A Picture Share - The Batpod!

Nerds from around the city gather in front of the AMC Studio 30 in Olathe.
The draw?



That's right... the BATPOD!



The Dark Knight's newest toy.



Imagine making your daily commute on that!

Politics - Define irony

Larry Craig and David Vitter have named themselves as co-sponsors of S.J. Res. 43, the Marriage Protection Amendment. If passed, the bill would amend the Constitution to declare that marriage “shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.”

No... really.

Politics - Unsurprising...

Of course Senators Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback would vote for cloture on the telecom immunity bill. They have NEVER held respect for the constitution.

Cowards and traitors.

Politics - It's real simple you congressional morons!

Article I, section 9 of the U.S. Constitution

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

(No capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.) (Section in parentheses clarified by the 16th Amendment.)

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.

Politics - It's the end of the Constitution as we know it

Dennis Moore (D - Kansas) has officially lost my endorsement for ANYTHING he ever runs for again.

He has thrown in with 292 other traitors to the Constitution of the United States in approving retroactive immunity for George W. Bush and the giant telecom corporations.

May they all rot in hell.

Politics - How many gallons will that buy?

Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Accepted $136,650 from the oil and gas industry since 2000.
Supported the industry in 100% of selected votes.

Senator Samuel Brownback (R-KS)
Accepted $90,240 from the oil and gas industry since 2000.
Supported the industry in 100% of selected votes.

Games - Just in time for DnD 4.0!

A ROMAN GLASS GAMING DIE
Circa 2nd Century A.D.
Deep blue-green in color,
the large twenty-sided die
incised with a distinct symbol
on each of its faces
2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm.) wide

And it only went for $17,925!

Personal - An email exchange with my wife

Over the course of the last week or so…

Me: I want to buy a motorcycle.

Her: No.

Me: But we’ll save $X a month on gas!

Her: No.

Me: Here’s one on Craigslist.

Her: No.

Me: Here’s another one. Good price.

Her: No.

Me: Look! Here’s a really cool one! Cheap too! It’ll pay for itself in months!

Her: Have you ever driven a motorcycle?

Me: Well... no...

Her: Well....don't you think that would be the best thing to do FIRST?

Me: Well… yes… can I?

Her: No.

Current events - A defining moment

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals.

Barack Obama, June 4, 2008

Humor - Kansas Technology

After having dug to a depth of 10 yards last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their New York ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 yards, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: 'California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.'

One week later, the 'Ness County News,' a local news paper in Ness City, Ks., reported the following: 'After digging as deep as 30 yards in wheat fields near Beeler, KS, Larry Guy, a self-taught archaeologist and dyed-in-the-wool Jayhawk fan, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Larry has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Kansas had already gone wireless.'

A Picture Share - What Bill is thinking...

"I should have let Ted Kennedy drive her home from my first inauguration."

Sports - Hey Minnesota, what'll you give us for Carl Peterson?

He obviously hates the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans.


Good luck in Minnesota, Jared.

I'll be buying purple and gold from now on.

(EDIT: Ok, I calmed down and changed this post a little. I still hate him.)

Politics - Bitter?

You are goddamned right I am.

And If you aren't... you haven't been paying attention.

Politics - The difference?

Someone once told me that the difference between a liberal and a conservative could be explained thus -

Liberals are fine with some people getting benefits they don't need in order to ensure that the people who do need the benefits get them; Conservatives are fine with the people who need the benefits NOT getting them in order to ensure those who don't need them, don't get them.

Politics - A basic primer

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

Politics - What has Obama ever done?

I am sick to death of the moronic masses pulling out the "But what has Obama actually done?" card.

From Helenann at the Daily Kos:

Of the 570 bills Senator Obama introduced into the Senate during the 109th and 110th Congress (Senate Bill numbers are in parentheses), they can be summarized as follows:

25 addressed Energy Efficiency and Climate Change
Suspend royalty relief for oil and gas (115)
Reduce dependence on oil; use of alternative energy sources (133)
Increase fuel economy standards for cars (767, 768)
Auto industry incentives for fuel efficient vehicles (1151)
Reduce green house gas emissions (1324)
Establish at NSF a climate change education program (1389)
Increase renewable content of gasoline (2202)
Energy emergency relief for small businesses and farms (269)
Strategic gasoline and fuel reserves (1794)
Alternative diesel standards (3554)
Coal to liquid fuel promotion (3623)
Renewable diesel standards (1920)
Reducing global warming pollution from vehicles (2555)
Fuel security and consumer choice (1994, 2025)
Alternative energy refueling system (2614)
Climate change education (1389)
Low income energy assistance (2405)
Oil savings targets (339)
Fuel economy reform (3694)
Plug-in electric drive vehicles (1617)
Nuclear release notice (2348)
Passenger rail investment (294)
Energy relief for low income families (2405)

21 addressed Health Care
Drug re-importation (334)
Health information technology (1262, 1418)
Discount drug prices (2347)
Health care associated infections (2278)
Hospital quality report cards (692, 1824)
Medical error disclosure and compensation (1784)
Emergency medical care and response (1873)
Stem cell research (5)
Medical Malpractice insurance (1525)
Health centers renewal (901, 3771)
Children’s health insurance (401)
Home health care (2061)
Medicare independent living (2103)
Microbicides for HIV/AIDS (823)
Ovarian cancer biomarker research (2569)
Gynological cancers (1172)
Access to personalized medicine through use of human genome (976)
Paralysis research and care (1183)

20 addressed Public Health:
Violence against women (1197)
Biodefense and pandemic preparedness and response (1821, 1880)
Viral influenza control (969)
End homelessness (1518)
Reduce STDs/unintended pregnancy (1790)
Smoking prevention and tobacco control (625)
Minority health improvement and disparity elimination (4024)
Nutrition and physical education in schools (2066)
Health impact assessments (1067, 2506)
Healthy communities (1068)
Combat methamphetamines (2071)
Paid sick leave (910)
Prohibit mercury sales (833, 1818)
Prohibit sale of lead products (1306, 2132)
Lead exposure in children (1811, 2132)

14 address Consumer Protection/Labor
Stop unfair labor practices (842)
Fair minimum wage (2, 1062, 2725, 3829)
Internet freedom (2917)
Credit card safety (2411)
Media ownership (2332)
Protecting taxpayer privacy (2484)
Working family child assistance (218)
Habeus Corpus Restoration (185)
Bankruptcy protection for employees and retirees (2092)
FAA fair labor management dispute resolution (2201)
Working families flexibility (2419).

13 addressed the Needs of Veterans and the Armed Forces:
Improve Benefits (117)
Suicide prevention (479)
Needs of homeless veterans (1180)
Homes for veterans (1084)
GI Bill enhancement (43)
Military job protection
Dignity in care for wounded vets (713)
Housing assistance for low income veterans (1084)
Military children in public schools (2151)
Military eye injury research and care (1999)
Research physical/mental health needs from Iraq War (1271)
Proper administration of discharge for personality disorder (1817, 1885)
Security of personal data of veterans (3592)

12 addressed Congressional Ethics and Accountability
Lobbying and ethics reform (230)
Stop fraud (2280)
Legislative transparency and accountability (525)
Open government (2180, 2488)
Restoring fiscal discipline (10)
Transparency and integrity in earmarks (2261)
Accountability of conference committee deliberations and reports (2179)
Federal funding accountability and transparency (2590)
Accountability and oversight for private security functions under Federal
contract (674)
Accountability for contractors and personnel under federal contracts
(2147) Resctrictions awarding government contracts (2519)

10 addressed Foreign Policy:
Iraq war de-escalation (313)
US policy for Iraq (433),
Divestiture from Iran (1430)
Sudan divestment authorization (831)
Millennium Development Goals (2433)
Multilateral debt relief (1320)
Development bank reform (1129)
Nuclear nonproliferation (3131,977,2224).

9 address Voting/Elections
Prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections (453)
Voter access to polls and services in Federal elections (737)
Voter intimidation and deceptive practices (1975)
Senate campaign disclosure parity (185)
Require reporting for bundled campaign contributions (2030)
Election jamming prevention (4102)
Campaign disclosure parity (223)
Presidential funding (2412)
Integrity of electronic voting systems (1487)

11 addressed Education
Increase access of low income African Americans to higher education (1513)
Establish teaching residency programs (1574)
Increase early intervention services (2111)
Middle school curriculum improvements (2227)
Public database of scholarships, fellowships and financial aid (2428)
Summer learning programs (116)
TANF financial education promotion (924)
Higher education (1642)
Build capacity at community colleges (379)
Campus law enforcement in emergencies (1228)
Support for teachers (2060).

6 addressed Hurrican Katrina
Hurricane Katrina recovery (2319)
Emergency relief (1637)
Bankruptcy relief and community protection (1647)
Working family tax relief (2257)
Fair wages for recovery workers (1749)
Gulf coast infrastructure redevelopment (1836)

5 addressed the Environment
Drinking water security (218, 1426)
Water resources development (728)
Waste water treatment (1995)
Combat illegal logging (1930)
Spent nuclear fuel tracking and Acountability (1194)
Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act (Introduced in Senate)[S.726.IS ]

4 addressed Discrimination
Claims for civil class action based on discrimination (1989)
Domestic partnership benefits (2521)
Unresolved civil rights crimes (535)
Equality or two parent families (2286)

4 addressed Homeland Security
Judicial review of FISA orders (2369)
National emergency family locator (1630)
Amend US Patriot Act (2167)
Chemical security and safety (2486)

Politics - Tax & Spend Republicans

Since 1938 the Democrats have held the White house for 35 years, the Republicans for 34. Over that time the national debt has increased at an average annual rate of 8.7%. In years Democrats were in the White House there was an average increase of 8.3%. In years the Republicans ran the White House the debt increased an average 9.7% per year. Those averages aren’t that far apart, but they do show a bias toward more borrowing by Republicans than Democrats even including World War II.

If you look at the 59-year record of debt since the end of WWII, starting with Truman’s term, the difference between the two parties’ contributions to our national debt level change considerably. Since 1946, Democratic presidents increased the national debt an average of only 3.2% per year. The Republican presidents stay at an average increase of 9.7% per year. Republican Presidents out borrowed and spent Democratic presidents by a three to one ratio. Putting that in very real terms; for every dollar a Democratic president has raised the national debt in the past 59 years Republican presidents have raised the debt by $2.99.

Politics - Why I will be caucusing for Barak Obama tonight

Clinton vs. Obama.

They share a lot of the same views on policy. In fact, their platforms are nearly identical.

So it comes down to character and integrity.

Obama wins that walking away.

The major reason I'm caucusing for Obama tonight is that he won't bring in the baggage that Hillara has.

The right loathes her. There is no faster way to get under a 'publicans skin than to mention her name. (Ok, maybe Gore, but I digress.) You want to see McCain in the WH and four more years of embarrassing foreign affairs gaffs and pointless wars? Then nominate Hillara. She'll bond the fractured GOP together so fast it'll make Super Glue look like bubble gum.

Even the religious right will overlook McCains less than conservative voting record to keep her out of the White House.

Aside from that, Obama is competent, literate, well liked abroad and can recover some of the damage our reputation has taken under this administrations holy war. We need that. We need our friends and allies to know who we really are. We need to restore the presidency to an office of hope. Not one of divisive politics as usual.

Hillara and Obama don't differ that much on policy stands. (I supported Kucinich early on because he DID differ from everyone.) Now it's about who can lead us out of the fucking mess Dubya/Cheney/Rice/Wolfowitz/Libby/Rumsfield and all the other PNAC ass-wipes got us into.

Then there's the whole lobbyists thing:

Clinton took in $823,087 from registered lobbyists and members of their firms in 2007 and the second-biggest recipient was McCain, who took in $416,321, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based group which tracks political giving. Barack Obama, Clinton's rival for the Democratic nomination, doesn't take money from registered lobbyists, although he received $86,282 from employees of firms that lobby, according to the center.

Politics - Reality check

2008 budget dollars for
Military spending = 717 Billion (67%)
Non-military = 358 Billion (33%)

China spends 65 Billion a year on their military.
(Granted, that's 2004 dollars and I'm sure not 100% accurate. But still, it's got to be close.)

Priorities.

Geek - Steampunk JLA!

The Gaslight Justice League.

Sweet.

Geek - Sci-Fi Sound Quiz

	I received 100 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Take the Sci-Fi Movie Quiz cheapest digital camera

Personal - Santa@indiatechglobal.com

It's been a great couple of months in the my house. Every time the girl started to act up, I'd remind her that Santa was making his lists and it just takes one call from mommy or daddy to let the Big Guy know she was edging off the "nice" list. That would re-adjust her attitude.

Now he's made his rounds and there's little to hold over her head. In fact, she informed me yesterday in the midst of one of her tantrums that, "You can't just call Santa, daddy."

I corrected her and said, yes, you can indeed call Santa but the hold times make it difficult to get through since he outsourced his Naughty/Nice Processing Facility to India but I'd probably get through to him faster if I emailed him.

That gave her enough to think about that, for a while at least, she forgot what she was throwing her fit over.

Ahhh... peace on earth, indeed.

Movies - The Dark Knight

Why so serious?

Nerdgasm!

Personal - Holiday Road

Ahhh, the holidays....

Odd observation of the day: my Firefox is set up at home so I almost NEVER see an add on a website. When I travel and am forced to use IE, I realize how the rest of the world sees the web. As one large bilboard.

No sir, I don't like it.

Sports - Kansas City USED to have a pro-football team...

I'm not going to the last home game of the season, (even though I can get pretty much any ticket I want for free) but if I did I would make a sign that reads:

Dear Santa,

All I want for X-mas is Herm Edward's resignation.

Love,

Every Chiefs Fan

Personal - When in Chinatown...

I had to go to D.C. last week for work. Really mind-numbing work that any monkey with an above average I.Q. could pull off, but the boss thought I needed to be said monkey. I had successfully fought off work related travel since well before the boy was born, so I was due.

My hotel (the Marriott Renaissance) was just a couple of blocks from the Chinatown metro stop, so I figured I could hop over to Chinatown and have some pretty decent Chinese food. (Or what in China they call "food.")

Walking down the street filled with signs written in Chinese (could have been Klingon, I didn't look that hard,) I see a big Guinness sign. Odd, I think.

Sure enough, right smack in the middle of Chinatown is an Irish pub. (Fadó to be exact.) I elected to have the Fish & Chips and a couple of Guinness and fore go the Dim Sum.

This would have been a pleasant experience except for the Justice Department drones who took up residency next to me at the bar. As you might expect, they were loud, obnoxious and paying more attention to their BlackBerry/SmartPhone than who they were spilling their twelve dollar a glass Cabernet on. After lengthly discussions on who slept with whom to get their promotion, what they expect of their assistants and a disgraceful display of who makes how much more than whom, my already low opinion of them dropped several points to where I now regard them as just below a guy who kicks puppies through a box fan.

Thanks, Priest!

Priest Holmes, possibly the best running back that has ever played for Kansas City is, at this hour, announcing his retirement.

Since joining the Chiefs as an unrestricted free agent in 2001, Holmes averaged a league-high 130.0 scrimmage yards per game and ranked second in the NFL by averaging 93.4 rushing yards per game. Holmes scored 83 touchdowns since 2001-05, the second-highest total in the NFL during that time span. He scored 62 rushing touchdowns from 2002-04, the second-best three-year total in NFL history. Holmes owns a host of Chiefs single-season records, including marks for points (162 in 2003), receptions by a running back (74 in 2003) and yards from scrimmage (2,287 in 2002).

He was a blast to watch.

A side note to Shawne Merriman: DIAF, you roided out puke stain.

Politics - Dubya has the largest nuts on the planet.

How big do your balls have to be to name October 1, 2007 "Child Health Day" and then turn around on October 3, 2007 and veto the SCHIP bill?

Gigantic ones, that's what!

Books - Oh my god! You killed Chewie!

You bastard!

One of my favorite authors, R.A. Salvatore will be in K.C. this week signing his new book.

Think I'll go by and hold up a sign that reads, "No Chewbacca, No Peace!"

Sports - 2 & 2 and leading the AFC West!

Well... tied with two other teams, but we're still leading!

Nice win. Really nice.

I was obviously 100% wrong about both the Chiefs and the Chargers.

An often overlooked fact by the national media, (I'm looking at you ESPN!) is that the Chiefs defense has not allowed one single touchdown in any of the 4 second halfs this season.

Politics - No child left behind... unless they need health coverage, then screw 'em

Email your congress critters and point this out to the little weasels:

How many days of the Iraq war would pay for children's health care?

1 Day = $300 Million = 246,000 Kids
1 Week = $2.1 Billion = 1.7 Million Kids
1 Month = $9.1 Billion = 7.4 Million Kids
41 Days = $12.2 Billion = 10 Million Kids

Tell them to stand up to Bush and his, claim that the SCHIP bill contains “excessive spending,” even as he’s requested $200 billion more for the war in Iraq.

Sports - How bout them Chiefs?

First win is the best win.

The Monster came up big, as I knew he would. 8 tackles. 2 sacks. 1 forced turnover.

My cousin and I went to Tanners to watch the game. It was great to just hang out and drink some beers again. However I'm reminded of just how old I really am when the little waitresses in very short skirts start talking about their 21st birthdays the weekend prior.

Those girls could be my daughters.

I stopped looking at them after that.

Current events - More anger over a newspaper ad than over a lie into war

Lt. John Kerry, Navy - Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart(3)

Capt. Max Cleland, Army - Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart

Gen. Wesley Clark, Army - Legion of Merit(4), Silver Star, Bronze Star(2), Purple Heart

Capt. John McCain, Navy - Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart

Lt. James Webb, Marines - Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star(2), Purple Heart(2)

Each of these men, at one point or another, have had their military records attacked.
In many cases by many of the same people decrying the MoveOn attack on Gen. Petraeus.

Sports - Ladies and gentlemen... THE MONSTER!

Jared "The Monster" Allen is back, baby! And he's got some hurt to bring on the opposing offense!

Woot!

Current events - Run the ball! Run it!

From the Kansas City Star :

Fight forces lockdown at Jackson County Jail

A brawl led to the lockdown of the Jackson County Jail Sunday night, according to media reports.
The fight apparently broke out over the Chiefs game, inmates’ relatives told reporters. It was unclear if anyone was seriously hurt, or how long the jail was locked down.
Jail officials declined to comment early Monday morning.

LOL.

I bet it was when they called a pass to the corner of the end zone on 3rd and short!

Sports - Bears 20, Chiefs 10

0 and 2.

Defense looked decent. Special teams looked awful. Offense looked... better than last week. D. Bowe is a hellova receiver and can become a real threat when teamed up with Tony Gonzalez. My only concern is Huard being able to get the ball to either of them. Well, that and that Herm will LET them throw the damn ball.

LJ is not shaping up to be the leader the media here in KC seems to think he is. He still comes across as selfish and less than eager to run the ball. The O is sadly lacking leadership right now and I think that could go a long way to helping them step up.

Politics - Kucinich '08

I have officially decided no matter who is on the ticket in '08, I will be voting for Dennis Kucinich. Even if I have to write his name in.

Rep. Kucinich’s courage to stand up for the truth, despite the odds, is inspiring.

Sports - Nope... I was right.

Texans 20 - Chiefs 3.
Oy vey.

Q: How can you tell it'll be a loooong season?
A: When even Tony Gonzalez drops a pass.

A Picture Share - It's official...

There is no space left that hasn't been covered in an ad.
(Taken at the Oak Park Mall, Overland Park, Kansas 9/6/07)

Current events - A tale of two services

The army:


The navy:

Sports - Are you ready?

I sure as hell am!

This droid's predictions for the AFC West:
San Diego 13-3
Denver 7-9
Kansas City 6-10
Oakland 3-13

I hope I'm wrong... GO CHIEFS!

Personal - Buds

A close friend of mine recently moved to the same city I live in. It's good to have him so close again.

I called him this week and asked him to come help me pick up a new couch and he, of course, did. That's the kind of buddy everyone ought to have.

Humor - The light bulbs will welcome us as liberators!

From Zaius Nation

How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?

The answer is seven:

* One to deny that a light bulb needs to be replaced.

* One to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the light bulb.

* One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new light bulb.

* One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs.

* One to get together with Vice President Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton one million dollars for each light bulb.

* One to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the light bulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag.

* And finally, one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

Media - ATandT Censors Pearl Jam concert

AT&T... that bastion of free speech, decided it wanted to protect us all from the obscenity laced concert Pearl Jam did during the "Blue Room" Live Lollapalooza Webcast.

The obscenity?

During the performance of "Daughter" the following lyrics were sung to the tune of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" but were cut from the webcast:

- "George Bush, leave this world alone." (the second time it was sung); and

- "George Bush find yourself another home."

No biggie, you say? It's their webcast to do with what they want, you say? Sure is. But remember... these are the same fuckwad corporations that want to put net neutrality on it's ass so they can censor (but lowering bandwidth) ANYTHING you or I or anyone else put on the internet.

Fuck AT&T. There... censor THAT!

Politics - 418

As of today, that's how many days off Dubya, the decider, the uniter not the divider has taken since he took office.

That's almost 60 weeks.

Which is more than the average National Guard member is getting between deployments.

How much damn brush is on that ranch!?!?

Current events - FISA and you.

Complicated? No!

Here's the short version...

ALBERTO GONZALES, liar, loyal Bushie and attorney general of the Corporate States of America, can listen to your phone calls and read your email with NO judicial or congressional oversight.

And your democratic majority in congress said it was just fine and dandy with them!

See? Simple.

Politics - Behold! The next generation of people who will screw up your country!

Draft College Republicans!

YouTube - Three of the greatest voices of my generation

The Swedish Chef, Animal and Beeker, come together to sing Danny Boy

Politics - Buck Fush

Politics - Performance based pay?

Last week, the House of Reps voted themselves a big pay raise. Three of our Kansas house members (Nancy Boyda, Dennis Moore both dems and Jerry Moran a 'pub) voted no but 'publican Todd Tiahrt voted yes. It would take a miracle and twelve gallons of Guinness to get me to vote for Tiahrt anyway, but you can bet I'll be making sure all of my friends in the Wichita area know how this vote went.

The Senate has yet to vote on their pay raise, but I suspect Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts (both 'pubs, natch) will be lining their pockets a little deeper soon.

Fiscal responsibility, my ass.

Current events - A fitting tribute

My camera phone doesn't do it justice, but 3,586 small flags along the 9600 block of State Line Road in Kansas City are a moving sight.

As of Wednesday, July 4, 2007, at least 3,586 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Movies - The Searchers

John Wayne and John Ford. Should be a no brainer, right?

Well...

While I liked The Searchers, it seemed to me to be hit-or-miss. Wayne really was great when he played a racist (hates Indians) loner, fresh off the confederate battlefield named Ethan Edwards, but the script jumping years at a time made the film feel... disconnected (?).

Edward's nieces are kidnapped by Comanche Indians and he and their adopted brother, Martin Pawley, (who's 1/8 Indian) set off to find them. It takes years (12 if I remember correctly) for them to complete their search and back stories play out showing Edward's obsession affecting the people around him and becoming Pawley's obsession as well.

High points for me were the beautiful Natalie Wood as the kidnapped niece and Hank Worden as the goofy Mose Harper.

Two beeps.

Current events - 41% of people are idiots

Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist
attacks of September 11^th, 2001?

	Yes	No	Don't Know
Current Total	41	50	9
Trends
9/30-10/2/04	36	51	13
9/2-3/04	42	44	14
1/29-30/04	49	39	12
9/18-19/03	47	37	16

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!

Current events - Just to recap

The Supreme Court has decided that free speech is entirely too free, unless of course you are a corporation or a religious organization, then it's open season.

Short version is the first amendment applies only to those who donated to the Bush campaign.

Current events - To be placed on your fossil fueled vehicle

A great bumper sticker for the Creation Museum

Geek - Ladies and gentlemen...

I give you the greatest t-shirt ever.

Movies - Eragon

Really disappointed in this one.

With Irons and Malkovich I really expected more, but I've never seen a more cliched movie. After several scenes I pointed out to my wife where they were ripping off the Star Wars script almost verbatim.

Farm boy, raised by his uncle, meets a mysterious old wizard and goes with him to rescue a princess only to learn he has magical powers (and a dragon) and battles a dark wizard. (During the rescue scene I expected him to say, "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you!)

I give it one beep.

Personal - Next weekend...

Is Father's day and my lovely wife has given me permission to start a project I've wanted to do for a long time.

I'm going to build a boat!

I'll try to take pics and upload here as I go.

Current events - Oil and water

Think noted humanitarian Sam Waterston and conservative Fred Thompson have some interesting and heated discussions on set?

Politics - Sebelius the latest to be attacked by Dubya

I seriously fucking hate Dubya and every one of his spineless little cronies.

Now he's blaming my girl, Kathleen Sebelius, of dragging HER feet to help the residents of Greensburg. No person, let alone the President of the United States of America should be allowed to lie as often and as voraciously as this sorry excuse for a human and his cock-smoking administration.

It's never their fault! Ever!

He's a prick and anyone associated with him is a prick.

Humor - Mad cow

Two cows are standing around in a pasture.

One cow looks at the other and says: "Hey, have you heard about this new mad cow disease going around?"

The other cow says, "What do I care? I'm a helicopter."

Personal - Happy Birthday Yoda!

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Frank Oz, the man who gave voice to Yoda, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert... and my personal favorite... the Corrections Officer in Blues Brothers!

Geek - Thanks George!

Now please, I'm begging you... stop.

Current events - Two things...

that seem to be related:

The Democrats give into Bush and send him more money to fund his war

and

A toddler in KC destroys Buddhist monks hours of work

How are they related? Both show the lack of accountability in this country. First the dem's fold to Dubya's threats, thus not doing the job 70% of the country want them to do. Second the mother of the toddler doesn't even report what the kid did, she just grabs him and takes off!

Thanks to all the lawyers and congress, no one in this country is held accountable for their actions anymore. No one. All the way from the president to a toddler... but now I'm being redundant.

Personal - Monday data dump

Sometimes I wish I had tourettes syndrome so I could just spew a string of obscenities and get away with it.
====================================================
I have an idea for an animated short.

It's an analogy of the Iraq war. It starts with a young boy named Georgie discovering that a bunch of cockroaches have gotten into his kitchen and knocked over two boxes of his favorite sugar cereal. He gets all pissed off and starts killing cockroaches and rips open the walls to get at their hiding places. He's almost gotten every cockroach, but unfortunately, before he finishes the job, he remembers a story his daddy told him about some flies that he tried to kill once in another room of the house. Little Georgie drops what he's doing and runs into the other room with a box of fruit and starts flinging the fruit at the flies. He kills a few, but more flies lay eggs in the fruit and produce more flies. Pretty soon, the flies are everywhere and the cockroaches have rebuilt the wall in the kitchen.

Then his best friend shoots someone in the face.

Now I just have to learn how to animate stuff and come up with a better ending.

Politics - The 2008 Presidential race

I've watched three presidential debates (2 Pub, 1 Dem) so far and am astonished that in a country as large and diverse as ours that THESE clowns are as good as we can get to run for president?

If Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are not the two major parties nominees we are in trouble. Deep, deep, deep trouble.

Paul and Kucinich are the only candidates who have the integrity I think the office deserves. I could see myself voting for either of them.

In the wake of Dubya, Cheney, Rice and Rove completely raping our country, we need to change the course. These are the only guys I see being able to do that.

Humor - Explains everything

Q: Is it possible to get pregnant from anal sex?

A: Yes, where do you think the RIAA lawyers come from?

Media - Left hand, meet right hand...

The US military has taken the war in Iraq into cyberspace, with the launch of its own channel on the video-sharing website YouTube.

But wait...

The Defense Department will begin blocking access "worldwide" to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular Web sites on its computers and networks, according to a memo sent Friday by Gen. B.B. Bell, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.

Personal - A follow up

When the fuck did we stop holding people accountable?

Back in December I got t-boned by some asshole. He drove into me and damaged the passenger side of my car. I did everything I was supposed to do, (police report, contact my insurance company) he didn't. He did nothing. His insurance company is some fly-by night, "We insure ANYBODY!!!" type jobs and the only phone number my insurance company could find for them was a call tree that dropped you if you didn't have a claim number. My insurance company said they'd have to pay me for the damages and then they could (maybe.. maybe not,)pursue the guy.

Jump forward to last month. ANOTHER asshole, (high on prescription pain killers according to his girlfriend,) hits me on the drivers side of my car. Again, I do what I'm supposed to, (see above) and he does... nothing. His insurance company says they don't have a phone number for him and they have sent him a letter (!) asking him to get in touch with them. They refuse to talk to me until they talk to him. Have they sent a registered letter? No. Have they sent an adjuster to his house? It's a PO box. Have they gotten a police report? Nope. (BTW, the Allen County sheriff wants me to send them $3 for a police report, and no, they won't email it to me.)

In the mean time, I'm shit outta luck. For all I know the second guy is in fucking jail for DUI and the first guy has left the planet.

You can bet your ass that if I was at fault I would come through and make damn sure it was taken care of.

Fuck.

Personal - Tuesday data dump

How the hell did I ever mow the lawn without an mp3 player?
==============================================================
I really, really want a nice stand mixer. (For to make cookies!) Jeeze they are expensive.
==============================================================
I used to drive through Greensburg, Kansas a lot when I was going to school. It was a quiet little town on highway 54 where even the gas station was closed on Sundays. I remember once my buddy's Mustang broke down in Greensburg and we had to wait almost two hours for the guy who worked at the service station to "finish his supper" and "drive back in to town."
==============================================================
Boston was cool. The mate and offspring had fun. I did get lost trying to find Salem, Mass.. Turns out there's a Salem, New Hampshire, too. Who knew?

Games - If JC played WoW

This is from a chat on linkfilter:

Hugh2d2> My favorite Manah-Manah
r03> ROFLMAO!
* * * pneum0nic tries really hard not to laugh....
crataegus> That's fscked up, hugh. What's funnier is that they have "all glory and honor to Jesus Christ" at the end of that video, and they play WoW.
Hugh2d2> JC would play WoW. He'd be a holy spec priest of course.
r03> ah. same ol same ol
Hughd2> Unless he wanted to f' with some people... then he'd hava an undead warlock alt.
pneum0nic> if JC played WoW would he be horde?
pneum0nic> or alliance?
Hugh2d2> He'd play on a carebear server... he'd have alts on both sides
Hugh2d2> I don't see JC having a high PvP ranking
Hugh2d2> but I bet he'd dominate in capyure the flag matches
crataegus> Unless he was into that whole "vengeful jealous" mode...
crataegus> Jesus could hide the flag in his stigmata.
Hugh2d2> he'd be like *boop* speed hack! or *boop* walkin on water hack!
r03> ouch....waiting for lightning
Hugh2d2> his guild "Da Ap0stlz" would be like ROTFLMAO! JC pwnz u noobz!

Personal - Car accident

On the way home from the funeral yesterday, I was hit by a guy who was high on painkillers. No one was hurt, and there was minimal damage to the car, but it was terrifying.

My pregnant wife was asleep in the passenger seat. We were coming up on an on ramp and I had just taken the cruise control off. I saw a guy in a little black car coming up behind me but didn't pay too much attention. As he got up next to me, he drifted over into my lane and I laid into the horn. He never stopped coming over, and after he bounced off of me, he kept driving. my wife woke up and started freaking out. I was livid. He showed no signs of stopping so I was going to follow him.

All of a sudden, a red car came flying past me and got up next to him. There was a girl in the car and she was screaming and gesturing at the guy. I assumed he must have hit her as well. She got in front of him and basically forced him to pull over. She was out of the car and screaming at the guy before I even got out of my car.

I came out of the car ready to beat the guy senseless.

The guy got out and stumbled. I thought, "crap... He's drunk." The guy looked at his car and up at me and was totally confused. All this time the girl is still yelling at him.

She finally tells me that she's his girlfriend and that he's on prescription meds for a torn rotator cuff and she told him not to drive, but he did anyway. He's stumbling around so I turned him around and made him sit in his car. (I was afraid he'd stumble out into traffic and become road-paste.)

I get her to find his insurance card and I go back and call the cops. He basically passes out in the drivers seat.

My wife stepped out of the car and the girlfriend sees that my wife is pregnant and she melts down. She starts screaming at the guy all over again.

The cops get there and I tell them what happened, they take pictures and statements and the girlfriend left. (She was on her way to work.) I asked the cop and he assured me the guy was going nowhere in his condition.

The best possible thing that could have happened to that guy was bumping my car. He could have killed himself or worse, someone else.

Personal - Rest well, G.O.M.

My godfather died.

I have to go to his funeral tomorrow.

He taught me what it meant to be a man, how to live up to my responsibilities, how to be a better friend. He did that all without ever telling me how to do it... he just lived that way.

He was a very faithful catholic and I hope that faith gave him comfort near the end.

I'll miss him terribly.

Geek - I think I found the Geek Holy Trinity

The KC Comicon this year will feature what could be the nexus of Geek... Darth Vader, Apollo and JIM FREAKIN' LEE!

(That's David Prowse, Richard Hatch and JIM FREAKIN' LEE for the non-geek crowd.)

Media - If it bleeds, it leads

I think I'm pissed at MSNBC for airing the videos and pics from Psycho-Cho.

It's salt in the wounds of Virginia Tech and reeks of sensationalism.

EDIT:

Once again, I can't put into words what others can...

So Mr. Cho gets his fifteen minutes. The question bewildering journalism observers--why'd he send his goodie bag to NBC News?--has an easy answer: it was in gratitude for their firing of Imus.
Not so easy is the answer to the question: what is the possible journalistic explanation for splashing Cho's self-dramatizing poses and self-justifying bullshit over network and cable air? Did we learn anything useful during the spate of interviews of Charlie Manson years ago, except that he was one crazy motherfucker? Cho's pathetic outpourings deserved to be put back where they came from--in a small room, with FBI guys sentenced to read/see and parse them Instead, a hundred thousand self-pitying mentally ill young men (and women?) have just been shown the road to glory one more time. A society in which it's easier to become famous for killing people than for doing something useful or constructive is one remarkable place in which to live.

via HuffPost - Harry Shearer

Personal - Wednesday data dump

What's on the droids mind this week?

Baby boy on the way... he's gonna need a name.
Must sell house.
Must find new house.
Zero day exploits sure are a P.I.T.A..
Trip to Boston for training.
Proud of my nephew.
Documentation sure would be nice.

Tech - I'm lucky this email attachment came in or I'd have no idea I was infected!

"There's no patch for stupidity." - Unknown, but very wise.

Media - Who said what now? I'm offended!

Was Imus wrong to use those words? Yeah.
Is it as bad as the media is making it out? No.

Had any of the Rutgers team EVER listened to Imus? Probably not.
Had any of the Rutgers team ever listened to gangsta rap? Most likely.

Is a dumb, old, white guy with a comedy radio show a real threat because he used a distasteful phrase? Nope.
Are mainstream, black rappers and hip-hop artists who glamorize prisonand drugs, mock getting an education and condone beating and degrading women a threat? Yes.

Will Imus lose his job over the comments? Yeah.
Will "Half-Dollar-Cube-Killa" lose his recording contract for his lyrics? Nope.

Common sense - 0, Victimization - 1.

Personal - A picture share

Politics - I heard it on Real Time w/ Bill Maher

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” - Mark Twain

Music - Happy Birthday, Ric Ocasek!

The Cars were the greatest (and most under-rated) band of the 80's.

Here's proof:

Magic

Hello Again

Touch and Go

Heartbeat City

Personal - R.I.P. Larry Bud

Larry "Bud" Melman dead at age 85

You will be missed, funny man.

The Web - A feature I'd love to see

Why, if I can customize my viewing experience on all these news web sites, can I not have a filter to screen out any stories I don't want to see?

My list starts with:
Anna Nicole Smith
Brittany Spears
K-Fed
American Idol
Simon Cowl
Ryan Seacrest

Personal - Note to self...

It's "every time" not "everytime".

Current Events - Dubya visits KC today

And all I can think is...

"Hell is empty,
And all the devils are here."

Personal - St. Patty's Day in Kansas City

Harry's bar was a bit busy













Is it love or the green beer?













Pretty sure that's not his real hair color.













Westport at night













Fun at Blaney's













Our bartender really, really likes hotdogs














Danny and the Rev

Question - I ask you, intarwebs...

Can anyone name one thing that congress has fixed?

Just one.

I'll wait.

Yeah... me neither.

Games - WoW players are jerks

I'm a bad, bad, bad man for laughing out loud at this.

Media - Remember just... watching T.V.?

Yeah, me neither.

Heroes Wiki
Battlestar Wiki
Smallville Wiki
Stargate Wiki
Firefly Wiki

Sports - Tourney Time

Let's look at the Big 12 Tourney, shall we?

Kansas has an 11:30 a.m. game on friday. 11:20. In the morning. On friday.
Kansas State has a 2:00 p.m. game on friday. 2:00. In the afternoon. On friday.

Texas and Texas A&M? They get PRIMETIME slots on friday. Even Baylor gets a
Primetime game on thursday night! Unreal.

Really? I mean... BAYLOR!?!?

They are the ELEVENTH FRACKIN' SEED OUT OF TWELVE!!!

/sigh

Ten years they've been doing this... ten years of Texas screwing up the Big 8.

Personal - FSCK COMCAST!

Comcast.
COmcast.
COMcast.
COMCast.
COMCAst.
COMCASt.
COMCAST.

COMCAST!!!!

Last month my bill more than doubled. It was $120 for tv, internet and phone, but they started billing me $270.

I called and told them to get bent, that the service wasn't worth the $120 I was paying and it sure as hell wasn't worth $270. He claimed that was what the service was "worth" and that I had been getting a promotion price for the last 18 months.

After two days of calls to management, the guy said he'd re-issue the bill and put us back to the $120 price.

He lied. They never re-issued the bill and they withdrew the full $270 bucks. When I called to complain, they claim there was no record of that two day ordeal on my account. No notes. No records. Nothing.

To top it off, for the last three weeks the phone and internet service has been off more than it's been on. The morons, of course, kept blaming it on my configuration or the modem, but it's their lines that are the problem. (I had a tech out here today that confirmed that for me.)

Thanks to the illegal monopoly that Comcast has setup with the city I live in (the city gets a kickback to keep other cable co's out) I have zero options and Comcast has zero incentive to do anything to fix their broken system.

My next step is to contact the Better Business Bureau and the states attorney General to see if I have some recourse.

FSCK them.

FSCK them all up their stupid asses with a big rubber dick.

Humor - If I don't laugh, I'll cry

Q: What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam?

A: George Bush had a plan for getting out of Vietnam.

Politics - 2008... time for REAL change!

Bush, George H.W. 1989-1993
Clinton, William J. 1993-2001
Bush, George W. 2001-2009
Clinton, Hillary R. 2009-2013

Really? Still think we don't have a problem in Washington?

Stewart/Colbert 2008!

Personal - A Picture Share

Guess where I was on New Years Eve?

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