Some odd and oddly helpful tips for you.
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Got an email from MoveOn I'd like to pass along to you. Basically they are sending Ted Kennedy a card. I've signed it and this is the message to forward along to others. Not sure if they'll make you register though since I realize some folks have an issue with that. But anyways....
Subject: Tell Senator Kennedy to get well soonHi,
Sadly, progressive champion, Senator Ted Kennedy, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I just signed a card from the entire MoveOn community wishing him well and I thought you might want to add your name, too. Senator Kerry will hand deliver the card with all the signatures and well wishes to Senator Kennedy. All you have to do to add your name to the card is click:
Thanks!
I'm back from New Mexico and mostly over whatever plagued I had to deal with there. Food? Still mediocre but improved in that part of the state, which is weird considering the fare in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. Rooms? Improved, but then again the company had to fork out since the rooms the property offered were the long ago office rooms in a building that hadn't been worked on much since I was last there three years ago. So yeah, nice rooms, but the alternative?
Anyways, since I had to rebuild the computer earlier this year, I have no clue if I have your addresses correct. So if you've got 'em to send, please do so. Thanks.
Well, we're off for the weekend. Time to sit in the woods and ignore the hectic parts of life. And yes, we're taking Mono with so he can chase squirrels or something. Be back Monday.
If *you* need more encouragement to go outside, give this article a listen.
Have a good one folks.
Still removing tabs prior to my hard drive coming in. Yeah, I know, I could probably be doing something else.
Giuliani continues to pimp his "leadership" in the aftermath of 9/11, even as we found out he only spent a total of 29 hours at Ground Zero. Funny, isn't is, that he pretty much bills himself as the guy who single-handedly restored New York City and spent barely over a day at the attack site. No wonder the actual rescue and recovery workers are pissed off.
Bush has declared that you cannot challenge his illegal wiretapping in court. He is invoking the "states secrets privilege", whatever that is. You ever get the feeling he's just making this up as he goes along?
Also, he's close to passing Reagan's record for most vacation days taken by a sitting president. Wow, these Republicans sure are lazy people. Evil, but lazy.
Tired of fighting both us and the Shi'ite militias, the Sunnis in Iraq are joining up with us against a common enemy. Not sure that picking fights in a civil war should be our thing, you know, but it probably means less people shooting at our guys.
NPR reports that minority-majority counties are on the rise. The NYT covers it as well.
Russia is selling new sniper rifles to Venezuela. No word on when Bush is going to challenge Chavez to "bring it on" to start shooting Marines at our embassy in Caracas.
Meanwhile, the World Junior Baseball Championships have been cancelled because Chavez refuses to recognize the Taiwanese team and the tournament was supposed to take place in Venezuela.
Look, keep your damn politics out of sports please.
We're creating a database in Iraq that includes such things as tribal affiliation, address, fingerprints, etc. Basically, something that would make it very easy for you to pick out whoever you want to kill in a random crowd. Helpful of us, isn't it?
I was really psyched about seeing the Cubs play the Cards on Sunday Night Baseball tonight, but then the game got rained out in the third, which really sucks because Zambrano had it going tonight.
I love baseball, and anyone who knows me knows that. There's no asshole joke bully business like in football, or glory-hogging gansta BS like in basketball. And though I like soccer, I really like the idea of bathroom breaks a bit better. Hockey? Fun to watch in person, and usually minor league. Golf is a skill and NASCAR is glorification of redneck moonshiners, i.e. felons. None of this is news to anyone whose had a beer or two with me and discussed this topic.
So baseball is my game. And through Bud Selig, the '94 strike, interleague play, Barry Bonds, the frickin' Yankees, and all other ways the major league game has tried to destroy itself, it is still here and I'm still watching.
That said, as much as everyday yahoos want to see everyone hit a dinger over the wall, I really like pitching. And lately, we've had that, and even a touch of the hitting too.
For example, John Santana today fanned 17 batters and won 1-0. The other side wasn't doing too shabby either so I guess he needed to pull an all-star performance out of his back pocket. I like Johan, and he wants to play for a contender. Hey! Whoever ends up owning the Cubs: pay attention!
Even cooler is rookie Micah Owings, who the other night struck out seven batters and won his sixth game of the year, 12-6. Even cooler than *that* is he hit two home runs, was four runs, and batted in six RBIs, and he left in the seventh inning. Talk about helping your own cause.
He's not alone in shining on the mound for the D-backs. Ace Brandon Webb has pitched 42 scoreless innings of late and is closing in on Orel Hershiser's record of 59. Long odds of him overtaking that with the late season battles coming up, but very impressive.
Just a month and a few left in the season and I'm enjoying myself. I'm also 20+ games up in my fantasy league, so you gotta like that. If you haven't been watching, please do. Plenty of good games and good stories around the league, including the rebirth of Rick Ankiel. Sure, he's a Cardinal, but seems like a nice guy regardless.
NPR is carrying a series on the Six Day War, which happened 40 years ago this week.
Congress is trying to restore the concept of habeus corpus, which the Bushites took away last year. Go here to get your politicians on board with restoring freedoms taken away by the GOP.
More things about the GOP. All their candidates are against gays in the military, even though this hasn't been an issue for those straight military folks who have had to go through the experience.
A bigoted Justice Department official proud of attacking minority groups. Not to mention he is fond of suing people of false voter fraud charges to suppress voter turnout.
FAUXNews can't tell one black politician from another and doesn't really care to properly apologize, explain, or correct itself.
Roger Ailes equates being on FOX to squaring off against al-Qaeda by accusing Democrats of being cowards by not going on the network's debates. Look, I agree both al-Qaeda and FOXNews are bad for America, but the concept of not appearing on Ailes' shitty network is not cowardice, it is to not give your enemies ammunition against you. The true comparison would be to disavow being on al-Jazeera as well as FAUXNews.
Most Recent Sign of the Apocalypse: Line Dancing to Iron Butterfly
A good Armed Forces Day to all you folks serving in the defense of our nation - or in whatever misadventures you have been asked to participate in by Dimbulb the president.
To not sully the day too much, let's see how Mr. "Support the Troops" has done this week.
The House passed a bill 408-4 that would allow states to fly their flags at half mast for their fallen soldiers. This is after Bush refused to give an executive order that would have done the same.
Bush has also called a 3.5% pay raise for our troops "unnecessary" and will actually plan to veto the extra half a percent past what it wants to give. This is a grand total of $6 a month for the average ground troop.
We can halve taxes for millionaires, pay million in bonuses to Halliburton for shoddy, overcharged worked, refuse to investigate oil companies fleecing the population for record profits, but to give a solider under fire an extra $6 a month? Oh hell no, can't do that.
Well, I respect your service. Too bad the "Commander Guy" doesn't.
Have heard some choice bits on NPR lately and have picked up on some stories this week I'd like to share. I'm waiting on a slew of callbacks on cases I have and am pretty much prepped for my trip next week.
Meh.
The Army is trying to give Captains financial incentives to encourage them not to retire from active duty. According to the story though, it isn't enough and dollar signs are not the problem.
The problem may be the broken promises by the Pentagon that sends troops right back into the fray despite promising to keep soldiers at home long enough for their kids to remember who they are. Oops.
The House is trying another tactic. Fund the war, but only in increments. The first would last until the end of July. Bush is planning to veto it. You know, since paying in segments is nothing like submitting a false budget then throwing in emergency supplemental bills whenever you feel like it.
Someone can try to explain this to me but I'm confused on how SecDef Gates says that he currently has enough money to fund the war into July, but if Congress gives him more money now but cuts off the funding in July if Bush doesn't compromise on anything, it is actually worse for the Pentagon. How is getting more money to fund you past July worse than having only enough to get you into July?
Polls show that Americans don't trust any politicians. I'm not sure if this news is surprising to anyone.
More fallout from the Kansas tornado National Guard response.
You can have a beer called the Silver Bullet, Fry Guys can tempt your kids into eating fatty fries, and Victoria's Secret ads are like having soft core porn on during prime time TV, but don't you dare sell an energy drink called Cocaine.
The Rand Corporation - a waaaaay conservative think tank - just came out with a manual on nation building, and entirely missed the part where you concern yourself with the culture you are introducing your troops into. It contrasts our very successful occupation of Japan with the debacle in Iraq, focusing on the minor details like knowing the language, religious, and social composition of the land you are in. You know, just little stuff like that.
Bush's quandry. Too bad he's dragging us down with him.
The pope versus liberation theology in South America.
Finally, one nice story concerning the last traditional bow maker in China. Yes, he has apprentices so not all is lost.
I'd been watching the Red Sox-Yankees series all weekend but last night's was a gem. "Dice-K" had a shaky game, but a winner nonetheless.
The best part? The record-tying four consecutive home runs off of a single pitcher.
Well, time to clear off the tabs here at work.
Pat Robertson and his ilk and taking over the Bush administration. As if those morons weren't scary enough.
Diebold is suing the state of Massachusetts for going with another e-voting vendor. So much for that free market capitalism the conservatives are always gabbing about.
Then again, they give away secret no-bid contracts, enforce tariffs, and put Wolfowitz in charge of the World Bank. Hypocrites.
The company hired to build Bush's Dream Party Fence on the border is hiring illegals to build said fence. Figures.
The Marines have recently banned tattoos below the elbow and the knee. Because, you know, nothing inhibits our troops' ability to kill terrorists like getting inked.
Edwards, then Obama, then Clinton have refused to join a debate hosted by FAUXNews. Good for them and I hope this trend continues.
A story on the female British sailor kidnapped by Iran recently and what she went through.
I found a name for my occasional bookmark dumps. Enjoy.
The Army is forced to ship injured solders into combat since it is - you know - overstretched these days.
Incidentally, Colin Powell is sure Iraq is in a civil war. Too bad the currently employed Bushites can't see that.
Check it out: Republicans hypocrites are freaking out because a Democratic Senator owns a gun. Then again, they might be worried about a repeat of the Sumner-Brooks affair where a Republican was beaten senseless for being a loud-mouth jackass.
And yeah, a lot of those GOP types might have something to worry about on that front.
GOP poster boy Newt Gingrich took another step into the KKK Hall of Fame last week by calling for an end to bilingual education, calling Spanish the "language of the ghetto." Here's a nice Daily Illini take on it, plus a look at the advantages of speaking something other than Redneck English.
Bush is full of shit about the "we fight them there so we don't fight them here" meme. No big surprise.
Bush is also getting less than thrilling responses when he tries to pump up the troops lately.
Things that should concern you Mr. Chimp.
Here's a bunch of links on Iraq concerning the end of the fourth year and the anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Recent numbers on the conflict and the regrets of the Iraqi wrestler who toppled Saddam's statue.
Conversations with Iraqis concerning the war and the future of Iraq, including the lives lived by those who have fled the country.
More on the mass deaths of bees.
Random enough for ya?
First off, I haven't really been following this story because, honestly, I don't really care.
Some sorority got kicked off its campus for kicking out all its minority members and those deemed "not pretty" enough for them. Of course, the remaining members say they're been unfairly judged and the university is tarnishing their reputation or some crap.
Then again, look at them.
I say the smug faces in this picture do much more damage.
Hey! I got to see a Cubs game here this weekend and they actually won!. Went with some folks from work and had a pretty decent time. I miss having good baseball in a decent stadium. Face it locals, Cashman Field is a concrete slab and not comfortable when it is 110 outside.
With Leslie gone at her NASPA conference for the next few days, Mono and I went to Pet-a-Palooza. Yes, Vegas brings in rock acts to play for animals at an event with pet adoption agencies and various vendors and booths and such. We spent the morning there and then came home to nap. Yes, I'm living the high life here.
Other sick Vegas news: Michael Jackson wants to build a 50-foot tall robot version of himself that shoots lasers out of its eyes as it roams the desert. I'm not kidding. So, um, if any of you would happen to have any idea how to take down a - say - fifty foot tall robot, just pop me an email. Okay?
Doing some housework and relaxing today after a late night of Star Wars Risk. Yes, I'm a geek, get over it.
I have some crap I'm deciding whether or not to rant about.
But not tonight.
To all those who have given me crap all week, just a programming note: My team is in the Super Bowl and your's isn't.
Pulled another couple projects since my last post...and had a successful and very nice Thanksgiving in between.
I apologize for the lack of post since then. Guess between the post-election breather and getting my butt kicked around this part of the globe I just got worn out.
So, I'm just glad to be home. Too bad I could sleep for a week and not feel caught up. Ah well, soon we're off to Illinois for the holidays.
Just to get you primed for the season, here's a story about eggnog. And another on holiday CDs.
Good news. One evil bastard has left the planet. Augusto Pinochet has finally died. Another dictator aided and abetted by the Republican Party. Big surprise.
More proof that my dad is right about George Bush. More so than the rest of us. Here's the background on what I mean by that. When Bush started running for president talking about his born-again conversion that stopped him from drinking, Dad knew it was crap from the get-go. One, according to Pops, NO alcoholic who has gone through a twelve-step program could even *have* as much of an ego as Bush does. The man has no shame, admits no faults, and doesn't even attempt to grab the concept of humility. Alcoholism, as with any addiction, means you have failed somehow, and failed those around you. So basically, Bush may think he's religious, but he sure as hell has never properly addressed his addiction. He has only, if you believe him, stopped drinking liquor.
So anyway, recently a study has come out showing that power is both an aphrodisiac and an addiction. And who you think of when I say the word "power"? Probably the same guy you should think of when I said "addict", "alcoholic", and "unhinged". George Bush.
Yeah, I'm biased, but it doesn't mean I'm wrong.
Speaking of people who think like Bush and his cronies, NPR spent a week covering the rise of racist, right-wingers in Europe. And don't exclude the English as Blair insists that immigrants adopt British cultural values.
Richard Leakey is fighting fundamentalists in Kenya, who are trying to hide our evolutionary fossil evidence.
In Iraq, the insurgents have found a way to finance themselves, with additional reports that the Saudis are financing Sunni groups.
Tom DeLay tried to start a blog, and quickly found out what Americans think of him and his kind. The site was pulled down, but you can go here to see what the initial post was, and its response.
And this I just found funny: The Fighting First Family.
