A Bush Legacy Found on the Lost Continent

Yeah, you fucking idiot, you should be so proud of your efforts in Africa.

Little makes the White House team crazier than when critics, pundits, and reporters raise President Bush's legacy without mentioning his efforts in Africa and his $30 billion AIDS program. Like the Lost Continent itself, Africa gets forgotten in the mix of other legacy issues headlined by 9/11, the war, taxes, and partisanship. "It's frustrating," says a former top aide, "because it's one of the things he's most proud of."

Via The US Whispers.

Hispanic women change the face of Mary Kay

This story is both enlightening and fucking sad.

Its great to see Hispanics getting part of the "American dream", but at what cost?

Altagracia Valdez is dreaming of a perfect pink Cadillac. All she has to do to win it, according to her boss at Mary Kay Inc., is expand her list of "conocidos."

Those familiar connections, she says, can adorn Valdez's 60-year-old hands with diamond rings, pump up her bank account with enough money to pay the bills and buy a house and help her finally enjoy some middle-class financial security.

You need to follow the link.

Via Seattle Times.

Tax rebates seen as economic stimulus

First off, what fucking fiscal wizard figured this out? Give people some of their tax money back and they'll spend it in a couple days. Duh!

That certainly seems like a band-aid rather than a permanent fix.

Hahaha! They're talking "temporary"? Give US a fucking break. Government doesn't do temporary.

With the economy's prospects growing bleaker seemingly by the day, politicians in both parties have rallied around the three Ts, the mantra that any stimulus package needs to be timely, targeted and temporary [emphasis mine].

Via USA Today.

Can't resist

I don't usually do celebrities (figuratively speaking, but...)

Via News Highlights.

Chinese police seize endangered pangolins from home

Have you ever heard of a pangolin before? Yeah, me neither. But they apparently do exist...for now.

A foul stench led Chinese police to a home where they found 16 protected pangolins in cages and plastic bags, and another 37 dead ones in the refrigerator, the Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

Hey, gotta be eclectic (rojak). Hehehe.

Via Reuters.

What Will Bush's $140 Billion Tax Break Get You?

Personally? Hell, that's too fucking easy.

President Bush today called for a short-term $140 billion economic stimulus package to help give the sagging U.S. economy a "shot in the arm."

He urged Congress to act quickly to "keep the economy growing and to save jobs."
Video
Counting on Consumers to Spend

Most likely, tax cuts for business and tax refund checks for individuals will be part of the final deal. But what exactly do they plan to do? And when?

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, asked when Americans will see the money said, "Quickly, and in time to make a real difference this year," and he refused to elaborate.

"We're going to run like a bunny to get the relief out," he added.

IT WILL BE A CREDIT TOWARD WHAT I OWE IRS AND CAN'T POSSIBLY PAY!

In spite of the picture, I wouldn't expect $90,000 from the government if I were you.

Muahahaha!!!1!!

Via News Tin.

Fact Check: Democrats omit inconvenient realities in debate over nuclear waste

Face the fucking truth. Nuclear waste is a HUGE problem. It has been and will remain so.

The dustup between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama over nuclear waste is a case of the pot calling the kettle radioactive.

Both have taken money from a nuclear power industry that needs a place to put its waste. Both say expanded nuclear power should be considered.

Both oppose the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. Neither says exactly where the waste should go, if not the only permanent repository under development in the U.S.

Via IHT.

Bush calls for $145 billion tax-relief package

Two fucking things come to mind immediately.

What the fuck is this fantastic idiot doing running a country?

How "just fine" does he expect?

Imbecile, we are years away from being "just fine". You fucking moron.

President Bush embraced an estimated $145 billion in tax relief on Friday to jump start the lackluster economy. If Congress passes an economic stimulus package, the country will be "just fine," he said.

Hey, I can't predict when the meds will kick in.

Ya know a hard part of posting about Bush is finding enough synonyms for moron/idiot.

Via Seattle Times.

Perfect English

Hey, if you're trying to learn anything about English, move on.

I use profanity when there are better ways to say things. I love dangling participles. Mixed metaphors are great. Split infinitives? No problem. Ending sentences with prepositions is my forté. I use colloquialisms and idioms very often. Often I place adverbs where they don't belong.

Hell, often my sentence structure is fucked.

I be using words inappropriate for serious writing.

I will admit I'm usually good at subject and predicate agreement and verb tenses. Beyond that its a toss up.

You have been warned.

Trivia: How Microwave was Invented

First microwave oven?
Some things are "accidents". Like Post-it® notes.

In 1945, while working on a radar project, Percy Spencer’s chocolate bar in his pocked melted while standing in front of a magnetron. This led to the development of the microwave oven.

After he noticed the chocolate bar, Percy put popcorn kernel [sic] and raw egg in front of the magnetron to confirm that microwaves could cook food.

ZOMG!!!1!! How can anyone survive without microwave ovens? Although I love cold pizza, zapping/nuking is even better.

Is this pure shit? How many Africans have stoves let alone microwave ovens. We take so much fucking stuff for granted.

Via Neatorama.

Stop the presses! The economy is tanking!

Tell me this. In running your household, do you not anticipate future expenses relative to income? Do you not calculate risks? Do you not try to mitigate impending crises? Do you have a clue about economics? Do you read the newspapers? Do you listen to radio? Do you watch television? Do you realize how soon the shit will hit the fan?

If you answer yes to any of these questions you are more qualified than the idiot to lead this once great nation.

Seemingly out of the blue, the Bush Administration and the Congress are talking about some sort of tax relief or tax rebates. The words you hear are "urgent," "immediate," "quickly," and so on. Congress has to act "immediately" to get out this money to taxpayers "quickly." Here's my question: did no one in Washington see this coming, say, a month ago, or three months ago, so that they could have acted in a considered fashion, rather than acting like a sudden emergency has developed? For sure there are tens of millions of people outside of Washington who could have told them that.

Courtesy link: Left I on the News.

Must read IMHO

Put on your tinfoil hat and go into convulsions.

This article reviews two police state tools (among many in use) in America. One is new, undiscussed and largely unknown to the public. The other was covered in a December article by this writer called Police State America. Here it's updated with new information.

The National Applications Office (NAO)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established a new domestic spying operation in 2007 called the National Applications Office (NOA) and described it as "the executive agent to facilitate the use of intelligence community technological assets for civil, homeland security and law enforcement purposes within the United States." The office was to begin operating last fall to "build on the long-standing work of the Civil Applications Committee (CAC), which was created in 1974 to facilitate the use of the capabilities of the intelligence community for civil, non-defense uses in the United States."

With or without congressional authorization or oversight, the executive branch is in charge and will let NAO use state-of-the-art technology, including military satellite imagery, to spy on Americans without their knowledge. Implementation is delayed, however, after Committee on Homeland Security Chairman, Bennie Thompson, and other committee members raised questions of "very serious privacy and civil liberties concerns." In response, DHS agreed to delay operating (officially) until all matters are addressed and resolved.

Wow! More cat blogging.

Via The Daily Scare.

Must read IMHO

Exactly what I was thinking and wanted to post, but Tim Gatto does it much more eloquently than I ever could.

Gotta remember Gatto's name and find him in future. He really is good. Unfortunately I'm horrible at remembering names. I carry my driver license so I can remember my own.

So many issues and so many crimes against humanity, where has our nation gone, what have we turned into, a country that resembles everything we have learned to despise since childhood? We were taught that Adolf Hitler was the devil incarnate, that freedom and our civil liberties were not to be taken for granted…ever. Yet somehow we find ourselves in a conundrum that nobody could envision when we were young. What happened, who did this? Why are we throwing nuclear waste around the Middle-East, why won’t we let Seibel Edmonds speak? Who was responsible for 9/11? Why, when the majority of hijackers originated from Saudi Arabia are we fighting in Iraq? Who’s fixing the votes everywhere?

Via The Daily Scare.

Major security breach

Your PIN number has been compromised. Its on this list.

Via Jonco.

Quote of the day

"We are just so fucked. I don’t know what else to say."

-- John Cole
blogger

Via Balloon Juice.

No where to go

Yeah, I thought that should be "nowhere" too.

Folks, this is both a funny tale and a very sad one. Its something difficult to duplicate fictionally.

It's a lazy day here. There's a curfew and we can't go anywhere. The government put the curfew in place for the Ashura commemoration. The curfew is to stop car bombs from driving into crowds of pilgrims.

But it's a strange curfew. First the curfew banned all vehicles on the road, but upset pilgrims complained that they could not make it to the holy city of Karbala where Shiites converge to commemorate the slaying of Hussein, the Grandson of the Muslim prophet Mohammed.

So the government changed the curfew to allow cars with four or more people to travel. In essence buses and mini-buses can be on the roads today. Tomorrow the 10th day of the commemoration and the anniversary of the death of Hussein, his family and his followers no vehicles can be on the road.

It leads to desperation for little things. A woman who needed to run errands tried to bribe a family of three with ice cream. They would get in the car with her; she would shop, and then buy them ice cream.

I have a hankering for Falafel. But we don't have enough people willing to load up in the car to run out and buy food. So I'm sitting here, craving crispy fried chickpea patties, but there's no way to get there.

It's a lazy day here and I'm hungry.

Truth is I was gong to use this picture because I'm a fucking sucker for art photos, but then realized I could go with ice cream and cat blogging. A twofer! So, being lazy ass, I chose twofer.


Courtesy link because I purloined the whole post: Baghdad.

Scientists Clone Human Embryo

Yeah, its not a very sexy photo, but I work with what's available.

Its time to log off for now, but not before covering this little tiny item.

This is a fascinating report. How many people will be saved in a few years by this research? I'm not sure, but it should be thousands or more world wide.

This stuff makes me a little nervous. Should scientists be fucking with this? I have no idea. Oppenheimer probably shouldn't have fucked with atomic energy, but I sure wasn't consulted.

The Californian-based company Stemagen said on Thursday that they had created human embryos by cloning skin cells of adults. Their hope is to obtain the embryos’ stem cells for the purpose of curing incurable illnesses.

Some twenty years ago the words “cloning” and “stem cells” sounded like magic, almost futuristic and any progress in biological research would be faced with harsh criticism in magazines that would warn of great dangers of cloning.

But things have changed. Especially after a false statement made by Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk in 2004 who said that he had managed to clone a human embryo and obtain stem cells from it. After this scientists became rather sceptical about similar statements. This is why not much attention was paid to a report published by the “Stem Cells” journal on Thursday. The authors said they had managed to create a human embryo and believe they could harvest stem cells from it as raw material for ‘creating’ all types of tissue necessary for the human body (the heart, muscles, liver etc.). Scientists separated the DNA from donated ova and replaced it with the DNA obtained from skin cells of two volunteers, creating embryos with their genetic make-up. Still they have not extrapolated the stem cells from the embryo, Time reports.

The company announced that it had created five human embryos using the skin cells of the two men. But after testing they could confirm that the embryos were clones of the two men with complete certainty for only three of the five embryos. The embryos were destroyed after the test.

I do know for sure we're in the "cross your fingers" zone.

Via Javno.

Spokesman: Bobby Fischer Has Died

Bobby Fischer at the 1972 chess table
Will there ever be another like Bobby? I seriously doubt it.

Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64.

Fischer died Thursday in a Reykjavik hospital, his spokesman, Gardar Sverrisson, said. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.

Born in Chicago and raised in Brooklyn, Robert James Fischer was a U.S. chess champion at 14 and a grand master at 15. He beat Spassky in a series of games in Reykjavik to claim America's first world chess championship in more than a century.

Some people are just too unique to be duplicated.

Via Edwardsville Intelligencer.

A fresh look at terrorism's roots

This is definitely a must read IMHO.

When considering solutions to really important problems it is useful to step back and ask what if everything we know is wrong.

The question, of course, is not asked nearly enough. Questions that are complex and difficult often require solutions that are equally difficult and complex. Sometimes they require us to shake off our preconceived blinders and think in entirely new ways,

Take, for example, the issue of terrorism. To look at a document like the White House's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism is to read statements like this:

The terrorism we confront today springs from: Political alienation; grievances that can be blamed on others; subcultures of conspiracy and misinformation; and an ideology that justifies murder.

But what if that is wrong? What if all the platitudes and cliches about why people turn to terror, such as George W Bush administration claims that global Islamic terrorists hate democracy and freedom, are based on myths and sound bites, signifying nothing? What if most of the terror experts are guilty of the same sin that the intelligence agencies were accused of in regard to the reason the US invaded Iraq, ie, cherry picking the evidence?

If that is the problem then the answer is this book.

Yeah, yeah, lazy ass blogging. So sue me.

Via Asia Times.

Black Voters Generations Apart

Beefcake Obama (not an endorsement)
This is very disturbing. It matters little the color of your skin, generations look to their own for guidance.

When will the fucking media quit focusing on race? Do they want to divide the country as badly as the idiot-in-chief?

ZOMG!!!1!! Black people are acting "normal". Hide the children.

When civil rights elders signed on to support Hillary Rodham Clinton's run for president, it was seen as a coup in the competition for the black vote, especially in the Deep South.

Yet many younger black voters seem to be shrugging off the sway of leaders such as Rep. John Lewis and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, siding instead with Barack Obama's history-making bid to be the nation's first black president.

It's a generational struggle that should serve as a warning to Democrats as they head into primary contests in states with large black populations: The black vote today is anything but monolithic.

It also suggests the influence the civil rights leaders have enjoyed as political kingmakers is waning.

"The figureheads are not actually gatekeepers to the black vote," said William Jelani Cobb, a 38-year-old history professor at the historically black Spelman College.

"No disrespect, but they don't speak for us."

Via rrstar.

Israel closes Gaza crossings, blocks aid shipments

Rafah border crossing
I won't even try to be civil on this one. This is fucking bullshit.

CHILDREN AND THE AILING ELDERLY IN GAZA ARE NOT FIRING ROCKETS AT ISRAEL!

Nor are most people living in Gaza. The people need food and medicine.

Israel tightened its closure of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Friday in response to cross-border rocket fire, preventing even U.N. humanitarian supplies from getting in, officials said.

The decision came after Israel vowed to broaden its military campaign against Gaza militants who have fired more than 110 rockets at southern Israel in the last three days.

I'm sorry, but I consider Israel a terrorist regime. The Israeli people, not so much, but the fucking government...

BTW, that's a picture of the border crossing when it was open. How many of those people depend on employment in Israel to feed their families?

Via Reuters.

Revisiting the British Airlines crash at Heathrow

I've read several accounts now about this landing. Some suspect a flock of birds hit the plane, some say it may have run out of fuel. The pilot said the electronics failed and in another interview said the plane just stopped operating.

Here's my take on this. Modern aircraft electronics don't "fail". There is so much fucking redundancy built in its as close to impossible as humans can make it.

The pilot would have reported bird strikes. Out of fuel is possible, but airlines are pretty damn good at making sure that doesn't happen.

Look for a maintenance problem. In trying to cope with rising costs, its likely most airlines are getting rid of maintenance personnel and are starting with the oldest (read expensive) and most experienced people.

Hey, I could be completely wrong about this, as if I've never been wrong before, but let's just check back on this in a month or so.

Via CNN.

That Marketing Was Old and Tired, This is the New Marketing Hotness

I'm tagging this as humor because these idiots have to be shitting us. What pomposity.

The American Marketing Association has taken upon itself to redefine the word ‘marketing.’ I’ve always thought of marketing as a corporatespeak for selling. Silly me!

Before the "upgrade," the word marketing was defined as:

"Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."

Got it? Now, scratch that, because there is a new definition:

"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."

The AMA has this to say for the re-definition:

I agree with the author. Marketing is selling stuff to others and that's it. Yeah, there are bells and whistles, but its only one small step above selling snake oil*.

Corporate axiom for those outside the corporate structure (you lucky bastards): Everyone works for the marketing department.

To Neatorama for the rest.

* American term (I think). Snake oil was supposed to solve all your problems, from acne to high blood pressure to rashes to liver problems to constipation to... In other words, snake oil was fraudulent and those selling it were charlatans.

Via Neatorama.

Aircraft cockpits (flight decks* to be PC)

F-117 Nighthawk
And you get confused by all the instruments on your automobile's dashboard? Muahaha.

The F-117 is the world’s first operational stealth aircraft. Through a combination of faceted surfaces, advanced materials, and other technologies, the Nighthawk is virtually undetectable to radar. With precision weapons, the F-117 can destroy heavily defended, high-value targets with impunity. Essentially designed by electrical engineers, the F-117 is inherently unstable and stays airborne through a sophisticated flight control system. The original cockpit design used many off-the-shelf components, such as F/A-18 displays. A complete set of standby flight instruments is included as a backup. Plastic glareshield extensions are used to minimize instrument reflections on the flat canopy side panes.

More photos at the link provided by Neatorama.

Confession: I often steal without remorse from Neatorama, but I see it as advertising the site. Such Is how rationality works.

* Don't laugh, aircraft manufacturers already have changed to the term "flight deck". I'm guessing most pilots haven't.

Via Neatorama.

Wounded Vets Trade One Hell for Another

This is not at all surprising because this administration has a history of ignoring problems, believing they will somehow magically go away.

The problems don't go away, of course, but what do those people care? It isn't really affecting them or theirs.

Top Bush administration officials knew about problems like those at Walter Reed, but they had other priorities.

Dim Son, feel free to print out the above picture (click for larger) and put it by your fucking bedside. I'm sure it will help you sleep well each night.

Via Alternet.

Investigation begins into Heathrow crash landing

The undercarriage from a British Airways
Boeing 777 plane flying from China that
landed short of the runway is seen at
London's Heathrow Airport,
Thursday Jan. 17, 2008.
Credit and praise are due the airliner's staff. That only one person spent the night in hospital and none died is truly remarkable.

Put another way, you don't land a Boeing 777 on grass. It just ain't designed for that.

An investigation was underway Friday into how a jet crash landed short of the runway at London Heathrow, injuring 18 people and cancelling more than 200 flights at the world's busiest international airport.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the British Airways airliner's staff and pilot, who drew particular praise throughout Friday morning's British press, for his efforts in landing the plane.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said an initial report on Thursday's crash would be available within 48 hours, but Chief Inspector of Air Accidents David King warned that it could take more than a month for the full report to be produced.

All those on board the plane from Beijing will be questioned by the AAIB, and the airliner's "black box" and cockpit voice recorders will also be checked.

Brown, speaking to reporters after landing in Beijing on a diplomatic visit, said it was "right to pay tribute to the calmness and professionalism of the British Airways staff and the captain and what he achieved in landing the plane."

Via AFP.

Huckabee links gay sex to bestiality, abortion to slavery

File this one under: Politicians Gone Wild.

Truthfully I can't believe how off-the-wall batshit crazy some of the GOP candidates are. Its almost like they're trying to sabotage the party.

Republican presidential hopeful and former Baptist pastor Mike Huckabee linked gay sex to bestiality and abortion to slavery in an interview Thursday, explaining why, if elected, he would try to amend the constitution.

I'm more sane than most of the GOP contenders. Maybe I should run as a Republican.

Yeah, he plays bass guitar. Big fucking deal. I practiced for a couple weeks and performed with a band. It was only one simple number, but still...

Via AFP.

Canada puts U.S. on torture watch list:

Just what in hell gave these people the fucking idea the US tortures people.

Damn stupid Canucks*!

CTV News has learned that, as part of a "torture awareness workshop," diplomats are now being told where to watch for abuse.

The aim of the workshop: to teach diplomats who visit Canadians in foreign jails how to tell if they've been tortured. It also listed countries and places with greater risks of torture. The list includes Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and China. But surprisingly, it also included the United States, Guantanamo Bay, and Israel.

It notes specific "U.S. interrogation techniquies," which include "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation." The U.S. has repeatedly denied allegations by international groups that it tortures prisoners captured in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. However, U.S. officials have refused to comment on the Canadian list.

Hey, Bush, do we have any troops left we can use to attack Canada?

* See item 9 here or don't. It merely states "Canucks" is not a derogatory term for Canadians. That's important to me or I would never use it.

Via The Agonist.

Bin Laden son wants to be peace activist

Is this a ruse? Is Omar sincere and really wants a peaceful approach? Is he influenced by his wife who is twice his age? Don't ask me.

One thing is clear, a new generation will be required to end the bloodshed. Osama bin Laden will never stop on his own. His approach is to violently try to drive the infidels out of the Mid-East and he knows no other path.

Omar Osama bin Laden bears a striking resemblance to his notorious father — except for the dreadlocks that dangle halfway down his back. Then there's the black leather biker jacket. The 26-year-old does not renounce his father, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, but in an interview with The Associated Press, he said there is better way to defend Islam than militancy: Omar wants to be an "ambassador for peace" between Muslims and the West.

Omar — one of bin Laden's 19 children — raised a tabloid storm last year when he married a 52-year-old British woman, Jane Felix-Browne, who took the name Zaina Alsabah. Now the couple say they want to be advocates, planning a 3,000-mile horse race across North Africa to draw attention to the cause of peace.

"It's about changing the ideas of the Western mind. A lot of people think Arabs — especially the bin Ladens, especially the sons of Osama — are all terrorists. This is not the truth," Omar told the AP last week at a cafe in a Cairo shopping mall.

Of course, many may have a hard time getting their mind around the idea of "bin Laden: peacenik."

"Omar thinks he can be a negotiator," said Alsabah, who is trying to bring her husband to Britain. "He's one of the only people who can do this in the world."

Omar lived with the al-Qaida leader in Sudan, then moved with him to Afghanistan in 1996.

There, Omar says he trained at an al-Qaida camp but in 2000 he decided there must be another way and he left his father, returning to his homeland of Saudi Arabia.

"I don't want to be in that situation to just fight. I like to find another way and this other way may be like we do now, talking," he said in English.

Hey, is that 7 Up they're drinking? How fucking decadent is that? Just asking.

Via Yahoo! News.

Predators

Ya ever notice how predators work? I'm talking spam emails, snail mails, phone calls.

They tap into your weaknesses.

You need more money? We can help with a mortgage on your house. Or, more likely, we can send you a credit card with an upper limit you can't possibly afford. No credit check and only a 75% interest rate per month. We do accept your first born as payment.

You can't perform in bed? We have Viagra, Levitra, Cialis and they're much cheaper than at your local pharmacy. Hell, they're cheaper than aspirin or Ibuprofen.

You need love because you're lonely? We have thousands of lovely ladies just waiting for you. And Viagra, Levitra, Cialis are readily available (check your inbox). Hehehe.

Afraid you'll burn in hell? We offer salvation. But we would like a small donation to keep the message alive.

I'm sure the list is almost endless. I don't know. I don't listen to phone calls trying to push something, throw out the mail I don't recognize and almost never read the spam in my emails.

About the picture. Is that some sort of crème de la crème of SPAM®?

Personally, I love SPAM®...not spam. Fried SPAM® sandwiches are great. Especially with an egg.

Must read IMHO (NSFW)

Is it just me? Why is any evidence we need to know what the Bush administration is doing either not available, lost, misplaced, down the rabbit hole, destroyed, a matter of national security or executive privilege?

Is there any fucking thing Bush will let US see? Silly question. I admit my stupidity.


Oh yeah, he might well moon* US.

* See image. Showing one's butt.

Ranger Against War.

PPP Poll: McCain Ahead in South Carolina

Now I'm so fucking confused I think I have to take a break.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is now conducting polls? WTF? Why are they for John McCain?

The latest Public Policy Polling survey in South Carolina finds Sen. John McCain leading with 28%, followed by Mike Huckabee at 20%, Mitt Romney at 18% and Fred Thompson at 17%.

"The key finding here is that the results of Michigan didn't really do anything to alter the landscape in South Carolina. With some small shifts, everyone is in the same place they were when we polled the race late last week."

"The biggest outcome of the South Carolina primary may be the virtual death of Mike Huckabee's candidacy. If he can't win a state with as many evangelicals as South Carolina, it's hard to see where he can win in the upcoming primaries."

Oops. A different PPP. Its the Public Policy Polling survey. My mistake.

Fucking acronyms.

Via Taegan Goddard.

Rant of the first fucking order

Three fucking times today I wrote a post. Each didn't appeared on my blogsite.

Why? Because Blogger saved each as a draft. I don't fucking do drafts. I write. I choose pix. I edit. I proofread. Then I post.

Meanwhile this host is logging my posts as drafts and they don't post when I click "PUBLISH POST".

This is a new "feature" this blogger doesn't care too goddamn much about.

Its a pain in the ass (PITA) to have to look at my blogsite to see if I've been updated or screwed. I don't really need the aggravation.

STOP IT, BLOGGER!

So Much for "Electability"

Civility at all times. Got that? I understand it. Muahahaha.

Goddamn sumbitch. Vote for the person you believe will lead the country well.

If you went for Ross Perot, fine. Nader? Whatever. Mondale, Clinton (Bill), Dole?

Just don't vote for whom you believe will be the winner. That's a damned self-disenfranchising way to vote. You are saying you don't trust yourself to choose wisely. You are "We The People". Use the power you have. Think for yourselves. Don't be fucking sheep.

I'm very curious how many people would have voted for a guy with a wig and wooden teeth. Not to mention a ridiculous uniform, but Washington did become the President.

Today's must-read piece is from Walter Shapiro: "Never has there been a presidential season that has made such a mockery of the elusive concept of electability. At this point voters in both parties seem totally baffled about who would be their strongest candidate in the general election."

Via Salon.

Unsure you're a prostitute?

Unsure if you're a prostitute? Well, there is hope. We will help you.

If you engage in sexual services for money (a few drinks don't count) you can pretty much be assured you are one.

Hey, is "sort it out for you" a euphemism? Sure sounds nasty.

Methinks the world has gone totally bonkers.

Via The WVSR.

Do you fly airplanes?

If so you should enjoy this exchange be a pilot and a rookie air traffic controller.

From Dennis Rainwater, October 2007 - I have a (well, almost) personal ATC/Pilot conversation I thought I'd share with you. I was a weather guy in the USAF during the late 80s-early 90s, and while I was stationed at RAF Woodbridge in England I often hung out with a controller in the tower cab just above our office. This fellow shared a story with me that he claimed happened to him personally. I can't vouch 100% for the authenticity of this tale, but the guy was generally believable... Also, a detail or two might be blurred by my own faulty memory over the past 15-20 years, but here it goes: My friend says he was training an ATC rookie - I think he said it was out at Nellis AFB. Anyway, one day this kid takes a call from an aircraft requesting clearance to FL 800 (80,000 feet)...

Rookie (dripping with sarcasm): "Okay, hotshot -- if you think you can take her that high, GO FOR IT!!"
Pilot of the SR-71 on the other end of the radio: "Roger Control; now DESCENDING from 100,000 feet to FL 800...."

Via Business Balls.

Bumper stickers

Great! Now I'm hungry.
These are some I hadn't seen before.

Better half a slogan...

If God is within, I hope he likes enchiladas!

Carpe Diem = Seize the day. Carp In Denim = Fish in pants.

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.

Via Bumper Stickers (warning: long list. many old ones).

English-to-12-year-old translator

It was written for AOLers, but will work equally well in chats and on cellular phones.

Example:

English - where are you right now? in the mall?

Translation - WH3RE R U RITE NOW??!!!!!? OMG LOL IN DA MAL
??!?!???! WTF

Via Translator.

GOP Figure Contracted to Deliver E-Voting Machines in Maryland

Now how in hell can this not be a conflict of interest? If he were an employee of Diebold it would be one thing, but the story says he runs the fucking company.

The former head of the Maryland Republican Party runs the firm tasked with delivering most of the Diebold voting machines during this year's primary and general elections. He says there's no conflict of interest, but voting rights activists aren't so sure [emphasis mine].

Via Wired.

Opium fields spread across Iraq as farmers try to make ends meet

So, Dim Son, how is your war on drugs going? Ya gonna lose that one too?

Not only is Afghanistan coming in with a bumper crop, but now Iraq is getting into the act.

The cultivation of opium poppies whose product is turned into heroin is spreading rapidly across Iraq as farmers find they can no longer make a living through growing traditional crops.

Via Independent.

Life...can't live with it...can't live without it

Things have been absolutely crazy around here. No time to post. In fact probably won't post much for the next few hours, but I will return.

Thank you to my regular readers who've hung in there. I expected to come back to find my average readership down and it actually went up by three.

Possible repeat - I'm senile

If you don't know Ottmar Liebert. You are seriously deficient.

I suggest you start with Luna Negra, but Noueveao Flamenco is also a good choice.

I care not what music you like. This sucker will blow you away. Trust me on this one.

If you play guitar, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM. You will shit your pants.

Music

Got sidetracked by The Best of 3 Dog Night.

Causes tears. Yeah, I'm an old fart.

Ya hate your cat?

Then ya gotta go to Neatorama. You can embarrass the shit out of it.

Via Neatorama.

Must read IMHO

Bad Attitudes.

The Voter ID Fraud

Don't get this wrong. It's an attempt to disenfranchise voters.

There's a war on across the country over who will be allowed to vote in 2008. One of the key battles in the election was fought on January 9 before the Supreme Court.

The case is called Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. It tests an Indiana statute, passed in 2005, requiring voters to present a government-issued ID before they can cast a ballot. The law is aimed at alleged fraudulent voting by unregistered or noncitizen voters. Republicans insist that these voters pose a major problem, despite the fact that every systematic study of the question has concluded that this kind of fraud-called "voter impersonation"-is all but unknown in the United States right now. In fact, authorities in Indiana could not point to a single case of voter impersonation in the state's history.

Via Daily Scare.

What are you doing here? - man asks wife at brothel

Fucking oops.

A Polish man got the shock of his life when he visited a brothel and spotted his wife among the establishment's employees. Polish tabloid Super Express said the woman had been making some extra money on the side while telling her husband she worked at a store in a nearby town.

Of course you can anticipate her question...and you? Hahaha.

Via The signs.

Welcome to the US of the CCCP

Jesus H Christ in an orange jumpsuit.

If this doesn't upset you, you're in trouble. Sorry, folks.

Gawd, I'm so annoyed by my pessimism. Hey, at least its something to cling to.

Eighty people were arrested at the Supreme Court Friday in a protest calling for the shutdown of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Demonstrators wearing orange jump suits intended to simulate prison garb were arrested inside and outside the building. "Shut it down," protesters chanted as others kneeled on the plaza in front of the court.

They were charged with violating an ordinance that prohibits demonstrations of any kind on court grounds. Those arrested inside the building also were charged under a provision that makes it a crime to give "a harangue or oration" in the Supreme Court building.

The maximum penalty is 60 days in jail, a fine or both.

Via The Signs.