Cat blogging

Things are crazy around here again. No real time to blog for now and I'm sorry about that. Will be back as soon as possible.

But I did want to drop in long enough to cat blog.

Via Big Shot Bob in Texas.

Education

Horrible updates below.

I'm here for ya.

I was gonna post about the cyclone heading toward Bangladesh, but was just too damn lazy.

Ya never know with Mother Nature. She can be benevolent or a veritable hellion.

Headline: Powerful cyclone kills 242 in Bangladesh

The loss of life is truly ghastly. I would never have guessed the carnage would be so severe. I naïvely thought people would seek safe shelter. Then we come to the next story.

A huge earthquake hit Chile.

Headline: Quake kills 2, damages homes in Chile

Mother can surprise you.

UPDATE: Apparently the death toll has grown exponentially.

Aid workers struggled Friday to help hundreds of thousands of survivors of a cyclone that blasted Bangladesh with 150 mph winds, killing a reported 1,100 people, savaging coastal towns, and leaving millions without power in the deadliest such storm in more than a decade.

UPDATE 2:

Soldiers and relief workers were racing Monday to get aid to millions left homeless by the cyclone in Bangladesh, where officials said the death toll had topped 3,100 and was sure to keep rising.

UPDATE 2:

Up to 15,000 people were killed and seven million lives left devastated by the cyclone in Bangladesh last week, aid agencies have said as the full extent of the disaster became clear.

That's it. No more updates on this. The stories are getting just too disheartening. Sorry

OK, here's the education part of this fucking post. My mind is so full of trivia, facts, useless knowledge I need to spit some of it out now and then to make room for more trivia, facts and useless knowledge.

Let us start with a Richter Scale 3 earthquake which is just a damn annoyance to people on the west coast of the US. From there, things get really hairy.

The quake in Chile was 7.7 magnitude. Bear with me. This will floor you:

The magnitude of most earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, invented by Charles F. Richter in 1934. The Richter magnitude is calculated from the amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded for the earthquake, no matter what type of wave was the strongest.

The Richter magnitudes are based on a logarithmic scale (base 10). What this means is that for each whole number you go up on the Richter scale, the amplitude of the ground motion recorded by a seismograph goes up ten times. Using this scale, a magnitude 5 earthquake would result in ten times the level of ground shaking as a magnitude 4 earthquake (and 32 times as much energy would be released). To give you an idea how these numbers can add up, think of it in terms of the energy released by explosives: a magnitude 1 seismic wave releases as much energy as blowing up 6 ounces of TNT. A magnitude 8 earthquake releases as much energy as detonating 6 million tons of TNT. Pretty impressive, huh? Fortunately, most of the earthquakes that occur each year are magnitude 2.5 or less, too small to be felt by most people.

So we're talking 10 times 3. Then 10 times 4. Then 10 times 5. Then 10 times 6 plus a few more points.

Folks, that's goddamn huge. Thank God only 2 died.

FYI: Indonesia had a quake of 8.5 magnitude. So did Sumatra. And Alaska.

Hey, that's nearly 10 times the destructive force of the Chile quake. And the list of 8+ magnitude earthquakes is almost endless

As you should know by now, don't fuck with Mother Nature. You will never win.

Cross posted at Brilliant at Breakfast without the updates. Just being lazy again.

Hey, discover Hal Ketchum

Good Place to start.

The Hits. (sorry no link).

W00t!!!1!

Headline: $200 Ubuntu Linux PC Now Available at Wal-Mart

Via Wired.

U.S. military deaths in Iraq at 3,842

Expect this graphic again.

Via Boston Globe.

Lazy-ass blogging

I always resort to lazy ass.

Good report.

Via Reuters.

Experts link earthquakes to volcanic activity

File this under: No shit!!!??

I'm no expert (on anything) and definitely not on geology or volcanology, but...duh!

Experts say the tectonic quakes that recently struck Java and Sumatra might be responsible for triggering increased activities at several volcanoes on both islands. A seismologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Nanang T. Puspito, said the tectonic quakes that occurred along the West Sumatra and southern Java coasts over the past week have likely increased activity in a number of volcanoes. Nanang said plate movements below the earth's mantle could increase the pressure of the upper magma pocket of a volcano and trigger an eruption followed by volcanic quakes.

Ya think rain and slippery roads are related? Just asking.

Via The Signs.

British Army tests tank that is 'invisible'

Shit! I've been fearing no one would come up with one of these.

Death out of the blue.

New technology that can make tanks invisible has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence. In secret trials last week, the Army said it had made a vehicle completely disappear and predicted that an invisible tank would be ready for service by 2012.

Above is an image of said tank. Sorry for the photo quality.

Via The Signs.

Now this is Halloween

Something strange is happening with Blogger or this fucking computer. I don't get new posts on the hundreds of sites I subscribe to.

Not to mention I typed the last eight words before they appeared.

I suspect Blogger AND this computer.

Maybe its just George the ghost playing tricks. He's such a damn joker.

Google™

Just in case you missed it...Google™ Halloween.


Hey, are we watching out for you or what?

Mac Users Get a Credit Card Stealing Trojan for Halloween, Security Company Reports

Jesus H Christ with sunburn, is nothing sacred anymore?

A program promoted to Mac formers [sic] reportedly routes Mac users to phishing lures and serves adult-oriented ads. The Trojan may be the first professional attempt to target OS X users.

Hey, since I was teenage I wanted to get free Trojans. Now not so much.

However the one above is hardly long enough.

Folks, that was a goddamn joke, K?

Via Wired.

California fires

I have no more fucking knowledge than do you about this issue, but this is a "stand up" kid. I hope they treat him right.

A boy playing with matches started a fire in north Los Angeles County that consumed more than 38,000 acres (12,709 hectares) and destroyed 21 homes last week, authorities said Tuesday.

The boy, whose name and age were not released, was interviewed a day after the Buckweed Fire was sparked Oct. 21, said sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht.

"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," said Hecht said in a statement.

The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be be presented to the district attorney's office, Hecht said.

Via Bay City Herald.

Caesarean safer for breech-birth baby than for mum

Jesus H Christ on E, but there are always gray areas where decisions are necessary and this ain't one I want to come close to.

My momma was breech and she and grand momma survived.

Caesarean deliveries at least double the risk of maternal death or illness compared with vaginal birth but are far safer for babies in the dangerous "breech" position for delivery, according to a new study.

Via AFP.

Quote of the day

"Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you're a consultant."

-- Scott Adams
Author

Via: Quotes of the day

Mother

I'm talking Mother Nature here. Never sure whether to capitalize that, but it seems very appropriate.

If you love thunder and lightening, you would want to be here now. The lightening flashes, challenging the brightness of the sun and seconds later the thunder claps. No, not some way off. I mean right here so it rattles the windows and shakes the walls.

AWESOME!

I used to go to the Pacific shore in February to watch Mother throw tree trunks around like toothpicks.

I've experienced a huge earthquake and a storm with 120 mph (193 kph) winds. Momma didn't want me to go out into the storm, but I couldn't resist it.

I was also hiking on a mountain on a nice, sunny day when Mother decided to send freezing rain down. Although my car wasn't far, I thought I'd die before reaching it.

Oh yeah, there was the "little" walk in SE Asia where I was sure Mother would kill me from the heat before getting back to the comfort of a fan.

Mother Nature amazes me...often.

Your experiences are not only welcome, but encouraged.

Are you really a man?

OK, the secret(?) is out. I'm male.

This came to my attention:

Now some macho idiot is going to swagger in to spew about how Tough Men Make Tough Decisions and Do What It Takes, and They'll Protect the Soft Weak Liberals, and The Grownups Are In Charge.

NO! There are some things men should and should not do.

Real men don't abuse women and children. They don't decide to kill people and sacrifice other's loved ones in a fucking conflict which should never have happened. They don't destroy a country because they think they're John Wayne, Chuck Norris, Dirty Harry. They don't sign execution orders as fast as possible.

Real men have compassion for people. They make tough decisions, but with respect for others, empathy and an idea of what is just and right. Real men are not as bad as I.

H/T Making Light (Jim McDonald).

W00t!!!1! Halloween

Told ya I loved the term W00t.






Come on now. Ya fucking knew a spiderweb was coming. Where are you?

Secret move to upgrade air base for Iran attack plans

Absolutely nothing surprising here. The timing is the only question.

The US is secretly upgrading special stealth bomber hangars on the British island protectorate of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, according to military sources.

The improvement of the B1 Spirit jet infrastructure coincides with an "urgent operational need" request for £44m to fit racks to the long-range aircraft.

That would allow them to carry experimental 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs designed to smash underground bunkers buried as much as 200ft beneath the surface through reinforced concrete.
advertisement

One MOP - known as Big Blu - has already been tested successfully at the US Air Force proving ground at White Sands in New Mexico. Tenders have now gone out for a production model to be ready for use in the next nine months.

The "static tunnel lethality test" on March 14 completely destroyed a mock-up of the kind of underground facility used to house Iran's nuclear centrifuge arrays at Natanz, about 150 miles from the capital, Tehran.

Via The Herald UK.

Still on a music jag

Mick Fleetwood's drum kit


Mick his own self
OK, I admit it. I'm not only manic depressive, but obsessive compulsive.

Hey, not a bad diagnosis for someone without a medical degree.

As you might guess from my post about Neil Peart, I'm kinda partial to drummers. Well, base players too but that's for a different post.

Been listening to Fleetwood Mac. Mick Fleetwood is an amazing drummer. Simple, but effective and powerful. All members of Fleetwood brought talent to the table, but I believe Mick is the reason people were captivated. Drumming is tribal and visceral. Just listen to House, Techno, Trance, old rock. The beat is the draw.

Yeah, I do get out sometimes. I know of such music.

I once knew a guy who drummed with one base, two cymbals, two toms and a snare. He blew me away all the time. Its not what ya got but the way ya use it.

Dammit! It happened again. Thought of more after posting.

I've known many drummers. Even roomed with one in college, who (shudder) later became a third grade teacher. Here is my stereotype of drummers...they are all fucking nuts. I've never met one who could change my opinion on that. For some reason it takes some sort of strange personality to drum. Perhaps that's why I relate so well.

And now for something completely different

As special treat for you, especially the Buddhists. (wink!).


Who were you in your past life?

Via Jonco.

I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.

Must read IMHO.

No, its a must read...period. There's always a personal, human side to things.

Via Big Shot Bob in Texas.

Follow your conscience, pope tells pharmacists

I have an ethics/religious question. Take your time. I'm patient. Is it blasphemous to say fuck the Pope? Just asking.

Pope Benedict XVI said Monday that pharmacists have a right to use conscientious objection to avoid dispensing emergency contraception or euthanasia drugs - and told them they should also inform patients of the ethical implications of using such drugs.

No Your Eminence, they DO NOT have such a right. At least in the US they don't. They have to distribute what the patient wants...fucking...period.

Via International.

The American Police State

There is nothing remotely funny about this. It should instill chills.

The government has closed seven Muslim charities in the United States and frozen their assets. Not one of them, or any person associated with them, has been found guilty of financing terrorism. They will remain shut. George W. Bush can tar any organization or individual, here or abroad, as being part of a terrorist conspiracy and by fiat render[ing?] them powerless.

Are you next? Just think for a fucking minute. Could happen. If not, please tell me why not. Every thing's in place. All it requires is a petulant four year old to take control. Ooops. He's already in charge.

Via Information Clearing House.

Young pimps his gas-guzzler to run on electricity

1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV
OK, the Reagan thing bothers me, but he's still a hero of mine.

Have I ever claimed to be perfect? Nope. Not gonna happen.

Americans are finding ways to keep their love affair with big, fast automobiles alive in the era of $3-a-gallon petrol and concern for the environment. This week the singer Neil Young, who is an enthusiast of 1950s vintage big fantail cars, is making his way to Wichita, Kansas, in the heart of the US. The car he's driving is a Lincoln Continental Mark IV, one of the greatest gas-guzzlers of them all, and one of the largest cars ever to hit the open road. Immensely stylish with a wide front grille and neo-deco bumpers at either end, it is also one the most polluting vehicles to have ever graced Route 66.

An avid collector of vintage American cars, Young – who once endorsed Ronald Reagan – has only recently turned to environmentalism. With the release of his new album, Chrome Dreams II, he is on an odyssey across America, documentary film crew in tow, figuring out how Americans might keep the romance of the open road while caring for the environment.

Mr Young and his crew are taking the car he calls Linc-Volt to Wichita, where it will be converted into a 100mph diesel-electric hybrid running on renewable fuel. Motor enthusiasts say it is like putting a Toyota Prius on steroids.

The story doesn't say what year Neil's Continental is nor the color, but I'm guessing 1972 and black.

Fuck. I'd have one if I had the money.

Shit I hate this. I post and then other things come to mind because my mind is, lets say, somewhat tenuous.

I rarely drive and never far, so power and speed trump gas mileage and pollution. I'm not a total asshole. Close, but not total.

Via The Independent.

Bill Clinton defends Hillary from 'unelectable' charges

News that isn't. Duh!

Via CNN Political Ticker.

Serial jailbreaker escapes for fourth time

Jesus H Christ on Valium® this is a movie just waiting to happen.

If necessary, I can write the script.

A Belgian inmate made a dramatic escape from jail for the fourth time Sunday evening after his armed accomplices landed in the prison grounds in a hijacked helicopter, prosecutors said Monday. Nordin Benallal, self-styled "escape king" with several convictions for armed robbery and carjacking, has previously run from a prison van, walked out of jail wearing a wig and sunglasses and scaled a prison wall with a rope ladder.

For the record, I didn't help him at any time.

Via The Signs.

John (Pravda) "Pat" Philbin - A Team Bush Hero

First let me say HOORAY! Capitol Hill Blue is back as a blog site.

The following story is disturbing and impressive at the same time. He said "making shit up". Muhahaha.

In what world would fake news mascaraed as fact? Where else would a guy get caught making shit up, in public, in the midst of a regional, if not a national emergency, and GET A PROMOTION?

I spent some quality time in Ye Ole USSR in 1976. I learned soviet history, language, culture, social studies, and my personal fave, American History. I did not know that the wrong side won our not very Civil War, nor that slave compounds were pre-communistic living accommodations. But I did learn that every release of news from PRAVDA was 90% (or more) pure spin. Five Year Plans were famously reached, most often by a judicious rewrite of the original goals. Often the plans were simply scrapped, the mission was declared accomplished, and a totally different plan was created. In a world where copy machines were considered a danger to society, facts were fluid things. Sound familiar?

Via Capitol Hill Blue.

Saudi king accuses UK of ignoring tip-off which could have stopped London bombings

This is getting to be too much. Perhaps I should stop reading the news for a few hours.

In an astonishing attack, the monarch claimed his country had passed on information that could have stopped the atrocity but it was ignored.

Via Black Listed News.

I apologize for my last post

Sincerely. Sometimes the vitriol just overwhelms me.

ForeignPolicy: Ahmed Chalabi, Darling of the Neocons, Back in the Baghdad Mix

Oh just fucking great.

Will these monsters never die?

Ahmad Chalabi, the controversial, ubiquitous Iraqi politician and one-time Bush administration favorite, has re-emerged as a central figure in the latest U.S. strategy for Iraq.

His latest job: To press Iraq's central government to use early security gains from the surge to deliver better electricity, health, education and local security services to Baghdad neighborhoods. That's the next phase of the surge plan. Until now, the U.S. military, various militias, insurgents and some U.S. backed groups have provided those services without great success.

That the U.S. and Iraqi officials are again turning to Chalabi, this time to restore life to Baghdad neighborhoods, speaks to his resiliency in this nascent government. It's also, some say, his latest effort to promote himself as a true national advocate for everyday Iraqis.

I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to say Bush is bombing the wrong people, but he is.

Via Reuters.

Rights and Liberties: Non-Discrimination Bill Leaves Out Transgendered People

Lets start here. I've "known" only one transgender. Who, I might add was initially male and turned other males' heads as he transformed. He did become quite striking.

EVERYONE deserves non-discrimination. Who gives a fuck what you (yes you) think. EVERYONE should be equal. If innocent of crime, treat EVERYONE the same.

A debate over whether rights for transgenders should be included in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is opening the possibility for a profound shift in the gay movement.

Yes, that picture is of a transgender.

OK, let me make this perfectly clear from my perspective. These are people trying to cope with circumstances which I hope are far more difficult than anything you'll encounter. So why hit them up side the head? Compassion is dead?

Yes, I'm heterosexual but I also have feelings for others. No fucking saint, but no brute.

Did I say EVERYONE too many times? Too bad. Its my site.

Via http://www.alternet.org/rights/65517/.

Must read IMHO

Sometimes I'm guilty of seeing things as black and white and probably won't stop, but I'm not tasked with killing baddies and never will be.

Just follow the link.

Via The Slacktivist.

Sticks and stones

Ya know I've been reading how wingers like to call "us":

Tree huggers.

Hippies.

Peaceniks.

Pacifists.

Lefties.

Progressives (pejoratively, of course).

Appeasers.

Well, folks, there ain't a single term above that intimidates me. I admit to all.

I do take exception to:

Anti-American.

Terrorist supporter.

Troop hater.

Traitor.

Unpatriotic.

They are flat wrong, but its just language. I know who I am and what I believe and couldn't care less what wingers think.

Dumbing down the sheeple! 1 in 10 schools are 'dropout factories'

No Child Left Behind my ass. Forty percent ain't a great accomplishment.

It's a nickname no principal could be proud of: "Dropout Factory," a high school where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. That dubious distinction applies to more than one in 10 high schools across America. "If you're born in a neighborhood or town where the only high school is one where graduation is not the norm, how is this living in the land of equal opportunity?" asks Bob Balfanz, the researcher at Johns Hopkins University who defines such a school as a "dropout factory."

Sorry. I made a huge mistake and offered a fact. How not-right-wing of me.

Via The Signs.

U.S. Resisting Ban on Cluster Bombs

Why do people insist on preventing US from killing people? They must be a bunch of tree-hugging fucking hippie pacifists.

The U.S. is leading efforts to resist a complete ban on cluster bombs, human rights activists have complained. But a conference called by European governments in Brussels Tuesday is regarded as a step towards an international agreement on eliminating cluster weapons -- in which hundreds of small 'bomblets' are packed together. Although an accord appears likely to be reached during 2008, activists are concerned over diplomatic manoeuvres by Washington to ensure that it will not be too stringent.

I need to make something fucking clear here. The bomblets don't always explode. Know what that means? Its like land mines which can kill people weeks, months, years later and often this means children.

Cluster bombs are an abomination and whoever designed them should rot in hell.

I really can't do subtle.

Via The Signs.

Still on a music jag

Hey, I'm manic depressive and manic often means music.

If you like music and can find these, you won't be disappointed. They are older/old so you can probably find them at Golden Oldies or other used music stores.

Exodus to Jazz by Eddie Harris.

Howard Roberts is a Dirty Guitar Player by Howard Roberts.

Alchemy by Dire Straits (live is best).

Nouveau Flamenco by Ottmar Liebert.

Greatest Hits Volume One by Randy Travis.

Copperhead Road by Steve Earle.

The Commitments by the Commitments.

The Very Best of by Wilson Pickett.

Ya must have known this was coming. Muahahaha

Back in Black by AC-DC

More to follow.

And no cheating. Sit back with your eyes closed and savor every note.

Rumsfeld On the Run From French Torture Charges

Sometimes its just too easy.

While Rumsfeld has gotten out of France before an arrest, the case can still be prosecuted since he was in the country when it was filed.By Siun | FireDogLake October 29, 2007On Friday Donald Rumsfeld arrived in France to give a speech - but he had to leave via a back door that went directly into the US Embassy and then quickly scampered out of the country. Why?

Short answer to why: Because he's a fucking war criminal.

Via IntellectualThought.

Quote of the day

"We had kept it hidden. He's the black sheep of the family."

-- Barack Obama on being related to VP Cheney
On the "Ellen DeGeneres Show"

Ya gotta give him credit. He don't need no stinkin' comedy writers.

With all due respect to actual comedy writers.

Via Hotline On Call.

And yet ANOTHER reason to love John Edwards

For the record, this isn't an endorsement. I refuse to weigh into all this for a while, but this speech resonates.

All Americans should read this.

Via Brilliant at Breakfast.

So much for her reputation

The truth is out.
Via Jonco.

Ya gotta love the internets tubes

This is priceless.

Props to both bloggers who put a lot of work into this disclosure.

Lazy-ass blogging

At least I'm off the food and supernatural topics and back to politics.

Hey, give me credit for the effort it took.

Visit a Tiny Revolution and read these:

More People Who Only Understand Force

OK, this one isn't really political in the common understanding of the term.

Why We Don't Get Invited To Planet Earth Block Parties

The Trouble With Tribals

Here, Let Them Tell You For Themselves

Whew! I'm tired now. Need a nap.

Two completely unrelated things

Ted Compton started this so I'm innocent.

Years ago I dated someone in Malaysia who had a teenage daughter. Out for dinner I ordered escargot. Unfortunately the chef didn't seem to understand the concept of drawn butter, and I even volunteered to produce some, but whatever.

I suggested the girl try one. Yuck was her reply. No, just try one you'll love it. After a few more gentle nudges, she did.

Jesus H Christ in a hissy fit, but I couldn't stop her from eating every damn snail on my plate. I had to order more.

Now we move on to ghosts.

As people age they'll find the body plays strange tricks on one. I'll be in a room alone and swear I feel a finger on my shoulder. I call the "ghost" George.

I pass this information on to others in the house because it scares the shit out of them and it makes me laugh.

There is also a bedroom door that slams shut when no one is upstairs. Its air pressure, of course, but I just say, "Its George". Freaks 'em out every time.

Doesn't take much sometimes to amuse me.

Wow! That picture sure makes me hungry for escargot.

H/T Ted Compton.

great name

Waxahachie, Texas.

Too funny

No snippet. Go to the source.

Via Sott.net.

Russia says radiation leak at Urals Mayak plant

Anyone else thinking Chechnya? Just asking.

Russia said on Monday safety breaches had caused a radiation leak at a major nuclear reprocessing plant in the Ural mountains, but officials said there was no danger to humans.

Yeah, nuclear reactors are the answer. They are so safe. Three Mile Island?

And don't even get me started on storage of spent atomic fuels. Which is a situation beyond imagination.

Via Reuters.

Olmert says he has signs of prostate cancer

Jesus H Christ with Hemorrhoids, I hope this isn't true. I have my problems with Olmert, but wish prostate cancer on no one.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that doctors have discovered the 'first signs' of a cancerous growth in his prostate.

Via Japan Herald.

Egypt to launch civilian nuclear programme

Oh shit! Now Bush will have to attack Egypt.

Perhaps he should just re-direct all our missiles and blow everyone off the face of the earth. What is this one at a time attacks? Such a simpleton. I thought he had balls.

In case you missed it, that was sarcasm. This isn't Little Green Fuckballs.

Via Japan Herald.

Germany, India to develop jointly new-era technologies

Is it just me? Probably, but isn't that a very strange headline?

Via Japan Herald.

Oil prices surge past $93 a barrel

Hey, walking is good for you.

With the build-up underway to an expected US rate cut Wednesday, oil prices and the euro launched the new trading week Monday by surging to all-time highs.

Via Japan Herald.

ForeignPolicy: 10 Sheiks Working Against "Al Qaeda in Iraq" Nabbed in Brazen Daylight Attack

This can't be good.

Gunmen in Baghdad snatched 10 Sunni and Shiite tribal sheiks from their cars Sunday as they were heading home to Diyala province after talks with the government on fighting Al Qaeda, and at least one was later found shot to death.

The bold daylight kidnapping came as the top U.S. commander in Iraq said the threat from the terror network has been “significantly reduced" in the capital.

And please define "significantly reduced". I don't think I'm understanding this.

Via Reuters.

Tropical Storm Noel Called Major Flood Threat

Is it just I who is bothered by a severe tropical storm named Noel?

Via NewsTin.

Senator Rockefeller, It's For You

Sometimes even Democrats are pure shit.

The nation's largest telecom companies made contributions to Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which agreed to a measure to wipe out lawsuits relating to the telecoms' role in White House surveillance.

Well, probably not pure.

Via Freepress.

VA hospitals overwhelmed by Bush's wars, forced to turn away patients

Simple response...FUCK!!!1!!

Two Tampa Bay veterans hospitals turn away critically ill patients for huge chunks of the year because of an overloaded veterans' health care system.

Its OK to get them killed, but caring for the survivors is no priority?

Via The Signs.

Must read IMHO

Via P M Carpenter who links also.

Hey, we got your back.

Must read IMHO

Ah, Studs.

No, not that. Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking Terkel here.

Music lyrics

I'm gonna live forever if the good die young.

If the Good Die Young - by Tracy Lawrence.

My intention is to live forever. So far, so good.

What the fuck?!?!

Ya can't have it both ways.

Headline: Toshiba's quarterly profit declines

Toshiba reported a 28 percent drop in profit for the July-September quarter Monday, partly because of one-time expenses for property value calculations that offset solid sales in computers and chips.

Headline: Toshiba up on chips, power systems, lifts outlook

Japanese electronics group Toshiba Corp <6502.T> posted a 38 percent rise in quarterly operating profit on Monday, thanks to sales of its flash memory chips and thermal power plants, and it raised its full-year outlook closer to market estimates.

Yeah, trust the fucking MSM. Lol.

And these two stories were in sequence.

But you should never trust a blogger because bloggers aren't "professionsl".

Thank gawd.

Gruesome Doll Head Pencil Sharpener

In time for Halloween. Hehehe.

Yeah, I know I'm a sick puppy. We all need to specialize in something, right?

Via Neatorama.

Vatican Beatifies 498 Spanish Martyrs

What the hell? Why not include all Spanish Catholics? Fucking Incompetents!

And what about the next two who would have rounded it out to 500? What did they do to piss you off?

Via AP.

Minorities Less Likely to Trick or Treat

Its interesting I found this after my last post. This is just totally fucked.

Don't get me wrong, I understand but still hate it. Halloween is for children to have stupid fun and collect tons of candy.

My youth without Halloween would have been pretty lacking. Not to mention the terrific fun of creating Halloween costumes for my children. Some were fantastic and very creative (no photos, use your imagination).

Two-thirds of parents say their children will trick-or-treat this Halloween, but fewer minorities will let their kids go door to door, with some citing safety worries, a poll shows.

The survey found that 73 percent of whites versus 56 percent of minorities said their children will trick-or-treat on Wednesday.

Via Beaumont Enterprise.

Black Lawyers Rare at Supreme Court

Thurgood Marshal
Wrong on multiple levels. If nothing else, the SCOTUS should be available to all.

Coming soon to the Supreme Court: a rare appearance by a black lawyer. More than a year has passed since a black lawyer in private practice stood at the lectern in the elegant courtroom and spoke the traditional opening line, "Mr. Chief Justice and may it please the court."

Jesus H Christ in Speedos®, but I seem to be on a soapbox lately. Ain't it fucking great? Having a blog is so empowering.

Via SC now.

Report: Gap Uses Child Labor in India

Regular readers need not follow this link.

The Gap is wrong. Not for the child labor thingy, but for folding. You pull out and you kill thousands if not millions of people by starvation. Its a fact, folks.

My point is this: Police your suppliers and eliminate problems, but don't punish the poor by denying them work. Where I am, children are out in the middle of the night collecting cardboard to feed their families. Factory work is far superior.

Coal Use Grows Despite Warming Worries

There's always, always a fucking second shoe. First shoe?

Almost nonstop, gargantuan 145-ton trucks rumble through China's biggest open-pit coal mine, sending up clouds of soot as they dump their loads into mechanized sorters.

The black treasure has transformed this once-isolated crossroads nestled in the sand-sculpted ravines of Inner Mongolia into a bleak boomtown of nearly 300,000 people. Day and night, long and dusty trains haul out coal to electric power plants and factories in the east, fueling China's explosive growth.

People loves their power and couldn't care less what hideous things produce it.

Oh well, they'll learn if they don't all die first.

Via Knoxnews.

Porter Wagoner Dies at 80

He will be missed. RIP.

Yeah, I know its a shitty job in Photoshop®, but its what I do best and its close enough for country.

Via AP.

China energy-saving law ups pressure on officials

Put simply, folks, this is how its done.

China has stepped up its conservation drive with a law that makes officials' career prospects dependent in part on their energy-saving efforts, the Xinhua news agency said.

The country's top legislature approved on Sunday a series of amendments to its energy-saving law, almost doubling the size of the legislation.

Among the new provisions is one that requires the performance reviews for local government officials' -- vital for advancement in the Communist Party -- to include an assessment of their energy-saving efforts.

Beijing is trying to steer the world's fourth-largest economy away from a model of growth at any cost towards more sustainable development, as the human and economic costs of nearly three decades of dirty expansion mount up.

Ya think the US will follow suit? Hahaha. Only joking. Of course not.

Via Reuters.

UN nuclear chief attacks hostile US claims on Iran

Now who the hell would ever have expected this? (snicker)

UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday he had no evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons and accused US leaders of adding "fuel to the fire" with recent bellicose rhetoric.

Now don't get me wrong here, if Iran were, it makes abundant sense. Israel, those of belligerent rhetoric and limited felicity toward Iran have 'em.

And there's the idiot in chief who thinks bombing people is fun...

Via AFP.

Must read IMHO

With video if your computer and bandwidth can handle it. Mine can't.

The Aristocrats.

H/T Blue Gal.

W00t!!!1!

No, I'm not as much a geek as the headline suggests. Well, perhaps. I just love the term W00t.

Anyways, according to Site Meter SPIIDERWEB™ has reached a milestone. Millstone? I've had 25,023 visits! Probably more because I signed up a little late after launching this site and it doesn't account for the three or four early visitors. Such a feat would take decades around the ol' water cooler.

OK, I realize that's small potatoes to most bloggers, but I remember getting stoked when I hit 2,000.

Time for champagne and popcorn.

Quote of the day

"You have to help us, because if it was not for us you would now be a province of Nazi Germany[.]"

-- Tom Lantos
Chairman of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee speaking to Dutch lawmakers.

What? It took too much energy to just slap them in the face?

And I'm ignoring (not quite) the fact he said "if it was not for us" instead of the grammatically correct "if it were not for us".

Via IHT.

Go bag

Sometimes eclectic doesn't cover it.

"It can't happen to me" is one of the most absurd things anyone can think. YES IT CAN AND MIGHT WELL HAPPEN. An emergency by definition at Dictionary.com is a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action.

Trust me and follow the link to see what you need. Its, in my opinion, incomplete but a great place to start.

And, being your protector, I offer some things no one ever mentions:

Pictures and/or negatives. They are irreplaceable. And don't forget your essential documents. You need a copy of your mortgage, utilities bills and such to prove you owned your house. You also need to take your passports, birth certificates and such. Folks, these things burn or are destroyed by weather.

Personally, I keep all burnable documents in a home safe, but can quickly extract them in an emergency.

Also remember emergency kits need replenishing. Batteries go bad, bandages dry out and won't stick. Upgrade your kits on a periodic basis.

You are welcome.

Via Making Light.

Tears for beers: Craft brewers ailing (NSFW)

OK, its one thing to starve people to produce biofuel, but now your beer supply is in danger? Have these fucking people no consciences nor morales?

Fans of Snipes Mountain Brewery's cloudy Hefeweizen relish the subtle wheat flavor of the bright, summery brew, and like beer drinkers everywhere, they know when their favorite brew tastes a little too hoppy or bitter.

Connoisseurs could be in for a surprise this year, and they may not be alone.

Small brewers from Australia to Oregon face the daunting prospect of tweaking their recipes or experimenting less with new brews thanks to a worldwide shortage of one key beer ingredient and rising prices for others.

Barley and wheat prices have skyrocketed as more farmers plant corn to meet increasing demand for ethanol, while others plant feed crops to replace acres lost to corn.

A decadelong oversupply of hops that had forced farmers to abandon the crop is finally gone and harvests were down this year. In the United States, where one-fourth of the world's hops are grown, acreage fell 30 percent from 1995 to 2006.

Three quick things.

1. Its nice to see Foster's didn't use a particularly skinny model for the "after" picture.

2. I realize Foster's isn't a small brewery any more than is Anheuser-Busch.

3. Yeah, its a sexist advert, but funny none the less.

Via Mercury News.

You've been warned

Via Jonco.

Gotta do this

Jonco is looking for a logo designer. Since I'm far too good and far too busy, I'm passing the request down the line.

Come on. We're a community and one of ours needs help.

Must read IMHO

No snippet. You need the whole (short) post.

Via Balloon Juice.

Must read IMHO

Its Clemy's Corner and he (I assume male) posts far too infrequently, but does it so well.

What sort of blogger are you?

Actually I'm pleased with my result because it reinforces my opinion.

That, folks, is what is called a joke.



H/T Jonco.

Poor baby

Well, there are limits, I suppose.

Via Jonco.

US will hand Iraqis control of Karbala

Who thought the US couldn't be magnanimous? Imagine it. We're gonna give a sovereign nation control of part of its own country.

Wow. I'm amazed.

U.S. forces will turn over security to Iraqi authorities in the southern Shiite province of Karbala on Monday, the American commander for the area said, despite fighting between rival militia factions that has killed dozens.

Karbala will become only the eighth of Iraq's 18 provinces to revert to Iraqi control, despite President Bush's prediction in January that the Iraqi government would have responsibility for security in all of the provinces by November.

Via Yahoo! News.

Forward 40: What Became of the LOGO Programming Language?

This post may not be what you expect from the headline.

Forty years ago, researchers developed a programming language that would become a brilliant educational tool.

As I remember it, LOGO was a triangular turtle that roamed across the monochrome screen of an Apple II in my first grade classroom. Wherever he went, a line of ink would follow him -- it came from a pen that was tied to his tail.

My digital friend simultaneously gave me an intuition for geometry and how to think like a computer programmer.

I would type FORWARD 50 and the turtle would move forward. When I gave the command RIGHT 90, he would turn sharply to the right. If I prefaced those two commands with REPEAT 4 and surrounded them with brackets, the turtle would draw a square.

I was learning, but my experiences didn't feel like a lesson. It was fun!

While I sat at my desk one day, two of my classmates figured out how to overwrite the entire screen, which seemed kinda naughty at the time. They giggled, did it again, then giggled some more. From curious children, hackers were born.

The reason for this post is to explore hacking.

Years ago I got into a civilized, albeit at times semi-heated, discussion with a fellow programmer (far superior to me) about hacking.

His position was hacking is always wrong, period. My contention was it amounted to natural curiosity and a challenge. I couldn't condemn it if it didn't do any harm.

As an example of what I'm talking about is a hack years ago that changed the front page of the New York Times. Sorry, no link. But the hacker(s) changed the headlines and it was actually pretty funny. No harm no foul.

Hacking a government sight to post a story about how it is the intent of the government to abolish Social Security or eliminate elections could be funny too.

My preference would be for the hackers to save the original code and restore the site after a period of time because correcting what they've done can be annoying and tedious, not to mention somewhat costly, but I'm a dreamer.

Via Wired.

Great name

Homagama.

Its in Sri Lanka.

Hey, without my visitors I wouldn't know where it is either.