one is fixed. This is a well written review of the Apple announcements this week and they discuss the gapless technology. It was the only thing I didn't like about my iPod.
Another annoyance gone: now iTunes (and the iPod) can play back live recordings seamlessly, without software-induced gaps between the "tracks." Fans of classical music, opera and Pink Floyd, this one's for you.Drove me nuts when I listened to Great Gig in The Sky and the segue to Money was all screwed up. Floyd music is not abrupt.
What's up with the minvan drivers who think they are Mario Andretti? You had the kids, deal with it. Driving fast and reckless does not make you look cool, it makes you look stupid.
How to dissuade yourself from blogging. No kidding, should have read that last year. I feel better now.
Does this mean Kim will be back? It is the one thing 24 has been missing, the comic relief of the kimnappings. Her character was so disliked that someone wanted to push her off a pier, but that had already happened and she managed to survive. I like James Cromwell, one of your sexier older men. Star Trek specialized in that even though they didn't mean to.
Drink a little, make more money. This is not an excuse to become an alcoholic. On the other hand, if you have a high I.Q. hangovers don't bother you as much. I think it's because their brains use glucose differently, not because they might not binge drink.
There should be a special place for these people. Really hot and attended by a guy with horns and a pitchfork.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wednesday's Thoughts
Do you wanna play a game? So you think you can drive? Fun and addictive, worth a few good snickers.
I'll keep drinking my English Breakfast, thank you. I just don't like the taste of green tea and it makes me jittery. I like my two cups of Twinings (my favorite, steeped for 5 minutes) in the morning, with a dollop of half and half and two tablespoons of raw sugar. Yes, I know that is a lot of sugar but I rarely have any more sugar or dairy for the rest of the day. I don't think that is what is going to kill me. My frustration level will do that.
Exactly how have we improved Iraq after all this time? I'm pretty sure when they are in their homes, in the dark of night, that they think they had it pretty good under Saddam. Food, water and electricity, you knew who not to make angry and you could pretty much travel freely. Now, not so much.
Are all those rules and regulations regarding carry-on luggage really working out? I'm so glad I don't fly.
I'll keep drinking my English Breakfast, thank you. I just don't like the taste of green tea and it makes me jittery. I like my two cups of Twinings (my favorite, steeped for 5 minutes) in the morning, with a dollop of half and half and two tablespoons of raw sugar. Yes, I know that is a lot of sugar but I rarely have any more sugar or dairy for the rest of the day. I don't think that is what is going to kill me. My frustration level will do that.
Exactly how have we improved Iraq after all this time? I'm pretty sure when they are in their homes, in the dark of night, that they think they had it pretty good under Saddam. Food, water and electricity, you knew who not to make angry and you could pretty much travel freely. Now, not so much.
Are all those rules and regulations regarding carry-on luggage really working out? I'm so glad I don't fly.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Must Have Been Something I Ate
But there is no way in the world I am eating at restaurants with a mandatory 20% tip. Sorry, if I don't get good service I should have the right to adjust my tip accordingly. Otherwise, it is a tax. It isn't because I am cheap either. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out is the way we were brought up.
I'm a really good cook, so when I go out I'm looking for good service because I don't feel like cooking. If I don't get it, I shouldn't have to pay for it. Where is the incentive to do a good job? I have spent my share of time as a server and know how hard the work is, how ungrateful the customers can be and still made good money.
If a restaurant can't afford to pay its employees, then maybe it should consider going buffet, Mongolian or cafeteria style.
Plus, it will be a short leap for the government to start taxing the extra 12% since they would know for sure what you made. The servers might want to rethink this plan.
To level the playing field, waiters are taking action. Some are resorting to guerrilla tactics — it's not uncommon for waiters to personally confront stingy tippers, or to blog about them on sites such as WaiterRant.Net.Sometimes I pay with my debit card and tip with cash because servers have to pay taxes on 8% and I don't want to leave a paper trail for them to have to pay more to the government.
One former waiter, Yakup Ulutas, is proposing restaurants change the system. Ulutas, a 36 year-old restaurant manager in Atlanta, founded a nonprofit organization, Fairtip.org, to persuade restaurants to implement an automatic 20 percent service fee on every check. He estimates 2,500 waiters have joined.
I'm a really good cook, so when I go out I'm looking for good service because I don't feel like cooking. If I don't get it, I shouldn't have to pay for it. Where is the incentive to do a good job? I have spent my share of time as a server and know how hard the work is, how ungrateful the customers can be and still made good money.
If a restaurant can't afford to pay its employees, then maybe it should consider going buffet, Mongolian or cafeteria style.
Plus, it will be a short leap for the government to start taxing the extra 12% since they would know for sure what you made. The servers might want to rethink this plan.
Monday, September 11, 2006
At The Risk
Of alienating the few readers that I have, let me be blunt. GET OVER IT! We can't change the past, but we can shape the future.
Violence begets violence and September 11, 2001 was no different. My heart grieves for those lost and those who remain terribly scarred by this incident, but there are tragedies every day. Every single day and people still pick up and move on.
Our nation's pain pales in comparison to the pain of the Afghani and Iraqi civilians who were needlessly killed in the "war on terror" while the real perpetrators have been gone from this mortal plane for five years and their leader is wandering free, free to laugh at us and to plot more heinous crimes.
It is past time for us to quit wallowing in self-pity and to remember that this country used to stand for freedom, democracy, a good standard of living, fresh air and an urge to improve the future. NOT: hiding in the dark, scared of some elusive bogeyman and willing to give up hundreds of years of freedoms in a futile attempt to make everything "safer".
If you want safer, improve the working conditions of the coal mines, poultry plants, infrastructure, and construction sites. Protecting oneself does not mean turning in your neighbors, restricting travel to a select few, being photographed wherever you go (what will the paparazzi do?), with all your financial, medical, credit and employment information available to anyone with a "badge". This does not make you safer, it makes you trackable. Like a UPS package. Privacy will no longer exist and you still won't be safe.
As we move towards becoming the totalitarian state that Russia was in the fifties and sixties, as we kill people without any proof of their guilt except for being in the wrong country with the wrong skin color, I wonder how a nation of 300 million people spread out over 3.5 million square miles can be brought to a halt by one man.
Elephants aren't scared of mice, why should we be scared of a rat in a monkey suit?
Violence begets violence and September 11, 2001 was no different. My heart grieves for those lost and those who remain terribly scarred by this incident, but there are tragedies every day. Every single day and people still pick up and move on.
Our nation's pain pales in comparison to the pain of the Afghani and Iraqi civilians who were needlessly killed in the "war on terror" while the real perpetrators have been gone from this mortal plane for five years and their leader is wandering free, free to laugh at us and to plot more heinous crimes.
It is past time for us to quit wallowing in self-pity and to remember that this country used to stand for freedom, democracy, a good standard of living, fresh air and an urge to improve the future. NOT: hiding in the dark, scared of some elusive bogeyman and willing to give up hundreds of years of freedoms in a futile attempt to make everything "safer".
If you want safer, improve the working conditions of the coal mines, poultry plants, infrastructure, and construction sites. Protecting oneself does not mean turning in your neighbors, restricting travel to a select few, being photographed wherever you go (what will the paparazzi do?), with all your financial, medical, credit and employment information available to anyone with a "badge". This does not make you safer, it makes you trackable. Like a UPS package. Privacy will no longer exist and you still won't be safe.
As we move towards becoming the totalitarian state that Russia was in the fifties and sixties, as we kill people without any proof of their guilt except for being in the wrong country with the wrong skin color, I wonder how a nation of 300 million people spread out over 3.5 million square miles can be brought to a halt by one man.
Elephants aren't scared of mice, why should we be scared of a rat in a monkey suit?
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Danger, Will Robinson
Methinks they know something and it isn't good for us. The question is...who's really planning it? The cynic in me would like to know since the timing would be oh so convenient.
My favorite part of her continuing disconnect with reality was when she says that once again she didn't see an important report. How many times can the dog eat the homework before the teacher doesn't believe you?
Snicker. I googled my title and found this article. I see it isn't the first time it has been used in this context. And by people much brighter than me.
Update: Clueless, determined to stay there and wants the rest of us to join him. Not happening. Al-Qaeda and Iraq had nothing to do with each other until this administration brought them together. By hook and by crook.
You work for us, supposedly, and if a majority of Americans want us to leave Iraq, we're leaving. Period.
Dead or alive. Bush obviously meant our troops, not Osama bin forgotten until we need him for the elections.
The United States is safer now than it was before the Sept. 11 attacks, but must not relent in fighting terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday. ''I think it's clear that we are safe -- safer -- but not really yet safe,'' Rice said. ''We've done a lot. In terms of homeland, we're more secure. Our ports are more secure. Our airports are more secure. We have a much stronger intelligence sharing operation,'' said Rice, who was President Bush's national security adviser when al-Qaida masterminded the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.Sheesh. Safer than before September 11, 2001? I doubt it since the Middle East is burning in the flames that you created in your misguided effort to bring "democracy" to the region. They hate us with a purple passion.
My favorite part of her continuing disconnect with reality was when she says that once again she didn't see an important report. How many times can the dog eat the homework before the teacher doesn't believe you?
A Senate report released Friday disclosed for the first time that a CIA assessment in October 2005 said Saddam's government ''did not have a relationship, harbor or turn a blind eye toward'' al-Qaida operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi or his associates.How much do these people get paid? In any other industry they would be unemployed (or removed from the decison making process) for such incompetence. What exactly is the administration looking at if they aren't reading these reports? Camus?
Rice said Sunday she does not remember seeing that particular report.
Snicker. I googled my title and found this article. I see it isn't the first time it has been used in this context. And by people much brighter than me.
Update: Clueless, determined to stay there and wants the rest of us to join him. Not happening. Al-Qaeda and Iraq had nothing to do with each other until this administration brought them together. By hook and by crook.
You work for us, supposedly, and if a majority of Americans want us to leave Iraq, we're leaving. Period.
Dead or alive. Bush obviously meant our troops, not Osama bin forgotten until we need him for the elections.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Clueless Or Something Else?
I don't believe that the GOP is willing to give up power and that they will do anything to keep it, up to and including "postponing the elections for the public good" and this doesn't make me change my mind. If they can't fix the vote, they will declare it null and void. The GOP cannot afford to lose their position, too many of them are likely to end up in prison.
Too many people have lost or will lose their jobs by the end of the year for anyone except the diehard faithful to vote to continue drowning in the debris of your current stay the course mentality. Keep banging that drum as you and your followers drown in your stupidity and arrogance.
Mr. Bush, have you no shame, sense of decency or even a clue as to how the average American is surviving in the country you have destroyed on your way to an artificially contrived Rapture?
Dismissing the possibility the top House Democrat, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, could rise to House speaker if the GOP lost its majority, the president said, ''That's not going to happen.''Ooh, we can see that. Lying about how many civilians have died in Iraq makes me wonder how many troops have died and aren't accounted for. As Christmas approaches and families realize that not only can they not afford to buy gifts, but that they might not have a house to open them in, I doubt seriously if most Americans will think that the tax breaks helped them improve their economic standing.
Democrats need to gain six seats in the Senate and 15 in the House to gain control.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal's editorial page editor, Bush was commenting on how he planned to resurrect his push to change Social Security next year when he was reminded that some polls show Democrats were likely to win control of at least the House.
''I just don't believe it,'' the president told Paul Gigot, according to an account published Saturday.
''I believe the Republicans will end up being -- running the House and the Senate,'' the president was quoted as saying in the interview Thursday aboard Air Force One.
Bush said his confidence is based on his belief that voters will be convinced that Republicans were right to cut taxes to stimulate the economy, and that the GOP has a better understanding about the need to nurture Iraq's fragile government and spread democracy.
Too many people have lost or will lose their jobs by the end of the year for anyone except the diehard faithful to vote to continue drowning in the debris of your current stay the course mentality. Keep banging that drum as you and your followers drown in your stupidity and arrogance.
Mr. Bush, have you no shame, sense of decency or even a clue as to how the average American is surviving in the country you have destroyed on your way to an artificially contrived Rapture?
Bring On The Babies!
Well, isn't this nice? Taking advantage of women when they are stressed and deceiving them. Religious fanatics only goal is to have the baby born. They don't care what happens after that and they certainly don't want a black baby at their church. An eleveth grader has no business becoming a parent, so now we have another family on the welfare cycle, until we kick them out under the guise of helping them pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
Raising a healthy and happy child involves more than giving birth. What is society going to do for this child and what will the child be able to give in return? What kind of school will it be able to attend to enable it to earn a living and not be a drain on society? What kind of counseling and child development programs will it have that might prevent a life of crime and end the cycle of poverty?
Wouldn't a better course of action have been to let her have the abortion, given her counseling, taught her about her body and started her on birth control? If she gets pregnant again, it is her problem. Ignorance will no longer be an excuse. In the long run most people would benefit from this decision.
Instead, we have another girl on the circular path to nowhere. A life without a future bringing another life without a future into the world. Exactly what kind of help is that?
For Cheryl and Makiba Smith, ending up at the wrong clinic was a mistake they say they are deeply glad to have made. "God sent me to that clinic," Cheryl Smith said.How cute. As if that is all the kid will ever do. After a few months it will require more time and attention that its mother and father will be able or willing to provide. No offense, but the grandmother doesn't sound to on the ball either.
In August, they returned to Severna Park for another sonogram, this time with Makiba's 17-year-old boyfriend, Gregory Byrd. In the waiting room, they talked about plans for a baby shower and a day-care schedule so Makiba can finish 11th grade.
In the exam room, her fetus filled the monitor once again, this time 7 months old. The sonogram showed the beating heart, the rib cage, the right hand a tiny fist held close to the face. The fetus yawned, fell asleep, woke up again.
Raising a healthy and happy child involves more than giving birth. What is society going to do for this child and what will the child be able to give in return? What kind of school will it be able to attend to enable it to earn a living and not be a drain on society? What kind of counseling and child development programs will it have that might prevent a life of crime and end the cycle of poverty?
Wouldn't a better course of action have been to let her have the abortion, given her counseling, taught her about her body and started her on birth control? If she gets pregnant again, it is her problem. Ignorance will no longer be an excuse. In the long run most people would benefit from this decision.
Instead, we have another girl on the circular path to nowhere. A life without a future bringing another life without a future into the world. Exactly what kind of help is that?
Friday, September 08, 2006
For Fourteen Years
My brother's German Shepherd has brought light, love, companionship, hope, exercise, love, humor, safety, friendship, laughter, exploration and love to her family. Bugsy passed on to the big dog park in the sky yesterday, too soon for those who loved her.
I only spent a few weeks with her, but our walks were special. She listened to me pour out my thoughts as we walked thru her neighborhood in Colorado. In my presence she was always a well behaved and loving animal and it was because of my experience with her that I decided to get Shai Shai. She kept my sister-in-law company when my brother traveled, which was often. My nephews grew up with her and another part of their childhood is gone. There is a hole in the universe.
Rest in peace, you will be missed. Greatly.
I only spent a few weeks with her, but our walks were special. She listened to me pour out my thoughts as we walked thru her neighborhood in Colorado. In my presence she was always a well behaved and loving animal and it was because of my experience with her that I decided to get Shai Shai. She kept my sister-in-law company when my brother traveled, which was often. My nephews grew up with her and another part of their childhood is gone. There is a hole in the universe.
Rest in peace, you will be missed. Greatly.
Connecting The Dots
Finally. It has taken five long years to get one comprehensive article out of the mainstream media to show that torture is not an isolated incident, that it is part of the administration's policy to dehumanize a vague enemy.
Now, if someone would do an article on what this misbegotten policy has accomplished and give specific instances where torture has led to the expose of a viable terror plot it might be worth it. But they can't because torture does not work. No matter what you see on 24. And wasn't this one of the so-called reasons for deposing Saddam Hussein? He was a bad man and tortured is own people.
This article in the Columbia Journal Review is the most comprehensive and insightful discussion of how the American public trust was compromised by obfuscation of the truth by the Bush administration and the complicity of most of the news editors in America.
As many times as we (bloggers) have railed about the big picture being lost in the Katrina debacle, the rendition and torture of human beings who have not been tried or charged with a crime has been consistently pushed to the back of the news, deemed unworthy of indepth coverage because nobody else (according to the article) had done it. When did the press become sheeples?
We now have almost five years of history showing that the Bush administration considers itself above the law. For people who have been in a hurry to rush off to any war they can find in a vain effort to prove their manhood, this country is not safer and the citizens of the USA are less safe in their travels around the world. We have lost the respect of most of the world, Afghanistan is returning to the ways of the Taliban, Islam is on the march and we lost the moral high ground so long ago that it now resemble the Marianas trench!
For the average American this translates into: What's on tv tonight? Maybe we can watch that 9/11 movie and then we'll know the truth.
Not.
Now, if someone would do an article on what this misbegotten policy has accomplished and give specific instances where torture has led to the expose of a viable terror plot it might be worth it. But they can't because torture does not work. No matter what you see on 24. And wasn't this one of the so-called reasons for deposing Saddam Hussein? He was a bad man and tortured is own people.
This article in the Columbia Journal Review is the most comprehensive and insightful discussion of how the American public trust was compromised by obfuscation of the truth by the Bush administration and the complicity of most of the news editors in America.
As many times as we (bloggers) have railed about the big picture being lost in the Katrina debacle, the rendition and torture of human beings who have not been tried or charged with a crime has been consistently pushed to the back of the news, deemed unworthy of indepth coverage because nobody else (according to the article) had done it. When did the press become sheeples?
We now have almost five years of history showing that the Bush administration considers itself above the law. For people who have been in a hurry to rush off to any war they can find in a vain effort to prove their manhood, this country is not safer and the citizens of the USA are less safe in their travels around the world. We have lost the respect of most of the world, Afghanistan is returning to the ways of the Taliban, Islam is on the march and we lost the moral high ground so long ago that it now resemble the Marianas trench!
For the average American this translates into: What's on tv tonight? Maybe we can watch that 9/11 movie and then we'll know the truth.
Not.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Link With Me
Politics and news are boring me again, so I'm out looking for new sites. For the baby boomer in all of us, say hello to LifeTwo, an interesting collection of articles from around the web that pertain to anyone over 40.
Then there is the lovely title Die Boomer Die, a site that tracks how things aren't really working out for the Boomer generation.
More Gullible Info, I just love this site! I never know what I might find to interest me.
Another study. Another waste of time and money. Don't they watch tv or the movies? Rape victims always take showers, incessantly.
Are you hungry but don't want a labor intensive meal?
Then there is the lovely title Die Boomer Die, a site that tracks how things aren't really working out for the Boomer generation.
More Gullible Info, I just love this site! I never know what I might find to interest me.
Another study. Another waste of time and money. Don't they watch tv or the movies? Rape victims always take showers, incessantly.
Are you hungry but don't want a labor intensive meal?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
What Have I Done?
The "What Have I Done" meme. Affirmatives are in bold, snarky comments are in ().
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (I made sure the bar was almost empty)
2. Swum with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment(My dad's funeral springs to mind)
27. Had a food fight (I never waste food)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger(I did more than that!)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking(iPod induced)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment I can be clueless if I try.
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was wasted
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving(Never quite made it to the airplane, I do have a thing about heights.)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (And books, herbs, spices, etc.)
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day (It helps if someone is with you)
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain (Every night from 5 to 5:15 when we lived in Puerto Rico)
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (I'm in the crowd scene when the Flying Elvis land in Honeymoon In Vegas, it was an accident)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (Thought I was going to die)
77. Made cookies from scratch (cookies, cakes, pies, etc., etc....)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (I have two)
81. Rafted the Snake River (Does the American River count?)
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently (30 years ago I could speak German like a native, now I can only understand it if spoken slowly)
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (More than once)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (And I never will)
110. Broken someone’s heart (I didn't mean to)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (Do they mean legal ones)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (And back out again!)
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroachBecause I was smashing it)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey (Condensed)
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read something they wrote (Nope, I missed them for a reason)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (No, but I've repaired them with a butterknife, does that count?)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head(Every chance I get!)
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Captured a wild animal alive and released it
152. Went fishing
153. Carried something weighing more than half your weight more than a block
154. Made up a song in a language other than your own
155. Spent more than two days completely alone
156. Wrote a book
157. Trained an animal
158. Swam in something other than a pool (lake, pond, ocean - bonus if naked)
159. Had a body part other than nails or face painted
160. Went for more than a month without wearing a watch
Wow, for somebody who thinks she's never done anything, I sure have been busy.
H/T Thoughts that get stuck in my head.
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (I made sure the bar was almost empty)
2. Swum with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment(My dad's funeral springs to mind)
27. Had a food fight (I never waste food)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger(I did more than that!)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking(iPod induced)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment I can be clueless if I try.
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was wasted
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving(Never quite made it to the airplane, I do have a thing about heights.)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (And books, herbs, spices, etc.)
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day (It helps if someone is with you)
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain (Every night from 5 to 5:15 when we lived in Puerto Rico)
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (I'm in the crowd scene when the Flying Elvis land in Honeymoon In Vegas, it was an accident)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (Thought I was going to die)
77. Made cookies from scratch (cookies, cakes, pies, etc., etc....)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (I have two)
81. Rafted the Snake River (Does the American River count?)
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently (30 years ago I could speak German like a native, now I can only understand it if spoken slowly)
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (More than once)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (And I never will)
110. Broken someone’s heart (I didn't mean to)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (Do they mean legal ones)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (And back out again!)
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroachBecause I was smashing it)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey (Condensed)
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read something they wrote (Nope, I missed them for a reason)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (No, but I've repaired them with a butterknife, does that count?)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head(Every chance I get!)
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Captured a wild animal alive and released it
152. Went fishing
153. Carried something weighing more than half your weight more than a block
154. Made up a song in a language other than your own
155. Spent more than two days completely alone
156. Wrote a book
157. Trained an animal
158. Swam in something other than a pool (lake, pond, ocean - bonus if naked)
159. Had a body part other than nails or face painted
160. Went for more than a month without wearing a watch
Wow, for somebody who thinks she's never done anything, I sure have been busy.
H/T Thoughts that get stuck in my head.
Playing With The Template
Yes, I've been at it again. I really wanted a three column template and I found out how to do it. Ramani over at Hackosphere is on the ball. Heck, he's swinging the bat to go along with it so I used quite a few of his ideas. Thank you very much.
Now, if I can just get the categories in a drop down menu I will be a happy camper. They just take up too much room. Also, I would like to be able to modify my categories and eliminate ones I don't want. It is one thing to tag so Technorati can find you and another to have a whole page of labels you only used once.
How does it look? Is it functional? I also want to make my blogtitle a workable link as well as adding a home button on post pages.
I'm sure somebody has or will figure it out.
Now, if I can just get the categories in a drop down menu I will be a happy camper. They just take up too much room. Also, I would like to be able to modify my categories and eliminate ones I don't want. It is one thing to tag so Technorati can find you and another to have a whole page of labels you only used once.
How does it look? Is it functional? I also want to make my blogtitle a workable link as well as adding a home button on post pages.
I'm sure somebody has or will figure it out.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
With Two You Get Eggroll
Does anybody really care?
The president and the anchor were on a big push this week to prove they could be the daddy at the helm, trustworthy authority figures who could guide America through tumultuous times. She wanted to prove that she was a commander; he wanted to prove that he was an anchor.The rhetoric is still shrill, strident, illogical and hysterical. It has nothing to do with gender.
The fate of a network, and the fate of a republic, would appear to hinge on gender issues.
W., Dick Cheney and Rummy are on a campaign to scare Americans into believing that limp-wristed Democrats will curtsy to Islamic radicals and Iranian tyrants, just as Chamberlain bowed to Hitler, and that only the über-manly Republicans can keep totalitarianism, fascism and the Al Qaeda “threat to civilization’’ at bay. If they were women, their rhetoric would be described with adjectives like shrill, strident, illogical and hysterical. But since they are men, we’ll just call it Churchill envy.
“Now, I know some of our country hear the terrorists’ words, and hope that they will not, or cannot, do what they say,’’ Mr. Bush said in a speech yesterday to a military group, which was the second story on the first evening news show anchored by the first solo female network anchor. “History teaches that underestimating the words of evil and ambitious men is a terrible mistake.’’ Mr. Bush said that the world failed to heed Lenin and Hitler, and it was essential to pay attention to bin Laden.That's what I've been saying.
Too bad the president didn’t take time out from clearing brush at the ranch long enough back in August of 2001 to pay attention to an intelligence paper headlined “Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.’’
After playing down bin Laden for years, barely mentioning him and minimizing his importance, W. has once more picked up a metaphorical bullhorn on the cusp of the 9/11 anniversary to make Osama the villain, using his name 18 times in a 40-minute speech. Once it would have made a difference to decapitate Osama, and it would still be great to do it. But it’s too late to stop Al Qaeda that way now. The organization has diffused to a state of mind, fueled by hatred of U.S. occupation of Muslim land.Timing is everything. Ours is really bad.
W.’s plan to save his legacy and keep Congress out of Democratic hands is to absorb a misbegotten and mishandled war, Iraq, into the good wars of the 20th century, World War II and the cold war. Instead of just admitting he bollixed up Iraq, W. and his henchmen are ratcheting up, fusing enemies willy-nilly, running around giving speeches with the simplistic, black-helicopter paranoid message: All those scary Arabs are in league to knock us off and institute the rule of Allah.The best quote is from Edith Ann "and that's the truth!"
The president and his men have been trying to get everyone excited by repackaging and giving a new theme song to the same old things, just as Katie and CBS were trying to get everyone excited by repackaging and giving a new theme song to a newscast that turned out to be the same old newscast, just with more legs.
{...}
Actually, the minute Katie Couric was given a $15 million paycheck to read from a teleprompter for 15 or 20 minutes a night, women won. Women have been doing that at the BBC and on American cable stations for years, and for a lot less dough. Jackie Robinson represented a revolution; Katie Couric represented a promotion.
The sad truth is, women only get to the top of places like the network evening news and Hollywood after those places are devalued.
I've Been Tagged
By The Truffle and what an honor it is. It's a book meme, so here we go.
A book that changed my life:
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. As I've written before, in order to find out what happened to Meg and Charles Wallace, I read every book in the junior adult section in alphabetical order until I found them again. It took me a few months and I was sneaking in books like the James Bond series, Morris West and whatever piece of fiction interested me at the moment. I never finished the rest of the alphabet because I had outgrown the section. Now I read Harry Potter. Go figure.
A book I've read more than once:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. For some odd reason the book intrigues me, I've read it four times. I don't like to read books more than once, there are always more in the library.
A book I would take with me if I was stuck on a desert island:
I liked Truffle's answer but I would probably take the last two Robert Jordan novels. Maybe I would finish them then. Ten books and he still hasn't resolved a story that should have been wrapped up by the fourth book.
A book that made me laugh:
The first three Xanth novels by Piers Anthony, a master of punnery. Seriously. Also, the first 100 pages of The Firm by John Grisham. The portrayal of the interview process was priceless.
A book that made me cry:
I do my best to avoid books or movies that might make me cry, I don't need to pay to see depressing things. That being said, 900 Days: The Siege Of Leningrad by Harrison Salisbury. I was in eighth grade and Mr. Pace thought it would keep me occupied for the semester. It took me a week and I will forever be against war.
A book I wish had been written:
Critical Thinking for Those Who Don't Care (why it matters to you).
A book I wish had never been written:
Tom Sawyer. I am proud to say that I have never read more than a few pages (boring!) but have delivered several "A" book reports. It really helps when your name is at the back of the alphabet and you get to listen to other people give their reports. Extemporaneous speaking bothers me less than reading something that totally bores me.
A book I've been meaning to read:
Harry Potter Number Seven as soon as it comes out.
I'm currently reading:
Nothing, I'm spending too much time on the internets.
Now I'm supposed to tag five others, so here we go:
Property of A Lady
Ole Blue the Heretic (pictures are allowed)
Mixter's Mix
The Tao of Politics
If I Ran The Zoo
A book that changed my life:
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. As I've written before, in order to find out what happened to Meg and Charles Wallace, I read every book in the junior adult section in alphabetical order until I found them again. It took me a few months and I was sneaking in books like the James Bond series, Morris West and whatever piece of fiction interested me at the moment. I never finished the rest of the alphabet because I had outgrown the section. Now I read Harry Potter. Go figure.
A book I've read more than once:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. For some odd reason the book intrigues me, I've read it four times. I don't like to read books more than once, there are always more in the library.
A book I would take with me if I was stuck on a desert island:
I liked Truffle's answer but I would probably take the last two Robert Jordan novels. Maybe I would finish them then. Ten books and he still hasn't resolved a story that should have been wrapped up by the fourth book.
A book that made me laugh:
The first three Xanth novels by Piers Anthony, a master of punnery. Seriously. Also, the first 100 pages of The Firm by John Grisham. The portrayal of the interview process was priceless.
A book that made me cry:
I do my best to avoid books or movies that might make me cry, I don't need to pay to see depressing things. That being said, 900 Days: The Siege Of Leningrad by Harrison Salisbury. I was in eighth grade and Mr. Pace thought it would keep me occupied for the semester. It took me a week and I will forever be against war.
A book I wish had been written:
Critical Thinking for Those Who Don't Care (why it matters to you).
A book I wish had never been written:
Tom Sawyer. I am proud to say that I have never read more than a few pages (boring!) but have delivered several "A" book reports. It really helps when your name is at the back of the alphabet and you get to listen to other people give their reports. Extemporaneous speaking bothers me less than reading something that totally bores me.
A book I've been meaning to read:
Harry Potter Number Seven as soon as it comes out.
I'm currently reading:
Nothing, I'm spending too much time on the internets.
Now I'm supposed to tag five others, so here we go:
Property of A Lady
Ole Blue the Heretic (pictures are allowed)
Mixter's Mix
The Tao of Politics
If I Ran The Zoo
Monday, September 04, 2006
The Carl Spackler Revenge Society
Meets everyday in the county park since a series of strange explosions at the Bushwood Country Club demolished their former home. It has been 26 years, but they will never forget. Their numbers are growing and soon the gopher army will rise and retake their homeland.
Photo courtesy of Derick Teo.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Crikey!
I'm sorry Steve this really sucks. May you rest in peace.
Am I missing something?
Just sayin'.
Am I missing something?
Against the backdrop of violence and despair a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant African woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help save humankind from extinction.If this is a pregnant African woman and the future may be riding on her, wouldn't a better known star such as Halle Berry or Gabrielle Union been cast for the top role? Now that would have been miraculous.
Starring Michael Caine, Clive Owen and Julianne Moore, the film provides a very grim vision of a not-too-distant future, but is also meant as a wake up call to the world of today.
Just sayin'.
Thinking About Things
I'm doing my usual trolling of the web on Sunday morning, I like to start with Mark over at Biomes Blog and the next thing I know, I'm off taking some geek test on the periodic table. And it was fun. Thanks Mark.
Why can't people drive? They point their car in the direction of where they want to go and head off in their portable living room without a thought for physics and the consequences of their actions. As I am fond of saying, gravity works. As do centrifugal and centripedal force. And what's up with SUV drivers that slow to a crawl to go over a 10 mph speed bump? Are they afraid they will hurt their montser or spill their coffee?
What a shame! This is why we have a justice system, so we won't be run by a mob mentality. Which can and is frequently wrong. Which won't help the guy killed by mistake.
Al-Qaeda seems to have more number twos than a meth house has cockroaches. Good try though. Next distraction please.
For some odd reason my generation was able to attend schools where we learned to read, write, perform some type of math, have art, physical education, automotive, home economics and a variety of science, language, theatre and music classes. I was exposed to golf, tennis, volleyball and was a member of the swim team, there were very few, if any, overweight children. We had gymnastics, wrestling, chess and debate teams, as well as the usual suspects of football, baseball and basketball. Freshmen, junior and varsity thank you very much.
If you weren't able to keep up with the class, they held you back, or you went to summer school. My teachers flunked you if you couldn't perform with the rest of the class. Period. We turned out fine. Since then, people have been mewling about taxes, while systematically cutting the money available to the school system. You get what you don't pay for.
You can't expect quality people to teach in today's environment when they know that they aren't respected for what they do, but are responsible for teaching the next generation how to behave in public. Parents let their children run around like wild things in stores and restaurants and then expect the teachers to teach them manners while they pound rote learning into kids brains that want colors, laughter and music and exercise.
In ten years we will reap what we have sown, a generation of young people who have been taught to pass the test and not to think. There will be no one capable of outthinking the Kobayashi Maru scenario, because that person will have been medicated to fit in with society. Without frequent exposure to and the ability to express creativity, we are stifling and confining growing psyches into a preformed featureless box. Nobel prizes will become a rarity as critical thinking declines.
Children want to please and not everybody has my authority issues. Do we really want Stepford children? National testing sounds good in theory, but maybe we need another option. Perhaps we are boring the kids and they aren't learning because of it? If they can learn complex computer and game skills by themselves and they are comfortable with technology, then adjusting the school curriculum to reflect the reality of the future instead of the rigidity of the present might be a little more productive.
No Child Left Behind is not working and if people spent more time watching kids when they hang with each other and their very limited interests, this would have been obvious a while ago. Like, you know, really.
Update: I just had to add this, Twenty Things We Now Know After 9/11. This is a definite must read, as Mixter said, just to remind yourself of how far we have fallen. Please, read it and pass it on.
Why can't people drive? They point their car in the direction of where they want to go and head off in their portable living room without a thought for physics and the consequences of their actions. As I am fond of saying, gravity works. As do centrifugal and centripedal force. And what's up with SUV drivers that slow to a crawl to go over a 10 mph speed bump? Are they afraid they will hurt their montser or spill their coffee?
What a shame! This is why we have a justice system, so we won't be run by a mob mentality. Which can and is frequently wrong. Which won't help the guy killed by mistake.
Al-Qaeda seems to have more number twos than a meth house has cockroaches. Good try though. Next distraction please.
For some odd reason my generation was able to attend schools where we learned to read, write, perform some type of math, have art, physical education, automotive, home economics and a variety of science, language, theatre and music classes. I was exposed to golf, tennis, volleyball and was a member of the swim team, there were very few, if any, overweight children. We had gymnastics, wrestling, chess and debate teams, as well as the usual suspects of football, baseball and basketball. Freshmen, junior and varsity thank you very much.
If you weren't able to keep up with the class, they held you back, or you went to summer school. My teachers flunked you if you couldn't perform with the rest of the class. Period. We turned out fine. Since then, people have been mewling about taxes, while systematically cutting the money available to the school system. You get what you don't pay for.
You can't expect quality people to teach in today's environment when they know that they aren't respected for what they do, but are responsible for teaching the next generation how to behave in public. Parents let their children run around like wild things in stores and restaurants and then expect the teachers to teach them manners while they pound rote learning into kids brains that want colors, laughter and music and exercise.
In ten years we will reap what we have sown, a generation of young people who have been taught to pass the test and not to think. There will be no one capable of outthinking the Kobayashi Maru scenario, because that person will have been medicated to fit in with society. Without frequent exposure to and the ability to express creativity, we are stifling and confining growing psyches into a preformed featureless box. Nobel prizes will become a rarity as critical thinking declines.
Children want to please and not everybody has my authority issues. Do we really want Stepford children? National testing sounds good in theory, but maybe we need another option. Perhaps we are boring the kids and they aren't learning because of it? If they can learn complex computer and game skills by themselves and they are comfortable with technology, then adjusting the school curriculum to reflect the reality of the future instead of the rigidity of the present might be a little more productive.
No Child Left Behind is not working and if people spent more time watching kids when they hang with each other and their very limited interests, this would have been obvious a while ago. Like, you know, really.
Update: I just had to add this, Twenty Things We Now Know After 9/11. This is a definite must read, as Mixter said, just to remind yourself of how far we have fallen. Please, read it and pass it on.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Stupid Quotes Of The Week
It's a movie, get over it. This isn't the first time this has come up as subject matter. Anybody remember Air Force One? Where was the outrage?
Mom is 76 and still smokes, so this might be true.
You don't say.
He's almost right, it didn't fall or descend, it was pushed.
It's a striking premise which may be highly controversial. But it's a serious film, which I hope will open up the debate on where current U.S. foreign and domestic policies are taking us," he said. "Depicting the assassination of a president is in poor taste," said former agent LaSorsa, "and never helpful" to the Secret Service. LaSorsa hopes no one goes to see the film, but that is unlikely, given that it will play not just in Canada, but on British television as well.Tell it to David Palmer. I didn't hear any fuss when they killed him off in 24. Shot right thru the throat. How about when they blew the sitting President out of the sky in Season Four? (Speaking of which, they never said when he died. Just that he was seriously hurt and in the hospital. Maybe he's with Lynn, but I digress.) Considering that conservatives love the show it does make one wonder. Maybe it is okay to portray the killiing of liberal or black presidents, but not Dear Leader? Hmmm.
Mom is 76 and still smokes, so this might be true.
A lot of people think or imagine that your good habits and bad habits contribute to your longevity,” Coles said. “But we often find it is in the genes rather than lifestyle.Not a reason for extremely bad behavior, just permission for a little leeway. If you take away everything that is illegal, immoral or fattening, do you live longer or does it just feel like it?
You don't say.
I don't find it particularly objectionable, but then I'm not George Bush's family," he said. "It seems to me to be a reasonable premise, even if it is uncomfortable.I find it less objectionable than innocent civilians or illegally and immorally deployed troops dying for no discernible reason.
He's almost right, it didn't fall or descend, it was pushed.
A day after a Pentagon report described spreading sectarian violence and increasingly complex security problems in Iraq, President Bush painted a rosier picture. "Our commanders and diplomats on the ground believe that Iraq has not descended into a civil war," Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address. "They report that only a small number of Iraqis are engaged in sectarian violence, while the overwhelming majority want peace and a normal life in a unified country."Delusional babbling from a world "leader" who has supposedly been reading big important books, instead of the news.
Friday, September 01, 2006
TGIF Shuffle
I would like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not. Maybe I'm surprised that they got caught. Wonder what other government agencies have been sharing information with each other. When are they just going to come out and tell us that they are tracking us from birth to death, meal to meal, from check to charge, to everything but our thoughts and that they have a plan for that also?
Their coffee isn't all that great, but I guess people will drink anything for free.
While I definitely have isolationist tendencies, this is ridiculous. We have more serious problems and irritating your neighbors is generally not a good idea. Plus, it is one more example of taxes are for other people, from the tax breaks are good crowd.
I wish I had these Top Ten No Sympathy Lines available when I went thru my Masters program. What a bunch of whiners. Is it going to be on the State Boards was the most asked question in the program. My classmates didn't want to hear anything that fell outside of the state board parameters. How boring. Finally a professor tells it like it is.
A legend in his own mind. Lol.
Eerily familiar. How Hitler became a dictator. Mom is so thrilled to live thru this twice in a lifetime.
Why do we need an ad to remind us of Sept. 11? I totally agree with John on this matter, especially the conclusion.
And the iPod plays:
1. Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd
2. The Grand Illusion by Styx
3. Tuesday Afternoon by The Moody Blues
4. Someone To Lay Down Beside Me by Linda Ronstadt
5. Mr. Roboto by Styx
6. Fooled Around and Fell In Love by Elvin Bishop
7. Love Is Alive by Gary Wright
8. Radar Love by Golden Earring
9. Keep Me In Your Heart by Warren Zevon
10. Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner
Their coffee isn't all that great, but I guess people will drink anything for free.
While I definitely have isolationist tendencies, this is ridiculous. We have more serious problems and irritating your neighbors is generally not a good idea. Plus, it is one more example of taxes are for other people, from the tax breaks are good crowd.
I wish I had these Top Ten No Sympathy Lines available when I went thru my Masters program. What a bunch of whiners. Is it going to be on the State Boards was the most asked question in the program. My classmates didn't want to hear anything that fell outside of the state board parameters. How boring. Finally a professor tells it like it is.
A legend in his own mind. Lol.
Eerily familiar. How Hitler became a dictator. Mom is so thrilled to live thru this twice in a lifetime.
Why do we need an ad to remind us of Sept. 11? I totally agree with John on this matter, especially the conclusion.
And the iPod plays:
1. Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd
2. The Grand Illusion by Styx
3. Tuesday Afternoon by The Moody Blues
4. Someone To Lay Down Beside Me by Linda Ronstadt
5. Mr. Roboto by Styx
6. Fooled Around and Fell In Love by Elvin Bishop
7. Love Is Alive by Gary Wright
8. Radar Love by Golden Earring
9. Keep Me In Your Heart by Warren Zevon
10. Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner
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