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.