Darfur peace talks to begin without key rebels

Duh!

Delegations gathered in Libya on Saturday to launch talks to end 4-1/2 years of conflict in Sudan's Darfur region but the absence of key rebels cast doubt on whether negotiations could produce any meaningful deal.

What the fuck. Talks without the major players is a farce.

It sounds like a Bush conference to me.

Via Reuters.

Gotta have you

Still on a music jag.

Gotta Have You by Eddie Rabbitt. Try to find it.

Hint: Its on his Great Hits album if not others.

Much of U.S. Could See a Water Shortage

Well, duh! What have I been telling you?

An epic drought in Georgia threatens the water supply for millions. Florida doesn't have nearly enough water for its expected population boom. The Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York's reservoirs have dropped to record lows. And in the West, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is melting faster each year. Across America, the picture is critically clear - the nation's freshwater supplies can no longer quench its thirst. The government projects that at least 36 states will face water shortages within five years because of a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, urban sprawl, waste and excess.

Via The Signs.

Possibly a shock

As I've said before, I love country music. That said...

Neil Peart is a god!!!1!!

I've many friends who are professional musicians. They listen to Neil's work and are in awe. They have no idea how he does what he does and they have no chance of duplicating it. That is assuming they could afford his kit.

And he's singing too.

Jesus H Christ with no medical coverage I wish I had half his talent.

The site I'm listening to says this:

You would think that a veteran band entering their fourth decade together would perhaps mellow out a bit, but this doesn't prove to be case -- as evidenced by the leadoff track, "One Little Victory,"

Uh, no. Once into rock, always into rock. Its an addiction.

Mick Jagger? Keith Richards? My case rests.

Please realize this doesn't diminish the talent of:


Another favorite.

Hey, get your super magnets here

Oh, but there's so much more. You can order radioactive ore, nuclear lab kits, meteorites, uranium.

Damn. Been wondering where I can find this shit. Now I know.

Thank you, Karen.

For all you aspiring evil geniuses out there wondering how on earth you’re going to find the radioactive collectibles you need, look no further. I don’t know, maybe this stuff is harmless and I’m intimidated for no reason. However, this snip from the super magnet page really is a gem (and provides a great “who on earth would WANT this?!” moment):

I been surfing eBay with no luck finding such things. Oh yeah, I can find salt and pepper shaker sets, electronics, buggy whips, but no meteorites or radioactive ore.

Via Say No to Crack.

Questions requiring answers

I'm no fashionista (a term I hate BTW), but are those boots back in fashion? I seriously doubt its leg hair because it just stops.

Via Sadly No!

Lazy ass blogging

Lazier than usual. I'm zoning out on part of my music collection.

Unlike many/most people, music is never "background" sound. I concentrate on it completely. Its one of my many obsessions.

Quote of the day

"Show me a surrealist Tibetan leader, and I’ll show you a Salvador Dali Lama."

-- Eli's father (perhaps?)
Assumed a great dad.

I'm a fucking sucker for puns.

Via Multi Medium.

Must read IMHO

Actually, little reading involved, but I do need lazy ass help.

Old age is too much for the young.

My apologies to Tiffany's family and friends if I'm too callous. I was trying to make a point and was shocked I hadn't realized Tiffany had passed.

Please visit Jonco.

Must read IMHO

Jesus H Christ with frostbite, this is getting out of control. I'm setting a Guinness record for lazy ass, but...

You need this information.

Via Making Light.

Must read IMHO

OK, sometimes I'm really, really lazy ass.

This sort of dispels the myth Cuba is a closed, restricted society. Makes one think.

Via Left I on the News.

Must read IMHO

Deepak Chopra on DNA.

Via intentBlog.

Quote of the day

"You cannot protect America in the long run if you fail to protect our Constitution."

-- Assuming by Digby
An androgynous blogger

Few words are needed to express the peril faced by Americans.

Liberal test

This was fun except I seem to be a tree-hugging, hippie type peacenik.

OK, guilty. Absolutely no apologies.

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Peace Patroller, also known as an anti-war liberal or neo-hippie. You believe in putting an end to American imperial conquest, stopping wars that have already been lost, and supporting our troops by bringing them home.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

H/T Hullabaloo (Tristero).

For Halloween

ELVIRA - MISTRESS OF THE DARK

Yes, I capitalize Halloween, my favorite holiday. Its the one day/night I feel "normal".

And what's Halloween without Elvira? Give me a break.

Yeah, science can't keep us alive indefinitely so eventually we will have to face Halloween without Elvira, but it ain't right now.

BTW: If you've never seen a picture of Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), she's a very attractive woman and no where near as flamboyant as Elvira.

Let's give a big hand to Cassandra for great marketing.

Cat blogging

Courtesy of Jonco
Still having dreadful reaction times with this fucking computer, but I still have the ability to cat blog.



Too cute?

Listenin' to old Waylon

Specifically the Boxer which is one of the few covers which needed making.

The power of words

Words have weight.

From the lyrics of a song I love by Restless Heart:

When today is just a memory to me
I know.....
I'll still be loving
I'll still be loving
You
I'll still be loving you

Let's rewrite those lyrics.

When today is just a memory to me
I know.....
I'll still be loving watching
I'll still be loving watching
You
I'll still be loving watching you

Instantly the lover becomes a stalker.

Same with Bush.

Dim Son claims the Qud Forces of Iran are a terrorist organization. They not only support Iraq forces and supply IEDs, but they are a source of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

However, at no time, from my reading, has Bush ever explained or identified what these WMD are. Nor has he provided any proof whatsoever they exist.

Sound a little like his lies about Iraq? Just asking.

Back to my main theme. WMD triggers people. The words carry weight. And its a horrible weight which doesn't necessarily exist.

Politicians, of both stripes, know the power of words (terms if you will) and they use them to fuck you.

Oh, and this little aside: Romney Says He Is Open to Iran ‘Bombardment’

Truly scary and amazing

Via IntentBlog.

The Practice Run?

Jesus H Christ with a bouquet. Why does everyone think they're targets of terrorists. Pennsylvania is almost as important to terrorists as is your garage.

From the UK we get news of what’s happening in Pennsylvania. I’m getting a little afraid already knowing that the State of Pennsylvania is protecting the right to vote by ensuring that the citizens don’t know where to vote. It’s not Halloween, but are you scared yet? Maybe you should be.

State officials have decided not to publicize their list of polling places in Pennsylvania, citing concerns that terrorists could disrupt elections in the commonwealth.

I've never, ever thought of Americans as cringing cowards, but I must have been very wrong.

America has become a nation of fucking pansies.

Via Bad Attitudes (Buck Batard).

Need something soothing?

Or just something to waste your time? I got the perfect site for ya.

Just move your mouse over it.

PV3D Depth of Perception.

H/T Neatorama.

The Crabs of Christmas

Tired of the traditional Christmas poinsettias? Or you want to wage war on Christmas? How about giving someone crabs?

Every year around the end of the October, the red crabs of Christmas Island begin their march. Up to 100 million individuals leave their burrows in the forest and head to the shore in a scarlet tide of legs, claws and carapaces extensive enough to be seen from the air. They are driven by the most basic of biological imperatives: to spawn.

The islanders take the crustacean migration in good humour, closing roads and erecting diversions in an effort to curtail crab casualties and the tattering of motor vehicle tyres. After all, the annual show is a symbol of the distinctiveness of the Indian Ocean territory, and a big draw for tourists, naturalists, wildlife photographers, and documentary-makers worldwide.

Yes, the double entendre was intentional.

Via Damn Interesting.

Yesterday's actions were a warning shot, all right -- but it wasn't aimed at Iran

Ya know, there are many great analysts and writers in the world of blogging. Lucky for you, I find many and pass along what I see.

By imposing sanctions on Iran for its fomenting of violence in the Middle East, for its engagement in weapons proliferation, and for its attraction to nuclear technology for use as international muscle, the Bush administration yesterday hit the granddaddy of all hypocritical trifectas.

There was a time when the U.S. had some moral standing to preach and condemn. No longer. The world, quite simply, now sees us as the global bully and bad guy -- and when it's a 100-plus nations against one, there must be some merit to the world's perception. We're the 21st-century version of the Viking pillager, the British imperial lion, the Soviet cancer.

When it comes to fomenting violence, proliferating weapons of mass destruction and caressing, say, bunker bunkers with that little extra kick, the U.S. has no equal.

Nor will it tolerate one, no matter how far down the road any such equality or competition may lie.

Hence the Bush administration was in full dress rehearsal yesterday for yet another Middle East extravaganza of incalculably moronic proportions.

With the Commander Guy safely tucked away in the smoldering West, the seemingly less threatening Condi & Co. were left in charge of re-introducing all the preliminary hogwash of another war in the smoldering Middle East.

Gosh we're a peace-loving people, but our patience is forever tried by these little upstarts with disobedience and pushback in mind. So here we come, with mere rumblings at first, but then the sanctions, the unilateralism, the demand for Congressional resolutions, the drumbeats of propaganda, the nuclear references, the demonization of a singular human face, the preposterous urgencies.

OK, I agree with this post, but that isn't why I single it out. Its logical and extremely well written. Capiece?

Oh yeah, Russia's warning they might start producing short and medium range missiles probably was a warning shot to many Mid-East countries as well as the US.

Via P M Carpenter.

No comment

The photographer of the picture I posted has asked me to remove it. Being a "good" blogger, I have. You can still go to Neatorama to see it, or maybe not. Neatorama also didn't request permission to post the photo.

My sincere apologies to:

Jay F. Bolin
Dept. of Biological Sciences
110 Mills Godwin Building
Old Dominion University

I didn't know who the photographer was so couldn't give attribution nor ask permission to use the photo.

However, its still a fantastic photo.

Hydnora africana is a parasitic flower native to South Africa.
No really. No comment this time.

Via Neatorama.

Russia ready to renew short, medium-range missile production

One more fucking feather in Bush's hat.

The head of Russian strategic missile forces warned on Friday that Moscow could restart at short notice production of short and medium-range missiles, amid fears of a renewed arms race.

Via Channel NewsAsia.

Insanity Compounded by Insanity: Bush Offers to Bomb Iraqi Kurds

Bush can't find enough people to bomb. He keeps coming up with new targets.

I suppose its just a matter of time until the entire Mid-East is nothing but glass.

A few things to consider when reading this story. First, PKK guerrillas are believed to be holed up in highly-protected mountain redoubts and it's doubtful that airstrikes would have much of a long-term effect on their operational capabilities. Second, while the Iraqi Kurdish leadership has been taking a cautious approach to the escalating conflict, "Kurdistan" president Massoud Barzani has twice promised that the powerful Peshmerga militia -- estimated at more than 100,000 strong and arguably the most effective ground forces in Iraq -- would join PKK fighters in the case of a Turkish ground incursion. The Iraqi Kurdish leadership would be hard-pressed to make that move, but might not have a choice given their own domestic political calculus. Lastly, PKK fighters' cross-border attacks are seasonal; they slow during the winter when the mountainous border area where they operate becomes too difficult to negotiate. During the "off-season," they mover deeper into Iraqi Kurdistan, where the job of finding clean targets for airstrikes and/ or shelling becomes much more difficult. That means that if the U.S. did strike PKK camps, most of the fighters would likely to dissolve into the population and be ready to return next spring.

Via AlterNet.

White House Leak: Cheney's Plan for Iran Attack Starts With Israeli Missile Strike

This is for those of you still living with the delusional idea Dim Son is running the US. Ruining it, yes, but hardly running it.

High-ranking military experts say an attack would lead to world economic chaos, or even what Bush calls 'World War III.'

US Vice President Dick Cheney -- the power behind the throne, the eminence grise, the man with the (very) occasional grandfatherly smile -- is notorious for his propensity for secretiveness and behind-the-scenes manipulation. He's capable of anything, say friends as well as enemies. Given this reputation, it's no big surprise that Cheney has already asked for a backroom analysis of how a war with Iran might begin.

In the scenario concocted by Cheney's strategists, Washington's first step would be to convince Israel to fire missiles at Iran's uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Tehran would retaliate with its own strike, providing the US with an excuse to attack military targets and nuclear facilities in Iran.

Via AlterNet.

Where Does the Right-Wing End and the Media Begin?

Well, Krugman doesn't think there's much of a distinction. They're joined at the hip.

Economist Paul Krugman on how the right-wing media machine is destroying social progress.

Many, if not most of you, already knew this, but he builds a damn strong case in one interview.

Via AlterNet.

SWAZILAND: Food or biofuel seems to be the question

I'm not gonna bother linking internally. I've posted so many times about:

1. Biofuels are not the answer to energy problems. They aren't "clean" either.
2. Biofuels remove land from food production. And the poor suffer for it.
3. Water is going to be the next oil. People will wage wars over it.

The government of Swaziland announced this week that it would be allocating thousands of hectares [2.471 acres] to a private company to cultivate cassava for biofuel. About 40 percent of the country's one million people are facing acute food and water shortages.

It seems obvious the Swaziland government is more concerned with money rolling in than feeding its people. Greed raises its ugly head again.

IRIN has more stories on this.

Google™ searches on the right side of my page for biofuel or bio-fuel (I'm not consistent) or water will link to my earlier posts.

Via IRIN.

H/T AlertNet.

Getting spliced: New drug targets HIV's assembly kit

This is fantastic news. Here's hoping further tests pan out. This prototype kicks HIV/AIDS in the ass.

A prototype drug, tested on lab-dish samples of the AIDS virus, has shown great promise in attacking HIV from an unprecedented direction, French researchers reported on Friday.

Via AFP.

No comment

AP/Charles Dharapak

Who am I trying to kid here? I always have a comment. That's the reason I blog.

How the fuck did that woman get so close to Condi with bloody hands? That must have been a phenomenal feat.

So much for keeping terrorists at bay when they can't even keep this woman away from the Secretary of State.

BTW, I give Blogger props for consistency. When a picture is vital to a post or, in fact IS the post, I get this error message:

Error uploading your photo

There was a temporary error uploading your photo. Please try again in a few minutes.

Now to be fair, they always solve the problem after just a few attempts to upload a picture, but its frustrating as hell while I'm waiting.

Via Dependable Renegade (watertiger).

Ya gotta see this (NSFW)

On Friday 26 October, not only is the moon full, but it is very close to the earth. Well, relatively speaking. So it will be HUGE!

This moon will appear much smaller.




Then, on 31 October you can see this moon.

When Will They Ever Learn?

I love it when others find this stuff so I don't have to do it. Lazy ass all the way.

"I would say, as a card-carrying member of the neoconservative conspiracy," said William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, "that I think Giuliani, McCain and Thompson are all getting really good advice - and Romney." Mr. Kristol said that none of the leading Republican candidates "buy any of these fundamental criticisms that Bush took us on a radically wrong path, and we have to go to a pre-9/11 foreign policy."

-- Bill Kristol
Fucking idiot

To add to that. So none of these feather brains cause him any heartache? I can't even accept all the Democratic candidates.

And hey, he forgot Kucinich and Tancredo. Have they finally made his shit list? Hehehe.

I guess the world is still full of wonders.

Addendum 1: Damn! Forgot to steal the picture from Jerome. Fixed.

Addendum 2: When I give you a link, may I suggest you go to the address bar and strip it back to the ".com/" point and see what else is there. I only link to the best. For instance:

http://badattitudes.com/MT/archives/2007/10/when_will_they_1.html

Delete that address back to http://badattitudes.com/ and see the other posts.

Oh? You already knew how to do that? OK. Just ignore my tutorial.

H/T Bad Attitudes.

Domestic Fascism Awareness Week

Ya gotta know what you're up against.

In preparation for Domestic Fascism Awareness Week (starts Sunday), let's review:

"All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it."

-- Alexis de Tocqueville (July 29, 1805 – April 16, 1859)
Brilliant political author

Is Dim Son a Fascist? Ya bet your sweet ass he is just like his granddaddy.

US Congress critters

At least as I see them.

Pissing in the wind, but...

Just another post about getting on with your fucking life and ignoring the terror threats from Bush.

Fox News: Al Qaeda is causing the CA wildfires.

In the wee small hours of the morning, there are literally thousands of miles of US Interstate highways virtually empty. It would be easy to plant IEDs to later be detonated by cell phone from miles away.

In the Philippines, there was a "bomb" at a mall which killed 10 and injured 100 (nice round numbers). Later reports said it was not a "bomb", but structural integrity of the mall. However, a small, well placed bomb could have done the same damage.

Folks, there are probably hundreds if not thousands of low-tech ways to kill you, but they don't happen.

You still are more likely to die commuting to work than you are from a terrorist attack. Live with it.

And then there's the inadequacy of agencies to deal with a higher-tech dirty bomb. Muahahaha.

If you want to hide under your bed or in the closet, be my guest.

This is a periodic public service announcement from SPIIDERWEB™.

Don't get me started on fast food.

Bin Laben calls for more fighting against U.S. forces in Iraq

Oh great. Now there's a bin Laben too?

Yes I know its a typo. Hey, "b", "d"? Its a tiny typo.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in an audio recording posted on Islamist websites Tuesday, called for intensified fighting against U.S.-led forces in Iraq.

The excerpts of the audio recording were aired by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television on Monday, said the websites.

According to the report, the al-Quida leader also called for a holy war against a proposed peacekeeping force in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur and Western forces in the Arabian Peninsula.

Bin Laden, meanwhile, made a plea to Muslims to join the battle to drive out foreign forces from the region and plunge into war against rulers who facilitate their presence. [emphasis mine]

And bin Laden will keep up this rabble rousing as long as the US and others are in the region. Duh.

Via Xinhua.

Bush's Free-Fire Zones

Because ya just can't kill enough innocent Iraqis and Afghans fast enough.

Frustrated by the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, George W. Bush has unleashed U.S. forces to strike at suspected enemy positions with fierce firepower, even in populated areas. Two recent cases in Iraq reveal how civilians often end up as the victims -- and how brutal lessons of Vietnam are being applied to these new wars.

I'm pretty sure there are no suspected enemy positions in Iowa and Arkansas. Bring 'em home.

Via Consortiumnews.

When will the attack on Iran happen?

Its been so long since I believed Bush wouldn't attack Iran. Pounding Iran with 30,000-pound bombs from B-2 bombers would be pretty easy to do.

That doesn't require tens of thousands of ground troops.

Tucked inside the White House's $196 billion emergency funding request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is an item that has some people wondering whether the administration is preparing for military action against Iran.

The item: $88 million to modify B-2 stealth bombers so they can carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator, or, in military-speak, the MOP.

...

There doesn't appear to be any potential targets for a bomb like that in Iraq. It could potentially be used on Taliban or al Qaeda hideouts in the caves along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but there would be no need to use a stealth bomber there.

So where would the military use a stealth bomber armed with a 30,000-pound bomb like this? Defense analysts say the most likely target for this bomb would be Iran's flagship nuclear facility in Natanz, which is both heavily fortified and deeply buried.

And what's with these "modifications" for $88 million? What's wrong with just a couple feet of duct tape? Works for me.

The only things the Bush administration are not transparent about are things on which you wish they would be.

Via ABC.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately

Things around here have been totally crazy. The only thing we haven't had is a medical emergency. I've been so busy I couldn't even get on the computer long enough to say I couldn't get on the computer.

I'll see if I can catch up although I still have some loose ends to take care of.

Hear it

If you can download Todd Snider. Do it.

I have no idea if free.

More music shit

At hand is "I'll Still be Loving You". Restless Heart.

Listen to that voice. Listen to the chord changes. Listen to the lyrics. Just immerse yourself into the music.

AWESOME!

My last post

My musical tastes seem to include extremely happy to maudlin.

So, based on my simplistic analysis, I've decided I'm manic depressive, which I always suspected.

I'm manic right now. Hahaha.

Get this

The Tractors.

If you like pure rock and roll or boogie woogie...

If you don't dance there's something wrong with you or you need better speakers with sub-bass.

Subsequence musical recommendations to follow. I have over 700 CDs and they're mostly country. Deal with it. Muhahaha.

Too kewl

Check it out. Not just the first hit, but the ONE AND ONLY at the New York Times.

Has SPIIDERWEB™ arrived?

Must read IMHO

Go.

Ah, we need a list

Feel free to add to this list at any time including any animosity. In fact animosity is encouraged:

Worst president in history of the US - George W Bush, hands down.

Worst US attorney general in history of the US - Alberto Gonzales.

Worst secretary of state (US state) - Katherine harris.

Worst secretary of state (US) - Colin L Powell. Although Condi is coming up fast. This could go down to the wire.

Worst vice president of the US - Richard Cheney.

Worst secretary of defense for the US - Donald Rumsfeld.

Worst supreme court decision - Giving George W Bush the presidency.

Worst harpy in a little black dress - Ann Coulter.

Worst radio personality (hahaha...personality) - Rush Limbaugh.

Worst state governor - Jeb Bush. This was tough because there are so many.

Worst clothing - Laura Bush.

Worst SCOTUS critter - Antonin Scalia.

Worst head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - Michael Brown.

Worst head of the FDA - Lester Crawford.

Worst head of the EPA - Stephen Johnson.

Are you, perhaps, picking up a theme here?

Two things. First, Jesus H Christ with the sniffles, I wish I hadn't started this fucking list. Second, as always, I'm subject to revision if you can make a valid argument as to why I'm wrong.

It never ends

23 Kurdish rebels killed in clashes with Turkish troops

U.S. troops kill 49 militants in Baghdad's Sadr City


Afghan troops kill 20 insurgents in Afghanistan

10 people wounded in landmine blast in Turkey

Afghan troops kill 20 insurgents in E Afghanistan

STOP IT!

Who's in charge here?

Relative to the last couple of posts. This is my blog which means I'm in charge.

For the nominal price of USD $500,000 its yours. Until I can roll around in that money on my bed, I make the rules.

What the fuck was my point? Oh yeah, although Dr Juan cole may be rethinking his link to this site, that's the verisimilitude of the internets tubes. Sometimes you get truth. Sometimes you get me. Sometimes you get something in between.

What a strange world.

Equality

This is a hasty post without proper research. Its consistent with my being lazy ass.

Feel free to comment.

Males can call females bitch, cunt, whore, slut.

Ah, but females can call males prick, asshole, son of bitch, fucker.

Does that mean males and females are equal in derogatory epithets?

Sometimes I just stumble upon the perfect picture.

An aside

How the fuck does the Kurdish Workers Party translate into (PKK)?

And why no apostrophe?

Inquiring minds want to know.

And while were at it how can there be banana ketchup? There is you know.

Humorous

And cruel at the same time.

Although, with Jonco you never know. This could be fake art. But art is art, right?

Via Jonco.

Bush angles for conservation stature (AP)

Don't reporters see teh irony? This is just so fucking funny.

President Bush spent a crisp fall Saturday gingerly balancing a tiny screech owl on a gloved hand at a wildlife refuge and casting for rockfish on the Chesapeake Bay.

Pose with a bird and then try to kill fish?

I admit I eat beef, pork, chicken, and some fish but wouldn't if God hadn't made them so tasty. But I'm not a poser. I'm obviously superior to Bush, but then again, who isn't?

Thanx to Eli, I've updated this post with a far better picture of the owl and the pussy cat, uh, idiot.

Via Yahoo! News.

Must read IMHO

Torture and confession.

Trust me. Have I ever lied to you? OK, if I dated you...probably.

Something is bothering me

Yeah, yeah, the hemorrhoids, but something else too.



Albus Dumbledore was/is gay!!!1!!

With all the respect I can muster for many bloggers I truly love, why have progressive, lefty, liberal, tree-hugging, hippie, commie, America hating bloggers pounced on this story like a cat on a mouse?

Who gives a shit?

The guy is fictitious. He's gay. And the point is?

Gay is not a disease. Gay is not "wrong".

It seems this tells more about the bloggers than about the character or Ms Rowling.

Because of the strange hours I keep, I was probably one of the first to read about this. My reaction? Eh, insignificant. Move on. Nothing worth posting about.

Children...

Do you know where your daughter was last night?


How about where she is this morning?

Via Jonco.