21st Century Common Sense

Where is my pony?

2009-11-20T17:56:00.000-08:00

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HERE

2009-02-24T17:49:00.009-08:00

ENTER

2009-02-24T17:49:00.007-08:00

WHO

2009-02-24T17:49:00.005-08:00

YE

2009-02-24T17:49:00.003-08:00

HOPE,

2009-02-24T17:49:00.001-08:00

ALL

2009-02-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

ABANDON

2009-02-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

"I bid you stand, Men of the West!!!"

2008-11-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."

-Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (1886)

"Forth! And fear no darkness!"

"I am NO Man"

"A new day will come"

"Stand, Men of the West!"

"For Sarah"

"Fight WITH me! Fight WITH me!"

Duty

Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur Nomen Tuum; adveniat Regnum Tuum; fiat voluntas Tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a Malo.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum.

AMEN

"Fight with me!"

"Fight with me!"

"Stand up and fight!"

"Liberalism is the transformation of mankind into cattle."

-Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human (1878)

(Inspired by Rachl Lukis)

Ewwwwwww

2008-06-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Someone, She Who Shall Not Be Named, is a no good gink-pot!

I'll write more for my here blog as soon as I'm good and dang ready. Just wait, sometimes patience is rewarded!

Just a warning, this post subject to summary deletion. I'm gonna have to create another avatar, so this post is going bye-bye soon!

New Blog Notice

2008-02-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well, not exactly a blog-son, more of a blog-Sybil if you get my drift. All very hush hush of course. Mostly nonsense, but soon vast quantities of knowledge will flow forth for the education of the smelly hippies. Go forth, and enjoy Knowledge for Hippies.

Happy Birthday...

2008-02-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

...Ron. We miss you. We need you. Help us Obi-Ron Kenobi, you're our only hope.

Well, I guess it's time to go home and get good and stinking drunk.

PS-I welcome our new socialist overlords (but only because I'll be first in line for the re-education camps if I don't).

IMPORTANT FLASH UPDATE: Exit question: Dare to dream? Exit answer: Likelihood of Ott's proposal occuring can be mathematically modelled by dividing the number of "Straight Talking" republican candidates by the number of molecules in the Milky Way galaxy.

(hint: 1/infinity=0 => Exit answer is no)

FINAL UPDATE: Intervention needed, cry for help imminent. Charles Johnson writing at LGF, "The GOP race is over, folks, and John McCain is the winner." That's it man, game over man, game over!

Heart-ache

2008-01-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it's the end of an era. Fredmentum has ended. Now as anyone with a science or math background knows, momentum (P) is the product of the mass (m) and velocity (V) of an object, P=m*v. Therefore it follows that Fredmentum (F) is the product of Fred's appeal (a) and his polling level (p), F=a*p. Now, due to the conservation of momentum, in a closed system total momentum can not change. Fredmentum changed. Therefore there are only two possibilities:

1) Fredmentum was transferred to another body (McCainmentum, Mittmentum, Huckamentum, or Rudymentum) within the closed system and the total momentum of the system is unchanged. Or...

2) This is not a closed system and an outside force acted upon the Fredmentum thus lowering it's absolute value.

Let us first look at the first option. Within the closed system, a transfer of momentum from Fredmentum to one of the other parties would require a change in the absolute value of Fredmentum. To wit: either Fred's appeal (a) or polling level (p) would need to decrease. Since it is clear that Fred's appeal has only increased with time, it would be safe to say that the decrease in Fredmentum came about due to a decrease in his polling level. This is possible only if one of the other parties' appeal was sufficiently greater than Fred's. That is clearly not the case, and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply not to be trusted or believed.

The second option, however, is very intriguing. I personally believe that an outside force acted upon Fred. Some might say it was the Mainstream Media. Other's will blame the current big-government "compassionate" conservatives that are currently leading the GOP. Some others yet will claim that it was a cabal of pro-illegal immigration big business owners. There are other possibilities I'm sure, and I will leave it to you to make up your own mind. I report, you decide. I, of course, blame the Joooooos.

It is too painful at this juncture to contemplate the next step, but it is a step that must be taken nonetheless. This weekend I shall due some deep soul searching (by going to the movies to see that movie about the computer hacker guy that's following that chick. "Mommy, why is a video of our house on the computer?" That movie looks wicked cool!) and report back to you my dear reader(s). We obviously can not and must not simply concede this race to the Stalinists of the Democratic Party.

Courage...

Will Baby Boomers Be The Doom Of Us All?

2008-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

Megan McCardle has an interesting piece on the coming wave of Baby Boomer retirees at TheAtlantic.com. [via Herr Professor] It's worth a read in it's entirety, but I've excerpted a few choice nuggets for you. First is the scope of the imminent deluge (all emphasis mine):

For the past two decades, the United States has been in a remarkable sweet spot as far as labor is concerned. The number of annual births was well below the mid-century peak, and the number of elderly was limited by the low birthrates from decades long gone—those of the Great Depression and World War II. As a result, the share of the nation’s population in its working years was exceptionally high. The workforce was swollen further—massively so—by the movement of women into paid work, and the accelerating influx of immigrants. But the percentage of women in the workforce seems to be leveling off, and future immigration rates, given the growing political backlash against immigrants, are anyone’s guess.

Now come the Boomers, 80 million strong, merrily planning their retirements. Watching their generation move from childhood through adulthood and into old age on demographic charts is like watching a pig move through a python. Thanks to the Boomers’ retirement, by 2020, even if immigration continues at roughly its current pace, the workforce looks likely to be only a little bigger than it is today. If immigration rates were to decline precipitously, all else being equal, the labor force would be roughly 1 million people smaller than it is now.

All these Boomers are certainly going to put some strain on our economy, and will force us to make some tough decisions. What is the outlook of the Boomers themselves, you ask?

These sunny views [Baby Boomer optimism-ed] are reflected and amplified by the AARP, whose Web site paints a rosy picture of early retirement. And by some media outlets, including the newly launched Retirement Living TV channel (motto: “Inspiring your freedom years”), which features programs such as Retired & Wired, Living Live! with Florence Henderson, and Another Chance for Romance, which is billed as “the first dating show focusing solely on Baby Boomers.” (You must give the Boomers credit: their uncanny ability to focus solely on themselves, approvingly, appears undiminished by age.)

Bwahahahaaa! Those crazy Boomers. Although really, it's somewhat heartening to see their pure unbridled optimism, as the bus careens towards the cliff. What is my take on the situation? Demographically speaking, what kind of footing am I going to find myself standing on in the coming years?

...in 1945, the year before the Baby Boomers began entering the world, each retiree in America was supported by 42 workers. Now each retiree is supported by three. When the Boomers are fully retired, each of them will be supported by just two.

What happens when currently optimistic Boomers finally face the hard realities of their savings accounts? Will they ask for more from the government? At a bare minimum, seniors already struggling with their finances are not apt to look kindly on benefit cuts. Yet the cost of the benefits we’ve already promised them will weigh heavily on the workers expected to support a half-Boomer apiece.

Yikes! There goes my unbridled optimism, right out the window! All kidding aside, the thrust of Megan's article is that while a great change is already under way, and about to be even more severe, the great forces of American ingenuity and hard work will clear a path for all of us through the briar patch. Either that or it's the end of the world. You'll have to read the whole article for yourself to see. Read it now!

"How About A Nice Game Of Chess?"

2007-12-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

Well, are you ready for Global Thermonuclear War? I know I am. I've got the water bottles packed up, the survival kit rigged for rapid evacuation, and lots and lots of ammo. Bring. It. On!

So, if you haven't seen the news, you're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Oh nothing much really, just the recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto, former PM of Pakistan and assumed future PM (in a unity government with President Musharraf) after next month's scheduled elections. So of course, nuclear armed Pakistan is now going through the first spasms of rage following the assassination. Overheard on Fox News this morning, Pakistan is believed (with high confidence level) to have 100+ nuclear weapons, which are in the control of the military. Twenty percent of the military is made up of Pashtuns. Pashtuns are historically sympathetic with the cause of the Taliban. The Taliban is not nice. If the Pashtun portion of the military (or of course, the ISI) is able to get their hands on even one nuclear weapon during the confusion and chaos of the next few days (at least), and if they hand it off to the Taliban/Al Qaeda, then it isn't really very hard at all to see what will happen next. Let me paint you one possible picture...

Since Israel is closer to Pakistan then the U.S., and since there are no oceans between the two, and since there are several 'friendly' countries between the two (Pakistan to Iran to Kurdistan [the only hard part] to Syria to Israel) then it is highly probable that the bomb would go off in Israel. Flash. Tel Aviv just evaporated. Israel responds. Islamabad, Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta and Rawalpindi were just destroyed. Remaining elements of the Pakistani military, even if they were not the original parties to seize and transfer the first nuclear bomb, respond in kind, either against Israel, against US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the Gulf region, or even more likely perhaps, against India. The conflict spreads as India and Pakistan trade nukes. Israel, in a last ditch effort to prevent complete and total devastation, launches all of it's remaining nukes at Tehran, Riyadh, Jedda, Mecca, Damascus, and any other targets of opportunity that it can reach. The greater middle east, and certainly the entire 'muslim world' descends into complete and intractable mayhem. Riots, civil wars and cross-border wars set in as the world slides into the events of World War III (or IV). The United States, Russia, and China square off against each other in a three-way battle for survival as they defend their own interests in the region. Russia, while heavily nuclear armed, and certainly a grave threat, would not ultimately be the greatest foe before us. No, that would be China. Also nuclear armed, with an ever expanding military, and a history of spying (that news just broke today, via Insty), hacking, and other non-friendly acts against the U.S. And so it begins...

So there's your happy thought for the day. Carry on.

Update: Charles Johnson at LGF linked this open letter from Scott Ott (of Scrappleface fame) to the leaders of Europe. Read the whole thing.

All I Want For Christmas...

2007-12-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

...Is for it to be 2010. Great news.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

Developing...

I'm Thankful For...

2007-11-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

...My parents, of course. Without them I obviously wouldn't be here to be thankful for anything!

I'm thankful for a big brother who taught me the meaning of cool.

I'm thankful for a big little sister who puts Giada to shame.

I'm thankful for a little little sister who can kick your butt!

I'm thankful for the United States Constitution that allows me to say "Hillary is a lesbian!" and to own as many of these as I want.

I'm thankful for the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces that protect these rights on my behalf.

I'm thankful, of course, for so much more. What are you thankful for?

Ooh, Scary Accurate Quiz!

2007-11-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I was at the InstaPuppyBlender's site this morning where I saw this post. An interesting article at National Review Online about anti-Southerner prejudice in New England, but what was most interesting is the quiz that the article's author, David Freddoso, linked to. You yourself can go take the (very short-13 question) quiz here, and then come back and tell the world your results in the comments. Happy fun time!

Oh Hell Yeah!

2007-11-14T23:30:00.000-08:00

Alrighty then, this post is definitely not for the faint-hearted so you may want to go elsewhere. You have been warned!

This is your last chance!

Note: For best results click on each and every one of the links in this post (including those ones up there^^^). I know there's a lot of them! [Also turn on your speakers!]

Okey-Dokey. The opening act was a group called In This Moment whose lead singer, Maria Brink, could only be described as a naughty cross between a naughty Miss Muffet and a naughty schoolgirl. Very naughty, and loud! She was constantly coming very close to unloosing her vast tracts of land in a wardrobe malfunction, but not close enough, drat the luck. Anyway, whether due to the acoustics of the Rose Garden, or my position relative to the stage and speakers (about 100 feet away kitty corner to front right of stage as you look at it), or poor sound control, or merely poor singing ability, everything wound up sounding like a cat being strangled. This isn't of course to mean that I didn't like it, just that I couldn't understand a word that was sung. By the way, this sound phenomenon affected all three singers (although least of all Zombie) so it probably was just a glitch. Either that or the dull high-pitched ringing in my ears means that I may not have been a very scientifically accurate evaluator of the sound scheme. So they sang a few songs and then it was the first intermission and stage change-over. Then came...

The Prince Of Darkness!

So this was definitely my favorite act of the night, it was totally cool to be able to see Zombie live in concert! What can I say, his show had it all! Go-go dancers, fire, dancing cheerleaders, explosions, hot dancing chicks, giant mutant robot man, sexy hot chick dancers, weird samurai-armor covered drummer guys, and I think I recall seeing a couple of dancing girls. Also boobies. Lots of boobies on the video monitors (where they were playing messed up footage from old horror movies, some of Zombie's movies, and other weird and messed up stuff). Next up...

Leviathan, the Dragon, Prince of This World!

So Ozzy is of course the godfather of all that is heavy metal. That being said, he is getting rather long in the tooth in my humble and most respectful opinion, and should perhaps leave the touring for the next generation. I can't help but think of the "Grandpa" character in this movie, eventually they will be forced to roll out his embalmed corpse a la Lenin and just roll tape. Probably the coolest part of Ozzy's act is that he was somehow able to get the Ancient Norse god of Thunder, Thor, to play lead guitar for him. That was definitely very cool. Sadly, and I suppose not too surprisingly, I found that Ozzy doesn't (or can't) perform any Sabbath songs when he's touring solo, heart-ache. Oh well. Oh yeah, very importantly, they were filming Ozzy's act (either for a DVD or just to play on the many video monitors), and of course they were able to somehow find a couple (approximately one googolplex) of the aforementioned boobies to put on film and up onto the giant video displays. Lone boobies, pairs of boobies, boobies being man-handled by their owners, boobies being man-handled by others, and many more other boobie related activities that would be better relegated to Bill O's next investigative report.

Overall, I have to say the night's festivities were much fun. I was able to get a mild contact high off of the generous amounts of doobage wafting through the air, there were very many "sweet young things" running around the Rose Garden in various states of intoxication, giddiness, and general all-around sluttiness, and of course the omnipresent burnt out old hippies (who are definitely old enough to have grand, if not great-grand, kids). Great fun was had by all, and tonight's joie de vivre-ness has caused me to make up my mind to move to Portland next spring/summer. I can't wait!

Exit Question: How many times did I use the word "definitely" in this post?

Exit Answer: Definitely too many!

What The Hell Is A Gallbladder?

2007-10-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Apparently my sister (not this one, but this one) is having her gallbladder removed this week. This prompted me to ask myself; what the hell is a gallbladder? Do I have a gallbladder? If her's is being removed, does she (or any of us) really need it in the first place? I found the answers to all these questions at the gallbladder wikipedia page here. First some knowledge, then a really gross picture for you!

1-The gallbladder is pear shaped (like this).
2-It is connected to the liver and the duodenum (not real, made up body part) by the biliary tract.
3-It stores about 50 ml (2.5 gallons) of bile to be used in digestion.
4-The following is a direct quote:

The cystic duct connects the gallbladder to the common hepatic duct to form the
common bile duct.
The common bile duct then joins the pancreatic duct, and
enters through the hepatopancreatic ampulla at the major duodenal papilla.

5-I'm pretty sure that the hepatopancreatic ampulla and the major duodenal papilla are both also made up (fake) body parts.
6-The bile produced by the gallbladder is used to digest fat.
7-If you do not have a gallbladder, it would lead me to believe you would not have bile.
8-If you do not have bile, it would lead me to believe you could not digest fat.
9-If you can not digest fat, it would lead me to believe you could not eat this.
10-That makes me sad.

And now...COVER YOUR EYES....Here is a picture!

That's really gross. If I've got one of those, I'm going to see about getting it taken out. Nasty!

UPDATE: Important flash alert! The big-little (not the little-little) sis has survived with flying colors! She claims that the source of the problem (gallstones) was:

In reference to your blog, it was in fact a burger and fries...from the Everett street bistro in the Pearl (strawberry mountain beef burger with bacon avacado lemon aioli lettuce tomato on a fresh baked bun and homemade fries deep fried with whole garlic cloves) absolutely delicious!

Also, it sounds like she recovered nicely, and I am also apparently wrong regarding the required diet for someone with no gallbladder. To wit:

Other than that once I recover I am supposed to be able to get back to a normal life and diet. We will see, I don't think I'll be eating a burger and fries anytime soon!

With that being said, I hereby selflessly volunteer to assume all of my big-little sister's hamburger and fry eating duties until such time she is comfortable resuming them herself. God Bless America! And God Bless Science!

I Have Arrived?

2007-10-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, just wow. As some of you have probably noticed, Instapundit will occasionally link to a scholarly article on something called SSRN. Google reveals that SSRN is the Social Science Research Network, with "Tomorrow's Research Today." That's probably a pretty handy thing to have, although I would rather have "Tomorrow's Stock Picks Today." Anyway, today the good professor put up a post regarding the ssrn articles. Apparently some readers were confused by the process, as I initially was. The first time I followed a link, expecting to find an article or paper, I was confused to find download buttons. When I clicked on one, it asked if I wanted to save or open the file. Scary! So I never went back because teh intratubes are a fearsome place where some unsuspecting traveller can inadvertently download some nasty super-virus onto his work computer. Long story short, after today's prompting I successfully downloaded a pdf, read it, and sent an email to the Instameister relaying my experience in this grand experiment. Later in the day, as I was strolling through the internet, I came across the original post. And what did I find but my quote, published right there on the front page of Algore's Internet for all to see! Here is the relevant part of Glenn's post:

And reader Tom Paine (real name? who knows?) emails: "I just downloaded (for the
first time) one of your papers (Bork confirmation) from ssrn with no
difficulties. I was leery of downloading them before, but maybe now I'll
download more articles in the future. Thanks for all your work."

Thanks, Tom.

So I guess it's safe to say that I have now arrived. The excitement of the day has also prompted me to resume my blogging duties which I have sadly allowed to lapse in recent weeks. Stand by for much furious blogging-fu from the Insapundit Quoted Thomas Paine^TM!

PS-Thomas Paine is really my sooper-sekrit internet name, I'm just one of many Davids.

ZOMG Teh Trainsformrs is t3h w00t4ge!!!1! [repost]

2007-10-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

[Reposted on honor of DVD release-plus added photo of hawt grilfreind!!1!]

OK, so teh transormrms starts in Cater, which is a dessert in Irak. Their r all theze d00ds runing a round wtih cule gunz when teh chopter comz. Teh main guy is like "who r u," but teh chopter doesnt say anytheng. Then teh chopter is all "clicka-clicka-bzzzr-clicka" and tehn teh chopter is a BADAS robot. Then the chopter is all "i m in ur baze, killin all ur dudz!" tehn t3h chopter (witch is teh r0bot now) is all thr0wng tanks and peeple around. The gun guyz are all like "OMG WTF zerg rush kekekek!!!111!one!!" and tehn teh general is like "wha hapen?" and teh main guy is like "someone set up us teh bomb!" L0L, then teh kid gets a car (but onle ist n0t a porch but it is A ROBOT CAR) witch you no becuz the car does like majic stuff like breking all teh othre windows and tehn dreyeving bye itsefl. Tehn the kid is scraed and calz the cops, but he finds out teh car ROBOT is a gud ROBOT!!!! Tehn the chopter ROBOT guy from Cater Irak is all, "give me yore glases dork" but teh kid is like "no whey duud" and so then a cop car is their to take the glases but the cop car is a nuther bad ROBOT and teh kids car (withc is named BOMBLEB) cums to cik the bad cop ROBOTS but and teh kid and his grilfrind escape (who is teh hawt!!1!!! ZOMG!)

Teh (HAWT) Grilfreind who is ficksing teh BombleB car Butt tahts befoire they new it was teh Bombleb trainsformer ROBOT car!!1!

then bombleb and teh kid and teh grilfrind go in an ale rode and tehn OMG tehre is a BIG ASS cimi truck. But guss wot, it is no cimi truck it is teh king of al teh rOBOTs!@!! I hve a piixture of teh KIng ROBOT!!!

I M TEH H4XXOR!!!1!!

LOL, tahts OPTIMIS PRIME who is teh king of all teh ROBOTS!@!! (all teh good ROBOTS) tehn all teh good ROBOTS (tehre is teh BWM and teh pikup truk and teh otehr good ROBOTS) and teh kid wint to huver damn in los vaygis wehre tehre is teh cube witch is teh ALLS PARK witch is wot teh bad ROBOTS wont to take ovir teh univirse and turn all teh Irth mashines into bad ROBOTS (like cellfones (wetch teh grilfrind had done) or stireos (witch was 9on teh Prisedents of Amricas plane) and otehr mashines). Tehn teh bad ROBOT withc is frozin insyd huver damn (who is MEGATRON) gits luse (cuz the stireo ROBOT turnd of teh ise mashine) and tehn teh bad king ROBOT (witch is MEFATRON) and teh otehr bad ROBOTS (whitch tehre is teh jet, and teh chopter frum Cater Dessert in IRak, and teh TANK (ZOMG taht tank is teh roxxort!!) abnd tehn all teh rOBOTS (teh good ROBOTS and teh bad ROBOTS) r al fiting in teh strete in los vaygis wehn teh kid hsa to take teh ALLS PARK (teh cube of deth!!!1!) to t3h rufe ov a bilding weth stachoos and tehn teh king ROBOT (who is teh OPTIMIS PRIOME!) and teh bad ROBOT (who is teh MEGATRON) are fiting and teh kid has to put teh cube (witch is teh ALLS PARK) nto teh cimi truk ROBOT butt nsted he puts it nto teh bad ROBOT and teh bad ROBOT is ded now. Tehn tehre is one gud ROBOT who is ded, but al teh bad ROBOTS r ded and OPTIMUS PRime is sed "we like homans and we wil sta her to hilp teh homans" and teh BOMBLEB (who is teh kidz car but who is teh ROBOT) staz wtith teh kid and teh roBOTS stand undr a trea and say "all gud ROBOTS cum to Irth and we will wate her for u!!!1!" and tehn the grilfrind (who OMGZ is teh hawt!!!) and teh kid kis. and teh knig OPTIMIS PRIM sez "tehre homans is moor tehn meats teh i" (witch is wot teh theem song or wordz of teh trainsfromers are and tehn the moovi is ovr but it snot ovr yet becuz when teh credets go it goz bak to teh moovi and teh kids parints are all like "i dont no wot u r tockin abowt becuz tehre r no aline ROBOTS or teh Pridsident wood tell us." and tehn the movi is rilly ovr.

So OMG wehn I saw TEH TRAINSFROMERS i was like w00t!11! cuz teh trainsformsers are teh haxxor and thes moovi is teh haxxor and i wil wactch it agian becus I thot it RULZ!!!11!!!one!! also I wil by teh dvd win tehre is teh dvd of teh trainsformers. so I give teh TRAINSFROMRES one bilion milion thums up and iven som gold stars. I luv teh trainsfromers@!@!!!!!!!!

[IMPORTANT UPDATE]: If you read all the way to this point and are just rolling your eyes at a "humor" concept that went stale a few years ago, and really feel the need to let me know your opinion, then feel free to hit the comment button. I haven't ever had the need to delete a comment here (because I have no readership) so your comment will probably last forever. If, however, you are at all curious about my opinion of someone like you, then just go here where Rachel much more eloquently expresses an opinion much like mine. :) (please disregard semi-ironic and OLD use of emoticon)

The Monster In Your Neighborhood

2007-10-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Language Warning!!

Stop!!

Okay, so it appears that this asshole has moved to my neck of the woods. The Warriors For Innocence blog has much more about this sicko available here. WebMD tries to explain the horror that is pedophilia. There was a time when this sick f*cker would not have been able to enjoy his celebrity as much as he does now. If you see him strolling around Moscow on the Willamette, you know what to do. Just remember, there's help out there for you if you need it, and all it takes is 1 out of 12 to see it your way.

(h/t Kathryn "Scooter" C.)

Free Burma!

2007-09-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

[The following post is copied in full from ming zhi at MVRWC, originally from here, found via Technorati search for Burma. Please copy to your own blog and spread the word, it's time for the free people of the world to rise up and help our brothers and sisters in arms as they shake free from the oppressive shackles of the military junta in 'Myanmar.']

[Why call it Burma instead of Myanmar? Video blog of Burmese unrest at Hot Air. Japanese journalist apparently assassinated by Burmese military sniper. More on assassinated Japanese journalist at Ace's. Michelle has worldwide condemnation against the Burmese military's clampdown against the peaceful protestors. The Jawa Report has shocking news of French oil companies involvement with the Burma military junta.]

Help the People of Burma — Post this on Your Blog!

Note: This is a new kind of online protest that uses blogs to spread a petition globally. To participate, just add your blog by following the instructions in this blog post.

This not an issue of partisan politics, this is an issue of basic human rights and democracy. Please help to prevent a human tragedy in Burma by adding your blog and asking others to do the same.

By passing this meme on through the blogosphere hopefully we can generate more awareness and avert a serious tragedy. As concerned world-citizens this something we bloggers can do to help.

How to participate:

1. Copy this entire post to your blog, including this special number: 1081081081234

2. After a few days, you can search Google for the number 1081081081234 to find all blogs that are participating in this protest and petition. Note: Google indexes blogs at different rates, so it could take longer for your blog to show up in the results.

THE SITUATION IN BURMA AND WHY IT MATTERS TO ALL OF US

There is no press freedom in Burma and the government has started turning off the Internet and other means of communication, so it is difficult to get news out. Individuals on the ground have been sending their day-by-day reports to the BBC, and they are heartbreaking. I encourage you to read these accounts to see for yourself what is really going on in Burma. Please include this link in your own blog post.

The situation in Burma is increasingly dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed peaceful protesters, including monks and nuns, are risking their lives to march for democracy against an unpopular but well-armed military dictatorship that will stop at nothing to continue its repressive rule. While the generals in power and their families are literally dripping in gold and diamonds, the people of Burma are impoverished, deprived of basic human rights, cut off from the rest of the world, and increasingly under threat of violence.

This week the people of Burma have risen up collectively in the largest public demonstrations against the ruling Junta in decades. It’s an amazing show of bravery, decency, and democracy in action. But although these protests are peaceful, the military rulers are starting to crack down with violence. Already there have been at least several reported deaths, and hundreds of critical injuries from soldiers beating unarmed civilians to the point of death.

The actual fatalities and injuries are probably far worse, but the only news we have is coming from individuals who are sneaking reports past the authorities. Unfortunately it looks like a large-scale blood-bath may ensue — and the victims will be mostly women, children, the elderly and unarmed monks and nuns.

Contrary to what the Burmese, Chinese and Russian governments have stated, this is not merely a local internal political issue, it is an issue of global importance and it affects the global community. As concerned citizens, we cannot allow any government anywhere in the world to use its military to attack and kill peacefully demonstrating, unarmed citizens.

In this modern day and age violence against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and if it is allowed to happen, without serious consequences for the perpetrators, it creates a precedent for it to happen again somewhere else. If we want a more peaceful world, it is up to each of us to make a personal stand on these fundamental issues whenever they arise.

Please join me in calling on the Burmese government to negotiate peacefully with its citizens, and on China to intervene to prevent further violence. And please help to raise awareness of the developing situation in Burma so that hopefully we can avert a large-scale human disaster there.

A New Blog

2007-09-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Cool! Looks like SarahK, IMAO's official T-Shirt babe and hausfrau, has a new blog, Snark Raving Mad!, in which she snarks all the great TV shows. Good stuff, go check it out.

I Am A Genius

2007-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

So over at Instapundit's today, I saw this article from USA Today. In it was a quiz on American civics. 60 questions, multiple choice:

Overall, [college] freshmen averaged 50.4% on a wide-ranging civic literacy test; [college] seniors averaged 54.2%, both failing scores if translated to grades.

So it was with some trepidation that I took the quiz this morning, years since I've been in a classroom. I need not have been fearful, for I am a genius. I only missed 5 out of 60 for a 91.67% score. Take that. So go take the quiz yourself, and leave your score in the comments. Good luck!

Update: Unrelated Ewww.

The End of Ignorance, Part 10 of 10

2007-09-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

And so the day comes to a close. For the next couple of days, many around the world will stand in solidarity with America in expressing grief and anger. Some, however, will cheer in the streets at the news of what happened this fateful day. Over time, these feelings will fade. France will return to it's habit of decrying every move that America takes, and the Arab world will return to demonizing America and Israel. For some, the events of today sounded in their souls like a lone clarion bell across an empty plain. They removed the fleece from their eyes and saw the world in a new light. For others, this was just the latest in a long string of attacks, they had been awakened by the attacks on the USS Cole, or perhaps the Khobar Towers, or the African Embassies, or the first WTC bombing. And sadly, for far too many others, today's events will act as nothing more than a catalyst for fevered conspiracy theorizing. The days go by, the dust settles. Planes fly through the air, and everything seems to be like it always was. For some, that will never be the case. We cannot forget the evil perpetrated that day by insane followers of a cult of death. We must remain strong, we must remember. For the day we forget, is the day we invite more peril onto our shores.

Remember

Never Forget

Never Forgive

Note: This post will be updated throughout the day with additional blogospheric remembrances. All links completely safe from language or other content unless otherwise noted. Stay tuned...

Pamela at Atlas Shrugs has pics (mild content warning) of the islamist march around Ground Zero. Unbelievable. (via ROP)

Ann Althouse has pics of the Manhattan skyline from this morning. (via Insty)

A hero departs for the front lines.

Sadly unsurprisingly, Google doesn't remember.

Instapundit, 9/11/01.

Ace recollects that day 6 years ago, and how much has and hasn't changed. (safe link).

Slublog thinks we should get angry, I agree.

At DailyKos, this is how the "American" Left treats 9/11. (via MM)

At the BBC, this is how the European Left views 9/11. (also via MM)

Read Michelle Malkin's post today, as she reminds us not just to remember, but to resist.

Dr. Rusty Shackleford reminds the still willfully-ignorant Left who was actually responsible for those atrocities.

And from Zombie, he/she who bravely treads where others fear to, shows us the freak show that is the "American" Left, the supposed 'center' of the Democratic Party.

Charles Johnson has sadly pathetic news at LGF, they just don't seem to get it I guess.

Rachel Lucas (one f-bomb and two s-bombs warning) informs us that several Salt Lake City schools just want the kids to forget about 9/11 and move on.

Dennis Kucinich, lone wacko. (via Hot Air)

What if the 9/11 attacks were thwarted? It's sad because it's true. (via Hot Air)

A good muslim? One who renounces his 'faith.'

Hollywood's best and brightest, with a movie opening this weekend. (At least two of those people are an Academy Award winning Best Actor/Actress!)

Video: Inside the North Tower.

Bryan's first-hand account of 9/11, and his expression of anger and opinion on the status quo.

Amazing: The Left decides to support the troops after all. (via Insty)

One of the commenters, Tilly, at LGF survived 9/11 by escaping from WTC Tower 2. Her story is here.

And, to heap ridicule on those who would bring harm to us, check out the lol-terrorists at IMAO.

And in closing, remember to celebrate your freedom with bacon! (via Insty)

The End of Ignorance, Part 9 of 10

2007-09-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

F-15s circle above New York City and Washington as the nation responds to the terror attacks. CNN reports that a mass evacuation of Washington D.C. and New York has been started, and at 10:43 New York mayor Rudy Giuliani orders an evacuation of lower Manhattan. All bridges and tunnels off the island are closed to vehicles as thousands of New Yorkers began the long trek home on foot. Many of them were covered in ash from the two towers, and walked as if in a daze. Later tonight, President Bush will address the nation and say:

"Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts...Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve...The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts...we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."

The kids are back from school, and wonder just what is going on today. For the younger ones, it will be a while before they understand just what occurred on this fateful day. All they can do is ask Mommy "why isn't Daddy home yet?" Their young minds know he must surely be fine, as he is a strong and brave fire fighter or policeman...

The End of Ignorance, Part 8 of 10

2007-09-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

In the remaining North Tower of the WTC, workers clung to the edges of windows, hundreds of feet in the air, praying for a miracle. They surely knew that brave men and women below were doing everything they could to rescue them, but they also certainly knew that the odds were against them. They had seen the first tower collapse. Perhaps slipping on debris, or pushed by accident, between 100 and 250 people had a truly unimaginable fate. Maybe some chose their fate, trying to escape the searing flames, the suffocating smoke, and the agonized wails and tears of their co-workers. Perhaps, knowing that this was it, they decided to go out on their own terms. A few seconds of silence, blowing wind, and perhaps, peace. At 10:28 AM the North Tower collapses...

The End of Ignorance, Part 7 of 10

2007-09-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

The world was now certain that terrible terrorist attacks had occurred in America, that shining beacon of liberty and hope. Chaos reigned in Lower Manhattan as the brave men and women of the FDNY and NYPD gave their all, and for some, their lives, to try to save as many of their kindred souls as they could. Somewhere above Pennsylvania, the knowledge made it's way to those aboard United Flight 93. By air-phone and cell phone they learned of what had happened in New York and Washington. They had already been hi-jacked and diverted. They knew what lay in store for them, but they also knew the terror that would occur if they allowed the terrorists to continue their mission. So, shortly before 10:03 AM, after what they knew would be their last conversations with those on the ground, they girded themselves and heroically did what they knew must be done. "Let's roll."

The End of Ignorance, Part 6 of 10

2007-09-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

President Bush leaves Sarasota Florida aboard Air Force One. CNN confirms that it was a plane crash at the Pentagon. The AP reports that American Airlines Flight 11 was high-jacked after departure from Boston. The NSA intercepts a call between Afghanistan and the Republic of Georgia announcing "good news." And at 9:59 AM, the South Tower falls...

The End of Ignorance, Part 5 of 10

2007-09-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Confusion continues to reign as the nation's air traffic controllers attempt to determine the status of thousands of planes still in the air. Conflicting reports, erroneous radar readings, and miscommunication continue to plague the effort. The nation, and the entire world, sit glued to their t.v.'s or computer screens as the events unfold. Smoke continues to pour out of the WTC towers, frightening and disturbing, but not nearly as terrible as the inexorable doom that awaits them. Reports start to come in about an event at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. At 9:37, American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the side of the Pentagon, killing the 64 passengers instantly. It becomes quickly apparent that this was yet another airliner attack, and the Capitol and White House are evacuated. The FAA grounds all flights, no commercial flight is allowed to continue and must divert to the nearest airport immediately. All inbound international flights are diverted to Canada, which also closes it's commercial airspace. It is now 9:45 AM EST, Tuesday, September the 11th, 2001.

The End of Ignorance, Part 4 of 10

2007-09-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

By now it is apparent to all viewers that something unprecedented has happened. Both towers of the World Trade Center are belching smoke. At 9:05 AM, Chief of Staff Andrew Card utters those fateful words to President Bush, "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." In the coming moments, confusion and dismay will be the rule, rather than the exception, for those in the air traffic control system who are trying to figure out just what is going on. The hijackers had turned off the transponders, the radio beacons that transmit the planes location and status. Some of the downed planes were still believed to be in the air, and sadly, some of the planes in the air were about to meet a fiery fate. For the first time in this nation's history, the FAA halts all commercial takeoffs in the United States. However, for a while at least, those flights still in the air will be allowed to continue to their destinations, and international flights will still be allowed to come to the US. Air Traffic Controllers, used to a hectic job of tracking thousands and thousands of flights across the nation stare with wonder, awe, and fear as their radar displays slowly go dark. It is now 9:26 AM.

The End of Ignorance, Part 3 of 10

2007-09-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

For many, the events of this day are yet unknown, their status quo unchanged. Maybe they're at work surfing the internet, or still at home watching CNN or Fox News. If they have friends or family in New York, they may have already gotten a phone call. That ignorance of the day's events was about to drastically end. Shortly after flight attendant Amy Sweeney's final call from American Airlines Flight 11, the plane slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Passerby on the street looked up in astonishment and confusion. The first reports were limited and disjointed. CNN broke into their morning commercials with "a very disturbing live shot," reporting that just minutes before a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Was it an accident? Was it really just a fire? Was it a just a little Cessna? The world began to watch in wonder, as before their very eyes the peace and tranquility they had always thought enveloped them like a warm and fuzzy blanket was snatched from them. By now, millions of people were looking at smoke billowing from the North Tower, anchors were reporting that a large commercial jetliner had 'crashed' into it. As they watch, United Flight 175 arcs like a silver spear from the side of the screen. At 590 mph, it is only a fraction of a second until an enormous fireball erupts through the South Tower. It is 9:03 AM, eastern time.

The End of Ignorance, Part 2 of 10

2007-09-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

In Manhattan, office workers crush out of subways and make their way to work, perhaps grabbing a bagel or pretzel from one of the ubiquitous street vendors. Another flight from Boston to LA, United 175, takes off from Logan airport at 8:14, maybe they're going to Disneyland. Perhaps they are going to visit their grandparents, or to close a big record deal. Aboard American Airlines flight 11 comes the first sign for the outside world that everything is about to change. Flight attendant Betty Ong calls American Airlines on an air-phone and reports stabbings, the smell of mace, and the possible high-jacking of the flight. At 8:20, from Washington Dulles airport, American Airlines Flight 77 soars into the crystal blue sky, also bound for LA. The last plane, United 93, takes off from Newark International Airport en route to San Francisco at 8:42. Thousands of office workers make their way to the World Trade Center complex, many flooding into the two iconic towers. The last report from American Airlines Flight 11 is from flight attendant Amy Sweeney to American Airlines Flight Services Office. The call ends with "We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low...Oh my God." Static.

The End of Ignorance, Part 1 of 10

2007-09-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

The sun rose this morning on a beautiful clear Tuesday on the Northeastern seaboard of the United States. It is that magical time of year as summer slowly gives up it's warm embrace and the mornings begin to have a slight bite to them. School kids race down the street, the year's new school clothes as yet unscuffed and untorn. Like any workday morning on the East Coast, commuters are rushing to catch their train, or perhaps driving through traffic on their way to the rat race. Baristas crank out tasty caffeinated treats for the harried workers as the Sun continues it's slow slide up the Eastern skyline. It's 7:59 AM eastern time, and American Airlines flight 11 has just departed Boston's Logan airport en route to Los Angeles.

Well Alrighty Then!

2007-09-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

So, can I question the Loony Liberal Left's patriotism now? How about now? Is this a good time? Surely this is a good time to question their patriotism? I mean, I understand they have a meme to push, but seriously? I think this is getting just a little out of hand. Between craven cover-your-ass politicking, over-emotional responses to undesired decisions made by the will of the people, and just pure bat-shit insanity (sorry), I get a little cheesed-off to say the least. One thing I really hate, is the wholesale reinterpretation of recent history when Dems get exposed for the fools they are, pathetic. Sadly, there is really only one man who could fix this, but I don't think he's available. Perhaps mighty Teh Fred! will be able to kick a little butt and take names and clean this place up. One can only hope. A commenter sums it up rather nicely here.

Of course, for a different viewpoint you could always read what this guy has to say, if you think he has the intelligence and honesty to speak his mind.

Rope, Tree, Journalist

2007-08-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

You must read this from Karl at Protein Wisdom. An excellent analysis of MSM coverage of the war in Iraq. Go read it now!

She's Got A Ticket To Ride...

2007-08-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

...But I don't care! Alrighty then. This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while now, but was stirred into action by a recent post by Rachel Lucas (language warning). First post here, with a follow-up here. Her post involved the topic of people who leave their infants in the car while shopping (or working for 10+ hrs) and come back only to find a well toasted corpse. Understandably, Rachel thought that anyone who could do such a thing was either stupid or criminal or both. Read both posts and the comments to get a feel for what other people think on this topic. My post today will not cover the dead baby phenomenon specifically, but will deal with a concept I refer to as "License to Breed." A thought that was shared by at least one commenter at Rachel's site.

If I want to drive a car, for whatever reason, I must first apply to the State, pass a written and behind-the-wheel skills test, and pay a fee. Driving a car is not a right, it's a privilege. At any time, if I do not act in a responsible manner, the privilege is either limited or taken away, either briefly or permanently. This is what is known as proactive enforcement. Before I am ever allowed to drive a car (legally), I must first jump through those aforementioned hoops. Now imagine a world in which licensing was done re-actively. Everyone is assumed allowed to drive, and it is only after an infraction that your right is taken away. At first blush this might appear very similar to the way it is now, if you mess up you can no longer drive. That is true. What about the deaf people, the legally blind people, the people who don't speak any English and can't read the road signs, the people who have no concept of the Rules of the Road. All of those people would have the right to drive, until such time they messed up. Imagine the carnage that could, and most likely would, occur. There is a reason that we don't handle driving licenses in that manner.

Now what about the concept of spawning, or in other words having kids. The cars in the previous example are inanimate objects that only become potentially lethal in the hands of a human operator. Humans, therefore, are the source of most possible calamity. Guns don't (usually) shoot by themselves, cars don't get liquored up and plow into a group of school kids, etc. etc. Oh, you say, there are controls in place if someone is not a good parent. If something happens, the State can take away the kids and place them in foster care. This, as I'm sure you realize, is reactive. The parent would still be allowed to have further children, and if something seriously horrible were to happen again, the State would once more step in, "in the interest of the child." What if we were to apply the driver's license model to having children?

Before a couple would be allowed to have a child, they would have to jump through a series of hoops. Prove financial ability to raise a child, have a home that is not a cardboard box or a complete dump, etc. etc. Just like our elected officials create the laws that determine what is required to drive a car, our elected officials would draft laws stating what is required to spawn. This would ensure that the law would be relatively fair and just (i.e.-no laws saying only white people can have kids, or only if you make 100K+ per year, etc). Some of you, I am sure, have already invoked Godwin's Law. "This reeks of Eugenics!!1!one!!" you say. Not true, I reply. While an argument could be made that certain very limited concepts in the broad eugenics category might be worth further serious inquiry, I understand that the concept of 'selective breeding' for humans is just a no-go topic. Seriously ask yourself the following questions. Should homeless people be allowed to have kids? Should people with serious genetically passed mental defects be allowed to have kids? Should two unemployed people be allowed to have 10 kids? Should two people with AIDS be allowed to have kids? Should a severely alcoholic woman be allowed to have kids? Should a crack head be allowed to have kids? Should people have to take home ec in school (carrying around an eggshell 'baby') to learn proper parenting skills (oh wait)? Should people then be tested on these parenting skills before being allowed to spawn? Should single women be allowed to have multiple children out of wedlock, each with a different father, if the father is not in the 'picture'? Should Democrats be allowed to have kids? (Sorry, couldn't help it).

Besides the obvious benefits to society as a whole, requiring licences to breed would result in lowered 'welfare' payments, fewer children born with serious physical and mental defects, fewer 'problem' kids, etc. etc. Think of that family in your hometown, you know the one. Their son went to school with you, until, that is, he got arrested for fill-in-the-blank. His siblings were also rabble rousers. The oldest one burnt down the school gym, the daughter had two kids before she dropped out of school at 16, their dad was a raging alcoholic that repeatedly beat the kids and their mom, the mom, of course, had been picked up a couple of time for 'soliciting.' The family in your home town that everybody knows is just trouble, rotten from root to twig. Should that family have been allowed to perpetuate the cycle of horror?

What if someone breaks these proposed laws, you ask. Simple, just like we treat moving violations. Depending on frequency and severity, a person would have to have counselling (financial, mental, whatever), monitoring of the home life by an outside agency, revocation of parental rights, and possibly even forced sterilization for really egregious cases. "Stop!!," you yell, it sounds like you're talking about increasing the size of the Nanny State! Yes, in the short term, this is almost certain. But look at it from a long-term viewpoint. Fewer social workers needed, fewer juvenile incarceration facilities required, fewer police officers required, fewer medical workers required, etc. etc.

So dare to dream for a better tomorrow! Vote today to make Licenses to Breed required in all 50 states of this great Republic.

What Is Heaven?

2007-08-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Many people have postulated on what Hell is, but I have heard fewer people describe their theories on Heaven. The classical vision of Hell, with the fire and brimstone and devils with pitchforks, has largely gone by the wayside in these more modern times. I have heard two common descriptions of Hell. Perhaps the most prevalent, and certainly the most 'spiritual,' is that Hell is an existence devoid of the presence of God. Apparently all the grace and beauty in the world, that many people take for granted, is God's gift to mankind, and the most painful experience is to live an eternity without it. Think a blind person who lost their sight in middle age, especially if they were an artist or someone that really relied on and appreciated the gift of their sight. To have it taken away, once you know the true wonder of it, is a bitter pill indeed to swallow.

Another common Hell theory I have heard is that everyone makes their own individual Hell. This is the theory that interests me the most. For example, if a person hates the cold and is deathly afraid of spiders, they would spend an eternity in a frigid wasteland beset upon by scores of vicious spiders. I think you get the point. This allows Hell to be all things to all people. The previous example would not phase someone who is both an Arctic explorer and an Arachnologist, their personal Hell would be something entirely different. I think the first theory, the absence of God's grace, is a good motivator for a person of faith. They are more accustomed to recognizing God's presence around them everyday, and would be loathe to take any action that would doom them to an eternity without it. The second example is probably more geared towards worldly or secular people. Everyone has an imagination, and it is easy to fear spending the rest of your life surrounded by the very things you hate and fear.

What, then, about Heaven? I think the classical vision of pudgy cherubs dancing amongst fluffy clouds is about as relevant in these times as the fire and brimstone version of Hell is. From the two prominent theories of Hell, it is possible to postulate two possible versions of Heaven. The first would probably consist of a more pure and encompassing existence in His presence. This, again, would appeal most to people of faith who would strive to do good in life so that they might have an even more gifted eternity with God in the afterlife. This is also sometimes seen in the Godhead theory of heaven, in which a decedent loses their individuality and actually becomes one with God. What about the secular people, what would drive them to live a good life?

I think that a possible second version of Heaven would consist of all those things that an individual loves and cherishes. Perhaps heaven for one man is a bottomless plate of nachos and an endless nail biter of a football game. I would like to think that Heaven, if it exists, is kind of a combination of both. If I was able to design Heaven, it would involve the ability to relive all the best moments of one's life, and experience different versions in which different choices were made at critical junctures. Heaven would also contain the sum of all universal knowledge, which I guess is a secularists way of defining the Godhead. In Heaven, one would be able to travel time and witness the wonders of ancient events, take a stroll on the moon, travel in an instant to distant galaxies and experience alien cultures, if they exist. Every question would be answered, from the mundane to the profound, from where in the heck the rubber snake is, to what is the meaning of life. In Heaven, a person could sit down with Plato, Gandhi, and Ronald Reagan and get their opinion of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

There is, sadly, one possible drawback to my personal vision of Heaven. If we all maintain our individuality, then Heaven would be populated with only one copy of our individual soul. What then, if two people have differing views of Heaven? Imagine a young couple, Bob and Sally. They are high school sweethearts and madly in love. Before they have a chance to get married, have children, and live a lifetime together, Bob is run over by a bus. Sally is heartbroken for many years, but eventually moves on and meets Tom, falls in love again, has three beautiful children, and dies incredibly happy and contented of extreme old age. Sally's Heaven would most likely involve Tom, their children, all all their many other friends and family. But what about poor Bob? He ended his life completely in love with Sally and would probably expect to meet her in Heaven. If there is only one version of our souls in Heaven, then Sally would not be available to him. Would they meet, have "the talk," and then go their separate ways? That's pretty depressing. Perhaps some type of copy of Sally would exist in Bob's Heaven, but would it really be the same? What about Bob?

Therein lies the crux of faith, the great unanswerable question. What is the meaning of life, and what happens after? If I could answer that with unwavering certainty, I would probably have a book written about me, and people would talk about my theories for thousands of years. Hmm, that might just give a person pause.

Time For Vengeance

2007-08-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I suggest death by torture. Let them writhe in undefinable agony for at least a week, and then release them to the eternal pains of hell. All of them. The accused, their brothers, their sisters, their children, their parents, their cousins. Don't stop until the entire rotted family tree is burnt to the ground and the ashes scattered to the winds. Kill them all.

Back In Business

2007-08-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, [Redacted]! So, a bit of catching up to do. These last few posts have been as much for my benefit as yours, dear reader (who is but a figment of my imagination). I'll be able to follow up on these stories later that I didn't have time to read fully. Anyway, "further up and further in!", on with the blogging!

All following from Michelle Malkin's excellent site:

An update on the Newark execution murder case, with part two. Related story here, and also here.

A thousand words. The green dot is CAIR, the red dot to the right and slightly below is HAMAS, a terrorist organization.

Nothing beats post-modern feminism.

Here in Oregon, sanity appears to have won this round.

Also in our neck of the woods, keep you eyes peeled for these possible jihadis, unless of course you work for a loony liberal left newspaper.

Looks like a good book, perhaps someone can get me a Labor Day present?

Well, eff you too!

About time, bastards.

Today's Insty Round-Up

2007-08-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

[Redacted] So light blogging until possibly tomorrow afternoon. The [Redacted], so maybe I'll slack off and catch up on my blogging then! For now, some interesting tidbits from the InstaProf.

Spying in Iraq with Michael Totten.

Debunking 9-11 conspiracy theories at Popular Mechanics. There was a 2 hour special on this last night on the History Channel, but I fell asleep about a third of the way through. Pathetic, I'm old.

Mmmmm, slow-cooking.

Far-out future tech.

Well, maybe they can eat lunch in Scotland after all. Click the link in the update to this post.

Surprise, surprise. Big Brother uses imaginary lines in robo-policing. Paging ED-209.

Politicizing science? The deuce you say!

Ooh, I made it to Ace's tonight. Following from The King Of All Morons:

I really hope this isn't real, but I know it is. Context (content warning).

Ha ha, dork!

Beware Teh Gorebal Worming!!1!!one!!

Rope, Tree, Journalist.

Jumping The Shark warning!

More lefty nonsense, in Hollywood no less.

Regarding the 9-11 debunking show on the History Channel? It will re-run this weekend.

Do we have a winner in the HD-DVD format wars?

Apparently Ace has never heard of Empire Of The Sun.

The Call of Cthulhu.

Carbon nano-tubes.

The sun sets on another day. Good night!

Blame It On The Rain...

2007-08-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

...Yeah yeah. So yeah, it's been raining here, in Central Oregon, in August. WTF!!?!!11! Anyway, I've been light on my blogging because I've been spending a lot of time house-hunting. I typically prefer bow hunting but there's no bow season for houses, so I had to use my Winchester. Oh well. Anyway, here's your back to work round-up of the news!

[Redacted] I'll try and do a round-up this evening after work. Cheers!

An excellent wrap-up on the TNR/Scott Thomas nonsense at PJM. (via The Blender of Puppies)

A great essay on "The Peace Racket." (via Insty)

The BBC sucks.

Ha! What a tool.

That's gonna have to be it for me tonight. Dang!, didn't even make it past Insty. So good night!

How You Doin'?

2007-08-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

First, from HA's headlines come this. No comment.

Related news from Russia, via The Jawa Report.

Gaia wept.

More problems for President Bush.

That's an excellent question.

Discrimination and torture in Seattle.

Heh. (Again, h/t to Hot Air's cool headlines section)

A picture of infinite sadness. Same dog, different story (mildly-strong content warning).

Even better than lolcats.

Now this is just messed up.

Well, that's it for me. Good night! (hee hee)

Okay, one more to go with your midnight snack. (h/t Ace, so like content warning, barely)

This is really the last thing I'll post today, maybe.

Guilty!

2007-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

From Hot Air, Jose Padilla is guilt of all charges. More to come, I'm sure...

The left cries, Ace celebrates (content warning-duh).

Much more at Michelle's, including that excellent NYPD report on home-grown terror. And related seething at LGF.

More heartache shown at Little Green Footballs.

But wait! What's this? Even more anti-American whining from the left. Color me shocked!

Late Breaking News

2007-08-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, is this for real? I think we should just drop "The Bomb" now and get it over with. Holy freaking hell. This is easily the most important 3 minute press conference our generation will ever see. (h/t: Instapundit)

New Category!

2007-08-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

I think my brain explosion category might just not be enough for my brain to handle when faced with stuff like this. Enjoy. (Ezekiel 25:17)

The Victory Caucus

2007-08-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Over in my blogroll (over there on the left), you'll see a link to The Victory Caucus. That is the place for a more balanced and truthful reporting on the "Iraq War" "Bush" "President Bush" "General Petreaus" "surge" "Operation Iraqi Freedom" "war" "Bagdhad" and much more. (goofy formating to boost google ranking of Victory Caucus site). Please click on this link to go to their post where they let you know how you can help. Then help. Thank you!

Today's Round-Up

2007-08-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

First, let me send you over to Michelle's to find out about Robert Spencer's new book, Religion Of Peace? Why Christianity Is, And Islam Isn't. Reading the review at Amazon, I'd say it looks to be most excellent. I'm about to order it from Amazon, you should too!

Also at Michelle's, more on those Newark NJ execution style murders of the three college students. I'll just send you to this previous post of mine for my opinion on the matter.

And in local news (again from Michelle), an update on the two Oregon middle schoolers who are facing charges of felony sexual abuse, and a lifetime on the sex offender registry. All that for playing grab-ass in school. Thank god it wasn't this PC when I went to school.

Charles at LGF brings news that you can't eat your lunch anymore in Scotland. At least, not at work during Ramadan. Related news from Charles here.

Check out this link to a site that allows you to find out who's been editing various wiki posts. (h/t: everyone, but especially Hot Air and LGF).

Palestinian child abuse at Hot Air. With bonus animal abuse video!

Yes please! Will Shilpa Shetty be the new Bond Girl?

Heartache

"Scientific method? We don't need no steenkeen scientific method!" Find out the latest on the whole "global warming" being based on shoddy "science" over at Hot Air. (pun not intended)

Also at Hot Air, another book review, this time regarding Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It. More than just a book review though, also covers attempts by the very individuals who are sponsoring terror to get these books pulled from production. Read the whole thing, and then go buy the book to find out more. I did!

Video: Aliens of the Caribbean

al Qaeda on the move? (But to where?)

"Why Is There A Cork On His Fork?"

2007-08-14T08:35:00.001-07:00

"Excuse me. May I go to the bathroom first?........Thank you."

Happy birthday Steve! Learn all about him on his wiki page, or look at how many movies he's made at IMDb. Aside from the obvious, I also really liked The Spanish Prisoner, My Blue Heaven, Father Of The Bride is kind of cute, well, there are really too many. So celebrate his birthday by watching your favorite Steve Martin movie tonight!

Flash....A-Ah...

2007-08-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

...He'll save everyone of us.

Okay, so on this infamous post (be very very careful clicking that link, words can not even begin to describe the sheer horror that awaits you), I mentioned that I'd probably post a review of the new Sci-Fi channel Flash Gordon show. My first impression was that it was pretty low rent and kinda ghey. Not that the original movie was anything spectacular, but it is something of a cult classic, especially for guys from my generation. The biggest beef I have from last night's premiere (spoiler alert) is the whole "where is the IMAX" thing. I actually do have somewhat less than optimal hearing ability, but even I was pretty sure that the baddies were saying "where is the 'eye-mex'," phonetically speaking. Hmm, imex, Timex, what a stretch. Of course, I should mention that a very large point was made that Flash wears his deceased (??!?) father's watch. Could it possibly be a ....dunh dunh dunh.... Timex? And if I (who pride myself in subconsciously not figuring out plot elements, ever) am able to deduce this key point within a few minutes, than you know it's not exactly Usual Suspects territory regarding the surprising plot twists and revelations. Other than that, I guess it's alright for a basic cable TV show. It's no Eureka (much less Monk), but it might be worthwhile. I'm sure to give it another try next week, if just out of morbid curiosity. I'll let you know how it goes.

An Open Declaration of War

2007-08-11T11:40:00.001-07:00

Let it be hereby known to all parties, a state of Open War exists between this blog and "undocumented immigrants." This blog is not a signatory party to the Geneva Conventions, and as such will not consider it necessary to follow acceptable laws of War. No quarter shall be given, no criminal shall be spared. Leave America now, or receive the brutal judgement that awaits you. You have been warned. This is getting real old, real fast.

An Instapundit Math Exercise

2007-08-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so InstaGlenn posed this question to his readers: If 10,000 Chinese people convert to Christianity every day, how long to reach 200 million converts (the amount mentioned in the linked article which claims that number will be reached "mid-century")?

First, assumptions need to be made. Since there is no start quantity, for the purpose of this blog post I will say there are currently zero Christians in China. Also, the rate of 10,000 converts per day results in the total of 10,000 occuring at midnight of the day in question. Now, on to the fun!

I determined that today is Day 221 in the Julian calendar. Then, in an unused but related search, I found that at 4PM PST, the day will change according to Zulu = GMT = UTC, which is a kind of general time zone. Therefore, with simple arithmetic, we find that as of 4PM PST, there will be 143 days left in 2007. Here, I found that 2008 is the next leap year (=366 days) which of course occurs every 4 years. So we now have 143 days in 2007, and 1,461 days between Jan. 1st 2008 and Dec. 31st 2011 (every 4 years).

Next, some simple arithmetic. 10,000 converts a day * [143 days + {(1461 days/4 years) * 56 years}] = 205,970,000 converts which is greater than our goal of 200,000,000 converts. The difference between the two is 5,970,000 converts => 597 days. Now, 56 years + 7 years = 63 years, or the year 2063, when we will have almost 6 million extra converts. Next, we start at Dec. 31st 2063 (the day we achieve the previous total) and go back 597 days. 597 - 365 = 232 days. We are now at Dec. 31st 2062, with 232 days left. 365 - 232 = 133 days. It is at this point, on the 133rd day of 2062 (May 13th), at midnight Greenwich Mean Time, that China will have 200 million Christians.

After attempting to find out what day of the week May 13th, 2062 will be (to see if it would be a Friday!), I sadly found this site. By plugging in 8/10/2007, and the required 20,000 days (at 10,000 converts a day to equal 200 million Christians), I found...dunh dunh dunh...that at midnight May 13th, 2062, China will have 200 million Christians. As AP at Hot Air would say, heartache. At least I was able to exercise my brain. As a note, let me be the first person to suggest that Armageddon will occur on May 13th, 2062!

(just kidding-sheesh)

Update: Just emailed the answer to the good professor (a little late at app. 4:14 PM PST, oh well).

More Stuff & News!

2007-08-09T11:07:00.001-07:00

Via Ace, Confederate Yankee tracks down one of TNR's experts, and (surprise, surprise) finds that TNR was perhaps not completely honest in it's reportage. Also, the AP (yes, the AP) tears TNR a new one (via Insty). Hopefully this will be the end of the whole "Scott Thomas" affair.

Do you want to have a heart attack, an aneurysm, and a complete nervous breakdown all at the same time? Then just click this link and go over to MM's article which will certainly fulfill all of your objectives. Yay!

Also at Michelles, this post about the violent rape and murder of a 15-year-old Oregon girl by...wait for it...illegal immigrants. It is time. You know what must be done. Do it.

The Psychiatrist Is In

2007-08-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable

Today's News & More!

2007-08-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Michelle Malkin pretty much has the definitive wrap-up on the whole "Scott Thomas" affair in this post. Read the whole thing.

The Jawa's inform that the 2008 Pin Ups for Vets calendar is now available here.

Geoff and See-Dubya at the JunkYardBlog have the lowdown on the Middle East Terrorists/Mexican Drug Cartel nexus reported today in the Washington Times. Also covered by AllahPundit at Hot Air here.

Bryan has this thoughtful post up at Hot Air, regarding the $20B arms sale to Saudi Arabia, and wider regional implications. A definite must read.

Ohmigod I want one of these. h/t to Insty.

Embassy Bombings

2007-08-07T08:56:00.001-07:00

Nine years ago today, the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya were bombed by al Qaeda, resulting in 224 dead, including 12 Americans, and more than 4500 wounded. This was the terror attack, clearly targeting America, that prompted Clinton to launch cruise missiles at an aspirin factory in the Sudan, as well as some tents in Afghanistan. Had we responded with more vigor, this attack could well have been the last attack by Al Qaeda against America. Preceded by other al Qaeda attacks like the 1993 WTC bombing and the Khobar Towers attack, and followed by the assault on the USS Cole, this was just one of many in a string of failures and missed opportunities for the Clinton Whitehouse, preoccupied as it was with more pressing affairs. Had any of these four assaults been met with a fierce and total response, 9/11 may never have happened.

Remember
Never Forget
Never Forgive

It Go Boom!

2007-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

62 years ago today, the Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The 13 kiloton bomb, comprised of 130 pounds of Uranium-235, detonated about 2000 feet above the city and instantly annihilated 70,000 people, with another 30,000 to die within 4 months from the effects of the bomb. Much more available from Wikipedia here, and also remember Pearl Harbor. The first, and along with "Fat Man" dropped on Nagasaki, only nuclear weapons ever to be used in warfare. Don't mess with the US.

Update: Bryan at Hot Air has more.

For Mom...

2007-07-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

...Who doesn't like dirty words, "You're a dirty bird!" So to make up for the Paul Anka post and the hoagie post (see below) I offer you...Duhn Duhn Duhn...lolcats (further context available here).

Okay, that last one is a little different. For more like it, go visit the IMAO lolterizt category here.

The Guys Get Shirts!!!...

2007-07-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

...That's...just..the...f***in'...way..it is!

Happy Birthday Paul!!! (language warning)

(h/t:drew commenting on this post at Ace's-look at Ace's right sidebar for Paul Anka context)

How You Doin'?

2007-07-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

I'm about to do a quick run around the intertubes to catch y'all up on what's shakin', but first let me throw up a link to one of my favorite Ace posts. I tried for hours searching for "don't touch my sandwich or I will f***ing kill you," but I couldn't find it. That's because he's talking about a freakin hoagie. Oh well, it's really funny and I wanted to be able to find it again so I put a link here. First, let me give you a strong content warning for much foul language, and then tell you to go here, and enjoy teh funny.

One thing that blew up this week was the whole "Scott Thomas" kerfuffle. He is now known to be a soldier in Iraq, although his integrity and honesty are greatly in doubt. He wrote some outrageous articles about alleged atrocities in Iraq, and was summarily called to account by the blogosphere. Read all about it at Hot Air (and insight into why this matters here), MM, Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette ties in the sheep/dog/wolf allegory (follow that first link at M.G. for the whole sheep dog analysis, and more Scott Thomas here), and finally blackfive has a cool picture and article.

In other news, Iraq today won the Asian Cup, defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final soccer match in Jakarta (now with extra-creamy low-fat video!).

Also, a man from Pace University faces multiple felony charges for hate crimes for placing a university library Koran (piss be upon it) into a toilet bowl. Layman's legal analysis by AllahPundit is here.

In celebrity "news," The Lindsay Saga continues to devolve, if such a thing is even possible.

Page D7: Ward Churchill finally fired (now with extra AP distortion!), helicopters crash (video here), Pat Tillman murdered? (more here), John Doe immunity bill (maybe) passes, FBI fined $100 MILLION for framing some people for murder, The latest aircraft carrier joins US forces in the Persian Gulf, Marion Ravenwood will return in Indiana Jones 4 (If you click-through on Ace's link to FoxNews, just scroll down past Madonna), Christopher Walken cooks a chicken (I'm super cereal-and also don't miss this Walken classic), and lastly, ultimate heartache.

Lindsay Fully Loaded!

2007-07-24T08:41:00.001-07:00

LA County Sheriff's Mug Shot of Lindsay Lohan

At 2:15 AM PST, The Whore of Babylon was arrested on multiple felony charges, including DUI and possession of cocaine. Go to tmz.com for all the latest celebrity scandal info. Excerpt below:

"Lindsay Lohan was popped for possession of cocaine, driving under the influence, transporting a narcotic into a custodial facility and driving on a suspended license. Sources say her blood alcohol level was between .12 and .13, well over the .08 legal limit.

Cops tell TMZ cocaine was found in her pants pocket."

Now remember, she was just involved in another DUI on Memorial Day, where she memorably crashed into a hedge, and subsequently fled the scene. She was arrested at the hospital and cops found a "usable amount" of cocaine in the abandoned vehicle. This blogger seems to have the whole rundown on Lindsay here. In light of all of her mis-steps, and her obvious need of an intervention, I think Lindsay needs to have the book thrown at her. No couple of weeks in a suburban county jail. I'm talking two to five in a state penitentiary. That would probably knock some sense into her, and would also send a message to the legion other Hollywood skanks that enough is enough, and it's time to grow up. That is all.

Happy National Hotdog Day!

2007-07-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hip-Hip-Hooray!! Lots of hotdog factoids here, via Lileks and Insty. In honor of national hot dog day, for dinner I plan to have...frozen burritos!! No, I think I will actually have a hotdog or ten instead. Yummy yummy yummy for my tummy tummy tummy!

Update: On a completely unrelated note, today also marks the 23rd anniversary since Vanessa Williams had to step down as Miss America following the revelation that nekkid pictures of hers would be appearing in a smut mag.

"Magnificent Desolation"

2007-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

"That's...one..small step for (a) man,...one...giant leap...for mankind."

38 years ago today, to a worldwide television audience of millions, man first slipped the bonds of Earth, and trod on the surface of another heavenly body. American heroes would travel back again, and even take a dune buggy with them, because Americans are just that cool. Regarding that famous first quote uttered on the moon, recent research has fairly conclusively shown that he did use the word (a), which makes the quote make a whole lot more sense. That factoid, and much more, available at the wiki site here. Or also visit the official NASA 30-year anniversary page here. And look at the plaque below, even though only super-awesome Americans have ever ventured out to another celestial body, we left a greeting from all mankind. Just because we're so super-cool.

Palate Cleanser

2007-07-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

OK, after those two posts, I think we need to stand up and shake ourselves off. All of the following courtesy of the Jawas. First, an AQI biggie in south Iraq has his house introduced to a couple of Excalibur precision artillery rounds. At the same link, the second video shows where the same guy and his buddies flee the shelled house and attempt to escape in a car. Car, meet AH-64 Apache. Car no work, baddies run to second house. Second house, meet two 500 pound bombs courtesy of our friend the F-16 Viper. Lastly, see Mr. Jihadi Sniper jogging towards his car. Oops, Mr. Jihadi Sniper dropped his hat, better go back and get it. OK now, back to the car. Yeah, I'm in my car and I'm escaping! Oh noes, car no run good when bomb lands on it!

Update: Palette/Palate, what's the difference!

Holy Hell Part 2 (unrelated)

2007-07-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

May the fierce flaming sword of justice lay low this detestation, this beast, this animal, this plague upon humanity, all who would defend and justify him and his actions, all who would placate away our security and sovereignty, and also Geraldo Riviera for being a vicious, petty, race-baiting little stain. May the never-ending flames of hellfire consume their pathetic excuses for souls. Burn.

Holy Hell

2007-07-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

May the Lord have mercy on their twisted souls, because I sure as hell wouldn't.

What's In The Water In Massachusetts?

2007-07-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thirty-eight years ago today, a life was snuffed out by a bloviating drunkard. The people of Massachusetts have since shown overwhelming support for this lout by returning him to the U.S. Senate for decades afterword. Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment. Justice awaits him.

WTF?

2007-07-08T12:01:00.001-07:00

Good Lord

Seven-Seven

2007-07-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, the vile jihadists exploded bombs in the London Underground as well as on one of the iconic double-decker buses. Wiki entry for these events is here. So far, only IMAO has posted anything about this. I'll get back to work, and do another intertube run-around this afternoon and update this post, hopefully, with some more links. Remember.

Update (4:30 PM PST): Well I'll be darned. Not. A. Blip. Nothing at Insty, nothing at HA, nothing except IMAO's link to the Wiki entry. Hmm. It is July. Today is the seventh. Oh well, I'd blame the Goracle but his coverage is relatively light too. Must just be too nice of a day outside to remember our allies sacrifices in the war against evil Muslim jihadis. Oh well, have a nice day!

ZOMG Teh Trainsformrs is t3h w00t4ge!!!1!

2007-07-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so teh transormrms starts in Cater, which is a dessert in Irak. Their r all theze d00ds runing a round wtih cule gunz when teh chopter comz. Teh main guy is like "who r u," but teh chopter doesnt say anytheng. Then teh chopter is all "clicka-clicka-bzzzr-clicka" and tehn teh chopter is a BADAS robot. Then the chopter is all "i m in ur baze, killin all ur dudz!" tehn t3h chopter (witch is teh r0bot now) is all thr0wng tanks and peeple around. The gun guyz are all like "OMG WTF zerg rush kekekek!!!111!one!!" and tehn teh general is like "wha hapen?" and teh main guy is like "someone set up us teh bomb!" L0L, then teh kid gets a car (but onle ist n0t a porch but it is A ROBOT CAR) witch you no becuz the car does like majic stuff like breking all teh othre windows and tehn dreyeving bye itsefl. Tehn the kid is scraed and calz the cops, but he finds out teh car ROBOT is a gud ROBOT!!!! Tehn the chopter ROBOT guy from Cater Irak is all, "give me yore glases dork" but teh kid is like "no whey duud" and so then a cop car is their to take the glases but the cop car is a nuther bad ROBOT and teh kids car (withc is named BOMBLEB) cums to cik the bad cop ROBOTS but and teh kid and his grilfrind escape (who is teh hawt!!1!!! ZOMG!) then bombleb and teh kid and teh grilfrind go in an ale rode and tehn OMG tehre is a BIG ASS cimi truck. But guss wot, it is no cimi truck it is teh king of al teh rOBOTs!@!! I hve a piixture of teh KIng ROBOT!!!

I M TEH H4XXOR!!!1!!

A Blog Roundup Of The News

2007-07-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

So you all probably know already about the car bombs in London and Glasgow. Did you know about the Scottish baggage handler John Smeaton who fought a blazin' jihadi who was "on fleemes?" Another great video clip at Hot Air. John's got a wiki entry, as well as a tribute site. Some select quotes of his (from Wiki):

"You’re no hitting the Polis mate, there's nae chance... So I ran straight towards the guy, we're all trying to get a kick-in at him, take a boot to subdue the guy... That's just Glasgow; we'll set about ye."

He also had a brother in arms, the cabby who broke his ankle kicking a jihadi in the balls. And Ace wonders why the MSM isn't mentioning the obvious (mild content warning-one MF-word). Great stuff!

In other news, Haray Caray mans a post in Iraq, providing some much needed humor to a serious situation, Allahpundit brings us news of creative and brave Apache pilots, more jihadi 'unrest' at the Red Mosque in Islamabad with the latest developments from ABC here, Alan Johnston is freed from/by his kidnappers, an end to an "appalling" affair, Farfour has passed, Iowahawk has the scoop (content warning) of all scoops in the UK bombing department, and IMAO has the anti-jihadi photoshop caption contest. That should do it for now, I'm off to Transformers baby!

Happy Birthday America!

2007-07-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of the greatest nation ever to grace the face of planet Earth. Probably any other planet as well, but I don't personally know for sure. Be sure to check out the 4th of July coverage at Hot Air (includes bomb-making tips!), Ace has teh funny (it's safe mom!), Slublog posting at Ace's has the full Declaration of Independence, Michelle of course brings the sober and mature birthday message, via MM, Mrs. Greyhawk has a letter from a military father at Mudville Gazette (Kleenex alert), Good Lt. at TJR has the moving video tribute post (double Kleenex alert on that second video), Rachel Lucas reminds us that dogs don't like fireworks (strong PG warning for one use of A word and a Son of a B-However, if you wander around the rest of her site, don't be surprised to find some very salty language, that's why I heart her), Frank J's daily Fred! Thompson fact is very lol worthy (but not quite roflmao), Powerline has a pair of presidential posts (first and second), and lastly, Cox & Forkum have the signature cartoon along with some excellent Declaration Of Independence links. Enjoy!

I Love Ted Nugent...

2007-07-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

...In a totally hetero, non-ghey, totally admiring kind of way. Read this piece he just wrote for Opinion Journal. I find it rather disheartening that in the space of one generation, we went from the Greatest Generation (known for valor, sacrifice, and literally saving Western Civilization from the jaws of tyranny), to the Least Generation (known for their ego-centric, cowardly self (and world) destroying complete lack of all morals). This cohort, that so bravely railed against 'The Man' in the 60's, has now turned into the very personification of evil they supposedly hated in their youth. The generation of Hilary and Jf'nK, their storied accomplishments seared, seared I say, into their memories, are nothing but useless sacks of waste. The ultimate conclusion to their failed policies and actions:

"A quick study of social statistics before and after the 1960s is quite telling. The rising rates of divorce, high school drop outs, drug use, abortion, sexual diseases and crime, not to mention the exponential expansion of government and taxes, is dramatic. The "if it feels good, do it" lifestyle born of the 1960s has proved to be destructive and deadly."

Yeah, "destructive and deadly," I think that about sums it up. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Generation-X winds up being a little bit more responsible.

Update: I should clarify this comment I made in the post:

"The generation of Hilary and Jf'nK, their storied accomplishments seared, seared I say, into their memories, are nothing but useless sacks of waste."

Since I refer to the entire generation, this should obviously exclude any relation of mine who is a Republican or a pro-America Bluedog Democrat, especially if they are allegedly responsible for my existence!

[h/t Good Lt. at The Jawa Report]

You Know What's Awesome?

2007-07-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

Waking up at 4 in the morning because your body is saying "You shouldn't have had under-reheated pizza for dinner and then promptly fallen asleep on the couch. I do not like you." Then you get up and tell your body "OK, fine, you suck." Then you realize that today is TRANSFORMERS DAY and you get so excited that you can't get back to sleep. Oh well, Transformers movie review to follow. I'll check show times, go to the first Transformers showing, and also see any other decent movies that are out. I will then post the most coolest review you have ever read (I already have a gimmick planned). Yay!

No Words

2007-07-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

No words exist to adequately describe the situation in the small Iraqi village of al-Hamira on the outskirts of Baqubah. Michael Yon, in this dispatch, expertly does the best he humanly can to describe a truly vile and inhuman situation. I have the same thought I had in this earlier post of mine. See also Hot Air's coverage here. Apparently the MSM doesn't really want to talk about this, as Yon surmises in his follow-up.

The Simpsons

2007-07-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess you should go here and vote for Springfield Oregon to be the 'official' Springfield of The Simpsons and for it to play host to the premier of this summer's greatest animated feature starring yellow cartoon characters. Remember, however, that nothing good has ever come out of the Eugene-Springfield metro area. It is a lawless and soulless den of iniquity that will surely be smited one day by The Lord. It is a communistic enclave that dwells in the heart of Oregon like a rotten, festering cancer. It is a town devoid of all knowledge and wisdom, and certainly drained of all moral character. While some may pray for all of Lane County to some day be swallowed up by the Earth, I think that that would be a far more terrible occurrence. This blight would surely effect the Earth's core, and then Hilary Swank would have to drive a tunneling machine to save the world. Nothing good can come of this. Also, The Simpsons kind of sucks these days, but it would be kind of cool to have an official movie premier in Oregon. So vote. Or not.

How To...

2007-07-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

...Fill an office bathroom with Ping Pong balls!

First, measure the volume of the bathroom (width x length x height) and subtract out any volume for cabinets etc., unless you will be filling them as well. 1 ping pong ball has an exact volume of 33.51 cubic centimeters (or 2.04 cubic inches), based on the formula for spherical volume of V=(pi x diameter cubed) / 6. Next, assume an effective sphere density of 0.74048 based on the Hales' proof of the Kepler conjecture. Therefore, assuming the effective size of the bathroom is 10' x 12' x 8' tall (or 120" x 144" x 96"=1,658,880 cubic inches) we divide the bathroom volume by the ping pong ball volume to arrive at 813,176 ideal ping pong balls. Factoring in for the sphere packing density, we will need 602,140 Ping Pong balls.

Next, the cheapest price for Ping Pong balls was found at Rebecca's Online Catalog, where they can be purchased for $10.15 per gross (144) for more than 20 gross. However, they are non-standard and 1.5 inches in diameter. A quick re-calculation will show that we now need 695,114 of these slightly smaller Ping Pong balls. At the best price of $10.15 per gross, we will need 4,828 gross (for a remainder of 118 extra Ping Pong balls). This will cost $49,004.20 (not including any taxes and shipping). Per Rebecca's Catalog, the shipping weight of one gross is 3.48 pounds. Our order comes to 16,801.44 pounds. Assuming that they will ship in individual boxes of 144 (i.e.-4,828 3 1/2 pound boxes), an approximate UPS charge for ground freight would be $19,939.64 (based on shipping from Euless, TX to Gresham, OR=UPS zone 7 to 2, at $4.13 for a 3.48 pound box). Therefore, our total Ping Pong ball cost will be $68,943.84.

Now we need to figure out how to put the Ping Pong balls into the bathroom. Assuming the goal is maximum quantity of Ping Pong balls filling the finite volume of the bathroom, then the balls will obviously need to be packed loose (as opposed to staying in the boxes) to get as close as possible to the theoretical maximum density of 0.74048. To actually fill the bathroom, you will need an electric leaf blower, about 10 feet of drainage pipe, and around 3 feet of 1-1/2" Schedule 40PVC pipe. You will also need a 6 inch wide board that is about 6 inches shorter than the door, a 6 inch by 6 inch piece of mesh (window screen or similar), a funnel, some duct tape, and probably a helper.

Now for the fun. We'll assume (because it's a lot easier), that the door opens into the bathroom. Wedge the board into the door opening, leaving a 6 inch gap up at the top. Duct tape the screen onto the end of the drain pipe, and cut out an opening for the pipe. Tape the screen/pipe assembly to the top of the board. Cut a small hole in the side of the drain pipe just big enough for the PVC pipe to fit into (flush-DO NOT protrude PVC pipe into drain pipe). Next tape the funnel onto the end of the PVC pipe, and the leaf blower onto the end of the drain pipe. Turn on the leaf blower. If everything is sealed tight, you should have flow through the PVC pipe and into the drain pipe, thanks to the Venturi Effect. Now, just dump the 695,114 Ping Pong balls (not all at once) into the funnel and watch as they blast into the bathroom! Eventually, the bathroom will be full and you will be able to disassemble your contraption and close the door. Great laughs for the first person who really has to use the bathroom! Since there was about a 6 inch (blocked) opening in the door, there should be enough 'slack' to slightly push the door ajar and allow the Ping Pong balls to slowly cascade out the narrow opening. While the shipping weight of our balls is almost 8 1/2 tons, the closest value I could find online was 1 gram for a ping pong ball (which sounds about right). Therefore, the room will be full of 1,532.5 pounds of Ping Pong balls. Yay!

The World Welcomes...

2007-06-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Lauryn Elizabeth [redacted], born some time today (around noon-time). Other important events that occurred on this day in history? On June 20th, 1975, JAWS premiered. I think this bodes well for baby Lauryn's future. Follows is the email from Loretta, the paternal grandmother:

As you know, the baby has arrived. Lauryn Elizabeth [redacted] (I believe the
first name is spelled correctly, but not certain of the middle name spelling.)
at 6 lbs. 14 oz, 19.5 inches long. Born this morning. Dark hair. (for now
anyway) Very nice.

Unfortunately, my camera didn't function
properly on the photo of the entire family, and rather than send something that
didn't come out right, I will send you the one with Michael and the baby and one
of the baby alone, so you can at least see how sweet she is. I'm sure there
will be others of the family coming in the next few days. Until then, I can
say they all looked beautiful and happy, though a little tired so soon
after.

Loretta (the paternal grandmother-ed.)

Pictured below is the bro-in-law Mike with the new addition to the family. Yay!

Three Word Solution...

2007-06-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

...For this is simply "complete" and "total" "eradication." They are not terrorists, they are not barbarians, they are not thugs. They are animals. PURE. AND. SIMPLE. Like a pack of wild rabid dogs loose in your hometown, every single last one of them must be hunted down and destroyed. Spare not a single one. Wipe them from the face of the Earth. Destroy all memory of them. Eradicate every last sign that they ever existed. They will not be stopped. They will not be reasoned with. They will not change. KILL THEM ALL!

Mega Movie Madness

2007-06-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!

DANGER!!!!!!

So I watched a couple movies yesterday, and thought I'd give y'all a review of them.

Ocean's 13: Had all the standard Ocean's gags and double-crosses, but still not really as good as the first two, and also didn't have Mrs. Michael Douglas in it. Wait for video, if even then. "I liked it." (barely)

Knocked Up: Hilarious movie from the guy who brought you The 40 Year Old Virgin. Like 40-YOV, Knocked Up is on it's surface a typical teenage boy comedy. Full of anatomy jokes, pot smoking, juvenile behavior, and lots and lots of swear words. I think that this is an excellent tactic by the director, rope in a huge audience and then give them something to think about under the radar. Just like 40-YOV showed the final success of a mature "old-fashioned" relationship, Knocked Up espouses some decidedly conservative values. During the first visit to the OB-GYN, we see an ultrasound of the fetus at 8 weeks, and the doctor points out the heartbeat (which apparently starts at 5 weeks). To show the progression of time in the film, they show a NOVA like close up of the baby, with it's developing arms and legs, etc, with a title card that gives it's age in weeks. Early on, the mother decides to keep the baby and the stoner/loser father must decide whether or not to grow up and be a part of the process. While not saying really anything of an anti-abortion tack, I feel the movie is decidedly pro-life, and includes the core conservative belief of individual responsibility. An excellent movie, if slightly colorful at moments. "I loved it."
Update: Kathryn Jean Lopez, I think, misses a critical point with her review of Knocked Up on NRO. She closes her review with:

"Maybe I’m getting old, but it seems to me that the
Wedding-Crashers-40-Year-Old-Virgin crass-blockbuster fun has been had. While
I’m all for redeeming messages (keep the baby, love the child, take some
responsibility for your life) reaching us where we’re at, if this is where the
culture is — 23-year-olds filling gas masks with marijuana smoke — is it really
an excessively laughing matter? (And I say this as someone on record as excessively
tolerant.) With vagina shots and jokes and a bit of a celebration of
loserism, Knocked Up ultimately allows its beautiful aspects to be overpowered
by its disturbing ones. It isn’t a likable-loser crude comedy. It’s a
this-genre-may-have-just-hit-rock-bottom comedy."

While this is her opinion, and therefore "true," I think the point I made earlier is still valid. I really wouldn't recommend this to an ultra-conservative 70 year old blue blooded matron, but then again, such a person clearly isn't the target demographic. If this movie's raunchiness and crude humor appeals to teenagers and twenty-something slackers, I say great. Maybe just a few of them will leave the theater with a "pro-life" thought wedged deep within their pot addled mind. Something to hope for anyway.

Rise of The Silver Surfer: Just crap. Unless you have a very serious crush on Jessica Alba (who is sporting those creepy blue eye contacts), or have a ridiculously low tolerance for movies, definitely skip it, or wait for video. Just kind of lame. "Didn't like it."

Mr. Brooks: A really good and creepy movie with the Mariner. As an aside, this is one of the few films where I think Kevin Costner is a good actor. In my opinion, he can really only play whitebread middle America characters (Field of Dreams, The Bodyguard, A Perfect World, etc.) and when he actually has to act, we get things like Waterworld and Robin Hood: Prince of Crap. That said, this is a great portrayal of a serial killer, living and killing in Portland Ore, who travels down a never before seen path. At least, it's a story arc I don't recall ever seeing. I don't want to give too much away, so just go watch it! "I loved it."

Next Up: Transformers! Transformers! Transformers!!!1!!

Why Am I Here?

2007-06-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

So my sister's supposed to have her baby this weekend, my brother and his family went to Disneyland, letting me stay at their place (with a hot-tub, barbecue, big TV, etc) in the BIG city, but am I doing that? No, I'm at work. Yay!!! The good thing is, the boss has to leave by 11 to go to a graduation, so I'm going to cut out early. I plan to go watch a bunch of movies. That are brand new. In the theater. Reviews to follow!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Look at all those candles....hmm.

Happy Flag Day

2007-06-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

The American Flag

Today, June 14th 2007, is National Flag Day. USFlag has info on the history of Flag Day, as well as an excellent FAQ which includes such items as proper flag etiquette, half-mast display, and more. From Wiki, more info on Flag Day, as well as it's entry on Betsy Ross. Remember those that fell protecting our Nation's flag. Should flag desecration be a crime?

Mr. Gorbachev...

2007-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

..."Tear down this wall!" Twenty years ago today, President Ronald Wilson Reagan gave his famous speech, urging Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall and usher in a new era of freedom for all the citizens cowering behind the oppressive iron curtain. The famous line from his speech:

"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Notably, both Reagan's State Department and National Security Council opposed the speech, including Deputy NSA Colin Powell (surprise, surprise). The wall finally fell on November 9th of that year, in an emotional and awe-inspiring display of the people's yearning for freedom.

See also: Powerline has video of the speech, also Bryan at Hot Air has this post which also includes the video.

Update: Welcome AoSHQ morons! After paying proper homage to The Gipper, feel free to look around. Some possibilities are: a theory I had regarding those whales that were lost a couple weeks ago, my FAQ post (even though I've never actually been asked anything!), some recent movie reviews are here, and I develop a rather painful headache! So, make yourselves at home, the bar is open! I am a newbie, so feel free to leave any general tips/ideas/picked-nits in the comments. Thanks!

Dem Supports Child Murderer

2007-06-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

A new blog category has been created, brain explosions. From time to time, when I find something that absolutely makes me twitch, I will post it here with this picture:

The item today, this post from MM that will make you want to shoot your computer screen. Please put down all guns and heavy objects before reading!

Fred Heads Unite

2007-06-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I went over to the Fred Heads to sign up. Will you? Also, click here to go to Fred!'s official website to donate lots of money!

Update: Blogger is dumb, it wouldn't let me have "!" in either the post title or in the label title. To make up for that egregious shortcoming, let me just say Fred! Fred! Fred!

Ender's Game...

2007-06-11T11:09:00.001-07:00

...Is nigh upon us. Ace has info regarding the development of "the ansible." I can't wait to "meet" Jane. Now all we need is a zero-G battle school and some highly intelligent adolescents and we'll be all set to finely defeat the bugger menace. Yay!

26 Years Ago Today...

2007-06-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

...Someone talented and beautiful was born. This woman, born on Tuesday June 9th, 1981, has often been compared to Audrey Hepburn. There is the same classic beauty, and indeed the same intelligence as Ms. Hepburn. Our 26 year old beauty demonstrated this native intelligence by earning straight-A's at a very prestigious university. Born near the sea, she moved with her family at a very young age to the location where she would spend the rest of her childhood. Now, however, she has moved away from the family home for work-related reasons.

Our classic beauty, no, babe really, has a job that not many people can claim to have done. Plenty of other people do this job, but she truly excels at it, even winning awards for her outstanding performance. Although very smart and basically just hot, this charming woman has held true to her principles and beliefs, even in an industry that some say is male-centric. A flashing smile, a sharp wit, entrancing eyes, this woman is definitely one for the ages.

Who is she?

Update: Oh yeah, it's also my little-little sister's birthday today. Right now she's a pilot instructor, but soon she'll be flying one of these. Happy Birthday Bongo!

Poking With Stick...

2007-06-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

...with an outraged voice, "I'm not dead yet!" I'm linking to Glenn's post regarding the possible, apparent, short-termed, still breathing demise of the immigration bill because he wittily uses a movie quote, obviously a "skill" I respect.

Update: Ace links to this post which I think nicely sums up some of the behind the scenes wrangling that (hopefully) killed this bill. Just go to AoSHQ, he's posting on this like a...like someone who's posting a lot!

My Very First Bleg

2007-06-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows how to fix that mess in the sidebar, please let me know. I did a lot of fiddling around last night with the template, and the best result I got was being able to see the entire Fred! widget, but unfortunately having it overlap onto the posts. Help!

Bumped: Just in case-as if!

Instalanche Bait

2007-06-06T19:07:00.001-07:00

Here goes nothing (context):

Prof. Reynolds,

This is a layman's response to John Derbyshire's comment regarding Romney's use of the phrase "a null set." For full disclosure, I am a mechanical engineer, and not a mathematician (or a lawyer). I was intrigued by your post, and decided to dig deeper. Per wikipedia's entry on null set, "in mathematics, a null set is a set that is negligible in some sense." (Wiki's emphasis). It goes on to say that in set theory there is only one empty (null) set, whereas in measure theory, any set of measure 0 is a null set.

By my understanding, iff (heh) Mitt Romney was discussing probability or statistics, than he was correct in his usage of "a null set." However, if Gov. Romney was thinking in purely mathematical terms, then Mr. Derbyshire's critique is correct. However, by my reading of NRO's excerpt of the debate, Gov. Romney was using "a null set" as a synonym for non sequitur. (Which can be either of the logical or absurd flavor). Since (roughly) "it doesn't follow" is not equal to "empty/none/zero/etc.," then it is my opinion that "a null set" is not a synonym for non sequitur, and therefore the entire subject is moot.

However, the real question should be Gov. Romney's usage of the phrase "non sequitur." It may be a valid usage if Gov. Romney considered the question a post hoc ergo propter hoc argument as opposed to a modus tollens argument. This is most certainly the case, since one additional reason someone might make the conclusion that invading Iraq was a mistake is because we didn't invade Iran first. Or maybe I'm trying to read too much into it. And yes, this is "Instalanche Bait".

Respectfully, Thomas Paine

Cross-posted at my blog, 21st Century Common Sense. :)

Developing...

Updated June 8th, 2007 at 9:00 AM: ...crickets...heartache

Ejectia!

2007-06-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

Bill Whittle's got a post up on his site concerning the progress of Ejectia, the new meta-community. Read it all, and then stroll around and read everything else he's written. Then sit down and hold your head and ponder. Then go back and read it again. Bill's essays are that good.

Operation Overlord - D-Day

2007-06-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

On this day, 63 years ago, almost three million troops crossed the English Channel as part of the largest armada of naval vessels this world has ever seen. The brave warriors of the Greatest Generation went ashore in Normandy to wrest Europe from the iron grip of the Nazis. The best film treatment of these events is undoubtedly Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. The opening scene of the storming of the beach still gives me chills whenever I watch it. Thanks to the sacrifice of the brave Allied soldiers, a toehold was established on Continental Europe allowing for the ultimate defeat of the evil Third Reich.

Update: Even better post by Slublog over at Ace's, and Bryan at Hot Air has this post (with pictures).

They Never Learn

2007-06-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

40 Years ago today, the Middle East's only democratic nation was surrounded on all sides by the forces of darkness. What happened? The Armies of Evil got their collective asses handed to them by a smaller force. The Israeli Air Force was out-numbered 4 to 1 in numbers of aircraft, and the combined Arab force was at least 20% larger in numbers of soldiers. Despite this, Israel inflicted a 27 to 1 kill ratio (in their favor), destroyed 400+ enemy aircraft, captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and more. Despite this, they decide to try again. (h/t LGF).

A Round-up of Today's Idiocy

2007-06-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

This article from yahoo news wins for best closing sentence.

The Whore of Babylon checks in to the Grey Bar Hotel.

Just when you thought he had pushed the stupidity envelope to its limit, Mike Tyson continues to amaze.

Vermont wants to secede from the Union. My opinion, let them.

"Cold Cash" Jefferson indicted. Possible maximum prison-term? 235 years!

Given Blog Title, Required Post

2007-06-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

Bryan over at Hot Air has a post that should be terribly obvious to anyone with half a brain. Not that your typical f'n moonbat has half a brain, damn glorbal warmeners.

It Is To Laugh

2007-06-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong to let forth a cynical laugh at this news? Because I did.

Exit Question: What are the holidays like?

Bonus Exit Question: In the unlikely (he's 63, she's 46) event that they spawn and have a daughter, what are the odds that said daughter will be horribly murdered or disappeared?

Remember Tiananmen

2007-06-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Gateway Pundit has the post of those events from 18 years ago today.