Personal - A picture share

Morning in St. Louis.

Personal - In memory of WJK.

Personal - Is there a required uniform?

Three... three of my frelling neighbors are mowing their lawns.
At the same time.

It looks like some kind of... sick lawn mowing club or something.

Personal - Star Trek Meme

Your results:
You are Worf

You are trained in the art of combat
and are usually intimidating.


Worf

---

60%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)

---

60%
Chekov

---

60%
Jean-Luc Picard

---

55%
Uhura

---

55%
Will Riker

---

50%
Deanna Troi

---

45%
Geordi LaForge

---

45%
James T. Kirk (Captain)

---

45%
Data

---

42%
Beverly Crusher

---

40%
Spock

---

34%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)

---

30%
Mr. Scott

---

25%
Mr. Sulu

---

15%


Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character are you?" quiz...

Personal - A Picture Share

Current events - Rocky Anderson

"Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism." - Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson

Media - WTF, SciFi? Why you gotta do that to me?

I've avoided Stargate (all incarnations) since it left Showtime (ok, a bit after season one, really).

So what do the evil bastards at SciFi Channel do? They go out and get Ben Browder and Claudia Black from one of my favorite all time scifi shows.

Ok, I can do this... still not watching.

Not easily swayed, the maniacs have now gone and persuaded the most beautiful companion in the frontier territories, Morena Baccarin who played Inara from another of my favorite all time scifi shows, Firefly.

DAMN YOU, SCIFI! DAMN YOU!

Science - RIP, Pluto

Via AP Wire by way of the Kansas City Star

Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.

News flash: Plutonian scientists have downgraded Earth from "planet" to "annoying bunch of pricks who think they are so important." More on this story as it develops.

Current events - Comprehensive Iraq war timeline

Via Think Progress

We're officially involved in Iraq longer than we were involved in World War 2.

Current events - Eisenhower

A great quote from Ike, via a blog called, Get In Their Face!

"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?" - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Current events - NSA Wiretapping Program Unconstitutional

But we all kind of knew that, didn't we?

Via Think Progress

Fox News reports a federal district court in Detroit has ruled that the Bush administration’s NSA warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional and ordered an immediate halt to it.

No way the shrub will let this stand.

Personal - RIP

I like to get out of the office on my lunch break. It helps break the day up and makes it pass quicker.

Generally, I take my sandwich, yogurt and apple over to a park near the office and just enjoy the alone time.

Yesterday, as I was heading back to work, I saw a really pretty german shepard mix dog walking along the street. He had a collar and tags on and stopped to watch me drive past before continuing his stroll. I noticed a city employee in a truck pulling over and talking on h9is radio while trying to get the dog to approach him. I figure, Ok, hopefully the pup will be back with his family soon.

Not so.

Today at lunch, I found this beautiful animal dead on the side of the road. He was apparently run over.

I can only assume that the city guy couldn't get the dog to come and that animal control didn't get there in time to catch him. Maybe the dog took off into the nearby woods.

I hope it was a quick death and he didn't suffer.

Humor - Why beer is better than religion

Via Brewstraveler.com
Reasons Why Beer is Better Than Religion

10. No one will kill you for not drinking Beer.

9. Beer doesn't tell you how to have sex.

8. Beer has never caused a major war.

7. They don't force Beer on minors who can't think for themselves.

6. When you have a Beer, you don't knock on people's doors trying to give it away.

5. Nobody's ever been burned at the stake, hanged, or tortured over his brand of Beer.

4. You don't have to wait 2000+ years for a second Beer.

3. There are laws saying Beer labels can't lie to you.

2. You can prove you have a Beer.

1. If you've devoted your life to Beer, there are groups to help you stop.

The Web - Is Firefox prefered by aliens?

Via Linux Users Group - Oregon State University

Firefox Crop Circle

Personal - Mr. & Mrs. Beaglebot have a son!

Welcome to the world Logan!

(Check the wonderful world of Fuzzytopia at the link on the right.)

Humor - Are you ready?

Current events - Randi Rhodes asks a great question

Via Hoffmania

"Why did the president cut and run from Afghanistan?"

Current events - Another anniversary

Via Think Progress

"It’s been four years, ten months and twenty-five days since President Bush pledged to capture Bin Laden “dead or alive.”

How's that workin out for you, Decider?

Current events - Cheney

Via Think Progress

From a teleconfrence interview with the biggest Dick (Cheney) on the planet.

The thing that’s partly disturbing about it is the fact that, the standpoint of our adversaries, if you will, in this conflict, and the al Qaeda types, they clearly are betting on the proposition that ultimately they can break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task.

Sweet jumpin Jeebus on a pogo-stick…

al Qaeda knows we won’t “complete the task” because we showed them we wouldn’t when Cheney/Bush/Rumsfeld let their collective ADD kick in and they stopped focusing on Afghanistan and bin Laden.

This just shows that the American people, at least those who are in touch with reality, have realized we let the wrong people get a hold of our country.

Games - RPG Motivational Posters

RPG Motivational Posters

Current events - BP knew about their leak months ago

Via Common Dreams
Oil Gushes into Arctic Ocean from BP Pipeline
by Leonard Doyle
Published on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 by the Independent / UK

The first indication of the spill came in early March, when an oily patch was discovered near the elevated oil transmission pipeline, but the full scale of the accident is only becoming clear with time. Environmentalists who vociferously objected to the construction of the BP pipeline may now see their worst fears realised.

Clean-up crews have removed more than 190,000 litres of crude oil and melted snow off the frozen tundra but reports indicate that the leak is the second largest crude oil spill in Alaska - second only to the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

Humor - Bush Grants Self Permission To Grant More Power To Self

Via The Onion

Bush Grants Self Permission To Grant More Power To Self
"In a decisive 1–0 decision Monday, President Bush voted to grant the president the constitutional power to grant himself additional powers.

President Bush announces announcement of the new power-granting announcement.

'As president, I strongly believe that my first duty as president is to support and serve the president,' Bush said during a televised address from the East Room of the White House shortly after signing his executive order. 'I promise the American people that I will not abuse this new power, unless it becomes necessary to grant myself the power to do so at a later time.'"

Personal - Barbeque!

I'm judging my first official BBQ contest as a Certified Barbeque Judge. It's this weekends Cabela's Bar-B-Que Challenge

As Bozino said: "lucky droid."

Personal - Last night I became certified

A certified Kansas City Barbeque Society Judge, that is.

What does that mean? It means I am now qualified to, "celebrate, teach, preserve, and promote barbecue as a culinary technique, sport and art form."

Oh... and I get to taste some of the best barbeque in the country!

Current events - US Gubment now suing MO & NJ for asking too many questions

Via Reuters.com

The US gov't sues Missouri officials on AT&T subpoena - The U.S. government, citing national security concerns, on Tuesday sued Missouri officials for demanding that AT&T Inc. disclose whether it gave customer data to the government's spying program.

Missouri Public Service Commissioners Robert Clayton and Steve Gaw, state utility regulators, had served subpoenas to AT&T Missouri and its affiliates in June amid speculation over their involvement with the National Security Agency.

The government's civil suit, submitted by the U.S. Department of Justice to a district court in Missouri, said the state officials' attempts to obtain the information from AT&T and its affiliates were invalid.

'This court should therefore enter a declaratory judgment that the State Defendants do not have the authority to seek confidential and sensitive federal government information and thus cannot enforce the subpoenas they have served on the telecommunications carriers,' the suit said.

The federal government has also sued the New Jersey Attorney General who also subpoenaed AT&T over the issue.

Shut up. Get in line. Take what we give you. Got it.

Current events - All the REST of your money are belong to Conoco Phillips

Via Yahoo! News

ConocoPhillips profit leaps 65 pct. in 2Q - The nation's third-largest oil company earned $5.18 billion, or $3.09 per share, compared with $3.14 billion, or $2.21 per share, in the second quarter of 2005. Results far surpassed Wall Street expectations, as analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial anticipated earnings of $2.81 per share.

Revenues rose 12.6 percent to $47.1 billion from $41.8 billion in the year-ago period.

Current events - All your money are belong to BP

Via New York Times

Profits Pour in at BP; Chief Sets Exit
John Browne, the chief executive of BP, confirmed today that he would leave the giant oil company at the end of 2008, after reaching its mandatory retirement age of 60. At the same time, the company announced a profit of $7.27 billion in the second quarter, 30 percent more than the comparable period a year ago and the equivalent of more than $55,000 a minute.

$34.00 for less than 11 gallons yesterday. Mission accomplished.

Current events - AT&T/NSA get a pass from accountability

Via BusinessWeek Online

Judge dismisses lawsuit over phone records

Citing national security, a federal judge Tuesday threw out a lawsuit aimed at blocking AT&T Inc. from giving telephone records to the government for use in the war on terror.

'The court is persuaded that requiring AT&T to confirm or deny whether it has disclosed large quantities of telephone records to the federal government could give adversaries of this country valuable insight into the government's intelligence activities,' U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly said.

Kennelly ruled in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois on behalf of author Studs Terkel and other activists who said their constitutional rights were violated because of a National Security Agency program of gathering phone company records illegally.

If you are still patronizing these steaming piles of corporate crap, you haven't been paying attantion.

Personal - ABC Meme

Only cause Shiggy & PAgent did it first..

ABC Meme
Accent – Midwestern, so... none.
Booze of choice – Guinness or a Martini.
Chore I hate – Mowing.
Dog or cat – Both. Bear and Zoe.
Essential electronics – PC.
Favorite perfume(s)/cologne(s) – None.
Gold or Silver? - Silver.
Hometown – Where I'm from originally? Parsons, KS.
Insomnia? – Never. I have a very clean conscience.
Job Title – Network Admin... not a good one, but...
Kids? - One 3 year old girl.
Living Arrangement – With my wife, daughter, cat, dog and fish.
Most admired trait – Sense of humor.
Number of Sexual Partners – Total? Not sure I'm ok with answering that.
Overnight Hospital Stays – Pneumonia when I was 8.
Phobia – Spiders.
Religion – Apathetic-agnostic.
Siblings – One younger sister.
Time I wake up - 4:30 AM.
Unusual talent/skill – Not one damn thing. Sad, no?
Vegetable I refuse to eat – Beets.
Worst habit – Surfing the web at work.
Yummy foods I make – Chili, pancakes, anything on the grill.
Zodiac sign - Capricorn.

Personal - A Picture Share

Current events - Time to play... "Who Said That?"

See if you can guess who made the following statements...

1. “It’s part of God’s plan for the future of mankind.”
(A) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Iranian revolutionary)
(B) Ali al-Sistani (Iraq's top Shiite cleric)
(C) Rep. John Carter (Republican representative from TX)

2. “It wasn’t our idea, it was God’s.”
(A) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Iranian revolutionary)
(B) Ali al-Sistani (Iraq's top Shiite cleric)
(C) Rep. Mike Pence (Republican representative from IN)

3. “We best not be messing with His plan.”
(A) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Iranian revolutionary)
(B) Ali al-Sistani (Iraq's top Shiite cleric)
(C) Rep. Bob Beauprez (Republican representative from CO)

4. “I think God has spoken very clearly on this issue.”
(A) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Iranian revolutionary)
(B) Ali al-Sistani (Iraq's top Shiite cleric)
(C) Rep. Phil Gingrey (Republican representative from GA)

Tough, huh?

Current events - He's "Decided" not to let you see him sign his first veto

Via Think Progress

SNOW: The president will, however, before he delivers remarks this afternoon, veto the Castle bill.

Here's how it works, because I know a lot of you have had questions. There will be no photographers, no ceremony. What the president will do is, in his office, he will sign a veto message, he will hand it to a clerk, who will convey it to a clerk of the House, and then you go through the formalities of announcing a message from the president, and at some point the House will vote on the veto.

QUESTION: Is there a reason why he's not having photographers in, at least?

SNOW: Because he doesn't feel it's appropriate. He's signing a veto.

Incompetent prick.

Blogs - Cenk Uygur: Our President is an Imbecile

Excellent commentary on our Great National Embarassment.

Via The Huffington Post

What I found to be the most damning is the least quoted part of Bush's comments. As you read this transcript, remember that this is not a small child talking, but the President of the United States of America:
------------------------------------
The camera is focused elsewhere and it is not clear whom Bush is talking to, but possibly Chinese President Hu Jintao, a guest at the summit.

Bush: 'Gotta go home. Got something to do tonight. Go to the airport, get on the airplane and go home. How about you? Where are you going? Home?

Bush: 'This is your neighborhood. It doesn't take you long to get home. How long does it take you to get home?'

Reply is inaudible.

Bush: 'Eight hours? Me too. Russia's a big country and you're a big country.'

At this point, the president seems to bring someone else into the conversation.

Bush: 'It takes him eight hours to fly home.'

He turns his attention to a server.

Bush: 'No, Diet Coke, Diet Coke.'

He turns back to whomever he was talking with.

Bush: 'It takes him eight hours to fly home. Eight hours. Russia's big and so is China.'
------------------------------------
Russia's big and so is China??????? This guys sounds like a third grader. Do you know anyone who would have a conversation like this with their neighbor, let alone a business associate, let alone a world leader? Who's proud to know that Russia is big and so is China?

Can anyone now credibly claim that Bush is secretly working on a master plan behind the scenes and that he's just playing cowboy for the cameras? I hope the master plan doesn't involve figuring out how long it takes to get to China.

Comics - I have sinned against one of the best webcomics around

Please forgive me for not having a link to the awesomeness that is Sinfest.

As penance, please accept the following "teh funny"...

Politics - Bush and Tony discuss the Mid-East

So I'm watching this video of Dubya talking to Tony at the G8 lunch, and the thing that struck me most... the guy chews with his mouth open.

The "leader of the free world" chews with his fracking mouth open.

He's an embarassment.

Thanks to Crooks & Liars for the vid.

Movies - A Scanner Darkly

Trailer for Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly

The Web - Uncrate

Found via gizmodo

Uncrate: The Buyer's Guide For Men, is a web magazine for guys who love stuff. Our team finds the best gadgets, clothes, cars and more so you can blow your rent money easier. Updated daily.

I love how "stuff" is defined.

Politics - Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius for President, 2008!

Personal - Worst part of using online job search sites

I have received two spam messages from this Padma clown in the last day. He's spaming me using two different names. If I block the address he is using, I'll block all email from careerbuilder.com.

+++++++++++++++

From: "Kothapalli Radhika"

Req for the position "Desktop support Analyst II"
Hello,

This is Padma, and I am a Recruiter for Everest Business Solutions. I am currently trying to staff a "Desktop support Analyst II" position with one of
our clients in Kansas

Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss this position further.
*snip*

+++++++++++++++
AND
+++++++++++++++

From: "Andrew Clark"

Req for the position "Desktop support Analyst II"
Hello,

This is Padma, and I am a Recruiter for Everest Business Solutions. I am currently trying to staff a "Desktop support Analyst II" position with one of
our clients in Kansas.

Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss this position further.

*snip*
+++++++++++++++

A-holes.

The Web - Firefox headlines

A pair of stories about my favorite web browser.

First, via InformationWeek

Firefox's share of the Web browser market has surpassed 15% in the U.S. and 12% globally, according to Web analytics company OneStat.com.

and again, via InformationWeek

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) can be downloaded from Mozilla's FTP site, although the official Beta 1 won't be released until July 11, according to notes published by the open-source developer.

Think Progress

Via Think Progress

Here’s the top five budget deficits of all time:
1. 2004 (George W. Bush) $413 billion
2. 2003 (George W. Bush) $378 billion
3. 2005 (George W. Bush) $318 billion
4. 2006 (George W. Bush) $296 billion (projected)
5. 1992 (George H. W. Bush) $290 billion

"Fiscal conservative" my ass.

Games - He gets a plus 5 against diaper rash

Humor - Two patients

Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.

The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.

The second patient sees his family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits six weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another month and finally has his surgery scheduled for three months from then.

Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The first is a golden retriever.
The second is a senior citizen.

Blogs - More from the brilliant Radley Balko

Via TheAgitator.com

Consult the Declaration of Independence. Among the greivances the signers aired against King George:

- He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

- He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

- He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

- He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

[...]

- For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

- For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States...

- For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

- For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

[...]

- He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

- He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Let's see. By my count, you've got your 'military tribunals,' your 'indefinite detentions,' your 'black sites,' and your 'militarization of police' all neatly tucked into that passage, the whole of which sounds as if it goes quite a bit further than mere 'money and taxes,' no?

Personal - It was four years ago today...

7:00 p.m..
89 degrees.
Mostly sunny.

She wore a white strapless dress with her hair up.
I wore a black tux with a burgundy bow tie and cumberbund.

I actually gasped when I saw her coming down the aisle.
I knew I made the right decision.

Politics - Kansas Reps prove they have no idea what they are talking about

Via The Office of the Clerk of the House Of Representatives

QUESTION: On Agreeing to the Resolution
BILL TITLE: Supporting intelligence and law enforcement programs to track terrorists and terrorist finances conducted consistent with Federal law and with appropriate Congressional consultation and specifically condemning the disclosure and publication of classified information that impairs the international fight against, etc.

So here we have the House voting on a resolution basically condeming the NYT for disclosing the supposed classified info that Dubya and Co. were looking into financial records to catch terrists. Only... President Cheney, Vice-President Bush, Connie Rice... everyone in the administration has been saying for three years that they were going after their financial records. HOW can that be classified when they use it as talking-points all the damn time?

Buncha retarded monkeys in that House.

Anyway... Ryun and Tiahrt voted for this insane waste of time. (Moran didn't vote which is the only good thing he's done since getting there.)

Politics - Pat Roberts... flip-flopper?

Via Think Progress

Today, Senate Coverup Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) attacked the media for writing about the SWIFT bank records tracking program, and he called for a “formal damage assessment” to be done by Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte. (Dan Froomkin today explained how the “existence of SWIFT itself has not exactly been a secret.”)

Roberts began his attack on the media yesterday:

If another attack occurs because of this information going out…the people who have written these stories and the people who have made their decisions should look in the mirror.

But Roberts is the one who needs to “look in the mirror” about the effects leaks have on national security. The National Journal’s Murray Waas reported in April that during the start of the Iraq war, Roberts disclosed sensitive intelligence in a speech he delivered (ironically enough) to the National Newspaper Association:
[T]hree years ago on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Roberts himself was involved in disclosing sensitive intelligence information that, according to four former senior intelligence officers, impaired efforts to capture Saddam Hussein and potentially threatened the lives of Iraqis who were spying for the United States.

On March 20, 2003, at the onset of military hostilities between U.S. and Iraqi forces, Roberts said in a speech to the National Newspaper Association that he had “been in touch with our intelligence community” and that the CIA had informed President Bush and the National Security Council “of intelligence information from what we call human intelligence that indicated the location of Saddam Hussein and his leadership in a bunker in the suburbs of Baghdad.”

The former intelligence officials said in interviews that Roberts was never held accountable for his comments, which bore directly on the issue of intelligence-gathering sources and methods, and revealed that Iraqis close to Hussein were probably talking to the United States.

As former intelligence officials told Waas, the incident showed “how rank and file intelligence professionals now have much to fear from legitimate and even inadvertent contacts with journalists, while senior executive branch officials and members of Congress are almost never held accountable when they seriously breach national security through leaks of information.

Sounds like a flip-flop to me.

Politics - Net Neutrality still up in the air

The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday rejected a network neutrality amendment, handing cable and phone broadband access providers yet another victory over a coalition that has demanded the application of strict nondiscrimination standards against entities that control access to millions of Internet users.

The panel voted 11 to 11 to defeat an amendment sponsored by Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), who had backing from Google, Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft and other firms that deliver voice, video, and information services and applications.

Under Senate rules, a tie vote means the amendment failed.

Via Daily Kos

You can contact the members of the Senate Commerce Committee via the main switchboard toll free at 1-888-355-3588. Or you can contact them individually at the following phone and fax numbers:

GOP Members
* Chairman Ted Stevens (AK): (202) 224-3004; (202) 224-2354 FAX
* John McCain (AZ): (202) 224-2235; Fax: (202) 228-2862
* Conrad Burns (MT): 202-224-2644; Fax: 202-224-8594
* Trent Lott (MS): (202) 224-6253; Fax: (202) 224-2262
* Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX): 202-224-5922; 202-224-0776 (FAX)
* Olympia J. Snowe (ME): (202) 224-5344; FAX (202) 224-1946
* Gordon H. Smith (OR): 202.224.3753; Fax: 202.228.3997
* John Ensign (NV): (202) 224-6244; Fax: (202) 228-2193
* George Allen (VA): (202) 224-4024; Fax: (202) 224-5432
* John E. Sununu (NH): (202) 224-2841; FAX (202) 228-4131
* Jim DeMint (SC): 202-224-6121; Fax: 202-228-5143
* David Vitter (LA): (202) 224-4623; Fax: (202) 228-5061

Dem Members
* Co-Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI): 202-224-3934; Fax: 202-224-6747
* John D. Rockefeller (WV): (202) 224-6472; (202) 224-7665 Fax
* John F. Kerry (MA): (202) 224-2742 - Phone; (202) 224-8525 - Fax
* Byron L. Dorgan (ND): 202-224-2551; Fax: 202-224-1193
* Barbara Boxer (CA): 202-224-3553
* Bill Nelson (FL): 202-224-5274; Fax: 202-228-2183
* Maria Cantwell (WA): 202-224-3441; 202-228-0514 - FAX
* Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ): (202) 224-3224; Fax: (202) 228-4054
* E. Benjamin Nelson (NE): Tel: (202) 224-6551; Fax: (202) 228-0012
* Mark Pryor (AR): (202) 224-2353; Fax: (202) 228-0908

If one of these clowns are your senator, contact them. Tell them they are making a huge mistake by selling the internet to their corporate masters.

Make sure you explain it to them using small words and simple sentences.

Personal - Retinoblastoma

Late last week, a good friend and his wife took their daughter, born on March 5 this year, to have her eyes checked. She was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer called (bilateral) Retinoblastoma.

So far, they know that one eye is 50% covered with tumors and probably will be removed. Her other eye is less severe and they hope to save it and some of her vision using chemotherapy and other treatments.

If you have a child under 5, insist that your doctor check the “red eye reflex,” especially if you have seen any indication of a “cat’s eye” (a white "glow" or "glint" in the pupil of one or both eyes) type reflection in flash photos.

Retinoblastoma in children

Current events - Guess he "decided" to bankrupt my grandkids

September 27, 2000

June 13, 2006

Current events - AT&T can bite my shiney metal ass

Via SFGate.com:

AT&T has issued an updated privacy policy that takes effect Friday. The changes are significant because they appear to give the telecom giant more latitude when it comes to sharing customers' personal data with government officials.

The new policy says that AT&T -- not customers -- owns customers' confidential info and can use it 'to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process.'

As of tomorrow, AT&T is out of my home. No more internet. No more phone service. Nothing.

Fuck them with a big rubber dick.

Current events - NSA, can you hear me now? Redux.

Via Salon News

In a pivotal network operations center in metropolitan St. Louis, AT&T has maintained a secret, highly secured room since 2002 where government work is being conducted, according to two former AT&T workers once employed at the center.

That's in addition to the one that was discovered in San Francisco.

Sleep well my little sheep.

Politics - Will the real "decider" please raise his hand?

(Photo via AP)
Via Reuters

President George W. Bush has reassured Saudi Arabia's king that he will continue to cooperate with the kingdom on energy issues even after his pledge to wean America off Middle East oil, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States said on Tuesday.

Bush's pledge in January to cut U.S. oil imports from the Middle East rankled some kingdom officials, because Saudi Arabia had announced plans to spend $50 billion expanding oil production to meet rising global demand.

'When that statement came out we got in touch with the White House,' Saudi Ambassador Prince Turki Al-Faisal told reporters at a news conference hosted by the United States Energy Association.

Bush later sent a letter to Saudi King Abdullah pledging to honor a 2005 agreement the two reached at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Al-Faisal said. His remarks provided new details on how the White House smoothed relations with the Saudis after Bush's speech.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest crude oil exporter and the leading voice within the OPEC cartel, and the United States is the world's biggest oil guzzler.

Personal - I believe the Germans have a name for it...

scha·den·freu·de
Pronunciation Key (shädn-froid)
n.
Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

Nature - The coolest picture you'll see today

Photo of a rare "Rainbow" spotted over Idaho

Humor - Pearls gets us

Politics - Kansas Pubs go Dem

Via KC Buzz Blog

The ol' switcheroo continues.

With the 2006 filing deadline just hours away, Kansas Democrats today claimed a total of eight Republicans who have switched to the Democratic Party to run for office this year.

That list, of course, is headed by Mark Parkinson, the former GOP chair who is running as Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' running mate, and Paul Morrison, the Johnson County district attorney running for attorney general.

The other six:
Steve Lukert, seeking re-election in the 62nd House District.
Cindy Neighbor, former GOP lawmaker running to again represent the 18th House District Shawnee area.
Duane Mathes, current Edwards County Commissioner, in the 117th House District.
Judy Leyerzapf, current Abilene City Commissioner, in the 68th House District.
Kent Goyen in the 114th House District.
Walt Chappell in the 91st House District.

Maybe it's my inherent lack of faith in anything humans do, but I wonder how progressive (or even moderate) you can expect a former Kansas GOPer to be. I keep thinking it's a ploy to get the free publicity and if the Dems start sliding in the polls these fair-weather 'crats will change back.

Why not just run as an independent moderate and be done with it?

Politics - Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239

Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239

All four of the representatives from Kansas voted "No" on this.

Jerry Moran, Jim Ryun and Todd Tiahrt I expect to suck off the corporate teat, but I thought Dennis Moore would do what was right.

Bunch of cocks, all of them.

EDIT: The more I think about it the more pissed off I get. These clowns are not "representing" their constituents. They are representing their god damn bank accounts. How much money did these pricks take from AT&T/Sprint/Satan to get them to look the other way while these corporations analy probe their customers?

Jeebus, I need a drink.

Movies - Yeah boieee! Snootch to the bootch!

Politics - Priorities

Via Confined Space

What Really Matters...

Sometimes you can tell what a society truly values by the penalties it places on certain crimes. Take today's paper, for example:

Stiff Overhaul of Mine Safety Rules Passes Congress
The maximum civil penalty for violations of mine-safety regulations will rise to $220,000, from $60,000.

And then there was this:

Congress Increases Indecency Fines Tenfold
The bill would increase the maximum fines the Federal Communications Commission may levy for indecent content from the current $32,500 to $325,000 per incident.

Link includes picture of "Nipple-gate," and therefore may be NSFW... if you work for the FCC, anyway.

Personal - Batcave Home Theater Room

The Batcave... the freakin BATCAVE HOME THEATER!!!

Really. The drool is ruining my keyboard.

Politics - You can not make this stuff up, part 2

Via USATODAY.com

A last-minute deal Tuesday with Vice President Cheney averted a possible confrontation between the Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. telephone companies about the National Security Agency's database of customer calling records.

The deal was announced by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. They said Cheney, who plays a key role supervising NSA counterterrorism efforts, promised that the Bush administration would consider legislation proposed by Specter that would place a domestic surveillance program under scrutiny of a special federal court.

In return, Specter agreed to postpone indefinitely asking executives from the nation's telecommunication companies to testify about another program in which the NSA collects records of domestic calls.

Cheney, Specte and Hatch... three assholes of the highest order.

Current events - It's not the Iraq war the deficit or global warming... THIS is important!

Top Twelve Reasons Homosexual Marriage Should Not Be Legal:

1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control.

2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people can't legally get married because the world needs more children.

3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.

5. Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are property, blacks can't marry whites, and divorce is illegal.

6. Gay marriage should be decided by people not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of the minorities.

7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

10. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.

11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer life spans.

12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a 'separate but equal' institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for Africn-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages for gays and lesbians will.

Not mine, but it is damn funny and says it all.

Movies - Silent Bob disses the Droid

Apparently Mr. Kevin Smith is not a fan of This Droids Life.

Turns out that they screened Clerks II in KC this week and I was noticeably absent from the guest list.

Bad form, Mr. Smith, bad form.

Humor - Quote of the week

"God wrote the Bible in English for a reason: So it could be taught in our public schools." - Stephen Colbert

Personal - The weekend off on the right foot

May whatever diety you believe in bless Arthur C. Guinness and that guy who invented the pretzel stick.

Current events - When did this become acceptable?

Is signing, "Thanx," at the end of professional e-mails acceptable now?

I ask because I have seen it twice today.

Humor - Beer

She told me we couldn't afford beer anymore and I'd have to quit.

Then I caught her spending $65.00 on make-up.
And I asked how come I had to give up stuff and not her.
She said she needed the make-up to look pretty for me.
I told her that was what the beer was for.

I don't think she's coming back.

Humor - Marvel's Secret Wars re-enactment

Funny stuff.

Currnet events - I Can't Believe It's Not A Jihad!

Via Talk To Action

Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is 'to conduct physical and spiritual warfare'; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice. You have never felt so powerful, so driven by a purpose: you are 13 years old. You are playing a real-time strategy video game whose creators are linked to the empire of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.

Current events - Radley Balko on Congress & Raids

Via National Review Online

On Tuesday, Rep. James Sensenbrenner held hearings titled, “Reckless Justice: Did the Saturday Night Raid of Congress Trample the Constitution?” At those hearings, Sensenbrenner announced his intention to introduce legislation protecting Congress from future, similar police searches.

Funny. Congress—especially GOP leaders like Hastert and Sensenbrenner—don’t seem nearly as concerned when much more violent, confrontational raids happen to their own constituents.

Funny. Congress—especially GOP leaders like Hastert and Sensenbrenner—don’t seem nearly as concerned when much more violent, confrontational raids happen to their own constituents.

Politics - Congress shows it's true colors

Music - The 80's on YouTube

Great list of music videos from the 80's.

Yes, children, MTV did play music videos... once long ago.

Current events - They control the horizontal...

Via Independent Online Edition

Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products.

Your tax dollars going to state-sponsored propaganda. Sleep well.

Current events - He was a right hoopy frood.

It's Towel Day. Do you know where yours is?

Tech - WMD computer mod

Via bit-tech.net

A super cool computer mod, designed to look like a spy movie nuke. So excellent.

For those who may have missed Part I, the aim of this project was to build a completely custom-built computer case, out of stainless steel, that would look like the sort of atomic bomb that one sees in spy movies or on TV shows like 24. I tried not to base the design on any real or fictional bomb, but simply out of my imagination.

Current events - This is not the America my grandfather fought for.

The Motion Picture Association of America has censored a poster advertising a film about the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
-------------
For two crucial hours, an Idaho telecommunications firm tied up Democratic and union phone lines, bringing their get-out-the-vote plans to a halt. The effort helped John E. Sununu (R) win his Senate seat by 51 to 47 percent, a 19,151-vote margin.
-------------
A prominent Republican on Capitol Hill has prepared legislation that would rewrite Internet privacy rules by requiring that logs of Americans' online activities be stored, CNET News.com has learned.
-------------
A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

Current events - NSA, can you hear me now?

via Cato@Liberty Blog

Great insight from Robert A. Levy.

"When communications from and to a US person in the US are monitored, that’s domestic surveillance, no matter whether the party on the other end is inside or outside of the US. Since Bush believes that warrantless domestic surveillance is permissible regardless of FISA’s contrary provisions, we shouldn’t be surprised if the NSA has much more data (including content) than USA Today has uncovered."

Humor - Ask A Ninja tackles Net Neutrality

We should all be thankful for the wisdom of the ninja.

NINJA!

Current events - Time to switch to Qwest!

via USATODAY.com

"Among the big telecommunications companies, only Qwest has refused to help the NSA, the sources said. According to multiple sources, Qwest declined to participate because it was uneasy about the legal implications of handing over customer information to the government without warrants.

Qwest's refusal to participate has left the NSA with a hole in its database. Based in Denver, Qwest provides local phone service to 14 million customers in 14 states in the West and Northwest. But AT&T and Verizon also provide some services — primarily long-distance and wireless — to people who live in Qwest's region. Therefore, they can provide the NSA with at least some access in that area."

All part of the PNAC plan, I'm sure.

Music - Some great MP3 blogs/sites

rbally

I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS

Internet Archive: Live Music Archive

Humor - Heard on a telecall after some bad news...

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

I laughed. Hard.

Humor - The bunny and the snake

Once upon a time, in a nice little forest, there lived an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. By a surprising coincidence, both were blind from birth.

One day, the bunny was hopping through the forest, and the snake was slithering through the forest, when the bunny tripped over the snake and fell down. This, of course, knocked the snake about quite a bit.

"Oh, my," said the bunny, "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.

I've been blind since birth, so, I can't see where I'm going. In fact, since I'm also an orphan, I don't even know what I am."

It's quite ok," replied the snake. "Actually, my story is as yours. I too have been blind since birth, and also never knew my mother. Tell you what, maybe I could slither all over you, and work out what you are so at least you'll have that going for you."

"Oh, that would be wonderful" replied the bunny. So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and said, "Well, you're covered with soft fur, you have really l ong ears, your nose twitches, and you have a soft cottony tail. I'd say that you must be a bunny rabbit."

"Oh, thank you, thank you," cried the bunny, in obvious excitement.

The bunny suggested to the snake, "Maybe I could feel you all over with my paw, and help you the same way that you've helped me." So the bunny felt the snake all over, and remarked, "Well, you're smooth and slippery and you have a forked tongue, no backbone and no balls... I'd say you must be a team leader, supervisor or possibly someone in senior management."

Games - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has rating changed to Mature

Via bit-tech.net

"The rating for the magnificent Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion has been changed from 'Teen' to 'Mature' by the Electronic Software Ratings Board, after the classification board was notified of a user-created mod that made female characters topless, as well as excessive blood and gore scenes that had previously been overlooked by the ratings committee."

(Emphasis mine.)

Should someone tell them there are nekkid pics of cartoon characters on the net and they should make the entirety of the Disney catalog NC-17? Sheesh.

Personal - On doctors and the season

There are few things I hate more than doctors. Only congress, spiders, and coconut edge them out.

I do everything in my power to avoid all of those things. Unfortunatly, this allergy season has forced me to call and make an appointment. Frack, I am not looking forward to it.

Music - Bands/Singers I can do without

Nickelback.
Creed.
Celine Dion.
Anyone who has ever appeared on American Idol.

Current events - Dubya, Dead-eye Dick and Kenny Boy

Arianna Huffington reminds us of the deep, long standing connections between the current administration and the Enron crooks.

"What made Enron so significant was what it revealed about the corruption of our political system -- about the unseemly link between big money donations and the influence those donations buy. And Bush and Cheney are standing smack dab in the middle of this neglected aspect of the story."

She's got a great recap of things the MSM seems to have forgotten.

Humor - Deep thoughts, by Q2D2... umm... 2

Don't like what your senator or congress-person is doing?

Buy your own.

Politics - Remember... Democracies are peaceful countries

Politics - Relax! The "Decider" has a plan

Via CNN.com

Bush to halt deposits to Strategic Petroleum Reserve
"President Bush is expected to deliver a four-point plan Tuesday to fight high gasoline prices."

You know, because all his other "plans" have worked out so well.

Isn't this guy watching over oil prices like Darryl Strawberry watching over drug use in baseball?

Current events - Caption this!

"Sorry, just got a little reality in my eye."

Comics - Crap! White space! Quick put an ad on it!

Via the Wall Street Journal

"Superheroes like Superman and Spider-Man can save mankind from natural disasters, space aliens and evil mutants. But there's one thing they are powerless to stop: Advertisers shilling products within the pages of the comic books they call home."

Great... the corporate whores are on the march. I mean, you could always count on Hostess to drop an ad or two in the middle of the book, but you knew it was an ad. This intergrates it so fully in the art and makes their corporate products part of the story... that hits a new low.

Why am I surprised?

Personal - Godwin'd in my own home

My wife Godwin'd me last night. Worse, it was at the BEGINNING of the discussion.

She obviously has no respect for how these things are supposed to be played out.

Blogs - PAgent meets da Hooters

Do yourself a favor and clicky the link to PAgent's Progress on the right.

He's a damn funny, thoughtful guy and he tells a story like a master.

(Read the "Hoo, me?" entry!)

4 out of 5 beeps.

Humor - Deep thoughts, by Q2D2

If a radical muslim blows himself up in the woods, and there's no infidels around... does he still get into paradise?

Religion - When the meatballs hit the fan

I'm so proud to be from Kansas. Really.

Via the Kansas City Star

"Creature’s picture irks Board of Ed member

WICHITA — State Board of Education member Connie Morris took exception Wednesday to a picture of a made-up creature that satirizes the state’s new science standards hanging on a Wichita middle school teacher’s door.

Fellow board member Sue Gamble of Shawnee told The Wichita Eagle that Morris asked for the picture to be removed.

The creature, called the Flying Spaghetti Monster, is the creation of Bobby Henderson of Corvallis, Ore. It looks like a clump of spaghetti with two eyes sticking out of the top and two meatballs flanking the eyes.

Henderson created the entity and an accompanying mythology on the origin of mankind to make fun of Kansas’ recent debate over the teaching of criticisms of evolution, including intelligent design.

In November, the board voted 6-4 to allow criticisms of evolution to be taught in Kansas schools.

Morris, who voted for the new science standards, saw the picture during the tour of Stucky Middle School. She did not return phone calls for this report.

Gamble, who voted against the new standards and was also on the tour, said that Morris asked principal Kenneth Jantz to have the picture taken down."

Education - FlashcardExchange

I have a severe case of ADD and flashcards are about the only way I can concentrate on studying. The FlashcardExchange site looks like it has some great libraries and you can create your own too.

EDIT: I should add that in order to download or print the flashcards you must upgrade from their free account. I didn't realize that until after I registered. Nuts.

Tech - miniMinty MP3 -- build your own MP3 player

Add to my to do list...

The miniMinty MP3
# Uses SD cards for swappable storage
# 750 mAh LI-Pol battery for 12+ hours of juice
# Mounts as a Mass Storage Device - No drivers, No custom apps!
# Automatically charges over USB
# Easily update the firmware over USB
# Looks hotter than your grandmother's Buick Regal

Personal - Happy birthday, Hef!

Thanks on behalf of every teen boy in America.



Here's to another 80 years, you lucky bastard!

Personal - The greatest shoe of all time

The Converse All Star "Chuck Taylor" canvas basketball shoe. My wife hates them, but I love them. Hands down (should have said "Feet down") they are the most comfortable shoe I've ever wore.

A great resource for all things "Chucks" at ChucksConnection.com

Politics - Say goodnight, Tommy.

“He has served our nation with integrity and honor,” said Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who succeeded DeLay in his leadership post earlier this year.

Sure. Assuming by "integrity" you mean dishonesty, and by "honor" you mean contempt.

Via ABC News

Media - Blizzard, why hath thou forsaken us!?!?

"Uwe Boll Secures Rights to 'StarCraft' Movie Trilogy
The man who inspired gamers to hate film-makers secures one of Blizzard's finest."

Via AOL

Frack.

Web - You Got Questions, Ninja Got Answers

Ask A Ninja!

Movies - I have GOT to see this one!

Current events - Once every 100 years...

On Wednesday morning at two minutes and three seconds after one, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

Movies - Silent Bob is talking

Kevin Smith is posting a series of stories on his blog, My Boring Ass Life, about his real life friend and on screen hetro life mate, Jay's struggle to get clean and away from heroin.

It's a great read.

Humor - Whatever happened to professional courtesy?

A guy is walking down the street in Washington DC, when a masked robber jumps out, pulls a gun and says, "Gimme all the money you have!"

The guy says, "I'm a United States Congressman! You can't do this to me!"

The robber says, "Yeah, you're right... just give me MY money back."

SciFi - Greatest T-shirt. EVER.

I am not a cylon but my imaginary girlfriend is.

See also: STARBUCK IS HOT (the new one)

Personal - Yeah, I kinda saw that coming...

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

Pure Geek 43 % Nerd, 69% Geek, 43% Dork

	You scored higher than 22% on nerdiness
	You scored higher than 92% on geekosity
	You scored higher than 79% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Science - I'm not "afraid" of spiders...

I do have an "intense, violent, deep seeded hatred" of spiders, though, and this does little to change that.

Injections of stress hormone may reduce fear of spiders "Arachnophobes around the world can rejoice - the answer to their darkest fears could be a simple injection away after scientists found that a dose of the body's natural stress hormone, cortisol, can help phobics deal better with fear of spiders."

Personal - And my vacation spot this summer is...

Chodova Plana in the Czech Republic!
"We believe in the healing properties of beer and we offer the full range of treatments. We are a fully-fledged beer spa."

Personal - In brightest day, in blackest night...

Your results:
You are Green Lantern

Hot-headed. You have strong
will power and a good imagination.

Green Lantern

---

70%
Spider-Man

---

70%
Hulk

---

60%
Batman

---

55%
Catwoman

---

50%
The Flash

---

50%
Superman

---

45%
Robin

---

40%
Supergirl

---

30%
Wonder Woman

---

25%
Iron Man

---

25%


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Politics - DeLay license to carry concealed handgun revoked

The Raw Story | DeLay license to carry concealed handgun revoked "Under Texas law, indicted felons are not allowed to carry concealed handguns."

snicker-giggle-snicker

Politics - Welcome to Kansas!

Please leave your misplaced belief in personal freedom at the border.

I missed the part where I'm supposed to be glad they are doing this. Is this the 21st century equivalent of, "papers please?"

Idiot - My first nominee for "Idiot of the Month"

Unattended Toddler Leads to Arrest at Tulsa Strip Club

"A Kansas man is arrested at a Tulsa strip club after police say his toddler son was left in a cold car and found wandering into the club.

Christopher Killion of Sabetha, Kansas, was arrested Saturday on a complaint of encouraging a minor child to be in need of supervision. He posted $500 bond and was released from jail.

Reports show the toddler told police that his father told him to stay in the car and that if he left it, monsters would eat him."

Politics - This is why they all should be fired.

Every stinking one of those pricks in Washington need to be fired.

America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times

"$9 TRILLION

...Is roughly four times Britain’s GDP

...Equates to $1,500 for every man, woman and child in the world

...Would buy all the tea in China. In fact it would buy all the tea in the world for the next 2,000 years.

...Is enough to solve the Palestinian crisis by rehousing every Israeli and Palestinian family in a £1.5m detached house in Henley-on-Thames

...Would build 28 Eiffel Towers — constructed out of gold."

Disgusting.

Personal - Great timing

It's 32 degrees.
The wind is blowing 40 miles per hour.
It's raining sideways.

And we have a fracking fire drill.

Personal - Holiday report

I had a great St. Patty's day. Drank some pints, ate some great food and heard a killer band.

Big Fat Fun played at Loft 150 in Wichita this weekend and they put on a helluva show.

Good times.

Personal - Time for a career change?

I'm thinking seriously about doing this...
Kansas City Bartending School

Politics - Helen Thomas has a posse... part 2

I had the good fortune to speak to Ms. Thomas today on the radio. She was the guest of Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date this morning. I thanked her for being a voice of reason and asking the questions that have to be asked of the current administration. She is a much needed voice of dissent and all the members of the White House Press Corps can learn from her. Let's hope they are listening.

She will present the Emily Taylor & Marilyn Stokstad Women's Leadership Lecture with a speech titled "Covering the White House from Kennedy to Bush" at 7:30 on Tuesday evening March 14th at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union at the University of Kansas.

Her new book, Watchdogs of Democracy? The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public is slated to be released June 20, 2006.

Sports - Roy who?

Big congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks on a spectacular end to a great season!

Kansas Jayhawks Big 12 Champs

“Can you believe it?” Self said as he turned to assistant Tim Jankovich. “We’re the best in the Big 12 — the best team in Big-Freakin’-12!”

Yes, Self really said ‘freakin’ — and, no, not many would have fathomed something like this could have happened in a season that seemed destined to be a rebuilding year.

But there it was on the American Airlines Center scoreboard: Kansas 80, Texas 68.

Current events - The Iraq war in thirty seconds

Kansas City Star | 03/10/2006 | He knows how close Hussein came to nukes: "He knows how close Hussein came to nukes

For years Saddam Hussein’s nuclear dreams lay like dormant mushrooms in the soil of Mahdi Obeidi’s garden.

Obeidi, a former Iraqi nuclear scientist, had buried blueprints, documents and parts for a centrifuge system “in a safe place” shortly after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The Iraqis had been only a few years from producing nukes then, with a little help from a surprising source, according to him.

“In the United States, we got some critical things (such as research papers and system programs).”

Through the black market?

“Not from the black market. We asked for it and got it, through normal channels.”

All came to a halt with the Kuwait invasion, the postwar sanctions and U.N. weapons inspectors.

Were there leftover WMDs when American forces invaded in 2003?

“No, no. … I would’ve known.”

There was his stash, however, which he turned over to the CIA. In return, he and his family got sanctuary on the East Coast.

And now, according to Hollywood reports, Johnny Depp has agreed to play Obeidi, 61, in a film project based on his book, The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam’s Nuclear Mastermind. He spoke in Lawrence this week."

Yes, that's the whole article.

To re-cap...

1. Hussein almost had nukes.
2. He got the plans from the United States government.
3. The first war stopped him.
4. There were no WMD's at the start of this war.
5. Johnny Depp is in a new movie.

Wait... JOHNNY DEPP IS IN A NEW MOVIE?!?!

That screaching you hear is the sound of my brain rebooting.

Current events - Guinness 1759 Society

The Guinness 1759 Society is a celebration of all things Guinness.

Comics - DC gets stamped!

USPS - 2006 Commemorative Stamps: "DC Comics Super Heroes
Ten comic book heroes will be saluted on the 'DC Comics Super Heroes' stamps next summer. Half of the pane of 20 will be portraits of the characters; the other half will show individual comic book covers devoted to their exploits. The characters include Aquaman, Batman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Plastic Man, Supergirl, Superman and Wonder Woman."

What? No love for the Martian Manhunter? Sheesh!

Comics - NERDGASM!!! Jim Lee Joins DC Universe MMO

"Today at the New York City Comic-con artist Jim Lee and Sony Online Entertainment accounced that Lee would be collaborating on Sony's upcoming MMO based on the DC Comics universe."

/rocking back and forth chewing on his fingernails
OMG! OMG! OMFG! Please don't screw this up Sony!

Humor - Survivor: Kansas

Not mine, but damn funny.

Due to the popularity of the Survivor shows, Kansas is planning to do its own version, entitled "Survivor, Kansas Style."

The contestants will start in Lawrence, travel to Pttsburg, Winfield, Dodge City, Colby and then to Concordia, Atchison then on to Olathe and back into Lawrence.

Each will be driving a pink Lexus with a bumper sticker that reads, "I'm gay, I hate the Chiefs, I'm a vegetarian, I voted for Al Gore, and I'm here to confiscate your guns."

The first one to make it back to Lawrence alive wins.

Current events - Mardi Gras!

You cannot buy a king cake in Kansas City. None. No where.

I tried four different bakeries yesterday and just confused the heck out of the pleebs behind the counter.

I did tell one of them that, "it's a cinnamon roll cake thing that has a little baby in it."

He just stared at me. I left before security got there.

Politics - Would you do it again?

I live in the reddest of red states, Kansas. I see more "Bush-Cheney '04" stickers on my daily commute than any three people ought to see in a lifetime. Mostly I shake my head and feel sorry for the occupants.

Until yesterday. I was stopping to get gas and pulled in behind a big black pickup truck with a "Bush-Cheney '04" sticker on the window and no less than six magnetic ribbons expressing the owners patriotism and support for our troops in Iraq. Yellow ones, camouflage ones, red-white-and-blue ones.

He was already fueling and as I started he noticed me looking at his cadre of decorations. He caught my eye, and, smiling, gave me kind of a half nod. He obviously assumed I was a god fearing, NRA member, Bush lovin' 'Publican like himself.

I looked at him and said, "Would you do it again?"

He looked a bit confused. "Do what again?" he asked.

"Vote for Bush," I said.

"Hellyeah! He's a good man!" he said, "Damn sight better than Kerry. I hate that guy. Bush is takin' care of them damn Iraqis."

"Hmmm," said I.

He finished filling his truck and while walking back around to get in his truck, stared at me like I had purple horns sprouting from my forehead.

I realized, then and there, I no longer feel sorry for them.

We are so screwed.

Politics - Just in case you haven't been keeping score...

1. Selling port security to the United Arab Emerates, known for financing 9/11 terrorists.

2. Invading Iraq on false pretenses and causing the inevitable civil war in that country.

3. Allowing Iran/Syria/North Korea to develop nukes.

4. The Hurricane Katrina debacle.

5. Record defecit reaching into the trillions of dollars.

6. Oil prices shooting through the roof.

7. CIA Agent outed by Veeps assistant.

8. NSA listening to American citizens phone calls, with
no warrant or court oversight.

9. Jackie Abramhoff and the boys stuffing their pockets with dirty money.

...but all of that combined is not as bad as getting a blowjob in the oval office.

Music - Seems prophetic, no?

"When the cowboys and Arabs draw down
On each other at noon,
In the cool dusty air of the city boardroom,
Will you stand by a passive spectator
Of the market dictators?
Will you discreetly withdraw
With your ear pressed to the boardroom door?
Will you hear when the lion within you roars?
Will you take to the hills?"
-Roger Waters, song called Home on the album Radio K.A.O.S. published 1987.

Personal - Fat Tuesday is upon us

18 years ago I gave up Catholicism for lent... I never went back.

Movies - Indulge a fanboy, please!

Variety.com - Warner's men in tights: "The superhero sequel engine is revving up bigtime."

Please, please, PLEASE make a World's Finest movie! PLEASE!?!?

Personal - Thoughts on a long weekend

Long weekends are never long enough...
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I made the mistake of telling my two and a half year old daughter that the little fuzzies you get between your toes after wearing new socks was called "sock goop."
She has since refused to wear socks. Her mother is less than impressed.
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There's a sign up in the bathroom at work that reads:

Please Note: Do not overfill the toilets with excess paper.

No, I don't work at a kindergarten... I work in a United States government office building.
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ATTENTION NOVELHEAD!
Where you at?
If you read this, drop me a line.

Personal - I'm a leaf on the wind...

You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you. Serenity (Firefly) 88% Moya (Farscape) 75% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 69% Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 69% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 69% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 56% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 56% SG-1 (Stargate) 56% Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 50% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 50% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 6% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com

Religion - A Field Guide to Evangelicals

I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed that I'm not listed specifically on the Field Guide to Evangelicals list of those going to hell.

Personal - ...and suddenly...

nothing happened.

Politics - You can not make this stuff up

Fox put in charge of guarding the henhouse

"DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers."

Scum investigating scum... this should be hilarious.

Religion - It's all about the profit... oh, I mean the prophet... yeah... prophet.

Reuters - Gaza shopkeeper stocks up on Danish flags to burn

"When entrepreneur Ahmed Abu Dayya first heard that Danish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad were being reprinted across Europe, he knew exactly what his customers in Gaza would want: flags to burn"

Music - A Kind Of Magic by Queen

Is possibly the greatest song ever written and is definitely on the greatest soundtrack ever produced.

No, I'm not drunk.

Religion - It's funny 'cause it's true

Politics - Bush = Nixon

Helen Thomas has a posse...

And the line forms behind me.

Helen Thomas: Does the president think he should obey the law? He put his hand on the Bible twice to uphold the Constitution. Wiretapping is not legal under the circumstances without a warrant.

Scott McClellan: Well, I guess you didn't pay attention to the attorney general's hearing earlier today, because he walked through very clearly the rationale behind this program.

HT: There is no rationale --

SM: And Helen, I think you have to ask --

HT: -- (inaudible) -- the law.

SM: I think you have ask are we -- well, he's not -- are we a nation at war.

HT: That's not the question.

SM: No, that is the issue here.

HT: The question is, the point is, there are means for him to go to -- get a warrant to spy on people.

SM:: Enemy surveillance is critical to waging and winning war. It's one of the traditional tools of war.

HT: But he says he doesn't have running room --

SM: The attorney general outlined very clearly today how previous administrations have used the same authority --

HT: That doesn't make it legal.

SM: -- and cited the same -- and cited the very same authority.

HT: (Inaudible) -- they broke the law, that's too bad.

SM: And we're going to continue doing everything we can --

HT: You know what happened to Nixon when he broke the law.

SM: -- within our power to protect the American people.

This is a very different circumstance, and you know that.

HT: No, I don't.

Music - Pandora.com

Pandora lets you make a pretty kick arse personal web radio station.

Here's mine: Q2D2 Radio

Religion - It's getting stupider by the minute.

"Denmark must be blown up," protesters in Ramallah chanted.: "Palestinian militants threw a bomb at a French cultural centre in Gaza City and many Palestinians began boycotting European goods, especially those from Denmark, where the cartoons where first printed.

'Whoever defames our prophet should be executed,' said Ismail Hassan, 37, a tailor who marched through the pouring rain along with hundreds of other angry Muslims in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

'Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up,' protesters in Ramallah chanted."

This is like arguing with a bunch of three year olds. Correction... a heavily armed and mentally unstable bunch three year olds.

Religion - Really? The whole US? I wasn't asked...

U.S. backs Muslims in European cartoon dispute "The United States backed Muslims on Friday against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could help America's battered image in the Islamic world.

Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion."

Ummm... no... I still think it's a fucking cartoon and anyone offended by it to the point of homicide doesn't deserve squat, let alone to be apologized to. Any of these militant pricks going to appologize for chanting "Death to America"?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Humor - Once you go Blackberry...

Short film via the Huffington Post

Sports - T.O. to K.C.?

NFL.com - NFL News "Also, Chiefs president Carl Peterson is saying that Kansas City needs to take a look at T.O., shortly after Kansas City's division rival Broncos brought T.O. to Denver for a visit."

No. No, no, no, no, no!

No!

Bad Carl! Bad!

Personal - Five things that are pissing me off

On no particular order...

1. Now Kerry nuts it up and starts showing some back bone? Now?!?!
2. Dolts who over-react to a cartoon. It's a cartoon! I don't get all pissed off and start making death threats when someone makes a cartoon about... well, anything. Know why? BECAUSE IT'S A FUCKING CARTOON!
3. Corporations cutting staff to increase profit... Immediately after announcing their last quarter profit.
4. That the 10 and 6 Steelers are in the Super Bowl and the 10 and 6 Chiefs are sitting at home on their fat arses. Nice work guys. Really. Enjoy Hawaii, ya jerks.
5. That I can't afford to buy comics anymore. Sure, I could pool some clams together for a couple titles a month, but to get the complete stories I'd have to shell out 50 or 60 bucks a month!

Games - World of Warcraft via Google Maps

Awesome. Just awesome.

Religion - Fatwa me? No, no, no... fatwa you!

Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador to Denmark, while Libya said it was closing its embassy in Copenhagen.

On Monday masked gunmen briefly stormed the local office of the EU in Gaza, demanding apologies from Denmark and Norway, where a paper reprinted the cartoons.

The Danish Red Cross said it had pulled two employees out of Gaza, following a threat from the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Reuters reported.

A statement on the internet purporting to be from an Iraqi militant group called on fighters to "hit whatever targets possible belonging to these two countries and others that follow their steps".

WTF?

Is there ANYTHING they won't call for violence over!?!?

EDIT: Here's the offending cartoon:

Music - Pink Floyd to Tour In 2006?

Yes, according to albumvote.co.uk.

Personal - What the duce is that supposed to mean?!?!

I recieved our weekly email newsletter from the chief high muckety-muck for (name deleted to keep my job) and it included all the congratulations, atta-boys and general nice work team stuff, but at the end... There was this paragraph...

"The new (again, still need the job) may be a less comfortable workplace, but you can expect it to be more dynamic and rewarding. We’re counting on you to take (bills to pay, you know) from good to great. Let the journey begin."

Less comfortable? What do you mean less comfortable? For whom? Are you taking away my chair? Will I be forced to work underwater? Will there be swinging axes only inches over my head at all times?

To coin a phrase... "I have a bad feeling about this."

Personal - Note to self

Start writing blog entry titled, "The 7 Deadly Blog Entries," detailing my favorite parts of each of the big 7 that are gonna put me in hell.

Stay tuned.

Personal - For the last time...

This had an intelligent designer:


This... not so much:

Personal - Got my ticket

Personal - HEllo? This is 911, what's your emergency?

Did you know that even if a cell phone has the SIM card removed and no calls can be made or received, you can still make and complete a call to Emergency 911?

I didn't.

My daughter found out this morning.

Politics - It can't happen here

I never, never, never thought I'd link to the Fox news site, but the brilliant Radley Balko (of the Agitator) has a fantastic predictions for 2006 column up.

Get ye to the Faux News site!

Games - The Escapist

The Escapist is a very well written gaming magazine that takes the focus off of cheat codes, killa moves and exclusive previews and instead focuses on the more mature gamer and the culture they grew up in.

This droid recommends reading it.

Politics - Bush has a posse, and they suck

Crooks and Liars has a great screen capture of an MSNBC news confrence with Bush surrounded by his "A-Team."

Politics - Abramoff pleads guilty, will cooperate.

*happy dance*

For every congress-critter who gets indicted, take a drink.