Thursday, December 31, 2009

Blue Moon



Blue Moon On New Year's Eve

No, the moon won't really be blue, but it is rare that the second full moon in December falls on the 31st. It only happens once every 19 years.

Enjoy the extra moonlight while you party, but not too hearty. You don't want to end up like the cautionary tale below.

:-)

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

High BAC



Woman's Blood Alcohol Content Topples State Records

Marguerite Engle, 45, a South Dakota woman, had a blood-alcohol level of .708 percent when she was found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle.

The higest BAC ever recorded in a U.S. hospital was .74 percent.

What can I say but yikes!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Something From My Desk



This is a paperweight from my desk of a tarantula, (Genus Aphonopelma), trapped in a half-sphere of lucite.

Tarantulas are the largest American spider, who bite only when annoyed. The bite is painful, but not dangerous.

Feel free to share something from your desk, if you like. If you don't, well that's cool too ;-)

Monday, December 28, 2009

Black Power



A head has rolled at the Justice Department over the dropping of charges against three Black Panther Party members who openly intimidated Philadelphia voters on Election Day 2008.

Black Panther Case: Has A Head Rolled?

Yeah, Christopher Coates, the official who initiated the charges against the Black Panthers has been removed from his post and replaced.

Obama's Thugocracy grows.

Space Beer!



From Wired Science comes news of the first beer made with grains descended from barley that spent five months in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station.

Barley + Space = Space Beer!

"The very limited results, just 250 precious six-packs, will be sold through a lottery for 10,000 yen ($110) each. But only people living in Japan are eligible."

Sigh.

Cool beans for the lucky few who will get to taste Space Beer.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

2009: A Year Of New Lows



There will, no doubt, be many retrospectives chronicling the year's end, but this one by Frank Miele is one that fits my point of view to a tee...

2009: A Year Of New Lows

How low can we go in 2010?

Time will tell.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!



Merry Christmas to you.

Merry Christmas to you.

Merry Christmas, everybody...

Merry Christmas to you.


[The BLOG note: The lyrics are to be sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday"]

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Happy Festivus!




Yes, there will be an airing of the grievances...

Yes, there will be an aluminum pole...

And feats of strength will be performed...

Must be Festivus!

Read about the merriment at
The Real Festivus

Happy Festivus to you & yours.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas, Not-So-Merry



Reid Bill Says Future Congresses Cannot Repeal Parts Of Reid Bill

How is this possible? How does this pass Constitutional muster?

The passing of the Obamacare abomination is certainly casting a pall on the Christmas of 2009 for me.

Dear readers, how are you all handling it?

Friday, December 18, 2009

Cat Blog Friday



For this Cat Blog Friday...

... I've heard the critters in the 'Avatar' movie referred to as smurf cats. I can't say that I agree with that assessment 'cause I like the look of cats much better than that of the ugly Na'vi.

'Dances With Wolves' In Space: Cameron's 'Avatar' Gets Visuals Tight, Everything Else Wrong.

Does this look like a movie you'd like to see? Me, I think I'll pass.

Happy Friday everybody!

Just Posing

The

couple

that

sneaked

into

the

White House

without

any

credentials!!!!!






[The BLOG note: This came to me via email from my cubelet's friend KL.]

Thursday, December 17, 2009

What?



Star Trek Stops Women From Becoming Computer Scientists

This is such crap.

Girlies, get out there and compete, if it's what you want to do, and don't let some TV show stop you.

Sheesh.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Ugliness



Brazil's 102-year-old Architect Spends 'Crap' Birthday

I saw this on the Drudge Report and I couldn't let it slide without commenting about it.

How is this news?

This ugly man (inside and out, I might add) should ponder the alternative of living a long life.

Perhaps we would've all been the better for that alternative.

Nowadays they might reward him with a reality show.

Sheesh.

It's That Time Of The Year



What a perfect gift for the book lover in your life...

For a bunch more cool gift ideas, visit:

TopatoCo.com

:-)

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Coctopus



Many of you know that I have a degree in biology and, as a result, I am a sucker for animals of all kinds, even the squishy kind like the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, who has been documented as carrying coconut shells to a specific location and made into a shelter.

Aussie Scientists
Find Coconut-Carrying Octopus


This is the first time an inverterbrate has been known to do this.

Cool beans!

OK, don't you all get excited at once ;-)

No Inclusivity Here




Indiana School Removes 'Allah' From Holiday Show After Protests

Yeah!

You betcha!


Word to Shariq Siddiqui, executive director of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana, there was no mention of Jesus - the reason for the season in Christianity- so there was no inclusivity in the program in the first place.

Why should you be given preferred status over all other religious beliefs?

Am I the only one fed up with this politically correct islamophilia?

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Dinner Roll





The Dinner Roll ...


Once upon a time I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President.


I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a FREE country. There's nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was EARNED honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.


I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room. We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner. The meal was served , and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen..


"Sorry 'bout that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry."


"I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty.


It was just a dinner roll.


"Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp.


"And his brother, Eric, is very thirsty," said the President.


I didn't say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I withheld my comments and decided to play along. I don't want to seem unkind..


My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.


"Eric's children are also quite hungry."


With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room.


"And their grandmother can't stand for long."


I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President.


"Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."


I wanted to shout, "that was my coat!" But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled.


Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table.


I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home. Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in.


The President hadn't moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him.


"Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven't planned for retirement and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do."


My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor.


The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak, and drank his wine.


I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.


"By the way," he added , "I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I'm firing you as head of your business. I'll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There's a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can't come to you for jobs groveling like beggars..we need to spread YOUR wealth around..."


I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his crème Brule. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me.


I clung to the edge of the table as if it were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss. I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us. What had I done wrong?


As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands.


"You should have stopped me at the dinner roll," he said.


WAKE UP AMERICA !!!



[The BLOG note: This came to me via email from MH.]
[The BLOG note2: This came to me via email from the author, Richard Gleaves: "If you guys are getting this in e-mail, can you ask the sender to at least put my name on it? I'm the author and I'm tired of tracking this down.Richard GleavesFirst posted on RebirthofReason.comrebirthofreason.com/Articles/Gleaves/Dinner_at_the_White_House_-_a_parable.shtml."]

Friday, December 11, 2009

Cat Blog Friday




For this Cat Blog Friday...

... a cat who doesn't want to hear any more news about Tiger Woods.

Enough already.

Happy Friday, everybody.






Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Nobel Snub



Nobel Peace Prize: Norwegians Incensed Over Barack Obama's Snubs

Shame on you for awarding this prize to such an empty suit. Don't expect me to have any sympathy for you now.

:-P

Paula Hawkins 1927 - 2009



Ex-US Sen. Paula Hawkins Of Florida Dies At 82

Paula Hawkins, who in 1980 became the first woman elected to a full Senate term without a family political connection, died December 4th.

Hawkins was a pioneering politician who positioned herself as a champion of children and equal opportunities for women and working mothers.

But the most memorable thing I remember from her time in office was that Hawkins "forced fellow senators to don bathing trunks when swimming in the Senate gym so she could work out at the previously all-male bastion during daytime hours."

Imagine the EWWWWWWW factor of all those senators cavorting in the buff...

Good gravy! The woman deserved a medal just for ending that despicable practice.

RIP.

Birds Of A Feather



A flock of starlings fly over Rahovec, Kosovo.

Beautiful photo. The flock looks rather goose-like.

:-)

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Media Constructs



From American Thinker...

Tiger, Barack, And The Law Of Transitivity

Food for thought.

What Is The Color Of The Universe?



From Internet-d comes the surprising answer:

Beige.

In a contest to better name the color, notable entries included skyvory, univeige, and the winner: cosmic latte.

Meh.

Who knew?

Monday, December 07, 2009

Job Killers



Pelosi Endorses ‘Global’ Tax On Stocks, Bonds, And Other Financial Transactions

Why stop at global... why not a universal tax?

Not even Sith Lords will be able to keep their jobs with these tax and spend ninnies in charge of the economy.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Cat Blog Friday



For this Cat Blog Friday...

... a cat-related riddle:

Q: What is the difference between this tiger and Tiger Woods?

A: This tiger isn't in hot water.

Happy Friday everybody!

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Homeland Insecurity



Did you know that there is a website where you, or anyone else, can see your driver's license?

The National Motor Vehicle License Organization web site hosts a free searchable database of over 121 million U.S. drivers licenses.

I found mine and promptly chose to remove it from public viewing, but not from law enforcement. I don't think the public should have access to that information, do you?

Drivers License Search

Thank you, Big Sis Napolitano.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Big Bird Speaks Out!



This video is very short but very funny.

If only it weren't a joke from the Conan's Tonight Show...

*sigh*