July 13, 2009
Posting May Be Sporadic This Week
Not that y'all might actually mind, but just so you know I think I'll be switching the site over to Wordpress this week, so things may get...odd.
But we still love ya'!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:07 AM | Comments (2)
January 16, 2009
Quote of the Day
Alas, age reduces our Walther PPKs to single shot weapons.FYI.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:00 PM | Comments (2)
December 02, 2008
So, Lemme Get This Straight...
Even though the cops can't protect you, DON'T buy guns to protect yourself...because they could get stolen.
A city alderman frustrated with the police response to rising crime called Tuesday on residents to arm themselves to protect their lives and property....Chief Dan Isom told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he understands Troupe's frustration but doesn't support citizens arming themselves.
Carrying guns, he said, is not a "recipe for a less violent community."
Mayor Francis Slay wrote in his blog Tuesday that some of the most violent crimes in Troupe's ward are committed with guns stolen from law-abiding citizens.
Alrighty, then. "Roll over and die".
Got it.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:40 PM | Comments (3)
November 25, 2008
Exercise a Little Self Control This Holiday Season
Don't be slipping Rover ANYthing under the table.
Surprising dangers for pets during the holidays...Macadamia nuts can cause a short-term hind-limb paralysis, and bread dough, if eaten before baking, can expand rapidly once ingested and cause ethanol poisoning.
MacKinley actually wound up in the emergency room a couple Thanksgivings ago. Guests were just pushing back from the table, when Schmacks stuck his head out from under it.
And he had no eyes.
Well, he had them, but they were hidden behind the mounds of bulging flesh protruding from his once aquiline profile.
We never did figure out what he'd gotten into. Or who'd surreptitiously slipped him something, since we discourage that pretty vociferously. (A la Achmed ~ "Feed the dog, I KILL you.")
But that damn "not good for puppies" list just seems to keep getting LONGER every year.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:19 PM | Comments (9)
September 30, 2008
Dog Food Recall
And it wasn't China's fault. One US facility so far and they have a drop-down to check for your area.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:25 AM
August 14, 2008
Speed Kills
...except when it doesn't.
Highway crashes kill more than 41,000 in 2007Traffic deaths in the United States declined last year, reaching the lowest level in more than a decade.
Some 41,059 people were killed in highway crashes, down by more than 1,000 from 2006.
The fatality rate of 1.37 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled in 2007 was the lowest on record, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in its report Thursday.
"Every 100 million miles" means what, I wondered. How many miles did Americans travel in 2007 for those 41K deaths?
About 270 BILLION.
That's a lot of tires. And damn near a Qantas-type safety record.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:32 AM | Comments (10)
May 15, 2008
The End Of An Era...
Tim Blair has moved his blog to here, which seems to be run where he works...and now it's moderated. It's just starting up and the delay seems to be down to under 10 minutes before something is posted, but it still will crimp the 'live conversation with someone around the world' aspect that made the old site such a blast.
And there's no Mistress Andrea to keep the naughty folks in line.
Sigh.
That's progress, folks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:43 AM
April 14, 2008
Attention Snowmobilers
It is generally not a good idea to ride into a volcano
A man was evacuated by helicopter after falling into the crater of Mt. St. Helens while snowmobiling on the mountain Saturday.John Slemp, 52, of Damascus rode his snowmobile along with two others to the west rim of the crater at Mt. St. Helens.
Slemp got off his snowmobile and walked out onto a cornice overhanging the crater when it gave way, according to police.
Slemp reportedly fell about 1300 feet before landing on the interior slope of the crater. He then slid on hands and knees to the bottom of the crater.
You are here.
Now, I'm not one to question the veracity of our glorious Media...but "he fell 1300 feet"? Hmmm.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:58 AM | Comments (5)
April 09, 2008
Not Good News For Diabetics
It seems there may be an increased risk of lung cancer with inhaled insulin
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and Nektar Therapeutics said on Wednesday clinical trials of the inhaled insulin Exubera found increased cases of lung cancer, leading Nektar to end talks with potential partners to market the product.Nektar shares tumbled 24 percent in early trading, while shares of MannKind Corp , which has been developing its own inhaled insulin, plummeted more than 56 percent. Pfizer was little changed at $21.00.
Over the course of the clinical trials, Pfizer said six of the 4,740 Exubera-treated patients versus one of the 4,292 patients not treated with Exubera developed lung cancer. One lung cancer case was also found after Exubera reached the market.
The emphasis here is on the may, as
The warning states all patients who developed lung cancer had a prior history of cigarette smoking, and that there were too few cases to determine whether the development of lung cancer is related to Exubera use.
But it's still not good news for folks who were hoping to get rid of those needles.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:54 AM
April 04, 2008
Sometimes Great Minds Think Alike
I'm just sayin'.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:26 PM
April 03, 2008
Coffee Goodness
And the people said "Protect Thy Brain"
Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests.The drink has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and a study by a US team for the Journal of Neuroinflammation may explain why.
A vital barrier between the brain and the main blood supply of rabbits fed a fat-rich diet was protected in those given a caffeine supplement.
UK experts said it was the "best evidence yet" of coffee's benefits.
I just hate demented bunnies.
Drink coffee.
If you won't do it for me, do it for the bunnies.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:11 AM | Comments (6)
March 19, 2008
Administrative Announcement
Please join THS, Crusader and myself in welcoming occasional guest poster Ebola as a full-fledged member of the Coalition.
Of course, if he ticks me off it's back to the basement for him.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:11 PM | Comments (16)
March 13, 2008
All You Need is TWENTYFIVEMILLION Gallons
...of PIG POOPIE flowing downstream to know that THIS:
Neb. corporate farming debate revivedThe Legislature could debate whether to revive a ban on corporate farming this year.
...is a GREAT idea.
... Sen. Cap Dierks has introduced a bill that supporters say would essentially reinstate all the components of the original ban while removing legal flaws cited by the courts when it was quashed.John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, helped push for the ban known as Initiative 300 in the 1960s and 1970s up until it was approved by voters in 1982. He said although the new proposal bans non-family corporate farming, it allows corporate family farms from outside Nebraska to operate in the state.
"We're making it clear that if you're a family farm corporation, you don't need to be from Nebraska if you're going to operate in Nebraska," he said.
Until it was thrown out by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld an earlier federal court decision, Initiative 300 was considered the strongest corporate farming ban in the country.
I'm sure the folks who live on the New River (We were there for the big one ~ fired up my latent activist principles.) or next to an industrial hog farm and have a house covered in sh*t when they spray poopie on the fields...
...wish North Carolina officials weren't quite so beholden to Boss Hog and his big money.
...Between 1995 and the end of 1998, livestock feedlots polluted North Carolina's rivers, lakes, or coastal waters at least 300 times. Another 325 spills or other pollution problems occurred that did not, or can't be proven to have, reached waterways. An addition, inspections found evidence of past discharges at 528 of these livestock feedlots.14
...
In June of 1995 a 25 million gallon spill from a manure lagoon at Oceanview Farms in Onslow County polluted 20 miles of the New River and killed as many as ten million fish.16An inspection in August 1995 at a 6,600 head swine feedlot found a submerged drain inside a lagoon. The drain sent manure and wastewater into Cypress Creek in Duplin County.17
The place sucks, but mention it and the bubbas who have in excess of 100,000 hogs on EACH of their 10, 15 or 20 'farms' start screaming about "family farmers" being under attack. Here in the Sunshine State, we took a LOT of heat for our "Pregnant Pig Constitutional Amendment" ~ porcine jokes aplenty ~ BUT, having lived in N.C. through the spills and having my car spray coated with pig sh*t if the wind switched, I thought it sounded fine.
...In addition to eliminating unnecessary suffering, the amendment holds out another benefit for the state of Florida. Because factory hog farms use gestation crates to maximize their profits, they would be discouraged from moving their operations here should the amendment pass [Ed.: it did], and that is a good thing. Large hog farms pose a serious threat to the environment and human health. When Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina (where such hog farms proliferate), millions of gallons of hog waste contaminated rivers, lakes and shoreline and threatened the drinking water supply. Florida's topography makes us even more vulnerable.
However you keep them out works for me, so I ran a big old black line through the "yes" arrow on the ballot. I double and triple ran the line to make sure it counted.
And all I can say is Go Huskers!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:29 PM | Comments (2)
February 06, 2008
I'm Thinking I'll Stick To The Twinkies...
In the control group, as those getting the "new treatment" didn't fare so well
WASHINGTON - An unexpected number of deaths among patients receiving intense therapy to lower their blood sugar forced the National Institutes of Health to abruptly cut short part of a major study on diabetes and heart disease.The therapy was aimed at reducing to normal levels the blood sugar of type 2 diabetics at especially high risk of heart attack and stroke. There were 257 deaths among people receiving intense diabetes treatment, compared to 203 in the standard treatment group, NIH’s National Heart Lung and Blood Institute said.
But gosh, I'm sure all the computer model runs went swimmingly, right? This is why we need to keep experimenting on animals, folks. Where would you rather have them find that there's a problem with some new drug/treatment: on Fluffy the Bunny or on your child?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:00 PM | Comments (4)
December 18, 2007
Death To Spammers
That is all.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:04 AM | Comments (3)
December 17, 2007
A Good Cause
Our Good Friend Wunderkraut needs your help to complete the adoption process of a lovely girl from China.
Please do what you can.
Thanks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:09 AM
December 06, 2007
About Those 'Soldier' Cards in the Emails?
When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001If you approve of the idea, please pass it along to your e-mail list.
Well, don't.
It’s a great idea, but unfortunately if you send something addressed this way, it won’t be delivered. So please, don’t forward this email.The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver any letter, post card, or package that is not addressed to a specific individual. Anything sent to “A Recovering Soldier,” “Any Wounded Soldier,” or “Any Service Member” is unacceptable.
“We cannot accept any mail that is not specifically addressed to an individual or an organization at the medical center,” says Deputy Public Affairs Officer Terry Goodman.
Sometimes one of these letters will make it through to the medical center. If that happens, it is returned to sender.
Lots of bona fide alternatives at the end of the article.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:16 PM
March 14, 2007
A 'Labs 4 Rescue' Raffle
...for a shot at YANKEES vs BOSUX tickets !! Holy CRAP!
Labs4rescue is pleased to announce its 2007 New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Raffle. Here's your chance to win:Four FAN!tastic field box seats to a 2007 regular season New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game at Yankee Stadium! (The winner will work with the Yankee's office to select the game.) This incredible game day package includes: V.I.P. parking, behind-the-scenes stadium tour, personalized scoreboard message, official photograph of scoreboard message, an amazing goodie bag for each guest, lunch or dinner, and an up close and personal opportunity to view batting practice.
Only $10 per raffle ticket! The drawing will be held during the 2007 Yankees opening home series.
To order your raffle tickets please send a check or money order payable to Labs4rescue and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Labs4rescue, P.O. Box 955, Killingworth, CT 06419. Please do NOT send cash in the mail; Labs4rescue WILL NOT be responsible for payments lost in the mail. All orders must be received by Friday, March 30, 2007.
(Credit card junkies can email them at raffle-at-labs4rescue.com for info how to do it that way.) They're a virtual steal at TEN BUCKS a PIECE, so BeauBeau (who's a Labs4Rescue wabbadork himself) and his cousin Claude say:
"Get yer raffle tickets right here!
....OOOO! Cookie!"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:34 PM | Comments (1)
March 09, 2007
Don't Forget That 'Spring' in Your Step
...OR in the setting on your time pieces this weekend.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:54 AM | Comments (4)
February 01, 2007
NOBODY Puts Baby in a Corner
Except the snooty toots in East Hampton...
...The East Hampton Town Board will meet tomorrow to mull lifting its longtime ban on live music in restaurants. But there will be plenty of restrictions if the proposal gets the green light. The music will have to end by 11 p.m., and eateries will be prohibited from clearing tables and chairs to make room for dancing, the East Hampton Star reports.
So where are footloose and fancy free Hamptonians supposed to go when the Bonjangles mood strikes, huh?
Everybody knows there's sharks in the sound...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:48 AM | Comments (4)
Good Mornin'
...Mr. Sunshine.
...It's one thing to arrive an hour late for church on the first day of daylight saving. It's another for a security system to log the wrong time of crucial events, for pilots to misunderstand their takeoff times or international communications components to stop synchronizing. But such scenarios are possible without the fix to vast numbers of the nation's technical systems .As IBM notes on its Web site: "Any time-sensitive functions could be impacted by this change. . . . It is important for users to assess their environments and develop appropriate plans for applying the necessary changes."
..."After building bunkers in the desert for Y2K, we're not even talking about this, and it's happening in less than two months," said Matthew Kozak, an information technology specialist at Rutgers University who monitors numerous sites and discussion groups.
Even in the banking industry, where ATMs time-stamp every customer transaction, awareness of the March 11 change is limited.
"I haven't heard about it," said Barry Koling, spokesman for Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks. "It seems to me, we managed to get through Y2K. If we can accomplish the change of the millennium, we can handle a change in daylight saving time."
'Spring forward' will be sprung March 11 this year, vice the time honored April date.
I hadn't heard.
I'm hoping my computer, cell phone, cable, credit union, et al...has.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:46 AM | Comments (1)
January 30, 2007
The Devil's
...in the debit. Disclosure: I've never used mine ~ never felt the need to and, as time goes on, really look askance at the whole concept. The Red Tape fellow points out more things I wasn't aware of. In the comments about the smarmy world of debit card fees there are tons of know-it-all "don't spend more than you have/try balancing a checkbook/duh-keep track of your transactions/learn to add" one liners. They ARE common sense in a checkbook world, but they're really not applicable to debit carding, because of what you don't know is going on in the electronic hell energized when you swipeth.
Your running bank balance ~ however scrupulously calculated on your part ~ is rendered moot by a dirty little trick gas stations in our neck of the woods use. When you tender your debit card for purchases, they authorize a larger sum, which is NOT reflected by your receipt, or what eventually posts to your account. You THINK you've bought $20 worth of petrol, but they've authorized $35+, which stands until the ACTUAL charges have been paid. Now, that's an additional $15 out of your account that you have no clue has been temporarily debited. So, like our starving college student Ebola did, knowing you'd only spent $20, you go buy a movie ticket or swipe your card at the Winn-Dixie and you're overdrawn. And going INSANE trying to figure it out. And HAMMERED for the additional $30 friendly overdraft, which never REALLY was one to begin with. Over and over again. It wasn't until a short piece our local news ran exposing and explaining the practice that we had a clue. And cold comfort to his poor wallet hundreds of dollars later, not to mention all the abuse he took from us about "Jesus, how hard can it be to keep track of?!"
I've also started run across this from different institutions when, as an artist, I've run a customer's debit card. They'll call me in a panic because, after checking in a day or two, the transaction has posted TWICE on their online screen. I've only run it through once. Their BANK posted it twice. It quietly goes away AFTERwards. But, if they hadn't checked... And at least their bank posted both, instead of ~ like Navy Federal in Ebola's case, for instance ~ just posting the transaction amount, not the authorized deduction.
I think that all should be illegal. It's certainly unethical. If I'm to be penalized for an overdraft, I think I should KNOW that I've actually BEEN overdrawn. Gas stations (or whatEVER businesses do something this foul) should be forced to put signs on the pumps with a disclaimer that the authorized amount for your purchase with a debit card will temporarily be increased by whatever over the actual purchase, for 'this time period'.
Where else is charging someone for services NOT rendered/delivered, with no warning ~ especially with the potential for such dire consequences for the unknowing victim ~ legal?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
January 27, 2007
A Cautionary Tale: When Making Plans for That 'BIG' Weekend
...of Lounge Lizard fantasies, remember to bring a spare if things go wrong.
Mozart, an iguana with an erection that has lasted for over a week, will have his penis amputated in the next couple of days.Veterinarians at Antwerp's Aquatopia had sought to treat the animal's problem, but decided removal was the only solution because of the risk of infection. The good news for Mozart and his mates is that male iguanas have two penises.
Mozart, sitting on the shoulders of his keeper as camera crews focused on his red, swollen erection, seemed unperturbed by the news.
"It doesn't bother him. He doesn't know what amputation means," said vet Luc Lambrecht, adding that Mozart's sexual activity should be undimmed by the operation.
"I don't think so. That's all in his head."
I think that's true of males in general.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:03 AM | Comments (3)
December 26, 2006
I Hope Everyone Had A Wonderful Christmas!
It was nice to take a few days off from everything.
Except eating and drinking, of course.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:57 AM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2006
"Airport Security" Joins "Jumbo Shrimp"
On the list of contradictions in terms. This is completely insane
A woman going through security at Los Angeles International Airport put her month-old grandson into a plastic bin intended for carry-on items and slid it into an X-ray machine.The early Saturday accident — bizarre but not unprecedented — caught airport workers by surprise, even though the security line was not busy at the time, officials said.
A screener watching the machine's monitor immediately noticed the outline of a baby and pulled the bin backward on the conveyor belt.
Where the hell was the worker who was supposed to be watching passengers as they load the bins?
Of course, then there's also this lovely news via Tim Blair
Britain's border controls were condemned as "non-existent" today after it was claimed that the suspected murderer of a policewoman fled the country by disguising himself as a veiled Muslim woman.Police reportedly believe that Mustaf Jamma, a prime suspect in the fatal shooting of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky, used his sister's passport and wore a full niqab to evade checks at Heathrow airport.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis insisted there should be an urgent inquiry.
At the time of the 26-year-old's apparent escape between Christmas Day last year and New Year's Day, he was one of the UK's most wanted men and the airport was on high alert in the wake of the July 7 bombing attacks.
But it is thought that staff rarely ask those departing Britain to remove veils in order to make sure their identification is valid.
Words fail me at things like this. I really hate to despair at this time of the year, but sometimes it is very hard not to. Good god, how could this happen?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:13 AM | Comments (4)
December 08, 2006
Happy Birthday Emily!
From your bestest buddy!
Go over and give her your best wishes!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:17 AM | Comments (5)
December 07, 2006
Let Us Never Forget
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:59 AM | Comments (4)
November 15, 2006
"Die Well"
A warm Swill welcome to the blogroll for Boston Herald writer and far more importantly frequent Tim Blair commenter Jules Crittendon. Go check it out. He has a fantastic story up on a survivor of Ia Drang.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:26 PM
October 21, 2006
A FLORIDA Voter's Alert
Proposed Constitutional Amendment No.8I didn't even know it was on the ballot. Dave? Any gobbledeegook involved here we should watch for? 'Cause it sounds good on it's face to me. My only concern is the implementation date ~ lets all those cases right now off the hook and to be sorted out in court, but I guess that's the price you pay.
Ballot Title:EMINENT DOMAIN
Ballot Summary:Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to prohibit the transfer of private property taken by eminent domain to a natural person or private entity; providing that the Legislature may by general law passed by a three-fifths vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature permit exceptions allowing the transfer of such private property; and providing that this prohibition on the transfer of private property taken by eminent domain is applicable if the petitionof taking that initiated the condemnation proceeding was filed on or after January 2, 2007.
Full Text:ARTICLE XMISCELLANEOUSSECTION
6. Eminent domain.—
(a) No private property shall be taken except for a public purpose and with full compensation therefor paid to each owner or secured by deposit in the registry of the court and available to the owner.
(b) Provision may be made by law for the taking of easements, by like proceedings, for the drainage of the land of one person over or through the land of another.
(c) Private property taken by eminent domain pursuant to a petition to initiate condemnation proceedings filed on or after January 2, 2007, may not be conveyed to a natural person or private entity except as provided by general law passed by a three-fifths vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:55 PM | Comments (8)
October 18, 2006
First Harry Reid
Now Hillary is making 'corrections' to her life story:
Years after alternative media pointed out the virtual impossibility, Sen. Hillary Clinton finally has admitted she was not named for the famous conqueror of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary.The New York Times, which repeated the claim as fact in a story just one week ago, reported Sen. Clinton's campaign issued a correction yesterday.
For more than a decade, Sen. Clinton's informal biography repeated the story, and it was recounted in former President Bill Clinton's 2004 autobiography, "My Life."
..."It had two l's, which is how she thought she was supposed to spell Hillary," she said. "So when I was born, she called me Hillary, and she always told me it's because of Sir Edmund Hillary."
In 1947, Sir Edmund was an unknown beekeeper, but Clinton had explained her mother read about him in a publication while pregnant and liked the name.
Sir Hillary did not climb Everest until 1953, when Ms. Hillary was 6.
"In point of fact," Hillary Clinton said, "I would like to state clearly for the record that my mother named me for Tenzig Norgay."
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:50 AM | Comments (1)
October 12, 2006
Okay ~ Everyone Needs to Look for Kcruella Tonight
She's at the Mets play-off game.
I think the term is "nosebleed".
UPDATE: Holy CRAP! 13 innings?!? Man, is she gonna be cranky tomorrow.
(And probably the whole city sleep deprived city, ya think?)
But they won, so woo hoo Mets.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:56 PM | Comments (1)
October 06, 2006
Chemical Fire In NC
Oh man, what a mess:
APEX, N.C. -- Shifting winds forced Apex officials to expand an evacuation area early Friday to protect residents from a chemical gas plume that continued to spread from an industrial fire that has raged since late Thursday.Town Manager Bruce Radford said a leak at the EQ North Carolina plant on Investment Boulevard sent several large plumes of chlorine gas into the air around 9 p.m. Thursday. A large fire broke out at the plant afterward, sending flames more than 100 feet into the night sky and setting off multiple explosions.
EQ is a licensed hazardous-waste facility that serves businesses.
Apex and Wake County officials declared a state of emergency early Friday and evacuated about 16,000 people -- half of of Apex -- within hours.
...Weatherly said the fire had spread to a nearby petroleum farm and had ignited four storage tanks containing a total of about 200,000 gallons of fuel. Officials were unsure if the fire had spread beyond that, however, he said.
They're just going to let it burn out, and may have to evacuate more folks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:16 AM
October 04, 2006
You Can Buy the Reissued 39¢ Eid Stamp
...in 2 days. 
My buddies at CAIR want everyone to use them, bless their little pointy wrapped heads.
USPS to Re-Issue 'Eid' Stamps
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/28/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking members of the American Muslim community to contact local postmasters and request that they stock the stamp commemorating Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha when it is re-issued on October 6, 2006, as part of the "Holiday Series." In past years, there have been reports that the Eid stamp was unavailable in some post offices.CAIR is also asking Muslims to buy and use Eid stamps for all their mailing needs.
This stamp was originally issued on September 1, 2001 (Yes, that date is right), but not without it's own prescient little controversy...
STATEMENT BY AZEEZALY S. JAFFER, VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS, U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
November 14, 2001
Washington, DC - "The U.S. Postal Service today is reproducing its Holiday Stamp promotional posters in local post offices in response to recent concerns raised by the American Muslim community.Due to an oversight, an image of the Eid stamp, which commemorates two important Islamic festivals, was left off the promotional posters*.
The Postal Service deeply regrets the oversight and is reprinting the holiday posters depicting the Eid stamp image in local post offices. Eid stamps will be available for sale at post offices nationwide this Holiday season.
...and darned if I don't think *they got it right the first time. Now, I know this is a free country and all the money goes to the Post Office and not murderous thugs or anything, but...I'll stick to the Ben Franklin series, 'cause I tend to bristle when I read a comment like this on an Islamic blog (SEE? I'm well rounded!) announcing the glad tidings.
That is so nice, the Americans are so friendly to Muslims - it is indeed such a Great Country that they have eid stamps for Muslims. We should be happy. Our government and postal service are so very Muslim friendly.Could you also ask the postal service, if they are also going to issue stamps celebrating the slaughter of Iraqi Muslims, Palestinian Muslims, Lebanese Muslims?
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Would that I could find a Babelfish Arabic translation for 'f*ckwad'.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:21 PM | Comments (6)
September 28, 2006
Nightfly Gets Caught In LadyBug's Web
Congratulations! The cheesesteaks are on me!!!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:26 AM | Comments (2)
September 26, 2006
I'm Not So Sure This
...is a good idea. But since I wasn't sure if you all knew about it, I thought I'd throw it out there.
S 3696 (PERA), sponsored by Sen. Brownback (R-Kan), a companion bill to H.R. 2679 (PERA), sponsored by Rep. Hostetter (R-Ind.), would amend all relevant federal laws to eliminate the authority of judges to award taxpayer-paid attorney fees to the ACLU, or anyone else, in lawsuits under the Establishment of Religion Clause of the First Amendment against veterans memorials, the Boy Scouts, or the public display of the Ten Commandments of other symbols of America’s history with a religious aspect.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:12 AM | Comments (3)
September 19, 2006
NASA's Mystery Object Identified
I'm not too worried about this latest news from NASA:
NASA delayed the planned landing of the space shuttle Atlantis by at least a day Tuesday after engineers spotted an object that may have accidentally flown out of its cargo bay.Landing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. But a poor weather forecast and concerns that something crucial floated out of the craft prompted the delay, space shuttle communicator Terry Virts told the crew.
The Space Mystery!
Really, it's not that difficult to figure out folks. Given the clues over the last week about how one fumble-fingered astronaut kept dropping screws and bolts made it pretty easy to figure out which astronaut it was.
Which of course means the 'mystery object' can only be
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:20 PM | Comments (6)
September 06, 2006
A Courtesy Alert to My Fellow Travelers
There are NO ...
*%$@#
DUNKIN' DONUTS
...in Indianapolis either.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:41 PM | Comments (20)
September 01, 2006
No Mas "Miller Time"
What ever I drink this weekend, I can guarantee you it won't be a Miller product:
This time, as demonstrators march from Chinatown to House Speaker Dennis Hastert's (R-Ill.) Batavia office this weekend, they will have Miller Brewing Co., as a sponsor. The brewer has paid more than $30,000 for a planning convention, materials and newspaper ads publicizing the event.The support of a major corporation for a controversial political cause shows how fierce the competition has become to woo the growing market of Latino consumers.
Michelle helpfully lists their products.
Foster's. They've corrupted Foster's.
Bastards.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:08 AM | Comments (21)
August 25, 2006
I Just Flew In From Edinburgh...
And boy are my arms tired!
Looks like Sis didn't burn the place down in my absence.
It's great to be back in the Great Satan, and I'm offloading pics from the camera as we speak.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:00 PM | Comments (6)
August 24, 2006
Calling Apple Lap Tops! Calling Apple Lap Tops!
"Smokin'" might not refer to your processor speed.
Apple to recall 1.8 million notebook batteries
Recall is second-biggest in U.S. history involving electronics or computers
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:22 PM | Comments (5)
August 16, 2006
No Wonder Bras Allowed!!
You can separate, but you can't lift. And you can thank the baby bombers.
Authorities Warning Women Not to Wear Gel Bras As Worries of Possible Female Bombers Increase
U.S. authorities are advising women not to wear gel bras on airplanes as information developed in the foiled London plot points to an expanding role for women in smuggling explosives on to an aircraft.
Authorities at Scotland Yard are questioning a husband and wife, suspects in the London terror plot, about allegations that they were planning to use their baby's bottle to hide a liquid bomb.
UPDATE: The ABC News website report seems to be down right now, but I just got me a screenshot. It's in the extended section.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:06 PM | Comments (11)
Vacation! Be Kind To Sis!
Going here
to see
and
Sadly, none of this
this trip.
See y'all in awhile!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:11 AM | Comments (7)
August 10, 2006
2009 Camaro
So they announced it. Wonder how they got around the contract that they had with the last plant that built F-cars?
Posted by Crusader at 02:36 PM | Comments (2)
August 05, 2006
Happy Birthday Crusader!!!!!!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:52 AM | Comments (13)
July 21, 2006
More reasons...
to keep driving my paid-for 20mpg BMW. I'm using less energy over the life of the vehicle.
Posted by Crusader at 10:15 AM | Comments (14)
July 18, 2006
Power Troubles In NY
ConEd is asking all buildings to cut their power usage by 25%. It's going to be close to 100 here today.
Yippee.
At least I don't have to go into the subway.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:52 AM | Comments (20)
July 17, 2006
Attention FoxNews and AP-IPSO Pollees!!
(Or ANY other polltakers in the near future.) When queried about "would the Democrats do a better job on the economy than the current administration", please refer to these numbers before stepping blindly into the abyss:
Output at U.S. factories, mines and utilities rose by a bigger-than-expected 0.8 percent in June and capacity use also topped expectations......Capacity use rose to 82.4 percent, the highest rate since 82.5 percent in June 2000, the Fed reported on Monday.
Industrial production rose at an annual rate of 6.6 percent in the second quarter, the largest quarterly rise since a 7.7 percent climb in the fourth quarter of 1999.
...Manufacturing output in June rose at 0.7 percent on gains in automotive production, while mining output jumped 1.2 percent and utilities output climbed 0.7 percent.
Manufacturing capacity use was 81.1 percent, the highest since May 2000.
Knowledge is power, children and the answer to the question is "No".
Wake UP.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:25 AM | Comments (2)
July 14, 2006
In the Words of the Grail Knight, "If You Must Choose...
...choose wisely..."
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - The Complete Series (1993)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:09 AM
July 07, 2006
Holland Tunnel Plot
This is really not surprising:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A plot to bomb New York's Holland Tunnel in an effort to flood the Wall Street financial district has been uncovered by the FBI, with a suspect arrested in Lebanon, New York's Daily News reported on Friday.The newspaper, quoting unidentified counterterrorism sources, said the investigation involved what officials considered a "serious plot" to detonate enough explosives inside the landmark tunnel to destroy it and send devastating floodwaters through lower Manhattan.
There was a lot more security at the Tunnel this morning, as it is a pretty obvious target, and it's closure would be a huge pain. But I guess no one bothered to tell Muhammed that Wall Street is above sea level; maybe he figured that when combined with global warmiing and melting ice caps his cunning plan could not fail...
THS UPdate: What's THIS I read?
Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., said, "This is one instance where intelligence was on top of its game and discovered the plot when it was just in the talking phase."
The FBI was monitoring chat rooms! Listening in! EAVESdropping.
Is M-O-N-I-T-O-R-I-N-G okay now in Chuckie's eyes?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:02 AM | Comments (5)
June 13, 2006
More Proof Of God
Cullen is very excited about a huge ball of gas zipping through the the universe. And it is pretty neat.
But I have to admit that this is a lot more interesting to me:
Astronomers at the UK's Jodrell Bank Observatory have discovered what is surely the strongest argument to date in favour of ploughing huge resources into space exploration: a giant "bridge" of methyl alcohol spanning around 288bn miles, within which is nestled a stellar nursery.The booze cloud was spotted using the UK's MERLIN radio telescopes in an area of our own galaxy rather uninspiringly called W3(OH). According to the Royal Astronomical Society blurb, this is a region where "stars are being formed by the gravitational collapse of a cloud of gas and dust".
...Sadly, methyl alcohol is not currently suitable for human consumption, although we have no doubt that by the time mankind develops the technology necessary to reach W3(OH) it will also have evolved the capacity to successfully metabolise this molecule.
We thank you for this bounty that you have laid before us.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:08 PM | Comments (10)
June 12, 2006
Watch Spam
Gawd, this stuff is annoying. I'm cleaning out a couple hundred comments and trackbacks a day.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:47 AM | Comments (3)
June 05, 2006
NOLA stuff....
with interesting graphics.
Posted by Crusader at 04:34 PM | Comments (1)
June 01, 2006
Eat Dunkin' Donuts; Screw Tyson Chicken
Look, I've already told you that their coffee is excellent. Now there's this
Beginning today, all 5,000 of Dunkin' Donuts franchisees will be required to participate in a government database program to verify that workers are here legally. The company was responding to customer concerns about illegal employees.
How cool is that?
Tyson? Goya? We're waiting.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:24 PM | Comments (19)
May 26, 2006
The New 7 WTC
The first new building at the WTC site, 7, has opened.
The 1.7 million-square-foot, $700 million building stands out downtown largely because it does not stand out. Its glass curtain facade is made of ultra-clear, low-iron glass, making it appear much lighter in color than any of the area’s surrounding buildings. Behind the glass, curved stainless-steel spandrels reflect sky-like blue light back onto the windows.
It's pretty neat looking. I took this on Tuesday:
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:18 PM | Comments (6)
May 12, 2006
It's Safe To Go Swimming Now, Florida Cracker
This big boy has been caught:
A potential world record hammerhead shark was caught on Wednesday in Boca Grande Pass.Capt. Andy Whitbread of Fort Myers captured a 13 foot, 4 inch, 750-pound hammerhead. Whitbread used an estimated 12- to 15-pound live crevalle jack as bait and caught the fish on 80-pound class tackle for the potential line-class world record.
I would say he had a boca grande.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:53 PM
May 05, 2006
Mayor Too Drunk For Breathalyzer
And his name isn't Kennedy!
(Although the Powers That Be in Hyannis Port are reportedly trying to free up a daughter for him)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:47 AM | Comments (2)
May 03, 2006
Michael Moore Sighted In Mexico?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:37 AM | Comments (2)
Mayor Noggin's New Ad Men
To help the public understand this daring and bold new concept, the Mayor has enlisted, at great expense, these experts:
Run Away!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:50 AM | Comments (4)
May 02, 2006
Mayor Noggin's Brilliant New Plan
NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin unveiled a new evacuation strategy for New Orleans on Tuesday that relies more on buses and trains and eliminates the Superdome and Convention Center as shelters.*“There will be no shelter of last resort,” Nagin declared.
*Our inside sources indicate that Katrina eliminated the Superdome and Convention Center as shelters, but we quibble.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:23 PM | Comments (4)
Don't Deny The Allmans Their Due
Or Florida Cracker is gonna be all over your butt.
Members of The Allman Brothers Band and Cheap Trick have filed a class action lawsuit against Sony BMG, alleging the company has underpaid its artists royalties associated with digital music sales.Songs downloaded from the iTunes Music Store and other commercial music download services routinely cost 99 cents each. Billboard reports that the plaintiffs in the case say they’re receiving a scant 4.5 cents for each digital download of their music, but they claim they’re owed 30 cents per track instead.
And you don't want her after you.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:57 AM
May 01, 2006
Hmm, I'll Have The Steak, Please
Q: How did the sick chicken sign his name?
A: With a Nyquil.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities have discovered a mild form of avian influenza at a live bird market in New Jersey, but it is not the deadly H5N1 strain governments around the world are trying to contain, the state's agriculture department said."The strain was found in a live bird market in Camden County. None of the birds in the market died from this virus, which is an indicator that the virus was low pathogenic and not harmful to humans," said a statement by New Jersey's Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus which was posted on Friday.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:04 PM
April 26, 2006
"Now Where Did I Leave That Bio-Weapon..."
It really is amazing when you keep hearing stories like this:
NEWARK, N.J. - In the past year, two New Jersey laboratories have been unable to account for plague-infested mice and vials of deadly anthrax spores, and top state officials are scrambling to devise better ways to safeguard deadly material.In both cases, authorities say they think the items in question weren't actually lost, but were simply unaccounted for due to clerical errors.
"Clerical errors." They think.
Great...
All this money being spent, and they can't keep track of anthrax and plague samples?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:21 PM | Comments (10)
April 25, 2006
Ebola Should Be Getting Nervous
Dad shoots at computer:
Dunedin, Florida - A Dunedin dad probably made his point about his son spending too much time on the computer. Pinellas Sheriff's deputies say he shot at the monitor as his son sat near-by. Forty-four-year-old Joseph Langenderfer was arrested Monday afternoon at his home on Frances Street.
Certainly we've all felt that way at times. But the best part of the story is the clarification at the end:
Langenderfer is in the Pinellas County jail charged with one count of attempted murder, (accused of trying to kill his son, not the computer.)
Heh.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:10 PM
April 05, 2006
Would That Make This
...a "Speedo Wax"?
Press ... rip ... YEOW!That guttural scream you hear rattling the door of a back room in your local day spa just may be coming from a man getting his [nether regions] hair waxed. Yes, it’s true. Men are grooming, uh, down there.
The other day I saw "Nair For Men" for the first time and assumed it was for hairy backs and knuckles. (Of course, if you drag those like certain folks do, the hair wears off naturally.)
I live in a bubble.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:38 AM | Comments (15)
March 29, 2006
Hooters Goes Bust
I couldn't resist saying that.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:04 PM | Comments (8)
March 17, 2006
Dennys: It's Californian For...
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - A gunman opened fire early Friday morning at a Denny's restaurant and one man was killed and another seriously wounded, police said. It was the third fatal shooting to occur at the restaurant chain in Southern California this week.
Geesh.
Oh, and nice editorial work on the headline, there, AP: "Anaheim shooting is third at a SoCal Dennis"
Goobers.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:02 PM | Comments (1)
March 16, 2006
I Can't Find Anything About This
...on MSNBC or CNN, but it could be just me. RadioBlogger's transcript of Hugh Hewitt's show yesterday.
HH: Now John Eastman, this is fortuitous. About an hour ago, a release was made in Washington, D.C., announcing the formation of something called the Iraq Study Group, which will consist of James A. Baker and Lee Hamilton, former CIA director Robert Gates, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Clinton advisor Vernon Jordan, Clinton chief of staff Leon Panetta, Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry, Democratic Senator Chuck Robb, retired, Alan Simpson, a Republican, and allegedly, Sandra Day O'Connor is rumored to be about to join this as well. It has been put together under the auspices of the Congressional Institute of Peace, it will be funded by federal dollars. John Eastman, as a Constitutional scholar, what do you think of this, which smacks, I think, of the Committee of Reconstruction from the Civil War, and the Church Committee, and the 9/11 Commission?
UPDATE: Major Dad says he noticed something yesterday, so I came to it a smidge late, 'twould seem. If the administration once again plays the
UPDATE Mark Steyn on Hugh Hewitt, courtesy of the RadioBlogger.
HH:...What's your reaction to the formation of this group?MS: Well, the 9/11 Commission is the...I mean, you know me. I'm a foreigner, but I'm pro-American. And yet I must say, the 9/11 Commission is everything I loathe about the United States, in that its legalistic, retrospective, showboating blowhards, pompous people going on TV round the clock. And in effect, it becomes something in and of itself. It's not just commenting on something like a play by play guy is, but it actually changes the course of the something its commenting on. And that's what's bad about this. You know, Iraq isn't a Broadway play in previews. The show has opened, and it's on now. So it's too late to have arguments about this little weak spot in the first act, and we should get it re-written. The show has opened, and the responsibility of these people involved in this, James Baker, Lee Hamilton, Rudy Giuliani, all these people, is that they should now be saying let's win it, and then have the arguments.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:18 PM | Comments (6)
March 15, 2006
Please Give A Warm Swill Welcome
To the latest member of our blogroll: Careful Thought.
Poor guy is under assault by the Unschooling Army. "Unschooling" is homeschooling without the school, I think. Go look at the FAQ Section and see if you can figure it out. Look, I'm not a big fan of homeschooling, but I think it can succeed with the proper support network and recognition by the parents that it is a heck of a lot of work.
One thing that is clear from reading the comments is that the first thing that is unschooled is manners.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:48 PM | Comments (26)
March 14, 2006
Whew, Dog!
As if being a senior wasn't stressful enough. I mean, if you have any ambition at all...which I never have. (Pisces ~ we sorta float through life.)
1,600 More SAT Scoring Problems FoundThe College Board disclosed Tuesday that an additional 1,600 SAT scores have not been rechecked from an exam in October that had scoring problems.
The previously overlooked batch of answer sheets came from among those being scored separately for a variety of reasons, including security concerns. Some of those scores were on hold and had not been reported, but others may have been reported incorrectly, according to an e-mail sent to college admissions officers and guidance counselors early Tuesday. The statement also was posted on the College Board's Web site.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:36 AM
March 06, 2006
A Bummer
Our good friend Wunderkraut is going on hiatus for awhile. Please stop by and thank him for his efforts and encourage him to return!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:04 AM
Happy Birthday THS!!!
You've reached the legendary Birthday of Aaauugh...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:15 AM | Comments (21)
March 01, 2006
Sage Advice From Lisa
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:59 AM
February 22, 2006
Odd, Isn't It?
Berdahl said Tuesday that carbon monoxide-treated meat could be left on the kitchen counter for five days and would still look bright red and fresh. Carbon monoxide "also suppresses bad odors and the presence of slime, other telltale signs that meat is spoiled," Kalsec's petition said.Miracle Whip does that too and I'm sure it's cheaper.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:58 AM | Comments (4)
February 21, 2006
Fla. Man Killed Over Miracle Whip
Oh wait, it was toilet paper:
MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A man has been arrested for fatally beating his roommate with a sledgehammer and a claw hammer because there was no toilet tissue in the home, authorities said.
Whew. That sound you heard was Florida Cracker's sigh of relief...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:55 PM | Comments (3)
February 03, 2006
See You On The 12th
I'm off to Brazil for a week.
Please try to keep THS and Crusader restrained...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:43 PM | Comments (6)
Thanks To Everyone
For making our first year here at the Swilling a helluva lot of fun and much more successful than we ever reckoned possible.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:46 AM | Comments (21)
January 11, 2006
Lileks Defines "oil"
Oil is God's way of saying "your house should be warm in winter and fresh green produce should be available in February, and never mind the birds. Oh look! I just made another billion birds! Like that! Because I can! So shut up and go drive somewhere. Floor it! I command you!"
Works for me!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:31 PM | Comments (1)
January 04, 2006
One More Reason
...to keep food on Bingley's table.
The likelihood of developing breast cancer among BRCA mutation carriers who drank 1 to 3 cups of coffee daily, 4 to 5 cups, or 6 or more cups was reduced by 10 percent, 25 percent and 69 percent, respectively, compared to those who drank no coffee, according to the report in the International Journal of Cancer.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:35 AM | Comments (5)
January 03, 2006
Leveling
...Off.
U.S. Federal Reserve policy-makers in December aimed to signal that a 1-1/2 year rate rise campaign was likely near its end, minutes of the central bank's mid-month meeting released on Tuesday showed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:23 PM
As a Public Service
...I thought I should pass this along, in case you hadn't seen it.
Computer security experts were grappling with the threat of a new weakness in Microsoft's Windows operating system that could put hundreds of millions of PCs at risk of infection by spyware or viruses...."The potential [security threat] is huge," said Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at F-Secure, an antivirus company. "It's probably bigger than for any other vulnerability we've seen. Any version of Windows is vulnerable right now."
That hacking noise you hear in the background is "Bingley the smug bastard"'s iMAC induced gloating.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:05 PM | Comments (4)
January 01, 2006
Carnival of NJ Bloggers #33
Happy New Year! This week, I'm honored to host the Carnival, and it has the unique distinction of being both the last of 2005 and the first 0f 2006. It also is the 33rd Carnival, that number of mystery (why is that number on bottles of Rolling Rock?), adventure (I have many stories about driving on Rt. 33 from Hightstown to Freehold at 3am in my single days, dodging deer and State troopers) and romance (see Rolling Rock)!
And the planets have alligned, because the mystical '33' is also the number of entries we have this week...
Fractals Of Change offers a unique look at problems with our health care system (though I wouldn't mind having an employer co-pay option on my bar tab at times).
Philly2Hoboken offers some timely advice on a secret way to get into Hoboken. Now if he could only get me a parking spot...
Surrounded By Women (as am I) describes his plan for a delightful few days reading. But I must ask: are there Frost poems nipping at his nose?
The NJ Blog has a suggestion for THE burning issue facing New Jersey today: what should our new state slogan be?
Mr. Snitch is not happy with the state of the great "slogan search", either. He offers one for April 15th.
Gigglechick has perhaps the best solutions to this crucial sloganatorial issue that will affect mankind for many generations to come ("Hurry, we're almost full" gets my vote too, though I would prefer it as "Hurray! We're almost full").
Closer to our pocketbook, LaceyRoad looks at school district-size false economies.
Meanwhile, out in that thing called "the world," Armies of Liberation has a thoughtful article on the status of Yemen, and a vigorous discussion in the comments.
The Wrightwing gets fanatical on, er, fanatics, actually.
"D"igital Breakfast recounts their recent trip to China. Poor S; I had a child do that to me in the back seat of a Toyota on a windy road high in the hills of Haiti many years ago, after said youngster had eaten an onion sandwich. Little tyke needed to learn to chew a bit more...
A little closer to home, Virtual Memories recounts a recent wedding-planning trip to New Orleans (if the rehearsal dinner is at Antoine's, by gosh I'm going!).
The Contrarian fondly remembers Chubby Checkers and nuns. Ah, nuns. No western gunfighter could stand a chance against the Rulers of Doom wielded by the nuns at Rev George Brown School in Sparta.
Karl's Corner has the tale of his Christmas Eve. What would you do?
Xpatriated Texan offers his thoughts on the FBI radiation-monitoring story that came out last week.
Enlighten-New Jersey looks at this story from a slightly different angle.
Tammany on the Hudson has an interesting anecdote about Bob Menendez. The more things change...
...the more they resemble Hollywood, I guess, or perhaps it's the other way 'round. Following on the recent news of that ex-Sopranos actor in jail for shooting a policeman we have The Opinion Mill dropping a dime on another alum doing some time. Geesh.
The Old Fox's Den offers some advice to the Democratic Party.
Tata at Poor Impulse Control experiences what we all dread: a surprise visit from mom.
The Nightfly piques my interest in the NFL...
Likelihood of Confusion weighs in on the recent kerfluffle between Jews for Jesus and Google.
This Full House has her annual dream of a new house (I'd take one in Virginia or North Carolina, too!)
Speaking of annual events, the end of the year is always 'Best Of' season. The Art of Getting By has her list up (and it's a beauty) along with a plug for Best of Blogs nominations and voting. She's been busy!
DynamoBuzz gives us an alphabetical review of the Year in Jersey...now why do I want to try and sing the list?
Cripes Suzette, like many of us, will shed no tears for the passing of 2005. Taxi Cab yellow? It's criminal!
Shamrocketship also won't shed any tears for 2005, as more than enough were shed during it.
The Rix Mix is no fan of 2005, either, and suggests the event that put the Earth off its axis.
The Eternal Golden Braid recounts what he read this year. One word: wow! Ok, maybe more than one word: I recommend "Crusade" by David Weber and Steve White for his SF list for 2006; one of the best I've ever read (I also have to say the "Honor Harrington" series goes downhill after the first 4 books).
The Center of NJ Life finds the true meaning of New Years (and it has nothing to do with people named Marley and chains; that was last week's story!)
NJ Spoken Word offers us some lovely words of encouragement for the coming year.
And What A Sad Old Goth offers us some sage advice, as well.
What better way to ring in the new with some soup? And who better to supply it than The Joy Of Soup? I can vouch for the Soup Lady's recipes, friends!
Finally, in this age of Cybersquatting and Cyberlove, I will leave you with this beautiful example of what science calls the CyberSquash™.
Thanks for the chance and privilege of hosting!
Please make sure and visit carnival #34, which will be hosted next week by "D"igital Breakfast.
Have a safe and prosperous New Year!
Update: Maureen at Jersey Writers raises a glass to Judith. Hmm, I think I'd pass if Judith invited me over for a drink...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:00 AM | Comments (13)
December 29, 2005
NJ Carnival
We're hosting the Carnival of NJ Bloggers this week, so all you joisy hepcats send your submissions in!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:49 AM
December 05, 2005
Coffee Is Health Food!
I always knew it:
Coffee and tea may reduce the risk of serious liver damage in people who drink alcohol too much, are overweight, or have too much iron in the blood, researchers reported on Sunday.
Woohoo!!!!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:23 AM | Comments (15)
November 30, 2005
Blackberry Whine?
Won't Washington come to a screeching halt?
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. was dealt another legal setback in a key patent infringement case on Wednesday, raising pressure to settle or face a possible shutdown of its U.S. mobile e-mail service....Spencer said he would request briefs and set a hearing date to deal with NTP's request for damages against RIM and an injunction that would halt U.S. sales of the BlackBerry and shut its service.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:32 PM | Comments (4)
We Need to Chill Out
Well, those of us who use natural gas. Sigh. That's what God made sweats for.
The Atlanta district reported that production in the Gulf of Mexico had improved since September. However nearly 40 percent of natural gas and half of oil production still remained off-line."Most of the petroleum refining capacity in Louisiana and Mississippi was back on-line, but natural gas processing remains a concern as repair of processing facilities is taking longer than expected," the Fed said.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:39 PM | Comments (4)
November 29, 2005
Hmm, Maybe Insta's Blender Broke Over Thanksgiving?
This isn't his usual method...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:39 PM | Comments (1)
November 24, 2005
From Dubya's Table To Yours
May you and yours have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for, and please keep our troops in mind on this and every day.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:29 AM | Comments (3)
November 11, 2005
Thanks To All Who Serve
Go read Ken, too.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:10 AM | Comments (2)
November 02, 2005
Ken's Having A Senior Moment
Please help him find a post.
Don't do it for his sake, do it for the kittens:
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:13 AM | Comments (7)
November 01, 2005
Pig Of The Day
Brought to you by the swine folks at Mikeska's BBQ.
Yumyumyumyumyum.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:13 PM | Comments (12)
October 29, 2005
"Update" Is A Scary Word
I updated Swilling to 3.2 this morning.
If there are any issues I humbly beg your forgiveness, and please remember the immortal words of Bill Gates:
"It's not a bug; it's a feature."
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:08 PM | Comments (7)
October 24, 2005
Um, One Would Hope Not...
Not use them, I mean. But knowing that someone in a trailer they're thinking of breaking into might just be packing could conceivably cause a rethink of the situation, right?
FEMA lifts ban on guns at temporary housing
Under new policy, residents can own, store firearms, but not use themFollowing complaints from gun-rights groups, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday it is lifting a ban on firearms at emergency housing parks built in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Under the new federal policy, residents can possess and store firearms. Use of weapons is still prohibited in the parks, said Butch Kinerny, a FEMA spokesman.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:12 PM | Comments (1)
October 22, 2005
Alpha, Baby
Just an mph or so away...
We are on the verge of the first ever named tropical storm "Alpha" in the Atlantic basin as tropical depression 25 has formed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:52 PM | Comments (2)
October 20, 2005
BREAKING NEWS
...and I'm shocked, SHOCKED!!
ABCNews is reporting that the U.N. has released a report on the assassination of the former Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri, stating it was planned by Syrian and Lebanese security forces. "Evidence of Syrian, Lebanese involvement." We'll link as soon as we get one. Bastards.
UPDATE:Got it.
A U.N. investigation concluded that high-ranking Syrian and Lebanese security officials were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, according to a report released Thursday.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:55 PM | Comments (1)
Since We're ON NOLA, Anyway
...file this note under "No Bad Deed Goes Unrewarded".
The presidency of the Orleans Levee Board is an unpaid position, or at least it was until just before Hurricane Katrina struck. In August, board President Jim Huey concluded that he was entitled to $1,000 a month for his work at the agency, retroactive to when he took the post in 1996. He came to this decision after consulting with two of the board's contract lawyers, one of whom was his wife's cousin, but without seeking approval from the other board members or the agency's staff attorney. The payment worked out to about $96,000.
This move was appalling but hardly surprising...
Big EASY, indeed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:19 AM
The Best Thing That Could Happen to New Orleans
This man...
no, THIS one...
is an egghead. A mayor of very little brain. Besides being a media whore. Mayor Noggin's latest?
New Orleans mayor blasts Saints ownerThere's one paragraph in this chirpy little MSNBC article that mentions what the Saints cost the state...
Nagin accuses Benson of negotiating permanent move to San Antonio
During Benson’s ownership, the state of Louisiana has built him a new headquarters, including spending $6.75 million for an indoor practice field in 2003. The state also has paid for repeated improvements to the Louisiana Superdome at Benson’s insistence during the past two decades.
...but as Swillers know (thanks to our TPI© investigative reports), besides building maintenance costs, the state's been RENTING the team the WHOLE TIME.
Under the current agreement, the state will pay the Saints $15 million this year and in 2006, $20 million in 2007 and 2008 and $23.5 million in 2009 and 2010. The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District refinanced bonds on the Superdome to cover this year's payment.
When one refinances those bonds to pay the Saints' extortion demands, one pays for those for years, whether you've got a team or not. Whether you're awash in cash...or not. Last I heard, NOLA was awash, but it wasn't in greenbacks. And the 'we need a big team + big events = $$'s IMPACT' justification doesn't pan out either.
...the 2003 NCAA men's basketball Final Four, estimated at the time at around $150 million of impact. And separate from that list is the presence of the NFL's Saints, the city's first and favorite pro franchise, and the NBA's Hornets, the newcomers.It makes one wonder where all that money has gone since that first Super Bowl in the Superdome 27 years ago.
But don't get mad about the billions that never trickled into the New Orleans beyond Bourbon Street, that appear at best misdirected, and at worst wasted.
Get mad about the fact that the money never existed in the first place
So. Who the hell has gotten the payola tickets that justified selling out your city and mortgaging the state to pay for a team that COSTS TENS of millions after millions, year after year, and never returns a dime? Who's gonna pay for them to 'come back', huh? Haven't you already laid off 3/4 of the city workers and there's, like, 6 cops left? Where's that money coming from? And EXACTLY WHAT of significance has the Saints organization contributed to rebuilding New Orleans?
Note to Mayor Noggin: STFU and LET THEM GO. Be a man, be a hero, oh bloviating one. Stand-up and say,
"We've got a city to rebuild and you choose not to be part of the solution. Fine. Don't let them gilded turnstiles hit you in the a$$ on your way out."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:01 AM | Comments (3)
October 19, 2005
WTF? Wilma CAT 5!
South Floridians: Get Out NOW While there's still gas.
DATA FROM A RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT HURRICANE WILMA HAS BECOME AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. THE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE MEASURED 175 MPH WINDS AND ESTIMATED A MINIMUM PRESSURE OF 892 MB. THIS IS THE LOWEST PRESSURE OBSERVED IN 2005 AND IS EQUIVALENT TO THE MINIMUM PRESSURE OF THE 1935 LABOR DAY HURRICANE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS.
AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE REPORTED 884 MB...THE LOWEST MINIMUM PRESSURE EVER MEASURED IN A HURRICANE IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN...THIS VALUE SHOULD BE USED WITH CAUTION UNTIL CALIBRATED...
Update:
PRONOUNCED TROCHOIDAL OSCILLATIONS ARE BEING SUPERIMPOSED ON A MEAN MOTION OF 300/6.
I have no idea what that means, but it can't be good.
Updated Update: Gawddammit I hate when they say "however..."
HOWEVER...RECENT RUNS OF THE GFS AND NOGAPS ARE SUGGESTING THE POSSIBILITY OF A THREAT TO NEW ENGLAND. IN THIS SCENARIO...WILMA BECOMES CAPTURED BY A LARGE MID- TO UPPER-LEVEL LOW FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION IN FOUR DAYS. THE ECMWF AND IN PARTICULAR THE UKMET...BOTH OLDER RUNS...DO NOT YET INDICATE THIS. THE FIVE-DAY OFFICIAL FORECAST POINT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED TO THE LEFT AND FASTER THAN THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY...BUT IS STILL MUCH FARTHER OFFSHORE OF NEW ENGLAND THAN THE GFDL...GFS...AND NOGAPS GUIDANCE.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:47 PM | Comments (18)
October 18, 2005
Dang, Did Wilma Change Her Mind
Helluva turn.
Look out Naples.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:44 AM | Comments (6)
October 17, 2005
Finding Friendly Skies to Fly
...in the current climate can be a challenge. This weekend could pose some problems, too.
Have any of the ticketing geniuses at Delta and Continental taken a recent look at the Mississippi coastline? Or at New Orleans? Who can make realistic travel plans within the next 20-odd days? Who needs these hassles?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:35 AM
October 13, 2005
A Little Energy Clarification
On one hand we've been hearing these rosy "the pipelines from the Gulf are fully operational" and on the other, secondhand reports from a cousin who works for Chevron that they got schmacked badly. So what's really up? The weekly fuel inventory report contained some industry stats.
Chevron Corp. said Wednesday it has restored oil and gas production in the Gulf to about 40 percent of its pre-hurricane levels. Also, Royal Dutch Shell Ltd. said its 340,000-barrel-a-day Deer Park, Texas, facility was already up and running, boosting output before the winter.But Exxon Mobil Corp. said its shut-in natural gas volumes had decreased from 545 million cubic feet a day last week to a current 495 million cubic feet a day. Around 50,000 barrels of oil production remain halted, ExxonMobil said.
As of Wednesday, 70 percent of daily oil production in the Gulf and 59 percent of natural gas production remained blocked as platforms and rigs recover, according to the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service.
Since Aug. 26, the region has lost more than 55 million barrels of oil, or 10.2 percent of its annual oil production, and 277 billion cubic feet of natural gas, or 7.6 percent of annual gas production, MMS said.
Pipelines up are all well and good only if there's something to run through them.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:30 PM
October 12, 2005
Attention Australian Readers
Our friend Paul, in a heart-warming display of self sacrifice and of putting others' needs ahead of his own, has volunteered for an important community service:
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:10 PM | Comments (2)
An Anniversiary Worthy of Note
On this date in 1915, former President Theodore Roosevelt criticized the concept of "hyphenated Americanism", referring to U.S. citizens who identified themselves by dual nationalities.
... There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts "native" before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance. But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as any one else.The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic. The men who do not become Americans and nothing else are hyphenated Americans; and there ought to be no room for them in this country. The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American. There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:53 AM | Comments (10)
October 11, 2005
Time to Split the Baby?
US court to review two cases covering wetlandsThe US Supreme Court on Thursday decided to step into a controversy over the federal government's power to protect the environment, agreeing to hear two cases that pit environmentalists against property developers.
The anxiety about this splits my little green, tree hugging heart in two. On one hand, does a Beach Mouse really need 75% of an island, along with a king's ransom extorted from landowners, to sustain a population of 500 or so? Especially since no one's actually seen said rodent since Ivan? Probably not. But could New Orleans have used a couple more acres of schwamp around it to absorb storm surge and the chemicals floating around after said surge shoved through? Probably so. Do we need every last old growth forest harvested? Probably not. Likewise with dams on the (what, two? schmaybe?) remaining wild rivers? Probably not. Will we see more old homes along scenic rivers/waterfront torn down in favor of concrete palaces for the tax base's sake? Probably so. Whatever the outcome, it's gonna be a twist, watching W and his boys having to argue against developers and for the environment.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:19 PM | Comments (9)
October 10, 2005
Pig Of The Day
Anyone care to provide a caption?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:30 PM | Comments (11)
Go Visit Cullen!
I'm always the last one to the party (Ken, given his age, is always early)...but that just completes it!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:05 PM | Comments (3)
October 06, 2005
What a Great Country!!
A Major Award anybody can shoot for.
Fake dog testicles win acclaim at Ig Nobels
'Star Wars' watching locusts and dripping tar studies also honoredBOSTON - Gregg Miller mortgaged his home and maxed out his credit cards to mass produce his invention — prosthetic testicles for neutered dogs.
What started 10 years ago with an experiment on an unwitting Rottweiler named Max has turned into a thriving mail-order business. And on Thursday night Miller’s efforts earned him a dubious yet strangely coveted honor: the Ig Nobel Prize for medicine.
Fido may not have his gonads (the technical term), but he does have his PRIDE.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:06 PM | Comments (9)
Hog Of The Day
Thanks to Ken.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:58 AM | Comments (2)
October 05, 2005
The Campaign To "Pick A Hog For Your Blog"
I'm so disgusted by the caving-in in England to Islamic sensibilities that I've decided to fight back. As of today, this site is an official supporter of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
I encourage all the blogosphere to adopt a similar pig-themed team.
UPDATE: I'm ready for my close-up, Bingy-poo!
(Get the word out: Pick a Hog for Your Blog on the California Conservative's and Political Teen's open trackback posts.)
UPDATE: For those of Mr. Summers' peculiarities, we offer...
PIG PORN
See? We have an inclusionary campaign that crosses almost all religious and racial divides. A little rainbow blog, that's us.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:24 AM | Comments (22)
Hope Cullen and Kraut Have Piglet and Pooh Umbrellas
Tammy's coming for the weekend.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:17 AM | Comments (2)
October 04, 2005
Uncle Felix Says
"CAT-A-STROPH !! (It's from the Greek) No DVD ?!"
Calm yourself, Uncle Felix!Come the 8th of November, you will be able to buy a DVD of the second greatest Christmas movie* of all time!!
*Behind "Miracle on 34th Street" (B&W, mind you. NO Ted Turner, blue teeth, green dresses abomination allowed!! They should all be sacrificed on a raging funerary pyre, built by the outraged spirits of the great B&W directors.), tied for number two with "A Christmas Story", which is just a squeak ahead of "Holiday Inn" at third and "The Nightmare Before Christmas", at third and a quarter.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:29 AM | Comments (11)
October 03, 2005
SCOTUS
Looks like it's Harriet Miers, according to the MSNBC beaking news banner.
The AP has it.
UPDATE: Just got the talking points propaganda from the RNC and put it in the extended section.
Today, President Bush announced his choice to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as the next Supreme Court Justice: Harriet Miers. Ms. Miers is the third woman to be nominated for the Supreme Court, and like Justice O'Connor is a legal trailblazer. Ms. Miers is an extremely well-qualified and fair-minded individual who is committed to interpreting the law instead of legislating from the bench.
President Bush selected Ms. Miers after embarking on a thorough and deliberate thought process. This confirmation however promises to be much more contentious than the confirmation of Judge John Roberts. Before Ms. Miers was even announced many Democrat groups said they would oppose her. They have no interest in giving Ms. Miers a fair hearing or vote. They are promising to throw every punch, make every accusation and pressure every Senator to oppose this nominee no matter what her qualifications may be. We have to be prepared to counter their actions and that is why Harriet Miers needs your help.
To ensure Ms. Miers is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, I need you to do three things.
1. Call your Senators. Tell them Harriet Miers has your support and deserves theirs.
2. Sign our petition in support of the timely confirmation of Harriet Miers.
3. Call talk radio, write a letter to the editor of your local paper and tell your friends and neighbors why you support the President's choice.
Harriet Miers has a record that demonstrates a commitment to faithfully applying the Constitution. For more information on the nominee, go to www.gop.com.
In the coming years and decades, the decisions the Supreme Court makes will greatly affect all of our lives. We need a jurist on the court who will not legislate from the bench, who will approach cases with an open mind and who will be fair. Ms. Miers is that jurist. Call your Senators. Tell them to vote yes on the confirmation of Harriet Miers.
Sincerely,
Ken Mehlman,
RNC Chairman
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:28 AM | Comments (10)
October 01, 2005
Po-Boys Will Put You in the Po-House
A horrific result of Katrina and Rita we hadn't anticipated. Major Dad and I headed out to the local watering hole for a Saturday afternoon favorite ~ Oysters Bienville.
Seems they're not pulling any oysters out of the Gulf and are having to fly in the little shelled devils And it was shell shock when we learned our $9 doz. nosh is now
$26 a dozen.
That's a lot for a bi-valve.
Needless to say, we didn't buy any.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:49 PM | Comments (2)
September 30, 2005
Here Comes the Sun, Doot n Doo Doo
Scientists clueless? When Leonardo was on top of it all those centuries ago?
Amazingly, one of the best techniques for measuring Earth's albedo is to watch the Moon, which acts like a giant mirror. Sunlight that reflects of Earth in turn reflects off the Moon and can be measured from here. The phenomenon, called earthshine, was first noted by Leonardo da Vinci.
They are still working up the definitive paper on moonshine and it's effects. You should have seen the grant request for that one! (Well, actually, Harry Reid did, but that's a whole 'nuther post. I'd provide a link, but it hasn't made MSNBC'S radar yet. Go figure.)
Anyway, these two Duke rocket scientists have upset the Kyoto Cabal by publishing a paper online, which has the begonias and kumquats to suggest that that big, old hot (for non-rocket scientists, that would be a surface temp of 6,000°C (11,000°F).), flaming ball of molten goo on the horizon might have something to do with Global Warming! Horse puckey, you say? They beg to differ, even going so far as to infer that maybe there hadn't been enough measuring over a long enough period.
The new study is based in part on Columbia University research from 2003 in which scientists found errors in how data on solar brightness is interpreted. A gap in data, owing to satellites not being deployed after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, were filled by less accurate data from other satellites, Scafetta says.The Duke analyses examined solar changes over 22 years versus 11 years used in previous studies. The cooling effect of volcanoes and cyclical shifts in ocean currents can have a greater negative impact on the accuracy of shorter data periods.
The conservative impact?
"The Sun may have minimally contributed about 10 to 30 percent of the 1980-2002 global surface warming," the researchers said in a statement today.
There are enterprising folks out there, wracking their brains for fixes, everything from a "space ring" around the earth made of particles, to the Big Lots version called "Ring of Tiny Space Craft";
Deploying tiny spacecraft would come at a relative bargain: a mere $500 billion tops.
Well, thank God someone's on top of it. I can't wait to hear the howls, if this angle ever makes it to, oh, say...MSNBC or somebody.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:39 PM | Comments (3)
Driving Into the Sunset
Ford bids adieu to gas-guzzling ExcursionFord Motor bade farewell on Friday to one of America's most infamous gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles, just days after committing to a sharp increase in more fuel-efficient hybrid and ethanol-powered vehicles.
The last 19 ft-long Excursion, equipped with a V-10 engine – nicknamed the Ford Valdez by environmentalists after the supertanker that ran aground in Alaska in 1989 – rolled off a Ford assembly line in Louisville, Kentucky, after six years on the market.
I'll bet they weren't quite as popular anymore. It's not so much the cost of a tank of gas, though...
Filling the Excursion's 44-gallon fuel tank cost about $133 in southern California this week, $41 more than a year ago.
...as how often you have to fork over the cash to fill said tank. Years ago, I remember listening to the Car Talk guys yakking about an info feature they had on their website. It's not there anymore, but it used to be an unvarnished Tom and Ray opinion about almost any make or model. When we popped in the Excursion, what verdict popped up as the very first sentence?
There is no reason on earth for anybody to own this car.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:03 PM | Comments (15)
September 29, 2005
First Place in the AL East
...one game ahead.
A-Rod, in the meantime...
A-Rod's historic HR gives Yankees lead
47th blast in victory over Orioles breaks DiMaggio’s team record
...is a God.
UPDATE: In the words of Phil Collins, "Tonight, tonight, tonight, whoa oh!"
Aaron Small took a one-hitter into the seventh inning to improve to 10-0, and the Yankees got homers from Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui in cruising past the Orioles 8-4 on Thursday night.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:56 AM | Comments (26)
September 23, 2005
Glub, Glub
That would be breaking news in New Orleans.
Dozens of blocks in New Orleans now under water. Details to come
UPDATE: If only more people were like this guy...
Glynn Stevenson, who swam out of his New Orleans house with belongings taped to his body, had just gotten settled into a trailer provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency when the call came for him to uproot again.“It’s nothing to get mad about,” he said. “Just keep a cool attitude and help your brothers.”
Don't get mad. Help somebody. What a concept.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:54 AM | Comments (5)
September 22, 2005
All Eight Lanes of I-45 Now Heading North
And not a moment too soon. Getting out of Houston is a very, very good idea.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:09 AM | Comments (7)
September 21, 2005
Hurricane Porn
Rita be Cat 4 now.
UPDATE: Possibly Cat 5. 140 knot winds are, what, 160 mph? Wow.
UPDATE: The 10 p.m. CST reading has her at 175 mph and 897MB. Good Lord. What a monster.
Updated update: Bush new in February! Why wasn't FEMA there then?!?!?!?!?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:56 PM | Comments (2)
Jet Blue
My god, no airline ever had a better advertisement than watching the pilot just land that thing perfectly at LAX.
The pilot floated it down the runway and killed speed perfectly.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:23 PM | Comments (10)
September 20, 2005
I Didn't Want to Start a Panic 'er Nuthin'
...but I noticed I got the last two boxes of Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice at the commissary an hour ago. I know Bingley and Cruella have both been stealth hoarding just...in case the unTHINKable happened. Whew. I'm breathing a little easier after reading this. Just a little...
Hurricane Katrina has forced Zatarain’s to implement its Disaster Recovery Plan. While there is much suffering and disruption for our employees and our communities we are focused on continuing our operations and satisfying your needs. Our production, warehouse and office facilities in Gretna, Louisiana are in good condition. Our issues are electricity, access roads, other city services, and the ability to mobilize employees in Gretna. As a result we have set up temporary headquarter functions and operations in Dallas, Texas. We have a tremendous amount of resources available to us. These include the McCormick Dallas facilities as well as a number of co-packers in the immediate area and elsewhere. Our raw material suppliers are being contacted to redirect our needs to a variety of locations for continued production and distribution. And we have the resources of all of McCormick available to us.
Now, the question begs to be asked...if even the Red Beans and Rice folks have a "Disaster Recovery Plan"...Mayor Noggin? Wanna step in here? (Or have you stepped in enough already?)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:27 PM | Comments (5)
Fear Not, Crawdads!
Nagin's Noggin' is working overtime for your benefit:
"I am hopeful that people have seen the effect of Katrina and they understand the threat of a Category 3 coming right behind Katrina," he said, "and that we won't have the struggles in getting people out like we had the last time."
Due to the fact that your useless 'we' won't be involved.
Either that or he's channeling Queen Victoria...
"We are not amused."
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:54 PM | Comments (3)
That Would Be
...Hurricane Rita now.
UPDATE: I just love the personal touches on the National Hurricane Center discussion page. The previous one cleaned "up some sloppy writing", while the current one notes:
FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW
JUST THE SKINNY BLACK LINE...IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO REMIND THEM THAT
3 TO 5 DAY FORECAST ERRORS CAN BE LARGE.
UPDATE: Houston, you have a problem. Cat 2.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:37 AM | Comments (4)
September 19, 2005
We Left the House Boarded Up
...for a reason.
UPDATE: Great weather blog from the Palm Beach Post folks. Maybe I should send it to Mayor Nagin before he shoots his mouth off again, ya think?
Nah.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:21 AM
September 15, 2005
Hugely Helpful New Orleans News
Operation Blue Roof: The Army Corps of Engineers is running a program that allows homeowners to have their roof temporarily covered while they're waiting to have it permanently repaired. If your roof is damaged 50% or less, they will make the temporary repairs at no cost to you. For more information on Operation Blue Roof, call the Corps at (888)766-3258.
Steve Scalise's Hurricane Katrina Update for Wednesday, September 14, 2005 In my last update I mentioned that I asked Mayor Nagin to establish a timeline to allow people to begin returning to New Orleans, and he committed to do so by the end of this week. Yesterday he did just that. If the health and environmental reports show that it is safe (early reports are very positive), the Mayor will begin allowing people to return to dry areas of the City on Monday, September 19th. The dry areas include Downtown, the French Quarter, Uptown, and Algiers. The Mayor estimates about 150,000 people could return by Monday. He was quoted as saying, "I'm tired of hearing helicopters overhead, I want to hear some jazz." More details on this will follow once the health and environmental reports come in.
Jefferson Parish announced the opening of three cities. Beginning this morning, residents can now return to Gretna, Westwego, and Lafitte. Power is restored to about 90% of these cities, and the sewer and water systems are working. When you return you should run your water for about 10 minutes to clean out the system, but it is safe to drink. Meetings will be held today between Parish President Broussard and the Mayors of Kenner and Harahan to set timelines for their residents to return home.
Last night I attended a meeting of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Here are the items they discussed about the status of the Catholic school system:
- St. Tammany schools will likely open the week of September 19th.
- St. Charles and St. John are now open
- Jefferson schools are set to open on October 3rd
- Returning dates for Orleans and St. Bernard are still to be determined
- * They are asking parents who live in Parishes that will be opening by October 3rd not to enroll their children in other schools. They are readjusting the school year so that those students returning by October will complete the entire year. The Baton Rouge Archdiocese is still accepting students who cannot return by early October. Detailed information on the Archdiocese can be found on their web site at http://www.archdiocese-no.org/ or by calling them at (888)366-5024.
I just got out of a meeting with the Department of Environmental Quality. Officials reported that minimal air pollutants have been found and they do not believe they pose any health risks. The floodwaters still pose a health hazard with high levels of bacteria, so they are encouraging people to avoid contact with standing water. These results are based on samples taken in New Orleans on September 4th & 6th. Air and water monitoring will continue. They are also continuing inspections and searches for oil and chemical leaks. The most volatile area is limited to the portion of St. Bernard near the Murphy Refinery oil spill. They have already inspected roughly 75% of the facilities that handle radioactive material and they have all been found to be safe and secure. Debris disposal is going to be a huge task. Early estimates are that there will be 22 million tons of debris to be disposed. In addition 350,000 vehicles and 50,000 boats will likely need to be disposed. They will continue to meet to determine the best ways to safely dispose of this debris. The good news is that air levels in the New Orleans area are safe.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:34 AM
September 14, 2005
That Old Man River Keeps Rolling Along
Port of New Orleans reopens
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Port of New Orleans resumed commercial operations Wednesday, with the first vessel loaded with general merchandise heading out since it was closed by Hurricane Katrina more than two weeks ago."The ship is leaving as we speak," Paul Zimmermann, the port's director of operations, told Reuters by telephone.
Well, alright!
UPDATE: I bumped this up because, after another check of all the usual MSM suspects, this story STILL hasn't made an appearance. Don't you find that...well, ODD?? It IS good news, n'est pas?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:17 PM | Comments (5)
Never, EVER Buy a Bag
...of these.
Twice as big means it takes only half the time...to eat the whole bag.
Congress should require warning labels.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:36 AM
September 13, 2005
Hugely Helpful New Orleans Links
All sorts of information, or where to find it.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:20 PM
September 12, 2005
History Channel Tonight
Right now. Programs on Katrina (now) and other Gulf Coast storms.
UPDATE: Factoids, CG and footage great so far. It would be better if we could drop the "Bush administration cut the funding for the levees" bull$hit.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:12 PM
Oh Well, Pooh
On January 5, 2005, 3,719 acres of the former MCAS El Toro property were officially made available for sale to the public via an online auction process. After six weeks of active bidding (with very little activity during the first five weeks - similar to behavior in online auctions at EBay), the auction was closed on February 16, 2005, with a joint venture partnership between Lennar Communities and LNR Property Corporation as the sole successful bidder on the entire property. The sale closed on July 12, 2005 for $649.5 million. As such, the sale of MCAS El Toro has been hailed as the most successful Base Re-Alignment and Closure (BRAC) installation sale/transfer to date. The proceeds realized from the sale will be used to fund further BRAC project activities nationwide, and will also be utilized to offset costs associated with all ongoing environmental stewardship activities at El Toro and other BRAC installations.And it's not gonna be an airport either. How sad is that? Vaya con Dios, El Toro.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:42 PM | Comments (1)
September 11, 2005
Jersey Carnival Is Up
Hosted by our dear friend Nightfly.
Go!
Read!
Enjoy!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:16 AM
September 10, 2005
Buddy, Can You Spare a Chicken?
A Swilling All Points Bulletin
Watch out for Big Bull. He and all his friends are on the prowl.Big Bull is more than 15 feet long and he could be running with his buddies, Whitey, a near-albino, and another named One Eye Willie.
They're escapees from the Gulf Coast Gator Ranch & Tours, who hot four footed it out when Katrina's storm surge flooded their enclosures. Not being your 'swamp' kinda gator, who're used to finding their own edible critters, they could be hungry.
Gary Casper, a nuisance alligator control agent...said the ranch alligators associate food with people because Adams fed them, and the animals may approach humans for a handout.
If there's a knock at your door, use the peephole.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:54 PM | Comments (7)
September 09, 2005
A Blackout on Communications 12-1530 CST Tomorrow
We got a date with Touch Down Jesus.
Go Irish!
UPDATE:
THAT"S the GAME !!
Notre Dame 17 UM 10
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:41 PM | Comments (20)
Technical Difficulties
If anyone is having trouble leaving comments or sending us trackbacks(ha!) please send me an email (with a copy of the error message, if possible, por favor). It seems MT Blacklist has gotten rather jackbooted of late and it's giving some folks fits. Hopefully this will allow your faithful servant to track down the problem.
Thanks!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:14 PM | Comments (1)
September 08, 2005
On the Upside...
Oil eases on small stockpile drainNEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil eased on Thursday after data showed U.S. crude oil and gasoline stockpiles had not drained as much as expected after Hurricane Katrina.
U.S. light crude was off 82 cents at $63.55 a barrel by 1730 GMT, after dropping more than $1 to $63.10. The market has fallen more than 10 percent from a record $70.85 last week, after industrialized nations began to tap emergency reserves to ease the U.S. supply crunch.
"Stockpiles had not drained as much as expected" because NO ONE in BANGLA-COLA could buy gas! It's not rocket science, people. Although we'd settle for rocket fuel, right about now. You guys owe us. BIG time.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:16 PM | Comments (2)
A Katrina Fundraiser I'm Sure Bingley Knew About...
...but was keeping to himself, the sneaky BASTARD !!!
September 12
Cities raising glasses to help Big EasyNEW YORK — The Big Apple will raise its glasses to the Big Easy - not for toasts, but to collect money for more than 80,000 hospitality workers from the hurricane-ravaged city.
In addition to New York, bars around the country also have promised to mix cocktails to help the Louisiana bartenders and hotel, casino and restaurant workers facing unemployment.
Four New York-based cocktail experts are spurring the "Save New Orleans Cocktail Hour" - a two-hour nationwide drinking session scheduled for Sept. 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Each $10 drink - Big Easy classics like the sazerac, the ramos gin fizz, the Pimm's cup, and even the hurricane - will be served with a set of free Mardi Gras beads.
Hey, I've got the beads if you've got the gas. Fire up the chariot, Major Dad. We're goin' out to dinner!
New York bartenders stepped forward first, with dozens of establishments from Soho's tony new Pegu Club to the Central Park's Tavern on the Green and the lively Havana Central, agreeing to participate in the fundraiser.Organizers said the effort is spreading quickly and now includes the Sierra Gold tavern in Las Vegas, a half dozen businesses in Washington, D.C., and more in Arlington, Va., and Silver Spring, Md.
The New Orleans concoctions will also flow at watering holes in Cherry Hill, N.J., and various locales around Pennsylvania
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:54 AM
September 07, 2005
How to reach a human...
when the menus just don't do much is right here. Lord knows I work for one of the banks listed, and I hate the friggin menus I have to swim through on a daily basis.
*Swill salute to Evangelical Outpost.
Posted by Crusader at 11:30 AM | Comments (2)
Denver May Be Dry, Believers...
But
NOT SANTA ROSA COUNTY !!
Not ANY MORE, not after last night...
Santa Rosa ends dry spell
County votes to allow liquor sales in eighth vote since ProhibitionSanta Rosa County voters made history Tuesday when 57.7 percent voted to approve the sale of liquor and wine. The final count showed 29,353 voting in favor of the measure and 21,507 against.
I'll
drink to that!Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:37 AM | Comments (2)
September 06, 2005
A Global Warming Observation
It is the first week of September, in normally sweltering, semi-tropical
Bangla-cola, Florida and...
I have had the windows OPEN and the A/C off the entire day.
"Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I look forward to working with you for the future of our planet."
You're welcome, El Niño. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:05 PM | Comments (8)
Oh Well, F@ck Me...
...and us, in general. That's what I get for whoopin' about my new roof. Didn't Ophelia kill herself? In that case, here's hopin' for hurricane hari-kari.
UPDATE: You know it's bad when my roofer, after being told about the new depression, just said "I don't ever want to see another hurricane and they're our bread and butter!"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:24 PM | Comments (16)
Woo Hoo! Sir Rob Posts in the Comments!
I had to bump it here, for all his friends.
Thanks, everyone. All good wishes had to help. I firmly believe that.Posted by: Rob at September 6, 2005 11:24 AM
That's what friends do, n'est pas? Now, keep us posted, and let us know if there's something we can DO.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:54 AM
September 05, 2005
Good Sunday Morning
And let the games begin.
Bush taps Roberts to succeed Rehnquist
Move would promote a man still being considered as an associate justice
Yup, sure would. Honestly, who didn't see this coming?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:36 AM
September 04, 2005
More LA Info...
...from our Bywater friends.
Also, in case you haven't done it yet (glued to the tv like most of us), don't forget to call your mortgage companies, start your insurance claim even though you don't know the status, call all your credit card companies, loans, etc. They're ALL doing payment deferrments for 30-90 days or more! Hibernia has frozen ALL credit card and loan payments until January 1 2006!
Blake
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:29 PM | Comments (4)
September 02, 2005
FYI ~ LA Residents Unemployment, FEMA & Welfare Info
Here. If you can't get into it, email us and I'll send the text.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:32 PM
September 01, 2005
Heartening News!!
From our friends IN the Bywater:
Hey guys,
hope all of you got out safely...
I'm going to continue forwarding information that may be of help to you.
In case you haven't heard, for those of you who live in the neighborhood, Bywater and the Marigny, Algiers point and alot of Uptown on the river side, and Old Metairie seemed to have fared quite well with no flooding...
Best of luck to us all!
Blake
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:04 PM | Comments (1)
August 31, 2005
Get Your Gas Now
And use it in the most expeditious, conservative fashion possible. News has been showing lines in Atlanta (UPDATE: One station $5.57/gal)and fisticuffs in northern Mississippi. All in the face of almost $1 jump in gallon prices since this morning. Here in Pensacola, we've been a Third World country since Ivan, but it doesn't make it any easier to bear. Took Ebola 1 1/2 hours today to top off. He was going to be late for a sales appointment an hour away because of it, so he was planning on asking the clients if, once he got there, he could get gas to get home.
Also, purchase any public transportation passes you might use in your commute. You can bet those prices will be skyrocketing.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:00 PM | Comments (1)
TCS Says "Bite Me, Bob"
Katrina has nothing to do with global warming. Nothing. It has everything to do with the immense forces of nature that have been unleashed many, many times before and the inability of humans, even the most brilliant engineers, to tame these forces.Giant hurricanes are rare, but they are not new. And they are not increasing. To the contrary. Just go to the website of the National Hurricane Center and check out a table that lists hurricanes by category and decade. The peak for major hurricanes (categories 3,4,5) came in the decades of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, when such storms averaged 9 per decade. In the 1960s, there were 6 such storms; in the 1970s, 4; in the 1980s, 5; in the 1990s, 5; and for 2001-04, there were 3. Category 4 and 5 storms were also more prevalent in the past than they are now. As for Category 5 storms, there have been only three since the 1850s: in the decades of the 1930s, 1960s and 1990s.
But that doesn't stop an enviro-predator like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from writing on the Huffingtonpost website: "Now we are all learning what it's like to reap the whirlwind of fossil fuel dependence which Barbour and his cronies have encouraged. Our destructive addiction has given us a catastrophic war in the Middle East and - now -- Katrina is giving our nation a glimpse of the climate chaos we are bequeathing our children."
From another guy who lived and loved in New Orleans. Baby Bobby Kennedy is the Cindy Sheehan of the Katrina story. I'm waiting for him to include the Israelis in his Barbour bashing blitherings.
A Swill Salute to Mark in Mexico for finding this gem.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:55 PM | Comments (1)
'Hundreds" And Rising
1:20 P.M. - (AP) Mayor Ray Nagin says at least hundreds of people are dead -- maybe thousands -- in New Orleans. "We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and others dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."
2:20 P.M. - From Weezie Porter: WWL-TV Sales account executive. I evacuated with my family to Nashville. The people we are staying with have a relative in the Chateau Living Center in Kenner 716 Village Road. Their phone is working from time to time 504-464=0604. They report that all of the nurses have left, Only a few aides left there that have been working since Friday. They were supposed to be evacuated by bus but they did not show up. No medications have been given since Sunday,. 4 patients have died.
Plaquemines Parish pictures.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:15 PM | Comments (4)
August 30, 2005
Levee Breach Can't be Closed
They expect 12-15 feet of water in parts of NOLA.
CNN is reportng carjackings near the Superdome.
Chaos.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:12 PM | Comments (4)
We Can't Undo The Disaster From Katrina
But we can help. Please give generously to the Salvation Army*.
*THS says give your money to The Salvation Army. They are the first people on the scene and they help everybody everywhere without all the bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo of the Red Cross. And she speaks from experience.
These are Americans in need, friends.
Your relatives.
My relatives.
Update: Look at today's Times-Picayune:
page A1/2
page 4/5
page 6/7
page 8
page 12/13
page 14
page 15
page 16/17
page 18
looters on page a19
page a20
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:21 AM | Comments (13)
August 29, 2005
I'm Back
Had a wonderful weekend with Crusader and family, and it seems Sis actually dodged a hurricane this time.
'triffic.
Looting in NOLA. Nice.
I hope the cops shoot to kill.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:43 PM | Comments (10)
August 25, 2005
T. H. Sister, 'Woman of Mystery'...
...has the con.
Stand by.
*Ed. Note* THS forgets that tho ole Bingley is on the road again, I still have access from work and home.
UPDATE: Get back to work, you little PUKE !!!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:52 AM | Comments (11)
Hurricane Katrina and I are Off
To North Cackalacky and Crusaderville for a long weekend. Hopefully THS will not make too much of a mess whilst I'm gone...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:52 AM | Comments (2)
August 22, 2005
So Help Me...Allah?
Man, you had to know this was coming...
Debate Brews Over Use of Koran in Court
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Traditionally, witnesses taking the stand in court are sworn in by placing their hand on the Bible (search).But when Muslims in Guilford County, N.C., tried to donate copies of the Koran (search) for courtroom use, judges turned them down.
I find it especially offensive when the Bible/Koran/Torah/Tipitaka/Old Laws used to swear by is held by a person in Seminole costume. A person can only take so much.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:09 PM | Comments (7)
August 21, 2005
Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd
His skin was pale and his eye was odd.
He shaved the faces of gentlemen,
Who never thereafter were heard of again,
Did Sweeney, Sweeney Todd....
...The Demon Barber of
Fleet
StreetAnd yaHOO buddy, Mrs. Lovett's (Patti Lupone!! WOO hoo! Bingley and I saw her in Evita) back on Broadway! One of my favorite Bingley/THS adventures was seeing the original, front row balcony ~ my hiding my eyes and him hooting as Sweeney (Len Cariou) slit another throat in the barber's chair. I always got them open in time to see the body slip down the chute to Mrs. Lovett's (The INCOMPARABLE Angela Lansbury) meat grinder.
UPDATE: Hmmm, not sure what to think about this...
Producers may be taking the hint. The 2005-6 Broadway season has exactly one commercial musical revival planned. And it is not a splashy enterprise: "Sweeney Todd," Stephen Sondheim's dark classic about a murderous barber. A slimmed-down, acclaimed British production starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris - both Broadway stars but not exactly bankable names - it features a cast of nine actors who all double as musicians, a creative choice that has the additional advantage of lowering the show's weekly running costs.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:16 PM | Comments (9)
It's Carnival Time
Joisey, that is.
Update: I fixed the link. I am a moron. Carry on.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:24 AM
August 19, 2005
Let the Games Begin
Jury finds Merck at fault in man's deathHo boy.
ANGLETON, Texas (Reuters) - A jury in the first civil trial against Merck & Co.'s popular painkiller Vioxx on Friday found the pharmaceutical company liable for the 2001 death of a Texas man, awarding his widow a total of more than $250 million..
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:29 PM
I'd Say So
"When you have the situation that we have in Arizona — where, by some estimates, over 4,000 illegals attempt to cross every night — this is not just a crisis, it's a full-scale invasion," Rep. J.D. Hayworth (search), R-Ariz., told FOX News on Friday.What else would you call it?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:07 PM | Comments (6)
August 18, 2005
A Worthy Road Trip
If you've got some time on your hands, someone to watch the dogs and don't mind the gas prices, you might want to join up. If you can't, ask our left Coast Swillers to honk and wave for you when they go by.
Supporters of U.S. Involvement in Iraq Plan Caravans to Texas
The anti-war protest by a Vacaville mother outside the president's Texas ranch is galvanizing some who support the country's continued involvement in Iraq. One of those is a serviceman's mother who feels now more than ever the country must stand strong behind the troops.Roseville resident Deborah Johns' son William is a Marine stationed in Iraq. She sympathizes with Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war protester who lost her son to enemy fire 16 months ago. However, Johns believes a pull-out now would negate what troops are fighting for in Iraq. She takes exception to Sheehan's protest and plans to do something about it.
"It absolutely mushroomed, but that's our liberal media," said Johns. "They continue to like to hear the negative and not the positive that's going on." Johns is organizing what could be hundreds of others to participate in a caravan leaving San Francisco on Monday. The caravan is destined for Crawford, Texas, in a gesture of support for President George W. Bush.
A Swill Salute to a commentor at our bud The Gateway Pundit, who's also pleased to report the "Cindy Hour" in ST. Louis was a BUST-OLA. Pity, that.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:42 PM | Comments (3)
August 15, 2005
A Public Service Announcement
For those of you who might have comtemplated catching a snippet of the last PGA rounds on CBS this morning, I say:
Good FREAKIN' Luck!
The commercials outnumber the golf shots 10 to 1. (Of course if old PinchFaceSquintEyes wins,
that could prove to be a good and merciful thing.)UPDATE: Spared that, at least. Mickelson takes it by one on 18.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:29 AM | Comments (5)
August 14, 2005
Now, That's a Deal!
For all the decades of self flagellation the Germans have gone (and are still) going through, the Japanese seem to have recovered nicely. I've always wondered how that could be. They live with sanitized versions of their history; relegating abominations like the Rape of Nanking, the Mengele-ization of Bataan Death March survivors and forced Korean 'war brides' to the dusty bin of 'who, me?' in their collective national pysche. If you were ever near Peace Park in Hiroshima on a certain anniversiary (and gaijins are solemnly warned to stay away during that period), you would hear no mention of Japan's part in the war. Only the horrible devastion reigned on them by the United States. It's quite a contrast to Pearl Harbor, site of the sneak (yes, i did say sneak) attack that started the whole brouhaha. The Japanese empire has a hefty part to play in the display, with nary a derogatory word. Quite a contrast. There seems to be a nationwide selective memory episode in Japan that endures in their consciousness, aided and abetted by their government. Now, part and parcel of a disfunctional family is the enabler. As far as 'enablers' go, the U.S. Government has done pretty well for the Japanese. As part of that deal with the Devil, we ~ American taxpayers, most far removed from those dark days ~ get to foot the bill.
Decades After Abuses by the Japanese, Guam Hopes the U.S. Will Make Amends
MERIZO, Guam, Aug. 11 - In July 1944, American warships were bobbing on the Pacific horizon when a squad of Japanese soldiers swept through this old Spanish fishing port. Jogging down sandy alleys and bursting into stucco homes, they rounded up 30 villagers, all known for their ties to the United States."They didn't want any leaders to be around when the military landed," Ignacio Cruz said as he recalled the roundup he watched as a 17-year-old. "Then, they machine-gunned them, they grenaded them, and if they found them surviving, they bayoneted them."...
...Often overshadowed by the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan's occupation of this American island started Dec. 10 and continued until American soldiers returned to Guam on July 21, 1944, a date celebrated as Liberation Day.
With 83 Congressional sponsors supporting the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, a House bill introduced in April, momentum for compensation is building.
A 1951 treaty between the United States and Japan absolved Japan of future individual American war claims, which means American taxpayers would be asked to pay for abuses committed by Japanese soldiers on American nationals on American territory.
The bill was introduced by Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo, a Democrat, who is Guam's nonvoting representative in Congress.
Compensation for the Guamanians would be roughly comparable to the compensation paid to Japanese-Americans who were interned in the United States during the war.
Under that program, each claimant was paid $20,000. Over the program's 10-year span, 82,250 Japanese-Americans were paid a total of $1.65 billion.
I'm confused how we're responsible for redressing the wrongs visited upon a people by the Japanese Imperial Army. Okay, not confused. Pissed. But the Guamanians are far better off than the Bataan survivors. They had government lawyers at their hospital beds with releases for them to sign, exonerating the Japanese Army, the Japanese govenment and had to promise never to seek compensation. Sign or lose all your GI benefits. Like I said, pissed.
UPDATE: Japan sorta says 'sorry'. The rest of Asia's not buying it. (So how do we get to?)
MORE STUFF: We're linking to Outside the Beltway. Good reads over there today.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:14 PM | Comments (21)
This could develop in a most interesting fashion.
DUI law ruled unconstitutional
Va. presumes guilt if blood-alcohol level is 0.08, a judge says
McLEAN -- A Fairfax County judge has ruled that key components of Virginia's drunken-driving laws are unconstitutional, citing an obscure, decades-old U.S. Supreme Court decision that could prompt similar challenges nationwide.Virginia's law is unconstitutional because it presumes that an individual with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher is intoxicated, denying a defendant's right to a presumption of innocence, Judge Ian O'Flaherty ruled in dismissing charges against at least two alleged drunken drivers last month.
As a district judge, O'Flaherty's rulings do not establish any formal precedent, but word of the constitutional argument is spreading quickly among the defense bar. Every state has similar presumptions about intoxication at a 0.08 blood-alcohol level, so defense lawyers across the nation are likely to make similar arguments.
In the interest of bolstering the NCAA's abusive nickname case, I'd like to point out that the judge's name is O'Flaherty and the successful defense lawyer's is Magee. Now, come to whatever conclusions you'd like about the stereotype reinforced when a drunk driving case is left up to the Irish. I think justice came down on the right side.
A boisterous Swill Salute to Swill regular No Brainer for this encouraging piece of news.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:58 PM | Comments (5)
Jersey Carnival Is Up
Go check and see what's happening at your exit.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:47 PM | Comments (1)
August 13, 2005
Sorry I'm Late ~ Happy Anniversiary Evening...
...Bingley (BASTARD!) and my sweet sister, NJSue.
(Of course, he has more hair than Bingley, but you get the idea...)
(Actually, Bingley's not that much taller than NJSue. He's more 'nosehair to eyeball' size...but you get the idea.)
(Actually, he's more nosehair than anything, but ~ bless her heart and we thank her ~ she sticks around anyway.)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:37 AM | Comments (6)
What's Not to Like?
Walken for President in 2008. Keep it clean, right? Damn! If nothing else, the guy makes for compelling campaign photos.
I mean who doesn't know the Godfather gets things done? The competition? A thoughtful photo essay follows...
Well, kissing babies 
and constituency butt may count in a Senate race, but photogenic opportunity it's not. Skepticism has it's place...
...aw hell, I don't believe in campaign finance either. But people are more comfortable with a true person of faith 
than some Tommy/Johnny-come-lately. Of course, you can't discount the economics of it all, 
for the fact is that the trade deficit is no Mickey Mouse affair and can suck the blood 
out of a sustained recovery.
Then there's oil. Oil's slick. 
Oil is the greasy spoon in '08. Enough, not enough, where will we be? Along with the housing bubble, 
double inflation and
too much .jpg)
government.
So who? So, who's left?
Left. 
Um, no. She picks on the disabled and the head spinning thing scares children. 
And Major Dad.
Someone cuddly 
and not too bright? Or bright 
and not too cuddly.
Decisions, decisions, 
so many decisions. Thank goodness we've a little time yet, with good friends to rely on and a system 
we can believe in. Can't wait to blog it.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:24 AM | Comments (5)
August 11, 2005
Some Records...
...were never meant to be broken.
Irene broke records Sunday as the earliest ninth named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Normally, only two named storms have formed by this time in the season.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:44 PM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2005
You Are in My Power
Microsoft says "whoops!" again...
Microsoft warns users of 'critical' security flaws
SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft Corp. warned users of its Windows operating system on Tuesday of three newly found "critical" security flaws in its software, including one that could allow attackers to take complete control of a computer.The world's largest software maker issued patches to fix the problems as part of its monthly security bulletin. The problems affect the Windows operating system and Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser...
(Cue: Bingley 'get a MAC' chorus...)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:20 AM | Comments (10)
August 08, 2005
Goin' Clean 'N Green
There's a lot of painless ideas in this Newsweek article that JeffS and I have held sway on before, but they never suffer for repeating. (It's especially timely, considering my post below AND the fact that I just found new GE lamp flourescent that puts out the equivalent lumens of a 75W bulb for 20W actually power. The price has come down amazingly, they last forever and save a bundle in the meantime ~ wonderful if your kids are like Ebola, who's never met a lightswitch he couldn't leave on.)
No More Electric Bills
Well, not quite. But 'zero-energy homes' keep them low.
...Almost unknown outside California, ZEH communities are the leading edge of technologies that might someday create houses that produce as much energy as they consume. Premier Gardens, which opened last summer, is one of a half-dozen subdivisions in California where every home cuts power consumption by at least 50 percent, mostly by using low-power appliances and solar panels. Several more are under construction this year, including the first ZEH community for seniors.
Now, I'm not advocating you run out and spend the $25 grand to go off the grid, so don't even get started, but you can swap out to flourescents on lamps that get used alot, keep the A/C almost off during the day (Hell, turn it off completely and open a window occasionally! You'd be shocked at the folks here who have never let a single breath of fresh air into their house.), stuff like that. As for us, I'd love solar panels here and am sure they'd work gangbusters. But if I thought plywooding the windows was a pain the a$$ a couple times a year, I can't imagine what having to pull those suckers off the roof before a storm would be like. I think we'll pass.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:13 AM | Comments (18)
I Remember Even/Odd Gas Fill-Up Days...
...of the late 70's and I do NOT want to put up with that BS again. But unless the BANANA Principle (Build Absolutely Nothing Absolutely Near Anything) goes the way of the dinosaur real soon, we may just wig ourselves into lining up for a tankful (if we're lucky) on the day corresponding to the even/odd last digit of our license plate.
Oil scales new peakWe need more refineries, before more oil. And we need them, like, a decade ago.
..."Crude might have gone too far too quickly, but I don't see us pulling back straight away," a London trader said.Prices charged higher as a steep drop in U.S. gasoline stocks and nearly daily refinery problems raised doubts about fuel supplies in the world's biggest consumer.
Although there is only about one month left in the traditional summer demand period, dealers said a late price rally could not be ruled out.
A severe hurricane season could knock out further U.S. supply. "People dare not price in the surpluses they see," said Deborah White, senior energy analyst at SG Commodities in Paris.
U.S. refineries have been hit by more than half a dozen unplanned outages in the past few weeks as plants show the strain of trying to keep up with two years of unexpectedly strong demand growth after a decade of underinvestment.
Adding to an already long list of refinery trip-ups, ConocoPhillips and U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp. shut units late last week.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:19 AM | Comments (3)
August 07, 2005
He Seems to Have a Thing For 'Carl' 's...
New Jersey's governor in waiting ~ the dapper dancer John Corzine ~ seems to have stepped in it yet again. Last time, you'll remember, it was his 'too good to be true' $470K loan to ex-girlfriend Carla Katz. This time, it's Carl Icahn:
Report: Corzine invested $7M with casino operator
TRENTON, N.J. -- Just over a month before he jumped into the governor's race, U.S. Sen. Jon S. Corzine sank $7 million into a firm owned and controlled by one of the state's casino operators.The investment with Icahn Partners LP, a hedge fund headed by Carl Icahn, earned Corzine up to $100,000 by the end of last year, according to the Democrat's Senate financial disclosure statement.
In a shocking (momentary) break from their endless pillorying of Judge Roberts and small children, the NY Times has seen fit to weigh with:
There's Something About New Jersey
Elected officials have a right to keep their personal lives private. But there's something about New Jersey that seems to impel politicians to mix their love lives with the taxpayers' business......Political opponents say Mr. Corzine should disclose any other loans, gifts or financial dealings between himself and Ms. Katz, and they are absolutely right. The fact that Mr. Corzine isn't willing to comply is disturbing. The state of New Jersey has a right to demand assurances that the next governor is not going to turn his private life into a public conflict of interest somewhere down the line.
Jeez, who's side are they on anyway?
But back to business: Hello, John. My name is Carlotta Hugging.
(It reallyreallyreally is! Really, dammit.)
Can you spare a dime?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:42 PM | Comments (5)
August 05, 2005
Don't Drink Italian Spring Water...
If you're subject to random drug tests:
The rivers of Italy are flowing with cocaine, say scientists who have adopted a new approach to measuring the extent of drug misuse. The biggest river, the Po, carries the equivalent of about 4kg (8lb 13oz) of the drug a day...Cocaine users among the five million people who live in the Po River basin in northern Italy consume the drug and excrete its metabolic by-product, benzoylecgonine (BE). This goes from sewers into the river. So a team led by Dr Ettore Zuccato, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, estimated the use of cocaine by testing the waters of the Po for BE, and for any cocaine that had passed through the body unaltered or reached the sewers in other ways.
This is river pollution! It must be stopped! Now, I know that very important celebrities like Alec Baldwin are very concerned about the environment. I'm sure he will lobby for very harsh punishments for cocaine use to protect our precious rivers...won't he?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:32 PM | Comments (2)
Hahahahaha!!!!!
Great minds post alike.
THS adds:
Jinx, JINX, Bingley!!
I guess this makes all the college world
a Banana Slug.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:12 PM | Comments (11)
What Losers. Pathetic Losers
I am so sick of this sh$t.
NCAA bans use of Indian mascots
Prohibition only applies to postseason, not to individual schoolsINDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.
The NCAA’s executive committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.
Nicknames or mascots deemed “hostile or abusive” would not be allowed by teams on their uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford’s president.
For God's sake, they don't use DRUNKEN Indians; they're all chiefs and warriors and kewl-a$$ kinda manly guys. Unlike a certain other offensive mascot being discriminated against by NOT being banned.
(But the post-season is only a dream for them anyway. AND the fact that Major Dad would...um...glower at me, if I taunted him about them a second time.)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:05 PM | Comments (2)
August 03, 2005
A Note to the DNC and RNC
A year later, but better late than never. Now, let's see who reports about these conclusions...
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Center for Voting Rights Legislative Fund ("ACVR Legislative Fund") today released the most comprehensive and authoritative review of the facts surrounding allegations of vote fraud, intimidation and suppression made during the 2004 presidential election.The ACVR Legislative Fund report, "Vote Fraud, Intimidation & Suppression In The 2004 Presidential Election," finds that while Democrats routinely accuse Republicans of voter intimidation and suppression, neither party has a clean record on the issue. The report finds that paid Democrat operatives were far more involved in voter intimidation and suppression activities than were their Republican counterparts during the 2004 presidential election. Examples include paid Democrat operatives charged with slashing tires on GOP get-out-the-vote vans in Milwaukee and an Ohio court order stopping Democrat operatives from calling voters telling them the wrong date for the election and faulty polling place information...
...In addition to common-sense recommendations such as required government issued photo ID at the polls, accurate statewide voter registration databases and a zero-tolerance policy against vote fraud and intimidation, ACVR Legislative Fund identifies five cities as election fraud "hot spots" which require additional immediate attention prior to the 2006 elections. These cities were identified based on the findings of the report and the cities' documented history of fraud and intimidation.
1. Philadelphia, Pa.
2. Milwaukee, Wis.
3. Seattle, Wash.
4. St. Louis/East St. Louis, Mo./Ill.
5. Cleveland, Ohio
Well, knock me over with a feather. Where was Jimmay Cawtah and his mon-i-touring committee, makin' sure we don' act like a third world country?
UPDATE: Captain Ed has more on the 'bi-partisan or not' nature of the group issuing the report.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:41 AM | Comments (7)
July 31, 2005
Comments Are Back
Woo-Hoo! Thanks so much for your patience and kind words of advice! Extra-Swill thanks to Ken, Kathy, Wunder and most especially Bill!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:52 AM | Comments (5)
July 29, 2005
Comments Whacked
THIS IS A BUMP
'cause they still are, even tho there's lotsa new SwillStuff to read. And please email Bingster or moi~ swilling*at*beegewelborn.com ~ with anything you would have posted. We'll be putting those in the extended sections. And...
Would SOMEBODY PLEASE help Bingley???
(see double update below) I'm whining and begging here, Swillers.
UPDATE: Mr. Summers has kindly demonstrated that, at least, the trackback feature is functional. Bless your little pointy head, sir!
I have no idea why you get the "Where'd you learn how to type?" message when you try and comment. I'm even getting it. The Cialis Holdem Scum must have hacked us. Argh. I'll fix it when I can. If you have pithy comment email them to me and I'll post them.
Sorry.
[insert head tilt here]
*Update: Well, it turns out it was the Cialis Holdem Scum. They were pounding Hosting Matters, who sensibly turned off comments on a number of blogs to keep the servers alive. Once (If) I manage to get Blacklist installed tonight we'll be up and running again.
**Update - ah, this is ticking me off. I have no idea how to upload this. anybody have any idea/experience on uploading blacklist? email me please! thanks
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:08 AM | Comments (2)
Goin' Down in Flames...
...NOT.
Economy kept growing solidly in 2nd qtr
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy grew solidly at a 3.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter, the government reported on Friday, just slightly below the first quarter's pace and with room to grow as stocks of unsold goods fell for the first time in two years.While second-quarter growth eased from a 3.8 percent rate in the first three months of the year, it nonetheless marked the ninth straight quarter in which gross domestic product or GDP increased at a rate exceeding 3 percent, Commerce Department figures showed.
Not bad for a chimp and his minions. Now if I could just get hurricanes to quit blowing away the shops and tourists who buy my work, everything would be peachy.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:42 AM
And Then the Guy With the Hockey Mask Jumps Through the Window...
In a move worthy of a Freddie/Jason/Chucky horror sequel, CNOOC seems intent on proving they're "not dead yet".
CNOOC considers raising Unocal bid
CNOOC executives are weighing whether the Chinese energy company will this weekend launch a potential knock-out bid of up to $20bn for Unocal, the US energy group, or accept defeat from US rival Chevron.While people close to the situation warned that a decision had not yet been taken and was too close to call, they said it was still possible CNOOC would increase its $18.5bn bid for Unocal in spite of pressure in Washington and Unocal support of Chevron.
It is understood the state-controlled group has drafted plans to increase its $67-a-share cash bid to more than $70 a share, valuing Unocal at about $19.3bn - about $2bn above Chevron's proposal.
One person familiar with the matter said CNOOC was considering going as high as $72 a share to compensate Unocal's shareholders for the 51-day delay to the completion of its bid imposed this week by the US Congress.
I'm assuming we'll hear from Mr. Schoenfeld shortly, urging the board to bite if this hits the table.
CNOOC has been considering a pledge to sell all of Unocal's US assets to help defuse criticism in Washington. But an attempt by CNOOC to win over Unocal's board with a "knock-out" offer could backfire by offering critics more evidence the bid is being heavily subsidised by Beijing.
Beijing's paying for this? I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:26 AM
July 28, 2005
An Energy Sleight of Hand
As Swillers know, I am for restricted drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The 100 mile mark off my beautiful Panhandle and the rest of the state seems eminently reasonable. We all drive our chariots to and fro and, while no one wants to watch the oil rigs on the horizon during a beach visit, the out of sight/out of mind proposal allows Florida to contribute to lessening our foreign energy dependence and makes a bit of spare change for the state in fees. Win-win, as I see it. But because of the state's elected officials' general intransigence as far as compromise goes ~ coupled with entirely too much weight given to our Governor's status as 'First Brother' ~ a certain complacency has crept in. This news must have come as a shock. I'd like to say it surprised the hell out of me, but it didn't...
Jul. 26--Florida's congressional delegation is protesting a White House plan to open the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's coast to oil drilling and allow Louisiana and Alabama to reap the financial benefits.The plan would allow those states to lease drilling rights in federal waters south of Florida's coast near the Panhandle and receive royalties from the leases. A congressional conference committee is expected to finish the final draft of the plan today and have it ready for a full vote this week.
The White House proposal would continue to prohibit oil and gas drilling 100 miles out from Florida shores -- but would allow drilling along a diagonal path beyond that, extending from Louisiana and Alabama due south from Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach in the western Panhandle.
While our representatives have been slumbering in a Jeb-George LoveFest induced coma, the rest of the world has seen a need that has to be met and we have resources to help alleviate some of the burden. It would have been far wiser, as I've written time and again, to lay the ground rules down in a compromise that let them drill far off shore, rather than get totally screwed in the end. Well, thank you Senators Nelson and (pfft) Martinez, all our Congressional lesser lights and the tourist board morons screaming about tarballs on the beach. It's looking like we're gonna get those oil rigs 100 miles out anyway, lose how many thousands of miles of sovereignty that we'll never get back, with nary a dime for the effort. Better the devil you know, than the one you have no control over. And they're still sputtering the same tune, in the face of this.
But Florida senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez vowed to oppose the measure if it emerges as part of the energy bill this week. They believe they can derail the plan if the powerful coalition of coastal states remains together, and Nelson has threatened to mount a filibuster to derail it if the provision is included in the final bill.
WHAT coalition, when Washington is waving billions of dollars and extended territory at your neighbors? I think the 'united Florida delegation' is gonna hear a collective 'see ya!' Brain dead, I swear to God. Haven't they ever heard 'be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it?' Welcome to La La Land.
UPDATE: Comment notes via email, as those are still non-functioning, in the extended version.
Mr. Bingely, could you explain more of what you mean by "losing more of our sovereignty" ? I used to work for a marine survey company and worked quite extensively in plotting out pipelines that were within the three mile state limit. All other lines outside that three miles were in federal waters, and then into international, as it were, but in the Gulf, all that was primarily discussed was state and federal. I dont see how that will ever change, or how it could possibly have anything to do with making one entity's sovereignty more important than another. The state/federal distinctions have more to do with regulating oil company restrictions than who gets the benefit of the profit.I could be totally wrong though. Its been a few years since I worked that job.
The diagonal drilling is no surprise to me, as much of it has to do with avoiding the Flower Gardens, and approaching deposits from an angle that will utilize less surface area (if my understanding is correct) Its been sometime since I looked at ageological/topographical map of the Gulf, but thats how it plays out in my mind at least.
Hope the hacker gets wiped.
Sharon Ferguson
tributaries
My answer:
Hey Sharon,THS here and I'm the guilty party that wrote the post, being the Florida resident. What I meant 'sovereignty'-wise was the gerry mandering of state 'borders/waters' the article talked about. I'd always been under the impression, as you stated in your note, that it was federal past the 3 mile limit. This article says that, once past the (FL talking points) 100 mile limit offshore from Pensacola (my home port), for purposes of state drilling right leases and (most importantly) the payment of royalties to the state, 101 miles due south of the panhandle effectively becomes Alabama. That's what I was referring to, along with the 'allowing LA and AL to reap the financial benefits'. Did I make any sense there? Hope so.
And what a cool job you had! Did you get out to the rigs? I know that's what the huge brouhaha is here on the FL Gulfcoast. We've all been to AL beaches and the oil rigs line the horizen. Just looks damn awful, plus they're so close in, God forbid something happens, there's goo on the beaches real quick. So I'm sure that's where that '100 miles' comes from that FL chants like a mantra. They have the opportunity to do it the right way, far offshore and with any environmental restrictions they could come up with, but instead have gone to a 'take no prisoners, pump no oil' approach. It seems to have bitten them this time. And that's a shame because we really could have had our cake and eaten it too. Now it's going to be a nightmare and an unresolvable one, if those knuckleheads don't get off the no drilling pony.
Anyways, Bingster just heard from hosting matters that they disabled the comments on several blogs because of spammers and the like, so hopefully we'll be up and running. Would you mind terribly if I posted your email/my reply in the comments when we have a chance? I'd hate for anyone to miss out on your experience. Just let me know. And thanks hugely for the email.
Here's to McCabe's Aztecs hunting down the spammers.
Later gator!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:58 AM
July 27, 2005
BushieChimpMcHitler...
...is destroying this country economically and everybody knows it....don't they?
Business activity expands in June, July
Price pressures eased or were flat across most of country, Fed reportsWASHINGTON - U.S. business activity continued to grow in June and early July, and overall price pressures eased or were flat in most places despite higher energy and building costs, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.
Ignore that man in the corner!!!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:22 PM
July 22, 2005
Whoa !! Had Me a Radio Free Europe Flashback There
On Wednesday the US Congress passed an amendment that allows the administration to broadcast television and radio programmes into Venezuela.The amendment, introduced by Connie Mack, a Florida Republican, is aimed at offsetting the perceived "anti-American" influence of Telesur, a nascent satellite television channel that is majority funded by the Chávez government.
It is unclear whether the Bush administration has firm plans to beam into Venezuela a stream of what the amendment describes as an "objective and comprehensive" news. It has triggered a sharp reaction. "This is just another desperate attack by the imperialists,*" said Mr Chávez. Telesur, whose creation was funded by Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay, bills itself as a Latin American alternative to the "US-centric" programming of such commercial channels as CNN.
Chavez says he'll be using jamming equipment like his close buddy in Cuba does.
Time to break out the
.*Yup. That's us.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:50 AM | Comments (10)
July 19, 2005
Of Mice (The Perdido Key Beach Mice, That Is)...
and 
Rodents to Get Beach Property
A new home on Perdido Key could cost thousands of dollars extra, all to accommodate a rodent...
...Right now the mouse has free reign over the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the Perdido Key State Park and Alabama's Gulf State Park.
But the U-S Fish and Wildlife service thinks the mouse should be able to commute between the parks, without encountering manmade developments...
...The fee would be 1 hundred 98 thousand dollars per acre and would only apply to the footprint of the building.
So... a 3 thousand square foot house would pay about 13 thousand 600 dollars extra.
And (since you knew, just knew there had to be one) the 'WTF did he just say ??' quote:
Keith Wilkins/Neighborhood and Env. Services: "Instead of saying well 198 is too much but 98,000 is fine we can't do that. We've got to say the species needs land acquisition or it doesn't need land acquisition or it needs less land acquisition but still some."
Holy crap. I'm moving.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:15 PM | Comments (3)
July 15, 2005
The Bottom Line...
Unocal's shareholders are set to vote August 10 on whether to accept the 18.5-billion-dollar cash bid from CNOOC, or a stock-and-cash offer from Chevron that is worth about 1.5 billion dollars less....before anything else.
Gheit said it was unlikely that Unocal would reject CNOOC's offer out of hand. Institutional investors holding Unocal stock "aren't going to give up nine percent or 10 percent to be more patriotic", he said.The Unocal board had already accepted the Chevron offer before the Chinese state firm entered the fray in late June...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:48 AM | Comments (1)
July 13, 2005
Damn That Bushchimphitler...Again!!!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday slashed its forecast for the fiscal 2005 budget deficit by nearly $100 billion after the government raked in unexpectedly large tax revenues in recent months.And...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in May to $55.3 billion as exports set another new record and a short-lived drop in oil prices kept imports from reaching a new high, a government report showed on Wednesday.Sucks to be rollin' right along.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:40 PM | Comments (5)
July 08, 2005
Keep These Folks In Your Prayers
This can get real ugly. CAT 4, 135 mph already and "expected to strengthen."
Anyone in the path get out now if you can, and for those of you whom Uncle Sam wants to attend meetings in the path...for God's sake do all you can to be safe.
Update:
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT DATA INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE
INCREASED TO NEAR 150 MPH...240 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DENNIS
IS A STRONG CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME
WEAKENING IS FORECAST AS DENNIS MOVES OVER CUBA...BUT IS EXPECTED
TO REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE AS IT EMERGES OVER THE STRAITS OF
FLORIDA AND THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO TONIGHT.
Get out of his way.
Now.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:29 AM | Comments (12)
July 07, 2005
Why I Don't Have Wi-Fi
This would be happening all the time (not the prosecution, but the snooping/stealing). There are too many computer geek kids in my neighborhood.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:39 AM
July 06, 2005
Sorry About The Slow Loading Times Folks
But we are getting pounded by trackback spam today. I've deleted 30 or so, and they really clog things up.
Bastards.
PS - Anyone who even thinks about click through to some of those sites and encourage the turds will be gleefully emasculated.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:50 PM | Comments (8)
Sis, Better Set An Extra Place For Supper...
'cos Dennis is coming to town.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:48 AM | Comments (1)
July 04, 2005
Survey Says: “eight in 10 Americans of all ages...say patriotism is in.”
Well! I would hope so!
“That [patriotism] appears so long after the period of frenzied flag-waving following 9/11 suggests that it is settling in as a fixture of American perceptions,” according to Roper Reports......The poll also found that, African Americans and Hispanics are among those most inclined to have patriotic feelings. The survey found “virtually no difference between blacks’ views and those of the nation as a whole.”
Eighty percent of black Americans and 78 percent of Hispanics strongly identify themselves as patriotic, as well as 81 percent of white Americans, the poll found.
Some 87 percent of baby boomers — the bloc of Americans demographers generally consider born between 1946 and 1964 — said patriotism is a central identifying fact of their lives. Seventy-eight percent of Generation Xers, born between 1965 and 1980, felt the same way.
I think that's kinda the whole idea of "We, the People".
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:56 AM | Comments (1)
July 01, 2005
I Never Bought a Copy of 'We Are The World'...
...so whuddo I know anyway. But this sounds about right...
To Hell with Live 8 (And I mean that.)
A Notso Slacker Friday
This just in: I’m an idiot, I know, but I just figured out that Live 8 is not raising any money for famine relief or malaria cures or AIDS treatment in Africa. It is just designed to “pressure” G8 countries into doing what’s right. Thing is, guys, the G8 doesn’t, (and shouldn’t) care what Madonna, Elton John, U2, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, R.E.M., Coldplay, Bjork, Sting, Dido, Justin Timberlake, Green Day, Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Celine Dion, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill think about anything, particularly if they won’t put their own riches where their big mouths are*. (Ditto Pitt, George Clooney, Will Smith, Natalie Portman and Salma Hayek.)
Normally I rank Mr. Alterman's 'blogcolumn' right up there with dental work (evinced by the rest of the page), but he nailed it in this rant, bless his little-liberal-pointy head. I particularly loved this eloquent passage:
They won’t even allow charities to canvass the audience. Turns out the concert is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING but moral vanity, and the exploitation of starving, sick Africans, by pampered, rich as**oles and their self-interested corporate sponsors rather than their potential salvation. This is really unspeakably shameful.Not that any of this is news, but seeing an opinion like that on the big screen is. Warmed the cockles of my heart, by W.
*emph. mine
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:34 PM | Comments (6)
I Sure Hope They Don't Forget...
...what they were working on over the long weekend.
Congress works to blunt court decision
DeLay calls Supreme Court ruling on seizing private property ‘horrible’WASHINGTON - Lawmakers are trying to blunt a Supreme Court decision that says local governments can seize people's homes to make way for shopping malls and other private development...
...The House on Thursday approved by a 231-189 vote a bid by conservative Scott Garrett, R-N.J., to bar federal transportation funds from being used to make improvements on lands seized via eminent domain for private development.
Legislation in the works also would ban the use of federal funds for any project getting the go-ahead using the Kelo v. City of New London (Conn.) decision.
Not everyone's behind it. What a surprise.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California says she is opposed to any legislation that would withhold federal dollars "for the enforcement of any decision of the Supreme Court, no matter how opposed I am to that decision."
Here's hoping the 'ooh, something shiney' principle doesn't apply. And that California voters remember what 'Miss Liberty' Pelosi said about their property rights when it comes to re-electing her.
And if your state is NOT on this list, you need to start letter writing and agitating.
At least eight states — Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, South Carolina and Washington — already forbid the use of eminent domain for economic development unless it is to eliminate blight. Other states either expressly allow private property to be taken for private economic purposes or have not spoken clearly to the question.I like the 'haven't spoken clearly' bit. Voters need to speak loud and clear then, so the good old boys get the message. But quickly, 'cause don't think for 2 seconds your City Hall isn't already planning some sleight of hand land grabs before the shock wears off and the community wakes up.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:32 AM | Comments (5)
June 29, 2005
Here We Go Again
New York to unveil redesigned Freedom Tower NEW YORK - After concerns were raised about security at the soaring skyscraper proposed as the centerpiece of the former World Trade Center site, architects went back to the drawing board.On Wednesday, officials were to unveil a more bomb-resistant design for the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, which is to offer 2.6 million square feet of office space and is expected to become the world’s tallest building.
Morons. Just build the frickin' thing to look like the WORLD TRADE CENTER and be done with it. 'Freedom Tower'. What kinda suck-up-candy-ass name is that anyway?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:51 AM | Comments (2)
damn, Damn, DAMN BushChimpHitler !
GDP growth revised up, beats forecastsThis kinda stuff just ruins it for everybody!
Initially, the department said gross domestic product -- the broadest measure of total economic activity within U.S. borders -- grew at a 3.1 percent rate but it pushed that up to 3.5 percent a month ago before finally revising it to match the 3.8 percent rate posted in the closing quarter of 2004.Heartless, tax cutting bastards.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:31 AM | Comments (1)
June 24, 2005
The House Says "Not So Fast There, Friendly Skies!"
House votes to block UAL pension default
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted to block bankrupt United Airlines from defaulting on its pension plans and shifting them to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC)The provision was attached to a government spending bill expected to pass the chamber later in the day. The bill would still have to pass the Senate before it could take effect
The article notes that, since the PBGC doesn't spend 'government-appropriated funds', the effectiveness of this is up in the air, but at least they're willing to put their names (30 Republicans went along) on something attempting to stop this particular form of highway robbery. We can hope they'll find the cajones to address more current injustices.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:51 PM | Comments (1)
June 21, 2005
Speaking of Ships
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:41 PM | Comments (1)
Happy Summer From Sandy Hook!
And a heartfelt Thank You to everyone who keeps her flying free.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:56 PM | Comments (3)
Tonight, CBS 8 p.m.EST/PT
(We'll see how many 'Lawrence of Arabia' quotes make the cut.)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:23 AM | Comments (4)
June 17, 2005
A 'Fight For The Right to Swill' Update
As a result of consumer pressure for change and the Supreme Court ruling, other states are also thoughtfully considering the model direct shipping bill, including New York and Rhode Island, to name two.But not Michigan.
Michigan state legislators are considering two bills (House Bill 4959 and Senate Bill 600) strongly supported by the Michigan wine wholesalers that, if passed, will remove intra-state direct shipping for Michigan consumers and wineries, which is vital to the economic livelihood of the state’s 40 family-owned and operated wineries. Nida Samona, Chairwoman of the State of Michigan Liquor Control Commission, recommended to Michigan legislators that the state ban ALL shipments, a huge step backward in the 20 year trend toward augmenting the current system with legal, regulated direct shipments.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:44 PM | Comments (9)
June 16, 2005
Guess Who Really Poops On Mother Nature?
Not SUV-driving Right Wing Death Beasts. No, the evil-doers are granola-chomping mountain climbers.
The unsanitary conditions created by piles of human feces on Mount McKinley can cause diarrhea among climbers, which can lead to widespread problems when combined with the physical stress of a mountain expedition, according to the report in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.Of 132 climbers interviewed on the 20,320-foot (6,200-meter) peak in the summer of 2002, more than a quarter reported having trouble with diarrhea, said the report, which was conducted by officials with the Alaska Division of Public Health.
New Jersey is more sanitary than Mt. McKinley. Take that (instead of Shinnecock), teary-eyed Native American Person!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:29 PM | Comments (7)
June 13, 2005
Looks Like Tomato Juice, Smells Like Tomato Juice...
Like the old Smothers Brothers routine says, not everything is as it seems.
RALEIGH, N.C. - 3,800 patients at two hospitals run by Duke University Health System were operated on last year with instruments that were washed in hydraulic fluid instead of detergent, hospital regulators said.
Maybe they thought they could cut corners since John Edwards was busy?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:15 AM | Comments (2)
June 11, 2005
sigh...
Welcome to my world...
UPDATE:...and EYE. For what we failed to receive, we are truly thankful. For those of you rumbling in the feeder bands, keep your heads down and know our prayers are with you. I am tickled to death that my one and only attempt at Hurricane blogging has thus far been a bust and I can well do without any further practice. All in all, a delightful outcome by any measure.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:44 PM | Comments (6)
June 09, 2005
Guys Like My Buddy Qiu...
Give online gaming a bad name:
Shanghai Number 2 Intermediate People’s Court gave online gamer Qiu Chengwei the death sentence with a two-year reprieve after he slew another player, Zhu Caoyuan, last October, according to a report published Wednesday in the official newspaper China Daily.
The pair had argued over ownership of a virtual sword that Qiu and another player had won in the online game “Legend of Mir III.” Qiu loaned the item to Zhu, but Zhu then sold it for 7,200 renminbi (around US$870). When Qiu tried to involve the police in recovering the item or the money, he was told that such virtual items are not protected by Chinese property laws. After Zhu refused to return the item or pay compensation, Qiu went to his home and stabbed him in the heart, according to the report.
The lesson here is that you should not loan out virtual items.
I think.
Or get a friggin' life.
*Update: I would have offered Zhu some of my Nigerian Oil/Diamond/Gold Winnings to help pay off his debt to Qiu...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:42 PM | Comments (2)
May 26, 2005
That Damn BushChimpHitler...
...and the tax cuts that are destroying this country...NOT.
States See Benefits, Challenges in Revenue Surpluses
Multibillion-Dollar Tax Windfall Allowing States to Slash Taxes, Improve Services
- A sweeping economic turnaround could mean tax cuts and better service for millions of Americans. For the first time since the year 2000, many states are finding that budget time isn't all about belt-tightening and cost-cutting.States collected a record $600 billion in taxes last year -- an increase of 17.2 percent over 2003. Revenues are rising even faster this year, at a double-digit rate in some states.
Instead of fighting about how to cut their budgets, state lawmakers must decide how best to use the additional revenue.
Driven by higher consumer sales and personal incomes, tax revenues are up in states nationwide. Governments are using the money to improve roads, cut class sizes and give tax breaks to businesses.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:43 PM | Comments (3)
May 19, 2005
Highway Robbery
The Saints are threatening to March out of New Orleans. They do have it exceedingly tough there.
Under the current agreement, the state will pay the Saints $15 million this year and in 2006, $20 million in 2007 and 2008 and $23.5 million in 2009 and 2010. The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District refinanced bonds on the Superdome to cover this year's payment.
And they want the new ritzy stadium, blah, blah, blah but the frickin' State of Lousiana expects them to HELP PAY for it! BASTARDS !!
The state pushed for a deal to make the team responsible for increased revenues through their on-field and box office performance. The state has proposed a $175 million renovation of the Superdome with the Saints covering $40 million, arguing the team could earn between $10 million and $12 million annually from increased capacity and new suites. Additionally the state proposed lowering annual inducements to $14 million in 2008 and $9.5 million in 2009 and 2010. The team said it would only cover $23 million toward renovating the Superdome, believing it will generate an additional $4 million annually from the upgrades. The state is asking to renegotiate but they're pulling $50 million off the table that's guaranteed in the current contract, Wilkerson said.
There's a whole lot more to this than I have the patience for. Like how the Cresent City ~ Third World and Proud of it ~ has experienced the 'greatest flight to the suburbs in their history, crippling their infrastructure repairs, not to mention the schools and city services. (I'm sure they're not teaching $12,500 race relations classes there.)
It's disgusting how officials sell the farm to get these teams. I remember what the Garden State gave away to get the Meadowlands. (Actually, that was the gift that keeps on giving.) I'm telling you, New Yawk City should be happily paving streets, sweeping sidewalks and fixing the subway station for the Yankees' new digs. They sure as hell are the only major team in any market who's volunteered to foot the bill for the new stadium themselves.
I've got a bad case of 'don't let the turnstyle hit you in the ass...'
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:11 PM | Comments (7)
May 16, 2005
You Can Send Me That Bottle of Opus Now
The Supreme Court struck down the Direct Sales Ban.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - States cannot ban direct out-of-state wine shipments if they allow their wineries to sell directly to consumers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a decision that could lead to lower prices and more easily available choices.By a 5-4 vote, the high court ruled that the bans involving out-of-state wineries unconstitutionally discriminated against interstate commerce. Such laws have been adopted in 23 states while the other 27 states allow direct wine sales, industry officials said.
Justice Anthony Kennedy said for the court majority that the laws at issue from Michigan and New York were designed to grant in-state wineries a competitive advantage over wineries located in other states.``We hold that the laws in both states discriminate against interstate commerce in violation of the Commerce Clause (of the U.S. Constitution) and that the discrimination is neither authorized nor permitted by the 21st Amendment,'' Kennedy concluded.
Kennedy rejected the arguments by the states seeking to justify the bans as necessary to protect minors from alcohol and to be able to collect taxes on the sales.
In states with the ban, out-of-state wineries may sell only to wholesalers, who distribute to retailers, who in turn sell to consumers. A U.S. Federal Trade Commission report has found the bans reduce consumer choice and increase wine prices.
Music to my thirsty ears.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:39 PM | Comments (5)
May 15, 2005
Swilling Keeps Kidneys Sharp
No, really!!! It does!
In a finding that runs counter to conventional wisdom, researchers have found that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol -- about one drink a day -- may prevent kidney function decline in men...."...This is the first study to show a consistent reduction in the risk of chronic kidney disease with light to moderate drinking. Given the new findings that traditional cardiovascular risk factors are associated with kidney disease, the data is not surprising. This study may be broadening our knowledge of alcohol and disease prevention," Kurth said.
Research science at its finest.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:06 PM | Comments (6)
May 11, 2005
Great World Trade Center Model
and interview video on MSNBC.com. The 'Phoenix' they call it. 
That's how it should look.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:57 PM | Comments (2)
A Little Good News on the Economy...
...is appreciated.
April budget surplus swells to $57.71 bln
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States posted a greater-than-expected $57.71 billion budget surplus in April, the largest monthly surplus in three years, as tax receipts swelled, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.The April reading surpassed Wall Street expectations for a $55 billion budget surplus and raised the possibility of a much lower fiscal 2005 fiscal deficit* than first forecast.
*emphasis mine
Not bad work for a chimp, eh what?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:29 PM
May 09, 2005
Donald Trump...
...is a pretentious, pompous, pompadored palamino's patootie.
So imagine how astounded I was to find myself agreeing with him.
"The design for the Freedom Tower is an egghead design... which has no practical application and which, frankly, didn't look very good."
Yup.
UPDATE: Oh, man, is this getting ugly...
Fellow billionaire Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, sarcastically rebuked the property magnate. “I’m sure Mr. Silverstein would love to have somebody else pick up some of his tab,” Bloomberg snapped.Even as Silverstein eyes City Hall and Albany for funds, NY1-TV reported that “government officials are aggressively studying whether they can kick the leaseholder out, but take the $4.5 billion of insurance cash he now controls.” Silverstein pays the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey $10 million monthly to lease annihilated buildings. Now, atop some $460 million in accumulated rent payments, authorities may use eminent domain to de-privatize his lease and snatch the insurance payout he won through two hard-fought lawsuits against his insurers. How Third World.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:04 PM | Comments (6)
May 06, 2005
Nothing From You, Thank You
FDA to Implement Gay Sperm Donor RulesNEW YORK (AP) -- To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration is about to implement new rules recommending that any man who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor.
The FDA has rejected calls to scrap the provision, insisting that gay men collectively pose a higher-than-average risk of carrying the AIDS virus. Critics accuse the FDA of stigmatizing all gay men rather than adopting a screening process that focuses on high-risk sexual behavior by any would-be donor, gay or straight.
Regardless of one's take on the whole gay issue, I would think this is going to be extremely hard to enforce. And I wholeheartedly agree that it's discriminatory, especially since they'd still allow sperm from the pond scum that would do this:
Come on...if you're going to protect the public, then PROTECT the public.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:14 PM | Comments (7)
Well Now, THAT'S a Smack Down If I Ever Saw One
From the Appeals Court decision on the 'Broadcast Flag' FCC ruling (page 4 of 34):
As a result, the FCC’s purported exercise of ancillary authority founders on the first condition. There is no statutory foundation for the broadcast flag rules, and consequently the rules are ancillary to nothing. Therefore, we hold that the Commission acted outside the scope of its delegated authority when it adopted the disputed broadcast flag regulations.
The rules are 'ancillary to nothing', as in 'we just made this shit up'. Ah jeez, that's great! As a non-'DaveJBarristerExtraordinaire' type, I found the first few pages of the decision easy to digest. The explanations in Circuit Judge Edwards' opinion were surprisingly accessible (Harumph! Who knew?) and that made for a pretty neat read. Some days ya just gotta love the law.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:23 PM | Comments (2)
April 29, 2005
Bingley Better Get His Petition Going...
...to get on the ballot for New Jersey Governor. Seems someone with some real firepower is thinking about running. Oh, God bless the Garden State. I really mean that.
"SATURDAY Night Live" alum Joe Piscopo (above), who's eyeing a run for New Jersey governor, is already thinking like a politician. He gave an interview to Steppin' Out magazine's Chaunce Hayden, then immediately tried to retract it. Among the remarks he'd rather take back: "The guys who put Jesse Ventura in office want to put me in . . . I would really enjoy being governor and it would be such an honor. Plus, there're no scandals in my life that would pop up later," mused Piscopo. Except one: "OK, I ran off with the baby sitter!" said the comic, who has been married to Kimberly since 1997. "How am I going to hide that?"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:57 PM | Comments (3)
April 23, 2005
A Note on Global Warming
It's supposed to be around 47 degrees here in Pensacola come Sunday morning. They're teasing us with a chance at setting record lows. This is what will be left when the Oriskany's moorings are crushed by the impending ice flow, now in full retreat from Antarctica.
We're doomed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:57 AM | Comments (5)
April 22, 2005
Happy Earthday, Swillers!
Please recycle a bottle or hug a tree. And why should you celebrate with Sod Off Swampy t's and mugs, proudly printed in Pensacola? Exhibit A: a note I wrote to Cafepress last night.
this sort of crap is exactly why we didn't use your service when we designed our t's. there's no way my name as an artist would ever be associated with a business who has no social decency, just their hands out for the cash. and your cute dog on the email, with his lame explanation of your lack of standards doesn't fool anyone, or excuse you.
The canned response?
Hi, Thank you for contacting CafePress.com! CafePress.com provides an automated service to a diverse and vibrant community of international users, who may differ in their view about what is considered offensive. We appreciate that you have brought this content to our attention and will forward your concerns to the appropriate department. If you would like to submit a formal written complaint or have further questions regarding content in one of our Shopkeepers stores please send an e-mail to cup@cafepress.com.
Somebody's got to have principles. What jackasses and I'm the treehugger in the family! Not worth a 'bite me'. They just don't get our business. And hopefully, none of yours.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:12 PM | Comments (1)
April 20, 2005
Loafing is Dangerous
Bread needs a warning label. For example:
9. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person*.
(*See South Park portrait below) Read the rest and change your life while there's still time.
Swill Salute:Samizdata
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:49 AM | Comments (5)
April 18, 2005
To The Good People Who Keep Searching For "LOTR"
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but all the linking must have nuked the bandwidth of the folks who were hosting them. If we can find them again I'll host them and put them back up.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:43 PM | Comments (5)
April 15, 2005
Whacha Think?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:40 PM | Comments (2)
April 14, 2005
FLASH! ~ 'Get a Grip' A Swill Scoop
All the fawning over the NRO article noted on our bigger older brother blogs should leave loyal Coalition readers yawning. We called McCain a suck up days ago, with pithy commentary from said extraordinary Swillers.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:19 PM | Comments (5)
April 08, 2005
Thoughts From The First Round Of The Masters
1) Rich Beem is not as fat in real life as he appears on tv.
2) Craig Stadler is fatter.
3) If Craig Parry were any fatter Luke Skywalker would be leading a squadron of X-Wings to blow him up.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:59 PM | Comments (3)
Waiter! There's a Finger Redux
Seems Wendy's might not have had their fingers in the chili after all. The likely explanation is far more disturbing. Imus implied a dead aunt...eewwww!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:13 AM | Comments (7)
April 07, 2005
Oh Great, More Advice
Fight dementia with sex, crosswords and a run
Mental, physical exercise key, researcher saysCANBERRA - Sex, cryptic crosswords and a good run could help ward off dementia and other degenerative conditions by stimulating new brain cells, an Australian researcher said on Thursday.
A MALE Australian researcher mind you and go figure, right?
“Prolactin levels also go up during sex as well. So one could think of a number of more entertaining activities than running in order to regulate the production of nerve cells,” Bartlett said.
Oh, bite me. I'd like him to try 24 hours in the peri-menopausal, psychopathic, hot flash ridden temple that is my body and try to remember what sex was, less mind want any more. And I dare any of the males who frequent these quarters, with wives of a certain age, to point out the myriad benefits available if said spouse'd only be reasonable and put out.
*Update: Unbelievable what spammers will resort to. This gem just hit my inbox. I didn't open it, but had to share the subject line:
Neocon used to treat and prevent osteoporosis in women after menopause appropriate
So Paul Wolfowitz, not SEX, is the answer to everything.
I wish they'd sent this sooner.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:55 PM | Comments (20)
Bingley...
...should about be in Augusta.
We'll take it from here.
RRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPP !!!!!!!!
STOP that !! Stop that right NOW !!
Every time I try to talk to someone it's Bingley this and 'let us play' that, and 'I'm not worthy'.
They're so depressing. Now knock it off. Right.
Bingley.....TEE TIME 12:30 EST.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:48 AM | Comments (8)
April 06, 2005
Meet the Force With Force
If you had any intention of rousting a Florida Granny on the side walk, or even glaring at her rudely, I'd do it quick. We're not talking feral cats here.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he intends to sign a bill that would allow people who feel threatened — even on the street or at a baseball game — to "meet force with force" and defend themselves without fear of prosecution.
In light of this enlightened legislation, we proudly present the new and improved South Florida Nursing Home Walker!
(If you qualify, Medicare foots the entire cost, with no deductible and no out-of-pocket expences! Call now! Our friendly operators are standing by.)
NOTE:I believe this could be 'gun porn', as Mr. Summers calls it.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:51 AM | Comments (10)
April 01, 2005
Wear It Loud! Wear It Proud!
Dateline: Kuwait
Ladies, don't you just love a man in uniform?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:02 PM | Comments (28)
March 29, 2005
Grey Lady, Your Knickers Are Showing...
In our house, say when Ebola conveniently 'forgets' or 'neglects to mention' some sort of pertinent fact, we call it 'selective memory'. When the New Yawk Times does it, it's still called 'journalism'. What a great system. The first batch of pertinent, neglected information is pointed out in paragraph one. Continue reading the whole schlmeal for the whole reveal...
March 29, 2005 -- THE brush-back pitch thrown by The New York Times at the New York Yankees in an editorial on Sunday had Bronx Bomber executives accusing the broadsheet of hypocrisy and bias yesterday. The Times editorial — which accused the Yankees of "acting like a superstar free agent and asking for the moon" in its plans for a new stadium — never mentioned that the Times Co. is a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox and has a substantial self-interest in stopping the Yankees from building a new, more profitable stadium.
A Yankee insider snickered, "The Gray Lady's Red Sox are showing."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:10 AM
March 28, 2005
A Video Giant Slayer ?
Sony Ordered to Halt PlayStation Sales March 28, 2005 09:47:00 AM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Corp. said on Monday it was ordered by a U.S. court to halt sales of its blockbuster PlayStation consoles in the United States and pay $90 million in damages to a California tech company, Immersion Corp. (IMMR), whose shares jumped more then 5 percent.
Seems the big guys had pinched ('infringed', heh) Immersion's technology that makes a game controller vibrate in sync with actions in games. Buy yours now, before the order goes into effect. Or better yet...don't. Corporate fascists.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:47 PM | Comments (9)
March 27, 2005
The Ted Kennedy VW Ad
It's getting hard to find it these days, so as a service to our loyal readers here it is.
I scanned it out of the National Lampoon Encyclopedia Of Humor (copyright 1973) that I, um, borrowed from THS a few years ago...like 20.
It still makes me laugh.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:52 PM
Happy Easter
Looking foward to the traditional Easter meal of burgers with guacamole and a lot of australian chardonnay...
Yum!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:15 PM | Comments (3)
March 25, 2005
Sod Off Swampy T-Shirt Photo Submissions
We have been promised (and are giddy with anticipation) a military beefcake photo shoot, courtesy of our Middle Eastern correspondant The Real JeffS. (Who has also been plied with cookies and Sumo videos to ensure his co-operation.) Oh...baby! Should any of you proud posers be so inclined, we would be delighted to see the fruits of our vivid imaginations displayed in all their cantankerous glory. If the bashful type, please wear them in good comfort and better company, whilst remembering the words of a fine British patron of ours:
"Right, I'm off to annoy some environmentalists..."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:27 PM | Comments (6)
March 21, 2005
Dear, We're Out Of Candy...
How about a stick of gum?
"Double your pleasure with DoubleMint gum..."
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:22 AM | Comments (2)
March 18, 2005
Argh
I'm sorry for the dearth of posts this week (but you may not be...); work has raised it's ugly head.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:06 AM | Comments (6)
March 15, 2005
Yet Another Satisfied Customer!
Andrea got hers; don't you feel left out? Tell a Swampy to Sod Off! today, and help a town that was harmed by the environment.
I love how ironic irony can be sometimes.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:35 PM | Comments (3)
March 14, 2005
Bill Has Great News
Bill has great news which he coyly hides down the list.
[ques up Queen]
thump-thump-THUMP
Another one bites the dust-ah
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:14 PM | Comments (2)
A New Blog For The List
Courtesy of Chrenkoff I've found out there's a new blog on the beat: Jihadpundit. Go read it, and wish him the best.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:09 AM | Comments (3)
March 11, 2005
Holy Sheet !!
For those of you who think there isn't enough government intrusion in our lives, I offer this little gem Major Dad found in our daily Fish Wrap. Now appearing, to our utter constipa consternation, on the web, for the whole freakin' world to see.
That extra squeeze is gonna cost you big time. Bingley's Road Rage Marauder has nothin' on this.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:13 PM | Comments (16)
March 06, 2005
Happy Birthday Tree Hugging Sister!
You arriving and the Alamo falling...hell of a day.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:01 AM | Comments (6)
March 04, 2005
Male Teenage Fantasies Come Crashing Down
Well, with all these cases popping up of teenage boys being abused by their teachers:
some guys were starting to think that maybe they'd like to go back to 8th grade.
Gentlemen, it is my solemn duty to confront you with reality:
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:11 AM | Comments (16)
Pleasant Surprise to the Upside
262,000 jobs created in February, handily beating forecasters' predictions. And Marfa is free at last. Oil's dropped seven cents. What a rosy, rosy start to the weekend. It's a good thing.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:00 AM | Comments (2)
March 02, 2005
Quick Prayers for Australian Friends
Seems there's been a big shaker just off the coast. 7.2 can rock your world.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:56 PM
February 23, 2005
T-Shirt Update
The first batch of the Sod Off Swampy t-shirts are getting printed this week. They will be only available in Large and Extra-Large*, as none of us are emaciated vegans. They will be printed using the finest carcinogenic inks on genetically-modified cotton (I wanted to use a swank Rayon/Polyester Blend, but THS put her foot down) grown in devastated wetlands; I'm sure you'll love them. The price is $20 US which includes domestic postage to US addresses; overseas stuff we'll figure something out. To pre-order please send me an email with quantity, size and your address and I'll get back to you with payment details, etc: mr_bingley AT mac.com
*THS adds: Bingley's a thoughtless bastard.All we need is a head's up before we order them (we're supporting a local business in town as opposed to Cafe Press ~ every $ kept here after Ivan is a good thing) and we'll have you small and medium sized folks covered.
Greetings Tim Blair and Tech Central readers!
*Update*A quick explanation of the artwork, done for fun and protest:
Coffee leaves, symbolizing the 'green' aspect', sprouted by Bingley, nurtured to 10 foot trees by THS
~ KYOTO; well, duh ~
Handslashed red 'no' symbol with Solidarnosk/everyman protest typefont, sans punctuation.
You Can Get Your Very Own Right Here!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:15 PM | Comments (17)
February 22, 2005
When Online Poker Attacks
Turds. Got hit a little bit over night, so I banned a bunch of ip addresses and closed all the comments on posts over 2 weeks old.
And thank goodness I was smart enough not to give Paris my number.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:35 AM | Comments (4)
February 18, 2005
T-Shirts Coming Soon
Tree Hugging Sister* has done it again!
Coffee leaves, symbolizing the 'green' aspect', sprouted by Bingley, nurtured to 10 foot trees by THS
~ KYOTO; well, duh ~
Handslashed red 'no' symbol with Solidarnosk/everyman protest typefont, sans punctuation.
You Can Get Your Very Own Right Here!
*Copyright Beege Welborn/Coalition of the Swilling 2005
Almost forgot that artist sh!t, you know? {8^P
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:29 PM | Comments (20)
February 17, 2005
Attention Safari Users
For some reason Gorezilla and the Blogroll (which is a bitchin' name for a band) is not showing up in Safari. It does show up in Firefox under OS10. I'll try to figure out the problem, and any html hints will be most happily received!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:17 PM | Comments (11)
February 15, 2005
Ken Summers, Get Thee A
Minivan for some of that extreme driving action!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:08 PM | Comments (6)
It's Time to Come Clean
In the interest of full disclosure and to spare my loved ones public humiliation, I need to be honest with The Public:
1) I have no friends named "Darcy"
2) I have never rented a home called "Netherfield"
3) I did not have sex with that Bennett woman.
I deeply regret any confusion I may have caused.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:21 AM | Comments (7)
February 04, 2005
Sorry
I'm playing around with the code. I'm just pasting things in and seeing what pops up...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:22 PM | Comments (3)