shooting star

Now, for real people

2011-09-21T22:07:00.002-04:00

Anyone who STANDS UP for what they BELIEVE may find their home here.

(Not you)

911 and karma

2011-09-10T00:28:00.001-04:00

Well, if ever a heavy karmic load of crap took place, it was 9/11.

On the one hand:

You have Civilization, in the form of the United States, which sought to encode individual liberty for all. The full might and weight of thought and experience that had followed the march of history since the first squirm out of the ooze had arrived first at the Magna Charta, and then found its fruition in the Constitution of the United States.

On the other hand:

There is: "The United States has ruined every culture that has ever existed on this planet."

How so? Given that the "United States" was composed of an amalgam of people from all over?

My statement to YOU:

(Deleted after cool-down period) *****

You are algae. You are parasite. You will NEVER succeed in subverting the Truth.

So *****.

:):):):):)
Yeah ...

Karma.

Back in the future-past

2011-09-09T23:48:00.000-04:00

Re-emerging on the grid after hiatus -- apologies to Col. Neville, whose website I inadvertently bolluxed somehow, which I shall endeavor to fix.

Anyway.

Update on then-versus-now to come later. For now, September 11 dominates. Not even Biblical flood experiences compare; for this is a seminal time, a 10-year time, for a world-changing thing. It is a time none of us can completely ignore. It captures us, consumes us, for these next days.

September 11 is as fresh and raw as it was 10 years ago. Perhaps more so, the more we learn.

For instance ...

A sergeant major working at the Pentagon (whose name I shall find) reported on a recent news program that the one thing that stayed with him on that day was the discovery of a child's hand on the floor of his office.

That story gnawed its way into my brain. After research, I'm pretty sure he found the hand of 3-year-old Dana Falkenburg, whose parents were shepherding a research/field trip for youngsters of California's Channel Islands. Only Dana, and her sister, Zoe, 11, were young enough to leave hands small enough for the sergeant major to recognize as childs' hands.

Well ... no observation, no opinion, no compilation, no NOTHING connected with 9-11 will ever come close to even giving the smallest idea of the magnitude of that day. Still, little things tell.

My opinions will follow.

Eye of the needle

2011-03-14T18:56:00.000-04:00

(image credit: Daily Telegraph)

The silent war ... up close and personal.

Eye of the tiger

2011-03-06T21:07:00.002-05:00

You gotta want it to win it, and this little dude wants it more:

Hero for the ages

2011-03-01T21:49:00.002-05:00

A five-inch group at 1,000 yards -- 86-year-old veteran still a sharpshooter:

8.5 on the Cute-O-Meter

2011-02-26T18:12:00.000-05:00

(image credit: lovemeow.com)

My Maggie finds these incredible cute things all the time, and I just had to share this one from a post titled "Unlikely Friendships."

The perfect burger?

2011-02-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

(Image credit: Yahoo! Shine)

Quite possibly.

Creator Adam Fleischman (no relation to Joel) utilizes a secret substance called "umami," which the Japanese believe is the fifth taste (after sweet, salty, sour and bitter).

I'd love to try it, but alas, not only do I not live near Los Angeles, I hate the place. If anyone HAS tried it, though, do let me know how the "experience" was for you.

'Fleebaggers' ... heh

2011-02-22T18:45:00.000-05:00

Here's the text of a comment I left here:

"The real problem here isn't teachers, or unions, per se, but a culture of ENTITLEMENT.

"Teachers' unions have protected -- encouraged -- a climate wherein two select, and symbiotic, groups can further each others' interests.

"On the one hand, you have the union, which insists, despite overwhelming evidence no one can deny anymore, that the gravy train is just fine. The tax base -- that is, non-union working public -- can't afford to pay the taxes to keep these nice cushy salaries and benefits going.

"Add to that a long-simmering anger among ordinary Americans that teachers are pushing a revisionist history on our children ("womyn's studies") (ban "Huckleberry Finn" because the N-word is used, never mind that it is HISTORY -- hear that, author? Excuse me, "herstory." Meh.) People are sick to the teeth with the CRAP foisted on our children in the name of "education." And STILL they can't do simple math or recite the preambles of either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution.

"And so you have a perfect storm. Add to the mix the derelict lawmakers, ogling Tilted Kilt tarts on the TAXPAYER'S dollar, and you've got a recipe for BIG changes."

Apres moi ....

2011-02-18T18:49:00.000-05:00

... le deluge.

Just Digger them a grave, already

2011-02-15T11:49:00.001-05:00

An editorialist at Melbourne, Australia's Herald Sun believes with city officials that ANZAC veterans should not be allowed to march in the annual parade (but be made to ride in cars), not have their children and grandchildren march with them (unless they're "caregivers") and, basically, that their time is done and we should just dismiss them.

I left a blistering comment that probably will not be printed.

Macro-micro

2011-02-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

My friend Neo over at A Pirate Named Neo has noticed a cool synchronicity.

A galaxy ...

... and a tropical storm

Wow.

Secret revealed

2011-02-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

The recipe for Coca-Cola.

Has trivia become trivial?

2011-02-14T15:17:00.003-05:00

Supercomputer soon to face off against humans on "Jeopardy!"

UPDATE: Computer ties human in first round.

(Image credit: CNN)

O God, we praise

2011-02-06T05:03:00.000-05:00

... via Papa Haydn :)

Well, my dears ...

2011-02-05T18:53:00.002-05:00

... I'm back :)

Stay tuned!

This is just cool

2010-06-03T17:54:00.000-04:00

G&T inaugural exhibition: Be there

2010-06-03T17:00:00.005-04:00

(image credit: Rachel Ocelus)

The Great and Terrible Art Collective will present its inaugural exhibition Friday:

Be there.

Gore-bal cooling

2010-06-01T13:52:00.004-04:00

(image credit: Huffington Post)
Well, well, well. Al and Tipper Gore are getting separated.

Money comments:

"Al Gore is leaving Tipper for a buffet table."

"Maybe it was because of his DANGLING CHAD!"

"One question -- who gets custody of the Internet?"

**********

Hahahahahahaha! I'm absolutely overdosing on schadenfreude here *grin*

And the long, slow, patient debunking of the colossal fraud that is "global warming" gets a huge comic boost.

Thanks, Big Al! I needed that ;)

Breaking osprey news!

2010-05-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

One of the three osprey babies is born!

priorities ...

2010-05-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

99,000 people die annually in U.S. from hospital infections. Guess how many people die globally from bioterrorism?

Just askin'.

Making clitoris mutilation okay

2010-05-27T21:56:00.001-04:00

Mmm-hmm.

Osprey cam!

2010-05-27T20:24:00.002-04:00

Remember Eagle cam?

Well, thanks to Dana O, we're all spectators on a brand-new baby osprey hatching just about to happen.

What a thrill!

:)

Iran luvz women

2010-05-27T00:10:00.001-04:00

Right?

Draw Mohammed Day

2010-05-21T09:12:00.002-04:00

"We don’t take kindly to bullshit medieval religious oppression in these parts."

Great And Terrible

2010-05-18T13:14:00.013-04:00

Introducing a new artists' collective, based in the New Berlin section of Philadelphia.
Check 'em out.

Here is a representative sample of the artists, in alphabetical order:
Bailey Goldenbaum
Courtney Mendenhall

Lisa Min Murphy

Rachael K. Ocelus

Dana M. Osburn

*********************************************

The newest member of the Collective is Breana Copeland, and I will add her artwork as soon as I can nail it down. For now, you can view her work here.

So ... are these artists amazing, or what?!

You can find their studio here.

Disclosure: One of the artists, who shall remain nameless, is my Dana.

Stay tuned.

Double-infidel Muslim Babe! UPDATED

2010-05-17T14:58:00.006-04:00

Not only is the new Miss USA Muslim, but she's also, as a Michigander, a child of the Great Satan™.

But wait! There's MORE!

My girl WON A STRIPPING CONTEST.

Well, well, well.

*rubbing hands*

The Intolerant Islamic Hit-O-Meter ought to go through the ROOF on this one! *grin*

Unless, of course, you'd rather feast your eyes on this vision of loveliness:

UPDATE:

First case of burka rage!

And guess what? More than 80, count 'em, 80, hits yesterday from Muslim countries, according to my Google Analytics.

Tsk-tsk-tsk ...

AND this just in:

Virtue cop beaten up by a WOMAN in Saudi Arabia!

Kittens on a slide

2010-05-13T12:28:00.001-04:00

Sorry, but you must listen to this

2010-05-09T19:41:00.000-04:00

Bang on the drum all day

2010-05-09T18:48:00.003-04:00

Dear Greece: F*** off

2010-05-09T18:16:00.002-04:00

The cradle of Western civilization is now its downfall.

How ironic. How amusing. How post-modern. How relativist.

Are you happy now, you thumbers-of-nose at all things rational and moral?

I miss you so much

2010-05-09T16:27:00.002-04:00

This is actually a whole video, which I can't figure out how to present properly here. I'm sorry.

But at least you get to see my dear mom, who passed away last June. This is my first Mother's Day without her, and I miss her.

Eh? Whadidja say?

2010-05-09T15:26:00.002-04:00

Top 3 reasons why restaurants are so loud. Plus interesting discussion in the comments.

Eagle cam!

2010-05-06T22:25:00.004-04:00

"Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies iz."

Well, here's where the bald eagle baby is.

Some may remember that last year I discovered "eagle cam," and I couldn't resist sharing it again.

This was inspired by something cool, to wit:

When David and I got our apartment last year on July 6, we had barely stepped into the place to start unloading boxes when the first thing we saw outside our kitchen window was a house finch with a twig in her beak. She placed it in a corner of the awning that housed the window, barely two feet from the glass. Talk about bird TV!

Well, as we moved in, so did the finch family. Before long, a complete nest was built, and babies were born. We watched as Mom and Dad fed them, enjoying their growth, and as they fledged and went off to take their part in the world, we marveled even as we missed them.

Coincidence? Us moving in at the very same time as the finch family, in the same place? I don't think so.

God sees the smallest sparrow, and He knew how much we loved our birds. Sure enough, a new family (the same from last year?) began about four weeks ago, and yesterday the last baby took flight.

This is only May -- fingers crossed for another hatching in July!

----------------------------

Anyway, loving the miracle of birds, birth and rebirth, synchronicities and God's amazing nature as I do, I couldn't resist sharing.

Hope y'all enjoy it too :)

Uh .....

2010-04-29T22:15:00.005-04:00

"Beyond parody:

(via Andrew Bolt)

'Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged “immodest.”'

.......

Just when I thought the Sudan and Cuba being named to the "Human Rights Commission" was a new um, high in human achievement.

Jeezus, muh-fuhn gawd.

ANZAC Day

2010-04-25T20:56:00.002-04:00

May God bless the men and women of the Antipodes who gave their lives in service to freedom.

Not with a bang but a Barbie

2010-04-11T19:58:00.002-04:00

(image credit: The Huffington Post)

Yikes.

Fresh on the heels of "Sugar Daddy Ken"

comes "Episcopal Barbie."

You know what? In today's world, both share equal moral importance -- that is, none at all.

What's sad is how this latest Barbie incarnation more or less puts the seal on the death of the religion in which I was raised. And why I left organized religion in the first place.

In this excellent essay, Walter Mead details the long, slow decline of one of the most elegant, aesthetically beautiful and moving, intelligent traditions the world has ever seen.

There is no more beautiful language than can be found in Rite One of the Book of Common Prayer. Listening to it used to bring me closer to Jesus -- it was as close as humans could get in expressing everything He meant. An example:

A Collect for the Renewal of Life

O God, the King eternal, who dividest the day from the night and turnest the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep thy law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done thy will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night cometh, rejoice to give thee thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The minute that beautiful music became "translated" into "more modern" language signified the beginning of the end, if you ask me. It's like Mozart set to Muzak.

Anyway ... I will always remain a committed Christian. I don't fault anyone who still derives comfort from attending church -- those who know the difference between the message and the delivery, that is. But me, I'd rather talk to the Big Guy and Jesus, and read the Bible, on my own. As far as I can tell, there's no Gospel of Mattel in there.

Bumper snickers fer yer Thursday

2010-04-08T12:57:00.003-04:00

Back from fun in the Georgia and Outer Banks sun (90s, no humidity, woo-hoo!), and thought what better way to commemorate the trip than to share some bumper-sticker chuckles.

Some faves:

4 out of 5 voices in my head say Go For It!

As a matter of fact, I do own the road.

Don't piss me off! I'm running out of places to hide the bodies.

Driver carries no cash. He's married.

FREE TIBET! (with the purchase of a 44 oz. drink)

Hello, officer. Put it on my tab.

I'm a nice guy. My car is evil.

I is a college student.

I still have the body of an 18 year old but it's in my trunk and it's starting to smell.

I Still Miss My "Ex" But My Aim Is Improving

Girlie men

2010-03-29T21:38:00.002-04:00

Seems women from "healthy countries" don't like he-men.

I not only beg, but demand to differ. Give me red meat every time.

(Nota bene: It's not only possible, but mandatory, for today's guys to learn a simple lesson: You don't have to give up being masculine, so long as you love, listen to and respect your woman -- and provided she does the same to you.

I've always believed in vive la difference.

Snippets

2010-03-23T18:51:00.002-04:00

Bloggy goodness from The Drudge Report:

A new dating show hosted by ... Jerry Springer

Officials: Pot will fix New York state budget woes

and

World's hottest chili peppers to be weaponized

She 'shamed' her in-laws

2010-03-21T20:10:00.005-04:00

(image credit: CNN)

And people wonder why we're over there fighting these Taliban-mentality animals?

What I'd like to know is, where is the National Organization for Women on this issue?

I'll tell you.

*crickets chirping*

-------------------

UPDATE: Okay, did a Google at NOW's website to see just what, if anything, they've said about the situation in Afghanistan.

Not much, and much of it outdated.

Seems it's more important to rail about the proposed health-care reform bill and how it prevents women from killing their babies off the government teat.

Nice.

Ye Moste Excellente Smackdowne

2010-03-12T11:51:00.004-05:00

Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount of Brenchley, skewers, roasts and otherwise vaporizes Nature magazine's support of "global warming:"

"The once-respected science journal Nature recently published a whining editorial to the effect that climate scientists are not criminals, really; that attacks on them by increasingly-skeptical news media are soooo unfair; and that the fundamental science showing that the planet is doomed unless the economies of the West are shut down at once is unchallengeable. ...

"The mindless mantra that moaning ninnies like Nature mumble over and over again is that, notwithstanding one, or several, or hundreds, or thousands of bloopers in the now-discredited climate “assessments” of the UN’s climate panel, the science is settled and the debate is over. Yet the debate rages on and — tell it not in Gath or Ashkelon — the skeptics are winning."

Read the whole thing.

(via Pajamas Media)

'Does Michael Moore Hate Working People?'

2010-03-12T00:48:00.002-05:00

Is the bear Catholic? Does the Pope you-know-what in the woods?

Mr. Fat Cat (a bigger -- and I do mean bigger, fatter, and more disgusting -- capitalist than any he derides in his mockumentary) -- pitches a hissy because his uh, "movie," tanked at the box office.

Why?

It's all the fault of us ignorant working slobs. You know, the ones he sez he did the movie for.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Surprise, surprise

2010-02-28T19:12:00.002-05:00

Islamists infiltrate British Labour Party.

Duhhhhh ........... gol-lee geez, never woulda thunk it, Labour iz on AR side, yeah, uh-huh.

You know what, Labour Britain? AND Yank Democrats? Ah, never mind.

Brace yerselves.

Happy 22nd, Lambie :)

2010-02-28T15:27:00.006-05:00

(Credence Deconstructed -- original art: Dana Osburn)

My Dana is 22 today -- more creative, stronger, more loving, and more beautiful than ever.

I love her.

It's tea (party) time in Blighty!

2010-02-28T14:03:00.003-05:00

(image credit: conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary)

Hey, Britain: It took a couple hundred years or so, but now you're finding out how much fun it can be to put on the war paint and dump despotism in the harbor, eh?

I'm so excited about this I could turn cartwheels! --

"It was standing room only at the ~~Boston~~ Brighton Tea Party organised by the Freedom Association early this evening at which Dan Hannan was guest speaker. He said that it was time to 'bring sanity and order back to the public finances' and that had to be done by reducing expenditure rather than increasing taxes."

People ... this is HUGE.

*********************************************

Okay, having lived in Britain (specifically, Chesham, England) for three years back in the '80s, I came in for my share of anti-American sentiment. (I didn't live safely insulated on an American base -- but rather in a beautiful little Victorian semi-detached smack in the middle of small-town Buckinghamshire.)

I shopped at the local Sainsbury's supermarket. Without fail, little old ladies let me know in subtle but no uncertain terms just what exactly what they thought of Americans. (As only the British can.) One of my favorite stunts: Getting my ankles gently, but unmistakably, bumped from behind with someone's cart while waiting for checkout. (bump ... bump ... bump ... Me, turning around: "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" She: *staring off into space as if I didn't exist*)

Just before I moved into the house, the landlords held a small dinner party to welcome us there. Four other folks, besides me and my ex-husband. One dude, a supercilious David Warner lookalike named Julian, acidly inquired whether I had heard that the city of Liverpool was buying American garbage to disintegrate. (The general idea: Decadent American slobs have to offload their detritus onto the poor, long-suffering ally stepchild.)

Well, thanks for the hospitality, Cuz. I'll ring up my rich corporate pig overlords straight away and have that nasty rubbish removal subcontracted to the French, instead, shall I?

Then there was the conversation with some weedy chick who couldn't be bothered to wash her hair much more often than once a month. She launches into me: "You Americans and your McDonald's -- ruining our culture."

I lost it.

I said: "Look. No one is forcing Britons by the thousands at gunpoint to eat there. The food tastes good. People like it. They buy it. Maybe if 'British cuisine' wasn't such a joke, you wouldn't NEED Mickey D's."

And I said: "You Britons used to rule the world. Your goods used to set the gold standard for quality. It's not MY fault you voted in a bunch of bloodsucking, ideologically poisonous Labour idiots who flushed your economy down the toilet. You started to get it right with Thatcher, but then you pissed it away AGAIN. So don't cry to ME about supply and demand."

And then ... I'm not proud of this (well, actually, I AM): "Anytime you guys want to become our 51st state, say the word. At least you'll enjoy a good feed."

Well, that was then. This is now.

After decades of EU-driven emasculation, Britons are waking up to realize Nanny does NOT know best. In fact, Nanny is the evil demon of darkest nightmares. C.S. Lewis's White Witch.

The nation that gave the world Sir Isaac Newton, the Magna Charta and Adam Smith -- and our own Founding Fathers -- is beginning to reclaim its mind, its soul, its essential Britishness and its future and its happiness -- back.

No real Briton ever, EVER lets someone do his/her thinking for them. Never has, never will. The post-Thatcher interlude was just a bad dream. Dawn has broken.

Welcome back, friends. Drink lots of tea. It's the original British pastime, after all :)

************************************

(P.S. For each of the nasty Britons I encountered, I met -- and made friends with -- many, many more. Mrs. Badcock and the ladies of the Chesham church ... God bless you, my dears, and your families. Jane and Andrew, you kooky, loving and caring hippies ... I hope lots of people are buying your veggies at market. Dr. Kathleen S., you sweet Scot: Thanks for helping my Maggie come safely into the world.)

************************************

Britain is awakening. So is the rest of Europe, if this is any indication. Praise God.

'Every man is a sex addict'

2010-02-25T14:55:00.009-05:00

"As Tiger Woods undergoes treatment, T. Byram Karasu—the University Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College—says medicalizing normal human behavior doesn’t help anyone."

"Sex addiction is simply a new name for the old evolutionary concept—the innate urge to impregnate as many females as possible. In this sense, every man is a sex addict or was one at some point in his life."

Yep. Totally agree.

"Look at sex addiction as existing on a curve of normal behavior over a man’s lifespan: The addiction begins around the pubertal age, and peaks by his early 20s. It then plateaus until the 40s before descending along a downward curve in his 60s. It eventually fizzles out altogether, either because of age-related atrophy of the testicles or, more abruptly, by a prostate operation."

AAAANK. Beg to differ. At this point, it's mind over matter, B'rer Shrink.

Okay, granted, age slows reaction time a bit. And, also granted, us girls ALWAYS had a slow reaction time, compared with you guys. Call it evolutionary spin, "ooh, foreplay," whatever.

BUT -- just once let into your MIND how LOVELY it is to feel and be felt, it's a no-brainer. Literally.

And the operative word here is "let." Not "put in" -- Let. That is ... hit the "thinking" switch off, and the "feeling" switch on, for once. Lie there, let it, and enjoy.

The girl may be a magazine-type "10." She may be 50 years old, and not airbrushed by youth or by design, but she still feels GOOD. (And so, she may say, do YOU.)

Which brings us back to "sexual addiction."

You can't "let" yourself, sexually, unrestrained all the time. After awhile, you see how shallow that is. At some point, yer brain "thinks" about right place, right time, and the whole self-discipline thing. As in, you are in charge of your own self and how you think AND feel.

********************************

Karasu goes on to say:

"A single man with sexual addiction can carry on with many partners, and no one, except those involved with him, would really care about his addiction.

"He is rarely bothered by that until the need for emotional intimacy (the whisper within) catches up with him."

There's the rub, as Bill Shakespeare sez. Guys are, after all, human, regardless of the impulse to sexually, addictively, evolutionarily procreate like rabbits.

But chew on this:

Why can't we all just enjoy sex with our significant others, without "sex addict," "worn-out prostate," "I don't wanna be TRAPPED" mind games?

AND answer "the whisper within?"

Truth is, we can. If we want to.

_______________________________________

"People are about as happy as they want to be." -- Abraham Lincoln

Muslim Babes of the Day!

2010-02-25T13:59:00.002-05:00

Well, not strictly speaking.

But intolerant Muslim dudes, as well as Euroweenies, and, well, dudes in general -- NEED this.

(Via Tim Blair)

Mr. Obama, tear down this wall!

2010-02-25T10:23:00.011-05:00

(image credit: heraldtribune.com staff photo by E. Skylar Litherland)

"OSPREY [Fla.] - Stephany Fournier, an 11th-grader at Pine View School, did not want to punish her fellow classmates, but it had to be done. They defied the law.

'"I'm normally a nice person, but I have to be really firm with these people," Stephany said. "They must come in, sit down and write this line on paper, front and back.'

"The line: 'I will serve the glorious ~~East German state~~ American Government better."' Mmm-mmm-mmm.'

"The students copied it repeatedly after watching a propaganda film depicting the evils of Western culture."

**********************************

Okay, so I inserted a little snark into the quote -- but how tempting a parallel is this school exercise with where our country is trending!

The comparisons are too delicious to ignore:

"Students, with the help of a local landscaping company, erected a nearly 100-foot paper replica of the Berlin wall, complete with graffiti. It stood across the middle of the campus to mimic the concrete wall that separated communist East Germany from capitalist West Germany from 1961 to the end of 1989. ...

"Propaganda posters with phrases like 'technology is unnecessary and degrades intelligence' ... [BOW before your Climate Change Overlords! Back to the cave! *whipcrack!*]
... lined the hallways, and gazebos and other recreation areas were marked as 'unnecessary installations.'" ... [Whaddya mean, 'what's recess?', you smart-mouth first-grader! Back to the books! *kerr-ACK!*]

"As an East German general, Stephany gathered intelligence from other officers and handed out punishment to enemies of the state.

"She looked the part, wearing a black business suit and black stockings, heels and dark eyeliner. Hundreds of other students wore military jackets -- and sometimes complete uniforms -- with red arm bands signifying their communist allegiance.

"'I looked up "communist women's fashions of the day" online,' Stephany said. 'The women all had pale faces and red lipstick. You had to look cold and imposing.'"

[Ya mean like this?]

"'Although we really can't show them exactly what it was like, we want to show that the east was more strict,' said student Marine Robbins, who commanded a checkpoint. 'We've had quite a few people that have been belligerent and just don't agree at all with the simulation.' [Cue the mainstream media: "Ignorant tea-baggers!"]

"Marine said some students protested the project, including setting up Facebook pages to rally the opposition.

"But Marine said the protests actually simulated similar efforts during the real German struggle and made the entire exercise more authentic.'

[Gee ... ya think?]

******************************************

There's hope for today's edumication yet!

'Redesign the hot dog!' ... (WTF?)

2010-02-22T15:55:00.004-05:00

The venerable hot dog poses a choking risk, so its shape must be redesigned, say Nanny Fascists, er, health officials

“We have laws and regulations that require warning labels on toys that pose choking hazards,” said Dr. Gary Smith of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the lead author of the policy published in the current issue of Pediatrics.

“There are no such regulations on high risk foods, and children are much more likely to put food in their mouths than a toy.”

Well, now. A little common sense, you say?

Janet Riley, president of the U.S. National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, told The Associated Press she agrees with the need for education, and points out more than half the hot dogs sold in the United States have warnings to parents to cut them into small pieces.

“As a mother who has fed toddlers cylindrical foods like grapes, bananas, hot dogs and carrots, I 'redesigned' them in my kitchen by cutting them with a paring knife until my children were old enough to manage on their own,” Riley says.

Ah, but that doesn't fit the socialist/totalitarian agenda:

Smith disagreed. “Just telling people to be careful or blaming the parents is an uninformed approach.”

The pediatricians are calling for [among other things]:

• The establishment of a nationwide food-related choking-incident surveillance and reporting system

(via Blazing Cat Fur)

Play dat funky music, white boy ...

2010-02-22T15:43:00.001-05:00

... Or else just shut up.

I WISH I was making this up ...

2010-02-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

Daycare for Dingoes -- missing and/or death toll, 100 youngsters and counting.

"This is a well-conceived, well-funded program,” Mr Garrett told parliament during a heated question time. “If some of the dingoes we have placed in or near preschools have not been muzzled properly, that is a result of shoddy workmanship by individuals acting outside the guidelines.”

So, let me get this straight: It's some idiot worker's fault that dingoes weren't muzzled properly and killed kids. (I dunno about you, but I'm pretty sure wild dog-muzzling isn't part of the daycare job description.)

And let me further get this straight: The idea was for the wild canines to eat up the candy and food careless toddlers left behind on the playground. (Um ... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't eating kind of difficult while muzzled? Just askin'.)

Yikes.

(Via Tim Blair)

Muslim babes of the CENTURY

2010-02-15T15:43:00.006-05:00

OKAY, most of my regular visitors are well familiar with my Muslim Babe of the Day feature.

(Very, VERY popular, as I can tell from my hit statistics the next day. Especially from you Muslim guys, wink-wink -- although quite a few Western guys don't seem to mind!)

Speaking of hit statistics, I've noticed a LOT of hits from Iran, of late. That prompts me to devote an entire post to an entire subset of Muslim babes, namely the brave and beautiful women of Iran.

All needling-of-intolerant-and-Neanderthal-Muslim-guys aside: These babes just might save an entire country from Hell.

Dig it:

"As you peruse the images coming out of Iran from all over, remember this: when you see a woman with a tunic above her knees, red fingernails, an extremely loose headscarf and a protest sign, try to look beyond the "pretty". Those things are also a symbol of what an Ahmadenijad regime would deny (and, in some cases, has denied) her the right to be."

See? The women are being pretty, because I'm-A-Dinner-Jacket and his jack-off buddies say pretty is WRONG. (How wrong is that!)

Guess what, Sports Fans. Pretty is IT. Pretty is natural. Pretty is human. Pretty is WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE. We are ALL pretty.

(Except for the extremely unattractively hirsute Jacket One.)

N'est-ce pas?

Ah, those peaceful moonbats ...

2010-02-13T19:01:00.001-05:00

... even the Olympics are wrong.

I blame George Bush.

His Popitude just might have a point

2010-02-11T17:51:00.001-05:00

Via The Anchoress:

"It brought to mind something I read yesterday, though, out of Benedictus -that excellent collection of excerpts from the writings of Pope Benedict XVI:

We should see that human beings can never retreat into the realm of what they are capable of. In everything that they do, they constitute themselves. Therefore they themselves, and creation with its good and evil, are always present as their standard, and when they reject this standard they deceive themselves. They do not free themselves, but place themselves in opposition to the truth. And that means that they are destroying themselves and the world. This, then, is the first and most important thing that appears in the story of Adam, and it has to do with the nature of human guilt and thus with our entire existence. The order of the covenant – the nearness of the God of the covenant, the limitations imposed by good an devil, the inner standard of the human person, creatureliness: all of this is placed in doubt. Here we can at once say that at the very heart of sin lies human beings’ denial of their creatureliness, inasmuch as they refuse to accept the standard and the limitations that are implicit in it. They do not want to be creatures, do not want to be subject to a standard, do not want to be dependent. They consider their dependence on God’s creative love to be an imposition from without . . . Human beings who consider dependence on the highest love as slavery and who try to deny the truth about themselves, which is their creatureliness, do not free themselves; they destroy truth and love. They do not make themselves gods, which in fact they cannot do, but rather caricatures, pseudo-gods, slaves of their own abilities, which then drag them down."

N'Ollins gone wild!

2010-02-09T09:49:00.008-05:00

Courtesy of my own beautiful Maggie, who's a freshman at Tulane University, come these great pix from the par-tay after the New Orleans Saints' historic Superbowl win, and pooches at the all K-9 Mystic Krewe of Barkus (Bacchus) marching in a Mardi Gras parade:

Here, Mags and a couple of good-looking pals ham it up for the camera in one of the city's many packed-like-sardines sports bars, shortly before the Saints rocked da house;

... as unrestrained joy broke out ...

And here, proud mutts on the march.

And, being the shamelessly proud maternal unit, I can't resist sharing one last snap of my beauty girl, who landed herself in one of the world's most unique cities, at a most historic moment:

(Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, moms gotta brag)

:)

Who sez Canucks are boring? ;)

2010-02-07T12:51:00.003-05:00

I've heard of eateries with live entertainment, but this takes it to new levels.

(From The Toronto Star)

Holy diversity, Batman!

2010-02-06T14:03:00.001-05:00

From Tim Blair comes the headline of the week:

Gay, Mentally Challenged Biracial Male Cheerleader Claims Discrimination

She's BAA-aaaaack .....

2010-02-03T13:18:00.002-05:00

Woo-hoo!

Check it out:

New computer is actually custom built, WITH ... wait for it ... 200 gigs of RAM, with plenty of room for more -- TWO, count 'em, two dual-core processors -- the complete Microsoft Office suite -- Avast anti-virus -- all Zeus components -- other bells and whistles galore -- ALL for $325!!!

Lucked into an awesome computer guy who works from his home. Rock 'n' roll! Lock 'n' load! Phi Slamma Jamma!

-------------------------------------------

Housekeeping note:

Must go back to moderating comments, alas. A TON of spam built up in my absence. Too tedious to clean it all out just now, but to prevent same in the future, have reinstated moderation. Don't worry! I'll post ALL stuff from legit folks, regardless of disagreement with the management :)

Back soon!

Computer has flat-lined

2009-12-05T13:49:00.002-05:00

Sorry to have to report this, but my (very elderly) computer has at last gone to the great Motherboard In The Sky. In the meantime, I stay connected here at the local public library.

I can't afford to reformat for a while, but thought I'd leave this post to assure one and all that MacArthur-like, I shall return.

~waving~

Big-time Brag Alert

2009-11-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

My Dana has been noticed by the Philadelphia Enquirer.

That is -- a MAJOR newspaper.

Check her out.

My beautiful Dana, who is an artist.

Hahahahahahaha!

*brag alert off*

All is vanity

2009-11-18T13:54:00.002-05:00

Dante Alighieri -- and his supramuse, the Buddha -- had it right.

[WARNING: Digression into philosophical realms alert. Where I probably have no business. Sorry.]

Money-wise, anyway.

Having hung ten on the surfboard of life lately, I can dig it. Reality is both food in your mouth and the expectation of a roof over your head -- but on the board, it's a choice between one or the other. That's a place I never thought I'd go. But, well, you either wipe out or you stick till you get to the shore.

All is vanity -- or illusion, depending on whom you listen to. Including yourself.

"People are about as happy as they want to be," said Honest Abe. Think about that.

Does being happy mean safety and security? The knowledge that where you lay your head down at night will be the same tomorrow as today? That you will eat? That you will fulfill your social expectations -- pay your bills, step on the treadmill, not create waves?

I used to think so. Not no mo'. There is sublime liberation once you step out of the Comfort Zone.

In today's hermetically sealed, risk-free, post-modern, smart version of life, I'm worse than a heretic. I'm an outcast. An Oedipal exile. The worse because I was carefully groomed to groove into the track ... and didn't. I'm broke. Hanging on by my fingernails. One step away from the soup kitchen. (Ever see "Fun with Dick and Jane"?)

And I LIKE IT. Yes. Truly.

Why? Well ... David has a bit to do with it. And I don't think either Dante, the Buddha, Jesus Christ nor any other luminary ever accounted for how much being one half of a whole makes a difference.

For he does. He is so much me, and him, and us, that it is difficult to separate the sine waves, but the truth is, we just ... well, fit. For good, or for ill. Or, if you like, for better or for worse. *grin*

It's entirely likely both of us will wipe out. But until that day, I am living. We are LIVING. You know?

You have to admit that pretty much ALL of the social constructs we've carefully crafted for ourselves only give us the illusion (or vanity) that we Know It All. Well, we don't. And I don't want to. I LIKE living by my wits. For the first time in my life, I feel ALIVE.

Do you?

I am NOT making this up

2009-11-03T15:39:00.000-05:00

Sugar-Daddy Ken.

A song for fall

2009-10-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

LIFE IS BUT A DREAM

by: Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

BOAT, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July--

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear--

Long has paled that sunny sky;
Echoes fade and memories die;
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die;

Ever drifting down the stream--
Lingering in the golden gleam--
Life, what is it but a dream?

... And then there were none

2009-10-29T13:50:00.001-04:00

This one's for my friend Greg at A Pirate Named Neo.

(Via cutecats.tv)

Jon Stewart smacks down CNN

2009-10-14T11:36:00.000-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

CNN Leaves It There

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

It's a small world after all

2009-10-09T15:21:00.004-04:00

(image credit: James Hayden, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia)

You've GOT to check out the fascinating images from the Nikon Microscopy U Small World Images contest. This one took fourth place, and guess what it is? (Dana O will love it!) The ovary of an anglerfish.

(Via Instapundit)

You can't make this stuff up

2009-10-08T13:20:00.000-04:00

One gay man, two lesbians and a three-legged cat.

An 'O' by any other name

2009-10-05T10:57:00.002-04:00

It's only been a scant 8 months into the new presidency, but already President Obama has racked up an impressive tally of nicknames. Some of my favorites:

D'OHbama
Duh One
The Fresh Prince of Bill Ayers
God, Jr.
Obama bin Lyin'
OediPOTUS Wrecks

and

Waffles the Clown

_____________________________________________

Now, just to prove I'm bipartisan, back in 2005 Tim Blair* conducted a contest to find the best nickname for then-President George Bush. Some of my faves from THAT one:

Shrubya McChimplerstein
Dumbya Shrub, Fascist Lord of the Bushista Cabal of McHitlerstan
Smirky McShrub, Chimperor of Jesusland
Lord Voldeburton
Romperstompenfuehrer
Drunkya McPretzelchoker

and

Chimpler W. McNazipants

(Also, check out this list)

___________________________________________

Ain't it nice to know there's at least some people with creative spark left in this world?

___________________________________________

* A stellar blogger from Australia

A little chuckle for yer Sunday

2009-10-04T14:18:00.001-04:00

Ah, those crazy Russkies.

(Via The Manolo)

Apologies for abysmal blogging lately

2009-09-30T15:01:00.001-04:00

Blogger burnout? Not sure, but rest assured, it won't be permanent :)

Magnificent Australians

2009-09-24T21:54:00.002-04:00

Nods to Britons, who have taken their share. Perhaps I'll do a post on Britons; because, let's face it, they've stuck with the war on Islamo-idiots far longer, and far more reliably, than anyone else.

But man for man, few in numbers, Australians have ALWAYS been there -- with their unique humor and elan. And plain cold courage. Stack them up against so-called other "NATO" allies. Dutch? German? Belgian? Whomever. All are well behind enemy lines. Aussies are taking it and giving it back.

Hats off, mates.

Say what!?

2009-09-24T13:12:00.000-04:00

GET MORE AT ManBabies.com!

(Via Dana O)

no, no, no, no, NO

2009-09-23T14:08:00.003-04:00

The government has NO BUSINESS REGULATING THE PRESS. Hello, Pravda, Xinhua?

(Sorry, KT -- just gotta rant about this one, as a recovering journalist. I'll be nicer later, promise!)

Hello, frikken Ministry of Truth?!

I'm so @#$% pissed off about this I'm spluttering. Letters to Congresscritters forthcoming. Letters? Try Howlers, Harry Potter fans.

Stay tuned.

People of Wal-Mart

2009-09-20T11:19:00.000-04:00

WARNING: This site is seriously funny, and seriously addictive.

Happy 'Talk Like A Pirate' Day!

2009-09-19T10:31:00.004-04:00

(image credit: metrocolumnistsblog.dallasnews.com)

Ahoy, maties!
Many happy returns of the day, especially to my friend, A Pirate Named Neo :)

Best pirate joke:

Have you heard about the latest pirate movie? It's rated "Arrrr!"

Man, 101, bests would-be burglar

2009-09-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

You gotta love it!

"Tenacious Kazimierz Michalski, who fought in the Second World War and survived the horrific conditions in the Russian Gulags, caught Stephen Gillespie, who posed as a builder, stealing £300 pounds from his wallet when he was meant to be fixing the leaky roof."

Rest in peace, Patrick ...

2009-09-15T15:29:00.003-04:00

... and thanks for shining your light.

I always had a huge, mega, monster crush on this man -- he was a class act on and off the screen, not to mention being really hunky (built almost exactly like MY man, actually). And he handled his battle with cancer with the same grace. All of us, male and female, can only hope to be half the man he was.

Rest well, sir.

This clip will always and forever define him for me:

Tea Par-tay in D.C.!

2009-09-12T17:08:00.001-04:00

By some estimates, 2 MILLION PEOPLE marched today -- ignore THAT, Lamestream Media!

Prepare to enter a new dimension

2009-09-11T16:17:00.001-04:00

All right.

This man is off the chain. To say the least.

Percussion to the 10th power, baby:

In memory

2009-09-11T15:28:00.001-04:00

(image credit: remembervietnam.homestead.com)

If Bangladesh can do it ...

2009-09-10T11:02:00.001-04:00

Why can't we?

Down with suits and ties!

Best comment: "I always thought that the person who invented the tie, should have been hung with one."

Along with the person who invented high heels.

For David

2009-09-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

... who may never read this; he's not one for the printed word, much. Though he may not "read" the words, he'll "read" my heart. Most assuredly. Already has.

Normally, I'm one for posting snippets from others -- a paragraph from a news story here, a video there. This one time, I'm departing from personal tradition, fully expecting a high boredom threshold from readers.

So be it ... I'm willing to run the risk. Because for the first time, and the last, there is love. And my heart is so full, I have to put it in printed words, though they may never be read. (Or "read.")

**************

For one thing, we look alike. That is, we are built much the same: Slim, clean-limbed, graceful, like cats. Our faces look alike, far beyond the superficial brown eyes and oval structure. We share the same easy smile.

For another, there is an undeniable magnetic pull, the strength of which takes my breath away.

For a third, we communicate on a very basic frequency. This I will expand on -- but for now, it's important that it IS basic. You'll see why, I hope.

All of this is a superficial skimming of Why We Are. But it's hugely important, not only for us, but for everyone looking for The One.

Onward:

*************

I am a Smart Person. I was raised carefully, by intelligent parents, to appreciate and cultivate all that is best in human achievement. My lineage is high -- Old Money, and Society, with all its refinements, were bred into me like breakfast oatmeal. Though I did not inhabit the rarefied strata of high society, because my Dad chose the obscurity of military service, I was inculcated with its bedrock precepts of Entitlement and Education into all that was, is, and will be, in the Human Condition. I was encouraged to exercise my mind, flex my creative muscles, dare to dream, to be sure that my reach may exceed my grasp. I was given every bit of ammunition human achievement had to offer, quite consciously, from far-seeing parents. I was raised to be A Lady.

The only problem with perfect upbringing is ... the person.

No ambition.

Beyond being loved.

Alas, I'll never put paid to the investment in me. I'll never light the world on fire. I'm sorry.

******************

He loves me.

It's very simple. And, in simplicity, we solve the riddles that keep us up at night -- we find rest. We find our Home.

******************

Me and him, we understand each other. Body ... O yes.

Mind. What's to understand?

Soul. An uninterrupted circuit.

*****************

The stupid stuff of life -- "How dare you do this, that or the other" -- is, well, stupid. Anger? Only a blip on the radar.

There is only love.

We. Love. Each. Other.

****************

So, there you have it. An unwanted diatribe about me and my so-called life.

But, well ...

I've finally solved the secrets of the universe.

And David did it.

****************

I love you.

Jammin' ... and I mean JAMMIN' ... in Nashville

2009-09-08T16:16:00.000-04:00

Dream a little dream

2009-09-08T15:36:00.000-04:00

At last ... (I think) ...

2009-09-07T19:07:00.000-04:00

... at least, I WANT to ...

It's a Pavarotti kinda Thursday

2009-09-03T23:24:00.001-04:00

Light blogging alert

2009-08-31T18:01:00.000-04:00

A bit under the weather, but anticipate better days soon.

So much for socialized medicine

2009-08-27T18:35:00.002-04:00

All is not rosy in the People's Republican of Canuckistan, as much as lefties want you to think so.

Read what happened to my friend Blazing Cat Fur in Toronto. This kind of thing is endemic.

'Swan-Dive Ted' is dead

2009-08-27T13:29:00.001-04:00

And good riddance.

One stand-up journalist

2009-08-25T15:53:00.004-04:00

(Copyright Michael Yon)

... possibly the last. Of course, he's independent.

His name is Michael Yon, and he's been covering Iraq and Afghanistan for years now, on his own dime. Well, the dimes of readers who support his dispatches; because he is not owned by any MSM sellout whore outfit. He depends on reader donations -- but let me tell you something: YOU GET REAL FACTS FROM HIM. You get outstanding reading, AND photos, that the MSM gave up long ago.

Check out his latest dispatch, "Bad Medicine."

He was embedded with a British unit in Afghanistan up till yesterday, but they've dissed him. No one knows why -- he didn't give away any operational secrets that I could see. It's nice to see Brits are standing up for him.

So, after reading him, consider hitting the tipjar. He's the last real journalist -- or one of the last, telling it like it is.

Please consider it.

The one thing France did right ...

2009-08-24T18:04:00.000-04:00

... its National Anthem. I get chills.

Crazy women drivers!

2009-08-24T17:49:00.001-04:00

Semper Fi, buddy

2009-08-23T16:32:00.000-04:00

The man in black looks back

2009-08-21T20:51:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, the embed code for this was disabled; but follow the link.

The girl can dance

2009-08-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

She's French, she's 6 years old, and she can DANCE:

Haunted Mansion celebrates 40th year

2009-08-21T14:54:00.002-04:00

I remember going to Disneyland as a kid, but sadly, never got to see this:

(Via boingboing)

Women of valor

2009-08-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

My sisters.

Jaw-dropping image of Saturn's rings

2009-08-18T15:55:00.002-04:00

... courtesy of A Pirate Named Neo.

Kitty in a jacket sleeve

2009-08-16T14:20:00.001-04:00

Cat in jacket sleeve @ Yahoo! Video