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Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

Monday, February 28, 2005

Stephen Green over at Vodkapundit brings us good news from the Middle East. I agree with him that it's too soon to party, but the dominoes do look like they are starting to fall in the right direction. Let's just hope that nobody (UN, EU, DNC, etc.) does anything to alter the course or stop the dominoes from falling. If this goes right we could be living in a much safer world.

I am so sick of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI. These food Nazis have made it more difficult to get good junk food anywhere. First they attacked sugar, trying to regulate the amount you can eat. Then it was fat. McDonald's stopped frying their french fries in beef tallow; they're not nearly as good now as they used to be. They fought to get vending machines out of the schools; when I was in high school we cheered when they brought in soda machines for the first time. Now they're attacking salt. CSPI wants the FDA to regulate the amount of salt people use. Why don't they just leave us alone? People need salt. It's part of the human chemical makeup. If people want to oversalt their food, that's their business. With some of the healthy crap on the market today, salt is the only way to make it palatable enough to eat. CSPI should just go take a long walk off a short pier and leave us alone.

I almost forgot to tell you to visit the Carnival of the Dogs. It is truly a labor of love over at Mickey's Musings. Let him know you appreciate it. I'm planning to have some new dog pictures to post soon. My daughter's Great Pyrenees just gave birth to nine pups, but two didn't make it. They're not solid white like Mom though. Some have spots. She's speculating that her other dog, Roland, may have fathered some of the pups. Roland is a Yorkie. I told her the only way that could have happened is if Annie was lying down and Roland crawled inside and masterbated. But you never know, I guess. Anyway we finally found our cheap digital camera, so I'm gonna get some batteries for it and take some pics for all to adore.

I don't know if you noticed or not, but I've added another new name to my blogroll. You should check out Stand Up and Walk, a great blog written by a conservative Christian wife, mother and dog lover in Virginia. What's not to love? She's been blogging for a while, I guess, since she's pretty high up on the ecosystem. But she's new to me. Check her out, and tell her I sent you.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Here's the funniest quote I've seen this week: Bill Clinton, talking about Hillary becoming president, said "I think now she's at least as good as I was." I laughed so hard at that I think I cracked a rib.

I haven't seen any of the movies nominated for Oscars this year, but that's nothing new. However, I was sure that "Million Dollar Baby" would win, since it's "message" was so politically correct. I'm not saying what the message was, in case some of you like surprises. Just judging by the clips I've seen recently, I think either "Ray" or "Hotel Rwanda" should have won. But that's just my opinion. At least Jamie Foxx won best actor. He really caught Ray's whole persona. I noticed that "Passion of the Christ" didn't win any of the minor awards they were up for. That didn't surprise me at all.

According to this story on MSNBC, Dennis Rader, aka BTK serial killer, has confessed to six of the killings, and is now considered a suspect in 13 killings, including one which occurred after the death penalty became an option in Kansas. Stories are flying all over the internet on this lunatic, so I'm sure there will be a lot of incorrect information floating out there. I've been studying this case for a long, long time (part of my fascination with serial killers, plus it's not that far from where I live). I'll try to be sure you get nothing but accurate information from me. What I want to know is: What has he been doing since 1991, when the last killing attributed to him took place? Ssrial killers don't just stop; it doesn't work that way.

Via Vodkapundit, we have this link to color pictures taken during World War 1. Very nice.

A Columbus, Georgia man stabbed five children, killing two of them, then slit his own throat. Here is a first-hand account by one of the physicians who treated the surviving children. It just breaks your heart.

Okay, it seems that, in addition to being a fake Indian and making hate speeches, Ward Churchill also copied a copyrighted artwork and called it his own. Thomas Mails created "The Mystic Warriors of the Plains" in 1972. Ward Churchill produced a serigraph he calls "Winter Attack" in 1981. Churchill's serigraph is an exact mirror image of Mails' artwork. Yet he claims it isn't a copy. Why is he still employed by Colorado University? The man's obviously got a few screws loose. Anyhoo, click here to see the two works and decide for yourself. It's not a very difficult choice.

John and Jackie Knill of Vancouver were killed in the tsunami that hit Thailand last December. Their digital camera was just recently found, and the pictures they took of the incoming tsunami are awesome. Click here to see this amazing phenomenon.

This is great! Iowahawk strikes again, this time with a little known story of Hunter Thompson, entitled Fear and Loathing in the Mystery Machine, also starring Scooby-Do. Drink alert is definitely in effect.

For those of us who aren't a part of the vast Catholic community, IMAO presents Tidbits about the Pope. Now you'll know as much about the Pope as any devout Catholic.

MSNBC Breaking News:

Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan, a half-brother of Saddam Hussein, has been captured, officials in the Iraqi prime minister's office said on Sunday. Hasan is No. 36 on Washington's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis
Another one bites the dust!

Steve at Hog on Ice has a eulogy that will never be given for Hunter Thompson, but should be. What a waste of a human being. And his family is no better.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Here is some hard to believe but true trivia for your entertainment, thanks to funny2:
Romanian firefighters could not get their trucks close enough to a burning building, so they put out the fire by throwing snowballs at it.

A Dutch court ruled that a bank robber could deduct the 2,000 Euros he paid for his pistol from the 6,600 Euros he has to return to the bank he robbed.

The time spent deleting SPAM costs United States businesses $21.6 billion annually.

John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States, loved to skinny dip in the Potomac River.

G-rated family films earn far more money than any other rating. Yet only 3% of Hollywood's output is G-rated.

More than 2,500 left-handed people are killed each year from using products that are made for right-handed people.

A ten year old mattress weighs double what it did when it was new, because of the -ahem- debris which is absorbed through the years. That debris includes dust mites (their droppings and their decaying bodies), mold, millions of dead skin cells, dandruff, animal and human hair, secretions, excretions, lint, pollen, dust, soil, sand and a lot of perspiration, of which the average person loses a quart per day. Good night!

The world's largest book, "Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey" is in a Chicago public library. The book measures 5 feet tall by 7 feet wide when open. It weighs 133 pounds.

Oprah Winfrey and Elvis Presley are distant cousins.

The company that manufactures the greatest number of women's dresses each year is Mattel. Barbie's got to wear something.

Each year, more people are killed by teddy bears than by grizzly bears.

In 2004, one in six girls in the United States enter puberty at age 8. A hundred years ago, only one in a hundred entered puberty that early.

If you hook Jell-O up to an EEG, it registers movements almost identical to a human adult's brain waves.

In 1965, auditions were held for the "Monkees" TV show. Some of the people who responded (but were not hired) were Stephen Stills, Harry Nilsson, and Paul Williams.

Astronauts cannot burp in space. There is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
There are lots more where these came from. Take a few minutes and enlighten yourself. What else have you got to do on Saturday night?

Question: What do Mel Gibson and Jamie Foxx have in common? Answer: They both won top honors at the 13th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala, also known as the Christian Oscars.
According to the ASSIST News Service (ANS), the award amounts to a Christian Oscar. ANS reported that "The Passion" took home the $50,000 John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring Movie while Jamie Foxx's The "Happy Trails" episode of PAX-TV's series DOC won the $50,000 John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program.

The Epiphany Prize, ANS explained, is given to the movie and television program that "greatly increases man's love and understanding of God."

Jim Caviezel won the Grace Award for Most Inspiring Movie Performance of 2004 for his portrayal of Jesus Christ in "The Passion."
At least sombody got it right. People do get tired of the same old crap out of Hollywood; they want programming and movies they can watch as a family. I'm not saying all movies and programs have to be that way. It is nice, though, when a significant percentage of the programs are ones you can share with your children.

At last, the long nightmare is over. Wichita police have announced they have captured the BTK Serial Killer. The suspect, Dennis Rader, is a city worker in a Wichita suburb who is accused of killing ten people, after he bound them with various materials and tortured them. The authorities have been looking for him for more than 30 years. People in Kansas can rest now; the monster is in jail.

I'm here to get everybody caught up on the Blog Noir currently being written. Chapter Three is brought to you by Twisty, and Chapter Four is written by Feisty Repartee. Now you're caught up. When the next chapter is ready, I'll let you know.

Carnival of the Recipes is up over at Rocket Jones. Yummy!

I thought it was bad when school systems started banning dodge ball because it was too violent. Then they banned cowboys and indians, and just about anything else that could be considered fun. But England has us beat folks. A school over there has banned playing tag because it was too dangerous! I wonder do they wrap their kids in cotton bunting before sending them outside so they don't get a bump or scrape?

Here's another case of a young man dying because nobody used common sense.
Chris Thomas, a 20-stone photographic technician from Llanelli, plunged to his death after leaping from a 180ft crane in the car park of a pub in Swansea.

The appalling accident at the Old Barn Inn in Pontlassau, Morriston, was witnessed by onlookers at a family fun day including Chris's girlfriend Helen Perkins, 23, and his parents David and Yvonne Thomas who were filming the jump.

An inquest in Swansea heard yesterday that Chris, who lived with Helen in Canton, Cardiff, weighed 132kg, or 20st 10lb. But an expert investigation discovered that the rope holding him had a maximum load weight of just 90kg, and should not have safely held more than 70kg.
For those of us who never learned metric, this young man weighed 291 pounds. Why in the world would anyone let him bungee jump? If I owned a bungee business, there's no way I would have let it happen. This kid weighed way too much. Why didn't his family try to talk him out of it? Why did he even want to do it? Did he have a death wish? I'm sorry but this was just a stupid occurrence that never should have happened.

This story from Texas is very confusing, but I thought you'd want to read it anyway. Two men who were very unhappy with their service at McDonalds threatened to blow up the Pentagon.
Wharton authorities and officials with the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety said a man in his 50s and a man in his 20s were apparently upset with the food and service at a McDonald's restaurant in Wharton, Texas, at about 2 p.m. Thursday when they made the alleged threats.
Now, I can understand (sorta) threatening to blow up the McDonalds where you experienced poor service and food. People do that under their breath all the time. What I don't get is what the Pentagon has to do with it. The whole story just seems strange to me. And they threw in at the end of the story that the men were of Middle Eastern descent. What difference does it make what ethnic group they belong to? A threat is a threat. Sic 'em!

There is absolutely no excuse for something like this happening:
Manuela Gomez Ruiz, 74, was transferred out of the main trauma room at the Marian Medical Centre in Santa Maria, California, when Jackson was rushed in suffering from "flu-like symptoms" last week.

Her family claims she was taken off a machine ventilator and her breathing was instead assisted manually by a handpump.

Mrs Ruiz was being treated after having a heart attack but suffered two more that day before she died.
I could understand moving her to another trauma room if there was a life-threatening situation, like the one she was in. But no, they had to make room for the "King of Pop"?
Her daughter-in-law, Anna Ruiz, told ABC News she saw Jackson come into the emergency unit.

"He walked in," she said. "When I saw him, he was walking unassisted."
Okay, he wasn't bleeding, or unconscious, no bones were broken, no super high fever. Why did he need a trauma room? He didn't. Like I said before, there's no excuse for this mistake. The family of Mrs. Ruiz is planning to sue both Michael Jackson and the hospital. Good for them. I wish I could be on the jury.

I guess cryogenics is a viable process after all. At least it is in the Arctic Circle.
A new type of organism discovered in an Arctic tunnel came to life in the lab after being frozen for 32,000 years.

The deep-freeze bacteria could point to new methods of cryogenics, and they are the sort of biology scientists say might exist on Mars and other planets and moons.
I can just see the scientist's face as the bacteria started moving. If it had been me, I would have freaked out.
NASA described the newfound critter as "the first fully described, validated species ever found alive in ancient ice."

"They immediately started swimming when the ice melted," Hoover told LiveScience, adding that the cryopreserved bacteria were instantly ready to eat and multiply.
How great is that? And it isn't just on Earth. They've also made a significant discovery on Mars.
The announcement of the discovery Wednesday comes just a day after a team of European researchers said they found blocks of ice just under the surface of Mars near the equator. The Europeans said the ice, between 2 million and 5 million years old, could serve as storehouses for life.
I hope they are careful with these bacteria; we don't know what they could do to a human being. We're still working on controlling the bacteria we already knew about.

MSNBC has done a story on the Top Ten Most Expensive Automobiles in the U.S. The cheapest car on this list is more than $225,000. The most expensive is over $500,000. Anybody want to buy me a new car? I'll take one of the cheaper ones. Really.

Friday, February 25, 2005

Here's another case of a school board taking control of things they have no need to control. Kelli Davis will not have her picture listed in the yearbook alongside the other seniors this year.
Kelli Davis, 18, had her senior class photo taken in a tuxedo top and bow-tie outfit provided for boys rather than the gown-like drape and pearls provided for girls. The school's principal decided it could not appear in the yearbook because she didn't follow the dress code.

Kelli, a straight-A student with no discipline problems, is a self-proclaimed lesbian. She said she was uncomfortable to have her chest exposed in the photo.
Lesbian or not, what difference does it make if she wears a tux? A lot of girls that age (myself included) would not want to wear an off-the-shoulder drape instead of regular clothing. That style senior picture went out in the sixties. When my yearbook pictures were taken, we were allowed to wear whatever we chose, but wore our graduation cap and gown over it. I could have worn a bikini and no one would have been the wiser. Except my mother, and she would have killed me. But that's not the point here. The point is, she did not wear anything that could be considered outlandish or controversial. Women wear tuxes now on occasion. So what? Her sexual preference has nothing to do with this. The school just went overboard and can't swallow their pride and concede the fact that they were wrong.

Received in today's e-mail:

I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven. I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?"

"NO!" the children answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, the answer was, "NO!"

By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun! "Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me
into Heaven?" I asked them again.

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

I was just bursting with pride for them. Well, I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!"

I'm back people, and I'm ready to entertain (if I can find some good stories tonight):




You Are In a Good Mood







Today, you're feeling pretty together and happy.
While not everything is going you're way, you're keeping things in perspective.
And it seems like things are looking up for you!


What Mood Are You In?

Thursday, February 24, 2005

That's it for me for now, guys I'll try to write more later, but I can't promise. For some reason, I seem to be turning into a "day person", and it's scary! I'm used to being up all night; now I get sleepy about midnight or sooner, and wake up around 7 or 8 AM!! ACK! I want my nightlife back! Anyway, I'll try to write more tonight if I can keep my eyes open. See ya.

The parents of Megan Holden, the Wal-Mart clerk who was kidnapped after work and murdered in Texas, have decided the best way to deal with their grief is to sue Wal-Mart. They claim that Wal-Mart was negligent in allowing Johnny Williams to hang around the store for hours. When Holden got off work, he followed her to her truck and kidnapped her. My question is: How was Wal-Mart supposed to know the difference between people shopping and perpetrators of crime hanging out in their store? I've seen people shop in Wal-Mart for hours, and they didn't kill anyone. How are they supposed to know the difference? So now there are two parents, and four attorneys, looking for a handout from Wal-Mart because the person they should be blaming killed a young girl. Williams is in jail pending trial for the killing. He's the one to blame. Not Wal-Mart.

Same old story. Man has sex with woman, woman uses sperm to get pregnant, woman sues for child support. But this one has a twist: The man has sued the woman for emotional distress. I hope he wins. He's being forced to pay $800 a month in child support. That's just wrong. She wanted the child, she should support the child. Now this opinion does not apply in all child support cases. Don't get me wrong. If he had gotten her pregnant then abandoned her, she should get child support. But to have his sperm implanted without his knowledge, no way. That's just wrong.

This is a great story. Two men decided to commit a burglary in Copenhagen, Denmark, but it didn't go off as planned:
The men, identified only as an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, broke into a summer cabin late Wednesday near Kaldred, 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of capital Copenhagen.

As they carried their haul to the car, they were confronted by a passer-by, who witnessed the break-in and insisted that they return the stolen property. To ensure they couldn't get away, the passer-by took the keys from their car, and refused to return them.

"The two young men then called us and said they needed our help getting their keys back," Chief Superintendent Asger Larsen said on Thursday. Police said they were only too happy to help, and arrested them after they confessed to breaking and entering.
I love it!

What a blow! The Queen will not be attending the wedding of Prince Charles and his horse..er..lady love, Camilla Parker-Bowles. She says it's to keep the ceremony "low-key", I say it's because she doesn't approve but can't say so outright. Either way, the world knows it's a slam. At least Camilla will never be queen. I'm wondering now if Charles will ever be king, or if she'll wait and give the job to William?

Rumors are swirling that Condoleezza Rice will replace Dick Cheney as Vice President sometime next year due to his health situation. I don't know if it's true or not, but it would be ideal if she plans a run against the Hildabeast in 2008. That would split the female vote, and force people to vote on one or the other based solely on their positions and the issues. What a novel idea!

MSNBC Breaking News:

Italian news agencies say doctors are preparing to operate on Pope John Paul
No word on what the operation would be for. Earlier today, they just said he had relapsed from the flu and the complications thereof. I'll let you know more when I do.

UPDATE: Doctors are performing a tracheotomy on the Pope to make it easier for him to breathe. All indications are that he has pneumonia, complicated by his Parkinson's disease which makes it difficult for him to cough hard enough to expel congestion from his lungs.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Today's trivia brought to you through my email files:

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)
If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it!)
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)
A A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)
A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
(Creepy. I'm still not over the pig.)
Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories a hour.
(Don't try this at home,maybe at work)
The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
("Honey, I'm home. What the....?!")
The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes..lucky pig! Can you imagine?)
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)
Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)
Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm......)
Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)
Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(okay, so that would be a good thing)
A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)
Starfish have no brains.
(I know some people like that too.)
Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer?)
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

I see Jerry Falwell is in the hospital, battling a viral infection. Those can be extremely nasty. I should know. Our prayers go out to him and his family. I may not agree with everything he says, but he has done a number of good things for this country. Here's to a speedy recovery.

MSNBC Breaking News:

U.S. citizen held in Saudi Arabia charged with plotting to kill President Bush -
A former Virginia high school valedictorian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush.
I can't say that this surprises me. The way this country seems to be polarized, I really expect there will be more attempts on his life. My prayer is that they are all unsuccessful.

Wow! These thieves are talented! Somebody in Norway stole an in-ground swimming pool and all the equiment that went with it. I wonder how long something like that would take?

Sunday, February 20, 2005

I'm blogging from near Kansas City tonight. My sister's bridal shower was this evening, and I'm spending the night with one of my other sisters. We really had a lovely time at the shower. Played games, got prizes, cake and punch, good conversation. Brenda got lots of really beautiful lingerie. She really enjoyed the gifts she got from Sir Mugley. He remembered her teasing her fiancee about having to wait until dark on their wedding day (night?) before they got down to business. So he fixed up a "honeymoon kit", consisting of a box of 64 crayons, and two giant coloring books. They really loved it. We got them a set of sheets in a pale yellow, with accompanying SpongeBob pillowcases. She and Bill are both crazy about this cartoon. Anyway, it's almost 2 am and I'm tired. I have to drive home later today, so I'm going to get some sleep. I hope to have my computer fixed this coming week, and I'll be back to normal, if there is such a thing.

If you have a pre-teen or teenage child, you need to read this story. Kids are using these bracelets as a code for, depending on the color, anorexia, bulimia, or cutting. If your child has one of these bracelets, they are involved in a very dangerous activity and need your help.

You'd think after all this time, if you want to get through airport security quickly and trouble-free you should keep your mouth shut. This woman seems to have forgotten this.
Get "snippy" with an airlines' ticket agent and you may never see your luggage again.

That's the experience of Dr. Esha Khoshnu, a New Jersey psychiatrist traveling to San Diego to attend a conference.

While changing planes in Phoenix, Khoshnu got testy at a Mesa Airlines ticket counter, reports KGTV news, saying, "If I had a bomb, you wouldn't find it."
Really, how stupid can you get? She was practically begging for them to go through her luggage with a fine-toothed comb. Due to their diligent search, she missed her flight, but her checked luggage had already been put on the plane. So when the plane reached its destination, the luggage was found and exploded on the tarmac. She's lucky she wasn't locked up.

If you've read Kim DuToit's blog, you know about the Walter-Adam Fund, in which people donated money to get these guys the sniper equipment they needed in Iraq. We have received word that "Adam", also known as Sergeant Adam Plumondore was killed in action.
Plumondore, a 2001 graduate of Gresham High School, died Wednesday in Mosul after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, according to the Defense Department. Family members said military officials told them he was filling in for another solider during a patrol and probably died because he was in a hatch that left him more exposed than others.
There is a nice write-up about Sgt. Plumondore on Kim's website as well. Please pray for his family, as well as the other members of his unit.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

This is a great story. A baby, born 13 weeks premature weighing only 24 ounces, has had successful open heart surgery.
The infant weighed only 24 ounces at birth, and his heart was no bigger than a grape.

Doctors at first thought they wouldn't be able to conduct the complex surgery that included switching the aorta and pulmonary arteries in his heart.
Can you imagine operating on a grape? Even the biggest ones would be such delicate work.
"Jerrick is doing far better than expected, especially since he was originally given no chance of survival." said Maria Lourdes, his mother. "This miraculous surgery has corrected his heart problem. Now I'm just looking at a premature baby. I don't know how to express how thankful I am."
Another miracle to be thankful for.

Hey, this ought to make you ill. A Dutchman has been arrested for killing his mother, flaying and skinning her, and wearing his mother to a public festival. Eeww! I loved my mom, but I never in my life wanted to be that close to her.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Have you missed me? You know, I shut my computer down as usual the other night, and when I turned it back on last night I found that one file in system 32 is corrupted or missing, and now I can't use my computer. I have no idea how to fix it. I can operate a computer, but I can't fix one. I'm going to talk to a computer person tomorrow and see if she can fix it without losing all the cool stuff I've got on there that I can't replace. I know I should have made a backup, but my CD isn't working right either. Wish me luck. I won't be blogging for a couple of days, but as soon as possible I'll be back. I know my loyal reader can't sleep without my wisdom.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Sorry everybody. My computer is on the disabled list. Seems sometime between the time I shut it off last night and when I turned it on this afternoon,one of the .dll files became corrupted or vanished altogether. So I won't be posting much until it gets well. Sir Mugley doesn't much like to share his computer with me. I will keep you informed as to my baby's health.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Just for the record, so those of you keeping track will know, I went to the doctor this morning. I was still running a slight temp, but my sore throat was gone. He said it was just a sinus infection, but he gave me a steroid shot to help me breathe better, and an antibiotic to keep it from morphing into bronchitis. That's what usually happens when I feel like this. So I'm back on track and plan to attend my sister's party this weekend. I've only got a few shopping days left, though. Better get busy.

A hearty "Happy Anniversary" goes out to Wolf and Mrs. Wolf over at Pack News. I think this is number seven. Why don't you drop over and wish them the best. I know they'd love it!

Congratulations go out to Carlee, a five year old German Shorthaired Pointer, on her win at the Westminster Dog Show. She's really cute.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Thanks to Dave Barry, here are three gifts you probably didn't even think about giving to your special love: moose droppings, deer doodle, and bear poo. Being a person who loves gag gifts, I think they're great.

My sister's bridal shower is this coming Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to it. After the shower, we're going to my oldest sister's house for a slumber party (yes, you can have slumber parties at our age). We haven't done this is over a year, and I've really missed it. When our mom first passed away, we tried to get together at least every 3 months, alternating houses. We'd go to dinner, or a show, or just play games at the house. But as time passed, the get-togethers got farther apart. Now we're down to about twice a year, Fourth of July and Christmas. This makes me a little sad, even though I know everybody's got their own families, and life goes on. But I have this weekend, and I'm going, even if I've got double pneumonia by then. I just haven't decided what present to give her. I know what my daughter is giving her. I only hope she hasn't lost her sense of humor. She's gonna need it.

Allan over at BMEWS has the lo-down on the new Dodge Charger. Sweet! I'd want a different color, though. I've always hated yellow cars.

I found out today that Dick Weber, PBA Champion, passed away. I always admired him, being a person who grew up in a family of bowlers, because he seemed so nice and because he was left-handed. I'm sorry to see him go.

Monday, February 14, 2005

I've gotta tell ya, it's been a full day for me. I woke up early this morning, partially in anticipation of my Valentine's Day date with Sir Mugley tonight, and partially because I went to sleep early last night. I realized right away something was wrong. I checked my temp and sure enough, I had a fever. And my throat was scratchy. I've been at this long enough to know I had a case of bronchitis coming on if I didn't nip it in the bud right away. So I called my doctor, but can't get in until tomorrow. Needless to say, our date was off until I get well. Drat! But that was the bad part of the day. After my afternoon nap, I found my sweet Mugley had purchased some substitute gifts for me. I found a beautiful card, and a box of assorted chocolates on the sofa, along with a dozen red, pink, yellow, and white carnations (my favorite flowers). And I still get the dinner out when I get well. I couldn't believe it. We hadn't done anything for Valentine's Day in years, mainly because we don't like feeling forced to give gifts. He gives me gifts all year long, usually when there's no special occasion, so I don't mind missing V-Day. But he went all out this year, and it made me cry. And that's something I rarely do. I love him so much. He deserves better. I've gotta get well quickly so I can repay his kindness. It won't be tomorrow night, though, because he's going to a college basketball game. There's a first for ya.

Also thanks to Eric, we have the latest meme going around the net. You open your bookmarks and list the last one you entered, then count backwards and list every fourth one until you have five total. Then you post them to astound the world (yeah, right). So here's my list for your amusement:

1. 'Lectric Law Library's Legal Lexicon.
2. AR Families: Ponca Families and Memories.
3. Alta Vista Babel Fish Translations.
4. Kingblind: Art, Music & Entertainment.
5. Crime News 2000: Crime and Criminal Justice News Stories

Okay, go ahead and laugh at me. Let me see your list.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

If you read yesterday's posts, you saw a link to a very interesting art production, for lack of a better term. Well, Eric at Fire Ant Gazette was much more industrious than I was, and found a whole list of these same types of artwork. If you liked what you saw, and want to see more, check them out here. You won't know what you're gonna see, unless you can read Cyrillic, but I think you'll like it.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Thanks to Denny at Grouchy Old Cripple, we have The Boob Poem. All I can say is, AMEN!

It's people like this that give Missourians a bad name. A teacher in Sikeston, MO gave a first-grader a two day in-school suspension for giving another student a bag of what she thought was marijuana. Well, this teacher must be too stoopid to live, because the bag was full of dirt. But it didn't seem to matter. The child still had to serve her suspension time. I just don't get it.

Thanks to Rodger at Curmudgeonly and Sceptical, we have this amazing artwork in motion. You have to see it to believe it. I can't really describe it, but it's beautiful.

Via Wizbang we get word that the unbelievably corrupt Kofi Annan has taken credit for the success of the Iraqi elections. Don't read this right before eating; you'll definitely lose your appetite.

Well, that was fast! Key Monroe has posted Chapter Two of the new Blog Noir. I'll let you know when the next chapter is to come out. Remember Chapter One was written by Jim over at Parkway Rest Stop. Stay tuned. You never know when the next chapter will appear.

For the record, Sir Mugley and I rarely celebrate Valentine's Day. We agree that it's wrong to buy someone a gift just because a day on the calendar requires it. So he usually doesn't get me anything for Valentine's Day, but he more than makes up for it the rest of the year. Gifts mean so much more when you receive them for no particular reason at all. This year is a little different. He brought me a present tonight. Bearing in mind my nickname is Monkeedo, he brought me a two foot tall stuffed gorilla wearing a leather biker jacket. Isn't that precious? I collect stuffed animals, so it is a double bonus. I now have an entire family of monkeys, including an animated one. It dances to "Jungle Boogie". He also plans to take me out to dinner on Monday night, then we're going to a used book store and probably spend too much. I'm looking forward to seeing where he decides to take me to dinner. We're both pretty tired of fast food, since that's usually all we can afford. But he got his school check today, so we can go somewhere and be waited on. Ah, luxury! I'll let you know how it goes.

I talked to my daughter-in-law several times today, and it looks like our trip to Oregon won't be happening until at least June. It was becoming a logistical nightmare, trying to coordinate the kids' spring break with Sir Mugley's, and worrying about the weather. If we wait until June, we can visit them for a full week, and spend Father's Day and Sir Mugley's birthday with them, since they're only a few days apart. Plus there's the added possibility of renting a car and driving out there. We have a video camera that I'd love to put to work on the trip. We could travel at our own pace, I could haul my oxygen supplies with me, and I'm fairly sure it would be cheaper than plane tickets. I think that would be a lot better idea. Our daughter said she'd take care of our dogs while we were gone. She'd better. Last time I asked her to do that they spent the night outside. We never leave our dogs outside at night. Or when it's too hot or too cold. They go out to potty and get some exercise during the day, then come in in the evening and sleep in the house. Anyway, I'd be just as happy going in June. Sir Mugley will be out of school, and we could take a wonderful sightseeing trip (within reason). I figure it would take us three days to get there, taking the southern route. We could come home on the northern route and get even more video. This could be great.

You know, it takes a special kind of coward to rob old people. But every so often, one of them picks on the wrong person.
A young punk who tried to mug an 88-year-old picked the wrong man -- his intended victim turned out to be a former boxing champion who knocked the attacker out cold.

"I was visiting a friend's grave when a young, long-haired man came up to me and demanded I hand over my money," said granddad Gerhard Brinkmann of Halberstadt, Germany, who was the country's top lightweight boxer in 1936.

"I told him to come closer if he wanted it and, as he did, I landed a full-force right hook on his chin."
I love this story! I just wish it would happen more often.

Why limit yourself to a simple snowman, when you can build a pirate ship instead? The Dartmouth Winter Carnival has such a ship as their centerpiece in the snow sculpting competition this year:
The structure surpasses previous sculptures in size, towering between 50 to 55 feet and spanning 18 feet wide. The mainmast stands 56 feet high, and the foremast stands 52 feet high. Sketches for the ship began in early December, as Eric Clum '08 and Lucas Schlumtz '08 designed various structural parts for use in the ship's construction.

The snow boat is designed with steps up the stern and a removable slide on its side. It will be open to the public throughout the weekend.
Check out the picture; it is absolutely astounding. They started construction in January. Now that's dedication.

This is the story of Isac Aguero, a poor man who lost his job. Mr. Aguero worked for a Miller Brewing Co. distributor, but he preferred to drink Bud Light. That in itself probably wouldn't have gotten him in trouble, but when someone took his picture drinking a Bud and put it in the newspaper, his bosses got their knickers in a wad and fired him. This is just as bad as the health insurance company who fired four of their workers because they were smoking in their own homes. Businesses are getting too power-mad these days. Since when did the laws state the can control what you eat or drink, smoke or write about, when you're off the job? As long as it's legal, it's none of their business. Someone should find a way to put a stop to it.

Bamse was a Norwegian St. Bernard who was a bona fide war hero.
Bamse, which means teddy bear, sailed to Britain on the Royal Norwegian Navy (KNM) minesweeper Thorodd in 1940, part of the flotilla that carried King Haakon VII into safety, newspaper The Scotsman reports.

The dog became a favorite with locals as well as Norwegian troops fighting to liberate Norway from abroad. The mascot of the Royal Norwegian Navy, Bamse regularly sailed at the front gun tower of the ship when the Thorodd went into battle, and only left his post when fighting ended, The Scotsman reported.

Norway's Defense web site Forsvarsnett writes that the loyal marine hound rounded up his human shipmates when local bars closed and made sure they made it back to their vessel.

Bamse reputedly knew every pub in town and had his own bus card hanging around his neck on a chain. The St. Bernard soon became so well known in Montrose that bus drivers would just pick him up if they passed him on the road.

The beloved dog had his own helmet made for him to protect him during his battle watch and according to legend, the entire crew of the Thorodd jumped overboard to save Bamse when he once fell into the water.
The Scottish city of Montrose is erecting a life-size bronze statue of Bamse in honor of his service during World War II. That is so cool.

For those of you who love celebrity gossip (you know who you are), here's the latest from IMDB News:

Tom Sizemore is back in jail after a judge declared his drug use out of control and a violation of his parole. Sizemore claims not only to be destitute and living in a garage, but that he's also an expectant father. Sounds like he's trying to be an odd role model for the child. Lindsay Lohan made another trip to the hospital with chest pains. She's been under a great deal of stress due to her parents' vicious divorce proceedings. The kid's only 18 years old. At this rate, she'll never see 21. Corey Feldman has been subpoenaed to testify in the Michael Jackson case. No surprise there; they hung out together when Feldman was a kid. Bernie Mac has been diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a nasty respiratory disease which claimed the life of Reggie White a few months ago. Courtney Love once again caught a break and was sentenced to probation for attacking a woman with a torch and a liquor bottle. Why can't they seem to put this freak in jail? Jill St. John, wife of Robert Wagner (sigh), had a severe skiing accident and is in the hospital. They think she may have broken either her hip or pelvis. There's more celeb news at the link. I think this is enough to get you started.

Not that they needed it, but the Bahamas is building another resort to draw in tourists. The Poseidon Undersea Resort will be the first resort built on the sea floor. Everything will be completely underwater. It sounds really beautiful, but since I can't swim, I don't think I'd be able to relax for more than a couple of seconds at a time. I'd be constantly worried about leakage, and not just from me. If you want to check it out, click on the link above and take a virtual tour. Looks fascinating now, I'm sure it will be even better when it's built. Of course, being a five-star establishment, few ordinary people will be able to afford it.

New York doctors have discovered a new, extremely nasty variant of the AIDS virus. It progresses from exposure to full-blown AIDS in about 3 months. And it is resistant to three of the four drugs currently being used in treatment. So far they've only seen one case. Let's hope it was just a fluke, or the search for a cure could be set back to square one.

Thanks to Snopes, here are the latest urban legends circling the internet world:

First, a mermaid-like creature was found in the aftermath of the tsunami. This one is false.

Denzel Washington made a sizable donation to the Fisher House Foundation, a place for military families to stay while their loved ones are in the Brooks Army Medical Center in San Diego, after visiting the patients at the hospital. This one is true.

A baby hippo who was orphaned in the tsunami has made a mother-child connection with a tortoise. This one is true.

And finally, Christians who were banned from celebrating Christmas in Meulaboh decided to meet to worship on a hill outside of town, and were spared by the tsunami. This one is false.

A 64 year old driver's education teacher in Stone Mountain, Georgia was run over by one of her students and was pinned under the car for 15 minutes. She suffered several broken bones but should be fine. She really should have known better than to stand behind the car.

CNN's news executive Eason Jordan has resigned due to the controversy surrounding last week's remarks in Switzerland.
During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum last month, Jordan said he believed that several journalists who were killed by American forces in Iraq had been targeted.

He quickly backed off the remarks, explaining that he meant to distinguish between journalists killed because they were in the wrong place and were killed by a bomb, for example, and those killed because they were shot at by American forces who mistook them for the enemy.

"I never meant to imply U.S. forces acted with ill intent when U.S. forces accidentally killed journalists, and I apologize to anyone who thought I said or believed otherwise," Jordan said in a memo to fellow staff members at CNN.
Jordan said he was resigning to avoid CNN being tarnished by the controversy. I wonder if that's the case, or if he was asked to resign. Probably something we'll never know.

Renowned playwright Arthur Miller has passed away. He wrote the fabulous "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible", and was once married to Marilyn Monroe. He was 89.

Remember the story yesterday of the baby being tossed out the window of a moving car? It was all a lie. According to the news today, the woman who said she witnessed the incident was in actuality the baby's mother. She didn't want to keep the baby, and instead of taking it to a fire department or hospital as the law allowed in that state, she pretended to witness the event so that nobody in her family would find out she had a baby. This woman needs serious help. The baby will be fine, at least as long as they keep him away from his mother.

Friday, February 11, 2005

Thanks to Emperor Misha, we can hear not-Frank Sinatra, singing Strangers On My Flight. Beautiful! Listen to it with someone you love (to laugh with).

Acidman was posting tonight about his old dog Bud, who was a champion farter. We had a dog like that once. His name was Prince. He was a sheltie who normally didn't have any digestive problems. Until we took him to Kansas City with us for Thanksgiving with the in-laws. We were going to be there all weekend, and couldn't leave him at home alone. (I say couldn't because I've never had an outside dog. My dogs sleep in the house at night. Always.) Anyway, my father-in-law, rest his soul, fed Prince the same things he fed his dogs. He'd go to the local market and buy chicken livers, gizzards, hearts, etc., and boil them up for the dogs. That didn't go over too well with Prince's stomach. But the absolute worst was Thanksgiving Day, when he gave Prince some turkey. We had to drive back home that evening, and trust me, you do not want to be cooped up in a car with a dog who has eaten turkey. We couldn't open the windows because it was too cold. I thought we were all going to die. Needless to say, Prince never ate turkey again.

Sonia Wilde and Steve Begley will be exchanging wedding vows this weekend in St. Matthew's Church in Greater Manchester, England. All the arrangements have been made. The bridal gown is ready, the flowers are prepared. The 3 year old chief bridesmaid is groomed and her dress and bonnet are ready. I say groomed because the chief bridesmaid is none other than Sonia's 3 year old collie mix, named Lucy Brown. Remember, back in the old days, when people took weddings seriously? I say, if you want dogs at your wedding, fine. But don't have it in a church, have it in the park, or at home. And I'd wager that if Lucy could talk, she'd tell you what you could do with that bonnet.

10-year-old Ryan Cenk is a natural born salesman. This bright young man sold ten tons of Trail's End Popcorn to raise money for the Cub Scouts. You heard right, I said ten tons. I pity his parents' having to deliver it all.

Great admiration goes out to the vice-president of the ATM Corporation, who decided the popcorn would make excellent gifts, and purchased $13,500 worth, a little over half the $25,000 sold by Ryan.

As a reward, Ryan has been given a trip to Walt Disney World, and will be speaking at the Trail's End annual sales meeting.

Here's the story of a man who, after breaking up with his wife, put his wedding ring on a sailfish's nose (?), took its picture, then released it. Fast forward about two years. The man is fishing (again) with his friends. They've had a very unproductive day, and are about to quit and return to shore, when they catch a sailfish. That's right, THE sailfish. It's still wearing the ring! Not only that, but after the story broke, his ex-wife called him and talks of reconciliation ensued.

That would make a great bedtime story, wouldn't it? I'm not saying it's a lie; after all, it was in the London Times newspaper.

Thanks to Michele at A Small Victory, we can now make our own bumper stickers. If I were feeling better, I'm sure I could come up with some really good ones. Why don't you see what you can come up with?

I was going to link to this AP story, but it's not very long, and I want people to actually read it:
A newborn was tossed out a car window onto the grass beside a busy street Thursday afternoon, and the car sped off, authorities said.

Investigators were seeking the parents of the boy, whose umbilical cord was still attached when he was found by a woman passer-by. Doctors believe the infant was less than an hour old at the time.

Sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal said the woman brought the infant to the sheriff's office. The baby was taken to Broward General Medical Center, which upgraded his condition from critical to serious Thursday night.

It was unclear what injuries the eight-pound, two-ounce child suffered.

The woman who rescued the baby - who was inside a small plastic bag - said she saw a man and woman arguing inside the vehicle.

The baby was thrown from the passenger side, landing three or four feet away in the grass.

No information was released on the baby's identity.

North Lauderdale is about 13 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale.
How could anyone do that? I'll never understand how people can be so freakin' evil. That child didn't do anything wrong. I'm just amazed that he lived through the ordeal. Thank God for the woman who saw it happen, or the baby boy might have suffocated in that bag. There is no punishment severe enough for the people who did this horrid thing.

Lynne Stewart, a New York civil rights attorney, was convicted of conspiracy, providing material support to terrorists, defrauding the government, and making false statements. She could be sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ms. Stewart was accused of smuggling messages of violence from one of her clients -- a radical Egyptian shiek -- to his terrorists supporters on the outside. All in all, not the brightest thing to do in this day and age.


This is my house every single night, times two.

Do you remember having your mom or dad read you a bedtime story? There's a special bond that grows between parent and child when the parent takes five or ten minutes and tells their offspring a story, whether directly from a book or totally from their imagination. But in Holland, I guess it's just too much trouble. Now they have what I like to call Dial-A-Fairytale. For seventy cents a minute, children can listen to someone read them a bedtime story. The average call is ten minutes, so we're talking $7.00 for each story. And since they began taking calls at the beginning of this month, they've received more than 600 calls. C'mon parents, you can't spare five minutes for your children? You don't have to finish the story in one night; break it into pieces. It really won't kill you to think of your children once in a while.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton has decided not to run for re-election next year. This could conceivably add another Republican to the Senate. If his name sounds familiar but you can't quite place it, he's the Senator who closed his Washington office last fall and ran home to Minnesota because he got scared that terrorists were gonna get him. If he's got no more cojones than that, he should not be in office now, let alone run for re-election.

MSNBC Breaking News Bulletin:

Prince Charles to marry Camilla Parker Bowles -
Britain's Prince Charles is to marry his longtime partner Camilla Parker Bowles, the prince's office said Thursday.
That's the second "breaking news" bulletin tonight. I'm beginning to wonder if MSNBC knows what constitutes news and what is really more of a gossip column item. If Prince Charles want to marry horse-face, that's his business. It's not goint to affect the world. I seriously doubt she'll get involved in humanitarian activities the way Diana did.

Looks like John McClane is coming back to kick some more terrorist butt. Bruce Willis is set to start filming Die Hard 4 this fall. Woo-hoo!

Those of you old enough to remember a comic strip called L'il Abner, recall it was set in a place called Dogpatch. There used to be an amusement park in my ancestral home of Newton County, Arkansas called Dogpatch USA, based on that comic strip. It closed down several years ago, but now a man is trying to raise funding to reopen it and restore it to its old glory. He's also planning to add more rides and an indoor water park. The county commission has agreed to the zoning aspect of it. This could be great for that county. The amusement park employed a lot of people in its prime.

MSNBC Breaking News Bulletin:

North Korea acknowledges it has nuclear weapons -
North Korea's government publicly acknowledged for the first time Thursday that it has nuclear arms, and said it is suspending participation in six-country talks aimed at getting it to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Well, this could get very ugly. Hold on to your hats, folks. Let's see how the powers that be handle it.

The conservatives had their "Rathergate"; now the liberals have responded by exposing a journalist named Jeff Gannon who wrote for Talon and for GOPUSA.
The conservative reporter who asked President Bush a loaded question at a news conference last month resigned yesterday after liberal bloggers uncovered his real name and raised questions about his background.

Jeff Gannon, who had been writing for the Web sites Talon News and GOPUSA, is actually James Dale Guckert, 47, and has been linked to online domain addresses with sexually provocative names. He has been under scrutiny since asking Bush how he could work with Senate Democratic leaders "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality." The information about Gannon was posted on the liberal sites Daily Kos, Atrios and World o' Crap.
Naturally, the liberals who exposed him had to portray him as a nutjob.
Markos Moulitsas, a San Francisco liberal who writes the popular Kos site, said of Gannon: "He has been extremely anti-gay in his writings. He's been a shill for the Christian right. So there's a certain level of hypocrisy there that I thought was fair game and needed to be called out."

Asked if digging into someone's personal and business activities was proper retaliation, Moulitsas said: "If that's what it took to really bring attention to him, it's one of those unfortunate facts of reality in the way we operate today. It's sex that really draws attention to these things."
Looks like Kos can dish it out, but he sure doesn't take it very well, judging from the past.
To keep this a balanced post, here's a response from the Puppy Blender himself:
Glenn Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor who writes on InstaPundit.com, said the tactics used against Gannon "seem to me to be despicable.

"If I were a member of the White House press corps, I'd be really worried," Reynolds said. "If working for a biased news organization disqualifies you, a lot of people have a lot to be worried about. If being involved in a dubious business venture is disqualifying, I suspect a lot of people have a lot to be worried about. I guess I don't see what all this has to do with his job."
Okay, so that makes the score, what, about 200 to 1, right?



Here's a great hero story for you. The hero: Princess, a collie owned by a Kansas City 911 operator. When their home caught fire, Princess woke up her "daddy", and no one was injured in the blaze.

Sally Hampton, 64, owes her life to a drunk.
Hampton was attacked July 4 at a bar in Immokalee, a farming town in southwestern Florida. According to prosecutors, she put her hand on Trujillo's shoulder to lead him out of the place when the bartender wanted to close up. Trujillo bashed her with a bottle and kicked her in the head and body when she fell.
This sounds like a bad thing, doesn't it? Well, it really wasn't.
While doctors were examining her after the barroom attack, they discovered a brain tumor that could have killed her.
The tumor has been removed and she recovered fully from the operation. She testified against the man who attacked her, and he was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison.

Chuck, the car-chasing turkey, finally caught one. He is survived by three hen wives, and who knows how many chilluns. R.I.P. Chuck. You will be missed.

I got this e-mail joke from another sister. Almost fell in the floor laughing at this one:

A father and son went hunting together for the first time. The father said: "Stay here and be very QUIET. I'll be across the field."

A few minutes later the father heard a blood curdling scream and ran back to his son. "What's wrong?" the father asked. "I told you to be quiet."

The boy, bless his heart, answered; "Look, I was quiet when the snake slithered across my feet. I was quiet when the bear breathed down my neck. I didn't move a muscle when the skunk climbed over my shoulder. I closed my eyes and held my breath when the wasp stung me. I didn't cough when I swallowed the gnat. I didn't cuss or scratch when the poison oak started itching.

But when the two chipmunks crawled up my pant legs and said, 'Should we eat them here or take them with us?'..............Well, I guess I just panicked!

I got this in an e-mail today, and I thought y'all would like to play with it: Age Gauge. It really made me feel old, especially the sections on television and movies. Thanks, sis. I typed in my parents' birthdates as well. That was a real eye-opener.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

I tell you, if this were to happen to us, it would probably freak me out, and we live in the country. I can't imagine the anxiety it would cause living in the city. Plucked chickens? And how high would they have had to be, in order to crash through a roof?

Thanks to Emperor Misha and BMEWS, we find this story about Cals College in Holland. They have banned the display of their national flag on backpacks and bags at the school, as it may offend the Muslim students!
But now biggest Dutch newspaper the Telegraaf made the story public and many Dutch are angry. Several parents of other students on the school have contacted the newspaper and say they are not surprised about what the school did, they think the school is afraid. One of the parents of the two boys thinks the same. "My son had trouble with some of these boys, but now he thinks the school blames him".

But the management of the school denies to have acted out of fear. They say they have merely acted with the security of the students in mind.
Yeah, right. I'm not afraid, I'm just not totally secure. This is pathetic. But they're not alone in this prohibition.
Daily news paper Telegraaf now says that their are more schools who ban the Dutch flag. They write that Groene Hart Lyceum in Alphen aan den Rijn already ban the Dutch flag for nearly a year. They deny access to students who have flags on their bags or cloth. The school says they need to do this because of the new social climate. But they say prohibition is a big word, they do it in consent with the pupils...
Why don't they just quit playing around, and start flying the Muslim flag, if there is one?

Well, I finally got around to cleaning up my blogroll. Gone are about five sites that aren't publishing anymore, but in their place I've added several more. Feel free to go exploring, and let me know what you think. Feedback is always welcome here.

If you're collecting those state quarters, give your Wisconsin quarters another look-see. Some of them have flaws, which are making them worth upwards of $500. Click on the link to get the details.

According to this post over at Slowplay, the most famous mystery person of the Watergate era is on his deathbed. Looks like we'll finally find out the identity of Deep Throat real soon. Somebody deathly ill, eh? Who is ill right now, besides the Pope and Justice Rehnquist? I don't think it's either one of them, but you never know. The Pope would be above suspicion, wouldn't he?

For some unknown reason, ABC has decided to remake the "Little House On The Prairie" series, at least on a short-term basis. If it does well, they plan to bring it on full-time in the fall. You know as well as I do, the actors will be compared to the original. And I'm afraid they will come up lacking. Of course the original series was schmaltzy, cheesy, syrupy, etc. That was part of its charm. And you can't replace Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, nor the characters of Nellie, or Mr and Mrs. Olsen. Well, it's their money to throw away.

According to these scientific "experts", some planets in our galaxy could have a layer of diamonds just beneath the surface. I'll let you all keep your jokes about Uranus to Urselves.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

The Virginia legislature really has guts. They've passed a law that says you can be fined $50 if you show your underwear. That's right, girls. No more low riders with your thong strap hanging out for all the world to see. Finally someone stands up and says, "Enough!" Thank you, Virginia.

So the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority have ceased all hostilities. You know, I'd really love to believe it, but something just doesn't feel right. It's like it was too easy. Just wait until Arafat is gone, and all will be forgiven and forgotten. I'm sorry; I don't buy it. I hope I'm wrong. But if I'm not, anyone want to guess when the cease fire will be violated?

That's about it for tonight, gang. My little fingers are tired from all the typing I did today, but I got it done. All five chapters. All that's left to do is print it, then fill in the formulas that our software wouldn't let me type. That's okay. That's not too bad.

Tomorrow I'm cleaning up my blogroll. I'll be losing a few who haven't posted in forever, and I'll be adding some that I've been reading every day but hadn't gotten around to putting them on the list. So that'll fill up another night. Thanks for coming around. I couldn't do this if it weren't for you all. Nah, sure I could. But it wouldn't be as much fun!

The twentieth edition of Grand Rounds is ready for your review. These medical posts are not only interesting, they are also educational. C'mon, show 'em you care -- read their entries!

Okay, I'm ready to give my opinion on the Super Bowl ads from last night. For the most part, it was pure drivel. If I were paying 2.4 million for a 30 second commercial, I'd want it to be fabulous! It seems to me, from all the ads that ran, only two companies scored. Anheuser Busch (as usual) with their skydiver ad, as well as the sequel to the donkey ad, with the other animals wanting to join the Clydesdales as well. Those two were pretty good, but nowhere near the impact of the service people walking through the airport. That made me reach for a tissue. The other company that scored, at least with me, was Ameriquest. The two commercials they did were hilarious. The man on the cellphone who gets the crap knocked out of him by the store owner who thought he was being robbed, and the one with the cat, the tomato sauce, and the knife. Those blew me away, I was laughing so hard. If you want to see any of the ads again, I Films has them all. Just click here and enjoy. Anybody out there have a different opinion?

The nation is all abuzz about the President's budget, which he just submitted to Congress. If, like me, you don't have the time or the inclination to read the entire thing, you can go here and get a brief summary of the changes he wants to make in each department. It put my mind at ease.

If you think winter is drab and boring with all that white stuff out there, here's something that will remind you what it's all about. Some people at CalTech have photographed individual snowflakes, and they are beautiful. Very intricate, delicate, yet temporary. Lasting a moment at best, when seen alone can be awe inspiring, but in a crowd can be downright depressing. Check it out for yourself. Then tell me there is no God. I won't believe it, but you can say it if you want to. I wouldn't.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Not going to be blogging much tonight, folks. I've got five chapters worth of highlighted notes to type for one of Sir Mugley's classes, and he needs them by tomorrow night. Add in that atrocious Super Bowl and even more atrocious commercials, and my time is shot. So I'll see you all tomorrow night. Sleep well.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

From Grunt Doc:

50 Marines stationed on the East Coast have received a great gift from the Cleveland Browns football team. They are going to the Super Bowl! The Browns provided game tickets on the fifty yard line to these brave souls. Let's give the Browns some kind of trophy for this. Truly a classy thing to do.

The two girls who were fined nearly $1,000 for surprising a neighbor with homemade cookies are officially off the hook. Local radio station KOA-AM raised over $1,900 to pay their fine. If you'd like to send KOA a note of appreciation, click here.

Clifton Carter,19, was arrested by police and transported to the Gwinnett County Georgia jail, where he was strip searched. Believe it or not, this fool had a loaded 25 caliber pistol hidden in his buttocks, and it even had a round in the chamber! Police called it "unusual". I'd say that's the understatement of the year.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

I gotta say, they take their fast food seriously in Holland. A man was convicted of assault and battery for throwing an Egg McMuffin at a McDonald's manager. The sandwich contained sausage instead of canadian bacon. Heavens to Murgatroid! The man was fined $600 and can no longer enter McDonald's.

In keeping with the awards mini-theme I've got going here, click here for the winners of the Screen Actors Guild Awards which were handed down tonight.

In keeping with the awards mini-theme I've got going here, click here for the winners of the Screen Actors Guild Awards which were handed down tonight.

Each year, the John Templeton Foundation hands out their Epiphany Prizes for Inspiring Movies & TV. The foundation gives the awards at Oscar time to films and television programs that are "both well-crafted and have redeeming, uplifting, spiritual content that, above all, help increase man’s understanding and love of God." This year's nominees in the film category were "Passion of the Christ", Mel Gibson's megahit which was snubbed by the Oscars; "America's Heart and Soul," Louis Schwartzberg's collection of stories about the people who make America what it is; "I am David," featuring "Passion" star Jim Caviezel in a secondary role; "Ladder 49," the rescue drama starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix; and "The Reckoning."

Television shows nominated for the prize include "A Christmas Carol"; "DOC: Happy Trails, an episode of Pax-TV's weekly drama; "Loves Enduring Promise," a Hallmark original movie based on the novel by Janette Oke; "Patrick," the story of Saint Patrick, narrated by Liam Neeson; "The Question of God," a documentary debate between the perspectives of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud; and "Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams story, a Fox made-for-TV movie starring Jamie Foxx as the reformed gang leader.

The winners of the awards will be announced February 24.

According to this NewsMax story, the Associated Press is reporting that Saudi Arabia is holding democratic elections, starting next Thursday, for local offices in various districts. I haven't seen this anywhere in the mainstream media, but it sure seems like good news to me. May democracy spread throughout the middle east.

Also from Wizbang, we get links to a really cool space explosion and resulting echo. He even has a link to animated views of the blast. Cool!

Ladies and gentlemen, what we've all been waiting for: The Iraqis Strike Back. I can't tell you how happy this story makes me.

Okay, here we go again. It's time for another round of Blog Noir, a short story with each chapter penned (keyed?) by a different blogger. And here is Chapter One, brought to you by Parkway Rest Stop.

Thanks to Sondra K for the link to this story, about a Marine's mother and an Iraqi businessman, and the gratitude he showed a family in their time of loss.

Okay, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see an asteroid fly past the Earth without using a telescope. Doesn't that sound exciting? Well, here's the bad news: you can only see it from Europe, Africa and Western Asia, and it will happen in the year 2029. So if you make it that far, and get to go overseas, you too can see an asteroid. I doubt you'll have to make reservations yet.

Hearty congratulations go out to Mr. and Mrs. Right Wing Duck, who are six weeks into the journey that leads to a new duckling joining the family. Click here to send them best wishes, and help the Ducks come up with some names. I suggested Drake for a boy, and Daisy for a girl. Maybe you can come up with something better.

Friday, February 04, 2005

In July, two teenaged girls decided to pass up an invitation to a party and stayed home and baked cookies for their neighbors. That act of kindness cost them almost 900 dollars. Most of the neighbors were thrilled with the kindness, but one old lady freaked out because someone knocked on her door after dark, and thought she was having a heart attack. She sued the girls for medical expenses. It's a shame. Those girls were a good example for other kids in the neighborhood. What kind of message is being sent now?

Imagine going to check a property for marijuana, and instead finding 3.6 million nickels. The coins had been stolen from a Federal Reserve last December.

Starting off on a somber note tonight. Many well-known names have passed on. Ossie Davis, well-respected actor, died of natural causes in Miami. He was 87. Eric Griffiths is a name you may not be familiar with, but he was a key player in the creation of the Beatles. He formed a band with John Lennon called the Quarrymen while they were in school. This band evolved into the Beatles. Griffiths left the band about the time George Harrison joined. He passed away at 64 from cancer. And boxing legend Max Schmeling has passed away at the age of 99. No cause of death was given, but I'm pretty sure the cause was the fact that he was 99. Hopefully that's all the death news for today.

Another story that's been burning up the airwaves this week is the story of Professor Ward Churchill, a University of Colorado instructor, who was quoted as saying the victims of 9/11 got what they deserved, and that they were all very much like Eichmann, one of Hitler's peeps. Here's the latest on this slugnutty. The University is considering canning his behind. I say good for them. I certainly wouldn't want him teaching my children anything.

I'm sure you've already heard the controversy surrounding Lt. Gen. James Mattis' speech in San Diego. Frankly, I don't know how I feel about it. On the one hand, killing is a horrible thing to have to do. On the other hand, if one is in the military, and his job is killing people in order to keep other people alive, is it really so wrong for him to enjoy it? Give me your thoughts, please. As always, if you don't want to register, just post anonymously and type in your name. Thanks.

I've got a couple of corrections I need to make. Back on January 28, I brought you this post about a man who was trapped in an avalanche, and survived by urinating on the snow to melt it. I've since found out that the story was a hoax. So for that error, I'll accept half the blame. Ananova gets the other half.

Then, on February 1, I posted a story about women who could be forced into working in a brothel, or risk losing their unemployment benefits. This story was not necessarily not true, but it was misleading. For this I take half credit, the other half goes to the London Daily Telegraph.

That's all the corrections I have for right now, although I'm sure I'll screw up again. I can console myself in the fact that I wasn't the only blogger to run with these stories. I messed up with some pretty big fish on these.

Here's a story of a teenager who, upon threatening to take his own life, convinced his mother (!) to get him some heroin and bring it to him at school. She even prepared the syringe for him to use. This is not what I call good parenting. I don't care what he threatened; caving in and doing something so reprehensible is not the answer. If one of my children had done this, rather than going out to purchase drugs, I would take that child to the nearest mental health facility and check him or her in. They could kick the addiction and get the therapy they so desperately need in order to stop being self-destructive. Mom definitely deserves to go to jail here. Or maybe she needs treatment as well, as she knew how to cook the heroin and prepare the syringe for the child.

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You scored as Vivian Johnson. You are the second-in-command. You are good at being in charge, but it's certainly easier when you can defer to someone else. You did have a taste of being the boss, though. You're a family person, and you love your children, but you brook no BS when it comes to the job. You do what is asked of you without question, and when you do make a leap of logic, you're usually right. But usually you don't have to.

Vivian Johnson

85%

Jack Malone

73%

Samantha Spade

55%

A Missing Person

53%

Joan Girardi (huh?)

50%

Danny Taylor

45%

Martin Fitzgerald

38%

Which member of the Without A Trace team are you?
created with QuizFarm.com



Isn't this great? It's a church made entirely of Lego pieces. It took about a year and a half and 75,000 pieces to built it. The "church" has 3,976 windows, and holds 1,372 lego people.


It also features a balcony, a Narthex, stairs to the balcony, restrooms, coat rooms, several mosaics, a nave, a baptistry, an alter, a crucifix, a pulpit, and an elaborate pipe organ.


Thursday, February 03, 2005





You Belong in 1966



1966





If you scored...

1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.

1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all!

1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!



What Year Do You Belong In?


That's about it for this cowgirl. It's almost 8 am and I'm tired. The past couple of days my system has done a complete 180, I've been going to sleep about 10 pm and waking at about 4:30. Totally messed me up. I'm almost back to normal now. I'll be back tonight, with some cool pictures and other goodies to keep my peeps happy. Till then, keep reading the blogroll and the ads. Gotta keep my stats up.

For the first time in 18 years, there will be no new Star Trek episodes on television this fall. The final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise will be shown in May. However, Paramount Studios hint that there will be other Star Trek series to come. In the meantime, Enterprise will be going into syndication. Perhaps more people will be able to see it that way.

I'll admit, when I was younger, I didn't pay attention to the State of the Union addresses. I thought it was such a waste of my hearing. However, as I grew older, the addresses became more important. But for as long as I can remember, I don't believe I have ever heard any President actually booed during the speech. That was absolutely disgraceful. These are supposed to be mature men and women, representing our nation. And they're up there booing like little children or drunks at a ball game. Makes me glad the booers don't represent me.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Kevin at Blogosferics brings us a story that should upset everybody who reads it: Forced Into Prostitution. Germany can force women to work in brothels if they've been unemployed for a year, or they will lose their benefits. That's just wrong.

Remember Ray Brent Marsh, the man who dumped bodies in the back yard instead of cremating them in Georgia? Mr. Marsh pleaded guilty to 787 counts of theft, abuse of a corpse, burial service fraud, and making false statements. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail. 12 years! That works out to one month for every five and a half counts. That's ridiculous. On top of that, he also pleaded guilty to similar charges in Tennessee, and was sentenced to 12 years there as well, but the sentences are running concurrently. In my opinion, he has devastated more than 300 families with his callousness, and should spend the rest of his miserable life in jail.

Once again we see the product of an out-of-control educational establishment:
It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of those nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of high school attitudes released Monday.

The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the way of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly.

Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.
This is extremely frightening. The young people in this country couldn't care less about the freedoms that young men and women have fought and died to protect. This does not bode well for our nation. Click here to read the rest of the article.

On the gossip front, word has it that Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth have split up. I personally couldn't care less, but my daughter will be thrilled. She has such a crush on Orlando Bloom. I don't see it myself. He's no Hugh Jackman, that's for sure.

I realize sports teams are getting tougher, but this is too much:
A buffalo that escaped from an auction ended up in a dressing room at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center where it spent a couple of hours staring into a mirror.

The buffalo jumped over a steel panel during the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo on Sunday morning, went down an alley and got into the dressing room reserved for visiting sports teams, said Brian Maliske, the civic center's general manager.
I'm sure the maintenance crew at the Civic Center were surprised at seeing a buffalo in the locker room. I think it is funny the buffalo spent hours looking into a mirror. Maybe they should name it John Edwards. Give it a little buffalo comb. And a hoof-held mirror. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Well this story stinks to high heaven. Penny Weynberg, a 29 year old mother of two, claims she hasn't washed her hair in eleven years. If that were true, it would surely smell bad. She says she brushes her hair every day to get out the dirt and smells. Since when does brushing your hair remove the smell of sweat in the summertime? But here's the kicker: she says she "rinses" her hair every few weeks. I'm sorry; I don't buy it. I've had times when I was in the hospital where I couldn't wash my hair, and it just got stringy and oily and it drove me crazy.

According to the article, she refuses to spend a fortune on shampoo and conditioner. I say she wouldn't have to. She could cut her hair short, or just wash it once a week. Hair care products, for the most part, are not expensive. I wonder how her husband feels about this situation. And the children: how often do they shampoo? If they're following in mom's footsteps, they're gonna have a hard time at school.

Congratulations go out to 22 year old Jessica Hendricks, who won the Tustumena sled dog race, beating out four Iditarod champions in the process. The Tustumena race got more attention than usual this year, because a 19 year old legally blind girl named Rachael Scdoris entered the competition. Although she didn't do very well, simply completing the course is a victory in and of itself. Congrats to all the racers, and good luck in the upcoming Iditarod.

Scott McConnell, a grad student at LeMoyne College, was expelled for no particularly good reason. LeMoyne, part of the Syracuse University campus, decided Mr. McConnell, in training to become a teacher, could no longer attend classes there, after he wrote a paper in which he advocated corporal punishment as a means of controlling students in class. Strangely enough, he received an A- on the paper. And what does the school have to say about this?
The issues that this case raises are very complicated, said Joseph Shedd, chair of the teaching and leadership programs in Syracuse University's School of Education.

It is about more than just a student's right to express their own opinions, he said.
"There is no clean dividing line between a person's opinions and his or her ability to make responsible professional judgments," Shedd said in an e-mail.

He pointed to change in socially acceptable behavior over time to illustrate that standards change. America has evolved from a society in which different genders and different races have been viewed as having different academic ability, Shedd said.

"SU's teacher preparation faculty - and, I suspect, LeMoyne's - will defend any student's right to assert any position, so long as he or she demonstrates an openness to different points of view and a commitment to and respect for every one of the children he or she teaches," Shedd said.
In other words, no comment.

Taxpayers across the nation can breathe a little easier now. The chokehold the IRS had on you has weakened.
A U.S. appeals court has ruled the IRS cannot compel taxpayers to turn over personal and private property without a federal court order and that taxpayers can ignore the agencies summonses until actual enforcement action is taken.
Don't worry, gang. This wasn't a decision made by the jokers of jurisprudence, the Ninth Circuit in California. No, this was decided by the Second Circuit Court in Manhattan.
In the case Schulz v. IRS, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled:

... absent an effort to seek enforcement through a federal court, IRS summonses apply no force to taxpayers, and no consequence whatever can befall a taxpayer who refuses, ignores, or otherwise does not comply with an IRS summons until that summons is backed by a federal court order. … [A taxpayer] cannot be held in contempt, arrested, detained, or otherwise punished for refusing to comply with the original IRS summons, no matter the taxpayer's reasons, or lack of reasons for so refusing.
Could this be the light at the end of the tunnel?
The appeals court decision [.pdf document] of Jan. 25 stated the federal courts protect taxpayers from an "overreaching" IRS and that the agency must go through the federal courts before force can be applied on anyone to turn over personal and private property to the IRS. Absent a federal court order, the IRS summons amounts simply to a "request," the court ruled, which can be ignored.
It's a start.

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