« March 2007 | Main | May 2007 »
April 30, 2007
Stop The Presses!
A Supreme Court ruling in favor of the police
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave police officers significant protection from lawsuits by suspects who lead them on car chases.The justices ruled 8-1 against Georgia teenager Victor Harris, who was left a quadriplegic after a police vehicle rammed his car off the road in 2001.
A police officer used "reasonable force" when ramming the teen's speeding car, the high court ruled. A videotape of the pursuit played a key role in the decision.
8-1. Good.
Orin Kerr at Volokh has a much more thoughtful analysis, naturally.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:35 PM | Comments (6)
Blame Canada!
Gore Calls Canada Climate Plan a 'Fraud'Al Gore condemned Canada's new plan to reduce greenhouse gases, saying it was "a complete and total fraud" because it lacks specifics and gives industry a way to actually increase emissions.
...Canadian Environment Minister John Baird rejected Gore's criticisms.
"The fact is our plan is vastly tougher than any measures introduced by the administration of which the former vice president was a member," Baird said in a statement.
OUCH! If Gore didn't have such a NaugaHyde...
... that would have hurt!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:39 AM | Comments (10)
Blue Angels in the Pattern
...overhead. Life goes on.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:36 AM
April 29, 2007
A Hot Flash for Rosie
Gasoline can do a number on steel.
A stretch of highway near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed Sunday after a gasoline tanker crashed and burst into flames, leaving one of the nation’s busiest spans in a state of near paralysis. Officials said traffic could be disrupted for months.Flames shot 200 feet in the air and the heat was intense enough to melt part of the freeway and cause the collapse, but the truck’s driver walked away from the scene with second-degree burns. No other injuries were reported.
And that wasn't even in a contained structure, with all the weight of tens of floors collapsing.
You need to pick a new science project, I guess. But I know you've got some time on your hands now, so all the in-depth research you do before you shoot your yap off shouldn't be a problem.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:52 PM | Comments (10)
April 27, 2007
It's Still All About You, Ain't It, Arec?
You humiliate and berate your little girl and you act like a complete tool. And instead of spending private time with her you act like the complete media whore that you are
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Alec Baldwin will apologize to his daughter on national television on Friday for calling her a "thoughtless little pig," according to excerpts from a pre-taped ABC interview released on Thursday.
So now you're going to drag her through all this crap again, in front of millions of people.
It's all about you.
Ass.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:00 AM | Comments (9)
April 26, 2007
April Fool's
...isn't plural, is it? Look-a here what I just found on Fox. It's linked on their 'Most Read' section all over the website. With all there is in the world to read about, they really can't be serious...?
I'm agog at the thought.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:08 PM | Comments (1)
I Was Looking For Any Excuse NOT to Post This
...from Wednesday's fish wrap, but the Lord hath sent a sign...
Hugh Grant arrested over ‘baked beans attack’
Photographer accuses British actor of assault with plastic tub of food
...that I dare not ignore.
To dearest Suzette and Bingley,While it may not contain soup, it does contain a product...from a can.
Bon Appétit!,
thsister {:^)
Pork and Bean Bread
1 cup raisins 1 cup boiling water
1 (16-ounce) can pork and beans, undrained
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped nuts
Combine raisins and water. Set aside to cool. Remove pork from pork and beans.
Beat together beans, eggs, oil and sugar until well mashed and blended. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Blend in flour. Fold in raisins and nuts.
Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until done.
*If you use smaller loaf pans, reduce cooking time.
Delightful, n'est pas?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:48 AM | Comments (11)
Leviathan's Bones
I find these pictures and the whole story of the Kursk so very sad. I can't imagine the horror those poor guys went through. And at 155m she was longer than the depth of the water she sank in.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:15 AM
Be Careful
Move to biofuels could speed up rainforest destructionEurope's dash for biofuels could accelerate the destruction of tropical rainforests, the European Commission admitted on Thursday.
The EU's executive arm said that the 27-member bloc's decision to increase tenfold its consumption of vehicle fuel made from crops by 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would increase the pressure on virgin land, especially in Asia.
However, it said it was working on laying down minimum standards for sustainable fuels.
Chris Davies, a British Liberal MEP whose question elicited the response, cast doubt on the effectiveness of such a policy.
He said: "In a bid to solve one problem, we risk creating another, and making things worse. Rainforest destruction is a major contributory factor in global warming and it would be ludicrous to promote this loss to slake our thirst for fuel.
"Any certification scheme would have to be treated with the greatest suspicion. We haven't been able to halt the supply from rainforests of illegally felled timber so how can we have confidence that sustainability certificates would be worth the paper on which they are written?" There are no mandatory certification programmes today.
Maybe they need to work this out a little better before they go ga-ga-gigantor green and really destroy the earth as we know it?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:14 AM | Comments (6)
April 24, 2007
I
...am a pissy monkey right now. Not ONLY do I HATE bloggers who rely on "blogger' or some other outdated, pain-the-freakin'-ASS Google security sh*t system to keep their super important contact information SUPER SQUIRREL secret from some poor ignorant, chatty FOOL like me, who might want to ~ GOD FORBID ~ CONTACT them ("Oh, a Marine major? major dad, too!"), BUT the MAN has shot down my dream of organic puppy cookie world dominating titan of industryhoodness. See, I make these delicious puppy cookies, full of tree hugging goodness and every doggie adores them. The little puppy accoutrement store in town buys them and sells them for a quarter each and they fly, fly ,fly out the door like the witch's monkeys off the castle battlements. Being greedy a free market capitalist, I bought a postage scale, glassine bags, twisty-tie doodles and then spent until midnight making a fetching label with snappy verbiage, thinking I would snag some of the retail action elsewhere for my ownself. Called the local tree hugger store, since they seem to be so fond of 'local' vendors, asked about someone checking out my soon to be world famous puppy pastries and got, "Do you have the proper permits?"
::silence::
"Que?"
"A business license, health permits, labeling in accordance with Florida health and commerce regulations, product liability insurance, you know...do you have all your paperwork?"
::thinkthinkthink::
"Um...que?"
"We'd love to see them when you do."
I use certified, non-Chinese organic ingredients for every morsel and the health inspector has to check out my kitchen ~ where dog hair is added protein ~ for someone who drinks out of toilets? Whatever happened to 'nothing says lovin' like sumthin' from the oven'? ENTREPENEURSHIP, for crying out loud?
Just frickin' crush my dream of Donald Trumpdom but better hair/mongrel munchie magnate mogulness like bug. And I didn't want to talk to that blogger anyway.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:09 PM | Comments (14)
"Don't Get Eliminated!": In This Pre-Apocalyptic World
...of toilet paper offsets and pizza parlor penis pruning, I think "experts" should step back a little and listen to themselves speak. How 'bout a run through for the voices in their heads first, vice immediately issuing quotes for posterity? A classic example of this would be...
...Did Simon Cowell contribute to the massacre at Virginia Tech? An expert on bullying says he did. “I think we are experiencing something amiss culturally where the TV shows, if you turn them on, [show] people are laughing at one another’s pain,” Barbara Coloroso, author of “The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander,” told Alberta’s Daily Herald Tribune. “Enjoying seeing someone kicked off the island, enjoying seeing someone go down in flames on ‘American Idol.’”
Simon may be the a$$hole America has come to love, but those folks in 'pain' stood in line for hours for the privilege of experiencing his critique, fully aware it could end in that very public excoriation. It is, in all instances ~ be it William Hung or a naked, overweight, tax dodging gay guy ~ a COMPETITION. It might be mean, but they volunteered for it. (The Ansperger syndrome kid did not, nor the pudgy, quiet child with the appalling first name trying to disappear in the back of the bus.) You trivialize a psychopath's evil with irresponsible assertions. There was no 'Survivor', but there still was a Charles Whitman. Had there been no Simon Cowel, I can assure you there would still be a Cho.
I'd like to point out such self-induced public humiliation has been a source of much merriment in other countries with no resulting massacres ~ the Japanese have made a national sport of it. In frivolous evidence, I offer one of our favorite guilty pleasures (lovingly and imaginatively dubbed for the translation challenged) for the curious to ponder and the squeamish to avoid.
"If you're sick and need help, who do you turn to?""Cocktails!"
Well, exactly.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:36 PM | Comments (3)
Pole Chops Pole
Well, twig, really
HORRIFIED diners watched in shock as a maniac sliced off his manhood in a crowded pizza restaurant.The 35-year-old Pole burst into the Zizzi eaterie in central London and grabbed a knife from the kitchen.
He then leapt on a table and dropped his trousers as customers fled screaming.
...Last night cops were trying to establish the Pole’s background. He had left no identification in the clothing he discarded. A source said: “We believe he’s Polish and 35. We don’t know if he has a history of mental illness, but he’s clearly not a well boy.”
Let's not rush to conclusions...
Remind me not to order the sausage rolls at that place.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:20 PM | Comments (13)
The Catmeat Cover-Up Crack-Down
Iran arrests 300 ‘insufficiently veiled’ women
Ahmadinejad cracks down after dress code was loosened over the yearsWith the arrival of spring, Iranian police have launched a crackdown against women accused of not covering up enough, arresting nearly 300 women, some for wearing too tight an overcoat or letting too much hair peek out from under their veil, authorities said Monday.
In light of this encouraging news from that beacon of Middle Eastern freedom and Islamic rationality, Hugh Hewitt's interview with Frank Gaffney ( of the PBS suppressed "Islam vs. Islamists") couldn't be more timely.
Unfortunately, I think the only ones who'd give a hoot are those of us who already do. Those of us advocating a single sheet of toilet paper, on the other hand, could care less about the subtle distinction between crap and shiite.
UPDATE: Oh, I am loving these quotes!
... "Mr President, I wonder if what the police, supervised by your interior ministry, are doing to women stems from a misunderstanding?" asked Masih Alinejad, a columnist in the Etemad Melli daily."Or are people's major problems of injustice and poverty have been resolved?" he asked.
Alinejad recalled that Ahmadinejad asked during his 2005 electoral campaign whether the problem "in our country was two strands of women's hair or fighting poverty, creating jobs and implementing justice?"
Two-thirds of Iran's 70-million population is under 30 and the official unemployment rate stands at about 11 percent. Economists have warned against rising inflation, estimated to hit 24 percent in the current Iranian year.
Even the hardline daily Kayhan said that "being badly-veiled is not the only vice" in the country.
"There are major vices such as going to bed hungry, being deprived of higher education, unemployment and the inability of a large number of people to provide for their basic needs," it said.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:08 AM | Comments (1)
April 23, 2007
Damn, Damn, Damn
Author David Halberstam Dies in CrashHis car was broadsided by another vehicle.
We adored him.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:56 PM | Comments (5)
I Heard The News Today
Oh Boris
RIP
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:51 PM | Comments (6)
Wow.
This was really nice of CNN. Who woulda thunk it and I got the screenshot before they could change their minds. Reports are his folks were in the stands and I hope they get some comfort from knowing he was doing what he truly loved, something that so few people ever have the chance and courage and ability to do. Plus, with the Angels being the dashing media darlings that they are, there are lots of film clips of him that his family can gather and cherish. (ABC News showed a great segment tonight.) I would think that will a huge comfort, too, once the pain subsides. They're blessed in that respect, I told major dad. Then the Grinch called after seeing the footage ~ he's our resident subject matter expert in such awful things ~ and thinks he may have suffered an aggravated stall: pushing the plane so hard out of a turn to play catch-up you run out of air holding you up. He's just sick about it, too.
So, anyway, we watched for them overhead this evening, but we didn't hear them. Usually the approach is right over the backyard, so low I can read the BUNOs without binos. The roar shakes the plates off the walls and BooBoo chases 'the boys' as they cross our slice of the evening sky...but not today.
That was way nice of CNN.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:38 AM | Comments (4)
April 22, 2007
Happy Anniversiary, Kcruella!!
We met at the AFEES station in Newark and then it was off to Parris Island.
Hardly seems like 27 years ago, does it?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:34 AM | Comments (9)
April 21, 2007
Oh, No
Blue Angel Down at AirshowNEWS 3 has confirmed a Blue Angel aircraft has gone down somewhere near Pine Grove Road in Beaufort. NEWS 3 has crews on the scene and we'll have the latest tonight at 6 and 11.
Oh, no. First reports are in a residential neighborhood.
Say a little prayer.
UPDATE: The pinhead on CNN has put MCAS Beaufort (S.C.) near Camp Lejeune (N.C.). Somebody hand her a map. Reports are a house is on fire.
UPDATE: Damn. Fox is saying the Navy has confirmed that the pilot didn't make it out. Sh*t. But holy moly, are these assholes talking out their...asses on this coverage. FOX even had a newscaster on the phone from Tampa who was supposed to have flown with them in Tampa, but didn't get to because of mechanical difficulties. WTF? Because he got bumped from his media flight the day of the airshow, now he's a military aviation expert?! And some granny listening in Cleveland is thinking "Oh my God, those planes break all the time! Why are they flying them?"
These people make me sick.
UPDATE: They're backing off the house one fire, too. I'm hoping that turns out to be true. One death is one too many.
UPDATE: Local fishwrap reporting it was the Number 6 pilot.
...Reports indicate that it was Blue Angel No. 6 that went down and plane No. 1 circled the Air Station, possibly looking for the pilot. Later, officials at the crash site called for the coroner.
What a miracle no one else was killed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:42 PM | Comments (4)
One Fish, Two Fish, 'Doesn't Have to Chew You' Fish
We've managed a World Record here in Bangla-cola, although one might wish it were for something else.
1,063-pound shark may earn crew a place in the record book...The four people aboard the Sea Ya Later II were cobia fishing when they spotted the shark at about 2:30 p.m. chasing its lunch near the shore between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach.
The shark, which was about 300 to 400 yards from the shore, had a porpoise in its mouth when it was hooked with a cobia jig. That didn't faze the 12-foot, 6-inch Mako, which is a type of shark notorious for putting up a fight.
It didn't take long for the crew aboard the 23-foot boat to realize they were going to need a bigger vessel to help.
Me 'n major dad were howling when they interviewed the crew last night. They'd hooked the thing and then, when they realized WHAT they had on the line...
...did the "You're gonna need a bigger boat" scene.
C'mon down, y'all. The water's fine.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:56 AM | Comments (10)
April 20, 2007
Dear Major Dad ~ Thank You For Your 30+ Years of Faithful Service...
...now fuck off.
So, basically that's where we stand. It's been 50 plus days since he headed off to retired land. Didn't see a check his first month and, being the patient sorts we are, asked his old group S-1 (who are under no obligation to help) to check into it. Bless their hearts, they did, explaining that the office dweeb answering the phone at DFAS Cleveland had said it was being 'reviewed'. After 30 years, they don't know who he is? Okey dokey, we'll wait.
His S-1 called again last week and got more 'being reviewed'. Okey dokey.
Today major dad gives up being polite and calls himself. Speaks to two people at various points in the foodchain, who parrot 'being reviewed'. "When will I get paid?" Simple question, with tap dancing for answers. "Probably 1 May."
"You're not giving me a warm fuzzy here. Probably? If it's not approved this week, WHEN will I get paid?"
"1 June. Probably."
"That's pretty unsatisfactory there, don't you think? After thirty years, WHAT has to be reviewed?"
After asking repeatedly, major dad identifies the source of all the pain. Headquarters Marine Corps had sent his retirement documents to DFAS$holes Cleveland...on paper. Not electronically. So they sat until someone got around to picking up pieces of paper in a moment of boredom. They KNEW they were retirement docs, but if they weren't on a computer screen? Sorry. Low priority.
This particular dweeb in the foodchain was the last one major dad could talk to, since the supervisors above his GS level were 'unavailable'. On a Friday afternoon? I'll bet. But he took md's number, so one of them can call him back. Probably.
Being reactive and fresh out of polite, we broke in our shiny new fax machine with a filled out Federal Case Form to Rep. Miller's office number. Will he have a chance to act on the fax?
Probably long before the senior dweebs call back. Or major dad gets paid.
Probably.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:11 PM | Comments (4)
Arec Barrwin, A$$hole (But You Knew That)
Why yes, you are.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:56 AM | Comments (17)
April 19, 2007
Gin, Burgers and Zin
My loving spouse thoughtfully made me a dee-lightful cocktail...
...and thoroughly enjoyed his Beefeater 'tini, prior to his whipping up a classic Casa de Major Dad fiesta feast.
Tonight's menu includes a Caesar salad, lovelybloodypremium grass fed chuck lovingly transformed into "Major Dad's World Famous Cheeseburgers ®". He is making me a 'Black and Blue' ~ Prudhomme's 'Blackened Redfish' seasoning sprinkled on the outside and crumbled Maytag blue cheese added at the very last second while still on the grill. major dad is having Vermont Cheddar ~ a masterpiece of simplicity.
We'll be imbibing a lucious Bourassa Vineyards 2004 Odyssey³ Zin with our burgers and fries. After Bingley's magnificent gesture for major dad's retirement (a wine shipment of EPIC proportions), we found ourselves emotionally attached to the Terrazas Malbec. Imagine our delight as we stumbled over the Reserva today. It will be a divine accompaniment to the tiramisu and black raspberry/white chocolate cheesecake on tap for dessert.
Nums.
I am a lucky girl, n'est pas?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:35 PM | Comments (5)
Laugh Of The Day
Let's say you were head of a state college in New Jersey and you wanted to hire someone to teach a course on law, ethics and leadership; what qualities would you look for in the candidates to best impress on your students the importance of these ideas? How about honesty? Or maybe proven integrity in their personal lives so they could really be inspiring teachers of the next generation of leaders.
Well, if you're in charge of hiring at Kean University in Union we know who you thought to be the perfect candidate:
James E. McGreevey, who resigned the governorship under a cloud of scandal, has a new job teaching law, ethics and leadership at one of New Jersey's public colleges.McGreevey is now an "executive in residence" -- a combination teaching and consulting post -- at Kean University in Union, where he is earning $17,500.
..."For a university like us to have the ability of a former governor -- for what we pay him -- it's an opportunity for our students we shouldn't miss," Kean President Dawood Farahi said in an interview yesterday. "It's an unbelievable opportunity for us."
I was prepared to make some snide remark, but luckily I found someone else to make it for me
State Republican Chairman Tom Wilson, a longtime critic of McGreevey, disagrees."It seems to me," Wilson said, "Jim McGreevey teaching law and ethics is a little bit like Doctor Kevorkian teaching health maintenance."
Hehehe.
(h/t to LawHawk)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:29 PM | Comments (5)
25 Years Ago Today
...our odd little matrimonial experiment got started. I was 'out to here' pregnant with Ebola and we still hadn't been able to commit to giving it a legal whirl. Lounging around one morning, major dad asked "Well? We gonna do it?" Always on top of things, I said "What?" He meant 'get married'. Off to the Santa Ana Courthouse we trudged in what passed for our impoverished finest and filled out the paperwork. The Clerk of the Court was a radiant, lovely lady named Roberta Peters, about 70; snowy white hair, bespectacled, thin and graceful...who LIVED to marry people.
"Are you two ready?" she chirped.
"Uh...no, ma'am. Let them go first." We said that about 8 more times in the next hour or so, as we cowered in the hallway.
Then, somewhere, something took hold, we held hands and said, "Let's go do this." And we did. Ms. Peters was ecstatic. One more nuptial notch on her Justice of the Peace pole.
And we still are. I have no idea how he's stood me all this time, but I adore him all the more for it. The weird thing is, it doesn't seem like 'all this time'.
I guess that's what makes it right.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:59 AM | Comments (16)
Do As I Do
...not as I say.
Fashion designer Galliano fined for copying imageryFashion designer John Galliano was ordered to pay 200,000 euros ($271,800) in damages to renowned U.S. photographer William Klein for unauthorized use of his atmospheric imagery in an advertising campaign.
The photographer, who lives in France said he was "furious" at Galliano's use of some of his half-painted photographs of street scenes in advertisements in several fashion magazines.
... Galliano was appointed designer at Givenchy in 1995 before switching to Christian Dior the following year. He also has a label that bears his name.
Klein said he was particularly offended because Dior has led a relentless campaign against illegal reproductions of its own creations.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:37 AM
The Breck Boy Speaks!
Here's what he has to say on the SCOTUS decision on PBA:
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement about today's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling upholding the federal abortion ban."I could not disagree more strongly with today's Supreme Court decision. The ban upheld by the Court is an ill-considered and sweeping prohibition that does not even take account for serious threats to the health of individual women. This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election. Too much is at stake - starting with, as the Court made all too clear today, a woman's right to choose."
I have to agree with you on one point, Mr. Ex-Senator: the ban was ill-considered, most especially by the Former Junior Senator from North Carolina who along with Senators Kerry and Biden were the only Senators who didn't even bother to vote on this bill when it was passed in 2003. I guess it wasn't such a "hard right turn" then, was it?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:01 AM | Comments (4)
This Is A "Legislative Leader"?
Jonathan Adler at the Volokh Conspiracy has an excellent post up this morning about Sen Harry Reid's comments on SCOTUS' ruling on the Partial Birth Abortion Bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was among those who denounced yesterday's Supreme Court ruling upholding the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Act. Commenting on the decision, Reid said "A lot of us wish that Alito weren't there and O'Connor were there," indicating his desire that there has been a fifth vote to invalidate the statute, as Justice O'Connor had provided the fifth vote to invalidate Nebraska's partial-birth abortion ban in Stenberg v. Carhart.What is curious about Reid's statement, as NPR and some news outlets have noted, is not Reid's criticism of Alito -- Reid opposed Alito's confirmation -- but the fact that Reid supported, and voted for, the federal statute upheld in yesterday's decision. Reid was one of 17 Senate Democrats voting in favor of the bill in 2003. Reid also voted in favor of a ban on partial-birth abortion in 1999 (see here) and , as indicated in this "Meet the Press" interview, Reid was one of only two Democratic Senators to vote against a resolution reaffirming Senate support for the holding of Roe v. Wade.
So, despite his repeated support of legislative restrictions on abortion, Reid's latest comment suggests that he believes the Supreme Court's decision was regrettable and wrongly decided, and that a law that he supported is unconstitutional. To me, the latter is of greater concern. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that if a member of the Senate believes a law is unconstitutional, he or she should vote against it.
Exactly right. But sadly this is indicative of the state of Congress these days, wherein the Legislators have no set beliefs but in fact are constantly engaged in swimming to the latest poll data and positioning themselves with an eye towards future elections. There is seemingly no moral fiber, no vision; just political pandering.
Look at all the gyrations and contortions that these Senators are doing over their war votes. "Oh I was lied to". "If I knew now what I knew then". "My dog ate the CIA briefing so I really didn't get a chance to look at it." "Who knew the war would be unpopular in 3 years?" These folks are so vacuous.
And it is both disgusting and frightening, for these are the people into whose hands we have placed our very lives.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:50 AM | Comments (1)
April 18, 2007
"An Inconvenient Truth...
...or Convenient Fiction?"Both installments below the fold, courtesy of Powerline.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:12 PM | Comments (1)
"If He'd Talked Like That Before...
...I went on his show, I might not have gone on afterward."Sew halp me, I think thats wut he sed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:02 PM | Comments (4)
BREAKING NEWS: Whoa...
Top court upholds ban on abortion procedure
Partial birth abortions at issue; first time justices ban specific procedureThe Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long-awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.
The 5-4 ruling said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:28 AM | Comments (11)
The View From Olympus
I find the Virginia Tech slaughter just too sad to really post about, and others have done a much better job of it anyway.
But I am getting a little tired of these holier-than-thou Euroappeasers sniffing and poo-pooing us barbarians.
See here for examples from editorials.
See here for an example from a commenter.
See here for an example of enlightened European behavior.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:12 AM | Comments (2)
April 17, 2007
Bless His Brave Heart
...Screams followed an instant later, and the banging continued. When students realized the sounds were gunshots, Calhoun said, he started flipping over desks to make hiding places. Others dashed to the windows of the second-floor classroom, kicking out the screens and jumping from the ledge of Room 204, he said."I must've been the eighth or ninth person who jumped, and I think I was the last," said Calhoun, of Waynesboro, Va. He landed in a bush and ran.
Calhoun said that the two students behind him were shot, but that he believed they survived. Just before he climbed out the window, Calhoun said, he turned to look at his professor, who had stayed behind, apparently to prevent the gunman from opening the door.
The instructor was killed, Calhoun said.
Sweet Jesus.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:17 AM | Comments (5)
April 16, 2007
Overheard During the VATech Press Conference Just Now
Reporter: "Do you have a procedure to lock down the campus?"VATech Official: "It's not in my communication plan."
Considering they had an on campus shooting in August, perhaps it should have been.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:00 PM | Comments (6)
April 14, 2007
Oh Man, I'm Depressed Now
I spent six hours today cooking tagliatelle with bolognese sauce, and I took a zillion pictures that were going to be part of my Saturday Night Drunken Post...but then I read this and I realized that the cooking maladventures of one small person don't mean a hill of beans in this world
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Legendary crooner Don Ho, who entertained tourists for decades wearing raspberry-tinted sunglasses and singing the catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has died. He was 76.
RIP, my good man.
and may the tiny bubbles up on high always make you happy.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:42 PM | Comments (8)
It Ain't A Fit Night Out For Man Nor Beast
Or at least it won't be tomorrow
AT SANDY HOOK, NJ...HIGH TIDE ON SUNDAY MORNING WILL OCCUR AT 6:40 AM. THE FOLLOWING HIGH TIDE ON SUNDAY EVENING WILL OCCUR AT 7:07 PM. LATEST DATA SUGGEST THAT WATER LEVELS WILL PEAK NEAR 8.0 FEET ABOVE MEAN LOWER LOW WATER.A wind driven heavy rain. High 42F. Winds ENE at 25 to 35 mph. Rainfall possibly over two inches. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.
and just a wee bit west of us up in the Mountains of Sussex™, that glorious land of the youthful Bingley, things could get real inconvenient
INITIALLY SOME LIGHT RAIN COULD DEVELOP THIS EVENING, THEN STEADIER RAIN AND SNOW WILL FALL AFTER MIDNIGHT. AS TEMPERATURES DROP TO NEAR FREEZING BY SUNDAY MORNING, THERE WILL BE MORE SNOW AND LESS RAIN FALLING. BUT SINCE TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING MOST OF TONIGHT, ONLY AN INCH OR SO OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BE ON THE GROUND BY SUNRISE ON SUNDAY.DURING SUNDAY, HEAVIER PRECIPITATION WILL FALL. IT IS STILL UNCERTAIN HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE FOR THE PRECIPITATION TO CHANGE TO ALL SNOW AND THE FASTER THE CHANGEOVER, THE MORE SNOW THAT WILL ACCUMULATE. BEFORE THE SNOW TAPERS OFF TO SNOW SHOWERS SUNDAY NIGHT, WE EXPECT AN AVERAGE OF 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW TO ACCUMULATE. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE HIGHLY VARIABLE WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WHERE A FOOT OF SNOW CANNOT BE RULED OUT. OVER THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA, SNOW MAY ONLY ACCUMULATE A COUPLE INCHES.
THE EXACT STORM TRACK REMAINS UNCERTAIN...AND A MINOR FLUCTUATION TO THE EAST OR WEST WILL GREATLY IMPACT EXPECTED SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. TRAVEL WILL BECOME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM. IN ADDITION...POWER OUTAGES COULD OCCUR SUNDAY AS ANY HEAVY WET SNOW COMBINES WITH GUSTY WINDS TO CAUSE TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES TO SNAP UNDER THEIR WEIGHT.
Is Gorezilla due in the NY area this weekend?
*Bonus points for whomever correctly identyfies the source of the post title. Yes, I know you know Sis, so you can't play.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:09 AM | Comments (6)
April 13, 2007
Because They're White and Have Money
...don't waste your sympathy. Or your outrage. Because they were piggish college and had rented the strippers to begin with.
(At least I have a feeling Terry Moran wrote this on his own. If it's been Katie Couric...)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:37 AM | Comments (8)
And Speaking Of Guys Whose Girlfriends Get Nice Perks
Seems like someone was not wearing their seatbelt
CAMDEN, N.J - Gov. Jon S. Corzine was critically injured Thursday when his motorcade crashed en route to a meeting between radio personality Don Imus and the Rutgers women’s basketball team, a doctor said.Corzine, 60, suffered numerous broken bones but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, officials said. He was recuperating early Friday at Cooper University Hospital in critical but stable condition after two hours of surgery to repair a seriously damaged leg and other injuries.
Dr. Robert Ostrum, who performed the surgery, said it was successful but noted that the governor would need two more operations on his leg in the coming days. Doctors also inserted a breathing tube that would remain “for days to weeks, until (Corzine) is able to breathe on his own again,” Ostrum said.
I hope you get better soon, Governor.
But wear your goddamned seat belt, you idiot.
With all due respect, of course.
And will he be served with a summons for not wearing his seat belt, like us little folks would be?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:42 AM | Comments (7)
This Seemed A Bad Idea Only "In Hindsight"?
Arranging promotions for your girlfriend is never a wise or remotely ethical idea, there, Paul.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The World Bank's board of directors adjourned a meeting on Friday over the promotion by bank President Paul Wolfowitz of his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, saying it would move quickly to decide how to proceed.In a statement, the board said it found that Wolfowitz signed off on Riza's promotion and salary increase without a review by an ethics committee nor the board's chairman. The promotion came shortly after he joined the institution in 2005.
"The executive directors will move expeditiously to reach a conclusion on possible actions to take," the board said.
"In their consideration of the matter the executive directors will focus on all relevant governance implications for the bank," it added.
The board released documents of findings of an ad hoc group that investigated the contract agreed with Riza and also included communications between Wolfowitz, the board and other bank officials.
The review on Friday by the board of member countries focused on whether Wolfowitz broke staff rules when he approved Riza's promotion, before she was assigned to the State Department to resolve possible conflict of interest issues arising from his supervision over her work.
Wolfowitz has taken full responsibility for Riza's promotion and apologized on Thursday, saying he made a mistake in the way he handled the issue, but said he was in "uncharted waters" and still new in his job.
"In hindsight, I wish I had trusted my original instincts and kept myself out of the negotiations. I made a mistake, for which I am sorry," he said in an opening statement at a news conference.
There's no "uncharted" bullshit about it; it's wrong and sleazy.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:37 AM | Comments (1)
April 12, 2007
Curse You Crusader!
For sending this to me.
My best is 1554 so far.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:06 PM | Comments (2)
April 11, 2007
Tony Blair Channels Bill Cosby
Some times it's nice to be a lame duck, ain't it gov'ner?
Tony Blair yesterday claimed the spate of knife and gun murders in London was not being caused by poverty, but a distinctive black culture. His remarks angered community leaders, who accused him of ignorance and failing to provide support for black-led efforts to tackle the problem....Black community leaders reacted after Mr Blair said the recent violence should not be treated as part of a general crime wave, but as specific to black youth. He said people had to drop their political correctness and recognise that the violence would not be stopped "by pretending it is not young black kids doing it".
...Giving the Callaghan lecture in Cardiff, the prime minister admitted he had been "lurching into total frankness" in the final weeks of his premiership. He called on black people to lead the fight against knife crime. He said that "the black community - the vast majority of whom in these communities are decent, law abiding people horrified at what is happening - need to be mobilised in denunciation of this gang culture that is killing innocent young black kids".
I really hope W 'lurches' into some frankness soon.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:01 PM
The Answer to Their Questions Is Easy
"...How do we work to ensure that the final decisions in this case in no way deter women of color from making claims of violations against them which violate their spirits and their bodies?" — statement from William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP"...and the fear that would happen to any survivor who comes forward, can have a chilling effect and make them reluctant to step forward." — Margaret Barrett, executive director, Orange County Rape Crisis Center in Chapel Hill.
...and hasn't changed one iota.
Tell the truth to begin with.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:02 PM | Comments (2)
So the N.C. Attorney General Has Done the Right Thing
...and in no uncertain terms:
"...Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges."
Alrighty then. Since Imus got us all prepped and we're in an apologizing mood, where's Rev. Al's and Jesse J's,
"Sorry 'bout that. No malice intended, you understand."...to the Duke lacrosse players?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:01 PM | Comments (4)
The Fiendish BASTARDS!
...Seaman Batchelor's claim that he cried himself to sleep after his Iranian captors likened him to the comedy character Mr Bean made him a laughing stock.Oh, those cagey Islamic Republic types sure know how to go for a guy's cajones, eh? Not guns. Not mock executions. Not CAR BATTERY LEADS CLAMPED TO YOUR TESTICLES!! All is takes is the unspeakable cruelty of being compared to...
Mr.
Bean.
And his unfeeling mates in the British military are piling on...
...One serving soldier posted: "Batchelor didn't do the reputation of servicemen much good either! Being broken by being called Mr Bean FFS! - that must be on a par with Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition and the comfy cushions."Wretches! All of them. You can laugh about the Spanish Inquisition...until they're at your door!
We'll see who sheds girly tears then.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:55 PM | Comments (5)
Starting Day 2 Of Jury Duty
Just hanging with my boys (and gals), waiting for the call.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:03 AM | Comments (20)
April 10, 2007
That's How Bingley and I Work, Too
A CBS News producer was fired and the network apologized after a Katie Couric video essay on libraries was found to be plagiarized from The Wall Street Journal....The essays are carried regularly on “Couric & Co.,” the anchor’s blog on the CBS News Web site. Couric and producers meet once a week to decide on topics and the producers write them for Couric to read on camera.
I'm the socially inept heavy lifter slogging behind the scenes, while he's he's the big money, debonair "personality". I've learned to deal with it. Therapy helps. But we do actually try to WRITE most of our stuff, which leads to the next embarrassing question. How can it be her 'blog' if some pinhead...
Never mind. I just hope some granny in Poughkeepsie who just got 'the internet' and thinks Katie agonizes over her blog entries ~ writing from the heart once a week ~ never sees this. It's too cruel.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:13 PM | Comments (4)
Live On the Telly Right Now
...Rutgers is eating Imus alive at a school press conference. It's delightful.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:24 AM | Comments (2)
An Ignored Addendum to Bolton on Britain vs Iran
Over at LGF, they link to this:
Britain's "weakness" in standing up to Iran in the detained sailors stand-off handed Tehran an improbable victory and left it dangerously emboldened, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Monday.Iran was deliberately probing for allied weaknesses and found them in abundance, Bolton wrote in a hard-hitting article in the Financial Times newspaper.
"Against all odds, Iran emerged with a win-win from the crisis: winning by its provocation in seizing the hostages in the first place and winning again by its unilateral decision to release them," wrote the 2005-2006 US ambassador to the United Nations.
I think overriding opinion is that Iran came out on top of this whole miserable incident, image-wise. Visiting my usual haunts yesterday, I found there was actually QUITE a handsome payoff for the Iranians as they roiled international waters ~ from all of us.
So, what did Iran get out of holding on to 15 British sailors and marines for some 10 days?A lot of attention from the West, that's for sure -- and possibly an extra $167 million in oil revenue.
No, there wasn't a ransom paid, but the standoff did push the price of crude oil abruptly higher around the world.
So how long before they're back in their shrimp boats with nets, looking for another $100 million or so to help pay off that Russian reactor?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:09 AM
April 09, 2007
That's What I'm Shootin' For
I just need someone to offer it.
..."He got $20 million just to walk in the door," Moynihan said. "He has 3 million options that are time based. Assuming he stays around for three years, he has all those options."Then they put 1 million options tied to stock performance. If it were me, I would have flip-flopped the two option plans and tied the 3 million options to shareholder return. At the end of the day, he already got $18.5 million just by showing up. How much more do you need to reward him for his time?"
Not a dime. I'll take the $20 million and leave you to your own devices. How's that for being reasonable?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:23 PM
Harvey, Man ~ Don't Beat Yourself Up
You Hollywood types over analyze everything. Think what you were releasing there, bub. It wasn't the length ~ Lord of the Rings, Dances With Wolves ~ there's tons of pictures that have done well at 3 hours or so. It's more that you were just stoo-pid. You don't release this schlock...
...during THIS, EVER.
But combined with THIS...?
Amen, brother.
Here's your sign.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:17 PM | Comments (10)
It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't
...got that schwing.
Marilyn Manson says he coped with his divorce from stripper Dita Von Teese by immersing himself in work on his forthcoming album. When asked by Revolver magazine to describe the music, the goth rocker replied,“I’d say it’s got a cannibal, consumption, obsessive, violent-sex, romance angle — but with an upbeat swing to it.”
Do-wop da-wop-doo-wop da-doo!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:21 PM | Comments (7)
Gaia Savages Delicate Reefs
What have we done to force such self-destructive behavior upon her?
RANONGGA, Solomon Islands (AFP) - The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomons tsunami this week lifted an entire island metres out of the sea, destroying some of the world's most pristine coral reefs.
ADVERTISEMENTIn an instant, the grinding of the Earth's tectonic plates in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot).
It's a call for help from Gaia!
Oh, and if you've ever wondered what an 8.0 earthquake combined with a tsunami sounds like, well, fisherman Hendrik Kegala has the answer:
"Plenty big noise," he told AFP, describing the disaster in the local pidgin dialect."Water go back and not come back again," he added, saying the whooshing sound of the receding water and the shaking from the quake occurred simultaneously.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:55 AM | Comments (5)
April 06, 2007
I Think a Rutgers Daddy
...needs to kick him some Imus ass. I can guarantee major dad'd already have a Bangla-cola/New York ticket.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:03 PM | Comments (6)
Another Hot Air Post
...about the 'backlash' among Americans in uniform regarding their released British counterparts brought to mind an old axiom we had hammered into us at Parris Island. It might help explain the way we would expect to act given the same situation, with no superior orders to the contrary (i.e.; the American Ambassador in Tehran telling the embassy guards to stand down).
Background for the boot camp propaganda goes...
In Elizabeth, New Jersey, on 14 October 1926, the brutal robbery and killing of a U. S. Mail truck driver forced President Calvin Coolidge to turn to the Marine Corps for assistance in the civil community. By Presidential Order, 2,500 Marines proceeded on duty to guard the mail. The Commandant, anticipating the Presidential Order, on 18 October had directed the Commanding General, Headquarters, Department of the Pacific, located in San Francisco, ..."You will organize a force from the 4th Regiment, to be known as the Western Mail Guards, under the command of Brigadier-General Smedley D. Butler"...Brigadier-General Smedley D. Butler, known as "Ol' Gimlet Eye" to fellow Marines, brought a long record of combat leadership and two Congressional Medals of Honor to the Mail Guards. Veteran of both World War I and the guerilla wars of Central America, Butler's easy-going manner hid his cold, methodical approach to the task given to the Marines. As the primary source of personnel for the Western Mail Guard, the 4th Marines initially would be spread throughout eleven states(7). Part of a twelfth state, Texas would be added on 22 October 1926. General Butler's fully armed Marines soon became sobering influences throughout Post Offices, mail trains, and mail trucks in those areas. While Marines carried out their mail guard assignment, only one attempted robbery was recorded. That particular robbery involved an unguarded mail train carrying no mail at the time.
It was repeated often but what stuck in our shell shocked boot camp brains ~ as it was meant to ~ was the guidance given to those Marines guarding the mail, coincidentally part of the deterrent for those robbing the mail. I haven't found the attribution online (Mike?), but Kcruella and I sure remember the quote, having twisted it to our own purposes for these past 27 years. Goes like this:
"If the mail is missing, the Marine on that post had better be dead."
To my jaundiced eye, your average sailor (SeaBees, SEALS, etc. obviously not 'average', so don't even start) is basically a mail bag ~ they're not trained to defend themselves. If they were, there'd be no point in having Marines onboard to begin with. Those Royal Marines, with no orders we know of to the contrary, had an obligation to protect those sailors and, yeah...sometimes you might get hurt.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:53 PM | Comments (3)
"If His Forebearers, the Greatest Generation of Great Britain
...who fought and died so this MEATHEAD could be here now..."Col. Jack Jacobs (who knows a bit about these sort of things) takes exception to the captured British Royal Marine captain's reasoning re:
"From the outset, it was very apparent that fighting back was simply not an option. Had we chosen to do so, then many of us would not be standing here today. Of that, I have no doubts."And here I thought 'fighting back'...Hell! STARTING the fight was the point of wearing a Marine's uniform all along. I didn't know it was strictly to look snappy at press conferences explaining why you didn't put yer dukes up and protect those wimpy sailors you're with. I suggest a new uniform for Captain Air...
...with his mascot at his side.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:21 PM | Comments (1)
Another Case Where Science
...creates the conspiracy.
Research of
A warm Swill salute to master theorist the Anchoress, who follows the smoking trail o' surface bubbles to it's obvious conclusion. Research of that caliber rates a mug.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:14 PM | Comments (1)
A "Christmas Story" Update
This goes out especially for my new friend Erika.
Lookee here in today's LATimes
Hector Manuel Velazquez-Nava, a native of Mexico who federal authorities said was in the U.S. illegally, faces possible charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving without a license and driving under the influence of alcohol. He suffered minor injuries in the early Wednesday accident on Pacific Coast Highway and is being held at the Van Nuys Jail. Although bail has been set at $100,000, his undocumented status makes him ineligible for release on bond, police said....Velazquez-Nava had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the 0.08 legal limit for driving. There was no evidence the Clarks had been drinking, Fischer said.
Velazquez-Nava does not have documentation of legal U.S. residency, nor does he appear to have ever had a U.S. driver's license, Fischer said. The Yukon was registered to Velazquez-Nava, who claimed to have insurance, but police haven't been able to verify any, Fischer said.
Velazquez-Nava lives in Los Angeles, but little other information was available. He told authorities that he was on his way from Hollywood to West Covina when he crashed, although he was traveling in the opposite direction. Fischer said Velazquez-Nava was probably lost.
Law enforcement sources said Velazquez-Nava pleaded guilty in 2005 in Los Angeles to a prostitution-related charge and was sentenced to two years' probation. He could face at least four to 10 years imprisonment if convicted of vehicular manslaughter.
Oops, am I being "racist" again? Gosh, facts really can get a feller in trouble, can't they?
Now why in the name of hell was this guy still here after he was arrested for a prostitution-related charge in 2005?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:34 AM | Comments (3)
A Must-Read Easter Column
By an Agnostic.
(thanks to Michelle Malkin)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:51 AM | Comments (1)
April 05, 2007
Worthy Is The Lamb That Was Slain
And hath ended up at my ShopRite
I can't attend the Maundy Thursday service at church tonight, so what better way to spend the evening than cooking some lamb?
Dinner tonight will be pan-fried lamb chops, wild rice, and asparagus. First, the wild rice. It cooks for 60 minutes, so you best get it on right away. And since the recipe just says 'liquid' I'm going to use chicken stock instead of water to give it some added flavor
So let's get the stock boiling so the rice can start the long slow cooking process
Who would have thought my Irish relatives were involved in the wild rice trade?
Anyhow, think of some way to occupy yourself for 45 minutes and then rinse the asparagus and put them in a vegetable dish with about an inch of water and cover with plastic wrap. Oh and cut a few holes in the wrap, too, for the old steam-action.
Set that aside for as minute, as it only takes 3 minutes to cook in the microwave, so you can leave that for the end.
Now as my Bride is 50% Danish I always happen to have boiling pots of oil at the ready in our household in case her Viking blood gets the better of her (those of you who have alternative relationships should put on a pan of vegetable oil at medium high heat at this point)
and this will come in handy for the next stage, as first we coat the chops with parmesan
then egg
then plain bread crumbs
then pop them into the Viking-O-Vat
Figure about 4 minutes per side. Now it's ben about an hour so let's see how the rice is doing
excellent. Microwave the asparagus for 3 minutes and take out the chops
Yum. Now savvy readers and savvy labs
will have noticed that there were 12 chops originally but somehow only 9 made it onto the platter. Where'd the other 3 go?
Oh yeah!
Assemble and enjoy!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:33 PM | Comments (13)
Didn't I Already Tell You
...to leave that stuff at home?
Top-secret data on an advanced US military system was leaked because Japanese officers were swapping porn files at work, a newspaper said Thursday.Japan is questioning a naval officer on charges he obtained confidential data on the US-developed Aegis combat system, the defence ministry said Wednesday.
But the Yomiuri Shimbun said the data was leaked when the petty officer second class had copied pornographic images -- accompanied by the sensitive files -- from a colleague's computer and circulated them to a third officer.
I hope you washed your hands before you touched the keyboard...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:01 PM
Philostophy Question Of The Day
How does one tell if blue cheese has gone bad?
Does it get less moldy?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:29 PM | Comments (5)
ARGH! The BASTARDS!!
Update The Florida State Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), which oversees direct shipping and issued the regulatory determination that allowed direct shipping in early 2006, may reverse that existing regulatory ruling on May 5, 2007.The Department’s website states that a legislative solution is required and it will remove the web page on May 4, the final day of Florida’s 2007 legislative session. The ominous implication is that your ability to purchase wines from out-of-state wineries licensed to ship to Florida will be eliminated in four weeks.
...Florida began allowing winery-to-consumer direct shipping in February 2006. Since then, the number of wineries filing shipping reports and paying the required excise taxes has increased from 0 to more than 500. From July 2006 through January 2007, out of state wineries shipped approximately 30,000 cases and paid more than $157,000 in excise taxes. By all accounts, the transition has been a success.
Proactive information below the fold.
And our own, sweet 'lil Holly Benson's part of this now. Has she lost her cotton pickin' Bangla-cola brain?!
Action
Please personalize the sample letter, below, and fax today or over the weekend, to the DPBR’s Secretary Benson and Governor Crist. Send us (Free the Grapes) a copy too, please (fax 707-254-0433)
Time permitting, you can voice your opinion on wine direct shipping at a committee hearing scheduled for this Monday, April 9. Apologies for the late notice; it was just scheduled this morning.
When: Monday, April 9, 1:15 – 3:45 pm
What: DPBR Committee Hearing on Senate Bills 126 and 2282 (Saunders and Geller), open to the public.
Who to Contact: If you can attend, please call Susanne Dudley at Core Message at (850) 519-5759 or (850) 222-3767, or email her at Susanne@coremessage.com. She can provide more information on both SB 126 and 2282, too.
Where: The Capitol, Senate Building Room 110 (ground floor), Tallahassee. When facing the Capitol, it is the building on the left and you can enter the Senate Building directly from the outside without having to go through the main Capitol doors. Metered parking is available around the Capitol, and there is a public parking garage at Kleman Plaza, 306 S. Duval Street.
SAMPLE LETTER
Date
Department of Business & Professional Regulation
Secretary Holly Benson
Fax 850-921-4094
Governor Charlie Crist
Fax 850-487-0801
Dear Governor Crist and Secretary Benson,
As an adult voter of Florida, I urge you to continue allowing direct shipments of wine to adult consumers like me.
I want to continue purchasing limited amounts of my favorite wines, from any winery, regardless of their production size or location. The DBPR’s regulatory ruling that began allowing direct shipments in 2006 has been a boon to wine lovers like me, and provides additional tax revenues for the state. Thank you!
But the DBPR’s website implies that this regulatory ruling will be revoked on May 5, unless legislation is passed. If that’s the case, I support Representative Bogdanoff’s House Bill 1217, which currently includes provisions shown to be successful in the majority of U.S. states, and gives consumers like me the ability to choose from wineries licensed to ship to Florida. On the other hand, Senate Bills 126 and 2282 both include an arbitrary “cap” provision that would ban shipments from many popular wineries that happen to produce more than 250,000 gallons. This is arbitrary, discriminatory and similar provisions in three states are being challenged in court. Don’t cap my wine!
If you are going to replace the ruling with legislation, I hope that you will support HB1217, and without a cap. As a voter and citizen of our great state, let’s make the right decision by placing consumer choice ahead of special interests.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Street Address
City, FLORIDA Zip Code
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:11 PM | Comments (2)
Speakers Up! Some Culture
...for the common man.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:17 AM
"A Christmas Story" Director Killed
This is a real tragedy
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Film director Bob Clark, best known for the holiday classic "A Christmas Story," was killed with his son Wednesday in a head-on crash with a vehicle that a drunken driver steered into the wrong lane, police and the filmmaker's assistant said.Clark, 67, and son Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in the accident in Pacific Palisades, said Lyne Leavy, Clark's personal assistant.
The two men were in an Infiniti that collided head-on with a GMC Yukon around 2:30 a.m. PDT, said Lt. Paul Vernon, a police spokesman.
The driver of the other vehicle, Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, of Los Angeles and his passenger, described as a 29-year-old woman, were taken to UCLA Medical Center with minor injuries.
Velazquez-Nava was arrested Wednesday afternoon and booked for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol and gross vehicular manslaughter. He was being held on $100,000 bail.
"The initial investigation has concluded that Nava was driving without a license northbound in the southbound lanes while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage," Vernon said.
I love that movie, and this is a horrible and senseless way to die.
Now, why is it that when I see the name "Hector Velazquez-Nava" combined with "Los Angeles" and "driving without a license" I think "illegal immigrant" oops I mean "undocumented worker" (sorry).
I guess I'm a bad person.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:06 AM | Comments (9)
Well, So They Are Home Now
And for that I am glad. However, I would like to get to listen in to their debriefings and find out what exactly the hell happened, and why they seemed to go out of their way in toadying up to the Iranians and 'confessing' their guilt.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:04 AM
April 04, 2007
GREAT!
Tony Blair has welcomed the release by Iran of 15 British sailors and marines taken captive 13 days ago. The Iranian president had said it was a "gift" to Britain.Home by tomorrow it says.
UPDATE: The Times U.K. is doing some musing over who put their foot down to end this thing and they're betting it was Khamenei.
...The only possible explanation is that the release was ordered by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme leader, who has so far not spoken publicly about the 13-day crisis.Behind the scenes it is assumed that a fierce struggle has been taking place in Tehran between hardliners and pragmatists.
The extremists wanted to put the British on trial or at least hold them as a bargaining chip for the release of five Iranian officials arrested by US forces in Iraq in January who are still in custody.
The more moderate elements advised the opposite. Iran is already reeling from sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council and in all likelihood faces further measures this year if it is does not halt its controversial nuclear programme.
The day's bit of hilarity is provided in the comments by (I'm supposing) a proud Venezuelan citizen. Or maybe a HuffPo/Kos flying monkey masquerading as one.
Your vision of Iran is skewed. You need Iran, they don't need you. Iran's oil gushing out of the ground is worth over 100 billion $ annually. Further, they make everything else they need and have surplus agriculture. Your farsical sanction against Iran has been in place for 30 years and has achieved null except negative return for yourself and that is why you are screaming. It is britain that can freeze to death if it didn't import oil and did not commit aggression to rub the people of Iraq from theirs.glead, barqisimeto, Venezuela
Some people will do anything for a good 'rub'.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:40 PM | Comments (6)
Proof Positive the Surge ISN'T Working
Since Friday, eight people have been murdered in New Orleans despite the addition of National guard troops, state police and Federal agents. And the killing is done at point-blank range in broad daylight, leaving neighborhoods fearful and police frustrated.What amazes even federal investigators about New Orleans crime isn't the violence, but the silence.
...Four men were killed Monday alone, bringing the number of murders in the city so far this year to 53. That compares to just 17 for the same period last year. Yet police are frustrated by crime scene after crime scene where many people watch but nobody talks.
..."Of course it's going to get worse until they treat poor people better," [Rev. Robert] Brown says.
But University of New Orleans criminologist Peter Scharf says the answer may be much more complicated, and so far has eluded even a beefed-up federal presence.
"Things that everyone thought would work, didn't," Scharf says.
Killing is definitely the antidote to being poor. Quicker by far than getting an education and/or a job, so it's no wonder they're blasting the beejeezus out of each other, right Rev. Brown?
On a side note, major dad and I had a back and forth the other day about just how long folks ~ claiming to be from New Orleans but living a gazillion miles and eight states away, with no intention of returning ~ will be allowed to vote as 'residents'. Do they cut-off the displacees within a reasonable time frame and have half a hope to turn the city over to it's RESIDENTS or...do they foster a virtual roaming NOLA gypsy nation, who shoulder none of the responsibilities of rebuilding, but dictate policy/doom the city to Nagin clones by virtue of absentee ballots?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:24 PM | Comments (6)
Thank You Sweet Baby Jeebus!
There are signs of intelligence at the FCC
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government agency on Tuesday said it will keep a rule in place that requires cell phones to be turned off during airline flights.
My god, it's bad enough listening to idjits on the boat and train yammering constantly; to have to put up with one of them for hours on a flight would have been incentive to moider.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:51 AM | Comments (1)
Eddie Robinson, RIP
He was a true role model and inspiration for a lot of folks
RUSTON, La. (AP) -- Eddie Robinson, who sent more than 200 players to the NFL and won 408 games during a 57-year career, has died.He was 88.
..."The real record I have set for over 50 years is the fact that I have had one job and one wife," Robinson said.
...Robinson said he tried to coach each player as if he wanted him to marry his daughter.
He began coaching at Grambling State in 1941, when it was still the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute, and single-handedly brought the school from obscurity to international popularity.
...When he began his career, Robinson had no paid assistants, no groundskeepers, no trainers and little in the way of equipment. He had to line the field himself and fix lunchmeat sandwiches for road trips because the players could not eat in the "white only" restaurants of the South.
He was not bitter, however. "The best way to enjoy life in America is to first be an American, and I don't think you have to be white to do so," Robinson said. "Blacks have had a hard time, but not many Americans haven't."
Robinson said he tried to teach his players about opportunity.
"The framers of this Constitution, now they did some things," Robinson would say. "If you aren't lazy, they fixed it for you. You've got to understand the system. It's just like in football, if you don't understand the system, you haven't got a chance."
Thanks for standing tall all those years.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:31 AM | Comments (1)
Somehow This Just Doesn't Surprise Me
I mean, this is after all Keith Richards we're talking about here:
The Rolling Stones guitarist has told how he snorted his own father's ashes in a drugs binge."The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," he said.
The 63-year-old detailed in a magazine interview how he mixed the ashes with cocaine and inhaled them.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:05 AM | Comments (10)
April 03, 2007
There Are Times When I Feel
...like retching.
ABC News Exclusive: The Secret War Against IranA Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News.
...A CIA spokesperson said "the account of alleged CIA action is false" and reiterated that the U.S. provides no funding of the Jundullah group.
Pakistani government sources say the secret campaign against Iran by Jundullah was on the agenda when Vice President Dick Cheney met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in February.
A senior U.S. government official said groups such as Jundullah have been helpful in tracking al Qaeda figures and that it was appropriate for the U.S. to deal with such groups in that context.
Some former CIA officers say the arrangement is reminiscent of how the U.S. government used proxy armies, funded by other countries including Saudi Arabia, to destabilize the government of Nicaragua in the 1980s.
The 'secret campaign against Iran'? (The 'by Jundullah' is almost an afterthought.) Talk about timing! Whose side is ABC on? Couldn't this wait until, like, maybe it was confirmed/authenticated? And, while we're at it, let's just wave the 'destabilize the regime' flag with all it's implications, vice emphasize the fact that they've got gobs of these wahoos looking for al-Qaeda types and we all know it. What's new here?
And damn! If I was the parents of one of those fifteen British troops, I sure wouldn't be thinking "thanks for letting us know" right about now. Put another unconfirmed 'intelligence sources tell ABC News' log on the Iranian fire, why doncha?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:08 PM | Comments (4)
Straight Scoop and Well Said
...Although no one doubts our forces will prevail over Saddam Hussein's, key regional leaders confirm what the Foreign Relations Committee emphasized in its Iraq hearings last summer: The most challenging phase will likely be the day after -- or, more accurately, the decade after -- Saddam Hussein.Once he is gone, expectations are high that coalition forces will remain in large numbers to stabilize Iraq and support a civilian administration. That presence will be necessary for several years, given the vacuum there, which a divided Iraqi opposition will have trouble filling and which some new Iraqi military strongman must not fill. Various experts have testified that as many as 75,000 troops may be necessary, at a cost of up to $ 20 billion a year. That does not include the cost of the war itself, or the effort to rebuild Iraq.
Americans are largely unprepared for such an undertaking. President Bush must make clear to the American people the scale of the commitment.
Acknowledging a decade's worth of work to do? You'll never guess who...
A Swill Salute to the Futurist.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:44 PM | Comments (2)
April 02, 2007
All That Hillary/Edwards/Romney/Rudi $$'s Talk Got Me Thinking
We need to get cranking ~ time's a wastin'. We need a bumper sticker to get the buzz going, since we gotta get 800 signatures.
Talk about your grass roots campaign...
Back to paint sniffing.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:40 PM | Comments (2)
25 Years Ago...
Maggie knew what needed to be done.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:19 AM | Comments (2)
If You Needed Further Proof That Ahmadinejad Was Involved In 1979
Just look at the crap they are putting these poor Brits through.
I hope Blair finds some balls soon.
And our government damn well better support smacking these bastards down.
Oh concerned elites in Europe, where is thy pity for the wrongfully captured now?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:56 AM | Comments (2)
April 01, 2007
Feijoada Update
There's only one roblem with feijoada: it takes so darn long to cook that I end up having far too many caipirinhas to post anything that night. And that may be a good thing.
Anyhow, when we last saw our hero
He was feeling very sad and depressed because, as Bart correctly noted in the previous post, there were leftovers being used that he assumed he had dibs on. Well, I know the odors this boy is able to produce on regular foods; if you think for one minute he's getting marinated pork, or god forbid beans, you have another thing coming. I don't care what cute faces you make. NO!
besides, there are my needs to attend to
Yum yum.
A few weeks ago I posted a few caipirinha pics, and our new friend Cachaça Dave was kind enough to mail me a new muddler with the proviso that I check out his brand of Brazilian hootch. Proving once again that I can indeed be bought, and bought cheaply, I went out and got a bottle
Hmmmm
A very interesting cachaça. It's aged in new oak for a year, and it contains the barest schmidgen of corn spirits. It has a sweet oakeyness to it, very different from the smokey flavors and molasses flavors one gets from other cachaças. Quite tasty, but I need to do more, ahem, research before I'm willing to say it's the best.
Oh yeah, the food! The nice thing about cooking this recipe is that timing just doesn't matter. So many recipes are very precise and if you cook something just a few seconds too long it's ruined. Not so with this. Cook it an extra hour? Yippee! Time for another drink...
Anyhow, as the beans have been gurbling along for a few hours it's time to thicken the beasties up. Remove around a cup or so into a small pan and smash the beejeebus out of them (in a loving and christian sense, of course)
And then mix the resulatnt paste back in to the main pot. This will give the beans much more body.
Oh damn, look at that
We'll correct that little problem.
In the meantime, drain the meat bits
and then mix them in to the main pot o'beans. In a separate pan start sauteeing a large onion and lots of garlic, all chopped up in some olive oil.
and them mix them in as the following action photo Daughter took amply demonstrates
Oh damn, I need another
(now you know why I needed a full day to recover before I posted this)
"Looking for scraps in all the wrong places..."
dum-dee-dum-dee-dum killing time while the beans cook
I'm thinking of a word. It starts with "N" and ends with "O".
I found some frozen Pão de queijo (cheese bread), so I thought we'd give them a try
Now, as a side dish I thought I'd make some farofa. So in a pan melt some butter and get a smallish onion that has been well chopped sizzling with some bacon bits
add some manioc flour
add 1 egg that has been beaten
Now, cooking is hard work, so don't forget yourself
Now add some roughly chopped collard greens to the pan, and cover and let it wilt over medium-low heat
In about ten minutes...
You want to serve the feijoada over some plain rice. Assemble it in a nice deep plate
and life is good!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:00 PM | Comments (2)
I Have Only Four More Words to Share This Evening
...and happy words they are.
Bay Sah Bah Roo
Even if it is...well, you know who playing.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:52 PM | Comments (4)
It's Not Easy Being Green
...if you're Gorezilla trying to buy his way out of the energy guzzling shame his humble abode has brought upon him. Oh, excuse moi. That's a vicious right wing-ruin-Oscar-night smear. Let's rephrase. He's buying his way into "carbon neutrality", which pretty much excuses everything for...um...leftoid global warming excuse makers.
Mike from Lamplighter was kind enough to pass along this post describing President Bush's palatial Crawford crib and the scar it leaves on the Texas plain. Intrigued, I went a' Googling for more. I found this info on a 'progressive' news site...
The 4,000-square-foot house is a model of environmental rectitude.Geothermal heat pumps located in a central closet circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground where the temperature is a constant 67 degrees; the water heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. Systems such as the one in this "eco-friendly" dwelling use about 25% of the electricity that traditional heating and cooling systems utilize.
A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof runs; wastewater from sinks, toilets and showers goes into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is used to irrigate the landscaping surrounding the four-bedroom home. Plants and flowers native to the high prairie area blend the structure into the surrounding ecosystem.
...which still manages a snarky, shitty smack at the President, in spite of the obvious comparison between the ranch house and their Goracle's ostentatious, revolting display of wealth and privilege.
... Heymann [the house's architect and associate dean of the University of Texas architecture department] also termed the house "stunningly small." Really? Would it be stunningly small for a single mother in South Central Los Angeles? How stunningly small would it be for an immigrant Latino family in San Antonio Maybe in the rarified heights where second homes are the norm, 4,000 square feet is small and on a stunning scale as well, but in Main Street America that much elbow room is pretty big for the first and only home.
Because you can buy carbon credits to offset your heavy energy footprint doesn't mean that you should. Because you have the bulk and money to be a bully, should you? And doesn't that finger jabbing out accusingly at the audience point your way in the bathroom mirror? Apparently not in the flying monkey world inhabited by Gorezilla and his merry minions.
It's the liberal version of sin eating or sending the house servant to take your place in the draft ~ unethical, unconscionable, self-serving and conniving. But it IS...
...easy.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:16 PM | Comments (1)